Bartimaeus

CD quality (lossless) for at least the music, I would hope, (not necessarily for use with the game itself, but somewhere...like on a CD soundtrack release). I don't really keep music that doesn't come in such...(for reasons not related to listening quality)

I, uh, I spent around $500-600 on my computer. It's been running strong for about 4 years now...though I do clean the entire thing about once every month, though I'm not sure if that actually makes a difference...

I often take this route in singleplayer first person shooters, (S.T.A.L.K.E.R., for example)...but I feel like it is probably not that great of an idea for an isometric tactical CRPG.

Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Audiosurf Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn Binding of Isaac Donkey Kong Country 2 Half-Life series Medieval 2: Total War Planescape: Torment S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZKhnlLqdT0 (edit) Hm. That was, uh, odd. Kind of like it, though...doesn't really remind me of their earlier stuff I've listened to, however...Honestly, I liked the upbeat piano / brass bit the most...

https://soundcloud.com/lowness/d-b-s-spread-your-wings Heard it on an album called "Feedback Loop". Pretty cool opening track.

"Top 10" *author lists five* I would make my own list, but I have difficulties equating my favorites from different artists.

Played Mario Party 3 on the N64 with two other friends and a computer today. The computer was extremely stupid, and passed up so many chances to get stars. One of my friends had 7 stars, and the other two of us had 4 each, and the computer had 2. On the last turn, when there was basically no hope of anyone but that friend with 7 stars winning, I ended up hitting a Chance block, which is where there's a chance somebody gives somebody else's a certain quantity of a certain item. I accidentally selected myself as the giver, and then selected the computer as the receiver, and finally, to top it all off, I accidentally selected all my stars to be given. The computer ended up winning two bonus stars and proceeded to beat us all. Most ridiculous game of Mario Party I've ever played.

Wait, what? You were talking about the IE games, not Dragon Age. I actually had the same problem in Dragon Age...but that's because I wouldn't turn off the AI because I absolutely hated controlling more than one character in that game, (third person / limited overhead views suck...). Player-defined actions were often overrode, yes, with the AI. But the IE games had the same problem...but the party AI was a little more definable, and party members were much more easily controllable if you wanted to turn it off completely. Since this game will have a true overhead view ala the Infinity Engine Games, I don't anticipate having any sort of AI enabled (for myself).

Nope, I'm sorry, I completely disagree. Dragon Age's combat was near unmanageable for me - no true overhead view, (hurray for limited range), which means you have to go with that awful "personal" third person view of characters. I couldn't make myself control anyone beyond my own character except for special circumstances. Can't stand having the camera jump around and having to keep swiveling it every time I want to do something... Yes, it does have convenience features, as you mentioned...but to say BG's combat was more unwieldy than DA's? Ehh...

I have no idea what you're talking about. Turn off or change your party AI, perhaps?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnTxccLOA7o

Off-topic, but...even though I've played through Baldur's Gate (2) roughly a million times, the Twisted Rune encounter is something I never, ever did or really knew about until about a year ago. I'd heard about it from various places - mod descriptions, forums, etc. - so many times over the years, but I'd never knew what it actually referenced to. Always assumed it was just a player-made name for something I always did. I always sell gems as soon as I get them, so I never opened that door on the Bridge district successfully. And since the door always casts...Disintegrate, is it? ...I always assumed it was supposed to just be a trapdoor for killing you. It's probably the only piece of Baldur's Gate content I'd never done up until then...I think it's quite amazing that I'd missed it that many times. I agree that these sort of things should be present for P:E.

Eye - This System (Will Eat Itself)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmPfwLPcF7A

Yes, that would be me. :D Happy to hear that you're enjoying them! I don't listen to Assemblage 23 as much as I used to, (read: not every second of every day )...though I listen to VNVN as much as I always have. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-oZyAKiWsc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQcpa5LXX4 Hopefully, it's okay to post my own videos if I really am listening to them.

I don't completely understand the problem, but I was under the impression that the reason it didn't work is because it was missing that additional cable. The game doesn't seem to know how to use the audio from the CD like it did for CD drives. Nor have I ever met someone who got around the problem, short of simply ripping the audio data and manually playing it...which is what I ended up doing.

The main problem I have with the original is that the music doesn't work at all. AoEII and its expansion uses split mode discs, where half of the disc is the game data, and the other half is an audio disc, (which is the soundtrack...and I think maybe cutscene audio - the audio for those little movies that play when you're about to do a campaign mission). DVD drives don't have the same audio streaming capabilities that CD drives do...ergo, no music.

Is there as many problems with the update as people have been saying? Been thinking about grabbing it on Steam...but not if the team who was "HD"ifying it screwed it up as bad they say. I still have my original disks.

I think employing 1, 2, 4, and 6 as the situation fits is good. Characters that are supposed to be powerful SHOULD be powerful enough to horribly murder you...but in actual combat, not via a cutscene ala PS:T, (4); removing characters' weapons or disabling magic in certain circumstances makes sense, (2); placing letters and stuff that hint about what to do next when appropriate is good, too, (1); and ultimately try to make the rest fall under (6) when possible, though (3) I think can be used sparingly for characters who you really, really probably don't want to murder and are important, but ultimately is something you can attempt anyways. (5) is absolutely awful, though. There's no reason to ever use that method.

Seventeen. Twelve when I initially joined. Four when I first played Baldur's Gate. (Edit - note: I didn't actually get very far through it at that age. I think I probably got through it a little after BG2: SoA was released...by which time I was also playing Age of Empires and Diablo. )

None, and thank God for that. No phones, no e-readers, no handhelds, no .mp3 players, nothing. Actually, I wouldn't mind having an .mp3 playing only device, (that is, without phone functionality), but I've never found earbuds that fit...or that I liked...but nor do I have any wish to go around wearing my Sennheisers.

Stretch goals I have no problems with. What really bothered me was what Obsidian did with Project Eternity: add content based on number of backers instead of total cash. Kinda puts a different spin on the whole "we need funds for content". Turned it more into a "This is market research that gains us cash. Now prove that there is enough of you to make it worth for us to truly dedicate ourselves to the project." Then again I get cynical with things like that. To be fair, inExile has done the same thing - the number of backers increases the size of the Castoff's Labyrinth, (which seems to basically be their "Endless Paths").