taks

again, you missed the point on that neverwinterknight... that's not how capitalism works, not in theory and not in reality. history has proven the latter time and time again. as soon as the consumer has "no other viable options," some other joe game developer absolutely will step up and fill the void assuming there's a market (face it, some things just don't have a market). taks

actually, a monopoly is a good thing in the long run. and here's why... the company ends up with all the market share due to lower prices and/or better products. in our example, EA has most of the sports game market share. however, a direct result of this monopoly is reduced efficiency since competition is what kept the company efficient in the first place. as a result, quality begins to suffer, prices rise and the market begins to shrink on its own. such a thing offers smaller, more efficient companies an opportunity to step up to the plate and offer a better quality product at a reduced price. with this comes competition, forcing said "monopoly" to revise their strategy in order to maintain profitability. an endless cycle actually. the myth of "bad monopolies" is actual an anti-capitalist reaction. it is borne out of fear that monopolies somehow control the consumer, when in fact, the opposite is true. monopolies eventually self-destruct. realistically, the only monopolies that actually can exist in a capitalist society are those that the government creates, i.e. fascist companies. go figure. the best example of a "monopoly" gone bad is standard oil... broken apart by the trust busters, yet the part of the story that nobody ever hears is their market share was only 60% at the time of breakup and declining rapidly. they were falling apart because they could not compete with the smaller, more efficient oil companies of the time (i believe texaco was one of the up-and-comers). so in truth, volourn is wiser than it would seem regarding business! taks PS: keep in mind, if anybody offered a better sports game at a comparable price, it would sell, forcing EA to change their strategy.

ellester is quite aware of bio vs. bis involvement with the games... an original on the old black isle forums, i do believe. fu had a large role in those games as noted... taks

it is... CNN i mean. CNNs tv analysts are mostly liberal, however, from what i've seen. they get pounded in the ratings, too. i generally think canada is socialist, but not necessarily communist. a subtle, yet at the same time profound, difference. taks

their analysts, perhaps... the newscasts are pretty straightforward. again, mostly the analysts. the newscasts themselves (which are only on a few hours each morning and afternoon) are straightforward. even right-wing euro channels are left-wing compared to what we have. it's not really fair to compare since the "progressive" movement originated over there, as well as such wonderful concepts as socialism and communism. taks

you flamer, you... taks

and to show the hypocrisy of the left... and their "crap" as you so eloquently put it, is not biased... try watching their news once in a while. as noted, their analysts are on the right in general, but not all. fox, btw, has more democratic guests than republican. a factoid that few seem to care about. ??? you think CNN is right? it's a matter of persepective here - you're so far left (by your own admission) the clintons probably seem right-wing. taks

i actually read CNN (web) as well as Fox... their news reporting comes in on opposite sides of the fence, but middle mostly (neither is nearly as fanatic as the other side claims). now, there is a HUGE difference in their analysis for sure, and fox is decidedly right of center and CNN left of center in that regard... however, as rupert murdoch put it (paraphrasing) "if i could find a liberal analyst that anyone would listen to, i'd hire him/her in a second!" well, he has one, alan colmes, btw... taks

so, in other words, just because you guys don't think fox's viewpoint is fair, it should be censored? is that it? d'ya think, just maybe, that your view is a bit jaded by your ideology? just maybe? then, when finally an alternative comes along they absolutely must be biased. hearing that viewpoint must be sacrilege because it doesn't fit with the elite... oh no, we must stifle anybody that doesn't agree! go figure... i tell you what, explain how CBS managed their little debacle while remaining "unbiased". tell me they didn't have an agenda, and do it with a straight face. just because you the intelligencia don't agree with them does not mean fox is biased. i dare you to show bias in their news reporting ala NY Times. taks

well, due to IPLY's recent issues, creditors might not care about "big cash" for the engine anymore taks

the majority is FPS and it has been since doom was released, maybe even after castle wolfenstein. the best selling game of all time is probably quake... the sims, however, may have that lead now... taks

fond of fantasy... taks

gothic 2... i love it. i'm cheating on the chests, however, by finding the combo on the web, but the only way to pick them in the first place is to save and reload ad infinitum until you pick it anyway. that kinda blows since it's really cheating, too. should be a skill check. taks

show me a link tetsuo... i'm a bit skeptical if you don't mind, being a communications engineer and all taks PS: not of you, just the technology... gigabit ethernet exists, but it has a limited range...

gotcha... splitting hairs, however, but "things" is so general a term that using it to refer to people isn't as disrespectful as you would imply. i do understand your intention, however taks

sad, but only 3 of us mention friends and family in our top 5 favorites... taks

phosphor's probably right. bethsoft could probably not care less about the lunatic fringe fallout fanbase that has so many strong opinions about the game. they are traditionalists and probably want nothing changed from the original, including the story. they just happen to be loud, that's all. taks

good: 1. my family 2. my friends 3. science 4. anything related to science 5. billiards (typically linked to my friends and massive alcohol consumption). bad: 1. mis-application of science 2. people that apply science inappropriately for their own agenda 3. people that refuse to believe in science 4. bait and switch political agendas 5. golf (frought with contrary activity... hit ball away, chase ball, repeat...) taks

uh, yes and no with newegg. you can usually find better prices elsewhere, however, nobody has the same level of service as newegg. not even close. taks

quest is having a ton of business issues, btw. they're falling apart at the seams. of course, my cable choice is adelphia, and we all know about that mess, too. taks

volourn, you've had good luck with supporting comments from the masses lately... perhaps your form of "clarity" is catching? taks PS: i couldn't resist...

i was looking forward to goldenland, but the looooooong time spent translating the game into english has me thinking it's vaporware. my guess is the game isn't doing that well and the publisher is balking. given this, and the fact that the developers never visit their own message board (not since october), i doubt we'll see it this year, maybe never. taks

well written point... i think i agree. the concept is stretched, btw, to include builders of skyscrapers. i.e. it's some phallic contest of "bigger is better." the fact that building up rather than out makes more economic sense is largely ignored. taks

i agree, KB. every quest should at least be checked for completeness, too, which is not their forte either. i'm still on the fence whether or not i want to buy this game. i'm enjoying gothic 2 enough (like you haven't heard that from me today) that i might just wait till bargain bin for troika's latest stab at the world of crpgs. taks