I picked Fighter Maker last night for the PlayStation--much potential, although I don't have the time to invest in order to create a full-fledged martial art for it. Sad, really. I'm planning on creating a Drunken Fist style, but it would take me like, 30 frames of animation for each move, each frame taking about 3 hours to make... Maybe I'll design a basic stance tonight--by the time Christmas rolls around, who knows? Maybe I'll have a punch or two designed, as well... It really is a neat game--you should look into it.

By Who yo Daddy? (Sol) on Unrecorded Date:

I saw a lot of news about Fighter Maker. But that is the thing... it takes a LONG time to make your fighter do much of anything. I wonder if the programmers said, "we have it rough and no one knows it... if they don't like it, they can do it themselves!"

Heh heh

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Yeah, I was up until 2am again last night. I started working on me fighter--tried to make a Drunken Fist style. Took 30 frames of animation, but I got a really kewl-looking stance. That's all I did, tho--a starting stance. I was so overjoyed (especially since my friend, Jon, said it was a pain to do his guy's stance, and it was only 3 frames). Oh, yeah, background history--I was at Jon's house, 'cuz I'm letting him borrow it... So, anyway, when I tried to save what I had done, ALL OF JOHN'S MEMORY CARDS WERE FULL!!!

I had to delete all 2 hours of my work...

Then I played Age Of Empires with John, & killed many war-elephants... L8R!

PS-I'm tired.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

I've been playing GT2 alot lately. It's kewl. I have 6 cars. Right now, I'm doing research on creating the best possible Rally car to do the off-road races. I haven't found it yet, but I DID manage to win most of the rally circuit with my blue Porsche 959. I slapped some dirt-tires on it, of course, and then proceeded to beat the snot outta the sub-standard rally cars pitted against me. Oh, well. L8R!

By THE ALL POWERFULL (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

So GF hows the STorm going for you?

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

I sold it. It sucked. My porsche can do anything--road races, rally races, all classes--I even got it to place an overall 3rd on that international circuit (5 races at 5 laps each) against nothing but fully-modified racing super machines.

If the game allowed that particular car to be race modified, I would be able to win with it--but since it doesn't, I can't squeeze the proper downforce out of it. Oh, well. I'm currently looking for another supercar to race modify and try out. Mebbe I'll look at Jaguars... ;>

By THE ALL POWERFULL (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Cool, how about a Mclaren F1?

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

That would be Honda, my mortal enemy, right? ;> Maybe I'll look at the Ford GT1's or even the Alfa Romeo's... I gotta get some time to play it tonight, tho.

By THE ALL POWERFULL (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Acctually the Mclaern F1 is a car made by the Mclaren Corp. if they have ties to Handa I don't know. The car itself is the fastest street legal car in the world able to reach 220 MPH. The drawback to this beuty of a machine is the $500,000 price tag.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Price would be no issue in the game--if they had McLarens, that is. If you watch any Grand Prix racing circuits, you'd know that team Benetton races their green/white McLaren/HONDAS--and does farily well for themselves. I agree that McLaren is a slick ride--but we're dealing with touring cars here, not Grand Prix-style racers. Sorry.

By THE ALL POWERFULL (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

GF the F1 is not an F1 racer it's a street machine built like the Storm you had before.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Oh. Anyway, it doesn't matter--I was racing last night, and entered a bunch of the tougher courses, and won some really awesome cars--the kinds that are listed in the 'special models' with no price-tags--so I was all happy, and I saved the game. After I saved it, my cars mysteriously ALL went away. The garage screen said N/A. NO! however, the car I was in, the RUF (porsche) was named in the bottom corner--so I could race with it, but it wasn't listed in the garage... So I had like, a million and a half, so I bought it again & modified it again, and got in it again--but then the car listed in the bottom corner said 'No Name' but I could still race with it. I don't know what happened. I'm still on day 366, only now I'm down to 300,000 dollars. All the races I've won were saved--just the cars went away. NO! well, L8R.

By THE ALL POWERFULL (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

I finally ejected the Gran Turismo disc from my Playstation (Burned my fingers a bit, note to self let discs sit before removal.) Anyway I picked up one of my ancient games called 'Space Griffon' it's a cool mixture of anime and roleplaying (although X says there are no roleplaying videogames). The basic premise is that you are the rookie member of a 'cleaner' team and when a disaster occurs on the moon base you are sent in to clean up the mess. The enemies range from security drones to biomech monsters. The really cool part is that you are in a battle suit that transforms into three forms combat, assault and cruise. Cool game if you have the patients for some repetitivness in levels and lack of numerous monsters (although with the monsters in this game it;s ok.) Oh, and the roleplaying aspect is that as you defeat enemies you gain experience that increases your reaction time, ie you can fire you weapons more rapidly.

By Funk Sol Brother (Sol) on Unrecorded Date:

Sounds excellent! Knight, if U are looking for a buyer for your old playstation (I know PS2 approaches...!) please keep good ol' Sol in mind. Choufie! I hear also that they are coming out with a playstation game for Battle Angel. Sweet! The Sky City of Zalem adorns my desktop...

By I get the last laugh (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

The only thing is they may not release the game here in the states.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

I've been playing alot of Baldur's Gate recently. I currently have a mage/thief who's level 4/5, and has lots of kewl magical stuff, like the robe of the archmagi, a short sword +3 which increases the damage of a backstab, a cloak which lets the wearer transform into a wolf at will, a ring of wizardry (doubles first level spells you can memorize), boots of stealth, a ring of animal friendship, bracers of weapons mastery (increases thaco, allows use of all weapons as if specialized), and an amulet of protection +1. AC is -2, I think 16 HP (not bad, for the average of 4d4 & 5d6. Maximum would be 23--27 with the CON bonus).

I also have an NPC in the party who's really awesome. His name is Minsc, and he's a ranger who's been hit on the head a few too many times, resulting in him becoming a berserker. His animal familiar is a miniature giant space-hampster named Boo. He's the sworn protector of a female mage named Dynaheir, also an NPC party-member, and if she ever dies in combat he screams out in anguish, yelling that he'll avenge her death, and immediately goes into a berserker rage and starts killing everything. His species enemy is gnolls. I gave him a throwing axe +3 (which doubles as a melee weapon), a longsword +3, +2 cold damage, full plate mail, a shield +1, a ring of free action, and gauntlets of dexterity. His AC is -6, strength is 18(95). He says stuff like "Butt-kicking for goodness!" and "Full plate, and packing steel!" He's got a war-cry that's awesome: "Go for the eyes, Boo! Go for the EYES! RRrrruuuussssk!!!" If you put him in the leader's position, he says, "Magic is impressive, but now, Minsc leads... Swords for Everyone!" He kicks A$$! L8R.

By I get the last laugh (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

I just picked up the recently released Forcr Commander. It's hard think Warcraft, Starcraft, and Total Annihilation. You play the role of the older of two brothers in the service of the Empire fighting the Rebellion. Missions occure on Tatooine just before and during the first movie. Yavin after the loss of the Death Star, The battle of Hoth (Yes I was the commander of that epic battle-I also lost Vader on my first try). Endor before the Rebels now about hte Death Star (Yes the only enemies were Ewoks-IEEEEYYYAAAA-Ewok death scream-AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-my maniacal laughter) and other places in the Star Wars Universe. I'm only on mission 9 I think but is definetlly a cool game and the wait was worth it.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Starcraft is addictive... It's like frickin' heroine. (Dr. Evil-esque finger in mouth). Must... Play... Resist... Temptation... AAAAAaaaarrrrrrrrgggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!! (I'll play it at lunch-time)...

By Bryan Cummings (Houdini) on Unrecorded Date:

Foolish Mortal Earthlings! Nothing stops the Zerg!

=)

The multiplayer AI is tough on Starcraft, but it is awesome and it runs on Windows NT.

I hope when Blizzard releases Warcraft III this summer it too will also run on Windows NT. What better reason to stay at work after hours then to play multiplayer Starcraft with your co-workers?

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

I stop the zerg ALL THE TIME! You just need to know how to play the Terrans, is all... ;>

By Funk Sol Brother (Sol) on Unrecorded Date:

WarCraft III, I think, is supposed to be a lot of RPG - an interesting departure from the original formula - mistake or genius? Only Time shall Tell.

Sol

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Are you counting Brood War as Starcraft 2?

By Bryan Cummings (Houdini) on Unrecorded Date:

No-no. He's talking about Warcraft III. The thrid generation of Blizzard's very cool battle simulation game Warcraft.

In Warcraft I and II. Its humans versus the Orkish Hords. Same basic gaming rules/conventions apply just like Starcraft.

You gather resources (in this case: oil, gold and lumber) to build up your army, the you fight that army against your enemy(s) army(s).

Mages, Paladins, Eleven Archers, Human Soldiers and Dwares VS Death Knights, Orks, Goblins, and my favorite Ogre Mages. Lots of fun. Warcraft II is
awesome. I highly recommend it.

By Naughty God (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

I love playing Starcraft just for the shear joy of annoying my units. The things they say are hilarious.

Zerg hard HAH! Ya just need to set up three bunkers at each access route along with two missle towers and your set.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Eleven archers? As opposed to twelve or thirteen archers? ;>

I know Warcraft. In my zealous haste, I mistakenly replaced the 'W' with a 'ST'. OOPSIE. I knew Warcraft III was coming out. There's another one, called Warcraft Tales, about an orc who was raised by a human to be the ultimate warrior. Looks like a kewl game, not 3D rendered, but animated like an awesome cartoon (not like Speedracer, more like Aladdin). Looks wild.

By Naughty God (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

I just read on the Lucas Arts web site about a new game. It's called Star Wars Demolition. Take Twisted Metal and use Star Wars vehicles, Staps, Battle Tanks, AT-ST's, and even a Rancor. Due out this fall.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Interplay, 14 degrees East, and Paramount have created a masterpiece: Starfleet Command. If any of you have ever played the old board game, Starfleet Battles--this is it for the computer. You have the option to play one of six races: Federation, Klingon, Romulan, Gorn, Hydran, or Lyran; and may command up to 3 starships in your fleet. You can play in early, middle, or late technology eras (none, however, go as far as TNG. Think of the original series, up to and including movie #6 where the Enterprise was de-commissioned) Multiplayer mode allows up to 6 players to go head-to-head to see who's the greatest commander of all! Choosing the right ship for the job doesn't hurt, either. A must-see. Go buy it (like Damien and Jon and me. AWESOME fun!) L8R! ;>

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Play Star Trek: Armada. It's Starcraft/Warcraft meets Star Trek: TNG. Technology level is that of First Contact, with Federation Sovereign class and Defiant class ships, Borg Cubes, Klingon BattleCruisers, and Romulan Warbirds... Essentially, you choose one of the 4 races, build up your forces/fleet, and whoop up on the other guys. Each race has it's own plotline, like Starcraft, and starts with Federation, moves to Klingon, then Romulan, and Finally Borg. Picard, Worf, Data, LaForge, Locutus, and several other well-known individuals from TNG/DS9 universe are depicted, and I think Patrick Stewart may have actually done the voice-work in this game (Picard sounds exactly the same--although Worf sounds different). It might be a voice impressionist, though. I dunno. Get the game. Play the game. Love the game. Great graphics, smooth gameplay, multiple perspectives, including cinematic, and nifty animations. I give it 2 thumbs and 2 big toes up, so go on out and get it!

*requires a minimum 200MHz processor and 3DFX compatible video card, with at least 4MB of VRAM, also 64MB RAM and 600MB HD space. Also at least 16x CDROM or something...

By Naughty God (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

For those interested (GF especially) Star Trek Star Fleet Command 2 is set to be released in November, Vampire the masquarade should be out on the 6 of June if I remember correctly. I'll try and get more from work on Sat.

By Naughty God (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Star Fleet Command Gold was just released. it includes new missions for all the races including 10 new ones for the Hydrans. Diablo 2 is coming out on the 30th.

I picked up Star Trek Armada on Sat. and was up until 2:30 that night playing it. It rocks, right now I'm done with the Federation and Klingon missions and halfway done with the Romulan missions. Can't wait to be the Borg. By the way if you look in the credits it is Micheal Dorn doing the voice of Worf and also Denise Crosby reprising her roll as Tasha Yars half Romulan Daughter Sela.

I also give it two big toes up.

By Naughty God (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

I finished Armada last night and started Vampire: The Masqurade: Redemtion. It is a good looking game. It's an RPG using the White Wolf rules and you play a Holy Knight who is embraced. The game takes place in Medievil Prague and Vienna and then goes to present day London and New York. The graphics and great and the controls are easy to get used to. I highly recommed it for any role player. I picked up the collecter's edition which includes a mini hint guide (only covers up to the first boss), a hardcover edition of The Book of Nod, and a Camerilla pendant.

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Doesn't look like anyone looks in here anymore but oh well. For those of you who do, I picked up Starship Troopers on Tuesday and when I finally got it to play I loved what I saw. It's a lot like starcraft, warcraft, and the like. The only difference is is that you only have a set number of units under your command. I have yet to lose a trooper to the bugs. Missions range from search and destroy to escort. I recommend it.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Kewl.

I still look in here.

:(

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Nobody posts in here. If they did I'd look =)

Anyone hear about that game "Bouncer"? I heard Tetsuya Nomura did the character design. I haven't even had a chance to look for it yet. Anyone else get to review it?

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

It's not out yet but should be soon I think. I'll have to check at work next weekend. From all accounts it is a good game the graphics are top rate and all that. Personally I don't believe in the PS2 and am have lots o' fun with my computer and Dreamcast.

"Sometimes a little violence is needed to grease the wheels of negotiation."

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Anybody played Starship Titanic? I could use a little help, it's a cool game and all (it's funny as hell too), but I'm not all that good at solving those damn puzzles. Right now in the game I'm trying to upgrade my status to second class and I have no idea what I'm doing.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Can't help ya Nat, Sorry.

Does anybody know how to unlock the last weapon for all the different characters in Soul Edge (the first one) on Playstation? I dug out my old memory card, and like, 90% of the game is unlocked, but like, none of my characters have "the ultimate weapon". Someone told me once that after beating Edge Master Mode, you need to go through it again, and the ultimate weapon will randomly appear at one of the stages. Last night, I chose Hwang, and completed Edge Master mode 3 times in a row, in order, undefeated.

Nothing happened. I gave up and turned the machine off, then went to bed. Any ideas? Thanx.

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Maybe you need to dance around your playstation naked while chanting mantras. works for me =)

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

What the person told you was true, what they didn't tell you was that you don't start over you continue the game you beat is that the sword appears at a random place so what you have to do is complete the mode and then go back to the last fight area and fight again. Usually the sword starts there, you can tell because if you win your character will do a victory pose, if you lose and the sword was there it moves to a new location and your character will do a defeat pose. Usually the sword doesn't travel very far. Just keep trying and you'll get it. By the way have you gotten the super secret character?

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Han Myong? Seung Mi Na's daddy? Yes. Too bad he can't get more weapons... :(

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

We all know how Fred likes his toys.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

So like, how many times do you need to replay the final stage? I did this last night, and still no weapon... Me so sad. Me try again tonight.

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Not just the final stage try the ones around it as well.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

There are like, 3. You talking about on the final page of the map? (Europe/greece/italy)?

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Yes. Generally the sword starts around there and CAN however rarely in my expierience travel beyond them.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Never give Damien the Sniper Rifle in ANY type of Half-Life or Counterstrike game. He WILL kill you with it if he gets it. Even from far, far away, before you can even see him. It kinda sucks for those of us who are devotees of the assault-rifle SMG combo (I'm talking about the Firearms expansion for Counterstrike here, people). ;> L8R!

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

And likewise never ever feed Fred tacos =)

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

And I quote.."Ooh there's sombodies head." Bang. "What the hell." "Oh sorry Fred."

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

I started playing MechWarrior 4 and came to the realization that my two button joystick was no longer adaquit for the job. So I went to my place of employment and bought a new one, I got a sidewinder force feedback 2. This thing is BIG, and because of the level of feedback it requires its own power supply. Yes I have yet another powersocket filled. But it is cool I no longer use the keyboard for MechWarrior except to issue orders and I rarely have to do that.

By Bryan Cummings (Houdini) on Unrecorded Date:

I installed Unreal Gold last night. A cool game and since it is somewhat older now, it only costs $9! Not a bad 1st person/frag everyone shooter.

Not as good as half-life, but the internet play was pretty good. Next purchase for me is everquest..

-Bryan

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Unreal didn't have the story of half-life but in my opinion the AI and the graphics were better in Unreal. Also Unreal Tournement has been the Quake killer everyone has been looking for.

Now for something else. I started playing and am hooked on an old PS game called Xenogears. What makes it awsome is the fact that the cut scenes are anime of the highest quality. The story is good and all that but it was the cut scenes that got me. It's made by Square Soft so it kinda plays like the FF series with one difference. No, I wasn't gonna say the cut scenes, it's the combat system. Instead of simply choosing to attack, you choose to attack and then choise from three attack patterns. Punch, Kick, and heavy kick. As long as you have enough points to do a combo you can set up a chain attack. It's really cool.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

I have been playing many insane hours of Age Of Empires II: Age of Kings. My eyeballs are falling out. When I close my eyes, I see little villagers chopping down trees and mining gold/stone and farming, and different troops marching around, killing the enemy strongholds, burning villages, raping the horses, riding off on the women... No wait... Ummm... Goodnight! ;>

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Is that one of those cool world conquest games that evolved from "civilization"? Can I borrow it? I was thinking about paying u a visit this sunday afternoon-ish.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

I don't think it evolved from civilization, since it only examines a small slice of what civ is capable of. In super-great, very high detail, and on a much smaller scale. You don't deal with a world, just a board. HOWEVER there are sequences of boards stacked end-to-end and as you complete them you move on. Those are called campaigns. Largely, though, it's not so much about winning through commerce as it is winning through conquest. Actually, there are 3 ways to win a "standard" scenario:

1: collect all the relics on the board and hold them inside your temple for 200 game years.

2: build a wonder and protect it from destruction for 200 game years.

3: wipe snot outta all your enemies so there is no-one left to challenge you god-like power.

I prefer the third method.

There are also other kewl scenarios like regicide, where every player starts out with a castle and a king to put in it, and the way you win is by killing your enemy's king (I'm good at this one). Anyway, I've hogged too much time already. L8R!

(Nat, you can stop by anytime-just call first so we know to expect you).

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

I've been poking around the web and found an article that pleased me.

Nintendo is going to be producing Super Metroid 4 for their upcoming Nintendo Gamecube. It will be in 3D of course.

YAY!!!! I love metroid- so I guess that means I'll hafta buy a gamecube...

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

get in line Nat. Right now there are hundreds of reserves for the system already.

So I've spent the last week playing a new game called "Clive Barker's Undying." It brings new meaning to creepyness in the fact that you walk through a door and start to shoot the enemy in front of you, and wham you get attacked by the enemy that followed you in. But beyond that the way the enemies atack you and the general story line make it really creepy. I jumped, and/or screamed more than once.

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

I like spooky stuff. I hafta get more games for my PC, I don't have enough.

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Okay guys, I got some questions for y'all about gaming. Post your replies here, maybe it'll stimulate some conversation =)

What is it about a game that keeps you playing it? I'm asking because my boss and I are brainstorming for a 3D game we will develop once we have the financial backing- it will either be an isometric or 3rd person 3D action/rpg. So please answer the following questions with as much detail as you can- please do this as a favor to me.

1) List your favorite games and list exactly what it is about each game that you really enjoyed.

2) In an action game would you prefer a linear plot, or one that could change based on your actions? Maybe even have multiple endings?

3) What is more important to you in a game- a good plot and character deveopment, or plenty of weapons, combat and gore? Or both?

4) What are the worst games you've played and why did they suck?

5) Out of all the games you've played which ones do you find yourself STILL playing over again even after beating the game?

6) Which games do you think have the best user interface for combat, items and character control?

7) If you only like shooter action games, what is it about other types of games that turns you off? Likewise if you prefer a different type of game (rpg, puzzle, strategy, arcade, sports, etc.)

8) In your opinion, which of the games you've played are the most unique and innovative? Why?

9) What do you feel is lacking in games today? What features and elements would you like to see in upcomming games that the present ones don't have?

10) Which games do you think are cheezy or cliche?

11) Do you prefer game characters that you can personally relate to (ex: Cloud, Squall, Leisure Suit Larry- or whoever) or characters who are what people can only dream of being- or dating (ex: Lara Croft, Duke Nukem)?

12) In most games the player is limited to using one lead character, while the other characters just follow the leader and lend a hand in combat. Would being able to use the other characters just as you would the main character help gameplay? Or would it make things worse by complicating things?

I'll have more questions and post them later- but for now that's all. Think about it and post your answers.

Thanx!

By Margravine (Ranger) on Unrecorded Date:

I own two games one is Fallout 2 the other is Hell Fire. I don't think I'm game geeky enough to cover your whole survey but ...

I liked Fallout and 2 - beat the first in the middle of the second. I might go back and play different types of characters if I ever go back. In Hell Fire I've only been playing a couple of days - no opinion yet. I like the complexity of the plot in Fallout(s) but I don't like that there is only one way to go, good, bad, or indiffernet, it's a one goal game.

I also liked Dune. Good strategy game, several options for character types, lots of stuff going on.

On the whole I think I'd like a plot that is changable. There can be a goal or goals, but not necessarily achieved by going A B C. What if I went to Q first, what then?

I like plots and characters more than body counts. I also like games that give a female option without cheesecake, or treat female gamers like alien creatures.

I have a very simple mind, I don't like a lot of bells and whistles usually, but as options rather than part of the standard package - like directing a team rather that an individual - might be worth looking at.

And characters are just that. I have no sentimentality for roll ups on a computer game. With them its a - aw, hell time to reroll - attitude. I couldn't care less who or what they are, buff, slinky, what have you. I just want a non first person perspective. I don't want to be the character, I want to see him on the screen, if you understand my meaning.

Thats the best I can do. Now off to create some meyhem.

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Thanx =)

Now, I know Faye isn't the only one reading this conference... How 'bout you Bry? Fred? Daddy Sol? Anyone else care to help good 'ol Nat with the questionare? Anyone?

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

I like games where you must out-think your opponent in order to win, whether it be the computer or another human. Beating a computer is easy, it's the human element that grants a challenge. The reasons I return to a particular game and keep playing it, even after I'm done? Well, usually I will play a single-player version of a game until I win, kinda like training, and then I go online against people and challenge myself that way. So, I guess I lean more toward multiplayer type things.

First-person perspective or not? Hmmm... Depends on the story. If the player is an individual up against the whole world, and you wanna make a shooter-type, possibly multiplayer virtual experience, you really need 1st person perspective. Games like Tomb Raider, with an over-the-shoulder perspective can be fun too, but there should be an option to be able to switch camera views.

I tend to get attached to characters, if there is even the slightest bit of development given them. I get especially attached if the character is one I created, like for Diablo 2 or Baldur's Gate. Both of those games are 3rd-person god-esque perspective, and have a multiplayer option. Both of those games have a set plot, but Baldur's Gate allows you to obtain your goals however you wish. It uses a unique reputation system, so the gameplay is actually freer than most others out there, but there is an in-game consequence to running around killing innocent townsfolk and stealing your beers, etc. The AI starts to hate you...

hmmm... cheezy games? Anything cute and fluffy where there's no real kill factor or intricate problem-solving. I didn't like Mario Bros. for example. Also, anything where the objective is like "make friends with the world". While a good concept, it is unrealistic and holds no interest for me. I like dark games, where the goal is grandiose: Save the world. Kill the demons. foil the plot by the government to release an alien-spawned virus into the populace. You know, epic heroic stuff.

I like empire-builder games where you must use all your resources wisely or be defeated. Nothing too complex, but also not as simple as, say, SimCity. I like Starcraft, Age of Empires, Command & Conquer, things like that...

Tis all for now, I must go eat dinner. L8R!

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

What do I like? Well let's see, I enjoy space flight simulators, Real time strategy, RPG, fighting, FPS. Really I enjoy anything that will keep my intrest for the duration of the game.

Like GF I tend to get attached to the character if it is my character or if deveopment occurs. So now you say "Ok, so what does that mean?" It means that if I create the character, as with RPG's I hate to see the character die. Usualy this does not occur with a FPS because there is no development, you simply walk around shooting things.

Story wise I like to have a type where the story is not completely linear but you also don't have to do everything to finish. Such as that if you go to point Q instead of point A you can still finish the game.

As for games I keep playing (get a pencil there will be a test afterward) I will tell you what type of game it is after the title. Freespace 1&2(fs), Wing Commander: Prophecy(FS), Total Annhiliation(RTS), Star Craft(RTS), Drakan(TPA), Aliens vs Predator(FSP), Star Wars: Rebellion(RTS), Undying(FPS), Star Trek Voyeger: Elite Force(FPS), Nocturne(TPS), Rune(TPA), and many more.

One thing I did like about Star Trek Deep Space Nine: The Fallen, was that you played as either Worf, Sisko, or Kira. The thing is though is that they each have their own branch of the story line and you have to play all of them to get the whole story.

Nat if you have any other questions at all E-mail me. I mean I work in a video game software store, and I play games everyday in my free time, although Baldur's Gate 2 is eating me alive.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

I never finished the first one...
I never got the expansion for it...
I wanted to get Icewind Dale, but now 2 is out...
>sigh<
And my crappy laptop doesn't play half the games I want it to...
Oh well...

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Ice wind dale 2 does not exist GF, it's an expansion.

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

I'm waiting for ff9 to come out for PC. Anyone get a chance to play it? I saw some screen captures from the cut scenes and it ruled. I must own a copy.

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

I'll look into it but as of the last time I checked there was no PC version planned.

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Awwwww...

*pout*

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

I know.
I'm just sayin they's producing sequels faster than I can buy 'em/solve 'em.
I guess that just means I can get 'em cheaper later. ;>

By Bryan Cummings (Houdini) on Unrecorded Date:

The way I see it, you have maybe one or two very good gaming titles in a year. All the rest are fluff. Most of what is produced is mediocre at best and not worth my time or money.

So in my view, it doesn't pay to buy a new pc/mac/console gaming release the first day it hits the shelf.

If you wait to buy it you get two advantages:

1. You get time check the gaming release against the "word of mouth" of others. They have in effect reviewed the game for you and can tell you
if the game is in the 1% of games that are actually good.

2. If you wait long enough you will not pay new release prices.


3. A game isn't old if you haven't played it yet.


Now their are some disadvantages to waiting:

1. You buddy gets the game four months before
you do and has mastered it already. So much for beating him in multiplayer mode.

2. You really can't relate when your buddies talk about the secret batcave level after killing the giant snorkbeast on level 10.


If you can live with that... waiting isn't so bad and you save alot of money too.

By Bryan Cummings (Houdini) on Unrecorded Date:

Speaking of which I just bought a copy of Baldur's Gate I. Only $14! A bargain!

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Yeah but waiting you run the risk of waiting too long and the game is discontinued. Trust me on this, a game called outlive came out it was an RTS that was human versus machine. I didn't have the money for it yet but a week later I got payed and the game was gone. It was recalled so there may have been something wrong with it but the fact remains it was gone.

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

I was tempted to buy a ps2 last night... I don't know what I was thinkin'... Santa's gonna get one hell of a list from me this year. FF9, a ps2, a nintendo gamecube, a flat panel monitor (22 inch of course), a tummy tuck, a madcat video card, an apartment in Gramercy Park, an ultra-thin handspring visor, and a sizable harem with my choice of men. That's not too much to ask, it?

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Can I have your old monitor? ;>

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Can I have your liver? =P

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Yeah, I don't need it. I don't drink... ;>

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

So... Can I??? ;>

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

What's in it for me? =)

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

My liver. I thought we settled that already...

;>

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Awww man! I read a really charming review of "Black & White" so I went out and got it. It's SOOO cool! I was up until 5am playing this game! I also got Deus Ex, but I got bored with it almost instantly.

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Yeah Dues Ex looks cool but the AI is so unbelievably hard that the came is frustrating. B&W is cool, so Nat are you a good god or a bad god? What creature did you get? I took the Tiger but I haven't played it since because my Voodoo 3 won't handle it well.

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

I'm a naughty god- I screw around and hurl boulders around to impress the natives, and drop people on top of one another- but they're well provided for. I like mischief, but I also want to be loved =)

I picked the monkey. I loved the animals! They were all so adorable, so charming!!!! It was soooo hard to choose because they were acting do damn CUTE!!!! Since the benevolent conscience said the monkey was a fast learner- and he just had the cutest sorrowful look when I ignored him, it broke my heart- I picked him. It was a toss up between the monkey and the cow. I would have loved to pick more than one.

It was really funny when I put the "bad" leash on my monkey, he started picking up little children and eating them or hurling them to their deaths. It was hilarious but I had to smack him and then change leashes.

It sucks that your video card doesn't chew the game too well. Are you going to upgrade soon? I had no problems but then again my computer is on steroids- and I can see how lag would make it frustrating when you need to fly around the lands pronto.

How far did you get? did you leave the island through the vortex and take over villages? I didn't get to far cause I was busy doing silver scroll quests. I got the nifty forest miracle =)

As for Deus Ex, I didn't get past the tutorial and I was bored to tears. I think it was the first-person shooter thing that really turned me off. The interface was a little confusing for me at first- it took me a little too long to get the hang of it. So after the explosives tutorial I gave up. Black & White is MUCH more fun anyway.

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Well I had no lag at all it was just that I was having trouble with the textures. My colligues reminded me that I just have to download driver updates for my Voodoo. Even if this weren't true I won't be able to upgrade to a new one until sometime around August after I've rebuilt my cash flow.

As far how far I got in the game goes, I just talked to the HUGE lion. Pretty early in the game really, I've been concentrating on BG2.

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Ah, I haven't gotten beyond building the new village after the vortex scene. I'm taking my time making my village really strong, and teaching my creature to cast miracles where and when I need them. If you cast "heal miracle" any villagers effected will have areplenished life span and they won't die out as quickly. Occasionally he eats one of my villagers, even when he's wearing the fluffy, rainbow love leash! Those monkeys are strange... I'm running low on wood, so I should cast a few more forest miracles.

As it stands now my creature knows heal, food, water and lightning miracle. I've yet to finish showing him how to do the wood miracle (which I really need for my village right now). I also want to try and show him how to put his poop onto the wheat fields- I read somewhere that it will actually help the crops grow faster, the turds also make good projectile weapons =)

I'm gonna see about building celtic a wonder and a wood miracle dispencer once I get some more wood.

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

I downloaded the new drivers for my Voodoo 3 and Black & White works perfectly. I can now see everything and enjoy playing the game. Had too start over so I haven't gotten very far but I hope I can get the same creature I had before.

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

You mean the tiger? You should be able to, I had to go back and start a new game as well and I had to pick from the same three animals (cow, monkey, tiger). I'm pissed that so far I've only built norse wonders- three of them. Do you know if I have to get scaffolds from the other villages to make the different ones? It's majorly pissing me off.

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

I think that may be the case. I trying to convert the next village close by. I mean I had them down to 200 belief needed and then I send a missionary and I all of a sudden need 300. AARRGGHH.

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Smash some houses. Seriously =) Once you win them over you can always make some building deciples and do a few wood miracles so supply the repairs. That works in a pinch =) Also if you pick up villagers and drop them on top of houses and each other you can sometimes get up to 40 points each time. That can add up =) Also if you have solved the tree puzzle you will get the (I forget what it's called exactly) winged creature miracle or flying bird miracle dispenser. It will only dispense one miracle per day, but each time you use it you will get like 200-250 belief points. You will need to use it near the village center where all the people hang out and chill. Then they get to see all the pretty flying birdies and go "ooohhhh..... Ahhhhhhhh.. Oooooooooh!".

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Ummmm... OK?

;>

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

You should play it, Fred- it's a really cool game. Well, whenever you get a new computer let us know. I don't think Mr. Laptop could run B&W well enough to be worth the experience =)

Your power is in the number of people who worship you, and they use something called belief points in the game. To win over a village you have to earn a certain number of these points. Whenever you perform a miracle (kind of like a spell), kill people, show off your titan creature, hurl boulder across the sky (or smash a house with one) or pick people up and drop them- it will give you belief points since you're doing something to convice the villagers of your MIGHTY existance. The more you earn, the stronger your following and influence. This is something you certainly want since your magical energy comes directly from the number of people who worship you.

It's all very cool. You can be good, evil or both.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

But, I'm already a god... Why would I want a video game that teaches how to do what I already know? ;>

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Ah, the humility that is GF;p

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

No wonder the world is so ass-backwards ;)

Cool, now I know who to blame.

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Awww man... I ran across a really good site earlier today with a bunch of hints for B&W. If I find the link again, I'll post it here.

Did ya know you can grow forests in B&W? Pick a good mature tree and plant it somewhere. Water it and you will notice little saplings begining to grow around it. Once you have a bunch of saplings, pick them up and plant them close to each other (it makes it easier to water) and cast miracle water. Eventually the saplings will grow and start seeding MORE saplings. Different species of trees grow at different speeds (conifers are the fastest growers). But once a tree becomes a little too big to share space with its neighbors, you need to replant them and space 'em out a bit. You can also teach your creature to water them.

I went all out, I guess you can call it therapy. I made a cool rock circle and planted a nice, big tree in the center to make it look pretty. Then I watered the tree to maturity. My little villagers like to sit in the stone circle and gaze up at the tree. Sometimes they gather around it and dance. I made this cute monument the enterance to the forest I'm trying to grow.

I started B&W over again. Only the second time around my creature had some bad habits. I tried to teach him to pick up my villagers and pet them, then put them down gently. My first game the creature loved my villagers and would do this without a hasle- though he'd occasionally eat one or two. So the second time I started the game my creature did something REALLY funny and just plain sick. Instead of petting them he'd pick them up, throw them over his shoulder, squat and SIT down on the poor citizen and proceed to FART or CRAP on top of him/her. I smacked him up consistantly to try and get him to stop- but he KEPT ON DOING IT! Finally I beat him up so much that my creature wouldn't obey me and he got REALLY aggressive. There was a bunch of trees and a herd of cattle nearby. He uprooted my trees and hurled them. Next he kicked the cattle and punted them half way across the island!

No matter what I did I could not get him to break this habit of sitting/defecating/farting on my villagers. So I gave up and started over. I think I realize what I did wrong. I tried to teach him how to be kind and gentle to my villagers a bit too early. So I waited until I finished my first couple of gold and silver scrolls before teaching him. So far so good. Right now I'm trying to teach him to crap on the fields and in the forest- not easy to do since you have to try and anticiapte when he's gotta go. It's almost like walking a dog.

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Ohmigod!

Damien- did you get the winamp visualization plug-in for black & white? It's so cute! Pretty much they have the b&w bear dancing to whatever music you have in winamp.

It's so cool! They have strobe and colored disco lights.

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Okay. I have now restarted my third b&w game and I think I've finally gotten my creature rearing skills correct this time. I've named my creature "Einstein" and he's been a good little ape so far. I just have to get him to stop piging out on the cow herds and get him to poop in the fields instead of the temple. He's about 3 years old now and he's got that angelic glow. I also went all out and made a couple custom tattos- one of the female symbol with "revolution" spelled out under it, and the other is the Type O Negative logo of a circle witha dash in the center. It looks so cool! If I could post a picture of Einstein here I would.

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

This is funny. I saw Einstein standing around the village center PREACHING to all the little villagers (who were sitting around him). I was laughing my ass off!

Now if I could only teach him to fight. I don't want Einstein growing up to be a total wuss. Have ya got any combat tips, Damien? Still got that tiger? I was thinking about getting the horse, but I like my brainy little ape.

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

Actually I took the Ape the second time around but haven't played much at all due to papers and finals and all that. I actually for some odd reason reinstalled Star Wars Rebellion and began playing that. As the empire I built four Death Stars and proceded to destroy every rebel loyal planet (there are only four planets in the known galaxy left.)

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

excuse me for a minute...


NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I LOST EINSTEIN!!!!!

I saved my game and then went to get the other creatures on land 1 just to see if I liked any of them.... I decided (after testing out all the creatures except for the mandril) that I wanted my ape back. SO I loaded the original saved game and found that for some reason I was stuck with the leopard! AARRRRGGGGGHHH!!!! So I went back to swap creatures again- only to find that the ape wasn't there to swap back to!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOO!!!! My poor Einstein!!! I know the creature personality stays the same of you swap it, but it's just not the same! I miss my goofy little ape!!!! I have another saved game but it's a good 12 hours premature of the one I currently have. So I basically need to spend another day babysitting Einstein, approving and disapproving EVERYTHING he does.

Damnit! And just when I almost had him potty trained too...

Although, I kinda liked the horsey because when he has a good alignment he turns into a unicorn! Since Einstein was "good and true" when I swapped to the horsey he had a horn! But there was one thing amiss... Well, no, two things amiss. I decided that Horsey wasn't quite smart enough because there's a sheitload of miracles to learn in land 2 and up. And second- the spiffy bright green Type O Negative logo I had on Einstein's tummy didn't skin correctly 'cause the polygon texturing is kinda fucked up on the Mr. Horsey (I know why, I just wish I could somehow crack open the model file and import it into Maya then fix it my damn self). So the entire top third of the logo doesn't show up. So like, what's the point of having a kick-ass tattoo on your creature if it won't display properly! So I say Fu*k that! I want my ape back!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

So uh, Damien! Ya wanna play B&W online sometime? Maybe we could make a clan... How about the Technocratic Republic of Vinnland, all our creatures could have type O tattoos =)

By Funk Sol Brother (Sol) on Unrecorded Date:

see now, Pocket Pikachu COMES potty-trained. That's the best thing about it. Also you can buy his love and affection with money that you win on the slots.

Sol

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

My boss tells me that if I HATE potty training Einstein, I'll REALLY hate potty training children (when I decide to have them) because they can take up to three to seven months to finally cooperate. Meanwhile Einstein only needs a few days.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Just you all wait until I get a good computer and build me a creature in B&W... Just wait... Then you'll see... ;>

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Hahahaha! Then you'll be whining and complaining just like me! I'll be hearing stuff like "DRINK you stupid APE! DRINK!!!!" or "Oh no, goddamit, don't crap all over the temple! Bad money! Bad!"

I think you need at least a 16 meg video card. I got me a 32 and things run fine at full detail.

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

Who said I was gonna be a good, kind, and benevolent god? I will abuse my monkey and turn him into the ultimate creature of destruction! I will punish him when he does nice things, and reward him when he does evil things by giving him more punishment! I will teach him to play tetherball with the little people--and then eat them. I will teach him to kill, maim, destroy, and be EVIL!

And then I'll kill him and make another. Goodnight. ;>

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

GF that is just sick!

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Actually Fred- been there done that. And guess what- it won't work. If you abuse your monkey he won't listen to you at all. I started a new game once and beat the crap outta the ape just to see what would happen. The ape became a stubborn little bitchy prick who wouldn't do a damn thing I commanded. You can easily teach him to be evil, but if you want him to be obedient and obey your evil commands you can't abuse him like that. Oh, and you can't kill your creature by the way.

By Funk Sol Brother (Sol) on Unrecorded Date:

Any game with a monkey in it is automatically cool. That's about the only thing that saved Speed Racer, BTW.

Sol

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

I don't think anything could have saved speed racer, no offence...

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Go speed racer! Go!

Anyway, it's not really a monkey, it's an ape- but I like to call it amonkey for some reason =) Same difference =)

By Vengence is Mine (Knight_hawk) on Unrecorded Date:

No it isn't, a monkey has a prehensial tail whereas an ape doesn't;)

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

=P~~~~~~~~~

Ren! You silly little money!

By Bryan Cummings (Houdini) on Unrecorded Date:

"Don't let a good monkey go bad, when your monkey
does bad things, don't forget to spank your monkey."

By Funk Sol Brother (Sol) on Unrecorded Date:

Last night on the Simpsons Homer got a helper monkey - but by the end of the episode, the monkey was a fat little beer-belly who could only lie around on the floor with Homer and drink.

Sol

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Yeah!

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Unrecorded Date:

"Pray for Mojo"

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

I started a new game in order to get the Ape back. I'm still really pissed about having to potty train him over again. I also had to teach him (again) that eating villagers is a BAD thing (bad monkey!!) and I had to give him a spanking. But the tattoos are lookin' good as ever ;)

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Three things worse than a Metroid FPS

Check it out ;D

By Wyvern (Wyvern) on Unrecorded Date:

Have any of you played Escape Velocity?

If not, go take a look.

By Bryan Cummings (Houdini) on Unrecorded Date:

Cool game and I shall recomend it to my brother in law who is big on software from that particular company. He's has a nice mac G4, and if it runs on MacOsX he'll really love it, of course he also can boot up in Os 9 so I guess it doesn't matter *much*. :)

No Microsoft version is available btw, but hey, we can't have the evil empire getting it paws on everything right? :)

By Funk Sol Brother (Sol) on Unrecorded Date:

Escape Velocity... what's that? Ha! My ancient PC doesn't run many new games, still trying to upgrade to where I can run "The Sims" - we shall see! My pal Stan (post buddy!) says he might have some extra fast-page memory lying around that I can use in my scavenged Pentium-75. I gave him my video card (for the NEW Lev Forum Server) and he's currently working on the problem.

Nat and Fred, also read a review on BW, so I know what yooz is talking about now! Plus any game with a monkey in it is automatically cool.

Sol

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

I've played escape velocity!!!! It was the ultimate cure-all for RIT labbie bordom =) I remember I conqured every planet except for Earth. They had too many damn ships, they kept coming and coming- I sat around for a couple hours shooting down ships and there were STILL more ships leaving Earth to whip my arse.

I'm partial to using the Alien ship ;)

By Subcriminal (Nat) on Unrecorded Date:

Sol, you would LOVE B&W. It's worth upgrading your computer just to play it =)

By Funk Sol Brother (Sol) on Unrecorded Date:

I want to upgrade. As prices descend, I think more and more seriously about it!

Sol