Azure79

http://www.trinitycross.net/bio/down/fanficdavid1.txt <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks for the quick reply!

I haven't read David Gaider's Revan fanfic. Where can I get a glimpse of it? Personally I think Bioware's games are solid enjoyable titles. Compared to what does get released in the gaming world, I'd day Bioware is doing a good job. I agree with you Hades when you say that some of Bioware's storylines seem a tad repetitive especially with the NWN OC and KotOR, but they tell the stories in an enjoyable manner so I can't really complain. Ok...the NWN OC wasn't that great...but I think that's mostly due to my personal preferences. Looking forward to Dragon Age here.

Seen it before but still hilarious

Patience young Padawan. There will come a time when these boards will rise again. I kinda miss the days speculating about K2 as well. It was almost as fun as playing the game.

I think it's safe to say that we have this small tingling in our hearts for what K2 could have been...should have been. I for one can't wait until the Restoration Project is finished and I apply the high res patches to play the game as it should have been. I'm actually looking forward to the completion of the project more than any official game at the moment. Well, maybe except for the HL2 expansion. Alyx(Alex?) ran away with my heart.... I like girls who can shoot guns and kick ass.

Same here. Ever since I tried my hand on the Might and Magic series, the first person view has always seemed awkward. Especially if the game is party based. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> So you weren't a fan of the KotOR series, then? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Kotor wasn't strictly first person view. It was 3rd person over the shoulder. I can handle that since it affords me a view of my character and party members. Plus the camera allowed me to view the action from a hortizontal 360 angle which helped somewhat. I was talking about strictly first person view. It might help immersion in RPG games but I think it hinders combat.

I feel exactly the opposite on the exploration in BG. For me it was a thrill to 'expose the black' of the map because you didn't know what was up ahead. Whether it be just a few Xvarts or a mad wizard controlling a few basilisks or bounty hunters. It went past the need to find new loot and just seemed like my party was off adventuring, trying to do good deeds(or evil). I guess it's how you look at it.

Same here. Ever since I tried my hand on the Might and Magic series, the first person view has always seemed awkward. Especially if the game is party based.

Sounds interesting so far. I'll have to look for a copy somewhere.

I was looking around the net for any interesting RPGs I missed and Arx Fatalis came up. I'm in a RPG gaming slump right now. I want to play something deep and engaging with a great story. So has anyone played Arx Fatalis? What are your thoughts?

The Elder Scrolls topic got me thinking on the exploration system in games, more specifically cRPGs and console RPGs. There's no doubt that exploration is a big part of the RPG experience. My question is how do you make exploration fun and interesting? What do you all think? From a personal perspective, the most fun I had exploring in a game was in Baldur's Gate. The world map had discrete areas where the player could go and each area had something to offer, whether is was running into a party of hobgoblins, facing off against a mad jelly creating wizard, meeting a basilisk for the first time and promptly getting turned to stone and fighting off against unexpected parties of mercenaries out for your head. I think what made that system so fun was that you could go off the main story and just go off finding new places to explore(by exiting the current map at different points) without getting lost or losing any drive to continue the game. Also by keeping each area distinct from each other and with a certain goal to accomplish in most maps, it kept the player engaged and gave them a degree of satisfaction when the map was finally cleared. I also think the scripted encounters with the bounty hunters out to kill you was great too. When I first played the game I went off exploring, trying to discover the new areas and the bounty hunters would appear with the declaration that my character's head would make them rich. After the battle I would discover the bounty notice and be reminded of the main quest, of that shadowy menace out to get me and that would inevitably get me interested in going after the main quest again. I think these might have been put in as reminders by the devs that the main story was still out there, waiting for your attention. Ease of travel was something I liked as well. Once you opened up a map you could travel there right away via the world map. This was most helpful when quests took place on several maps. I don't understand the complaints people had with the travel in Baldur's Gate. So to sum up, reasons why I enjoyed the exploration system in Baldur's Gate. 1. You were free to abandon the main quest and open up new areas to explore. It gave the feeling that your character was opening up his/her own path. 2. Each area was discrete so players wouldn't find themselves wandering aimlessly across the entire world map probably getting lost in the process. 3. Each area map had something to accomplish giving the player satisfaction in their explorations. 4. There were 'friendly' reminders in the form of bounty hunters out for your head that got you interested in the main quest. 5. You could travel quickly to areas already explored, decreasing the amount of time just walking and doing nothing. I was dissapointed that no other IE engine game had this kind of exploration system. Especially BG2. I was expecting another huge world map with areas to discover and explore but ended up pretty dissapointed. It was still a great game though. I really wanted to like Morrowind too. I really did. The concept behind the game was intriguing. I can go anywhere and do anything I like? Cool, a whole world for me to explore at my leisure! After several hours just walking around and killing stuff and gathering spell components, I was bored. I had no idea what was going on or what I really had to do. Of course this was partly my fault I suppose, but I think Morrowind lacked a driving force that continously pushed the player forward or got them interested in the story. Well anyways, give me your thoughts on exploration in RPGs. What is the ideal system you want?

I remember playing Quake 2. I have fond memories of the hyperblaster in particular. Whatever happened to the marine who killed the Makron? Did he die?

This game looks impressive! I tried playing Morrowind, but something about the game just turned me off. To me the conversations were boring, the combat tedious and exploration seemed more like a chore with me killing the same enemy over and over again with the same combat moves or spells. Picking up and collecting various roots and spell components I guess were fun for some people, but to me it seemed like a job too. The combat seems improved in Oblivion and the the fast travel is a godsend to me. Plus you can sneak around! The enemies seem to react appropriately when they get hit too. In that elven ruin the last spellcaster was hit with a sword swing which hurled him against a column then fell to the floor. Cool~

I saw it yesterday. I haven't seen the TV show but the movie was enjoyable. It was pretty funny to boot. It probably would have been better to have seen the show first since I had a feeling that I was receiving a crash course on all the characters. They quickly grow on you though. They seem like real people trying to make some money when the sh*t hits the fan so to speak.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Gladiator was a fun movie! Ok maybe it was that nice looking girl who kept smiling at me and even came and sat down next to me before the movie started up that got me all worked up. Yes, sometimes girls do show an interest in me. I'm surprised everytime it happens so I start acting like an idiot.

You're missing out in some fun gameplay in Sands to Time and Warrior Within. You could probably pick up copies for about 20$ now.

I'm going back and watching all the old movies I remember watching as a kid. So far I've seen, The Breakfast Club Big Trouble in Little China Overboard Sixteen Candles Fletch The Three Amigos Weekend at Bernies Men at Work Weird Science Clash of the Titans Conan the Destroyer Conan the Barbarian Krull Willow I recommend all of them. Any other old movies you recommend?

Oh, nevermind. I checked the main page. Patch!

Do you mean the movie and music patch?

I liked Warrior Within. Not as much as the Sands of Time but I still think it was an enjoyable game. Of course I agree with most of the complaints aimed at WW. The angsty self-absorbed Prince, the horrid music and overall darkness of the game were some big steps down from the first. This game looks a bit better though. Farah is a much better character than any of the female leads in WW. I hope I get to see some sarcastic yet witty and affectionate banter go back and forth between the Prince and Farah. Hopefully she can draw some of the old Prince back out. Heaven help us if Farah has turned into a bitch queen.

I hate waking up myself. I know I can function without that much sleep but that warm coziness of being wrapped up in your blankets drags me back to bed. One thing that works for me is promising myself a treat when I wake up. Right now it's a bowl of Cap'n Crunch. The thought of sweet crunchy cereal and ice cold milk usually is enough to drag me from bed after my horribly annoying alarm goes off.

I bought Resident Evil 2...I think it was the one with the cop who walks into the zombie fest on his first day and the girl who comes looking for her brother. Anyways, I made it to the police station I think, then couldn't figure out what to do. I was already frustrated anyways so I stopped playing. I've never played an RE game since. Sorry Darque~

I wonder if the FPS camera angle will work. It looks like a video game.

Gromnir is a lawyer....something about that is so sweet. I imagine other lawyers tremble in his presence.