metadigital

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of a custom weapon for the PC. I don't recall that in any of the mods I've played. Sure there's plenty of weapons that are usable by the PC by dint of wielding skills (exotic and whatnot), but none -- that I recall -- where only the PC can wield because it's theirs, like a few NPCs have had their own armour and weapons. Is this a series biased towards dwarves? I mean, is it especially a disadvantage to be a (half-) elf, gnome or human?

Sounds a lot like Warcraft III. I really enjoyed that game, but then the expansion, Throne of Ice (or whatever it's called) I keep getting bored before finishing the prologue, because you are forced to play some stupid wood elves or something equally unappealing. (All the different races have similar community units, like workers and mage training and armourers etc etc, just a custom aspect of them.) I did enjoy the first Warcraft III plot, but I would never be bothered to join the legions of fans playing against each other ... <_<

There are some pretty major panics in modern times, too, started by the media. Just recently there have been scares for farmed Salmon in Britain (containing high levels of pollutants) which caused everyone to stop buying the fish for a short time, until a retraction could be spread. And let's not forget the complete horlicks that was Bovine Spongiform Encephalitis (BSE -- "Mad Cow"), now any hint of a food scare and EVERYONE will react immediately upon hearing the news. It would be best to make it something completely obvious to the person who stops and thinks about it, like fish having dry rot, or something like that. That way, when the bubblegum hits the fan, it is a lot easier to point at the mob mentality of the tabloids and unthinking majority and make them understand how limited their existence is without the burden of critical thought. :D

Yep, I think we're in violent agreement here.

It looked like there were distinct flying lanes (analogous to our air traffic control aeroport approach and departure lanes) on Coruscant in Ep III -- and yes, I was looking for them during the film.

My point, and do me the favor of actually understanding my post in the way I mean it, is that religious organizations should be treated no differently than anyone else. If the Christian Brothers of Islam decides to back a candidate, then it should have every right to do so. It's not likely folks will be able to keep candidates from citing religious beliefs while campaigning, nor should folks be compelled to refrain from citing religious beliefs. The thing is, if we say it's okay for Neo-Nazis to express their beliefs politically, why should the same opportunity be denied Neo-Christians? ...Or Muslims? ...Or the Death knights of Kryn? All of the above should have the right to express an opinion regarding a candidate or measure. Why should Neo-Nazis, who have a far more damaging message for our democracy, be given free reign just because they don't include God in their message? For that matter, why should atheists have free reign to speak against religions in a political format while religions should be denied a voice? This is the sort of thing that irritates me. The Christian Coalition, with whom I disagree as often as I agree, should have the right to support candidates and advocate a political position. They just shouldn't enjoy tax exempt status while they do so. On the other hand, I don't know if the Christian Coalition is tax exempt or not. They don't factor into my decisions at all. I know more about what the Christian Coalition advocates because of the uproar from their enemies than I do from the organization itself. Here's my take on it, however. Tax exempt status should be rescinded for those organizations who actively campaign either for or against any candidate or party. This would really put a damper on religious organizations to the right and left. Separate church and state. That's all well and good. ...But don't make religious folks second class citizens. ...Or simply place hard-core religious organizations on the left and right in a category separate from religion. After all, some of these organiztions really don't appear to be all that spiritually motivated in the first place. They appear to be solely political organizations in religous clothing. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I wasn't particularly taking issue with your comments, just agreeing with Commissar's point and expanding a little myself. Further, I have no problem with any (non-)religous body making any recommendation of a particular candidate, I have a big problem with a religious body backing a party, which seems to be developing in the South, viz. comments like "A vote for Kerry is a vote for the Devil". That is just not acceptable. Otherwise, free market. (But normal competition rules apply; no Watergate-type tactics, or other third-party "non-associative" quasi-political parties' dirty argumentum ad hominem campaign strategies that seem to be flourishing in the US currently.)

Solid 24 karat GOLD. Irrelevant? Not sure what you mean, but that was the coolest broadcast event in the history of broadcast media! I WISH I could do a similar cunning stunt! (w00t)

"live action" "drama", as noun suffix to an adjectival clause, such as: "daytime", "prime time", or "SF".

Nero petros ... no Nero Insula ... no Volcanicity ... no dammit! Why Can't We Be Called Black Isle?, Inc.

Democracy was the most efficient form of government to win Civilization.

Fixed.

ask a lump of coal.

Coruscant is the planet in AotC where Obi-Wan and Ani-angstboy protect Queen Armidala (Padm

I like cypherclaw. I wanna change. I don't wanna be Mr Pink. Mr Brown

Um, that quote is Obi-Wan describing Mos Isley ...

... Or at least hand 'em around to the rest of us ...

[1]Oh, of course. So why should murder be banned? Rape? Paedophilia? After all, it's only the majority banning random things that don't conform to their sensibilities. Those bigoted mobs... [2]Again, this falls into the category of "vague fantasies", much like conversation on mature themes, or violent literature. Those will never come anywhere near the realism of a video game, considering the rate at which it's being improved. [3]Oh, that exists already. Or quite similar. But the PC doesn't actually carry those actions out (in case you have forgotten what the thread name is), and it's not depicted in an explicit way. [4]There was no intercourse that I know of in Alien. The sole idea is absurd. But hey, who am I to state the obvious and draw you out of your... personal... world? [5]Not as hypocritical as your demanding of interactive, ultra realistic, immoral possibilities in your games "just for educational purposes". Do I lack imagination? Perhaps. But at least I'm not a bored snob. ) [6]Re-read the topic title. [7]Yes, I suppose I am a totalitarian, if by totalitarism you understand the idea that society must have rules if we are to survive and progress. And those rules must have mechanisms in order to be implemented and enforced. How proud I am to be a totalitarian. [8]That, I am. But it's not only my personal taste. It's a matter of being in the safe side of a problem, and being consequent with something called moral minimums that supposedly any western citizen living in community possesses. And forgive me for saying that if someone enjoys explicit rape or pedophilia in a game, he is a sick bastard. I'm a totalitarian, after all. [9]Oh, I forgot to add that since governments are at least as totalitarian as I am, I don't think we will be seeing any of what you're asking for anytime soon. So the whole discussion is moot. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> 1 Well, state-sponsored murder is institutionalised at the highest level of government in the US, it's called capital punishment. And raping the enemy has, and unfortunately still is, a major strategic weapon in global conflicts: just witness the Rwanda and Balkan crises, to name two recent tragedies. I would not want to live in such a society, but some people have less choice. I am arguing to caution your ready accedence of hard-won rights for the individuals of society, to the society. The tyranny of the majority is still a tyranny. 2 Who is arguing for graphic depiction of mature themes? That is your own peculiar interpretation of the argument, adopted presumably to facilitate a straw man. 3 I am glad you are finally coming to your senses and agreeing with those of us who have been advocating the responsible freedom to express mature themes in any medium, and especially video games. 4 I see, so the "eggs" with the facehuggers were not implanting an offspring inside the human hosts? I wonder why Ridley Scott and Sigourney Weaver made the comment about interspecies rape in the DVD edition, then? Yep, it was just a scary monster film. ... 5 See my point three, above. 6 Ibidem 7 Interesting that you advocate a society that "must have rules if we are to survive and progress. And those rules must have mechanisms in order to be implemented and enforced." and yet you also advocate a regime of self-censorship. I find the two notions mutually exclusive. 8 Well, the safest option is to prevent all video violence completely, as it is an unknown quantity. And not just violence, as the GAAM model quoted in the article above states, it is quite likely that all excitement will have some effect in agressive behaviour (if the model is accurate), so we must dispense with all films that have any excitement in them. Are you advocating this as "a matter of being in the safe side of a problem" ? 9 Again, see my point three, above.

[2]You don't hear me arguing about banning alcohol because this topic wasn't about it, to begin with. But it's a different matter, and alcohol was banned. It didn't work, because alcohol is cheap and easy to produce. Games are neither. [3]Because that's out of the scope of any legislation. I'm sure you think that if you were elected president you'd solve world hunger in 12 days, but things are a bit more complicated than just "fixing the causes of misery". On the other hand, until we don't know for sure what kind of repercussions violent games may have on what sorts of people, controlling it would be the wise thing to do. And that is a very realistic action to take. [4]Wrong. Caffeine doesn't affect your judgement. Sleep deprivation is usually behind those accidents. [5]A masochist is a consenting adult. If not, it's rape, and it's a crime. Do you really think so? You are even more deluded than I thought. [6]If marketing studies revealed that a game in which there was paedophilia could be a hit, and there wasn't a legislation that would ban it, you can be sure we would have it sooner or later. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> 1 There is so little evidence that no-one in the scientific community is prepared to make any sort of prediction similar to the one you are trying to make. And nothing counter-intuitve is every discovered in science, especially the soft sciences like psychology. [/sarcasm] Actually I was using my own empirical experiences of violence; I would expect that all reasonable people, when confronted by extreme violence, would not be interested in creating more of it. I can also cite my father, an early volunteer and veteran of the European and Pacific theatres of WW2, who was not a violent man -- as indeed a study revealed of the D-Day soldiers after six weeks of constant fighting -- approx. 98% needed to be relieved or else face mental breakdowns. (The other 2%, assumedly, were enjoying the killing fields.) 2 No, I am suggesting that instead of chasing phatasms that might have -- at best -- a miniscule effect on society, it would be a more judicious use of resources to manage a proven catalyst to violence and a threat to social stability: alcohol. And I woudln't recommend prhibition, either. I would recommend a better management and educational policy, though. 3 That's right, I'm deluded because I suggest attacking the real issues rather than making small issues into big ones. Just because it is a big problem doesn't mean that if you ignore it it will go away. On the contrary, until we tackle the more difficult issues they will continue to be a growing threat. 4 Caffeine was just another example, like alcohol and tobacco. You are being argumentative, not persuassive. ADHD in children is caused by poor, high-sugar diets. Caffeine would not help this. Have you ever used caffeine to stay away for prolonged periods? I have, and I can tell you that one of the mental casualties is attention span. That must be a contributing factor for accidents. But, for simplicity, let's focus on alcohol as there is no doubt that it causes large problems in society and costs billions of dollars annually. 5 That is a violent act. Some might argue that the masochist is not of fit mind to make the decision. It was merely an example to point out that your neat pigeonholes have major limitations when discussing these issues. 6 Yes, I agree we would; and if people chose to buy it, then good for them. I doubt I'd be one of them. I don't have to buy a game just because everyone else does. And anyway, this was my point to you about how rediculous and unregulated self-censorship is! If the society suddenly changed the laws of murder, then I would leave such a society and find one that I prefer, or live in isolation.

I would be a little lichen, living inside the rocks in the Antarctic, in the coldest and driest place on Earth.

Vixen, I think that smoking corpse was once Kalfear. You probably should have let him live ... "

Um, I think you might be a little shocked by the actual plot ... how can I put this humanely; the armies of the Earth come a distinguished, valorous but sadly distant third in the intra-solar system conflict. You might be thinking of HG Wells' The Time Machine for your plot.

I don't see the problem with having a few extra duplicate voice overs for a previous character like Revan; if it is managed correctly, there need only be a couple of sentences where the history is mouthed differently. There is no need for a radically different voice for LS / DS, for example, just male / female. How would a Revan Force Ghost be scripted? Force Ghosts still speak, so you have the same problem as scenario 2!

I play female PCs. I prefer to have a party full of females. Males are wimps. Puerile GL-ish attempts at seduction that sound more like pre-pubescent boys in between chants of "girls germs" tend to bore me; just don't bother. However, if it's an interesting relationship (like Atton) then I'll play along, but I wish Atton would take a bath, man.

They would. They are under contract with Lucasarts. Their official statements can only state what lucasarts wants them to say until the time that the contract expires. Otherwise they get sued for breach of contract. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Is that "lying" or "representing their client"? I've never heard of a lawyer being sued for perjury ..!

The cut content with regard to Droid World is one thing (they admitted in official interviews that this was cut because of time constraints). HOWEVER, has it ever occurred to anyone that some of the stuff may have gotten cut because it sucked? I mean, really, Atton dying, everybody ganging up on Kreia and STILL have a cliffhanger....no, they handled the ending right. It was not a *satisfying* ending but it was *supposed* to be a cliffhanger--having beaten a non-traditional enemy (who was not the real threat). <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I disagree, the ending would have been more complete -- just from the perpective of the mechanics of story writing. The actual ending is rubbish, because it doesn't give closure on all the characters we spend the entire game finding, playing and helping.