Monte Carlo

Agreed. Well the socialists would use the attack for their political advantage: they are politicians after all. And Aznar's Popular Party also tried to use the possibility of it being ETA (a left-wing bogeyman to many middle-class Spaniards) to boost their vote too. As to if it was smart or not, well I tend to agree with you to a point. My feelings are mixed...one one hand the PP were scheduled for a narrow but not uncomfortable winning margin, but on the other 90% of the Spanish public were against Spanish involvement and support for the USA in Iraq. A political and symbolic victory indeed. But Spain's withdrawal of it's 120 peacekeepers is hardly likely to keep the US high command awake at night, sweating. If the entire contingent had been killed in action it would still be less than perished in Madrid. You are absolutely correct. I supported military action against Iraq but was sorely disappointed by the tardy and haphazard approach to post-war planning and reconstruction; Spain's decision hardly helps. Also, as I said before, the peaceniks of the "Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil" Left seem to have conveniently forgotten that 9/11 happened at a time where the USA was military inactive in the Arab (and indeed wider Muslim) world. LIke I said, I'm broadly conservative but even I don't buy the retrospective neo-con view that Iraq is now drawing every jihad-crazed terrorist to the killing zone of Iraq like "squirrels into the wood chipper." I think Madrid put paid to that idea, didn't it? An error, but their perogative. Spain's support is political, not military. The USA and the UK made the decision. The USA and the UK took action. The USA and the UK have the lion's share of lucrative reconstruction contracts and enhanced influence in the region. Natch, the two countries must also shoulder the burden the most. The governments of most mainland European countries view the USA with a mixture of condescension, fear and loathing. The Germans and French want a superpower counterbalance to the USA in Europe but will never get it (not least because they don't want to invest in defence spending, a prerequisite for true superpower status). They are quietly pleased that Spain has given George Bush a bit of a bloody nose. They also seem to think that a softly-softly approach to the problems of the Middle East will deflect terrorism from their borders. They are like the appeasers of Hitler in the 1930's. That strange little man with his odd followers might not be our cup of tea, old chap, but if we leave him alone he'll leave us alone, won't he? Well, in Bin Laden's case, no he won't. If, god forbid, a bomb goes off in Berlin or Paris will the public there blame the USA or Al'Quaeda? Will they wake up and see that their government's mendacity regarding the issue is partly to blame? Only time will tell. Scary, interesting times. My wife gets on a commuter train to London every day. And it scares me at the moment, I can tell you. More than the IRA, a hell of a lot more. I'm an old-fashioned kind of guy. Hit me and I hit you. If we have to commit to a fifty-year campaign of low-intensity warfare in godforsaken third world countries to rid the world of the scourge of this new facsism and to protect our families then so be it. There is no other way. No peace conference, initiative or hand-wringing will resolve this one, I'm afraid. And liberal European governments seem to have no other solution. Now please carry on. Nothing to see here. Cheers MC

Not rich, just childless (so far). What other people are hoarding to pay for their kid's college fees I'm blowing on travel, fast computers and German sports cars. It's called S.K.I.'ing (Spending the Kid's Inheritance). Cheers! MC

Agreed 100%. It didn't look or feel like ETA unless it was (as you point out) a "Look at me Ma! I'm on top of the world!" moment. Aznar's opportunism (or denial) of the facts was astonishing, and he deserved to suffer politically for it. Personally, as a small "c" conservative I find it unpalatable that the Spaniards gave in and elected a lacklustre socialist administration at the behest of Islamist terrorism, but hey, it's their country. Unfortunately, I think Osama and the boys are sitting in a cave rubbing their hands together over this one. Now the Spanish have folded and are withdrawing their (albeit token) contingent from Iraq, who's next? What other democratic processes can be swayed by blowing up train stations? Scary. Cheers MC

Er, yes, actually. I've lived in the US (San Diego, CA and the O.C.). I've done business there. I've travelled extensively in the "Flyover" states. Most of my American friends happily acknowledge that I've travelled over more of the country than the average US citizen. I've been to the Bayou, wandered around Napa, gotten drunk in NY, SF and all points inbetween and got snowed in for a week in Colorado. I've signed the book of Mormon in Salt Lake City and lost my shirt in Vegas. I've been hunting in Maine and whale-watching in Cape Cod. Been there, done it, got the T-shirt. There was even an incident in Houston which we won't discuss right now. Furthermore, I'm an unashamed Americanophile. I adore the place. Which doesn't change, one iota, the bald fact that the average American isn't wildly bothered about things going on much beyond their own state line. The parochialism of Americans is all part of their charm. The irony of 9/11 is that it finally made the sleeping giant wake up and wonder why large sections of the world didn't care much for them and wanted to kill them. Cheers MC

:: shrug :: The defensiveness is understandable. I've been travelling to the USA annually for over, what, twenty years? I keep up with what's going on there via satellite TV. Trust me, I'm more than aware of the general knowledge level of the average US citizen vis-a-vis anywhere East of New York or West of San Francisco. Which isn't terribly good. Cheers MC

Yes, Americans seem to think that Terrorism began on the 11th September, 2001. Not to (in any way) belittle those dreadful events but apart from perhaps some disgruntled anarcho-leftists (say the Unabomber or perhaps the Weathermen) the USA hadn't experienced any significant terrorism prior to the mid-1990's within it's own borders. Europe, OTOH, has had plenty. ETA in Spain, Baader-Meinhof, the IRA and it's various incarnations and splinter groups, the last round of European-based Palestinian/ Islamist terrorism in the 70's and 80's, Italian far-left and far-right nutcases... the list goes on. So, I would posit, "Europe" gets on with it just like anywhere else. The French subway network has been targeted by Islamists. They'll get on with it. So will the Spanish. In the UK, where the Media seems to be convinced that "We're Next" , we'll get on with it too (I remember well the continual IRA bomb alerts as a young man living in London up until the mid-90's when they blew up Canary wharf). Not getting on with it, of course, is precisely what the terrorist wants. What is interesting, in my opinion, is how terrorism will impact on domestic European politics (as opposed to the consensus, albeit rough, we see in the USA as a consequence of 9/11). People seem to "blame" their governments for supporting the invasion of Iraq (a craven attitude as far as I'm concerned). Whatever the rights or wrongs of the war, the Islamist extremists we're coming for us anyway. You can't negotiate with them. You cannot satisfy their demands. You either submit to a twisted and unrepresentative version of Islam or die. As a keen student of Arabic language and culture I genuinely don't recognise the Wahhabi-inpsired fascism of Al-Q'aeda as representative of most Arabs and/ or Muslims. Will European voters elect flabby, liberal appeaser governments who will try to assauge the Death Cult of Bin Laden? Or will they instead turn to strident, right-wing authoritarian solutions? Or will mature democracies achieve a balancing act? This is a problem particularly for post-Franco Spain. Nobody knows. And it's the classic Chinese curse of "May you live in interesting times." Hey, stay safe. I mean that. Cheers MC

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Then you don't want it badly enough, bud. My wife works in journalism. Jesus, people will rip off your arm and beat you to death with the soggy end to get a staff gig in the Media in the UK. How d'you do it? Well, roughly the same way, in principle, as the way the developers here describe breaking through into another popular and over-subscribed creative field. That includes a stint as a runner: the unpaid dude who grabs coffee, sends emails, works the photocopier and generally dogsbodies to get their face known and learn the basics of a cut-and-thrust industry. Except, of course, the kids of the early 21st Century. They want their dream jobs, but heck they also know their rights. Minimum wage. Health & Safety. Blah balh blah. They still don't get their dream jobs, the narrowing number of bright sparks who realise that all these rules are created to make inadequates feel better do instead. But they're a minority. I suggest public service might be the way forward with somebody with your work ethic. You really don't want it badly enough, I'm afraid. Cheers MC

...and with the current UK

Yes. Oh yes.

Is this the best gaming rig...I'm so tempted to buy it today. The risk of divorce is high, but I'm going in! Tekkies, dweebs and propeller-heads...I need you! Is this the gaming system you'd buy? Is this an act of utter folly? Note: I'm not going for the lime-green "Ankheg armour" version, though. Cheers MC

Which is why aVENGER'S mod is so good. The Dagger of Venom and game-shatteringly powerful Kiel's Buckler (I too have quivered at the way that +1 DEX bonus alters the game) are both available to buy in the Shadow Thief guildhall, as well as other roguish goodies. Cheers MC

What you end up with is market saturation and stuff like this: http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo...number=FGSWRRBF Just because people will buy something, doesn

Chris Avellone: (My italics) To answer the question posed by the original poster look at this quote in the context of Planescape: Torment. 2EAD&D is, to many, one of the most inflexible and moribund incarnations of the D&D game. Yet many see PS:T as perhaps one of the most enthralling uses of the game ever to appear on the computer. Go figure. OK, they took some interesting liberties with the rules, like the dynamic alignment and stuff, but that only added to the feeling of difference. I will ponder the new rules-fascism seemingly practiced by the current licence holders later, as this is another way that this question can be looked at (for example, I remember MCA or Dave M mentioning that the old TSR people were pretty laid back about Planescape 'canon' when they were designing PST, as well as not bothering too much about the class-switching and other deviations...an attitude that served the final product and the reputation of the brand well). So, does D&D hold back "better game design" from the standpoint of... A. D&D as a gaming system on which to base a CRPG? - or - B. D&D as a phenomenon, and the way the licence has been used over the past few years? Both have a direct bearing in my opinion. As far as 'A' is concerned, well others here have answered the question, really. A good developer can always make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, and a good gamer will see a fun product for what it is and not worry too much if it bears the D&D moniker as long as it's fun. I also concur that D&D has set a sort of hackneyed standard of what constitutes "fantasy" in the genre: we have to have elves and orcs and grumpy Scottish dwarves (etc). The brand leader is always going to have that sort of effect...heck Wendy's make square burgers but they are still reminiscent of the stuff available under the Golden Arches.... 'B' is more of an untapped issue, and it is in this context that I think that D&D is having an adverse effect on CRPG development. Why? Well, both Hasbro and WotC's management of the licence over the past two years could be generously desribed as mendacious. Developers have privately cited numerous examples of nit-picking by (especially) WotC who are pen & paper gaming guys, not CRPG developers. OK, it's their precious IP but unless they try to relax and introduce a bit of the "Rule Zero" philosophy that is preached for the tabletop game and extend it to developers then we'll continue to see the D&D slump on the PC that has recently occurred. Really, did Sawyer's IWD2 alt.ranger really threaten the entire fabric of the Dungeons & Dragons game? Palpably not. :: Armchair Business Guy Mode Activated :: If I were the licence holder for electronic media for the D&D game I'd have the following guidelines for awarding a D&D licence to a CRPG developer: 1. Is the game fun and a quality product? This is the primary consideration that all subsequent rules serve to facilitate. 2. The licence should be treated totally as a franchise...issue as many as there are people who can make quality product that fulfils the premise of rule 1. No exclusivity deals. 3. Developers should be given latitude to play Rule Zero as they see fit for their product. A liaison at WotC should OK radical rules-changes to preserve the integrity of the IP, but generally speaking new classes, races, house rules and so on should be treated with a "can-do" attitude. D&D is a thirty year old, venerable game system...not your sixteen year old sister going on a date with your best friend from the football team. It'll survive a few liberties being taken. Until Hasbro/WotC change their stance on these issues then, yes, D&D is in my view contributing to the atrophy of CRPGs in general, especially those being developed in North America. Cheers MC

Many CRPGs have raised the general awareness of the following brands... Heckler & Koch Glock Walther Barratt Colt Mattel (yes, that Mattell, original manufacturers of the M-16 rifle due to their advanced plastics/ mouldings techniques) etc. Cheers MC

So, basically you're saying hang on for a while? I'm looking to upgrade in the next six months....is that long enough d'you think. I've got a bonus due and I was going to splurge out on a mid-life crisis, leery Alienware rig with bells & whistles. Of course, the problem is I'm not an expert and I'll end up with something sub-optimal. Or do I leave it until next year, by which time my wife will have spent my bonus on something pointless...like food or mortgage payments. Cheers MC

A few pointers from a computer-user who is by no means any sort of expert, just your average-or-garden PC owner. 1. When buying your rig, make it clear that you want something with sufficient space/ slots to allow you to upgrade. Remember that your computer isn't really the plastic box all the gubbins sit in...it's the stuff inside that counts and you just need something to put it all in. Oh, and fans, heatsinks and all that jive. 2. Have a reasonable idea about how future-proof your purchase can realistically be given the amount of skillz you have. Also, know what type of stuff you need to do...gaming? Art? Video? 3. Don't buy a laptop. I know it's obvious, but I was once tempted until a colleague got stung on that one. 4. Find someone with 733t skillz in McGuyvering 'puters and make him or her your New Best Friend. --- Cheers MC

David Warner's VO in BG2 was superlative and the dude managed to overcome the crumbiness of the dialogue through sheer talent. Just my 2 CP. Cheers MC

Another question to add to SP's (if he doesn't mind, seeing as it's sort of related and obviates the need to begin a new thread): How do publishers view the lifetime of a product vis-a-vis profits? That is to say, how does a title's longevity count in the broader picture. For example, Fallout budget discs, The Complete IWD, bundled BG saga bonus packs (etc)? I was in Game the other day and people were still buying budget bundled BG2/ToB some three-four years after release. How does that get factored into profit calculations...is it seen as merely an apre-release bonus if a title is successful? Cheers MC

I think a Serbian Fallout title is well overdue, personally. FWIW, all the middle-class Brits are talking about Croatia's Adriatic coast as if it's the next Tuscany. I have to laugh, as their understanding of Balkan politics seems slightly....optimistic. Personally, I'd sooner buy a chalet in ooooh.... Haiti. Cheers MC (ensconced ridiculously safely in Southwest London)

I have nothing against Latvians, Estonians or Lithuanians. It just seemed an amusingly esoteric place for a hacker to come from at the time. Of course, in the old days, all the proper hackers were ex-KGB trained Bulgarian cyber-commandos, but that's another story entirely I suspect. Cheers MC

I used to write the "plots" for training exercises for a variety of interested parties who were preparing for 'X' or 'Y' contingency. I'll freely admit that I looked to certain aspects of CRPGs to design them. This is what I learnt. When you are designing something that is going to be used by a third party for a specific purpose (i.e. a game, for enjoyment or a training scenario for learning) then that purpose pushes the design. Design cannot as easily push purpose. So, to use BG2 as an example, the purpose is to conclude the main portion of the Bhaalspawn saga. The design has to be grafted onto that main purpose, and design compromises have to be made to create the "illusion" of non-linearity (as GiK points out). To use my own example, you have to factor in occasionally unrealistic variables (i.e. deliberately curbing "non-linearity", a misnomer which I think we can replace with "freedom") to keep things on track. For example, in one scenario the team might say "OK, our communications aren't working in the engineering compound, we'll use our mobile telephones." "Your mobile telephones don't work either." Realistic? Maybe not. However, it fits the brief, which is to test contingencies beyond the obvious. The guys in that training situation have to deal with a problem sans the usual comfort blankets of mobile telephones and email to communicate. That's the entire point. In a CRPG it might be seek the McGuffin, seek revenge, fulfill your divinity or rescue your sister. The point remains that these have to be dealt with...it's how you deal with them is the art of masking the almost inevitable linearity of the endeavour. It's like life...death and taxes are inevitable and if anybody knows of a non-linear way of living that avoids both then please send me a PM. Cheers! MC

I predict that the Baltic States, beautiful (and cheap to visit) as they are, will be the travel fad of the next two years. I am planning a trip myself, actually. Cheers MC

You might feel European. Congratulations. However, you are in a factually statistical minority. One day that might change, in which case I will simply decamp elsewhere. I'm quite smitten with the Czech Republic, personally. Charming people. Or New England. Ditto. Seeing as you feel European, and, natch therefore support by default the sort of political system that makes the Borgias seem a model of upright and decent governance then you'll excuse me for not taking your opinion of my hometown particularly seriously. Troll.

Ah, but you miss my point. My initial assessment was possibly the wiser and more accurate one. My second was my newer one, but not necessarily the correct one. It's about attitude, not accuracy! Cheers MC