Hurlshort

Heh, that's the best explanation I've heard for the wierd NPC's in ES games.

I'm kinda curious here, how so? Because, on the surface, it's not evolution if it is "guided" by god (tho I'm prolly getting your meaning wrong). <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'm somewhat confused as well. I read it as a non-interventionist viewpoint. God is the creator, but he doesn't have any direct influence on the way things happen. He wound it up and let it go. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> That was my impression of Krookie's post as well. Evolution does not disprove that there was a Creator. Even Darwin claimed to be more of an agnostic than an atheist.

The Huns, and the Mongols later on, placed little importance on religion. Both of these groups had advanced military techniques, and were able to conquer other civilizations. But they were also both absorbed by those very civilizations that they conquered. The argument can be made that strength of religion was a major reason that these civilizations, such as China and India, were able to hold out against an invading culture. Basically, can anything win out against religious fervor?

Primitivity? Are there other beings on earth with a more complex thought process than us? Animals have feelings, emotions, and instincts, but they don't build temples or have elaborate burial ceremonies for their dead.

We can't prove the Trojan War happened. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You are right, I looked it up. But honestly, we've gotten a bit off track. What is it about humans that makes faith so important? Why has religion and spirituality been a major part of every civilization that we know of?

Perceived social value is entirely correct. It seems like we can both agree that the facts of their lives are less important than the message these stories bear.

Hercules and Odysseus were likely famous Greek warriors that, through oral traditions, became legendary figures. We have plenty of more recent figures that have become legends. Davy Crockett is an example. Sure, there is a chance that Odysseus is a completely fabricated character, but fiction usually reflects the truth. We can prove the Trojan wars happened, so it's not outrageous to think that famous generals arose.

Can anyone tell me why Hebrews would make up the story of the Exodus? What is the point of that? It is one thing to doubt that the exodus took place exactly like the story says, but it is another to doubt that there was some type of exodus. I am completely willing to admit that biblical stories are probably exaggerated. But it seems fairly close-minded to discount them altogether.

Historically, there is no reason to doubt their existence. Even if the stories of their lives are exaggerated, there is enough archeological evidence to support the time and places as accurate. It makes little sense to completely fabricate an individual and spread the stories across the world and over the centuries. The odds are much greater that these individuals existed. Of course, over time you need to account for events being exaggerated or altered. Much of what we know about these figures was passed down through oral traditions. With Muhammad, the Qu'ran was completed 15 years after his death, so we have a much more accurate account of his life. Abraham and Moses (and I'm not a theological scholar so I could be wrong) is going to be less accurate because the written records available are written much later than their lifetime.

Right here you are only looking at the negative effects of religion and faith. Religion and humanity are tied together. You can look at almost every major event in history, whether it's good or bad, and find the influence of religion. Religion has done great harm, but the argument can be made that it has done even greater good. Religion is the first set of laws. It's the original code of conduct. Can a civilization grow and succeed without religion? On the subject of odds, I don't doubt evolution. I don't even doubt that the big bang theory has some validity. I just have faith in something greater. It is almost impossible to explain, hence the plethora of different religions in our world. I believe the human spirit is far too complex to dismiss as an act of science. Do I believe that God spoke to Abraham, Moses, and Muhammad? I believe that the human spirit can achieve amazing things. Whether the stories are true or not, no one can dismiss the impact these humans had on the history of man.

Speaking of odds, the actual odds of the universe just being a random action aren't too great either.

I would say, based on my low IQ observation of the world, there are a lot more agnostics than atheists among the educated folks on our planet. Also, most of the people I know who are adamant about their being no God are blinded by that belief, just like religious folks. Being open to anything seems brighter than putting all your eggs in one methodological basket.

I've also heard that the Xbox360 style controllers for the PC work extremely well.

Civilized people watch sports?

Isn't that what sports is all about?

I took it...received an error when I submitted it, so I hope it went through.

How is this not advertising? This poster clearly came here to pimp their game. Even if it's not a bot, it's a bad precedent to set for the board.

I think it's a great model as well, and I don't regret picking up the game, even thoigh I never fully embraced it. I really hope they can maintain their bottom line with just expansions. It also sounds like it's one of the best games for PvP, although that doesn't interest me personally. I just don't consider it a MMO

Well, the current expansion has taken almost 2 and a half years, so it's unlikely we'll see another soon.

Guild Wars is barely a MMO though. It's really just a series of chat rooms with small instances you can join. That means it's much easier to manage. DDO is the same way, except they charge you money to play every month.

So...what alignment is your other personality? Yes, I'm aware it's not schitzophrenia.

Well, I don't mind talking about the Bioware/Sega MMO... I think the setting will be fantasy, because every other frickin game that has had success has gone down that road. I would prefer a post-apocalyptic setting. Basically a Fallout MMO. No damn vehicles either...they should come up with some oil theory behind that.

Honestly, that was the first thought that came to my mind as well.

Actually, they cancel their games if they suck. Ghost probably could have been thrown on the market a year ago, but Blizzard wasn't happy with the project. The same thing happened to Warcraft Adventures, they were far enough along in the development, but it wasn't outstanding enough. I don't dig RTS games and I don't like Diablo style clickfests, but Blizzard is the only game company I know that releases perfect games every time. Seriously, no one is really even close to their quality control. I trust them implicitely.