Diamond

Almost, though it is not the only meaning.

Yes, it is a variation of the word "three".

IIRC, older games allowed changing the field of view. The image becomes a bit stretchy, but you get broad periprerial vision.

Just wait for Volourn to enlighten you that EA is actually the most awesome company ever, r00fles!

I don't see any issues with it. Long live first-person view!

The issues? What issues?

I, on the other hand, have strikingly different associations with crunch time: emotional and physical fatigue, caffeine intoxication, stress, unanswered mail, microsleep, losing focus, instant messenger beeps at 4am, rotten takeaway boxes, meeting the dawn, eye strain, back pain, wrist pain, headache, f***ed up circadian rhythms, gaps in social life, roaches in week old pizza boxes, more caffeine, more stress, more bugs. So, no, I'd rather not have a crunch time in the nearest... lifetime, I guess.

It was the reason Troika collapsed. Just look at EA, constant crunch time and it is still alive and well! I envy you for once. It is like saying "I wouldn't mind experiencing my genitalia being put in the blender". It is the last thing you would want to experience.

Everyone does. Sooner or later.

Judge Sand has ruined the thread. As usual.

You lost me. So you want games to be harder or simpler?

I could ask the same, as you made no counter argument, you simply said you didn't agree. And if that counts as a amicable counter point, then I disagree with the point to which you disagree... and so on. Times infinity squared no backsies. <_< <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Really? You should re-read my posts then. Don't get me wrong, some of your points are valid ("lack of exploration in games = bad"), but they have nothing to do with mental effort required to play games (which was initial point of this thread that Kalfear raised). The vast majority of old RPG games that I've played require as much grey matter as their newer counterparts (as I outlined in my first post in this thread).

I agree with this. But at the same time, I think games are being dumbed down and streamlined. <_< I want to explore. I want areas not connected directly to teh plot or any part of the main story. I want risks and a chance of loss. (though given the whole save game system this isn't going to amount to much) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> So the general consensus is that people want more games like Fallout 2?

And your point is? I was not saying that the game should play itself, but countering your argument of what constitutes the intellectual challenge in a game. So far, you haven't provided any good examples.

Exploration = using your brain? I beg to differ. Yes, modern games are more linear, but how does the possibility of exploration make a game more mentally challenging? All you have to do is to click more (irony) to get to remote locations. Yes, it gives a nice feel, but no, it is not even a marginal load on your brain. You enjoy taking notes, I think it is tedious. I do enough typing at work, thank you very much, and my wrists hurt in the end of the day. And again, you imply that such mundane activity as typing makes one more clever? If you are so keen on taking motes, why not using the space some games provide for free notes (NWN/2), or use pen and paper?

Let's clarify what folks mean by "using your mind" in RPG. In my understanding, it can be either solving puzzles or using combat tactics and strategy. Going by this definition, I don't remember much of it in any RPGs I've played. By that I mean Fallout 2 and IE games. Correct me if it is not the case with earlier RPGs. BG2 and PS:T had a few riddles, but that's about it. RPG combat is generally simplistic and combat planning is not a big part of the game (compared to strategy games). I certainly don't see much difference between, say, Fallout 2 and NWN2 "brain workload". Same with, say, Diablo 2 and IE games. You can think in both, but in Diablo 2 you click much more. More clicking does not automatically imply less thinking. PS I see some bitter people in this thread.

I hate you all.

Homeworld is awesome. It is also the only strategy I know that has Z-axis.

12 Monkeys. Brad Pitt was awesome!

The effect is not the same without locking the thread.

The only thing that bugs me about that movie is awkward mechanics of time travel.

The article is not bothered with the possibility of engineering certain A.I. implementation, but rather considers the "what if" point. It operates with words like "would", "might" and "could". Imagine, for example, "if" a 1-to-1 artificial (non-protein based) model of a human is constructed; do they still get the machine/slave rights because they are made of different material? Of course, giving human rights to any of the current AI realizations is retarded, but hey, everyone was thinking that TV is a crazy idea before it became mainstream.

Now that I think of it, this post kind of highlights what can go wrong with non-linearity in games (not that I'm implying that NWN2 was non-linear). Right now I want to replay NWN2 because I have missed or messed up a lot of things in the game, but I simply don't have time to do it. On one hand, I wish I could see everything on the first playthrough, but the other part of me wants having completely different play styles and outcomes.

Press PrintScreen key Open MS Paint Press Ctrl+V Save

Half of the fun of such threads is looking at the files at people's cluttered desktops. This thread is boring in that regard.