Aristes

Somewhat related? Apparently, this is the news. This is just too funny. I can't believe that the new game is rerelease of old games. Oh, man, that's too precious.

I've tried my hand at acting. I'm not much of one, mind you, but I do enjoy it. I'm a pretty big guy, and I have a LOUD voice. I like to sing and I warm up to most production, but even I get nervous going up on stage. Let me be clear, I hate singing in front of an audience. I hope you do post that youtube. That will be fun to see. Plus, how worried can you get? You're already quite mad. What's stagefright to the Hatter?

My point is that a designer trying to create the impact of seeing daylight for the first time can set the scene visually better he could for night. All RPGs favor players who can use their imagination. ...But that doesn't really have bearing on which is easier for the design team. I think it's more intuitive for the player to understand his awe at coming out of the vault and seeing daylight for the first time in his life. My imagination tells me that a night sky, an overcast sky, or sunrise or sunset would probably have a much greater effect on a person coming out from a vault for the first time in his life. If it were up to me, I would prefer to have the player come out of the vault at twilight with a huge orange moon hovering over the horizon. You know, it's really hard to tell what will have the greatest impact on someone when he experiences something for the first time. As for my question, I still ask, how can a game hope to convey that idea graphically? This isn't a trap. I detest clever arguments made in order to 'win' a discussion. I'm asking a legitimate question with keen interest in the answer. Clearly you and I can imagine the sheer power of the scene, but what would the designer use to deliver that impact to the player?

Oh, no. I'm a huge fan. I just finished playing Dark Corners of the Earth not too long ago. Let's just say that I hope that's not the reality beneath our perception, though. haha

That's great scene and I think it is enhanced by the experience of playing Fallout 1. In fact, the scene from Fallout 3 was far more powerful than the scene from Fallout 1, but part of the impact came from remembering seeing sunlight for the first time in Fallout 1. I have often wondered if the reason that I loved Fallout 1 so much was simply because it was something new. In a lot of ways, being the first game I played that made real use of the setting, the Fallout franchise introduced me to a world beyond fantasy CRPGs. I remember having a similar feeling when I first read the rulebook for Gamma World. That was something different, and the idea that I could role play something other than heroic fantasy, that maybe I could play a role of a person in a more desperate world in which there was no magical hand deciding the intrinsic good or evil of each action. If I played Fallout 1 today for the first time, would it have the same impact? I doubt it, but I also don't want to downplay the quality of the game. It was clearly a labor of love and it has deserved it reputation as a classic. ...And I want to be clear, I don't favor visual over textual based infrormation. There are scenes from literature that remain more powerful than any experience I have had watching a movie. However, there are scenes from film that provide a different experience, a novel experience, than I have had from any book. For someone born and bred in the vault, I think the night sky, with countless stars would have just as much impact as daylight. Perhaps even moreso since daylight would likely blind someone not accustomed to it. However, how can a game hope to convey that idea graphically?

You must definitely put that in the 'Other' column.

I personally thought that KotOR was a more finished product, but I prefered the atmosphere of KotOR 2. ...And the feel of a particular setting is not nearly as important as what the design team does with the story. Anyhow, terms like 'feel' and 'atmosphere' are nebulous at best.

Awesome photo of your family at four corners! Funny. I've spent time in all four states, the briefest being New Mexico where I've only been for a few days altogether. Still, I've never been to Four Corners. *shakes head*

Curse you, Nightshade! All I see is a little red X. Wait, is that the point?

Some games are classics and they continue to captivate me despite the crudity of their construction. This can anything from that little game with the marbles and you have to remove them in order and only end up in one to the latest FPS. However, from a technical standpoint, you would hope that DA would at least surpass BG in terms of graphics, load times, and the other factors on which technology impacts. As for me, I did have an atari 2600. I had a pong. Your comments are so hurtful, MC. Seriously. :'( I'm not old. I'm just 'mature.'

Good God, man! You took your nintendo on the trip? You're supposed to spend your nights getting drunk and looking at the stars! I'm close to finishing Max Payne 2. Awesome. Thanks, Purkake, for inspiring me to get the bundle.

Yeah, if the actual area is small, then there won't be a lot of room to maneuver.

City of Heroes is an excellent game. In a lot of ways, I much prefer it to WoW.

/lurking I third the compliment on pictures. Did you take them yourself. I'd also point out that getting even US cities or European cities right is a deficiency in many games. I'm sure the transgression is worse for Asian cities, but they're not singled out on purpose. I lived in South Korea for about a year and a half, and the differences between even South Korea and Japan are striking. Not all Asian cities look the same and even different cities within the same country often have a distinctive feel to them. That's not just true in Asia. It's also true in the United States. The reason I've gone on a bit is that I've been more active in the Fallout: New Vegas threads and I'm worried about the same thing with Las Vegas and the larger Vegas area. I was born and raised in Las Vegas, and I hope they don't just have a generic city-scape with empty desert surrounding it. I have hope since Bethesda did manage to get in a variety of locations in DC and I think Obsidian has the talent to surpass Bethsoft. Still, I understand exactly how you feel. I'm right there hoping they get it right. I plan on buying the game, so I'll get to see if the landscape matches any of the wonderful pictures you posted. However, if Pop is right about the exact locations in the city, then it seems like there won't be much chance to get the 'Taipei flavor.' BTW: My wife lived on Taiwan as a child from '66-68. She still has fond memories of her nanny.

Yeah, the off color jokes are over the top and offensive. ....But that's what I think about every Zero Punctuation review. The menstrual humor didn't make me laugh, but a lot of the other stuff did. I especially thought the observation about wasting your time playing a game that forces you to use the restroom, sleep, converse, and go to work was timely. You know somethings wrong when you're jiggling your leg while sitting at your computer because you need to use the restroom but you want to make sure your sim finishes urinating first.

That's actually good advice, I have a feeling I'll need it also soon.

People respond to you all the time, you yutz! Although I wasn't a huge fan of the Staw Wars Battlefront game I played. Wasn't horrible, just not my cup o' tea.

Hey, bro, enough spam makes it way into this thread. There shouldn't be a problem with helping with a legit problem.

If it comes to PC, I will. I'm a metal fan of old. The new metal scares and offends my aged sensibilities, but some Iron Maiden or Black Sabbath would rock.

I was joking with you Nihilus. I'm originally from Nevada and my family rags on California all the time. Rat Bastards!

I'm actually going to predict that this title will sell well. I don't really have a horse in the race, but it does have that sort of bitchen! quality about it. The voice over work in the video is superb. The graphics are idealized but extremely well done. This is a A+ title. It even combines, sex, violence, and heavy metal. Good Lord, how can it fail?

I don't doubt you'll get gouged. Hey, your experience with the chair and the loveseat made me think of FO3 visual vignettes!

Very nice, young fellow. I'm still playing through Max Payne 2. I agree about the protagonist. I prefer 2 in virtually every way except for the protagonist. I don't know if that's because Max Payne is the first one in my mind or if I just see the character as more of that guy with the crazy crooked 'yeah, I knew I was going to die the whole time' smile on his face. I'm thinking seriously of installing PS:T again and running one of the newer mods. The reason I would do that is to play it with my wife. I can show it on the big screen TV and I think she might dig it.

This is ridiculous on its face. When a prisoner escapes confinement, they are in the process of committing another crime. It's absolutely and morally wrong that their privacy should come under any consideration whatsoever. Furthermore, criminals who have demonstrated violent tendencies are a danger to the public and the means of identifying them should be made available immediately. I'm not out to win a debating contest and I don't give a crap about clever hypotheticals or petty exchanges meant to showcase someone's 'intelligence.' As a matter of practical policy, this issue is a massive failure on the part of the public officials. Yes, an honest debate regarding privacy is perfectly legitimate, but the line should be drawn waaaaaaaay the hell back. For example, Ros' comment about criminals who have served their terms and are therefore free should have some right to privacy sounds perfectly reasonable. Criminals who are incarcerated for committing a crime and escape confinement, and are therefore in the process of committing an additional crime, have no right to privacy.

Look, you've got me wrong. I'm not putting down Fallout 1 and 2. I actually prefer FO1. FO2 is my favorite of the series. There were some great moments, goofy moments, and hours upon hours of enjoyment in each title. I'm a hardcore Fallout fan also. The thing is, there were subtle moments that made for great storytelling in each game, but each game also offered some pretty blunt material as well. I guess what I'm really saying is that the visual vignettes aren't any more or less subtle and I appreciated how they played out in FO3. What FO 1/2 did more with the text is provide more, whether in flavor text for weapons or floating text for npcs. ...But I've always said that my biggest hope for Obsidian is that they improve such things.