Aristes

Tried the ol' bait and switch with the new cat for the dead cat but the other cat wasn't buying, huh? We have three cats. Two of them treat each other with indifference. One is the outsider and the other two hate her. I take it, from your sig, that you like cats? Eitehr that or you're insane?

I was thinking of marinading some bulgogi today. Unfortunately, I have to prepare the marinade and cook it, since the wife can't really cook. Still, one of my favorites and it's kind of like Carne Asada. I was a whole two or three months old at the time of Woodstock.

What's with you and the plant chic? Is there something going on with the two of you?

Good Lord, D_N, just be careful, man.

I like the Dark Sun setting except for the investment in psionics. Otherwise, the rarity of metal, desolation, and central american sort of theme is kind of cool.

I dunno. I guess I fall in the 'willing to give IC some slack' category. There have actually been some good things I've seen in this thread, even in regards to the much debated graphics. I don't know how well he'll pull it off, but I'm willing to give it a shot and see how it plays. *shrug* I don't care about the manual and whatnot, but I'll get the STEAM version or whatever and then spout off here about what I see.

Where's my shaking head icon? Okay, I'll assume you're being serious instead of playing the poor man's lord of flies. You cite Christians in your last sentence, but every one of your links contains something about other religions. Do you really think that Christians invented end of the world prophecies? ...Or do you think that maybe they've been around for a long long time? See, I even gave you a multiple choice question. There, you manged to get a response from a Christian. You must be clever.

Sounds like Liam Neeson's character in Taken. HIGHlarryous movie, I tell you. I could see side missions like that, except of course I would think the government would be pretty pissed off if they caught wind of it.

Hope it works out for you, bro. I'm currently working on logic games. I have to admit it's kind of fun. The only thing is, if it were recreational, I would listen to music. I can live without TV easily. I can live without movies and even books really. What I can't do without is music. ...But I figure I can't study with music going. I want things more or less as I would experience them during the test. I've found I can move easily through the logic games, but I tend to get careless sometimes about reading the questions. In a group of 6 questions, I might miss one or two for that reason, and so I'm trying to be extra careful about reading the questions. On the other hand, the test is timed. I can tell you, having taken several standardized tests over the years like the GRE and the CBEST, the LSAT is the toughest one by far. The real problem is time and sometimes the logic games are completely crazy. I mean, what the hell? So, I can't take forever to read the damned questions which means I can't count on not making a silly mistake. ...And, frankly, I don't know if I'm smart enough to get all of the answers in the time I have. I might end up guessing on some. So, from what I can tell, I'll lose at least a few questions in that section. I should be fine overall on the test, at least according to the practice tests, but I'm not taking it for granted. I spend several hours every day trying to whip myself into shape. It's frustrating and, to be honest, I think I'm getting loopy from lack of sleep. EDIT: Yeah, like saying I can live without music and I can't live without music twice in one sentence. ugh.

That's fair, Starwars, except for the fact that it assumes that Molyneux's games suck. He did Fable, right? I can't remember. My lack of memory tells me a couple of things. I couldn't have hated his games and they couldn't have impressed me that much. Sounds like Fable at least. I didn't think the first one was all that and so I didn't bother with the second one. Kind of boring. Okay, as to the stuff about IC. I think it's perfectly legitimate to be excited about the project. I see flaws in every game I play also. On the other hand, I don't think that IC should get any more of a blank check than anyone else. I take your comments that there is heated discussion on the other boards and that IC is willing to be intellectually honest about where he is and what he's doing. For me, everything else follows honesty. We can't have a real discussion without it. Now, I've been either participating or lurking in these forums for... I dunno... has to be years by now. I saw this all go down. Gromnir made some not pleasant observations about what we've seen thus far. I think Gromnir can be a real jerk sometimes. I know I can be a real jeark a lot of the time. So, harshes everyone's buzz. Some folks take offense and then they lash back. I was out a bit and I haven't followed this alan/Gromnir tiff and, frankly, I don't want to. What I did see were folks jumping to the defense of the game with statements that, at least on their face, seemed contradictory. Now, Gromnir is a pit bull. So, he gloms onto these inconsistencies. That's it. So, Gromnir might be a big meanie, but the fact that folks originally had this all or nothin' approach didn't help. Yeah, I know someone is going to accuse me of breaking the cardinal sin by brining up personalities, but that's my candid assessment. This thread is all about personality at this point because we don't really have that much information. There isn't a sufficient writing sample to judge. The graphics are somewhat lackluster. So, we have a small bit of information and folks reacting more to what the other has to say than they are to real information. Sounds kind of like a FO thread only less goofy. Anyhow, we have this thing going on with personalities and then it comes down to some confusing arguments about how we judge games and who gets what slack. Yeah, some games seem to get a pass on some things and other don't. That's the way it works. However, it seems to me that who is giving the pass and who is getting it changes between titles, developers, and publishers. Me? I give everyone a pass. Really. Even Troika, whom I simply view with disappointment, got a pass from me for all sorts of design decisions. Hell, I played every game they made. So, you want fairness? Fine. You make a compelling argument for IC. He should be glad you're pulling for him. Nevertheless, folks can't man the barricades every time Gromnir points out something as patently obvious as 'the graphics look dated.' ...And some of you did. Now, I broke a cardinal rule, which is making this a post about message board personalities. One of the few ways to pull out my meaner side is to make the issue about me personally, so I can't fault folks for wanting to flame me. Go for it. One free flame Aristes card for anyone. I'll read every word and won't respond to a single one. Just having my say. Got to keep up the nice guy persona, after all. ...And I know how mean some of you can get when you feel slighted.

Me do QA? Who would trust me for stuff like that? If they have a beta, I'll be happy to find bugs. I have the sneaking suspicion that doing QA would ruin my experience with the end product. I mean, I don't want to have seen all of the endings and know all of the puzzles and scenarios out of order because: 1) it would mean I couldn't enjoy the product as shipped and 2) it would be hard to fully assess it. Yes, I think I could be fair in how I look at the product, but I'm afraid that it would still factor into my 'review.' That's a feeling I don't like because, on a message board, your reputation for fairness and integrity is all you have. That being said, I would certainly lend a hand. My guess is that if they don't have a full fledged QA team in place by now, they're basically going on a wing and a prayer anyhow. Doesn't mean the game won't be good. As I understand it, QA for these modern games can be grueling and I've heard that the QA team has the hardest time at the end of the project. ...But I'm a gamer, not a designer, bro. Far be it from me to tell anyone how to run a project like that.

Good God, kid, you won't have a liver by the time you're my age! All you do is drink, it seems.

Let's just say that if Peter Molyneux were making it, a lot of the same people touting it as great would be slamming it. I'm just saying that the game should be assessed in its own right, without any regard for his indie status. See, if you want indie games to capture more of the market, then they'll undoubtedly have to offer something more than some of the contenders in the market. Maybe the graphics won't be A+, but the story and overall design should be then. How about bugs? How about gameplay mechancis? How about dialogue? The thing is, I'm rooting for this game to do well, but it still has to do well. I don't buy many indie games. I could probably count them on one hand over decades of video and computer gaming. If you want to capture folks like me, then you have to offer something I want. I won't just buy an indie game in order to support the underdog in the same way I wouldn't buy an indie car to support a visionary indie car company. When I put gas in the tank, I expect it to drive. If the door panels are faux wood, that's fine, but does it handle well? It has to have something that differentiates it from my other options. At the very least, it should put me in a position where I think all things come up equal and therefore I'm happy going with the indie option.

Maybe they should change to trench coats, Matrix style. Actually, that's no joke. I can see it looking cool if they did it right. Aw, who the hell am I kidding? I'll hate or like the clothes, but as long as I can hurl fire from my finger tips I'll be happy!

Yeah, I know. Well, if I'm going to wear a robe, I hope it's at least stylish!

There is nothing stopping the random hack and slash game from being as good or better than Diablo 3, I just don't expect it to be based on the developers previous work. Just like you don't expect a random dude on the street to be as good a writer than someone who is a critically acclaimed writer with multiple books on his resume. We live in the real world where expectations are based on previous experiences not on someone's grand vision. Don't make AoD the exception here. I don't expect much from it because I'm not keeping up with all the news and interviews, to me Iron Tower is an unknown indie developer. That doesn't mean I won't give it a chance, but don't expect me to get hyped up about a (from my perspective) total wildcard. That's perfectly reasonable. Managing your expectations is the name of the game. I hope it's great, but I'll be up front about what it does and does not do right.

Women today use high heels, and I really doubt they use them because they are comfortable So, if bikini-mail is intended to make the chic look hot, I'm all for it. If it's intended to protect the soft parts from damage, then it sucks. You make a good point, we have to assess the purpose of the attire. As far as my mage goes? I'd like him to wear quality clothing that allows for movement. Having worn robes, pants, tunics, and a huge assortment of other things, I'd say probably pants and a well fitting tucic over a shirt. Depends on the temperature and other factors of course. Is it raining?

I'm honestly unsure about all the points of the argument, and so this is kind of an aside in terms of AoD, which I'll probably buy. The fact that you expect less from World of Goo means that World of Goo is an inferior product in some ways. That doesn't mean that overall you won't enjoy World of Goo, or even that you won't enjoy it more than Diablo 3. However, it does mean that your expectations are different. However, World of Goo is not the same category of game. Let's put AoD up against other games of the same genre. I've always hated the expression "compare apples with apples and oranges with oranges," but in this case it seems to fit. If you have a choice between Diablo 3 and some random hack and slash from an unknown developer, don't you choose Diablo 3? And, if you eventually get the random hack and slash from that unknown developer, don't you compare the two? I mean, you'll undoubtedly cut the random developer some slack, but the bottom line will still be a game that you find inferior and expected to be inferior. To expect less from a game is in some way insulting to it. I wouldn't want my game billed as the one that's not as good as the competition, but good enough to buy. My understanding of AoD is that the designer has something to prove and that he intends to put everything he has into the project. For that, I applaud him. In fact, some things look intriguing and some things don't. The graphics are not stellar from what I've seen, but we need to see them in action. If they end up not being as good as other titles in the industry, we must own up to it and mark it down for that reason. Not because we're against the designer, but because we are for him and want to do him the courtesy of giving him an honest assessment. How insulting is it to say to the designer, "you did about as well as we expected, and we didn't expect all that much." There are other games that have inferior graphics but still manage to garner praise on other fronts. AoD might be that game, but if we're going to give honest praise, we must also give honest criticism. I admire the guy for putting his money where his mouth is. I want this title to succeed. However, I think it should be evaluated as would any other title. Yeah, they can sell it for $10 and that will obviously put it in another category, but selling it for $10 is the equivalent of saying that it's a bargain basement title. Which also means that you're saying that you're not really competing with the big guys. That still deserves a lot of praise because, after all, you're still putting your money where your mouth is and releasing the game. You just aren't claiming or don't believe it will be as good of an experience a more corporate developer. If the game is $10, I'll still buy it, but only because I've heard of it here. It's not that I'm too good to buy a $10 game. It's that I tend to value my time and space more than the other $40 of a regular title. I don't want to have disks and manuals cluttering up my space and I don't want to waste a few hours finding out that the game sucks. I do buy discounted games, but I generally don't look for them and usually only buy them if I know something about them already. However, Wrath is approaching it much better. Don't say that the gas mileage sucks. Say that the car can can go from zero to 60 in under six seconds. If graphics aren't your selling point, hit the areas where you believe you excel.

Yeah, I especially like bikin-mail. Don't those chains chafe the skin?

You know, I'd trade a lot of other gaming desires to have mages who weren't stuffed in robes. I'd really enjoy a game where every competetive endgame mage outfit wasn't some raggedy assed robe with stupid moons and stars and green clovers on it. What do mages need most in these games? Room to maneuver, right? I mean, if you're trying to stay quick on your feet because the other guy is armored and has a axe or a sword or the like, wouldn't you want something that wouldn't trip you while your moving? Being able to move quickly might be the only physical advantage you have over these armored guys, so the right idea must be to throw on twenty pounds of hooded robes and other crap.

Oh, you have to take Leverage with a huge grain of salt. I enjoy the show quite a bit also, but I noticed a lot of the same things and just figured I'd ignore them. Of course, I can't ignore them, so I notice them every time and then just put the idea aside. It's almost like magic realism. You have to take this completely crazy premise and accept it and then the other stuff works just fine.

I've only seen the commercials. I think comedies have to be careful with drama. I mean, even a little can go over the top and some of the best comedic actors can't do drama very well in the first place. Add those two together and drama can kill a comedy. A little is fine. It helps develop the character. Eureka isn't a comedy, per se, but same thing. Keep things generally light and the times you do add drama it will have more impact. We have some comedy called Marlo and Me or something like that. We'll probably watch it tonight.

The wife and I have the dvd sets to Eureka. I like the show more as I keep watching it. The female deputy, a hot chic of course, is a former commando. Ho hum. Of course the hot female character is. But wait! Her brute force approach does always work. The new sherrif, whom she's whipped up on a few times, has got a more thoughtful approach and that's why he's the sherrif. The show is a nice diversion, but nothing all that serious and yet the parts that are a bit more serious can be quite touching. A fun show all around.

That's too bad about your uncle and grandpa, Nihilus.

At 4am, that made me stifle a laugh lest I wake the dragonvifen and she beat my hairy backside. "play guitar with us" Seriously, I don't think we're all that bitter around here. Most of us want to play the game, after all. I don't mind DLC per se. It's just the chances of actually playing any of it is pretty minimal. Since this is a single player game (Huzzah for Bioware!), it really doesn't matter if I don't get the uber overpower pike of nose picking. After all, I'm sure I can kick ass with whatever I find. It's just that I don't want any delay getting a good expansion or a new game because they're tricking to pick the original game's carcass clean like vultures in the Serengeti.