metadigital

No, actually, in point of fact, I didn't "attack you", I pointed out that if you had read the previous six parts of this loooooooooong thread, you would have seen your idea expressed before.

1. Partially true. But what, exactly, did you like about Zelda, again. Surely not the unfeasible and pesky writing. " 2. Except that games that prove themselves, like Half-Life 2 are still at top price. So I guess there is something that the other games aren't doing. I wonder what that is? And I wonder what is the best bang-for-buck ? Writing, perhaps? You seem to be arguing that writing is some sort of out-of-control expense, akin to creating a new graphics engine. It's not. You can stop at any time, if you wish (look at K2, it was half-writtten). 3. Only if you adhered to it to, Mein F

1. I was being civil. I am being targeted unfairly; unfairly because you have made just as many posts as I have, yet I am the culprit. 2. I see, so the forum according the ShadowPaladin makes the imposition that all posters, from now on, must produce a costed feasibility statement for all their suggestions. Actually, I have given a decent top-level design spec, you just chose to argue about economics and other things beyond your comprehension, instead. 3. I see. That would explain why the K1 mods for hilts and hoods are more popular that the sequel.

No, I have engaged in healthy exchange of views with a fellow in a democratic forum. You, on the other hand, have resorted to bullying tactics when you didn't get your way, and finally, the last bastion of the illiterate, the insult. Congratulations! Here's an idea, why don't you actually post something useful, rather than attack me. Because I promise you, you won't win that fight.

Quite frankly, I don't give a flying kick at a donut whether you want to buy Revan bedsheets and Exile pyjamas. I am arguing about the feasibiliy, nay, the paramount importance of good writing in a game. After posting this, several people have decided that they know better, and that I must therefore be wrong, and that, consequently, good writing is an optional extra as long as any sequel has more animations, hoods and hilts. So I have rebuffed these ridiculous statements. And every time I think I am allowed to have my say, another comment is made. If it matters to you so much, why are you prolonging this by engaing me in an argument, too? Because one thing is for sure, anyone trying to shout me down is not going to be successful.

I just don't want to be around when the Devastator seperates ...

Screw the lightsabre, I want Force Powers, then I'm a believer. :D

It was Oliver Stone's sensationalist dramatisation "based on a true story", in the same way that Monty Python's Holy Grail was based on a true story.

I have never tried to convince people to my point of view (however right I think it is). I have been defending my statements from those people who have

You don't eat because it is a trivial aspect of RL that would only make the gameplay less fun, without adding something useful to the game. Just like the only time the Exile rests in in Telos, so that the vidphone can be triggered.

That's one reason why I think they should have the exile as the PC for K3. Doing another avatar would over-complicate things, I think, cause you'd have to be covering for 2 characters: one of whom has no name, and both of which have 4 different character possibilities. And pllllllleeeeeaaaaassse hasn't this gone on long enough? This is the K3 ideas thread, not the "personal arguments" thread. Seriously, if you two can't agree with each other, then at least don't spam the thread. At least argue in the "Way off Topic" forum. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> 1. Sorry to interupt your mundane recitation of hashed and re-hashed ideas. (Have you read the previous six parts of this thread?) At least add something unique, if you insist on adding the same point that has been mentioned a hundred times before. 2. I am quite happy to leave my contribution stand, except I have ShadowPaladin trying to "prove" his pov is more valid than mine. Every time ShadowPaladin posts a "must have the last word" lame response to my post, I shall point it out as such. 'Cause that's the kinda forumite I am.

While your maturity is demonstrated by enforcing a "my way or the high way" approach towards anyone else - if they don't capitulate and submit to your opinion 1000%, then they are the enemy who must naturally embrace the opposite of whatever you think and can therefore be attacked with impunity. The fact that you have repeated this approach toward ShadowPaladin when he dared to disagree with you speaks volumes <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Um, actually I was defending my point of view against a few naysayers, who seem to think they are the final arbiters on what is economical and evenwhat is reality. Yes, life is so hard and unfair on you... [sound in the background of the world's smallest violin playing just for metadigital...] <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Oh, don't worry about me, I do not tire, nor am I upset; it is my pleasure to continually defeat poor arguments. Are you really as young as your last statement makes you appear? The last time I heard that I was in short pants ...

Sure if you want a generic character. But wasnt it you who was just arguing that characters needed more depth and difference? Lets take the obvious since this should make it clear how wrong you are about the ammount of work involved. Male/Female Now unless you want everyone to cop off with the same NPC you have two major differences right there in Carth and Bastila. Even more with the Exile in Atton, Micel and Handmaiden/Vissas. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yep, so my model needs an extra dimension, which is determined by the gender(assuming hetrosexual genders), this means that there are two different interactions with a character (at least) based on gender. There are also many different personalities, so I would add that to the model as well. Still not that difficult. You see, what we are describing (without your awareness) is the transformation of the writing from a cottage-industry-level to a professional level. I have had to provide business cases for corporations to explain this very procedure. And they all had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, because their industry was "different" and the manufacturing process couldn't be improved. I know this because I did my thesis on it at university. Basically, the savings due to modularising the character management more than make up for the extra effort in administration to crete the system in the first place. Otherwise, Toyota would still be making cars by hand, with each person in the assembly line doing their one specific task and no other.

How is a healthy grasp of reality worrying about your ego? In my view a suggestion that isnt grounded in reality isnt worth anything beyond setting up unreasonble expectations. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You can't convince me with specious arguments about fantasmal voodoo economics, so just add your suggestions. Obviously haven't bothered to read the preceeding six parts to this thread; not only is it brimming with ideas that I consider completely unfeasible and totally unappealing for innumerable reasons, but many of these suggestions are repeated ad absurdum. And yet you pick a fight with me for having the temerity for suggesting that better writing would serve a sequel better than some infinitesimally vanishing increase in graphics, that would cost a disproportionately egregious amount owing to the current deminishing returns yielded from investments in the technology.

You are catastrophizing, again. (Are you sure you don't have an anxiety disease?) It is not eight times as much work. It involves writing a central biography, then adding customisations according to gender and alignment. Outside, this might be twice the effort, but I would argue otherwise. And once you have the template for an NPC with variable gender and alignment acting on a given biography, you have what is known as a re-useable mechanism, which saves programming later. This is also known as Object Oriented Design. "

Psst: You can report a post to the moderator in a number of ways, including the button in the bottom left. All other protestations of the sort you were making demonstrate a tendency to an anxiety disorder or a distraction from your, obviously, inadequate arguments. You'll excuse [me], but I don't like having words put in my mouth and being quoted for things I didn't say. Judging from your comments to ShadowPaladin, you don't seem to either (not that I think he did, but still...), so you can scarcely fault me for it unless you're a hypocrit[e]. Besides, you turned the discussion into being about me instead of being about the topic when you accused me of being an apologist and other things. That's not arguing the point. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> No, I said you were acting like an apologist, and I even gave you a hyperlink to dictionary.com to allow you the merest click to check what it meant. You took it personally, which demonstrates a lack of maturity on your part, not a lack of respect on my part. Which should tell you something... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes, that I am arguing with obdurate people who are too worried about their egos than actually making suggestions.

What about Donkey Kong? And Donkey Kong Jr? And Pac-Man? And Asteoids? And Galaga? And Dig-Dug? And Ms Pac-Man? And Space Invaders (the original)? My goodness, how many years did I just describe in how few words ...

Ultima I ... hmmm *scratches head* I don't recall it, that must be Akalabeth, surely? And that was circa 1982 ...

I'm sorry, who made you the moderator of this thread? Why do I have to become a developer before I can make a comment on the development process? I am not imposing my views on anyone, nor am I manhandling a developer to adopt my views. And I am defintiely not settling for some boring average performance, you really should quit your delusions of adequacy. Also, as a matter of fact, I have about a quarter of a century's experience in the development life cycle, so I think I am fairly well placed to make suggestions. What I do know for sure is that the sort of censorship you are practising is totally contrary to good development.

I guess that is not something we will determine on this board, at this time. Although I would point out there were improvements in character sketching and interaction; the original game had no NPC co-op play, for example, and the sequel definitely had very good AI.