Cantousent

While out doing stuff around Hidden Valley in the scorpion gultch area I saw this grave set out in the middle of nowhere. I assume that you get some sort of karma hit for digging up graves, but is there anything interesting enough in the grave to warrants taking the time to buy a shovel?

You've got a point, Hurlshot, but I think of it differently. The way I figure, if the most substantial complaint you can level against the game is the way the artists have depicted wasteland debris, then you've probably got a great game on your hands. If it's the largest complain *and* it is in and of itself enough to make you dislike the game, *then* you need to find the waste disposal simulator you described. I do have other complaints, but not really very many and I would think of the majority of them as minor. First and foremost I would place the bugs. Now, here's the deal on bugs in New Vegas. Fallout 3 had some real doozies in it. In that respect, New Vegas has bugs by and large in the same way that Fallout 3 had bugs. Frankly, if Obsidian didn't have such a bad track record with engine performance, I would probably give them a pass on the bugs because I'm convinced that most of the bugs I've seen in New Vegas, folks walking up the sheer side of tents for example, are shared between the two games and therefore probably in the engine itself rather than anything Obisidan did. As I play more and find that the bugs are either very rare or are not overly intrusive, I'm actually more willing to forgive the bugs. During many hours of play the most annoying thing I've encountered would be a handful of crashes to desktop. Simply restarting the game has resolved the issue in all but one case. In one case, encountering the same crash twice, I rebooted my system and progressed from there. I have had no corrupt saves thus far. I have had no game stopping bugs thus far. I have had no bugs that substantially detracted from my enjoyment thus far. 'Thus far' is sufficient for me to be more than happy with the purchase of the title. If I never played another minute of the game, which isn't true because I'm already thinking of what I'm going to do when I get back into the wasteland, I would still be happy with the purchase and flagging interest in Obsidian, which was all but extinguished, would still be still be renewed. How was that for subordinate clauses? hehe In terms of the factors that tend to irritate me most.... *shrug* You know, the debris thing is actually the most intrusive thing about the game and that's only because it defies logic. Nevertheless, it's such a minor thing that it only stuck me in one place, that being the aformentioned kitched at camp mccarran. There are two things that I keep in mind about that particular place. First of all, the devs might have meant it as humor. I mean, the eatery is clearly the most debris filled place in the base. If that's the case, I respect the effort, but it fell flat. The other thing is, since it's so much more sensical than Fallout 3, I wonder if I would've even notice it if I hadn't played Bethsoft's title first. I guess the third thing would be, in total agreement with Hurl, if that's the biggest complaint I have, the game must be damned good. I recall Slowtrain from when I used to post on this board back in the day, so I don't want to be insulting. I understand that the original Fallout was kind of on the edge between spoofing ol' 50s culture and depicting the harsh realities of a post nuclear wasteland. The 50s spoofing won out in the end. Like Monte and I have said, you can cut down on the zany stuff if you don't choose the wild wasteland perk. Also, there's an ironman mode that gives ammo weight and makes dehydration a real challenge. I plan on doing the game in iron man mode on the third run. That would probably go quite a ways to making the game 'gritty' for a lot of the hard core palyers. In terms of other factors, nothing has struck me. Oh, yeah, sometimes particular conversations strike me. I mean, it's really easy to gain confidence from people all around the wasteland. That sort of complaint is legitimate for every rpg I've played. If they took the time and effort to more realistically depict the sort of effort required to infiltrate these organizations, and keeping in mind that it might be simply impossible for a former courier, the game would probably not be improved in any way. Yes, I think the game could be more stable. The engine could be less clunky. The inventory, good Lord yes the inventory, could be more user friendly. There are a lot of things that could be improved theoretically, but the game is so good as it is that I don't really care much about the things that, often only after reflection, I dislike. To get back to the debris issue: I think New Vegas is much much better as regards the incongruity between settled areas and the wasteland at large. The Strip is an excellent example of how a recently emerging society would deal with mass debris in the streets. The tone and atmosphere in the game is just splendid. Overall the voice acting is fair and some of it is actually quite good. The one guy I mentioned before talking about crucifixions going on and on and on is so funny I laughed out loud. The floating text is great. Little things that didn't take much time for the devs to implement strike me during the game. For example, having Boone in my party draws jealous comments from other NCR folks wishing they had a recon sniper looking out for them. The battles, on normal, tend to be pretty easy and there isn't enough cash on the vendors to buy all my loot. Those two complaints are minor compared to the fun I've had killing wasteland badguys and selling their stuff. I'm so tempted to look in at the longer NV threads but they're so long it's a little daunting. Still, I'm curious to see what other folks have to say.

Okay okay. I get ya. How about this, if a place is more or less your permanent home, you will at least try to make sure that you don't live crap right next to your bed that will cut up your foot when you get up to take a whiz in the middle of the night. At least most rational people would, I think.

That's my point, though. Someone sweeping up trash and having the trash remain is jarring. Basically, if a place is a more or less permanent home, I think folks would have cleaned it. It seems to me that even the dirt farming villages in Fallout and Fallout two didn't tend to be quite so bad. Dirt floors, yes. Crap folks would step on and potentially hurt their feet? No way. I don't mind forgiving some discongruity. It depends. It's also true that some things bother some folks more than others. As for vegetation, that's not jarring at all. There would be considerably less vegetation in that area once the people got killed off, not more. That complaint is more valid for Fallout 3 than New Vegas. Anyhow, I even find myself thinking about New Vegas while fighting Arthas the Lich King. You know a game is good when you spend time thinking about it while you're playing a different game. Overall I get such a kick out of the dialogue. I went into this shop on my second run with a different rep with the powder Gangers when I met the person inside and he laments that he was in there suffering with his crippled legs when the Powder Gangers' Grim F'ing Reaper walks in. hahaha I just love it. Slowtrain: There's an at start perk that I take that basically comes with the caveat that it makes the game sillier/stranger. To be honest, I think the balance in New Vegas is a little less slapstick than Fallout 2/3. I think the depiction of the wasteland is certainly serious enough, but there's enough of the zany humor I liked in the previous titles to make it fun.

I lied. I haven't had time to hang out on the boards for a long time and I figured that I probably still wouldn't after I said my piece. Goes to show you how much I know. I enjoy the game so much I find I want to talk about it with other folks who've played it. lol It's literally costing me sleep. When I'm off doing other things, I find myself thinking about what I'll be doing when I get back to play. Congrats, Obsids, this is your best effort to date. I passed on Alpha Protocol, thinking that it looked interesting but not really my cuppa. Anyhow, I'd already passed on the Bioware title Mass Effect and I'd heard that it was kind of the same idea in terms of gameplay. New Vegas is awesome. I mean, yeah, one of my long held complaints about Fallout 3 was the fact that people in the cities didn't even bother moving any debris out of the way. It's much much better in New Vegas. The one glaring exception is the kitchen at the airport. By my thinking, having debris and clutter in general makes sense. Obsids doesn't really have a choice in that the setting demands the whole post apoc look. Still, military encampments as disciplilned as the NCR or a real Roman Legion would not just have crap in the street. Soldiers in professional armies don't operate that way. Anyhow, I came online to share one of my favorite lines. When I confirmed that the reports from one of the camps was false, I suggested that the officer in charge was lying about the condition of her base. She was finally exasperated and told me, "do an f'ing head count if you want to, then!" lololol Anyhow, I'm kind of embarrassed in that I see there are a bunch of other threads for New Vegas. Since there really isn't a lot of traffic in this thread, you mods could stick it in one of the others. On the other hand, I don't care and I'm too lazy to read the whole length of the other threads, so no biggie to me either way. *wry grin icon*

I think I

Hello Gina. I remember the ol' BIS and Interplay boards. I think there are some of us still around, although I don't tend to post hardly at all these days. I hope you enjoy your stay among us.

WoW.

Eric Fenstermaker, if I'm not mistaken, was in charge of the spirit eater function in MotB. That was an extremely difficult task, I can assure you. I was myself quite a nuisance regarding the spirit eater aspect, and I was certainly not the most strenuous or strident voice on the issue. However, Fenstermaker did an excellent job. I'm wracking my brains, but I can't exactly recall what else he did. I know he had his share of work on MotB, and I think that's quite a feather in anyone's hat. I never really much knew him personally, but I did respect his work and the fact that he was fairly cheerful when discussing the spirit eater function, which was a contentious issue the entire time I was in QA.

Deadly: If that's your Fallout 2 image they displayed, it looks great. Guard Dog: I'm glad to hear that you're doing better and have the bills paid. I know you're still smarting from your accident, but at least you sound more upbeat. As far as socialization, you certainly get along with folks around here, even folks of differing opinions.

I would love to get together to grill some dogs and burgers and shoot the breeze. I've met some folks from online. One was a real shocker. One was meta. meta was... well... meta is meta. Fascinating person. He thought I was pretty much a boy scout and I thought he was nuts. I'm fairly convinced that he lurks around here sometimes, but doesn't post. What can I say. Rat bastard. I wish we had parted on better terms, but we did patch things up before he quit the scene. I missed his last call and he hasn't called since. I sure hope he didn't get himself in some sort of crazy assed trouble. As for me, I'm big, I laugh loudly, I joke constantly, and I can hold a huge amount of alcohol. I'm also a big teddy bear and I like to get along with folks. So, if you guys get a big BBQ going, I'm there. ...And my travel radius is huge, so there's a good chance I'd go to it whereever.

Sawyer: I just wanted to say congratulations. I recall reading, some time ago, that the reason you entered into the world of game design was for the chance, somehow, sometime, of working on a Fallout game. It must have been discouraging to have Van Buren pulled out from under your feet. Now, however, you've been given a second chance. I know I've criticized some of your work and statements from time to time, but I'm sincerely pleased on your behalf. I hope and pray that you find the experience as rewarding as you've always expected. Good luck! To stay on topic, could we have called shots to the groin and eyes, please?

But a better present would be to answer your emails after I return home and can actually think about what I'm saying! :Cant's wry grin icon:

Happy birthday, Pixies. I typed up some really touching, emotional tribute to you and then realized it's not actually your birthday. Curse you, Hell Kitty! Curse you! ...And Curse you too, Pixies. I wish I were 19 again. I can't believe you were born after I graduated from highschool. Anyhow, happy birthday nine months in advance.

You used to lead with your chin in a lot of arguments, but your rhetoric has steadily improved from when I first read your posts. You're one of the most prolific posters on this board, and the quality of your contributions is quite good. You have forged a lot of online associations with people. You play video games with the other members. However shy you may or may not be in real life, you're quite open online. Like Walshy says, you're very social at Obsidian. You freely discuss what you clearly consider your shortcomings, but you've come to acknoledge your value as a member of the community. No one lives a static life, no matter how hard they try. You can only hope that you get better rather than worse. Your online persona has shown a marked degree of maturity and insight, and I take that as a "getting better" rather than worse. +100 TOMBS points. However, these kinds of threads rarely go well. :Cantousent's ****-eating grin icon: So, -10 TOMBS points. Ha! Nothing's ever all good!

Hey, speaking of survival horrer FPSes, was there ever another FEAR title after the second one? I'd like to get it.

You know, I would really like to play one of those games again. I just don't want to run it. lol

You say this to a member who leaves the boards for long stretches at a time. You doofus! Good to see you again, Tigranes. I don't think it's in the cards for me, but you can definitely find someone to run it from the crowd you have now.

I'm actually quite happy to see my too leet friend posting messages. I'm sure a number of us lurk every now and then. Now, if we could just chase down Gromnir... As far as Meta goes, I missed his call to my cellphone a while back, but I didn't get anyone when I tried to reach him at the same number later. Maybe some of the other members have heard more from him, but I haven't spoken to him for months. There's quite a story there, but it's not really mine to tell. Maybe we'll all get to hear it someday. As for myself, I've been gone a lot over the past several months. I'm back for a while, but I doubt if I post much. I like to lurk more than post these days. Truth is, I've always been an on again off again kind of member. I'm not leet like our numbered friend and I'm not high profile like Don Jags. I'm more like the strange elevator guy in an old tyme fine hotel. Yeah, it's kind of interesting, but you can push your own button for the floor you want. That guy standing there really isn't very cool after a while, more like creepy. Yeah, I'm like a lift man at one of those old hotels, constantly worried that I'm going to be terminated because I'm not really all that necessry in the first place.

I haven't played BG2 in forever, but as I recall, my mage battles were always won by 1 overpowered spell-- the 5th level druid spell Insect Plague (or something like that). It was area-effect (so it could hit the invisible), and it affected enemies only, but it was targetable on your own characters. Its effects (1 dam/round, 100% spell failure, chance of "Fear" effect) were also considered physical, so magic resistance did the enemy no good, and the duration was long enough that your fighters could bash through their stoneskins, mirror images, mantles, etc., before it wore off. Simply target the spell on one of your charging fighters, tell them to wail on the enemy, and wait until he goes down. That and an occasional "True Sight" from Keldorn were really all you needed. In that case, much like Vampiric Feast, I have to question a design decision where one spell has that much power. Any spell that counts as a win button in what is meant to be a tough fight is flawed. Worst design decisions? Troika. 101 ways to kill your otherwise fun game by stupid and arrogant design decisions. (If you claim that something that appears to be a bug is a design decision, I think you should probably be judged twice as harsh. Identify in ToEE)

I vote for expending them both.

I actually really enjoy the Simpsons, but I hate the Family Guy. Go figure. I think the difference is that the Simpsons are funny and irreverant but make real social commentary where as the Family Guy can be funny but is generally just stupid and is completely devoid of any substance.

Funny thing about Sushi is that the first time I had it, I was in Korea. I can't remember the name.... Kimbob? Anyhow, when I got back to the US, I saw it again and called it by the name I'd learned in Korean. It took a while to get my names straight. I actually love sushi and it comes in many many varieties. However, most of my favorite do include raw fish.

There's this Korean restaurant nearby that has some great Korean food. Now, I don't know if I'd like it so much if there were more choices, but choices are slim for Korean food. And it's not just a case of serving bulgogi and then calling it quits. There was a decent variety on the menu and seven assorted sides, from varieties of kimchi to a sort of apple potato salad. My first time there I had the baby octopus over rice and covered by an egg in a blistering hot stone bowl. I think this is one of the reasons that Korean fare hasn't become as popular in the States as Chinese or Japanese food. So many of the dishes are piping hot and it might be difficult for some patrons to eat the food until it has cooled some. Frankly, other than Sushi, Japanese food hasn't been as common as chinese food. Even sushi wasn't quite as popular in my parts until the last decade or so. For that reason, I have hope that Korean food becomes more readily available. As it is, I go to a little asian food shop from time to time for some of the food I grew to love in the 5 odd years I spent living in Korea and on Guam.

Okay, you little jerk, I'm going to complain to you and go out and buy a copy. Now that I'm back home, I'm certainly not going to worry about the twenty some bucks for one more game. I would have bought it while I was gone if I'd wanted to haul it back. I probably would have bought it while I was gone except that my laptop isn't quite as beastly as my desktop. MotB kicks sand in my laptops face.