[Eulogy for a game]

I actually prefer a good book to a good game.

 

Keyword being "good". Most "novellisations" of things aren't really that great, though I liked what Feist made of Betrayal at Krondor.

 

edit: actually come to think of it, that may be because there aren't so many games that are as good as good books. Kotor 2 is definitely up there as one of the best written games ever, same with Torment, and it would be hard to beat with a book.

 

So in the end I guess I have no special preference of game vs book, I just want whatever comes out to be well written!

 

Don't get me wrong, I like books, but not as a means to continue one of my favorite computer game franchises.

[Eulogy for a game]

A book is better than nothing though.

 

I don't know in this case... maybe marginally better than nothing, but not by a great deal.

[What should the Aliens look like??]

You laugh, but Alien vs. Predator did enable you to play from the Alien perspective. It was great fun, actually, starting as a facehugger and progressing from there.

[Darth Revan]

Actually, that wasn't merely a rhetorical question. I am genuinely unsure whether he is still in charge of LucasArts.

[Pictures of your games]

I don't get the reference. Can you explain?

[The Witcher Spoilers]

Help!

 

Where in the world would I go and look for virgins? There seems to be a severe shortage of them. I asked random girls on the street, but only two bothered replying, implying that I was either some kind of cultist or worse.

... there is a pack of nuns at the freaking hospital.

I thought Dandelion had seen to that there was no virgins there

 

Ok, I'll check out the status of the nuns. Thanks

 

Gorth! Behave yourself!

[Pictures of your games]

Thanks.

 

I need to figure out how I can show the front of my character. The view only shows your back or third person.

 

Hold the button which changes the view then you should be able to orbit.

 

That's a good tip - thanks!

[Zero Punctuation - Yahtzee reviews]

I thought it was reasonably funny!

[Which Fallout was the greatest?]

I think it's reasonable to not like a game on the basis of research and second hand information rather than actually playing it. People often have a good idea of what things will appeal to them. Indeed, I avoid a lot of games on that basis.

[Darth Revan]

Is George Lucas even in control of LucasArts anymore? Didn't he quasi-retire to do his dream projects?

[Trouble with new HD]

Also, why do hard disks always lie about their size? When I bought a 250GB HD, it actually was only 230. With a 500GB HD, it was 455. Now with this 1TB HD, it's 930 (so it says in the menu mentioned above).

 

They don't really lie. It stems from the difference in definitions of prefixes.

 

Standard definitions:

 

Kilo = 1,000

Mega = 1,000,000

Giga = 1,000,000,000

Tera = 1,000,000,000,000

 

Therefore, in standard terminology Terabyte is 1,000,000,000,000 bytes.

 

In computing terminology, however, each new prefix is defined by being a positive integer in 2^10n, so:

 

Kilobyte = 1,024 bytes

Megabyte = 1048576 bytes

Gigabyte = 1073741824 bytes

Terabyte = 1099511627776 bytes

 

(Note, this terminology has now been officially replaced to avoid confusion with lame names, such as Gigibyte...)

 

Hence, your HDD probably has 1,000,000,000,000 bytes, which is 1TB in standard terminology, but in the old, but still widely used computing terms, this only amounts to 909.4947017729282379150390625 computer Gigabytes (Gigibytes).

 

 

 

Yeah, manufacturers usually choose to measure memory not incorrectly, but so that the seems to be larger than it actually is by the way most operating systems measure it. But a friend of mine bought a 500gb drive this summer that was about 502gb, so not all manufacturers are running this mini-scam. I think it was a Seagate but Im not sure.

 

Well, technically speaking the way manufacturers measure it is officially correct and the way the OS measures it is not. But yeah, it can be a bit deceptive.

[What should the Aliens look like??]

- Make monsters burst out of nowhere (those tongue hound things)

 

Horror and startling someone are two different things.

 

Yes, but they are related. If you expect that an Alien can burst on you from nowhere... if you expect you may be startled at any point but don't know when or if it will actually occur... that kind of uncertainty does contribute to an atmosphere of horror.

[Eulogy for a game]

A book is simply no substitute for the game for me.

[What should the Aliens look like??]

I agree and I see no reason why this wouldn't transfer well from FPS games to RPG games (which might in any case be made from the first-person perspective).

[Darth Revan]

Obsidian Entertainment would love to do KOTOR 3 - it is not their fault they are not permitted to do so.

[Long rant on RPGs and comments on Obsidian]

Well, it does save me about $180 overall on Mass Effect alone.

 

Plus, since EA seems to be determined to put DDRM on all its games, it will save me much more money over time, so it's not all that bad after all.

[Fallout 3]

I'm sure I'd enjoy this game if I could actually install it. Been trying all day and am now going to buy an Xbox instead.

 

Just out of interest, what seems to be the problem in the installation process?

[Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir Discussion]

Thanks for all the links!

[World of Goo]

I have heard of it in a DRM discussion as a DRM-free game, but it is a different genre of a game than I generally prefer.

[Fallout 3]

I donno... I'd at least expect them to do a fade to black if you pick up a hooker. It kinda throws you out of the experiance like a shot put at the Olympics when you pay a hooker for her professional duties and then get a spooning...

 

Could you imagine the hysteria if there was nakedness in a game where you can decapitate people on numerous occasions, tear off limbs, turn them into slag as you hear their final cry of pain, and is loaded with "foul" language? Not to mention the rampant drug use and potential promotion of slavery.

 

 

Well, the they wouldn't even have to have nakedness would they? Fade to black and all that...

[Which Fallout was the greatest?]

I mean, a talking radscorpion with glasses? Really?

 

How regularly did things like this appear in the game?

Every five minutes. It almost ruined the game.

 

Ouch, that does sound very over the top. I mean, I don't mind occassional humor (anybody remember the spectator beholder from Baldur's Gate II?) of the game not taking itself seriously, but if it appears too often, it would ruin the experience for me.

Only it wasn't a talking radscorpion. It was a lockpicking, chessmaster radscorpion.

 

 

The plant in the lawn next door did the talking. Folks are blowing the issue out of proportion, I think. The game does have a lot of silliness, but it's a huge game and it's not cluttered by that. I think it's very significative that this alleged excessive cheesiness is the only fault people can find with Fallout 2. 3 is more like 1 in this regard... the over-the-top humour is almost non-existant. It goes with the tastes, I guess - I know I miss it sometimes, but some people are grateful that Beth didn't go that way.

 

Well, yes, it is a matter of taste. Personally, I can find over-the-top humor amusing if it is used sparingly.

[Zero Punctuation - Yahtzee reviews]

I think the reason we aren't seeing Fable 2 and Fallout 3 is because of the "ghettoization" of the australian gaming scene (his words) where months can go by between a release in america and a release in the outback.

 

Poor Aussies!

 

BTW: I think these kinds of staggered game releases also contribute to piracy.

[Things you irrationally fear]

Ingesting something sharp and then puking up blood n' guts. I think it stems from eating a lot of fish growing up and always worrying about bones in them so I'd spend a ridiculous amount of time chewing to make sure there weren't any bones in the fish.

 

I can't stand most fish, bar salmon, tuna, and shark <sic>. I got a fishbone through my epiglottis, that then got stuck in my throat wall. Two hours of pain every time I swallowed or tried to tell anyone, or turn my head. Bloody awful.

 

How did you get rid of it in the end?

 

BTW: I also take a long time to eat fish to avoid the bones.

[Long rant on RPGs and comments on Obsidian]

OK, I see, so there was still a lot of content in it - it was just optional.

 

Still, regardless of how good the gameplay may be, I will pass on the DDRM-infested franchise.

[Trouble with new HD]

That's a lot of storage space!

 

I am a huge fan of storage space and archiving stuff, so I fully sympathize with you on that.