Zoraptor

I think the point is more that Kotick would laugh in Walker's face then (metaphorically) drive off in his gold plated Bugatti Veyron if asked those style questions; or never give the interview in the first place rather than Kotick not deserving any criticism. Molyneux is an easy target as he has no credibility to destroy and no power whatsoever, one of his major problems has always been that he does answer questions and has a distinct tendency to over egg his responses and promises, so it is easy to ask those questions of him. It would be significant if Walker asked the 'hard questions' of someone with actual power or who he actually likes, but I find it difficult to see him asking, say, Tim Schafer if Starbase wotsit etc makes him a pathological liar.

Bruce, dear fellow, you agreeing with me is one of the things that would get me to question whether I was right. Fortunately, your opinion just reinforces that I am accurate. Gromnir know! Gromnir not need to prove! Man, what an utter, utter cop out. You asserted so either provide the evidence that I said what you claimed- or admit you're a Weasel and in future refrain from asserting what you cannot prove. Since you brought up Norway: here's the graph of the krone over 1 year. It too mirrors the oil rate pretty closely, without sanctions. There are a few articles about it, but the big difference is that Norway is a small country of a few million with the best part of 1 trillion dollars in its sovereign wealth fund. And yet they still saw their currency tank. You can't pick a good example to save yourself.

So far- for some reason- you've linked to what you've said only and the sole semi relevant post by me nearby was stating that Russian counter sanctions would have minimal effect on Russia and more on the producers sanctioned. Which you have spectacularly and utterly failed to show was incorrect. All you're doing now is mere assertion that I said something you want me to have said. I see no reason to respond to your strawmanning with anything other than simply ignoring it. It is, after all, quite easy to use the 'quote' function or links to show what someone actually said, indeed I do so below. You want to show what I actually said instead of what Grommy's mind version of zor said- then I'll defend or clarify my views. So let's recap what you've actually and provably said before you started, again, digging up the goalposts and shifting them/ making assertions with no proof. At current rate of spending- your words, not mine; your fault, not mine- reserves will last far, far longer because the current burn rate is around 10 billion a month and they have 376 billion in reserves. I'd be perfectly happy with the general consensus of 18 months to 2 years, but you had to go all in on hyperbole- even when given the opportunity to clarify you doubled down, cutting it to the least optimistic six months. Followed by laughable economic ignorance about the exchange rate's effects, utterly laughable. That it is apparently mirrored by 'experts' is no real excuse- it just shows a lack of critical faculty and need to appeal to/ kowtow to authority. Fundamentally, you have to show how having western food imports would improve prices and you simply cannot due to the exchange rate change. FFS, even imports from non sanctioned countries like Brazil will have increased in price because of the exchange rate. I'll throw in a complementary extra illustration: Bloomberg chart of rouble to oil prices- sanctions and counter sanctions applied March and August. As anyone can see sanctions had sweet asterisk all effect, the exchange rate almost perfectly matches oil prices- which is independent of sanctions.

Dunno, she's making 12k (?) on patreon per month. If I were on 144k USD p/a because of some twitter warrioring I wouldn't care even slightly if I came off as nutty as squirrel poo. If it is madness, yet there is method to it- to paraphrase Polonius. Yeah, it really doesn't matter at all if she's trans, even less so than that Milo's gay. It's far more important that she's done some distinctly questionable things to get her profile up such as sockpuppeting abusive twitter accounts or (almost certainly) faking fleeing her home. Breitbart is pretty terrible. They are, broadly speaking, on 'our' side but it's an alliance of convenience primarily and simply being on 'our' side doesn't make them not terrible; it's more an 'enemy of our enemy' situation.

That's called projection, bro. I replied to your points and refuted them, you didn't quote my replies because you have nothing to refute with. You picked stupid examples. You asserted that the import bans were hurting Russia more than Europe using the most shonky of logic and not taking the most basic of factors into account; you asserted that Russia would run out of reserves in six months because it's the worst case scenario from a hack piece. You've done it to yourself. And yeah, it is Yellow Journalism when they do things like, on one hand, talk about a large currency devaluation while implying prices would still be the same if they were importing. Because obviously, if they are importing whether non sanctioned Chinese pork or US/ Dutch/ Canadian the price increase of the imported pork would be governed by exchange rate. That's barely even economics 101 and I can only assume it is done deliberately because the alternative is that the writers for wsj forbes etc are utter, abject morons. Or maybe so US centric that they've forgotten there are exchange rates or... well, I don't know at all. None of the interpretations are charitable though.

It isn't really relevant, but since I dislike incorrect info almost pathologically and he is doing himself what he accuses others of doing: sauce So EA does own the IP, it is only the trademark to Wasteland (2) that InExile owns.

Top quote is from Grommy's previous post. yep, someone is speaking nonsense, but it ain't me. You're also woefully... innaccurate, shall we say, on the reason for the large food price increases, as I will illustrate below. Yes, such a good example. Along with oats/ porridge you picked two things that Russia produces massive amounts of domestically, and the one you chose to focus on is a luxury item. OK, not a luxury in the US where it's added to everything under the sun since high fructose corn syrup is cheaper than water, but you don't actually need to do that and it isn't actually a staple- it's just corporate welfare that is coincidentally killing rather a lot of people from obesity related diseases. In any case you picked the examples, I didn't, and they're supposed to help your point, not mine. That they were stupid examples that don't illustrate what you thought they did is not my fault, it's yours because you picked them. Meh, your shtick is making you literally incoherent. Let us do an illustration- it's simplistic, but it'll do as an illustration. Russia sells oats at the market price, $1000 a ton. Its exchange rate is 50/USD. The producer gets 50000 roubles. Now, the exchange rate is 100/USD. The producer gets 100000 roubles for exporting it. If, instead, it was imported from the west --------it would still cost 100000 roubles-------- as that is governed by exchange rate. It would cost exactly the same and thus counter sanctions make no effective difference because import prices link to exchange rate. The domestic price might theoretically stay the same, except, of course, they can now export it for twice the amount, hence domestic price increases. And wow, 30% price increase for wheat over 50% currency devaluation, that's less than expected if they were importing wheat- another stellar example you've picked for yourself. To reiterate: if they were importing from Europe it would not help because the exchange rate would still increase prices 50% (~per reality) or 100% per example. And the currency collapse doing the damage was related to the drop in oil prices, not agricultural sanctions on the west- even you admit that. Nope, I said that economic sanctions would not severely impact Russia. The oil price is independent of the sanctions and unrelated to them, it's Saudi taking a dump on frackers. I am, however, sure you'll provide a link to where I said that later in your post. Indeed, I'll reorganise the quotes so your link follows Y'know, I was actually expecting this to be a link at least to one of my posts, or at least one of yours I replied to- instead it's to one of your posts showing your (to be charitable) cognitive dissonance has lasted six months and the only relevant post by me within pages is before yours and says nothing at all about oil prices or Russia's dependence on them but is about the agricultural counter sanctions. Oh my god, the WSJ, that changes everything! Scales fall from my eyes and I repent my apostacy and beg forgiveness at the altar of Rupert! The cite I made was two years just on their liquid assets, and it isn't anywhere near pro Russian, and there are multiple, non Russian sources saying the same, eg Moody's. Murdoch's Yellow Journalism. Right, so let's say that the consequence of not being able to refinance those loans is that Russian firms default. So, when Euros are packing their pants about Greece defaulting on ~550 odd billion somehow 600 billion is chump change that won't effect them because Gromnir says such things will only effect Russia... Hmm, OK. Right, so they've declined ~$150 billion over 18 months, plus about 20 billion over the past two months (pending updates), so fairly steadily. I can see how you think they'll run out of money in six further months on that trend with 'only' $380 billion left, because 6x10 does, after all, equal 380. Sheesh, even at double that rate it's still 18 months worth of reserves. And still has most to do with oil prices and currency speculation (fuelled by Yellow Journalism talking things down, heh) and little to nothing to do with the counter sanctions.

Not sure where you're even getting that; it looks more like a RTwP ToEE. The only similarities I see are in the setting and the perspective. ToEE is SP only, TB, 2d. This game is SP/MP, RTwP, 3d and has a DM mode plus mod tools. That sounds (and looks from the thumbnails) a whole lot more NWN than ToEE, even if TB/RT is ignored.

Lol. Even your yellow journalists have it lasting 18 months to two years, as does simple maths. Exempli, in this case actually, gratia. They even pull the "well actually it's only two years because they cannot convert some short term so will never convert it, yep, that's logic!" trick to get their two years, in true Yellow fashion. Generally the Russians have had the good sense not to defend their currency over much as that is what will eat through their reserves, and that is what is causing the price rises- not import bans on stuff Russia produces craploads (#1 producer, even) of themselves. Lol, sugar. I'm sure that high fructose corn syrup is an essential staple in some places as is sugar but you're actually far better off with as little of it as possible. Yes, I'm sure that ludicrously subsidised Sugar Beet sugar from Europe and the US is a major loss for Russia and not for the Euros/ US who are subsidising that inefficient garbage (cane >> beet) to the tune of millions. Oh noes, the Russians miss out on crappy luxuries, how will a country where only about 10% of people can actually afford crappy luxuries anyway cope? (and of course, roflcopters, we all know who is the largest sugar beet producer in the world, don't we? Next time anyone reads one of those "omg Russians will starve if they don't buy from US/ Europe!" garbage articles remember that, and that Russia produces about as much wheat as the US does too. Seriously, porridge and sugar, I couldn't have picked better examples for you if you were my sockpuppet.) The oil price is doing by far the most damage. But that ain't coming from anything the west has done, nor anything Russia has done. It's Saudi knocking the spigots out to damage their enemies- including all those US and Canadian companies stampeded towards fracking while assuming oil would stay above their $100/ barrel break even point. At $50 a barrel those guys are haemorrhaging money way, way faster than Russia. Meh, most westerners would curl up in a ball if someone took away their sugar for a day- but most of the world makes do perfectly well without much of it at all. Double meh, anything that could even theoretically kill off the ridiculous corporate welfare (in the US) or grossly inefficient agricultural butressing (in Euroland) of subsidies is to be applauded. Triple meh, we'll keep selling our stuff to the Russkies, just won't publicise it much.

Yes, I hear that Russia is down to their last 376 billion! Always a good laugh, seeing US press (and especially Uncle Rupes' Yellow Journalists) talking their enemies down, you'd think dealing with the 18 trillion dollar (and currently increasing at more than Russia's entire external debt annually) log in their own eye would garner rather more attention. It was all Yanukovich/ Putler's fault, any deviation from that is a conspiracy theory made by paid Russian shills who are something something Munich, something something USSR. Listen and Believe! Funny thing about that article is that there is very little actually new in it at all, the two interviews only highlight what was already known- stuff that has been repeatedly ignored in support of the 'brave democratic freedom fighters' narrative. No doubt most of the protesters believed that themselves; still, seeing all the pro Maidan people at the time contorting themselves in explanations of how so many police were killed (they're shooting themselves! Russian Spetsnaz! Aliens!) will always be a case study in cognitive dissonance.

Meh, sounds like NWN 1.5 and I loathed NWN. Will pay mild attention (primarily for potential lulz), expecting tepid at best SP and lots of dlc baiting MP emphasis.

They're available from other DD, but they are afflicted with steamworks. As, of course, you do for decades old games that will never be patched again. Still, Herve gave them all away on GOG in a final asterisk you to Bethesda. Which just to show that in a fight between two craplords there can be some collateral benefit.

Doesn't make much difference- Clinton's 'misrecollection' was over something that happened the previous day, iirc. If you want a really extreme example 'recovered memories' may be absolutely, literally and completely impossible. Doesn't stop the person having them think that are also 100% true though.

Rationale discourse on current events and putting them in the context of comparable historical scenarios, of course. Heh, that's what I call arguments as well. If you want a purely rational reason to dislike Bethesda intensely there's the constructive bankrupting shenanigans they allegedly made against at least two studios they wanted to buy in order to recoup/ reduce development costs. Worked against Arkane, but not on Human Head. Also, the choice was not between Fallout Online and Fallout3, the contract between Beth and iply allowed for both to be made. The choice was also not between Bethesda and, er, oblivion for Fallout, when Iply licensed (originally) the rights there were multiple bidders, Bethesda was just the highest bidder.

You could say the same thing about people who say they earned a purple heart but didn't. Or people who claim on their resumes to have worked for IBM, but didn't. Both of those are far more likely to be a deliberate lie though. You're unlikely to think that you have been wounded or worked at IBM for x d/ w/ m/ y incorrectly because both of those things are 'chronic', they take a long time and have direct long term consequences, it's more akin to Williams claiming he has shrapnel scars from the RPG or claiming he was in Iraq when actually he was sitting behind a studio desk. OTOH, being in a helicopter convoy in which the first helicopter is shot at is a short, one off event with no obvious long term consquence. What Williams did is more an exaggeration than a full out fabrication, much as Clinton's was- there was the very real risk of them getting shot at and someone did get shot at, it just wasn't actually them. It is quite a small step from 'this happened to someone nearby' to 'this happened to me'.

Stewart's been on a bit of a downhill since probably 2007. Still better than most stuff on TV, but worse than it was. I do wonder who will replace him since the obvious candidates are all otherwise employed now. Williams, well who knows. My brother in law is a policeman and he's said that people quite often have absolutely honest, but absolutely incorrect, recall of events especially when they're under stress- people have a habit of putting themselves directly into the narrative, even when it's particularly stupid to do so. I'd put it in the Hillary Clinton 'landing in Sarajevo under fire' class. Both were dangerous situations in which there was a very real, if overstated, risk. Most people don't really have the opportunity to lie in that fashion precisely because they spend their time in a safe environment. As for the media overall, the big problem there is tight budgets and the tendency to just regurgitate press statements and what you're told by 'trusted' sources acritically, plus increasingly reliance on social media (ptooey*). If there's no actual journalism involved, no getting other opinions, no fact checking it simply does not matter whether it's media being deliberate mouthpieces for propaganda or hapless dupes, the end result is the same; regurgitation of PR, propaganda and a failure in the crucial role media should play in keeping politicians honest. Well, as honest as possible. Most people think the state of gaming journalism is terrible but that is where all journalism is heading because proper journalism is expensive and takes time and skill- and the time may even end up being wasted if an investigative story does not pan out. Crap journalism is cheap, you can print first and think later and it has a bigger, in some cases far bigger, audience than quality has. British tabloids are utter crap, but that doesn't stop the 'Fail and the Scum from being the two biggest sellers, indeed they are the biggest sellers precisely because they're crap clickbait equivalents. So, why do quality when rubbish is both easier/ cheaper and has better rewards? That's also extremely convenient for governments, they get their PR spin from a compliant acritical press while being able to talk about how they have freedom of the press and are subject to press oversight. Which is all most people need to nod and decide everything is fine and wow some minor reality star had a car crash when they may or may not have been txting, how very interesting. *Though it can be a good or even great source of information getting that good info from SM takes all the things that journalists no longer have, time, critical analysis etc. Far easier to just do a 'BBC trending' style lol a cat climbed a tree so funneh! or use random tweets to imply interactivity. Yeah, if I want that load of old bollocks I'd just look on twitter myself, I want informed comment not what Barry the waste technician from Eketahuna thinks about Greece's possible default and its ramifications on the world economy.

Don't know what it is about narcissists but they almost always end up sounding like they're satirising themselves. Hmm. Most SJWs end up sounding like they are satirising themselves; narcissists end up sounding like they're satirising themselves... hmm. I'm sure it's coincidence.

And of course, Brink 2 and Star Trek: Legacy HD

They should have the reputation from both Ultima Underworld and Looking Glass though- and Warren Spector for that matter. They're quite old reputations now, but very highly respected. Personally I'd have gone for a System Shock game (or 'System Shock' game, depending on how the insurance company that owns the IP feels) rather than UU since it's more suited to the sort of modular design that kickstarter's variable funding makes necessary.

Would be nice if Coke put the money that was set aside for the twitter stuff that Gawker sabotaged towards a bit of pay back. While I don't have a problem with mass email campaigns they are very easy to rationalise away if you want to- otoh a few emails from someone at Coke- or their advertising agency- with their contacts could make things very difficult for Gawker almost instantly. If they wanted to.

Seems that the rebels have closed off most of the pocket around Debaltsevo. Still (somewhat) disputed but looks like there's up to 5000 UA troops caught there.

That's been a problem with Wikipedia for ages. I tried to change the System Shock 2 page once to remove the "EA is going to make System Shock 3!" part of it since I know perfectly well that the "System Shock 3" EA was making was actually Dead Space- same genre, made by the rumoured team etc etc. Can't do it, a (at that time) 4 year old (speculation/ rumour) article from a 'reliable source' trumps anything and everything including primary sources (copyright/ USPTO) proving EA no longer had rights to the games or franchise- because the copyright and trademark databases are primary sources/ it's original research. So, until someone writes an actual citable article saying that EA is not making System Shock 3 the reference has to stay there, even eight (!) years after the original, speculative, articles were written. (Not C&VG's fault in this case though, everyone heard the rumours they reported. Just another example of how stupid wiki's blanket secondary trumps primary source idea is. And to be fair the wiki admin who reverted it certainly sounded rather embarrassed about doing it, but do it he did) Edit: and having checked they actually say in the article that EA doesn't own the IP now, having found a citable source. Somehow that still ain't enough to remove the "EA is making SS3" rubbish though.

If there's one thing I've noticed from the youtube war footage of the recent years it's that either everyone fighting is terrible or the competent ones are too busy being competent to film themselves being competent (or bring along embedded 'proper' journalists), and the tendency is to be either immensely cautious and spray your AK over some cover one handed without a hope of hitting or be utterly incautious and stroll across roads and open fields as if you're going for a walk with some occasional random, seldom properly aimed shooting thrown in to liven things up. I am reminded of something Orwell said in Homage to Catalonia, that the Spanish conscripts often seemed utterly incapable of even basic defensive measures like cover. Makes sense that those who survive for any length of time go rather to the other extreme. (Inept, not inapt. Logically it should be inapt, but it's english and our language is nothing if not random.)

I knew he was going because I read that the actor's signed up for a different programme. Since none of the regulars has left any other way since S1 that only really left one way he was going out. It was an extremely well shot and atmospheric- if pretty disposable- episode. Also trippy as anything.

It's a lot more than one of them- a certain, er, revolutionary indie dev made sockpuppet troll accounts to make GG look bad, for example- though the excuse is always the same (with minor tonal variations) when caught out. About 90% of the time 'trolling' is trolling under the standard subjective definition of people who cannot handle others having differing opinions: I post thought provoking stuff without being overly concerned if it offends or gets negative responses so as to Make Valid Points; people I disagree with are all just trolling and doing it because they're ignorant, stupid or malign.