Nonek

Brethren, the Dark Angels chapter of the Adeptus Astartes are tasked with a most dread endeavour, pray that if in the heat of battle they forget He Who Is On Terra that He does not forget them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzsDLpNMZq0

Battlestar Galactica. I'd previously watched a few bits and pieces of this reimagined version here and there, but never sat down to consume it in its entirety. Mrs Nonek decided to change that last night and we watched the movie length episode that began it, I have to say that I was impressed, though some scenes I found extremely off putting, notably the one where the angelic Cylon lady breaks a babies neck. Any empahy with her or the Cylons disappeared at that moment. Gaius Baltar seems like an interesting, conflicted (possibly insane?) and twitchy little chap, far more interesting than in the original series. The new Starbuck just seems unlikeable (yet she was very likeable in Longmire) somehow, i'm not sure if the actress is trying to project that or if it's just me and the wifes personal impressions, very little empathy with her however. Adama, well nothing need be said really, brilliant. The president, never particularly cared for that actress' routine, didn't care for her in Donnie Darko either, always seems a bit out of it. The drunkard colonel with the marital problems seems like a very relatable character, broken in all the interesting places and eminently human. Apollo, a little too perfect for my tastes, the Mrs liked him however. Going to make this our nightly watch for awhile, the four Cylon models revealed at the end on Ragnarok station were a surprise to say the least. Edit: Well two of them.

It always surprises me how fanatical and apologist Bethesda fans* are, I mean for a maker of what are at best mediocre games, and are at worst pointless larping aids, Bethesda really do inspire amazing levels of self delusion, loyalty and hype. *Should clarify, those on their official forums, they're almost rabid.

That's...that's...damn you!

Grey area, complicated. Not my place to say whether it's immoral in and of itself, but since almost all prostitution is run by organised crime, hooks its victims on narcotics and practises what amounts to virtual slavery, and since Mr Vaz was on a commitee dealing with drugs, crime and immigration, while frequently speaking out about immorality and dangers to society such as video games...well one has to draw a very simple conclusion: He is a two faced lying hypocrite, or typical politician if you wish.

Ah another example of a hypocritical self righteous prig emerges: British anti gaming MP Keith Vaz, who has been mired in numerous accusations of corruption throughout his career while preaching at others has been found to be a frequent user of "Rent Boys," young male prostitutes. As of yet he has not even resigned his seat and his wife still stands by him despite him making a mockery of their marriage. How does the man reconcile his adultery with morality? How does he reconcile his propogation of such a harmful practise as prostitution with any kind of morality? How is gaming, proven to be harmless, so much worse than his lying, adultery, hypocrisy, corruption and cowardice? In my day a gentleman in such a situation would retire to his study with the Webley and go out with a little honour.

You know after Paris the pacing of Deus Ex feels a little rushed, I think what's needed here is some downtime and a chance to consolidate, explore and recuperate, perhaps at the retaken Vandenburg base. Then move on for the final conflict that Mr Page ushers in.

You know Tom Hanks lawyers are probably quite litigious when it comes to libel.

I was in the same scenario and was laughed at, scorned and had my masculinity ridiculed. Mrs Nonek can be a cruel woman, at least my dog loves me.

Ooh consider my nostalgia tweaked: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE8OhYrkYoA

Is there any other kind?

Good one. I believe CDPR confirmed that everything comes on the discs, let me see if I can secure a link however: https://twitter.com/Marcin360/status/763763969492410368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

No.

After Hong Kong Paris always seems so dull somehow.

I think you have a problem with your keyboard, a colon, a dash and an upper case P keep on appearing in your writing. Idiot vision is I agree vastly overused in games.

Sounds over and unnecessarily complicated to me, reality already supplies answers that have been used for millenia, maps, direction, landmarks, signposts, milestones etcetera. Simply implement them in a well designed gameworld instead of relying on some form of quest marker leading by the nose as was done a quarter of a century ago before the degeneration.

Well that's the nature of the current degeneration and dumbing down being championed by fanboys and apologists isn't it? Though the issue was solved long before Outcast, a map, maybe a sextant, a well designed gameworld and directions were enough to get you anywhere quickly and efficiently near a decade earlier. Simple and intuitive.

In the '90s I imagined gaming would be in a far different place from what it is in now. Truly hope is the first step on the road to disappointment. Edit: Buzz Killington at your service.

Games the same as any other medium stand on the shoulders of giants in my opinion: For instance the huge open world of the Witcher 3 borrows a lot from classic Ultima in that it is a world that makes sense, and seems eminently liveable, whereas in other open world games every element is just there to facilitate larping. The massive city of Novigrad could be said to borrow from Britain, Vizima, the Gothics or the early Elder Scrolls cities such as featured in Daggerfall, though obviously not the laughable hamlets that are present in later dumbed down iterations. The combat system deviates enough from everything else to be its own things, it is neither Dark Souls, Arkham (thanfully) or Severance (mores the pity.) Heart of Stone is cribbed almost entirely from Polish folklore as you probably know, and there are many other elements they have used that have been used before, this isn't a bad thing, quite the contrary. All that matters really is implementation, and end user experience. For me they should have stuck with some of the more elegant design they pioneered in the first game, instead of catering to the modern crowd, but there you go. Edit: To be honest I think the Wild Hunt could have benefited from removing a lot of handholding measures from the game, just based on my own improved enjoyment when I turned those features off, and adding directions to the gameworld, rather than underestimating their players with quest markers and such. I'm currently enjoying Deus Ex without such insulting measures being necessary and have explored far more old games where such handholding was not necessary, I often wonder why this changed and we now accept such "features." I find it difficult to believe that players found this too hard, it just required a little experimentation and exploration and resulted in far more satisfaction when difficulty was overcome. Of course there are those who needed cheat sheets and walkthroughs, but they are still here, indeed there are players who approach a game with a walkthrough first time spoiling themselves of any enjoyment. Design of course shouldn't be catered around them, and yet it is. I suppose it's just a sign of the times, there is far more handholding and babying in society full stop, and players now feel at home with being led around by the nose. A pity. Edit#2: You know I find an odd pleasure in pouring over my old maps of the Bard's Tale, Dungeon Master, Eye of the Beholders, Wizardry, Ultimas etcetera, the graph paper is near falling apart and the pencilled notes fading fast but I pity any player who's never experienced this method of gaming. They're missing something that is far more organic and satisfying.

Reminds me, i'll have to read those again, along with Mr Watsons other books. Space Marine, studying the strange and disturbing growth of an Imperial Fist Initiate was very good.

I have to admit I still use imperial measurement even though we're now supposed to abide by European dictates, inches, feet and yards just seem far more natural than this soulless modern...stuff. Then again i'm not particularly into Association Football.

Seconded. To introduce such a vast piece of fiction one would need to have relatable human characters, not the superhumans of the Astartes. Really I think Space Marines should have just as much an air of mystery and alienness as say the Eldar, Necron or Tau, and when a citizen sees one it should be a sure sign that peril is imminent. Stormcrows. As for the enemies of the Imperium they should be almost mythical to most I think, even the lowly Ork Boy should be a creature that will give the average human nightmares for the rest of their life, if they survive! To behold the soulless legions of the Necron, the forerunners of a Hive Fleet, the twisted speed demons of Commorragh, or the agents of the eight pointed star would be to probably lose ones mind. As for the Eldar, well shattered reflections of the Imperium, melancholic, sardonic and proud, obsessed with Death and Fate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwODnnfra3A

Visually it's absolutely stunning, I never thought i'd see the W40k world brought to life with such vision, and it's nice to see the civilisation at the heart of the Imperium rather than battlefields or ruins. I think it's a very good decision to go with an Inquisitors Angelae, mere humans who are far more relatable, and the young leader of that band with the slight Irish accent is an unusual addition that I like. Edit: Though in truth it's more a title sequence than a prologue.

Revered members of this august assembly, I come before you today with an obscure artifact: A vidfilm that pertains to His glorious inquisition, and seeks to highlight our work here upon Holy Terra, and out there on the million worlds where mankind holds sway. Is this Heresy most foul, or righteous propaganda fit for the ears of the Imperiums good, honest citizens? Only a fragment has yet been put forward for our judgement, and so I say to you, most wise and terrible of servants: Yay or nay? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZc6cr6G2E4 Emperor be praised. Thought for the day: Envy the mind too small for doubt.

As well as the technical spit and polish, bug quashing and FIXING THE CAMERA, I think really that if NWN2 were remastered I would want to see a major reworking of the plot, characters and choices. In essence I think it needs streamlining, getting rid of all the flabby boring stuff and making what remains detailed and reactive. Some of the characters i'd merge, perhaps Khelgar and Casavir, so that one interesting character emerges from two fairly dull and cliched ones. Areas that were unexplored, introduced and then discarded i'd expand to cover multiple roles: Crossroad Keep, Fort Locke and Highcliff Castle i'd probably merge into one gradually changing and evolving location, that opened up as explored and the plot demanded. Highcliff i'd probably make the protagonists home, it is far more striking visually, allows access to the Mere and would serve just as well as West Harbour. The run to Neverwinter i'd try to make a Flight from the Dark like desperate escape, pursued, endangered and deadly. I'd also like to maybe allow multiple routes instead of just one, and have consequences and unique content on each. I could go on, i've written out a veritable campaign based on how i'd GM the OC, though i'd definitely keep most of the core elements as they are well designed. I really don't know why i've thought about this so much when I consider the OC mediocre, strange. Edit: Oh i'd also like the dance of death from the first NWN re-implemented, dodges, parries, attacks etcetera animated. Lord knows why they omitted this.