Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: How did you met your significant other?

« on: April 01, 2013, 07:16:25 pm »

If you want, I can criticize your profile and maybe give you some pointers. Also have you had a look at OKstats? They stopped updating it a long-ass time ago, but there's actually some great advice on making your profile stand out more.


Onling dating shouldn't be like applying for jobs, but a lot of the time it is. Your profile is your resume.

The content of your messages is very important. If they don't stand out in some fashion, they're not getting responded to. People latch on the the dumbest shit sometimes.

Really, if you have to sell yourself on merits such as appearance or income, isn't it a vain relationship? I can understand income to a degree, especially if you're talking about settling down and starting a family; but appearances can't be helped. People are going to look like whatever their genes dictate. A lasting relationship should boil down to chemistry.

In my experience at least, I'm far more attracted to someone if there's chemistry involved, even if there wasn't a sense of physical attraction there initially.

I don't understand these people who hold the attitude that physical attraction makes or breaks a relationship. If you commit yourself to a relationship because of a strong physical attraction, what are you going to do if your partner is disfigured in an accident or becomes grossly hideous as a result of some sort of illness? What about aging? One way or another, beauty fades.

That was actually kinda my point, I don't know if you were disagreeing with me or further exploring the concept, but yeah, you're absolutely correct. I was trying to convey that there's a lot more to it than just the obvious/typical reasons that people cite for being less-than-lucky with relationships and such; so, me being a chubby broke loser, with nothing to, in the traditional sense "offer" aside from being a silly ass, there's clearly something more to it.

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Gaming Discussion / Re: Games with just ONE problem that keeps you from enjoying it

« on: March 16, 2013, 02:46:49 pm »

Dimahoo lets you, in lieu of blowing shit up, charge for a larger attack. This also functions to change your ship/shot color which acts like ikaruga lite - Same colored shots don't kill you, but lower your power, and your magic shots won't damage same-colored enemies.

Aside from the end of the game being extremely cheap, its one of the better CPS2 shootemups out there. Fantastic presentation and sound.


Kingdom Grandprix adds a racing element, where you can give yourself a speed boost, but you can't do this and fire at the same time. However in this case, it just makes the game harder, and doesn't add much strategy since you need to be accelerating for *most of the stage* if you want to place 1st.

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Gaming Discussion / Re: The 8 bit through 16 bit era

« on: March 16, 2013, 01:25:48 pm »

Hm. That wasn't quite my intent to convey that, so much as that 4th wll breakage doesn't actually diminish the quality of a game unless you just hate that as a function. Which I don't. Realism can be good, but often the attempts at realism fail pretty miserably; just aren't all that realistic.

 In a roundabout way, my sentiment stems from the notion that, if you remove the HUD, and give visual cues as opposed to more abstract representations of condition and other game statuses (showing, rather than telling.) it's just another mechanic, and can work pretty well under certain circumstances. However, the type of game you're trying to play/make should determine  how you approach the issue. A very fast-paced game should have a way to quickly tell you how you're doing - Be it a life bar, a hit-point counter.... Something as sensory/visceral as visible battle damage is nice, and may assist in suspension of disbelief, but it's also a much less direct way of addressing the subject - slower and without some obvious physical feedback, like disabling certain game functions while injured, is no more arbitrary than a lifebar or HP counter. And in cases where the visual detail is limited, can be burdensome on the devs. Ghouls and Ghosts handles it elegantly, but it's part of the protagonist's character that he isn't particularly resilient, unlike say Megaman, which within the restrictions of the system, or even modern, self-imposed restrictions-,damage would be not only difficult to convey without a lifebar, but also a total waste of time for the developer(s), for comparatively little benefit to the overall game experience - if any at all given how patently subjective the reception to such features will be.

But maybe I don't *always* want to suspend disbelief?
I don't play chess and visualize it as being an abstraction of a real battle. Chess is chess. It's a game. It's a great game. I suck at it.

Of course, chess doesn't have life bars. The mechanics are such that it doesn't *need* them since the condition of a given piece is absolute - it's either there or dead.


Immersion is great, immersion is good. i love immersion, atmosphere, etc. but, the 'metagame' can be just as fun as the game-game, and is often so well-ingrained that it doesn't occur to me that the lifebar, and a more literal representation of damage aren't the same thing.

Is it done to death? yes, but doing something new and different just to be new and different, while novel, isn't going to do much to improve the actual experience, IMO. And in most cases, is going to be just as arbitrary as a lifebar.


Banner Saga: Factions handled the subject of health and injury well - A character's current health is not only an indication of how close to death they are, but also how well they perform in a very direct and meaningful fashion - 1 health equates to 1 damage, 17 health equates to 17 damage. The numbers are small enough to where in some cases, having a difference of one health can make or break a strategy and totally alter the way you approach  a given set of conditions. Armor is handled similarly, and if a character has health lower than the targets armor, they incur a penalty in the form of a chance to miss. Is it numerical? Yes. Is it sensorily immersive? Not particularly, but it works, and gives you a more direct sense of injury, even without more literal depictions of the damage.

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General Discussion / Re: Tabletop Gaming - Online Play & Zombies

« on: March 16, 2013, 10:30:17 am »

You want a tabletop RPG without turn based or dice mechanics?


...


Ditch the tabletop and go LARPing.

Now, if you simply want to minimize the impact these mechanics have, use a system other than D&D. I'm personally very fond of the mechanics in the Traveller system, which is a pretty 'rules light' system for gameplay and combat, and could be easily adapted to fit into any setting. Character generation takes 10 minutes if you're creative and have a good GM.


while I ahven't palyed Outbreak : Undead, I have played Outbreak and it is a *ton* of fun, provided you don't mind failing.

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Gaming Discussion / Re: The 8 bit through 16 bit era

« on: March 15, 2013, 09:59:33 pm »

Realism is overrated. Give me 4th wall breakage any day.

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General Discussion / Re: How did you met your significant other?

« on: March 08, 2013, 01:29:37 pm »

I used an Internet dating website that is no longer as awesome as it once was. A lot of dudes seemed to have problems with it, but I had more incoming messages than outgoing. Shit, I'm not even that good looking, and I rather doubt it was my personality or taste. I don't make gobs of cash and I'm overweight. So if I can do it, there's no reason anyone else can't.

Been together 6 years and a month, now.



But people can smell desperation from a hundred miles away, come across as desperate and you're forever alone, largely, I think because at that point you're looking for "a girlfriend" rather than meeting someone and being interested in them beyond the fact that you're single and don't want to be.

However, my social life has taken a massive nosedive since we moved in together and that really bums me out sometimes.

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Gaming Discussion / Re: Modern Game Design

« on: March 02, 2013, 04:51:18 pm »

I just want to point out that I read this entire thread, and that it was an enjoyable and zesty discussion, and all the personality flare-ups just made it all the more entertaining. Good points all around. 10/10.

Only thing I really have to add is that the desire for sex is less likely to manifest as sexism than it is to manifest as the actual act of sex.

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General Discussion / Re: What/who are your top 3 favorite bands/musicians?

« on: February 13, 2013, 03:08:12 pm »

Therion and DSO have both played at Progpower, and are some of the best live acts I've ever seen. I know they came though a really short tour of North-through-south America a couple years back, did you happen to catch that?

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Gaming Discussion / Re: Zelda revolutionized? IGN's Brett Phipps speaks about it and Dark Souls.

« on: February 12, 2013, 10:34:28 pm »

I can't think of a phrase that quite encapsulates how badly I want to make fun of you for being enraged by a game's mostly throwaway script. Even if it is even more awkwardly written than it's predecessor.

I actually liked Demon's Souls better. Dark Souls is definitely a more refined experience, - being able to *see* is nice, the controls feel a wee bit more realistic, things feel a lot more balanced, overall better visual and sonic presentation, and the 'gifts' at character creation are a great touch... but there's just something -missing- from it that I can't quite pin down. It definitely feels a lot less isolated (partly due to the fact that if you're in human form, you are going to get invaded within seconds.), rehashes a lot of the same level features, and adds an honestly baffling granularity to some essential elements, like leaving messages, and learning gestures. It also sports a much less intuitive interface that seems to take up a lot more screen space, but that might be subjective. Wish there was a way to shrink it.

And even though Dark's narrative isn't exactly thick, compared to Demon's, it practically clubs you over the head with it. I have a thing for minimalist narrative, especially when there are things that can be shown rather than told. I don't Have very high hopes for dark souls 2.

I could say that it feels more game-y to me, but that doesn't really mean anything.

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Gaming Discussion / Re: Think you have a lot of video games and consoles? Buddy, you ain't got sh*t.

« on: February 10, 2013, 01:03:19 pm »

Man, you're just flabbergasted by humanity in general aren't you? I don't think it that strange that such an extensive collection could be used as a preservation/documentation resource at all. A thorough and pristine trip through the history of a hobby I've been nursing since I was 5? Yes, please.

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Gaming Discussion / Re: Capcom's got another poll, vote for your favorite SF characters!

« on: February 10, 2013, 10:49:30 am »

Skullomania.*


I generally don't bother with polls like these, since my favorite characters/games tend to get neglected pretty hard. and I also don't really see the point.

I'm with Kaio for the most part though, and tend to prefer KoF to SF - though I do really enjoy SF: Alpha 2 and SF4.


*Actually its Gen.

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Gaming Discussion / Re: Games and Categories

« on: February 10, 2013, 10:14:35 am »

Genre classifications are pretty arbitrary. At some point, it will simply fail to accurately describe the object in question.

However inaccurate, the "RPG" label is useful, in that with the exception of genre-bending games anyway, most people will know what you're talking about. the "J" and "W" are further abstractions, but are still useful for the same reason.

Adopting more accurate naming schema is awesome, but often, suggested rebrandings are just as arbitrary (even downright silly) and as they have not gained any measure of mainstream acceptance, are not particularly useful when in casual conversation. Now, if you're having to describe what "RPG" means in terms of video game lingo to someone who isn't familiar with the genre, the genre classification is going to flat-out fail, and you're going to need a fairly extensive description of content and subsystems.

And fuck that noise son, i'm just going to keep calling them RPGs. I also see no real problem with identifying media by the culture that spawned it. (And IMO, this is only a -problem- when its being used in a pejorative fashion. Acknowledging an obvious difference is not the same as negatively discriminating against it.) I could make the argument that games developed in Germany have a distinct cultural identity from one developed in the US, and the difference is marked enough to warrant national or cultural subclassification.

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General Discussion / Re: Windows 8?

« on: February 02, 2013, 09:43:14 am »

So, other than looking like psychedelic square vomit, and being prone to failing at life, what does Windows 8 do that windows 7 doesn't?

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General Discussion / Re: Hi anyone here do some GFX?

« on: February 02, 2013, 09:38:44 am »

I'll be your huckleberry.

What do you need? Where do I sign?

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General Discussion / Re: What/who are your top 3 favorite bands/musicians?

« on: February 01, 2013, 12:28:22 am »

Like most, it's tough for me to narrow it down to just Three. I listen to a pretty broad variety of music, but there are a couple of artist that I have and can continue to rely on to put out music that appeals to me.

Devin Townsend:


I like everything he's ever done, except the first, self-titled SYL album and Ghost. Everything else ranges from Good to Awesome.

The man is capable of articulating an extremely broad range of emotions, and no two of his albums sound the same - so it's pretty hard to characterize his music 'overall' other than so say that he's never content to stagnate as an artist. He's done everything from extreme metal to folksy acoustic, massive symphonic operas about losing one's mind and identity, heavy pop, and even a couple of -noise- albums. It was such an awesome thing when I was first getting into his stuff to have no idea what to expect from the next album, and rarely being disappointed.

a concept album about his own career, casting himself as an egomaniacal hand puppet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5BqyluKkk0

Also puts on a damn fine live show.

Tom Waits:

Hard to find words to describe the man and his music. It's dark, explores themes of human depravity and greed, then presents the whole package with a grin, like it's a carnival sideshow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxB4GqYM0T4

Ihsahn.


Black metal.
Soft spoken in interviews., a burning font of talent and misanthropy. Though many folks think of Emperor's Nightside Eclpise as the pinnacle of his output, I think that couldn't be further from the truth. The guy has been honing his craft for a long time, and it shows. The arrangements are -mindfully- aggressive, no brainless fist-pumping Pantera shit here. I like everything he's been involved with - Emperor, his solo work, and even the much more electronically driven Peccatum.


Honorable Mentions:
David Bowie, Nick Cave, Pocrcupine Tree (nice to see lots of fans around here.) Clutch, Skyclad, Primordial, Symphony X, Immortal, The Lord Weird Slough Feg, Woven Hand, Type O Negative.


@Kamikaze, I see you've mentioned The Sword. I disagree about their first album being their worst; I think it's their best. Everything down to the production is superior. It's just this vast and thunderous beast that hits like a truck. Gods of the Earth is good, but I thought warp riders was pretty weak all around. Too..I dunno...Angular? I might be biased though; I got a copy of the album from the band for 5 bucks before the album was officially released. A "DO NOT RESELL" promo copy! Not worth a dime, but still cool that that they let me get the album before I was supposed to. (I WAS THERE FIIIIIiiiIRST! NYAH NYAH!)

 Other than that, yeah everything else on your list is pretty solid. If you want something similar to DSO, try Unexpect, Ayin Aleph, Madder Mortem, Hazmat Modine. None of them are quite "similar" at all, but fit into the vein of honestly unusual music.

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Gaming Discussion / Re: Help getting PS2 Slim to recognize external HDD

« on: January 26, 2013, 06:12:51 pm »

AFAIK, PS1 games can't be played using any HDloaders.

Also, be careful when taking advantage of some features. I actually busted my mcboot by doing a controller reset. (rare, but documented.)

I have everything I need to redo it, but I'm feeling extremely lazy about it.

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Gaming Discussion / Re: Victoly!

« on: January 26, 2013, 06:06:05 pm »

Demons Souls.

While I think a lot of the extremely glowing praise is slightly less than deserved, I actually felt compelled to finish the game and thoroughly enjoyed it

What I didn't like:
There are some genuinely cheap obstacles that required genuinely cheap tactics to overcome. Blue/red Dragons and Storm King, and Armor Spider are the most immediate examples. With the dragons - you're stuck with spamming arrows from a safe location until they drop. Having invested very little in ranged combat, this turned out to be nothing short of a chore. Had to grind for ore to forge a decent bow to make it even possible. Storm King is damn near impossible unless you hide in the ruined house - Where he becomes a complete joke. Armor spider ended up just being a war of attrition.

A couple of bosses could have used fewer HP - not to reduce their difficulty or tension, but once you established an easy-to-repeat pattern to take it down, there wasn't much point in having to do it 20-30 times.


Also the camera in narrow corridors. Terrible.

But really, that's all I can complain about. Everything else ranged from totally awesome to decently enjoyable.

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General Discussion / Re: Your preferred pizza toppings?

« on: January 26, 2013, 11:55:12 am »

Kinda surprising to see so many regulars being from the southern US.

Not like there is much else to do around here. I fortunately live close enough to Atlanta where I don't have to deal with some of the most astoundingly backwards idiocy, but far away enough from it to still be reminded of its existence on a near daily basis.

If I weren't so certain that it would end in murder, I would suggest some kind of meetup.

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General Discussion / Re: Your preferred pizza toppings?

« on: January 24, 2013, 04:01:46 pm »

   I had read that as AUTISM.

I thought he was implying either Bregalad or Granz was autistic.

Oh man, I almost wish I had, but no, I'm trying to cut back on the trolling and be a less horrible person overall.

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General Discussion / Re: Your preferred pizza toppings?

« on: January 24, 2013, 01:24:35 pm »

I'm saving that picture.

Any time I think about eating, I'm going to look at that picture. And lose my appetite.

@Bregalad - Altruism isn't really that offensive unless you're like a huge Ayn Rand fanboy.