Gromnir

"If you tagged Big Guns or Energy Weapons early on, you would not be able to gain much, if any, benefit from it for a long time. Even back then, I thought this was problematic. Before playing the game, players could not know how content would limit the applicability of weapons." am not seeing how the merge of big guns into other categories addresses the problem josh identifies in the aforementioned quote. a non sequitur? is flame throwers available early and constitute a bread and butter weapon? HA! Good Fun!

I think the Bobble heads and their stat-raising effects are fine. The biggest problem with the stat/skill system in FO3 was the huge number of skill points available within the game. I personally don't think there should be enough skill points in a game to allow a player to come close to maxing out more than a handful of skills. our problems with fo3 skills were legion... but will limit to but a couple key points for the nonce. fo3 skills point availability and awards were relative straightforward and simple, which is a Good thing. unfortunately, it were rather easy for a player to become proficient in every skill due to availability o' exp and the seeming minimal proficiency threshold for most combat related skills. didn't need 100 in a combat skill to be extreme proficient... so problem of excessive points were actual worse than some suggest. 1) am hopeful that obsidian fixed combat mechanics so that there is a genuine reason for adding points into a combat skill beyond some minimal threshold value. we never figured out the exact numbers, but it frequent seemed as if there were hardly any genuine advantage to raising a combat skill beyond 45 or 50%... which is stoopid. am hopeful that obsidian fixed so that adding skill points to a combat skill beyond minimum thresholds is actually meaningful to gameplay. 2) am hopeful that 100 points won't get you 100% typically, we is opposed to unnecessary complications of da rulez. nevertheless, we thinks that there shoulds be a mechanic for promoting skill choice diversity as well as specialization. unlike previous fo games, fo3's cap at 100 makes sense, but am not thinking you needs have 100 skill points equal 100% in a skill. if it actual takes 50 points to get from 90 to 100 in a skill, then perhaps a player will consider the advantages o' diversification over specialization, no? developers and testers may decide to play with the numbers a bit, but increasing skill point costs at 50, 75, 85, and 90 might be worthy o' consideration... at the very least, such a progression will chew up loads o' exp. 'course, in returning to our first point, there must needs be a genuine reward to makes such costs worthy o' consideration. HA! Good Fun!

merging big and small don't bother us in the least. however, am more concerned that energy is separate. given how previous fo games approached ranged weapons, energy weapons were a skill that became useful later in game but largely pointless at the beginning. am not a fan of having a Super-Skill that is worthless for 10-20 hours o' gameplay. josh is unlikely to make energy weapons as overpowered as previous developers has been willing to do, but one wonders how the face o' fo will change if there is useful 'mounts o' energy weapons and ammo early in game. every third bandit gots a laser rifle? HA! Good Fun!

from our pov, the strength o' fo3 were not its gameplay or story elements but rather the degree to which bethesda managed to capture the feel o' a Fallout washington dc. the quirky, retro-sci-fi freak show that is fallout were realized in a rather inspired choice o' Americana steeped locales... the best character in fo3 were the setting itself. HA! Good Fun!

And that's what I think is cool - people who want it can have it, people who don't don't. Cool stuff. Even better would be if less aids = more xp. Or something. that causes problems. more xp results in your character being tougher... which makes game easier. more gold/jink/money more exp more 1007 all such stuff means that developers must find additional ways to stay ahead o' the curve. am understanding that for most folks playing a crpg, some kinda Reward is expected, but such rewards is typical at odds with the seeming goal o' a feature intended to increase the difficulty o' a game. developers necessarily needs adopt seemingly ridiculous scaling options and other less palatable solutions. ... actually, awarding less xp would seem to be a more effective solution, but am betting that most players would balk at such an obvious means o' increasing game difficulty. HA! Good Fun!

i'll actually go ahead and agree with this. i enjoyed CoP quite a lot (though Pripyat itself was a huge disappointment, imo) and never found eating/sleeping/taking cover/etc to be tedious. it helped animate even further for me the sense of survival in The Zone. no, i think he was just asking for a less juvenile form of discourse (speaking of, do you larp as an ogre/troll in real life too? like...at work and socially?) *shrugs* sometimes the line dividing irony and hypocrisy is thin. Gromnir can turn off the ogre/troll in rl... am doubting you can say the same. in any event, we appreciate josh's post-before-you-think style as it frequent results in him divulging perhaps more than he might otherwise do 'pon reflection, but his post count clearly refutes twink's theory. the number o' Gromnir posts josh has responded to in the past is not easily counted, and sadly obsidian's most loquacious developer is perhaps more likely to respond to respond to inane posts and obvious trolls than genuine queries. dunno, maybe is a cathartic thing. regardless, it would seem that the restless corpse o' lord british, forever choking 'pon poisoned bread, will once again rise from its grave to plague gamers in yet another franchise. oh joy. HA! Good Fun!

Please critique those game play elements in your own words instead of modifying mine. 'cause by doing so the critique is changed in some meaningful way? *shrug* regardless, if food and ammo runs may be avoided by means o' the hardcore toggle, then we ain't seeing a problem. "strategic" concerns that only impact the number o' tedious trips we needs make back to "base" (or wherever we has ammo/food stashed) doesn't boost fun-factor for Gromnir... though we does understand that some folks enjoy such stuff. go figure. HA! Good Fun!

Eating/sleeping are in STALKER: Call of Pripyat and honestly it never feels annoying (to me). It's just something you have to strategically plan for by carrying a small amount of food and returning to base occasionally (which doesn't genuinely make the game more enjoyable, but does become tedious after the first dozen or so food-runs). CoP also uses ammo weight, so inventory management is more involved overall, (but fo3 insta-travel effectively nerfs any strategic factors related to weighted inventory, thus making it a rather pointless theoretical addition to fo:nv). fixed HA! Good Fun!

atomic power by uncle tupelo the song were original released in the early 50's by the louvin brothers... and it were not meant to be funny. gets us in the mood for more fallout. HA! Good Fun!

no. it's not really about "funny" for me. oh, well of course that settles everything. but then again, no. if you ain't one o' the folks that thought fo were serious biz with very little funny, then our comments were not directed at you and your reply is pointless. *shrug* can debate all day long regarding whether fo were successful funny, but the notion that fo (the original) were not intended to be funny is hardly worthy of argument. is a considerable 'mount o' intended funny/camp in fo, but is seeming that the serious hardcore fo fan is very likely to have missed the humor. regardless, am pleased to hear that uncle fergie ain't swallowing the revisionist history o' the Faithful in this regard: there will be ha-ha in fo:nv. HA! Good Fun!

hmm. Do you really consider this box art discussion a lather? Seems more like a musing. Or a pondering. no doubt you could describe any fo issue discussed in this place as a "musing" or "pondering." wouldn't be appropriate, but you could do so. HA! Good Fun!

is a crock. scientists and doctors is terrible at debunking. hire a magician... or maybe a few prison inmates. wanna find out how the guy is sneaking in food and water? gets folks who is good at sleight-o-hand and sneaking to do the debunking. HA! Good Fun!

little bits o' funny is fine. Ernest Goes To Fallout? Not so much. As for the box art? *shrug* Why not talk about it? It's there; we can see it; the developers don't guive us much of substance to discuss. I don't think anybody here is expecting or desiring our discussion to cause Beth to redo the box art. It's just fodder for the mill, as it were. have been down this road before. clearly some o' the hardcore fans has inexplicably missed the funny already in their beloved fallout... zoom, right over your heads. even so, we agrees that some flavors/types o' funny works better in fallout than does others. as for the box art? keep talking 'bout it. we likes funny, so watching folks work themselves into a lather over box art and titles is something we would encourage. omg, dragon age is the worst title ever... way to go bioware. did you see the fo:nv box art? how completely generic. box art. *chuckle* HA! Good Fun! ps alternative suggested title: Fallout: The Caine Mutiny.

see, was that really so hard? now it really does almost feels like we is at nma, dac or codex. 'course the obsidian language filter still musses up the replication to some degree. HA! Good Fun!

maybe a 50' tall buxom woman would satisfy the purists... but then you would be adding humor, and we all know that fo ain't 'posed to be funny. HA! Good Fun! ps is we really debating box-art? Box-art? why not title as well?

am believing that numbers you present is the starting level for the given server. HA! Good Fun!

fixed HA! Good Fun!

... is a bit like hearing that a person has managed to fill a 1-gallon container with their own collected toenail clippings, or bellybutton lint. 'pon learning o' the exploits o' yet another edmund hillary, we experience a fleeting, morbid curiosity that impels us to ask why a person would bother to dedicate themselves to such a dubious goal, but then we happily dismiss the peculiar hobbyist's distraction du jour as representative o' the human condition's disturbingly common carnival side-show attraction quality. HA! Good Fun!

a sinatra gang and fergie suggesting that fo:nv will have more humor? clearly obsidian doesn't "get" fo. HA! Good Fun!

the first matrix had a kewl factor due as much to the aesthetic as the material. we loathe keanu reeves... and the story as a whole had that kinda ridiculous anime quality that keeps us from being able to appreciate Japanese sci-fi. nevertheless, matrix, at the time, looked amazing... and Larry Fishburn and Joe Pantloliano were excellent... as were Elrond. "Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson." HA! Good Fun!

the last two decades has kinda been weak for sci-fi... at least as far as Gromnir is concerned. from late 60s (Planet of the Apes, 2001... to name a few) through the 70s (Clockwork Orange, Star Wars, Alien, Mad Max... and numerous others) and into the early 80s (Empire Strikes Back, Blade Runner, Terminator & Aliens) there were some absolute fantastic sci-fi films. sadly, we would have a hard time come up with even 5 sci-films we thought of as genuine fantastic since 1985... though it is nice that we finally got a decent star trek film. proviso: if we throw comic book superhero flicks into the mix as sci-fi, then we can add a few recent movies into the pot. Dark Knight and Iron Man were excellent. HA! Good Fun!

That is ridiculous. At a certain point people need to learn that some people are jerks. Being a jerk is not a crime. Attacking someone for being a jerk is. yes. good thinking. so the school administrator should do... what? give the assembled and agitated hispanic students a stern lecture; tell them that they is being unreasonable and that they should all grow up. is that the plan? after violence erupts, you may then suspend the hispanic students for their misbehavior. no doubt racial tensions will significantly decrease following the fight and subsequent suspensions. as angry as the parents is that their innocent and patriotic lambkins were treated unjustly by the school administration, one wonders how much more furious those parents woulda' been if their children had been injured during a fight. oh sure, maybe their son is suffering from some stitches and lost a tooth, but at least his First Amendment rights were protected. *chuckle* you is gonna have a difficult time finding a more ardent defender o' free speech than Gromnir, but we is also recognizing that the school administrator has got to consider student safety as paramount. we woulda' handled different, but am understanding that the first and natural reaction when preventing a fight is to blame the kid who were being the agitator. the kids with the bandannas and tee-shirts knew what they was doing. even though we woulda' done different, we complete understand the school reaction in a potentially volatile heat-of-the-moment scenario. @ boo "Alright. Explain please why wearing the US flag on cinco de mayo is agitation? " eh? read the article linked on the front page. the hispanic students felt that they were being intentionally "disrespected." you may honestly not see any reason for agitation, but do you honestly believe that the kids with the American flag garb were equally naive? whether you or Gromnir believes that hispanic agitation were reasonable is an interesting topic for debate, but how does our abstract arguments aid the the teacher or administrator who is attempting to prevent violence from erupting? once the likelihood o' violence becomes apparent, does the school not have a duty to intervene? as we stated already, we would not have attempted to force the students with the American flag tee shirts to remove their garb, but once the school went down that route they were kinda stuck... HA! Good Fun!

1) am not arguing that the hispanic reaction were justified am not even gonna touch the justification issue, 'cause that is a whole different question. regardless of whether or not the hispanic student reaction were justified, am thinking it is obvious that the kids wearing American flag garb were trying to agitate their hispanic peers. jerks. 2) you is over-simplifying the immigration issue is not simply 'bout illegal immigration, but again, that ain't really the issue in the present context. legitimacy o' hispanic anger got 0 to do with whether or not these kids was being jerks. 3) "I dunno Grmonir, maybe what those kids did was right an necassary." so, they were kinda like modern day Rosa Parks? *chuckle* am thinking you is giving far too much credit to these kids. as we already stated, we not think there is anything objective wrong with wearing an American flag tee shirt on cinco de mayo. by the same token, if Gromnir were an administrator at that school, and we genuinely were concerned that violence might occur as a result o' the jerk-squads"patriotism," we woulda' done something to protect our students... all of our students. you think that it were necessary to start trouble at a school? why? keep in mind that we is talking 'bout kids. you really think it were necessary and appropriate to fight this kinda battle at a school? is not as if we is talking 'bout a political rally being held in a park somewhere... is a school, with kids in their teens. expecting the hispanic kids or the jerky kids to act like adults is unfair. demanding that these kids understand the Big Picture is also unfair. we got in more than a few fights in high school. in point o' fact, we got in lots o' fights. we attended an inner-city school in Chicago. more than half the fights we got involved in were race related... 'cause we dressed white and talked white at a school that were near all black. (the irony being that we got in fights when we were in south dakota and north dakota 'cause we were native American.) you know how many fights we has been involved in since we graduated high school (not counting breaking up fights when we worked at juvenile hall)? none. kids fight. sometimes kids feels like they must fight. legally and morally we expect adults to know better, and to find civilized ways o' resolving problems... but it is different with kids. we tell kids that violence ain't necessary, but if a high school student (particularly at some schools) allows himself to get punk'd... or if he "turns the other cheek" and gets labeled as a b!tch, then his life for as long as he is in school is probable gonna be a nightmare. maybe you thinks that the jerky kids were justified. maybe you thinks that what they did were "right." fine. however, you ain't gonna convince us that what they did was necessary. "So you say they were making a statement. Even if they were, was it not fully within the bounds of the law, and apart from the bandannas within the rules of the school?" clearly you is not listening. please review. you took issue with us labeling the pint-sized agitators as jerks. we responded by noting that we didn't see anything objective wrong with wearing American flag tees on cinco de mayo, but the kids were trying to agitate. try to agitate, particularly on a school campus where you know that the administration or teachers is gonna have to step in and defend you if a fight does break out is not only jerky, but possibly a chicken **** move as well. you know, perhaps you should get into law. some o' our peers also has a hard time distinguishing between what is legal and what is appropriate or moral or jerky. there is all kinds o' things that Gromnir can do that is legal that any reasonable person would still recognize as being the actions of a jerk. HA! Good Fun!

am tempted to use the eye-roll gif. so, you think it were pure coincidence that the group o' kids wore clothes bearing American flags on cinco de mayo... and these kids were no doubt complete surprised at the negative reaction such garb engendered in their peers. okie dokie. look, as we noted already, the hispanic kids shoulda' ignored. the jerky kids with the American flags were doing to be contrary, but that not mean that the hispanic kids should necessarily rise to take the bait. if you is doing to be contrary, is hard to act surprised and innocent when your target demo gets riled, no? is there anything objective wrong with wearing an American flag tee-shirt on cinco de mayo. heck no... hey, you know what is even More unfair? if a handful o' hispanic kids had worn clothes with the American flags emblazoned one 'em there might not have been any problem at all. the Irish example ain't really applicable is it? as you already noted, "the Irish don't complain." wear an American tee-shirt in Boston on St Paddy's day in 2010 and it is unlikely to bother anyone. 'course what if the political climate 'tween the U.S. and Irish immigrants were different... what if tensions 'tween US govt. and Irish immigrants were high and certain States were enacting legislation targeted directly at Irish immigrants? what if it we had a flashback to the 1800's, and even American born Irish folks were feeling (and sometimes treated) like second class citizens? compare to Irish doesn't work, because as you already noted, the Irish folks wouldn't be likely to get mad if boo and his pals wore American flags on St. Paddy's Day. agree or disagree with hispanic students being Justified in their displeasure at seeing a group o' kids wearing American flags on cinco de mayo? that is a different query. if you does to because you is hopeful that target group A gets cheesed, and your target goes ahead and gets angry... *shrug* HA! Good Fun!

dunno 'bout that. the market boyz (nortenos) is far more likely to shoot their southern california affiliated counterparts (surenos) than they is to shoot some punks looking to stir up trouble on a school campus. 'course, in salinas we doubt most kids would risk such a move as they would probably be assured o' receiving a serious beating later. am not certain what the current status o' the salinas peckerwoods is, but those clowns might do something foolish on cinco de mayo. as for the actual incident... honestly, am not really gonna fault how the school staff reacted in the heat of the moment. 'course the district couldn't back 'em up on this one. but depending on the atmosphere on campus, an immediate and seemingly over-the-top reaction mighta' actual been appropriate. the kids with the American flag tees were being jerks. 'course, if every jerk kid were suspended, our schools would not have such overcrowding issues. in an ideal world, these jerky kids shoulda' been ignored by their hispanic peers... but what does an administrator do if they see that the hispanics on campus is NOT prepared to ignore the jerks? what would Gromnir have done? given our background, we would not have demanded that the jerky kids remove their patriotic garb. however, we woulda' escorted the kids to the school office and then informed them that, for their safety, we could not send 'em back to class 'less they removed their colorful bits o' Americana. we would claim that we had overheard threats directed at the jerky kids... though of course we would be unable to identify which other specific students made the threats in a crowded lunch/brunch setting. we would call parents and inform them o' the situation... making sure that the parents understood that our only concern were the safety and well-being of their children. no demand to remove, but inform that given the potential safety concerns, we would not be sending back to class dressed as they were. HA! Good Fun!