Plano Skywalker

Eminem -- Curtain Call compilation

As far as I'm concerned, somebody HAS to make a Dragonlance CRPG. Dragonlance is a lot like Star Wars in my opinion....it is all about belief, good-versus-evil, etc. Rediscovering the Lost Gods, etc. Now, Morrowind had elements of that but it was open-ended. We need a cinematic, KOTOR-style CRPG like that (and, preferably, from Obsidian).

Godsmack -- I Stand Alone

Godsmack -- Voodoo

>>>Who says earth isen't inhabitied already, or that they will even be happy to see their long lost kindred. Imagine them landing in the middle of a tense political situation and having to pick sides in a civil war.<<< well, yes, I think Earth is already inhabited, but just like in the original show, the 13th Tribe colonized other worlds besides Earth. they could leave it at the same place the other show did: contact with 13 Tribe = yes, finding Earth = no. of course, an interesting twist would be for them to find Earth but that Earth is not in the current era....not time travel, just that Earth took a step backward technologically and that the current era for Earth is Bronze Age, Dark Ages, whatever. >>>As for the religous themes, they're just stupid. I mean we have no clues what the values of their gods are at all, they mean nothing to us. If they are the ancient greek pantheon they aren't exactly a moral anchoring, what with human sacrifice etc. The tomb raider style ancient collapsing temples shtick is even worse. The only thing that holds promise in the main plotline is the 'buddhist' everything moves in circles theme.<<< well, the religious component is a direct carryover from Larson's original vision of the show...the 13th Tribe being an important part of Mormonism. the Tomb Raider stuff is to be expected....it is the only way religion is dealt with in sci-fi and fantasy shows. but it is precisely the strong beliefs in the Greco-Roman pantheon that would pose problems with them finding Earth in the current era. having Earth be in a much earlier era would allow for the Colonials to help shape religion on Earth....in other words, it would fit better than if people landed in a spaceship in the current era and started talking about Zeus (Jupiter) and the rest of the pantheon....it just wouldn't work as well.

It would be nice if the last season was at least a full season instead of a half season. But at least they had warning and are able to wrap it up, unlike certain other awesome sci-fi tv shows. Apparently they're working on some TV movies too, I think thats how they should end the series. The season finale of next season should just be the beginning of a trilogy of TV movies to wrap it all up. I wouldn't mind if the current show is wrapped up in 4 seasons. Having a really good finale would make room for spinoffs and would prevent the show from becoming stagnated. I believe there is already a spinoff show planned. I have to admit that, while the writing is good, it is probably the acting of James Olmos that carries it for me. That is not to say the others can't act but Olmos is just perfect for that role. I believe the spinoff show is to be a "prequel" of the current show. As far as a new show in the future timeline, it all depends on how they end the current series. They could make it extremely open-ended with Cylons still around after they find Earth. I wonder if Earth will actually be found in the show since the metaphors in the show are so inherently real-world-based. That is, I believe, the biggest dilemma Moore has faced all along: have footage of Colonials on Earth and you loose some of the allegory....by the same token, some will be disappointed if Earth is not actually found (i.e. colonized). I think the best bet would be for the Colonials to find some way of ending the Cylon occupation of their own solar system and to recolonize. Then, a future show can concentrate on them finding the 13th Tribe for reasons other than survival...basically it would be Star Trek with strong religious overtones. I haven't watched Season 3 yet (so this might be redundant), but I definitely want to see some shows that involve the Cylon homeworld and the top management of that empire.

excellent points, Yst. High Fantasy (really, you could start with Sir Thomas Mallory, or even much earlier) as in the vein of Tolkien is really all about allegorical commentary and, hence, it uses archtypes. But unless you are really trying to say something specific, archtypes easily become stereotypes and it just becomes pointless in a controlled medium as you say, such as the CRPG. stereotypical is fine, as you say, with PNP roleplaying since it makes it easier for the players to interact but, in a more controlled environment, the designers have too much of a crutch. that is why I think Dragonlance would be good...it may or may not be up there with Tolkien, but it is definitely high epic, romantic fantasy that goes somewhere specific. anyway, I like the trend toward space adventure and other alternate settings in CRPGs.

Lucas is a "big picture" kind of guy. That is where he excels....world building, special effects, overall concept. It is his micromanaging that lacks and comes across as corny or extremely self-indulgent. The Empire Strikes Back is head and shoulders over any of the others in my view and it was neither written nor directed by GL. The overall world and storyline were his but the details were left to others. That is what I would like to see with the upcoming TV show but I doubt it will be the case.

well, if it's going to sell, it has to have some pizazz. That is why I don't think we'll see anything like PST from a major dev house anymore. both Greyhawk and FR are meant to be "generic" settings, as in non-epic, do-whatever-you-want, etc. and, yes, it is hard to see another major CRPG based in the FR setting. IMO, it is the whole Drow thing that gives the FR a major advantage (in terms of it being interesting) over Greyhawk but the setting has just been used to death. I really think that a well-designed Dragonlance CRPG might be good. It would have the advantage of being for next-gen platforms and could be a very cimematic game. Alot has been said about post-Apocalypse as a setting. Well, Dragonlance is the Apocalypse itself and would allow for alot of interesting devices not found in other settings. I mean, imagine starting off as a Paladin and then becoming a Knight of Solomnia and working your way up through the 3 different orders of that faction. And, because your character is a Knight of Solomnia, he can take the dragon-rider feat (while no one else can). Or, in the case of Wizards, once a Wizard reaches a certain level of ability, he must join one of the official orders of magic or be considered outlaw. Gully Dwarves, Tinker Gnomes, Clerics of the lost gods, etc. Wow, I'd love to see that come to life in the hands of Obsidian.

Modding tools would be a big plus. well, apparently, Force Unleashed is going to have multiple ending possibilities, including "non-canonical" ones so I really see no harm in future SW games (especially RPGs) having toolsets on par with NWNs, Morrowind, etc. LA has had a history of being mod shy but I'd like to see K3 with a complete toolset. KOTOR, like TES, should be moddable but strictly single player. There are plenty of games that are released primary for the multiplayer aspect and the single player campaign suffers as a result. KOTOR should be strictly single player.

Only for the first 2 1/2 seasons. :fear: well, the box set I bought doesn't have anything beyond Season 2.

I think the term Fantasy, left unqualified, suggests something along the lines of Tolkien, D&D, Conan, etc. Fantasy is "sword and sorcery". While medieval is the most common setting, Fantasy is not limited to that era. Steampunk is Fantasy, for instance, because magic is manipulating the technology. Star Wars is what I would call "Space Adventure", basically a blending of Fantasy and Sci-Fi but closer to Fantasy in fact. I would also put Star Trek in the Space Adventure category since the technology is so surreal (transporters, food replicators, etc) that there is no real difference between that and magic. Newer shows like Stargate and the new Battlestar Galactica try for as much immersion as possible while limiting the things that amount to magic. For instance, in Stargate, the Stargate itself is the most fantastical element in the franchise. Everything else trys for present-day immersion. Of course, aliens and supermachines are fantastical elements as well. Hence, I would say that Stargate and BSG are still Space Adventure, as in being somewhere near the middle of that spectrum that Meta is talking about. All Science Fiction depends on something that does not yet exist in fact but may well exist in theory. I think the show "Sliders" is a good example of traditional, "hard" sci-fi. The show is about parallel realities and travel between them....has nothing to do with space ships, aliens, or even time travel. I also think the movie "Groundhog Day" is hard sci-fi (as well as being a romantic comedy). Anyway, I am not aware of any RPG based on hard sci-fi but I would love to see one.

If you don't yet know, Cylons look like humans now. They can't really die because when the body is destroyed, their consciousness is downloaded in another body of the same model, allowing them to live on. Only by destroying "Resurection Ships" can humans prevent Cylon downloading and kill them for good. right, the Cylon society is a tiered system with human-like models making the decisions. the fighter ships (called Raiders) are actually living organisms and require no seperate pilot. the "tin cans" are still around and follow the orders of human-like models. the tin cans cannot speak (at least not to humans).

I agree that that was a boring, confusing episode. The airlock thing was ok but obvious pad material. Thing is, filler episodes are fine, but that is when you have guest stars and use the 2nd rank characters like Kat. I agree that they need to introduce another batch of foil characters. Of course, Baltar's trial could be really interesting but, thing is, today's audiences want interesting episodes every time and are not just going to wait for the writers to develop the main story. I remember reading on Ron Moore's blog that he had considered having actual marine characters and having story arcs that focus on them. That might be good. Also, having other combat ships in the fleet (for instance, Heavy Cruisers) might be good. That way, you can move people around and still have some plausibility to it.

[[sLIGHT K2 SPOILER ALERT]] I absolutely agree. While I do see the benefit in having forced joinable NPCs for the purposes of storytelling, the current implementation (the KOTORs, JE, and, apparently, NWNs2) is not the right way to do it. It is, of course, the least time-consuming and easiest way to do it. But here is the thing: it really isn't even necessary for good storytelling. In K2, for instance, you had to take Candyman down to the surface of Onderon for a certain mission. Fine...that we can have...during that time, Candyman can fill your ear with all kinds of story clues. Also, Candyman tracked down Exile in the endgame and assisted. That we can have. But LS Exile really had no business taking him along in the middle game BUT HAD NO CHOICE but to do so because of game design. And, even with Kreia, there should have been some point in the middle game where you could release her as your mentor. Obviously, she will keep reappearing for plot reasons at various intervals in the game but, being FORCED to keep her as a joinable was just wrong. I think the answer is FORCED JOINABLE = YES but RELEASABLE after they give up their first story clue. And, there should be slots for hirelings/droids, etc that don't play as much of a story role and don't have as much dialogue. There should be quite a pool to choose from in these slots. I have no problem with there being 1 or 2 non-releasable, deus ex machina storytelling characters. In a Star Wars game, the pilot and the astromech droid come to mind. In a fantasy game, I don't know, could be some sort of guide that you just can't proceed on without. The bottom line is that good party management is an important part of the role play experience and does not have to be sacrificed in order to tell a good, immersive story.

as for me, let's put it this way, I am now running XP for the first time on my home system (the system is new as well) and I am running the latest incarnation of it: XP Media Center. I work in the IT field and so I deal with software at all stages of development but, at home, I am generally in no hurry to upgrade. I like to wait for a really tweaked product.

it seems to me that the biggest advantage that a night prowler has over you is that he has his night vision and you don't (just waking up, any light would be painful). this is the climate in which loved ones might get shot, etc because you really can't discern what is going on. still, i think having a powerful floodlight that you turn on just as the prowler enters a certain room and then follow-up with pepper spray would take down any lone intruder.

I've got to say, that is some sound advice. The best-case scenario is for the prowler to simply run. If he hears the sound of a shotgun shell being chambered, well, that has an unmistakable psychological effect. He also knows you don't really have to know what you are doing if you have a shotgun. For home defense, the best bet is a shotgun (and pump action for the mental effect).

well, if you think about it, things like alignment are meaningless in a game unless they have some bearing on the game. for most characters, something like "reputation" is actually a more useful gauge than alignment. for instance, a thief con artist who pretends to be a missionary might have a good reputation and reputation will affect the responses of NPCs in the game toward that PC much moreso than alignment. where alignment can be useful is for religious-type characters (i.e. Jedi). but, even there, I think a reputation and faction system should be there in addition to simple alignment. that way, you could have "dark jedi" working their way up through the ranks of the Jedi because they mastered the art of hiding their true identity, etc. for a religious-type character, there should be a period of time where the person has choices as to which path to take but at some point, there should be a "point of no return" where doing things against one's alignment result in steep penalties for the PC.

I do think that having alignment be a moving target is a good thing (I believe Fallout was the first major cRPG to feature this). However, for those who are not interested in that on the current playthrough, there should always be an obvious, non-committal, "safe" answer that does not involve a shift of any kind. And, of course, Chaotic options. It just needs to be more 3-dimensional. With regard to joinables, I never again was to see so much fuss about changing the alignment of a joinable. Party management is how you deal with incompatible joinables, IMO. As I've said before, I like having some joinables that are absolutely essential for storytelling reasons, but they should not all be that way. I like being able to release a joinable once they reveal their "clue". Even if you release the person, the person could still reappear in the game for story reasons.

as someone has already pointed out, part of the problem (at least in the U.S.) is our history. U.S. history is all about guns and there are just too many out there for gun control to have any meaningful effect. I have never been mugged but I suspect I would give a robber my wallet even if I was packing heat. Guns are to protect life. Now there is something special about someone breaking into your home. Most states (IIRC) have a "no questions asked" policy regarding shooting someone who is trespassing in your home. The idea that, regardless of why he is there, he is a clear hazard to anyone who lives there.

I'm not sure what you mean here when you use the word robust. I can't make sense of this. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I think you understand the context in which it is being offered. In other words, yes, the AI is trying to win using strategies that are comparable to your own but is also playing based on a "personality" that does not also go for the bottom-line mathematical advantage. If it is not playing "robust", then I simply mean it is going through the motions but not really trying to win (i.e. the easy mode).

here might be an example of what I mean. take the game Stronghold. anyone who has ever played that game knows that wheat farms + mills + bakeries = the best food production in the game. sometimes, however, you may decide to use other types of farms because you just like the aesthetic (of dairy, for instance) over wheat farms. or maybe you choose cattle because of the dual purpose (armor making). if you were playing against an AI opponent (in which you both had the same tools), the AI opponet who either play stupid (intentionally) or go for every possible advantage (i.e. food would be wheat + mills + bakery). it would never play a robust game with all dairy farms because that would amount to it being gimped in some way. so, what I am saying is, we need AI personalities that consider things besides the mathematical advantage (he just likes building certain things because of the looks, whatever)...but still playing well and in direct response to what you are doing. and with different, randomly-determined personalities emerging each time.

right, when I play a strategy game on "hard", it is hard because the computer is making decisions faster than I am, exploiting tech combos and the like faster than I am. what we need is to see actually personalities emerge in the AI and with the AI only going for the game lock combos when it sees we are about to do the same. such an AI player would just be a lot more fun to play against.

first, don't we already have this to some degree? there are people serving now who are not U.S. citizens and judges still offer enlistment over incarceration for some crimes. but, it we are talking about a seperate corps, then I don't think the political will exists in this country for a place hardened criminals can go to "normalize" their life. it would have to be along the lines of what the French FL currently is (in terms of who can join). as to its function, I think it would have to be more along the lines of the Marines than the Army, because of loyalty issues. but, under the right conditions, I think it could work...basically a variation of Bush's Guest Worker program.