Ombrenuit

Sorry for being cynical, but I guess it's my only defense for being let down one too many times when it comes to anticipating games. I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than right. I'm not spouting out facts, nor do I know -anything- about the development process particularly. I don't know what went wrong with DE:IW etc. etc. I don't know why the flesh engine is ugly as sin. I can only make my uneducated guesses. Explain my worries. And simply warn that you're a gluten for punishment in the entertainment industry if you harbor high expectations =p. I'm not here to rain on your parade; I didn't even play Deus Ex 2 and I've only played the first few levels of it's big brother. You just asked if I was excited for this and let's just say I'm being incredibly cautious. History has shown us a few lessons to learn, but who says this new team is going to magically learn them? We can't know until we see it ourselves. If anything at the moment, I can only hope for an average game until I'm convinced otherwise.

Unfortunately, we pretty much know they are going to attempt to make it for both console and PC, and so far, I don't think they've been able to find a balance that makes such development outstanding on either. Also, as soon as a new team takes up an established series they feel like it's taboo to use the source material for inspiration, and rather, they feel trapped by it. This doesn't make for either an inspired team or an inspired story, but rather one that simply sacrifices its identity on the altar previous incarnations. The original Deus Ex's strong point was it's immersion and it's story. It's very apparant that developers put their heart and soul into making that game. They wanted to exalt the game up to literary heights, not just produce pulp entertainment. I feel like it's a prime example that games, just like movies, can tread deeper water than we usually allow them. Give someone else that boat though and they merely go through the motions rather than explore it themselves. The developers are probably too intimidated about disappointing fans, disappointing their publishers, and disappointing the original source material to allow themselves to really expand the game world into territory they want to tread. Prime example? Bioshock. They are merely taking a concept and using it as inspiration to make something more a spiritual successor, with its own identity, rather than being imprisoned by tagging on fan fiction. It wasn't necessarily their choice since they didn't get the rights though...^^; but that's beside the point. I feel like there is a lot that could be said and done with Deus Ex 3 that won't be done; they'll be too busy honoring the first game. It will be an apprentice rather than the succeeding master. We saw it with Deus Ex 2. We saw it with Thief 3. Canon scares the shit out of developers.

Well, I have to say that you guys I think brought me back down to reality. You're right, this sort of thing is probably going to follow this kid for the rest of his life--being transfered into a school for the mentally disturbed etc. He was a high school senior, and I won't be surprised if somehow this affects his college acceptances or even his graduation. What I also hate is how the media ignores his side of the story. Can't he at least defend himself? Evidently the map was a counter-strike map. So what about the map de_office? What if that's based off a real office? Does that mean we should send that author to counseling too? Oh no. Who collects swords but murderers? Evidently it was the swords, which are apparently decorative, that led to his removal. And as for the banning of games...well I don't necessarily have to play them if I believe they are too much, I suppose. I suppose they don't intend to pay him back for the game's cost either. I'm glad we have police officers making psychological connections--rather than psychologists with a pHd. But ironically: I can only imagine Chief Wiggam trying to figure out how to play the game in his investigation, "Okay...so how do I move, AH DAMN! A GUN!...okay...wait what did he just say? 'You r a n00b' Oh dear god! Dear god. Lordy. I better call that in, I bet it's Chinese for guilty! Rick, get me the phone!"

Good reasons? I'm sorry, but you can't know. You just can't. You can't monitor his brain to see if he's thinking about doing that sort of thing, and generally, these sorts of things are the only clues we have. Oftentimes, evidence only means something in retrospect because evidence alone can't predict the future. Only past behavior can predict the future; if this went unpunished and he shot up the school, America would be screaming "Look! All the signs were there!" So that brings into question, do homicidal people provide good reasons to believe they are homicidal? Or is this the best forewarning we get? Yeah, it doesn't necessarily mean he will do it, but I don't necessarily think its an over reaction. Why? Because obviously he did something to get it noticed. Making a map of your school is one thing (I mapped out my school in a fantasy mud once heh) but how would anyone find out? The point is, he did something to get it noticed and someone was concerned enough to report it. A ) It got attention. Attention seeking behaivor is oftentimes a sign of a call for help. It doesn't mean it is. But it's a sign. He flaunted it or some such, showed it off to his peers, who knows? B ) Someone got concerned. This doesn't mean it was a parent or an outsider, it was most likely someone close to him. And if someone who knows him gets concerned enough to report it, then I think they have more justification to make the call than we do. I feel like if it was reported, then that's reason enough to be concerned. I agree with Springheel. This sends a message that this sort of thing isn't appropriate, and I agree, it isn't. Thought crime? There are limits. Although it's a slippery slope, and a blurred line, I feel like games like Postal and Manhunt should be banned. That doesn't mean I feel like games like GTA should be banned or God of War. What separates them? Hell if I should know. The former just seems disturbing as hell and wrong as well as sadistic and twisted. I think making such a map screams poor sense of judgement in this day and age. It was a stupid thing to do and I feel like he should have known better. I don't feel like expulsion is unjustified or surprising, but expected. He needs to take responsability for his actions and realize that this sort of thing isn't exactly socially acceptible. They aren't throwing him in jail, mandating counseling, and assigning him a probation officer. That would be going too far, but I don't believe that expulsion is that unreasonable. Sure it's harsh. But I wouldn't call it a shocking punishment given the shadow of Virginia Tech.

People need to stop making suggestions. Realize these things take a lot of time and effort! It's not magic, and you have to figure out whether the effort and time spent is worth it. This is -definitely- not.

Well, if the music changes based on the player's actions, then is it really ambient? "of the surrounding area or environment" Plus that's so completely unnecessary!...

Hmm...try playing the game on Master without a cross-hair. It's actually fun again.

You'd think that if they actually stole material, they'd cover their tracks...at least by changing the file names. Then again, someone could easily fake the evidence; has anyone verified it? Not to mention that side quests are pretty much pointless and maps are pretty much empty. No vehicles. You can't customize guns. No huge 22 mile map. And things just aren't that valuable in the game. Yeah, and the AI isn't a living breathing world. Has anyone wondered why the garbage just seems like completely anarchy? (with the same battles happening over and over as bandits spawn). Doesn't seem very realistic to me.

Yeah, except the real reason they didn't put in vehicles is that originally the design called to map out all 22 square miles around the facility. That didn't work out for whatever reason (it kind of pisses me off). So now we just have what amounts to levels. You don't need a vehicle when it takes three minutes to run across the area. Given the original design you would have needed it. There actually would be an ecology if there was all that space. But Oddity's right. There's nothing new here; I just hadn't played the old stuff so of course I was charmed by this incarnation. What took them so long was the original design called for a completely different game. When they realized that was overly ambitious, I suppose they cut back their design and started a new one. I just wish there could be a director's cut with the more ambitious features implemented, but suffice to say I know thats not happening. My hope is just that Stalker inspires the game to live up to its original promises. I like it none the less. I'd give it an 8/10 and I'm even replaying it. It's entertainment.

Oh I had no idea those were poltergeists...I thought they were simply environmental effects

Not that this is a hard find (It's on the Oblivion Lost website) but here is a copy of Roadside Picnic translated: Roadside Picnic I'm actually in the process of reading it.

And saved you some radiation too . Great find. I really enjoyed reading it.

Hmm...final impressions: I got gayed out of a good ending. Mostly because I didn't realize someone I had to meet wasn't actually north in a new area, but south in the first area...which unlocks a huge quest that finishes the game off. Then again, overall it was a pretty neat experience, but I can't help but feel a little disappointed. Its obvious that this game was finished quicker then they wanted. I was disappointed that I never encountered a slew of enemies promised: Where the hell are the: Rodents? I never met them once despite seeing screen-shots of them. Chernobyl Dogs? Evidently they make your gun wildly inaccurate with psychic blasts? Dwarfs? These guys looked like a cool enemy, and I was horribly disappointed that there was never one to be found Umm rats? Never found any of these... Rat Wolves? Neither these. Poltergeist? These looked really cool as well. Never encountered one of these either. It almost feels like they couldn't work out the kinks in these creatures (roughly 40% of the creatures promised) and they just abandoned them altogether. Thus filling all the later dungeons with...? Bloodsuckers. Snorks, and like two controllers that I encountered. Do I have to play a better difficulty or what? And let me add, that later on in the game Bloodsuckers are a joke to face. With the AI system they determine whether or not to run away in the face of danger--which they do when you are carrying the late-game armament. So you run into a room when you hear one, let him saunter up, unload, and then chase him, literally, halfway across the dungeon to off him. Not particularly scary when supposedly the "scariest creature in the game" has his back side to you for an entire level. This game could use an expansion back I might add. End game had virtually no side-quests. Virtually no exploration (there was no treasure hunting like in the other areas really, pretty much nothing to find). What I really like is that Monolith guys I offed in the Chernobyl power plant were dropping locations for treasure in other areas. Really smooth =p, as if I have time or care to go back by that point. The gun systems are pretty balanced until you reach about half-way through. I kind of experienced that eventually you just get a machine gun that you can finish the game off with. And even better, you get a sniper rifle thats silenced, no muzzle flash, and uses the same ammo as that machine gun . The game kind of becomes a sniping game by that point (well you can't survive otherwise really). Especially in the reactor because literally there is -nothing- else you can do. The enemies take 30 bullets to off otherwise, and two bullets will kill you. It felt unbalanced and a real pain. I managed to get through it (to my shitty ending) by throwing grenades and running through hallways while they all scattered. Oh and yeah. Enemies never used grenades... Also Chernobyl is supposed to have a wealth of rare and unseen artifacts. When you are there, guess what you find: the artifacts you can find in the first area. Even though early on you hear talk of "artifacts that can make bullets swerve right past you", there is nothing that cool. In fact that best artifacts you come across you find mid-game. And you don't even need them because they are like "+30 to chemical resistance", and well considering...there really aren't -that- many anomalies to make that even a big deal. You can -avoid- them in the first place. So the artifact is useless. Oh and by that point you already have a suit that makes you 90% resistant to chemicals anyway. Point in being? It was a decent experience. I kind of liked it. Yes I would replay it, but it feels unfinished. This -deserves- a director's cut with new areas, new dungeons (hell yeah, dungeons that you can simply explore, that don't necessarily reflect that main quest), and the monsters that were supposed to be there. Also, I think the game could use some more balance middle to late game (gun wise, etc.), but I could live without it. There just needs to be more side-quests and exploration really. And also a hell of a lot more lore and mini-story lines would flesh out this world nicely. An expansion pack (with director's cut included? )? *edit 10:31* Added some more bitching

As for the appeal of Diablo II, two words: eighth grade. I think that kind of explains a lot of why I was so enamored with it at the time. I think the greatest deterrent from getting "addicted" per se to MMOs for myself was the fact that I can't stay up at all hours of the night. I'm one of those few people (I know, its rare) that actually needs a good night's sleep and can't function without one. If there are those with insomnia, there are those with the opposite extreme, and unfortunately I guess I'm just one of those. I can't sacrifice my sleep for anything, let alone a game . Also, in terms of illusion vs. reality, one is needed to supplant the other. For one to exist, the other must; illusion is a shadow of reality. Thus, if free will is an illusion then there must be real free will. If there is none, then "fake" free will is real free will. Point in being? Don't over-intellectualize.

Be careful about looking at things from a cause and effect angle. There is a lot more going on here then just games, and games are just a facet of that situation. It isn't games that would kill the person--if they stopped playing their problems wouldn't suddenly disappear. They seek escapism for a reason, and if those issues aren't solved, either way, that's whats hurting them; the game is just a tool used to cope. I was thinking: how could one define gaming addiction? When someone is no longer playing for simple pleasure, but rather when someone is playing to alleviate pain. This creates dependancy and is similar to that of drugs--when one stops taking drugs simply for the pleasure of it, but rather to escape from their own life pains. The same goes for the failure of many relationships: when one isn't simply dating someone for the increased enjoyment and love, but rather is dependant on them to fill holes in their life. So, its not the games that kill them. It's themselves. Games aren't some great evil because they can be abused to people can become dependant on them to drive their lives just as alcohol isn't. Anything can be abused. Books wouldn't be evil if some bloke died of exhaustion in his study because he got too absorbed reading the latest Tom Clancy thriller. Thus: social problem, not a gaming problem. Solve the social problem and you solve everything.

That kid is pretty convincing to me, but I have to ask, who the heck is taping him and why? And to destroy the keyboard...that's just too dramatic for me to believe in its legitimacy. I hated MMOs because of obligations (and many players relish obligations to reinforce a role for themselves and a sense of belonging) as well as the time suck they required. The games were just too slow (yeah, I had that kind of time in high school, but certainly not anymore). Maybe your friend should just have gotten into sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Get him a girlfriend though and I'm sure he'll lay off it. Its really the social aspect of the game that is addicting. Many people become dependent on the game to feed their drive for human interaction, but certainly I wouldn't say the game itself is addicting. Actually, if you've played it, its pretty boring (and simple). The only times it's ever good are those shared with friends. I think a lot of people have a grave fear of social interaction, of being judged or unaccepted. A lot of gamers experience this (as they would rather be playing games then playing with their peers). In a way, games can be a release from those expectations; lifting the social burden off of their shoulders. And once dependent on the game to take this away... Hell, I've experienced addiction. I remember those days I took off from school to play Diablo II back in the day (I was still an honors student heh). I never took off for the sole purpose of playing, while rather just to put off school work, but certainly I had rather felt like doing that than interacting socially on weekends with other people. But yeah, my parents had to intervene a few times and give me a stern lecture about balancing things. MUDs are by far the worse though, I would say. They don't merely seek to provide an escape, but to be successful, they seek to completely replace your life with a second one. I played a star wars one for quite some time that features permanent death (caused by other players) and a decent enough role play atmosphere where you felt like you were part of the universe it created. When a character gets permed that you put weeks bringing to life, honestly you feel a tinge of sadness. I always felt close to my characters and their struggles, as if I was interacting in a living, breathing novel. Thats part of the problem, I was. And I know college students that would be logged in constantly, only going afk between classes and for the most part, hanging around their offices or corporate headquarters in game when nothing was going on; simply biding their time for a role-playing opportunity. If you were the head of one of the few engineering companies, you were expected to manage your business and the politics with the Republic (or whomever was in power) nightly. I remember getting calls at two in the morning to log onto my bounty hunter and ice some guy. Granted, I have some fond memories from it, but really, its a bit frightening to realize how many nights I spent absorbed in a fantasy land. Hell, I even wanted to make a Thief themed MUD because I wanted to completely immerse myself in that world. In the end I realized that though it makes for a nice fantasy, fantasy can only be the shadow of real life. For the most part, fantasies help us deal with problems we face everyday and our own struggles--but then perhaps they should stay as fantasies and never actually be pursued (in the case of MUD playing and making). They serve their purpose as a day-dream escape. And that's all I want them to be, nothing more. Also not surprising, most of the players of this particular MUD loved to combine their gaming with drugs. I certainly know many who consistently played WoW while intoxicated or stoned just to make the experience more enjoyable (and to make grinding more enjoyable, certainly). In the end, one could almost see it as a coping tool. I'm a firm believer now that putting yourself out there and enjoying the experiences of youth are far more important than curling up into your shell. You can keep digging yourself a hole, but eventually there's just no further you can keep running away. So what is the addict gene? Gambling addicts are said to actually experience a mix of depression and anxiety when they are not gambling--I find it interesting that addiction isn't simply the desire for pleasure, but most often a desire to alleviate the other extreme. I think the answer lies in fear and how humans deal with it. Its a shame but don't take responsibility for his actions. You see the destruction its causing and that makes you much wiser than he--be there for him, but you have no obligation to intervene. You can only point it out, and leave the rest up to his better judgment.

What I mean by a different art style is a nice way of me saying that they are much more simplistic models then Oddity's. For god's sake, their eyes are dark holes with a white dot in them! I'm sorry, that's harsh. But its honest. Don't even try to tell me they are up to the same quality as the rest of the models. They look like dinosaurs that belong in a 1996 Discovery Channel documentary. They look cartoony (and simplified), not up to the "realism" style that the mod has shown thus far. Thus they look out of place.

Everything looks great...except, well no offense, the belchers. The art style looks amateur in comparison with everything else done, and it just looks out of place.

A gig of RAM is enough for me as well. Don't get your hopes up too much; this isn't the earth-shattering, life changing game you've all been waiting for. Its just entertaining, and any game that I feel excited to play (and finish) is an excellent one in my opinion (I finish so few). I'm savoring every bit of it, taking my time through the side quests as well, and finding my experience to be really enjoyable. It's a game meant to be savored and immersive in that regard. There are things not to like, just as with any material, but its holding my attention and capturing my imagination. (I've logged probably fifteen hours into it so far and I'm not even half-way through). It almost feels like it was designed exactly to appeal to me. Open endedness, but in a partitioned way; I'm easily distracted by side-quests, and a con for one gamer that this might be too linear, in that it steers you back to a storyline with scripted events, is a positive for me. I never finished the Elder Scrolls games because of this. I also like how areas are partitioned because it helps me take the game in bite-sized pieces, rather than being overwhelmed. I love collecting items and customizing them in games, and this game definitely makes you feel like you own the items you do (unique items were a great addition, and treasure hunting is an added bonus!). Its also neat to just hide little queues of weapons around. I love the tactical gunplay, that requires a bit of stealth, even though it can be difficult to "sneak" around per se; you won't be slipping past patrols, but you can sneak up on people. I like how the world isn't just repeated templates, it feels unique. I also like how the game play is escalating and falling in difficulty, a mark of excellent game design; the player never feels too overwhelmed, as with Morrowind, and never really follows a quest path that ends with "You need to probably come back to this later on when you get better equipment...". I also can say that I like the fact that ammunition and other sorts of things aren't so rare. If I get surprised and end up using a few clips more than necessary, I don't sweat it. Sure though, I still get nervous, but I'm not going to open up my last save just to rinse and repeat feeling like "I could have been more conservative right there." I hate games that don't forgive imperfection. The other extreme is awful too. Its a balance. The horror elements are great, and I love the way the game sucks you into the world. But its not too frightening (well nothing can be when you have a machine gun to deal with it), which I like. Enough to send shivers down my spine. I like having limited room in my inventory and having to manage my equipment. Plus I like how the guns are inaccurate. I couldn't believe it when I saw that there was an accuracy mod and gamers that were pissed about the mechanic. It makes the game much more challenging I feel, and makes it so you have to be tactical because often things don't go as planned (there is that element always present that your ideal plan of action can fail due to luck, but mostly due to your fault. You strive to improve yourself and deal with less than ideal situations. The game can be very forgiving in this regard, but still harsh enough to leave you being a bit more careful.) Part of any game that builds up tension is uncertainty; uncertainty that if I go into this fight, I might not make it. Even if I have good weapons, or poor. That nothing is a sure thing and even if I were to aim at that sniper's head, there is a ever-present chance that I won't successfully hit him. And then you have to think; what's my back up plan? Should I get on the rooftop? Should I try to get closer? How can I sneak in there?

I can understand if you are against it. I know that drugs aren't a free ride; as much as you take from it, it still takes something from you. I believe that adults however can take responsibility for their drug use on their own. They understand the dangers and can carefully weigh the benefits and negative effects. Sure, you can look down on them; that's your prerogative. I've dabbled in drug use myself, and for the most part I feel that it did more bad than good for me. That doesn't mean that I feel like those who enjoy a glass of brandy or wine are irresponsible or despicable human beings or that I would never enjoy the same.

Jesus I'm dyslexic. I kept reading it as 1234

I may have run into a problem, and a bug: In the X-18 lab, I can't get the keypad to work. I have the combination. I've checked faqs and strategy guides, but whenever I type it in: nothing. The door just won't open. I tried confirming the code by pressing enter or by hitting the green button. But nothing seems to be working. How did you get the door open?

I figured out how to apply a silencer (and also a scope), but its not so universal as they said it was . Evidently it just couldn't be applied to the pistol I was using. Among neat things: Unique weapons sometimes drop off of enemies. They are upgraded from regular ones and always bring a sort of satisfaction when you acquire one. I got an upgraded silenced mp5, and I think I'm liking it even more than my upgraded AK; it seems to be a lot more accurate, and with the option to fire three bullet bursts and the fact that its quiet, it's very effective. I also found an upgraded riot shot gun, but its a bit heavy. I'm sticking with carrying around my mp5 and my AK for now. I might not even need my silenced pistol; my mp5 just seems to do a better job. (Maybe because it saved me from a bloodsucker encounter too, its become my best friend) Suggestions: Don't accept quests WoW style; the timer runs out faster then you think, not too fast, but faster than I would like. If the time runs out, most often you can just go back to the quest giver and restart it, but this option isn't available if you end a quest before the time has run out, much to my chagrin. Also, don't worry too much about side quests. I think the game does a much better job at balancing the main story line with side quests than Oblivion or Morrowind. With those games I tended to get lost in the side quests and never complete the main one, but in this, the main quest is still a focus, while side quests are nice excursions when convenient.

That's possible. I used to run an average of 5 miles a week. I just feel like his sprint is an all out one, and that's nothing I could comfortably maintain (with 50kg on my back? 110 pounds?) for the distances he can. But you're right, he is a soldier. Its not breaking my immersion. It just felt faster than most first person shooters I'm used to.

Unfortunately they don't use grenades, at least as far as I have seen. I remember being in a situation where I had to create a bottle neck. Although they aren't completely stupid. If you shoot one of their friends in a doorway, they pause and take cover; and when they advance, they try to storm the doorway as a group. Also I thought I picked them all off, and when I walked inside, I started to get shot at from in the dark. So some know better to just wait. I even think I picked up a grenade off an enemy even after my assault though... But then again, the grenades thing doesn't bother me because in a way I acknowledge it would make the game far too difficult, at least at this stage. My only real complaints lie with quest timers (not with the main or important quests). In a way though I can understand their purpose, but it still doesn't mean that I haven't gotten frustrated occasionally. Granted they do give you a healthy amount of time, I just waited too long to turn a few in... Also multi-player was so laggy for me it was rendered unplayable. Not that there were many servers anyway, nor that it is really worthwhile. As for my screen name, its French. Its pronounced like "Hombre-newee"