Rostere

So apparently Blizzard is selling Diablo 3 digital download for $60 in NA and

I'll probably put in somewhere between $15 and $100. I'm saving my real money for when Obsidian announces their Kickstarter title! Don't get me wrong, I would probably put in a lot more if it did not exist a possibility of an Obsidian kickstarter in the near future... EDIT: Also, I love their video on the Kickstarter site!

Thats a rather incomplete picture Win 2000 was actually quite Ok. Win ME was a bad joke and Windows NT was nothing to write home about (i.e. not Ok). Of course it's incomplete, but you have to draw the line somewhere. Win ME - let's just simply not talk about that. Windows NT is a different beast altogether, strictly speaking all Windows OSs since (and including) W2K are versions of Windows NT - of which the original version was released in 1993.

Yeah. Well, I only wrote that it would probably be a good thing for the American army if he was made responsible for his actions - that can be achieved in many ways. If we're talking probability, I don't think they would ever hand him over to the Afghans, but if they did, I don't think it would have a bad effect on the army at all. It's not as if it would impact their performance on the field. Compared to other atrocities commited by the US Army in recent times, this was quite obviously the act of a lone crazed madman and not some misstep on the tactical level. He happens to be a soldier, but the murders were entirely disjunct from any military operation. What would have happened if a US soldier stationed in Greece hade done the some thing? I bet even Gingrich, Santorum, Romney and their merry band of fools would be keen to make diplomatic amends as soon as possible. I don't believe in the death penalty myself, and if I were in charge I would be just as reluctant to hand him over to Afghanistan as to Texas. But then, if I was in charge, I'd probably put more attention seeing to that these things never happen in the first place and put less time into the pointless task of "punishing" any cuckoo like this guy.

Well, you don't have to use it as a touchscreen to start with. If you can get over the first impression that the OS looks very "touchscreen-ish", bite the sour apple and get used to referring to certain programs as "apps", you'll find there are many positive side effects from the new interface design. One side effect of the OS being optimized for tablets is, like I stated earlier, the efficiency and modularity of the OS - if it is supposed to run on weak tablets it must be pretty slim and fit. You can watch this video for some more details on what we "ordinary PC users" get out of W8: Since I was quite pleased with W7 (especially after the Vista debacle), I was initially interested in W8. Then I was disappointed when I saw how much it looked like a tablet OS. Then, I got myself a Windows Phone and caught on to the quite clean, but yet fancy, look of the "Metro" design. I've always loved the really old Windows look - for example my Kubuntu which I dual boot with W7 at the moment looks and sounds almost exactly like Windows 3.1 (yes, quite exactly, except the font is not exactly the same, there are some new stuff, and there are icons that don't exist in 3.1). The new "Metro" design is really a re-imagining of the old Windows design paradigm of order and clarity. As much as I secretly (okay, not here, but in public) despise the "fluffy" look of Macs and some Linux/Unix distros, the new Windows look is really the best I could have got that still looks new and fresh. Considering how modern VM technology, you can still boot into your older Windows OS in a VM and work in there if all the fanciness in W8 gets too much. But seeing the efficiency of W8 I really see no reason not to use it as a primary OS... Oh, but then there's the ominous cycle: Win 98 - OK, Win 2000 - not OK, Win XP - OK, Win Vista - not OK, Win 7 - OK... Yeah, you get the picture.

For all of you arguing about the reasons behing the war in Afghanistan (and by extension the war in Iraq (or should it be the other way around?)). Let's start with first things first and discuss those responsible for the war in the first place. Read a little about PNAC - a think tank whose beliefs dominated the Bush presidency. Ok, so let's line things up for clarity (using their own words): [*]Their goal was "to promote American global leadership" [*]This is to be achieved through "a Reaganite policy of military strength and moral clarity" (The overemphasis on military solutions is made clearer if you read through the entire Wikipedia article) [*]However, this military rearmament ensuring "full spectrum dominance", this "process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event

I wouldn't really say the difference between W7 and W8 is that different. The difference is mostly in visual appearance. The functionality of the "Start" button has been exchanged for something else, something quite similar when you think about it. The best thing about W8 is probably that the system requirements are lower than for W7, W8 is essentially more modular and more efficient. In my opinion, the new design language "Metro" is extremely fresh, especially when you see it on a Windows Phone. IPhones/IPads is left looking tacky in comparison.

The embarrassment continues: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/03/201231163054684909.html

Gonna try it out later today! I'll be back with my verdict.

Seems like an utterly uncivilized way to take care of your children. I bet if the post was about kids in Afghanistan being sent to "Quran detention camp", people would be writing stuff about how justified the occupation is, and so on.

Explain plx?

This sounds very interesting!

From source code on http://baldursgate.com/: <!-- February 28, 2012 --> <!-- Shadowy Figure- Raise Dead : Infinity Engine --> <!-- For years, I clung to the memory of it. Then the memory of the memory. --> <!-- And then... it returned. Better than it was before. --> <!-- Pore over the tapestries and works of art hanging from our walls if you wish, Child of Bhaal... perhaps you will find a clue. But patience, ah... patience would reveal it all. --> WOOP WOOP WOOP

Yes, but what about Obsidian's Kickstarter project?

So they can burn our flags but get angry if we do the same to their Holy book. You know what let's just bomb these mothers out already. Remember, we are talking about people who have lived their entire lives surrounded by religious propaganda. I'm sure we would have seen the same ruckus if this had happened, with reversed roles, in medieval Europe or in very Christian parts of the US. The whole idea of us being able to be there and trying to make Afghanistan a better place is built on actually having the moral high ground, and not being the same as the religious extremists who live there. That would inevitably only lead to more war(s). What do I care if somebody burns my flag (can't relate directly to someone burning the bible since I'm not part of any religious group...)? I don't know about you, but most of the Western world left behind the religious ignorance during the Age of Enlightenment and nationalist bigotry after the two great wars of the 20th century. This has allowed us to make scientific progress and to live in peace and harmony. If we want to spread these ideas to other countries the LAST thing we should do is to throw away everything we've learned and behave like barbarians ourselves! Sadly, in the current state we are sending the worst scum imaginable - people desecrating corpses, killing innocents and posing with SS flags. It's like a situation from "1984". We sent soldiers with the (dubious) mission to protect us from terror - yet their very presence, because of incidents such as these, is the single greatest reason for terrorists to fight in the first place! It's a vicious circle. And the only way ever out of it is through compassion and understanding.

US military improperly disposes of a large number of Islamic religious materials which includes Qurans. Oh, the incompetence... I wouldn't even trust these nitwits with guarding my bathroom.

Exactly my thought!

I know Swedish, English and Spanish. I have some understanding of Italian and German - I could probably read most news articles and perhaps novels in these languages if they don't use too many unfamiliar words.

I find it funny that EA is making a game with the slogan "Business is war". I wonder if they will be one of the syndicates in the game?

I am SO looking forward to that day...

This...

As much as I would like a sequel to Torment, Arcanum or Alpha Protocol, the more you think about it, I think Obsidian are really better off if they get to decide what they want to do themselves. I mean, think about it. Most of us agree on that the most important part of a game is a unique and memorable setting, and immersive storytelling. Now let's examine the respective strengths of these games: Torment: A unique setting (Planescape). The setting is interpreted in such a way that we find no fantasy stereotypes (no elves, no swords, et.c.). The story plays with philosophical and metaphysical themes. The story is told through a huge load of text, and every part of the game is different from the other, and adds a unique aspect to the story (take the different companions, for example). Arcanum: The world of Arcanum, one of the most memorable created in the 21st century in my personal opinion. The setting is a realist interpretation of what would happen when an industrial revolution takes place in a classical fantasy world. Dragons are displayed at archaeological sites, Orcs are factory workers, and so on. There's a huge open world to explore and a wealth of options in character creation. Hell, even reading the manual to Arcanum was more interesting than playing "Generic Fantasy RPG X". Alpha Protocol: How can you put the stereotypical fantasy RPG hero in a modern world? Oh, he'd be a secret agent. And the goblins and orcs would be Saudi terrorists and the Russian Mafia. Essentially, this game sees our reality through a RPG looking glass. It's unique in the sense that it's a real world RPG, and it has a really heavy focus on character interactions and relations. What they all have in common is the completely unique setting for the game. I have faith in Obsidian that should they be given the opportunity, they will not fail here. Since Tim Cain (project leader on Arcanum) is currently employed at Obsidian, I think what most of us would really want is Tim Cain and Chris Avellone banging their heads together, using their craziest ideas to create an original IP that is a truly creative reaction to the generic fantasy blandness we see so much today. Having said that, they would probably not even be able to get access to any of the aforementioned franchises - and if that was possible, it would be so much better for Obsidian's future to invest in their own IP compared to throwing their money at some lazy publisher sitting on, say, the Arcanum IP. Yeah, and good, immersive storytelling goes without saying I doubt Obsidian will let us down on that one, regardless what anyone writes here...

Oh, and the idea of Obsidian making a game inspired by Dwarf Fortress/Minecraft/Starflight/Pirates! is also thrilling.

Most importantly, use an innovative setting. In my opinion, the best recent examples of these include Planescape and Arcanum. Arcanum would be my ideal choice if only existing IPs are taken into account. But I can say for sure that I would trust Obsidian with creating a new setting, just make sure it's something entirely new. I would prefer the game to be an RPG (that almost goes without saying), ideally with RTwP combat. Story is more important than game mechanics, though. Another interesting option would be a collaboration with an unique indie developer, for example ACE Team who made Zeno Clash. I guess people out there have lots of other suggestions here, though. EDIT: Oh cack, forgot that maybe you are not allowed to use Planescape without using D&D rules. Seeing how 4th Ed. messed up the alignment system, that's never going to work.