Wistrik

Hah, I'd rather do that then be stuck behind unskilled slowpoke driver #112,537 for 30 miles on a busy two-lane highway.

I agree. I've just re-installed the series to have another go. Both BG1 and BG2:SoA allowed me to reach the maximum level before the end of the game (ToB fixed this, but it has its own issues). Thankfully I can modify games so I'm never entirely at the developer's mercy; I just hope they get most of the kinks worked out of the engine code before they quit supporting it. I can handle data modifications. Anyway, there's something magical about starting at level 1 and being ignorant of the world around you. Every new level brings new power and new options, and a sigh of relief that now you can survive a little better. I played SSI's Pool of Radiance forever for similar reasons.

Thank you, I was unaware of most of those options. I only recently became aware of the CRs at Bioware's forums, due to not spending much time there.

I think that's part of the idea behind puppet mode, but I could be wrong. Knockdown apparently has other issues (from what I've read: ignoring DCs, feats, etc.) so it could be breaking the rules here. I play on puppet mode, and often park the party by the front door while I run around having fun in a pseudo-solo way. They always warp to me if there's a crucial conversation or quest point, so no worries there. Anyway, I think I'll fire Obsidian another email tonight. They want reproduceable bugs; all they have to do is launch the game, turn off puppet mode, and go into combat. It's (target acquisition bug) as plain as day, and happens all the time.

I don't like email because of the filters. How many true bugs are missed because someone unknowingly missed a filter? (There is never a response given, or if there is it's canned. I know, I know, not enough personnel to give responses.) This could explain how obvious bugs remain in games even after several patches. The forums are full of mentions, but nobody could get through the email filter so the bug remains. I sent an email the other day using the guidelines in the Bug Report sticky on Bioware's forums. Hopefully it got through the filter. There's a target (re)acquisition bug I'd like to see fixed. The last four (or so) patches failed to fix it.

I was playing NWN2 last night, after running NTune on my system and wringing a bit more performance out of it. Kept Neeshka along for awhile this time, and did my best to be nice, but unbending. Got the predictable -1 with her now and then, but then she's a bit narrow-minded. Got to see the insult contest between her, Khelgar and Qara in Duncan's tavern, which was... rated G. Heh. Still can't get the camera down to ground level; it stops at chest level of whatever character I'm viewing and won't go any lower. I guess Obsidian doesn't want us taking scenic screenshots like the kind NWN allowed. Nothing really new to report on. Playing a monk who is now level 9. Found out the player character is as apt to attack a dead body as other party members are. Had him circle-kick/flurry a dead guy three times last night before he bothered to acquire a new target. We're coming up on patch 1.05 and they still haven't fixed target re-acquisition. I emailed them about it, so we'll see.

Once upon a time (the 1980s), I enjoyed products published by EA (M.U.L.E, Racing Destruction Set, etc.). That changed during the 90s, especially after what they did to Origin Systems, Inc., and now I do my best to avoid buying anything with their logo on it. Since I dislike sports games (except for the classic Dr. J & Larry Bird Go One on One), that hasn't been too difficult. It was nostalgic seeing Atari's logo on the NWN2 box (and launch videos); it brought back memories of the arcades and computer shops I used to frequent in the '80s.

Yeah, Diablo in Diablo 2, or Darkness in the 1985 movie Legend.

What does that necessarily have to do with anything? When did I apply those things to you, or specifically to anyone else here? That was an attempt at a humorous description of what I'm not, based on what I've seen and experienced in other players over the years (who are usually much better than I am in FPS games). If the shoe doesn't fit, don't get excited about it. I like that one too, as it reminds me of the Ultima games. Even if it is a marketing render, the game is probably capable of doing it. Just depends on how powerful (and capable) the hardware is.

@Metadigital: yes, I listened to all the commentary in Ep1 and Lost Coast. I'm glad they had her wait on Gordon, because I'm not a twitch-reflex crack-speed FPS player, nor do I have a short attention span so I often take time to enjoy the surroundings or wait and see what happens next, if anything.

This makes me think of something like Alyx 2.0 (upgraded Alyx from Half-Life 2), which is a very good thing. To me this reads "forced parties" in which I'm stuck with characters who disagree with my actions and constantly hound me about it, ala Neeshka and Bishop. How aggravating. Sigh. Perhaps Bioware can make it less irritating than Obsidian did, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Even if the rest of the game was perfect, I'd give it an 8 just because of this. But I may be overreacting, so I'll wait and see, and give it a chance. The Origin Story looks to be a major improvement to NWN2's background feats, which is also a good thing. Hopefully they don't have attacks that lack animations, like Great Cleave. Har! I wonder if this means we won't see any ridiculous clipping issues, like beards clipping through chests, capes clipping through armor, hair clipping through hats, characters clipping through each other if face to face when entering Rest Mode, and of course weapons clipping through nearby characters while at rest. Regardless, combat looks like it'll be a lot more fun. The mention of a toolset is interesting. I can see myself remaking an Ultima with the DA engine.

It is taking place just as I knew it would.

All I could find for a comparison is this link with vague icons instead of hard numbers: http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/Comput...9_13253,00.html You'll get a performance increase, but I have no idea how much. The processor you're looking at isn't AMD's current Turion series, which is probably why it's in the bargain bin. But it's still apparently better than your low-end Sempron (low according to AMD's current lists.)

I can't speak for the Venice configuration, but my Athlon64 3200+ (939 socket) isn't too great with newer games. I can't run NWN2 with everything enabled/maximized even at 1024x768 resolution, and HL2:Episode 2 will probably require me to turn off/down a few settings. (Episode 1 is borderline, Lost Coast is even slower) On the other hand, it runs all the older isometric games (some of which I really enjoy) like lightning. I can OC it to gain 2.22Ghz (from 2.0) and that helps with the newer games, but it's still not enough for my preferences (60+ FPS with everything maximized at 1680x1050, my monitor's native resolution). I'm considering the fastest of the Athlon64FX quad-core processors, though I don't know if there's a laptop variation. I prefer to build my own system so a desktop model is the only kind I shop for. I usually have several apps running at once unless I'm running a newer game, so a multi-processor core is the way to go for me.

Here's a guy allegedly running WinXP (Home Edition) and several other things under Linux w/Ubuntu Beryl http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOWeeVvhiAw&NR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzvT716bvgo

I've had some time to think about the game and read points brought up by others. I have reviewed the game before, but hopefully I can expand on my initial feelings with this post. My comments will be limited to the OC (original campaign) that ships with the game, as I've spent almost no time with the toolset. Overall the game is pretty good; I rate the OC at about 7.5 on a scale of 1 (should never have been developed) to 10 (a masterpiece worth hanging on to for a long, long time). Story The plot vehicle is the oft-used but still popular "kill the big bad enemy". The story topic is interesting, especially the way the protagonist is drawn into the plot. I thought the Githyanki involvement was well done. The game plays as if we are reading a book; it has a mostly fixed path (two branches but with many overlapping elements) and we are predominantly at the author's mercy, for better or worse. Though I prefer games that let me determine my own path, pivotal plot elements aside, this game's linearity is handled in a way that makes it tolerable. I also enjoyed how the KoS character was developed through various 'history lesson' elements. I haven't played the alternate 'darker' path of the story, but I enjoyed the 'lighter' path. (Minor nit: Lord Nasher twice repeats his glowing speech about you, first in his castle and again when he's first encountered in your keep. The words are identical, and this makes his speech seem hollow, like a recording.) On the other hand, the contrived plot element of Ammon being the KoS was very transparent, especially since we know from watching the opening movie that the KoS isn't human. While I didn't initially associate Ammon with being the warlock in that movie, there was never even the spark of an idea in my mind that he might be the KoS. So I was rather annoyed whenever an NPC tried to insinuate that Ammon was the KoS. I feel Ammon could have been introduced in some other fashion, or perhaps it would have been better not to see him at all until we entered his haven. Almost anything would be an improvement. Characters I've adventured at length with Khelgar, Elanee, Grobnar, Sand, Shandra, and Z (since I can never remember her name). Of the bunch, Khelgar seems to be the most developed character. Elanee is pretty good, but Shandra is more believable. Maybe I'm just not a druid at heart, but between the two, Shandra seemed more like a real person to me. Grobnar is good for some laughs, though I had to get used to his slightly annoying high-pitched voice and manner of speaking. Sand is downright hilarious at times, but can be very level-headed when it counts. The remaining characters seemed to fit various cliches, for better or worse, and I had a hard time liking them. Forced party configurations ( ) need to go away from CRPGs and never come back. Sometimes I want to play solo, but I can't do that in NWN2. No, I have to go to an older game, something made before some... challenged person or group of people... decided forced parties were cool, the in thing, da bomb, a better standard, etc. Even if I managed to get used to NWN2's method of managing parties, the contrived dialogs break any feeling of freedom in that regard. No matter what we do, all NPCs act like they've always been in the party. Thanks to the influence system, this is damning to the player who doesn't make sure to run around with every possible NPC and do all their little quests. It all culminates in the hideously contrived 'betrayal' sequence at the end of the game. I can't describe in words my exact feelings about this portion of NWN2, so... :angry10: Quests Most quests are standard fare, but are handled in a way that keep them from being boring. The one that tops them all is the stronghold. It's a lot of fun building up defenses and improving relations with farmers and merchants. I also enjoy recruiting various colorful people to assist me in running the place. Combat Overall I enjoy the combat system, and I'm glad pausing remains a standard feature in CRPGs. I do wish, however, there was some way to improve on the visual effects for (Great) Cleave and other rapid attack feats. It's very underwhelming to execute a Great Cleave and have my character appear to do nothing while monsters fall down at his feet. The attack looks more psionic (Scanners, anyone? hehe) than physical. Graphics The graphics are generally better than those of NWN. Trees blow in the wind, the sky looks better, the tiled look is mostly gone, character models no longer resemble '80s plastic dolls, and so on. For those able to run the game with all settings maximized, it looks very nice. I miss the animated clothing from NWN, like seeing my character's shirt blow in the wind or when he moves. In NWN2 all clothing is static. Dresses/robes look hilarious when the character is running. I usually give Elanee some armor as fast as possible so I don't have to see her running in that default outfit she comes with. Ugh. So while the graphics are nice overall, there are some gotchas here and there. Sound Some harp on the sound being borrowed from NWN, but all I care about is that it sounds good, and it does. The music is excellent too. Performance Hopefully a future patch will continue to work on this. I won't use the toolset so long as the game is such a performance hog on my computer, and I'm not in that big a hurry to upgrade my hardware when my other games don't need it. (I'm also waiting to see what happens in the hardware world this summer.) There it is, and I think I only ranted once. *whew* I'm sick, I have a headache, and I'm stuck at work. So I apologize if any of that came across in my review. Whoa, can you say "medicine head"? Edit: woot, can't type.

If I ever get a camera I'll upload a photo of my system. I'll try to describe it with vendor images... Black Samsung Syncmaster 215TW 21" wide-screen LCD Black Microsoft Comfort Curve keyboard Black Logitech 2.1 speakers 2005 model. Blue computer case with transparent side panel; only lighting is from the GeForce 6800GT (nothing fancy inside, just stock cooling and messy cables) The Samsung site shows nice images on the monitor, but I can verify that things really do look that good. I don't like keyboards with tons of extra keys/buttons, but I do like the way the comfort keyboard is set up; I do massive amounts of typing sometimes so comfort is a big priority. I didn't get wireless because wireless isn't very reliable where I live. (Possibly the overhead power lines outside my house are interfering; I live just down the road from a power substation.) The speakers have excellent sound quality and, imo, look better than the current offerings. Also finally got an APC battery backup. In a short time it has saved my computer from several short blackouts and lots of line noise. And it was very affordable.

I'm using ConText. Word wrap still isn't a strong point (it's an action rather than a mode), but with a wide-screen monitor I never need to worry about my lines wrapping (240 columns of text = :joy: ) I used ConText years ago but it was young and had issues. I've tried several editors/IDEs since and none have been quite what I like. Thankfully ConText has grown up and is much nicer now, and more importantly it does exactly what I need it to do, and no more. Most other editors/IDEs have a plethora of features I'll never use; I want to focus on coding, not on using/learning the editor. With ConText I forget I'm using an editor. I was not paid to write the above paragraph; I am simply happy with this tool.

Will do, Fionavar. I take back what I said about Firefox and IE7 Firefox 2.0.0.1 (screenshot), IE7 (looks identical) Quick Edit controls look just fine. Firefox 2.0.0.1 (screenshot), IE7 (looks identical) "Manage Current Attachments" dropdown menu (light gray on light gray still persists.) You can also see that the Upload button is a bit hard to read. Firefox 2.0.0.1 (screenshot), IE7 (looks identical) forum selection dropdown menu. It looks great on these browsers, but is hard to read in IE6 (what I use at work) This may be an issue with (X)HTML compliance; IE6 isn't as compliant as IE7 or Firefox.

Heh, it's "Play Misty for Me" all over again. While I do appreciate forward women, this gal is way over the top.

Here is a sample screenshot. I have this issue with IE 6 (with all security updates, etc), IE 7 (all security updates, etc.) and Firefox 2 (current version). Another one I found while adding the screenshot: the filenames in the Manage Current Attachments dropdown menu are also hard to read: light gray text on slightly lighter gray background.

I'm using what I think is the default skin; black/dark gray background with dark blueish bars, etc. The Upload, Toggle Side Panel, and various post editing buttons (the ones with text labels) have the text in a color very much the same as the button's background color, which makes the text hard to read. I have no trouble seeing the buttons with icons (instead of text) on them. Edit: when using quick edit, the following buttons are hard to read: Complete Edit, Cancel Edit, Use Full Editor.

I think that might be Ultima VII (didn't play much of VIII), but this would sort of make sense. Given a universe where a magic spell can kill everyone on the planet, there's no reason why this same spell would not protect the caster as well. At the same time, it seems odd that such a spell was included, since as far as I know it has no useful purpose in the game. It was one of those easter egg things, like killing Lord British, that wasn't part of the plot but was fun when you figured it out or read about it and tried it for yourself. I never got far enough in VII to do it (though I'd read that it existed in the game), but I did study it toward the end of VIII; It's a thaumaturgic spell you can buy from Mythran for 1000 obsidian coins. Nothing too special happens though. The sky rains down fire and whatnot as if you'd angered all the titans, and NPCs are sprawled out wherever they happened to be when you cast the spell. Armageddon is an actual plot element that destroys the Avatar in Ultima IX, though that game is arguably not quite canon, as it twists and perverts many traditional elements of Ultima. Search for Hacki's Ultima page if you want to spend several hours reading Ultima nitpicks. He has nitpicks for all Ultimas (singleplayer), but Ultima IX rules the roost with over 500 nitpicks. (A nitpick item is some portion of the game that doesn't agree with conventions set in past games.) As for killing children... I could never do it after installing ToB and the last official (non-beta) patch. (.26498 I think) You're right that it's probably there for international audiences, or the conservative right. I tried everything I could think of while I was in the Slums district (I'd accidentally turned everyone's circles red with a misplaced AOE spell so I decided to see what else I could do). Even the CTRL-Y cheat couldn't get the job done. (And no, they don't wear MINHP1 items; I checked.)

The world revolves around me. (as a male character) Women always find me attractive! (as a female character) Men may or may not pay attention to me, and some will address me as "sir", or "my lord", etc. (BG2, english language) All it takes to get into bed with someone is to select the proper responses for a handful of counseling sess--- er, conversations. I am always able to defeat people and creatures who are much larger/stronger than I am. Dragons are just as easy to kill as knee-high kobolds; all you need is Greater Whirlwind. (BG2:ToB) Animals carry loot. (Maybe all those hunters who go out in Autumn are hoping their kill drops a powerful artifact or valuable gem.) People always store their belongings in (un)locked chests outside their homes. Nobles are always condescending. Children can't possibly be killed. (BG2) Casting Armageddon kills everyone but me. (Ultima VIII) That's it for now, brain just shut down. It's safe to say that if I tried to live my life by doing the things I do every day in computer games, I'd be killed or locked up for life (in prison or in a mental institution).

When you slay the evil demon and pull the shard out of its forehead, you must immediately plunge it into your own forehead despite common sense suggesting otherwise. (Diablo) Despite a war between the greatly superior powers of Heaven and Hell, and your ally being a powerful Arch-Angel, you, a mere mortal, are the one expected to save the world. (Diablo 2, LoD) Though you may be the child of a (dead) god, you will be about as powerful as your normal party members (the Slayer helps but is only an option for evil characters). Meanwhile, the other divine children who are supposed to be less powerful than you invariably have god-like abilities and are capable of commanding armies and sacking entire cities (and they don't have a time limit on those abilities). (Baldur's Gate I, II) As you adventure through the countryside, you will invariably run into book characters or former (now dead) enemies who will aid you or join your party merely for the 'cool factor'. (Baldur's Gate I, II) Your love interests will always suffer from various emotional imbalances and/or a tortured past, and it falls upon you to be the skilled counselor. Counseling typically involves sex. (Baldur's Gate I, II) Any attempt to merely be friends with a potential love interest effectively ends the relationship, just like in real life. (Baldur's Gate I, II, unmodded) People will forcibly attach themselves to you and your cause, often for their own selfish reasons and despite your wish for it to be otherwise. (KotoR, NWN2, HL2) You can sail off into the eastern sea and arrive on the western coast without circling the globe. This phenomenon also occurs in dungeons (Ultima III, IV, V, Bard's Tale) You always start sequels with no or meager equipment despite what you were wearing when you finished the first game/campaign in the series. (various RPGs) You always start sequels at level 1, with no equipment, despite playing the part of the same character. (Ultima II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX) Plot-critical characters will be invulnerable and may also have godlike powers, such as the ability to slay you on sight, despite your abilities or heritage. (Baldur's Gate I, II) All my problems can be solved with violence. (Most games) The best way to improve the neighborhood is to kill everyone who isn't on your side. (Most games) The only way to grow as a person is to kill things. (various games) Though there are days and nights, merchants and other key NPCs tend to stay up 24/7 just for you. (various games) You can completely ignore/avoid using certain party NPCs but they will still blame you for all their problems in the end (and they'll somehow get there despite your wishes). (NWN2) All the reasoning and loving concern in the world won't sway the minds of scripted NPCs. (NWN OC) You being as a lowly mercenary but somehow grow to be the most powerful people in the region, despite there being others who have far more years of training and experience than you do. (IWD, IWD2, NWN OC) Some of these may overlap what that site has, but I felt like posting from my personal experiences rather than from a big collection. Much of what is on that site is from console RPGs, which I've never played.