blue

Would you recommend a similar approach to NWN2? Would it pacify design critics?

Edward P. Jones, Lost in the City & All Aunt Hagar's Children (story collections inspired by Joyce's Dubliners). From Jones' ferocious heart and pen: "Old Boys, Old Girls." http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fiction/040503fi_fiction

Well said. LAPD guidelines discourage the use of Tasers on passive resisters. The Sheriff's Dept explicitly forbids it. UCLA policy, otoh, allows Tasers as part of a "pain compliance technique." That will probably change. An independent investigation of the incident is reviewing university security rules, including officer training and the use of non-lethal weapons. They're also examining the specific histories of those officers. Even good policies become meaningless in the hands of undisciplined professionals.

Like I said: it's a mushy argument -- the kind that leads to retractions and editorial apologies. Best not to worry or be insulted by reviews like this. At worst it's an amusing distraction: much ado about nada.

What alternatives was the guy talking about? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I assume he was referring to Oblivion. He cites that game in the 4th para. Hard to tell though. His word spectacle is thin on specifics.

To be fair, the 1up critique is a little more complex than that. Apparently, the reviewer disliked NWN2's application of DnD rules, and he takes issue with the evolution of CRPGs and games that rely on increasingly complex DnD rules systems. He specifically praises CRPG titles (inc PST) that showcased the possibilities of CRPG growth, suggesting that games such as NWN2 sacrifice story and character for statistics and feats. It's a legitimate debate in the wrong forum. Sawyer's right. The 1up author should have reviewed NWN2. Instead, he gave us a mushy diatribe on lost possibility, tacking on arbitrary numerical rankings that bear no discernable relationship to the game's goals. It's also a horribly written piece. It's awkward, unprofessional and unconvincing. For that alone it shouldn't have made it to press. Here's the original review:

I just ordered a brand new copy for 50 cents. I'll blame you if I don't get my money's worth.

Don't hold yr breath, sister. JA didn't even crack the top 100 in last year's list. KotOR and other popular titles are similarly absent. Pretty silly stuff, these lists. Fun but arbitrary and inevitably dumb. The 2005 top 20 includes arcade greats such as Ms. Pacman. The original title didn't make the list -- nor did Asteroids, Space Invaders or Pong. I suppose they weren't nearly as groundbreaking as Pacman's Ms. edition. Also, as far as I can tell not a single PC RPG made last year's top twenty. RPGs on the 2005 top 100 include Fallout (55), BGII (25) and the rpg-hybrid Deus Ex (21). I concur. It's smart, funny & original. It's a top five pick on the only list that matters.

Online ads are increasingly lucrative, and even prior to the Google acquisition YouTube was busy positioning itself to tap into that revenue. Over the past few months, YouTube brokered deals to share ad revenue with Warner Music, CBS and others. Their new Terms Of Use policy offers another clue about the future of YouTube revenue streams and advertising agreements: In other words, YouTube claims equal ownership to all content. As a user, you still maintains your rights, but the fine print stipulates that GooTube's rights legally supercede yours. Clever.

Thx, Alan. My questions were slightly rhetorical (mocking an identity neither totally absent nor wholly compelling), but your summaries are helpful. Some is news to me. Gonna buy the full game. (Maybe that one comes with feet?) Anyone seen it priced under $20 USD? Also looking forward to Bioshock. Have been since I read the cover story in March 2006 _Game Informer_. Great writeup there...

So it

Awesome. Thx for sharing that, LC.

You might give the demo a whirl. I just downloaded. I despise 1st-person shooters so the demo might be all I need to grow heavy bored. But I've heard glorious tales of SS2 and am intrigued by the advance art--err, I mean pretty drawings--of Bioshock.

Youngstown is ranked as the 7th most dangerous city of its size. Stay safe out there. (Fwiw, FBI policy is to avoid ranking cities, and the UCR reports explicitly warn against comparing large w/small population areas. Morgan Quitno puts out handy lists based on FBI data.) At least you have an NFL team. We've just got the booze and crime.

Not according to the latest Forbes list. They've got you burghermeisters sobered up to #8. Me? Here and there. By "here" I mean California, the golden land of promise. 'Cept the promises are less reliable than sunshine here in the pyrite land of illusion. At least it never rains.

Variations on a theme: Michelangelo Bernini Vallejo Hokusai

Try using adjectives. If words fail, hire an appraiser.

"Favorite" is a such fluid, slippery thing. Nevertheless, here are screengrabs from my mind tonight. Oh, and here the term "art" refers to soundless, static things -- the usual wordless, visual sh*t. Not that it need to. Anyway: Painting: El Tres de Mayo (Goya) Sculpture: unfinished bound slave (Michelangelo) Photography: this, maybe this, and definitely this

Btw: http://forums.obsidianent.com/index.php?sh...+consider+video Some of that merits rereading. Such as this:

Read! and take this curse horror-spawned from Mithy's well of ringu haiku.

Sorry, mom. I didn't know that was possible, but will do. SPOILER: . . . . . . . Btw, what was wrong with the style I used?

I

I broke my toe for the third time in as many months. First time I accidentally kicked a bed. I rebroke it going down a water slide. Injured again when a box of books gave me a dirty look. Sometimes the little meat hook is a pain, but I'm sorta attached to the wee cripple. So I do what I can to make him comfortable: tape him up, pat him on the head and take him on a grueling run. He's my Tiny Tim of toes, refusing to bow to the Scrooge of misfortune.

Good point. Not all entries are controversial, but always with Wiki verify first and trust later. Wiki is just one wrench in our information toolbag. It doesn't fit all nuts ( ), but it has uses, inc serendipitous discovery. Know how it works and when to use it and there's no need to throw it out. Heck, if I discarded all flawed tools I'd never go online.