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Everything posted by Cantousent
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Have fun in Ireland, Xard. I got up this morning and went to work on the leaky faucet in the "wife's" bathroom. The hot water intermittently drips. I think it's fixed, but I'm not yet sure.
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I once hit a rabbit, which I thought sucked. However, I was going over 100 mph on the back way to Vegas with my wife in the car. I'd do it again under those circumstances. The back way has soft shoulders.
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I've had some good luck with ATI in the past. Granted, some of that luck has come in the form of omega drivers and whatnot. ATI has had better products than folks are willing to credit them.
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I think you can basically just beat it down also. It takes longer, but I don't think fire based spells did anything to it and it seemed to have some funky regen going.
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Vampiric Feast has a lot of problems. Lack of penalty is only one. Not only did I have Safiya memorize disintegrates, my character did as well. I don't think Disintegrate is broken, merely very effective. Vampiric Feast is broken, but it's so broken I tended to look at it as either an "oh no!" button, or a simple way to bypass boring or tedious fights. I probably used disintegrate more often than any other spell, mostly because it's available at low levels and can frequently one-shot specific monsters. I relied a lot of Wail of the Banshee and some other spells. I agree with you, Tale, in that Vampiric Feast is much more powerful and useful than any other spell. If I had as many uses per rest as I did the lower level stuff, I would have used that. I hadn't really thought about why I used disintegrate so much. I guess, in retrospect, it really had a lot to do with the types of opponents we faced, as Gromnir says. ...But yeah, there isn't a spell that competes with Vampiric Feast. Come to think of it, while it isn't as bad as the Vamp spell, The clenched fist is pretty damned broken also.
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Since it's easy to get Safiya improved (or is it greater? Whatever) empower means that she'll cast that disintegrate at one level higher but with a much higher damage spread.
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Wow, they start you with one companion and just about lead you by the nose to the next one.
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I'm finished with Episodes one and two. Now I'm off to play HalfLife 2. I might even play HalfLife One again.
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When you put it THAT way! :D
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I got sis a thermaltake PSU. Mine is a Rosewill. It's huge and barely fit in my huge case. I had to dissemble part of the case to get the PSU into it. However, it runs cool and has a boatload of power. As all things in my computer, it's more than I need, but I LIKE it. My case itself doesn't fit in my old computer desk. I should really get a better computer desk, come to think of it.
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A critique of Obsidian from KOTOR to NWN2
Cantousent replied to actmodern's topic in Obsidian General
See, this is what I like about your system. It's also what I consider risky. I hope you'll pardon the double post, but I was reading your comments again and the damned board won't let me edit my post. Anyhow, the amiguity is good, but it leaves more to interpretation. The idea is that we know, playing MotB, that an increase in influence is good. There is nothing simpler. Folks will always understand that better than trying to interpret non-verbal cues. Part of what makes communication between two people so entertaining and engaging is that we don't always know what the other person is thinking at any time. ...Or do folks think that women always laugh at a guy's joke because it's funny? Sometimes, people laugh at a joke because they think it's polite. ...Or because it's a habit. ...Or because they want the other person, man or woman, to like them. ...Or because they want to get laid. Interpreting these cues is part of normal communication, but it's not simpler or easier to understand than a system in which the gamer knows that an increase is always better. Now that you and I agree, as it seems to me, that you're not aiming for simple, and that you don't believe that your method will be easier for the player to understand, I think we can address what I've been saying all along. The problem is with feedback. Unless we make the non-verbal cues nearly as simplistic as numbers, there will be some room for the player to misunderstand the game mechanic in much the same way that people have been misinterpreting non-verbal cues throughout the history of mankind. So, if the point is to create a more robust experience for engaging the player in conversation, we're going to risk confusion. That might well be worth the risk. However, it is not necessarily worth the risk for every game depending on your goals during development. Do I think it can be done? I think so. I even think it can be done in a way that most RPGers can enjoy. Nevertheless, it's going to require more creative investment to fashion such a system, which doesn't make sense unless the game has a lot more dialogue. The half assed, "this is actually as simple as just attributing numbers to influence" approach will not do the idea justice. Frankly, most RPGs don't have particularly complex dialogue. I like MotB. I think it's a great game. Still, most of text is meant to be simple enough that the majority of players won't be confused. That trend is one of my beefs with computer games in general. Writing floating text or inserting text into the dialogue to convey non-verbal cues will probably take as much time and effort as writing the dialogue in the first place. -
Bit of advice, save money and buy a more reasonable case. Sis is using the abit IP35 motherboard (nods at mkreku) and it's working very nicely. If you're looking at 1k, then you have to take into account where you want your horsepower. I suggested the 8800 because you can get a decent card and still have money left over for solid choices in other areas. The Motherboard is important, but you can get a decent motherboard for relatively cheap compared to the video card.
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"were a big and loyal talking bear... " For some reason, this made me laugh out loud. I guess that really does tell Okku's story. hahaha
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A critique of Obsidian from KOTOR to NWN2
Cantousent replied to actmodern's topic in Obsidian General
Do you propose that your system is simpler than a "directed scale?" I like the idea of the directed scale and I accept your definition. The thing is, I don't see the strength of your substitute system as simpler or easier to grasp. I see it as more robust and complex. Putting a simple numerical value on something lessens the chance of misinterpretation, right? The strength of your directed scale is that it simplifies the experience. The weakness is that it tends to oversimplify. It is far simpler for the player to know that positive numbers are good and negative numbers are bad than it is to interpret a set of variables, no matter how intuitive those variables might be. Unfortunately, people don't interact with each other by attributing scores to each exchange. I'm actually closer to you folks that you might think. However, at the end of the day, your directed scale is simpler for folks to understand. Perhaps its so simple that the objective of conversation is lost. As you say, it tends to put a price tag on every exchange. However, players grasp simple numerical rewards quickly. If the argument is that directed scales are somehow harder for the player to understand than the method you've described, I'll let you get the last word in our particular exchange and give you a score of -2 influence. :Cant's friendly grin icon: However, if you'll agree that a simple directed scale is easier for the player to quickly grasp in terms of reward and effect, then I'll concede that such a scale is not necessarily better. Only simpler. -
Don't beat yourself up, my Gorthy friend. It sucks, but it happens. I'm actually kind of glad that you feel bad giving someone the ol' heave-ho. It's better to do something distasteful with regret than not to find it distasteful at all.
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I put together a system for my sister that was JUST over 1k. It's quite nice, with core duo processor, 8800 video card, 2 GB of memory, and a decent power supply. You can do it, Azure!
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Actually, I'll tell you that I wasn't sold on Vista until I saw my sister playing WoW of all things. If WoW can look that much better on Vista, then think of what some of these other games can do. I upgraded and Vista (at least the 64 bit version) is faster and sleeker than XP EXCEPT on boot. It boots slower than XP. ...And I almost didn't even load Vista on her system but she wanted to have the same OS for her work computers and her home computer. Oh, and I finished Episdoe One which was fun. I've been playing Episode Two for a while with no crashes at all. That's so weird. Why would One crash all the time but Two doesn't. Must have tightened down the bolts. Anyhow, I think both are fun, but I prefer Two so far.
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The puzzles are really what differentiates HL2 from the other FPSes. I don't think any of the rest are nearly so heavy on the puzzles. And, in some cases, I suspect there is more than one path to success. Another thing I like is that the fairly constant crashing allows me to post here. hahaha. I suspect that might be because of my Vista 64 operating system, but I'm not sure. I should try Bioshock. Both to see the new DX10 textures and to find out if this frequent crashing problem is the operating system or the game.
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I'm with Kaftan on that, though. The grav gun was all I had available all through the entire citadel in Ep 1. I'm enjoying it so far, but I do think they should've given it a bit of a rest.
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Oh my goodness, I'm busting a gut. Lord, that was funny. hahahahaha This morning, I'm sitting here laughing at Pixies comment.
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I'd really like to get my game. I haven't played the finished version yet, although I think I did play the final candidate. I'm curious about this bug. I'm also sad to hear that the scores weren't as high as Obsidian would like. I'm surprised because all of the reviews I've read give MotB high praise, but I guess the actual numerical scores aren't as high as NWN2. Personally, I think the numbers for NWN2 were inflated (surprise). MotB deserves the high numerical scores that NWN2 received. Oh well. I still think MotB has real staying power and it seems to have been quite well received despite the incongruity between the text of the reviews and the actual scores.
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Ha! SPECIESIST.
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A critique of Obsidian from KOTOR to NWN2
Cantousent replied to actmodern's topic in Obsidian General
As promised, you get the last argument. Alas, I must leave it at that. My other hopes were dashed. We don't always get what we want. -
You people are crazy.
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A critique of Obsidian from KOTOR to NWN2
Cantousent replied to actmodern's topic in Obsidian General
Aside from the thousands who join you in your crusade in this thread, I don't see a reason why I should think you have the right of it. Oblivion, Tale? Oblivion? You're using Oblivion as an example to support your position? Good Lord, man, I was at least willing to concede a few points to you along the way, but you were better off leaving Oblivion out of the equation. ...Or is it more natural to suggest that we have a spinning wheel and timer than the influence system? EDIT: and didn't Oblivion also give a number? Not only that, but you then cite Half-Life. I like the game. I like the puzzle solving, ammo charged crawl. I like Alyx's tight jeans. ...But where does Half-Life 2 use an influence system? You cite studies of non-verbal communication? Of course we use non-verbal communication in real life. We use an abstracted version in gaming. BTW: Numbers are not nearly as intuitive as actual depictions of damage the character takes. Why do we use hit points? Armor? Spirit-Energy? weapon damage? Numbers are how we interact with the game. Now, in as many posts, I'll say that I like the idea of floating text and non-verbals. I don't believe now, and you have not convinced me, that these will be as clear to the player as the simplified number system. Even in real life, if we could simply write a number over our heads, the number system would be simpler than non-verbal communication. However, I didn't think your aim was simpler. The aim was more nuanced, unless I'm getting it all wrong. That's the crux of my argument. The system based on numerical feedback is clearer than other systems. You have absolutely failed to show where that's wrong. Instead of citing reports that tell me that people all over the world use non-verbal communication, which I already know, why don't you stick with what I thought was your better argument. You think the numbers are intrusive. At least that's what I got from your earlier statements. You would rather we risk something perhaps a little less clear, and only to a small number of people, in order to preserve immersion. You really have me half-convinced of that despite yourself. :Cant's wink and grin icon: ...And I'm not going to iron-man the topic. I think it's worthwhile to look at different systems, but not because they're clearer. Only because, at some point, it's better to confuse a few more people and have a more complex and robust way of providing feedback for the influence system, which I hope they keep. Ah hell, I'll leave you a rebbutal, raise you a hollar or two, and then let you get the last argument on the topic. Make it a good one, though. I'd like to find reason to agree with you when I next post. :Cant's ribbing Tale icon: