Jump to content

rick

Members
  • Posts

    10
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by rick

  1. Thanks nizwiz for this. I tried playing around with editing following nizwiz's discovery. I have no idea what I was doing, but I got some interesting (but weird) results: In <Game installation directory>\APGame\Config\DefaultInput.ini: I removed the following after "; Player movement": +Bindings=(Name="W",Command="MoveForward") +Bindings=(Name="S",Command="MoveBackward") +Bindings=(Name="A",Command="StrafeLeft") +Bindings=(Name="D",Command="StrafeRight") And inserted the following: +Bindings=(Name="W",Command="Axis aBaseY Speed=0.2",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False) +Bindings=(Name="S",Command="Axis aBaseY Speed=-0.2",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False) +Bindings=(Name="A",Command="Axis aStrafe Speed=-0.2",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False) +Bindings=(Name="D",Command="Axis aStrafe Speed=0.2",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=False) +Bindings=(Name="W",Command="Axis aBaseY Speed=0.2",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=True) +Bindings=(Name="S",Command="Axis aBaseY Speed=-0.2",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=True) +Bindings=(Name="A",Command="Axis aStrafe Speed=-0.2",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=True) +Bindings=(Name="D",Command="Axis aStrafe Speed=0.2",Control=False,Shift=False,Alt=True) As you can see, I made the careless mistake of not putting "1.0" for speeds when Alt=False. But in the game, normal movement (i.e. W, A, S, D with ALT-key off) are slow with walking animation as expected. But movements with ALT-key pressed simultaneously, I got the default movement speed with the normal "jogging" animation. I couldn't seem to reverse the situation so that pressing the ALT-key with movement keys turns normal jogging animation to walking animation. Anyway, here's my finding; maybe more experienced people here can work out why the game behaved this way.
  2. I personally liked Bao-Dur. But I suppose one can like/dislike him depending on how you presumed your (Exile's) former association with him in the War. Since the Exile was a general and Revan as an Admiral, and I refused to take that my character was a whimp, I presumed that while Revan was a brilliant strategist, Exile was more or less equal to Revan, but was more talented as a general leading small squads of specialists (Bao-Dur included of course) for special operations (and frankly, the whole Mass-Shadow Generator business sounds like a special operation to me). In this setting, I envisioned that Exile's association with Bao-Dur was fairly close. With that assumption, I had a great time with Bao-Dur on the team as a "silent" member (more like "Mr. Spock" of Ebon Hawk for me), since the Exile and Bao-Dur knew each other so well direct conversations were rarely needed. And as an engineer and a former special-force veteran who had seen "too much", I found his silence relatively believable. (heh, my second playthrough on Telos surface (not polar region), I even left Atton with Kreia at the crashed shuttle, and stormed the mercenaries and the old military base with Bao-Dur.... just like the "old" times)) Having said all that, I was really disappointed that an engineering genius such as he didn't make himself a special "gun" to even the odds when he was fighting Czerka guys alone on Telos. I half-expected that he'd made himself a repeating blaster that allows him to shoot faster (rapid shot), and longer range and higher power, etc.
  3. That is chemically correct. However, carbonic acid is a very weak acid, which means that the chemical balance you posted would be very tipped towards the left member. I honestly don't know what is the tolerance of oceanic life with regards to changes in the pH of the water (I suspect it's quite low), but I think that given the size of the oceans, you would really need to dissolve a lot of CO2 in order to significantly change its acidity. In addition, I think I heard that the oceans have their own mechanisms to control acidity changes. I am by no means an expert, and all of that is based on my rather limited knowledge of chemistry. That, added to the fact that I lack any figures to back it up, makes me wonder why am I writing this reply at all... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks for your input 213374U, I definitely agree to most of what you said. But I would like to clarify that while direct effect of acidty of ocean water would probably be very small, it still make the ocean envirionment slightly less suitable for marine life (and marine life in general is very sensitive to pH changes). But I think the biggest concerns though, is that the over-fishing, pollution, oil-dump, oil-spills, etc already put enough stress onto the ecosystem already, we do not need acidified ocean water to make it even more difficult to cope with the current challenges. EDIT: oh, and I think the main cause for ocean acidification is from acid rain, which is formed from the sulfur in burning fossil fuels.
  4. man, you don't understand math very well. he didn't say it has warmed that much in 160,000 years. it varied 18 degrees in 160,000 years. in other words, it has gone up and down overall about 18 degrees, sometimes several degrees per year. within the last 160,000 years, btw, we have had several ice ages, including a mini ice age in the mid 1800 which resulted in iced over lakes during the summer in the new england area. most people say "oh, it's one degree warmer than it was in 1900" without realizing that if you slide the date out to 1930 and compare, it's actually cooler now. simple science folks. the climate changes, ALWAYS. do we have an effect? probably, though given the size of the earth and the number of climate driving forces there are (think in terms of infinite), measuring our miniscule impact is impossible. we are only responsible for 0.1% of the CO2 released into the atmosphere, btw. the sun varies in the amount of the energy delivered to us by as much as 1% each year. that alone could cause a several degree shift in "global temperatures." also, exactly how do they find out what the "global temperature" is? think about it... we don't have monitoring every three inches. not even every three miles. it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that the science behind the "global warming" scare is agenda driven. the people that back this idea had their minds made up before even doing research. remember the "hole" in the ozone back in the 80s?... oops, turns out a lot of the same folks were behind that. at least until we figured out that it ebbs and flows, coincidentally in unison with changes in solar activity. taks <{POST_SNAPBACK}> alright, and even if I give the benefit of the doubt and double the variability of the temperature change for the past 160000 years, that still amount to approximately 20% of the rate of change for the past 1000 years or so. Oh, and let's focus on discussion on the issue, not the posters' intelligence.
  5. uh, based on what? your extensive scientific background? do you understand the difference between the concepts of correlation and causation? science doesn't work the way you think it does. it's not "well heck, they must be related." no proof that we are causing the climate to change has ever been shown. none. every "model" that has ever shown it to be has been proven flawed. study up on the scientific method a little before you make such obviously ill-informed statements. oh, btw, not everybody that smokes gets lung cancer, either. taks <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Err... a few points if I may: First, existence of flaws of a model only means no meaningful conclusion can be drawn from the model. You cannot say, however, that since the model is flawed, the opposing theory is then, by default, true. Second, the assertion that "smoking causes lung cancer", should read "a smoker has a statistically significant increase of the tendency to have lung cancer." And this doesn't rule out the possibility that there could be a smoker who doesn't get lung cancer.
  6. Well, carbon dioxide itself may be relatively inert chemically as a gas, high concentration it in solution may not to be so nice. I think I notice someone said the ocean is able to aborb more carbon dioxide if there is more in the atmosphere. That much is true, but here is where the problem begins: Carbon dioxide dissolves in water forming carbonic acid (CO2 + H2O <=> H+ + HCO3-). So more dissolved carbon dioxide in ocean water would acidify the oceans. We are already facing problems with over-fishing, and with more acidic water, ocean life would have an even harder time to survive (added on the pollutions, etc). Besides, coral reefs, which provide shelter for many smaller fish species, are thought to be highly sensitive to acidity of the water. So while the ocean maybe able to help maintaining the atmospheric carbon dioxide level, it isn't the solution. P.S.: also, I also recall Rosbjerg made the argument of a temperature increase of 18F for the past 160000 years versus the 1F increase for the last hundreds of years (for the sake of argument, let's take that as 1000 years). Do a quick comparison: 18F/160000years = 0.0001125F/year and: 1F/1000years = 0.001F/year now that's approximately 10 times difference there. P.P.S: Yes, plants may grow bigger with more CO2, but I still think we're cutting them down WAY faster than they can grow.
  7. I have this strange idea of a quest that had many options and not purely hack-and-slash and can be potentially quite difficult (particularly for option (6), since while you maybe an "uber" Jedi who is good at killing, but protecting others from getting killed maybe more challenging). Anyway, here it is, I hope I didn't make it too complicated... the premise: 1) From some source (e.g. some talkative Sith soldiers, Sith datapad, or some captured Sith after "persuasion" by HK-47), you knew some base/planet with large civilian population with a weak or no military (either because they recently suffered defeat, never had a strong military, or just too large of a civilian population for the current military forces to handle, etc; just weak enough that it's obvious there is no way in winning) is going to be attacked/slaughtered (similar to the situation in one of the "diagnostic" questions for the PC in KoTOR1 in the Wookie world).... 2) And suppose from the same source, you suspect there might be some vital plot information on the flagship of the invading force (let's presume they are Sith) possible actions: 1) just grab your ship and run (before Sith arrives) 2) if (1), you could also take a few of the rich people with you for money (some DS points?) (you could sell them to the Exchange for more DS points?) 3) stay and do something...: (3a) help preparing as many ships as possible (need repair/computer skills) to get as many as people to flee before the Sith arrives (3b) load freighters with explosives and reprogram their navi-computer to ram into the Sith ships (may need to successfully execute (5) below, and require some very high intelligence/computer/repair/demolitions to do this) 4) broadcast distress calls, and hope there is a republic fleet somewhere nearby that can send help (and help evacuation) (need high computer skills encrypt the message to avoid Sith intercepting the call, which would reveal your knowledge about their plan) 5) perhaps if you can send some false message to the Sith forces (e.g via the spy/scout you caught) to buy yourself some time (may require persuasion or force persuasion, and may be wisdom/intelligence checks needed) (some DS points possible depending on methodology of "persuasion") 6) if called for help (i.e. (4)), you may choose to stay to hold the Sith back for long enough for the republic to arrive and aid in evacuation. (e.g. you fight endless horde of Sith in corridors in the docking bay areas where civilians are evacuating, and you're required to draw enemy fire from civilians, or holding a line so the Sith don't get control of some crucial doorway, choke points, etc) (definitely some major LS points) (and perhaps if you succeeded in (3b), the fight would be easier) **some minor tactical difference may be chosen for (6): (6a) you can lead/send a small party to board the Sith's flagship (perhaps you need to succeed in (5) first to confuse the enemy and to allow you to board) while the rest of your crew defend the civilians on the base/planet; at the flagship, you can try to further hinder the Sith's progress and perhaps gain the vital plot information from the flagship (6b) similar to (6a), but you use the civilians and your party on the base/planet as bait to draw out and divert bulk of Sith's forces, so you can board the flagship and get the plot info but then sacrifice your party members on the base/planet and leave without them (major DS points, and possibly encountering some of those abandoned allies later seeking you for revenge) And whether you get LS/DS or neither points could depend on what combinations of these actions you take. Some examples: neutral: (1) only slightly DS: (1) + (2) loads of DS: (4) + (5) using torture techniques + (6b) [(4) required only to trick your disposable allies into defending the base/planet while you board the flagship] neutral/slightly LS: (3a or 3b) + (4) + (5) the LS way + (1) before Sith arrives loads of LS: (3a or 3b) + (4) + (5) the LS way + (6) without boarding the flagship or (6a) ***And it could be even more fun if the result of some of the tactics can't be known immediately (e.g. for (4), you can't tell if your encryption is good enough. If you fail, perhaps the Sith will arrive sooner, more prepared; or for (5), you can't tell if your false info can actually confuse/trick the sith. If you fail, then you can't board the flagship, or (3b) won't work, etc) Anyway, that's my "wild" idea that just popped in my head.... please let me know if it makes any sort of sense.
  8. well, I think "hyperspace" in physical sense refer to space-like entity in 4D. So in short one could consider these hyperspace routes as extradimensional shortcuts of some sort.
  9. Quite frankly many people have different strategies of voicing their opinions to their target audience. Some are more successful than others. Likewise, many people have different strategies of getting attention. Some are more successful than others. But afterall, people get attention because it was given. So to those who do not deserve attention..... Anyway, I digress. I honestly think KoTOR2 was at least a decent game. Granted, there are disappointments, but there were some nice surprises too (at least for me). I think the biggest faults this game has are that 1) it is the sequel to Game of the Year of 2003; 2) they only had about a year for this; and 3) some of the developers' past resumes were way up there. But anyway, here are what I liked about KoTOR2: - weapon-switching: subtle change, but it's a great help - influence system: not perfect yet, but I think it's a huge leap forward - Kreia (the character): for some reason if I'm someone in the Star Wars universe, I'll hate Palpatine; but I'll fear people like Kreia. Don't know why, but I think it's a good thing. - dialog options: seem much more natural - force persuade don't always get you DS point - ambiguities in the ethics of your decisions: even though I don't necessarily agree with all of them, I think it's a vast improvement from KoTOR1 - item creation/breakdowns/upgrades - innovations to swoop racing: vertical challenges, dodging other swoop bikes... - "facing the past" on Korriban: I'd prefer to have that included in dream sequence (or something similar) where a little more explanation is given regarding other storyline items (e.g. Exile's past with Bao-Dur, mass-shadow generator, Exile's past with Atris, etc) - [i'm sure I'll come up with more later] But having said all that, I'll also list my criticisms about the game (for Obsidian's reference anyway, since my criticisms may or may not be well founded): - companions transition to be Jedi were too sudden (would be nice if it takes a few levels before they truly feel the force) - levelling did seem a little too quick (but of course one can argue Kreia might be secretly feeding power through the bond) - the individual Jedi Masters you found seemed to at least sympathize with the Exile, only to turn back on you when you meet again on Dantooine... - the animation of idling with lightsabers on: didn't like the one with two lightsabers and the one with double-bladed lightsaber (and the idling time seems too long before lightsaber is shut off, particularly after a battle (perhaps if we can have a keyboard-bound key to turn off the idling animation?) - not being able to return to Telos Academy seemed artificial (since Bao-Dur knew where it was, and T3 downloaded Atris' archive, and the Ebon Hawk's navigation system should still have the record (they can always land outside and walk in yeah?)) - spacesuit walks too quickly: I know KoTOR1's speed was slow, but it fits the bulkyness of the suit (maybe if you're making KoTOR3, make the suit less bulky and perhaps make some assisting propulsion system built into the suit?) - enemy AI could use a boost - the ending... (but I'm sure Obsidian got the message already)
  10. First of all, I enjoyed the ability to train some of my party members to be Jedi, that was fun.... BUT: I think the transition from non-Jedi into Jedi for them were too sudden. Sure, they are force sensitive, but to be able to switch from some non-force using person into formidable lightsaber-wielding, force-using warriors within a few clicks seemed too... easy (I felt it cheapened what it meant to be a Jedi a bit). I think the potential Jedis should at least spend some time studying about being Jedi (e.g. studying history of the Jedi, the Jedi philosophy/teaching, learning to use a lightsaber, etc). I am no expert in details of the game mechanics, but I wonder if we could somehow have the Jedi-initiates start their Jedi classes not at level 1, but say perhaps level -5. At those points the characters have reduced skill points gain (due to devoting to study the force), can learn force powers, can use lightsabers, but only with great penalty (e.g. use double/triple force points, high chances of failure, chances of hurting themselves with the lightsaber, etc) that will gradually ease off as the Jedi level rises closer to level 0 In other words, it takes some time to 'get their feet wet" so to speak, instead of having Handmaiden/Atton/Mira/Bao-Dur wave-spamming within 3 to 4 levels of Jedi training. In addition, during this level -5 to level 0 period (perhaps early positive levels too), it'd be cool to have the characters approach you with questions regarding Jedi teachings. (e.g. asks you to explain the Jedi code, asks why you did a side quest a certain way, argues if he/she disagrees, or perhaps have Kreia interject every once in a while too) I think it could be lots of fun while my PC still argued with Atris about the reasons to fight in the war against the Council's will, and then tell my apprentice to "trust in the wisdom of the Jedi teaching" when he/she approaches me to discuss about a side quest/the Jedi code, etc. Anyway, I've said enough. Please, critique away... let me know if it is possible/probable/implausible/nonsense...
  11. Yeah, I'm really unclear about G0-T0 "killing" the remote thing. Since right after the cut scene I found the remote floating around again. But I actually really liked that "Remote solo-mission" at the end. I think Bao-Dur's little speech (which I think is a visualization of Bao-Dur's order to the Remote in its own perspective) showed a little of the "human"-side of Bao-Dur (not that he's Homo Sapiens per se).
  12. This is interesting... I agree with the idea of strength modifier adding to "to-hit" bonus; afterall, you can't swing your lightsaber quickly if you don't have strength. But by the same token, shouldn't strength also play a minor role in... say, blaster deflection? As for damage-bonus, I do agree that strength seems to have very little to do with it. The only problem though, is that the game's fighting animation never show "clean cut". So for all those instances where opponents takes damage but not killed, I can only interpret as the cases where the lightsaber "touches" the opponent briefly to cause injury, but not enough disable or dismember the opponent (since total undefended strikes should probably be a kill in a hit). I think that usually happens as a result of the defender was not strong enough to "stop" the blade before it contacts the skin (and the watery parts as HK-47 would call it). If that were the case, it would actually make sense that strength damage-bonus be applied. Since if you are sufficiently strong, you can make a "deeper" contact, causing more damage. And if you are so strong, I suppose you could cut right through even if your blow was blocked. I am no expert in this stuff, but that's what I think anyway. Let me know if I'm wrong.
  13. hmm... I don't know if anyone actually suggested this..... but, I'll spill it anyway: Somehow I do find the idea of "special crystal" a bit artificial (in the sense that it's there for the purpose of being there). But how about if the PC somehow stumble upon some old "receipe" of tweaking your saber setting to strengthen your light saber from say, the Jedi Archive or the Sith's Research Laboratory or what not...? Then you can complicate things easily: e.g. the "special receipe" makes you to go on a treasure hunt for "special tools", "special ingredients", etc.
  14. Just some small requests: 1) Can we have a button (or use the same button as "fluorish") to hide weapons or deactivate lightsabers? (or better yet, if we can "hide" the lightsaber). It just seems a little stupid to have the lightsaber on for a good 5 seconds after the last enemy fell. Also, holding lightsabers in your hands all the way through makes jedis seem less... calm. 2) Can the animation for "walking" be improved? "Walking" in KoTOR1 seems weird, particularly when you wield two melee weapons or two lightsabers Thanks
×
×
  • Create New...