metadigital

Hmm, this is non-trivial. Even though it's from 1998, I would say that Half-Life is defintitely up there in the top three. Half-Life 2 is, too, but more for the superlative engine and narrative references back to the original, and Opposing Forces was pretty cool too, until the narrative fell away into a standard level upon level "end-boss" sequence. Deus Ex would have to be up there in the top three as well, mainly because it has role-play elements on top of the FPS base, and because in no smal part to the extraordinary narrative and multiple endings (and I don't really play war games).

Did you ever go back and play it later? After playing Quake? And if you liked the coop / DM, then Quake 3 is your game ...

I hated Doom. It was very boring, after the intial "wow! Look at the Hi-Res! [9x9 grid]". Quake2, OTOH, was much more fun. And Duke Nuk'em 3D was awesome. "Who wants some?" "Come get some!" !

.............. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Is that an approval or a mocking series of elipses ... my interpretation of emotidots is not as good as it might be ... The gravity gun gives players some pretty cool options right now (PvP can be seen playing a form of Russian-Roulette-Tennis with whatever heavy objects litter the area (radiators, toilet pans, etc), which can become quite interesting when combined with strafe and jumps. The new stuff for the gravity gun includes creating complex objects by a process similar to welding.

I thoroughly recommend his The Man Who Ruled The Universe, if you haven't read it (or have, but not for a while).

My aunt and two of my cousins are from Bulgaria. " <{POST_SNAPBACK}> A friend of mine married a Bulgarian lass. Interesting traditions for the bride-groom ...

Sure.

1. So, in effect, the player of the game represents the Force? 2. But here you say the devs (who wrote the plot) are the Force. So we, the players, are just playing the microcosmic characters, living vicariously through them in their small worldview and experience. And we still have no control over our (virtual) fate, because the devs have written the plot

I have everyone's list except Aishur's, and that's because he hasn't signed on in the last 12 hours. I have left him a message. I guess the timing of rounds will be similar to the first game, as it is more down to a matter of availability to access the game: some people might only (average) once/one-and-a-half-times a week (over the period of the entire game), so that limits how fsat the turns can take. This is because there must be a set deadline for each turn, so that orders can be sent, resent and negotiations can take place right up to the deadline (which is when most negotiations IRL take place, too). It might be a good idea for everyone to nominate how quickly they would like the game to proceed; if everyone is happy for rounds to be adjuducated faster than one a week, then we might be able to accommodate that. Let me know (secret ballot = email me).

Yeah, I just added some stats, but basically the new nVidia 7800 GTX has twice the pixel shading power of the 6800 Ultra, and there is a 7800 GTX SLI (so two of them paired). There will also probably be a 7800 Ultra due out soon, methinks ... So it sounds like the PS3 is using the G70 chip (110nm die) and is basically the same as the new 7800 GTX.

These latest cards are better than the PS3 / Xbox 360 ones.

I've got an ATI Radeon Mobility T2 128MB. It has DirectX9.0c compatiblity. (I didn't have much choice, it was the most advanced ATi available -- which is all IBM Thinkpads supplied. It's equivalent to a 7500, or is it a 7800? Never can remember. Anyway, it's pretty good.) I had a problem with K2, but that was settled by turning off the movies (which didn't work that well in K1, either: I can watch them in batch, but now in situ ). I have had no other problems with any other games, not Doom (a blatant vVidia-optimised game) nor Half-Life 2 (a blatant ATi-optimised game). The latest (bleeding edge) ATi cards (X800 / X850) are still better than the latest nVidia cards, even though there is always more room to over-clock an nVidia. STOP PRESS: I am just looking at the review in this month's PC Format, and it says that the the new nVidia GeForce 7800 GTX is the fastest around: 89% score (and there is the SLI model, which allows pairing). The rumours I have read in the last month are that the Radeon pairing technology (CrossFile) is superior to the nVidia, but not many of us are going to go that far, I'm sure, and CrossFire is still not available (and neither are too many X800s, I believe ...) Also, the nVidia run hotter and draw more power (to help keep them warm). Listed model is: Gigabyte 7800 GTX,

The first casualty when war comes is truth. Hiram Johnson

I'll follow the precedent set by Mr Reveilled, and update the first post as we go through the game. I can post an EoT summary, with the map, for the spectators. (As to the diplomacy, that will have to be duessed at and spun out ...)

Indeedy.

Time will tell. "

Please use these abbreviations to ensure no ambiguity. Any ambiguity will be interpreted by me, no correspondence will be (willingly) engaged ... :D

I am hosting the Obsidian Diplomacy Game TWO. Feel free to send any correspondence to metadigital. The seven players have suffered the agonies of plague, with only four Powers left: Nartwak (deputy: Jaguars4ever) thepixiesrock Reveilled Deraldin GERMANY (PM Deraldin) AUSTRIA (PM Reveilled) FRANCE (PM thepixiesrock) ITALY (PM Nartwak or his able seeman deputy, jaguars4ever) RUSSIA (PM Darkside) Rules UPDATED Current state History Start: 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 Status: 1908 Autumn Fri [2nd December] 1908 Winter Mon [5th December] 1909 Spring Fri [9th December] Nartwak, jaguars4ever thepixiesrock Reveilled Deraldin Darkside Legend: 1908 Spring Orders = 3 : NMR = 1 : Total = 4 ORDERS FRANCE NMR RUSSIA A War - Ukr A Vie S ITALY A Tri - Tyr GERMANY F NTH - ENG F IRI S F NTH - ENG F Hol S A Bel A Ber - Pru A Kie - Mun A Mun - Sil A Tyr - Boh A Pie - Tyr (Disbanded) A Bur - Pic A Bel S A Bur - Pic A Liv - Yor ITALY A Ven S FRANCE F GOL - Pie A Rom - Tus F ADR S A Ven A Bud - Gal A Tri - Tyr F TYN - WES F Nap - TYN A Rum S RUSSIA A War - Ukr F Gre - AEG AUSTRIA A Sev H Retreat orders are only revealed as and when necessary (given they have been posted to me). Normally email me (please only PM if it's urgent), and we'll work any issues out.

Sorry I haven't been attending to the minuti

Using mobile devices while actually on the move can be tricky, even dangerous. Texting while walking or worse, driving, might land you in trouble. So researchers at the University of Glasgow, in conjunction with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, are working on new interfaces based on 3D sound and physical gestures, using clever mathematics and even cleverer wearable technologies to open up new ways of using our mobile gadgets. "We hope to develop interfaces that are truly mobile, allowing users to concentrate on the real world while interacting with thier mobile device as naturally as if they were talking to a friend while walking," says researcher Professor Stephen Brewster of the project. the concept, dubbed 'Audioclouds', will use mobile computing concepts to make devices safer and more intuitive to use on the move. At its simplest, a nod of the head or a click of the fingers could change the track of an MP3 player, but it is also about receiving information in more useful ways. These include filters built into the technology that would allow for audio 'windows' where auditory data or music can appear to come from a certain direction, making it easier for the brain to distinguish from other sounds going on around us. This, coupled with movement interfaces, such as tilting PDAs and using whole body gestures, will make it more viable to interact with interfaces without having to peer at a tiny screen. This means that mobile computing could quickly become more versatile and, so the researchers on the Audioclouds project hope, even open up new ways of using those devices [like great games for the GBA!]. So, if in a few years' time you see someone dancing along the road with a mobile phone in his hands he might not be listening to music, he might be interacting with an Audiocloud and trying to make the most of his predictive texting. http://www.audiclouds.org PC Format, August 2005, p23.

That should be a given: Infocom titles should all be included free, as a sweetener for the platform, whatever the platform is (except platforms with no or limited verbal input facilites, but then, what sort of platform doesn't permit the most pervasive form of communcation?)

If you can crack that nut, then you are onto a winner.

My apologies; I was referring to Opposing Force.

Yes and no. There is no argument that Shakespeare or Dickens are excellent writers. The writing of (or attributed to) Shakespeare is still revered (even though quotes from it have been considered clich

I always liked systems where failure does not necessarily mean a scenario, or the game itself are over. Failure doesn't need to be the end of everything, and may at times be a requirement to pursue some other path. In that example, it would be great to know that the Paladin may retry the test, that failing it isn't the end (though he should still suffer some slight penalites to failure, ie, geting worse items on a retry that he would on a first time). <{POST_SNAPBACK}> To go one step further: mistakes say more about people than success; the mistakes we have made define us more than our triumphs, as it is these lessons that we have to overcome to reach the success. So failure is a good way to test a new character: where they fail is the limit that helps define the PC. The only problem with taking this too far is that people enjoy role playing different characters to themselves