Hurlshort

34 My first serious RPG was Might & Magic 3. Before that I had played the VGA version of Quest For Glory and it still probably stands as my one of my favorites. I just consider it closer to an adventure game though.

That's pretty bleak.

Look, human nature by definition may be unchanging, but humanity as a whole has progressed tremendously. I'm not simply talking about technology, although anything that improves quality of life can help improve a society. Humanity improves through education and societal expectations. If you grow up in a society where tolerance is encouraged and expected, then the majority of people will be tolerant. If you grow up in a society where multiculturalism and diversity are celebrated, then the majority of people will be accepting. This isn't some utopian dream either, it is the way many communities function on a daily basis. It is difficult to effectively educate everyone, that is why I said you will see many generations pass before a community will fully change. John Locke was mentioned earlier, but I lean more towards Rousseau myself: “We are born weak, we need strength; helpless, we need aid; foolish, we need reason. All that we lack at birth, all that we need when we come to man's estate, is the gift of education.”

You guys really have a negative view on the world, it is incredibly unhealthy. It is also terribly inaccurate, your life is much better than it was at any other point in history. Do you really think humanity is the same as it was 2000 year ago? 1000 years ago? 100 years ago? Numbers man, cynicism and negativity does not equal intelligence.

Again you seem to be fairly ignorant about the current land prospects and value of Native American tribes. There is still a lot of economic development to be done, but in the last 20 years they have come a long way. Also you seem pretty willing to speak for protestants and catholics about how they identify themselves. I've never met a Catholic that didn't consider their religion a defining trait. And yes, that came at the cost of bloodshed, but humanity as a whole has progressed quite a bit since the Reformation, so we should all hope that future transitions will not be as painful. India itself is a perfect example because it is incredibly diverse and incredibly complicated. It has a religiously tolerant constitution and a government that does what it can to keep peace. It has a long way to go, there are quite a few extremist groups working against that peace, but it continues to press forward. And keep your fingers crossed, but it has actually been a couple years since there have been any major riots. Their relationship with Pakistan has improved. Progress is being made.

That doesn't make any sense. Are you saying there are no longer any protestants and catholics in Europe? Also you don't seem to have a real concept of what the US looks like or how multicultural communities work. The American Indian Nations have also been winning court case after court case against the US for reparations and rights, so you can read up on that if you'd like to learn how they are doing. Is India a perfect example? Of course not, this isn't something that happens quickly, as I've stated. England is a great example, there are still tensions between Ireland and England and even Scotland, but it isn't exactly warfare. Their unique cultures are still predominantly accepted as they are. Do you have a lot of Saxons versus Briton problems anymore? Assimilation doesn't work, accepting diversity does.

History shows no such thing. For every group and culture that has assimilated willingly you can point out another that was forced to do so. Moreover some quite ancient minorities remain on the fringes of their respective societies to this very day. Whether things will change in modern world of global trade and mass-media is anyones guess. I'm not talking about assimilation. And ideal society is one in which cultural diversity is simply accepted with little conflict. They exist all over the world. It takes generations, it can be bloody, there can be terrible crimes committed on both sides, but eventually coexistence will win out. Do protestants and catholics still fight across Europe? Is the US Government still forcing American Indians onto reservations? Are sikhs, hindus, and muslims still fighting across India? At the end of the day, groups that use violence to deal with diversity (i.e. the Inquisition and the US Government) look terrible.

Not the classiest argument he has ever made, but Krezack does have a fair point. History shows that these cultural issues are simply a matter of time. In a few generations, these differing cultures will adapt to one another. History also rarely reflects well on those who discriminate.

Please don't ever throw yourself in front of a big rig people. Those are folks who drive for a living, and when they go through something like that, it can make it very difficult to continue in their profession. And lighten up everybody

That's too bad Cant, I was just starting to get into a new character too. I find I take a break for a few weeks, then get an itch to continue a storyline. Of course once Xcom comes out, I'll be off playing that for a good stretch.

It is extremely hot where I live. My 5-year old asked when it will be November so she can start wearing her warm clothes Calax, glad to hear you are looking for a therapist. You can't give up with Project Eternity being worked on!

I read through that page, there is a pretty big change from Morrowind to Oblivion, but not much from Oblivion to Skyrim. I'd say the biggest change will be the fact they are going to make an MMO. They will end up changing quite a few systems to deal with having a ton of players in one world. I'm not sure they are up to the challenge.

I actually read both Dragon Age books and found them pretty decent, so I think the DA universe is just fine as a setting. My whole problem with DA2 comes down to one situation: Early on you are trying to enter the city, and there are a lot of refugees trying to do the same. A group of deserting soldiers actually attack you and all the guards to the city. That is possibly the most ridiculous scenario I have ever encountered in a game. It is right at the beginning, and it set the tone for the whole game.

Fallout 3 really didn't feel anything like an ES game to me, which was nice. The setting and the use of SPECIAL were big enough to get me through the whole thing.

Sounds exactly like me with the ES series. I'll have some good moments early on, I'll be wowed by the scenery, but I always lose steam rather quickly. I'd love to say I won't buy anymore, but I know in a couple years when the new one comes out I'll buckle and give it a try, because it is the kind of game that should be right up my alley.

DA2 wasn't literally half finished, I'm pretty sure it was playable to the end. I wouldn't know for sure, I disliked the game from the start. I'm pretty sure that wasn't Bioware's intention though, so I don't believe angry rants on the internet will accomplish anything. Bioware also released a free extended ending sequence for ME3, so in that case it looks like they did examine themselves when faced with criticism. I'm not sure what else you expect.

Most people also grow out of behaving like an asterisk.

Morrowind was also just a better setting overall. Skyrim, while better than Oblivion, is still a very generic setting. There are only so many snowy and mountainous towns I want to visit before I get bored.

Thanks Cant. Today she saw her gastroentologist and he was livid at how little they did for her at the hospital. He immediately called them and asked for her blood to be sent to him so he could run more tests. He also prescribed medication that will help the pancreas rest, basically stopping the enzymes from working too hard that break things down (The meds were $500! Even after insurance, we paid $100). Of course this means she is now on a clear liquid diet, and will be until the doctor says she can eat food again. He says it could be an ulcer, but he wants to run a gamut of tests to figure it out. It is reassuring that he is taking it so seriously. She actually had a colonoscopy this summer from the same doctor, due to a family history of colon cancer, so he knows she isn't a heavy drinker or anything else really unhealthy. We are taking it day by day, I read that pancreatitis typically lasts 7-10 days, so hopefully we will see improvement by the end of the week, although the doctor doesn't want to give any timetable until he knows more. Hopefully we can solve the mystery and avoid any future flare ups too.

Not really. It is easy to prove that the delays are gone though. Just go to IMDB and check out the release dates for older movies in the US and Europe and then compare it to newer movies. There never was any valid reason for this artificial delay. It was never difficult to make more movie rolls. It was never difficult to fly them over the ocean. It was never difficult to truck them out to all the cinemas in the world. If digital cinemas had made a breakthrough five or ten years ago, then there would be a less sinister logical explanation for the delays being gone. But they have not yet switched to digital in all movie theatres, so that is not the reason. They just can't abuse their power anymore because the power balance has shifted. People all over the world now has the means to 'strike back' and suddenly the problem is solved. After thinking on it a bit, your point does make sense. Zoraptor also pointed out how it would be fairly difficult to even notice it from the US.

Awesome. I am assuming it will be a decent upgrade in terms of the engine, given the official expansions always did a pretty great job with improving the graphics. I'm not quite sure what you mean by fixing the combat, the game is perfect in that regard.

Despite the patch being a bit rough, I'm still really enjoying my first playthrough with a Jedi Knight. I just reached Taris. I'm trying not to fall in the whole light side point trap where I always choose the goodie two shoes stuff, but I've still racked up a ton. edit: Oh, and getting a speeder at level 10 due to my legacy levels is awesome.

I wouldn't expect too much from Oby, he throws a lot of odd pictures out here. There is a chance he is an elaborate bot designed to illicit responses.

Take a hot bath with epsom salts. And welcome to old age