metadigital

It sounds like Obsidian have done their best to make NwN2 as close as possible to AD&D 3.5, including classes and sub-races, etc. It looks spectacular: the alignment /influence and the background / reputation system seems to have been completely integrated into the gameplay mechanic (e.g. the Keep the PC gets later on) in a way that we can only dream for K2. The graphics are very impressive, the tutorial sounds well done and the granularity of control available to the modder is startling. This game is a pre-order, and I can see myself playing it for a long, long time.

Feargus mentions (in the first video) that the tutorial plays through the harvest festival ... I played a NwN mod that did something similar, and it was actually a great tutorial (I remember it had an evil Candyman villain in it, too).

It is the best card at the moment ... and it can run in CrossFire! (w00t) Then again, I will probably buy it when the next gen cards are released, so that it drops down to about

So you are advocating some sort of pseudo-compulsion, using the gimmick of constant attention to the ensuing battle as a means to make the game seem more interesting (given the battles are just as complex)? I have to side with Volo on this one: as someone who uses queues extensively (through thorough research, beforehand, to understand the best battle tactics for my PC), you aren't going to magically make a battle more interesting just by removing the queue. That's a post hoc, ergo propter hoc fallacy, and it's nonsensical. By all means, make the battles more challenging. The queue is irrelevant to the battle difficulty. What you are saying is that DnD 3.5 combat is too simplistic. Yes / no / maybe / whatever, but the queue is irrelevant.

Sounds very interesting: I don't think it can ever be valid to criticize a group-think project, like the Civ sequels (especially IV): all this stuff is straight from the fanatics who play non-stop, so it must be good for the overall gameplay. I am not playing it at the moment, partly because I don't want to lose myself for a few days without food and water and sleep as i play the game. But I am sure I will play a good chunk of games on it soon: probably followed byDoomsday, for good measure.

Homunculus? Doesn't sound very frightening. I reckon mankind would give them a spanking ...

How much do you want to spend? The Radeon X1800XT, since the X1900 XTX came out, has dropped in price to about

Errr, the whole situation is a lot bigger than just learning the English language.... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Indeed The early history of Canada I found was particularly interesting. From the first settlements to the "peaceful revolution" after which the politics become a confused mess and really nothing special. As I understand it, Western Canada is populated by descendents of American deserters(Loyalists)? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Haven't started this book yet, but I can't wait:

which is what i alluded to earlier - treaty. such an arrangement is actually preferred for the entire globe i think, with member nations capable of making a choice as to their involvement with everyone else. you don't like the treaty arrangement, back out, stick to yourselves. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Taks is an anarchist! :D

I'm listening to the original right now, and I like it better myself. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_The_Band_...altzing_Matilda There's a link to it there, if anyone's interested. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Cheers. Galipolli is part of Australian folklore. Regarded as the moment that Australia became a nation in her own right, the people found an identity fighting a war in Europe for the British, that had no other relevance to them. The armed forces cemetary at Gallipoli (called Gelibolu in modern Turkish) is still a site of pilgrimage for Australians today. April 25 is ANZAC Day (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) The last known Gallipoli veteran of any nationality, Alec Campbell of Tasmania, Australia, died in May 2002. For the Fallen

Weezer - Only In Dreams Now I know where Laozis' old avatar came from

Not that I've had the chance for over five years, but a good swim in the sea does wonders. Salt water helps (through osmosis) to remove some of the toxins out of the body through the largest organ (the skin).

According to NLP (and a lot of salesmen's literature) if one acts in a certain way they are programming themselves to behave more like that: role models are a good way to facilitate the younger (and more impressionable) to conform to higher standards of conduct.

Eldar, is that an imp with a Hare Krishna hair-do and top-knot, or a vampire, in your avatar?

Bart!

Understatement of the year. I think that just about sums it all up. And now I would remind people to play nice on the fora, and remember the rules:

I wouldn't exactly call it a "dark age", there is some quality hardware out there, and some of it is good value. The problem is that games that take advantage of Shader Model 3 (like FEAR, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, and Oblivion, for example) demand an exponential amount of processing power from the GPU. Pre-SM3 and any nVidia 6x or 7x card could render 1600 x 1200 with ease (nVidia have announced that their SLi archtecture will be able to process PhysX calculations, for example: fat chance of there being any spare power, though). Now, even the TOP cards are incapable (singly) of rendering 1600x1200; this includes the ATi X1900XTX and the nVidia GeForce 7900GTX. Even though ATi have the upper hand with their X1900XTX, AND CrossFire is now a viable option, nVidia are about to release their next generation of GPU (next couple of months). This will (most likely) have Shader Model 4, and be compatible with DirectX 10; and, although it will be ludicrously expensive and not very good value for money and you won't buy it anyhow, it will push the price of other cards down ... so maybe you could buy an SLi or CrossFire combo rig, instead ... Also, currently the nVidia SLi and ATi CrossFire strategies are incompatible with each other, so if you want to change your dual-graphics solution from one to the other (in the medium term) you will need a mobo upgrade, too. Thirdly, even though AMD have the upper hand with their 64-bit CPUs, they are still using a 110nm die, whereas the new Intel Conroe are about to hit economies of scale with their new 90nm die manufacturing process (smaller die means higher speed at same frequency, and higher speeds for same power consumption/heat dissipation). The Conroe will be as fast as the Pentium M (but not as stupidly expensive) AND dual-core: which Wndows Vista will take advantage of with its 64-bit application space. If I haven't scared you off with the above, then I direct you to my previous thread: Build a pc for peanuts

Suicide used to be illegal in the UK. So if you got found, say collapsed on the floor from pills and they got you to hospital they had to charge you if you came through. This sounds clearly daft but is it really any smarter to treat a heroin addict like a criminal? I'm not sure myself. Maybe it makes sense that you should have the power to compel them to get help, just like an ebola victim. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I think the logic there is to protect those who are vulnerable from themselves. Sure jail probably isn't the best place for them: more like some sort of mental health unit. Just as vagrants need to be given food and shelter, rather than thrown in the lock-up. Same logic.

Only the Nile crocodiles could tell us ...

Worse. But the animals are innocent ... "

No, that was the Pentocostal Land-Divers of Vanuatu.

I forgot chocolate: it contains Endogenous Cannabinoid Anandamide and has beenn shown to trigger the brain to release Serotonin and Dopamine.

Is that Babylonian mud wrestling?

Coming from you that means ... almost nothing! Currently re-watching Firefly, so expect numerous quotations to pepper my posts ... 1. It was confused because it didn't play out well. She doesn't look like she loves Driscol until he climbs up on the roof. 2. Thanks for that, because I don't have pets! Kong was cool on the island, that bit where he knocks her walking stick out from under her is priceless. Your standards are too high. You've been spoiled by classics like The Core. Now that's fine writing. The last line in Kong, btw, is verbatim from the 1933 script. Not that this excuses Jack Black's cheesy delivery... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You're right: The Core knows what it is and does it well. (Any story about an impossible action like tunnelling to the core of the planet, which explains in the film just how impossible it is, and uses inventions like "Unobtainium", knows that it is not taking itself too seriously.) Although I did mis-categorise it initially: it isn't SF, it's Space Opera (for terranauts ). I didn't know about the last-line hommage ... that would have been better done some other way. Just watched Crash: incisive script, superlative acting, brilliant film. Edit: added re-categorisation of The Core.

All the senses can be used to change one's ego state: smell is the most powerful. Pets are a known mood stimulant. Exercise is too (weight training is better for losing weight, too). A film can escalate one to a mood, whether it is sad or happy (and sometimes we all need to be sad). A book is always useful to lose oneself in another world. I use all these methods, to a greater or lesser extent, especially when I have to block out images of Swedes in their birthday suit and a coating of baby oil.