Though it has been six years, playing this game feels like I played the original just last month. All the good stuff is back. The gameplay works the same, though with a new engine and better effects. Weapons and enemies and especially the AI all upgraded in ways that left nothing important behind.

VALVe delivers again. If you liked the original, you'll love this one, too. They are going to make a fortune off this game. In fact, the game is so good, I'm not even going to complain about the draconian copy protection measures. Lacking spoilers, there are too many nasty things going on with the first pass to play hardcore, but I'm looking forward to trying that. That's where I had the most fun with the original: playing with no reloads.

Here's my first screenshot. This poor fellow was so forlorn, he bent over to kiss his ass goodbye.



"Hut one, hut two... Hike!" Playing center for the Indianapolis Colts?

Actually, he died like that. Whale of a head shot, for the body to collapse in such a way. First time I've seen anything like that. I don't normally aim for the head, mind you. Not on a moving target, at least. Better to hit the chest twice than miss the head on the first shot. So, um, I can't claim to be aiming at where I hit. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

Love that shotgun. Although, of course, this being Half Life, one must be proficient with ALL of the weapons and figure out which ones are best for which tasks.

OK, enough blabbering. Back to the action.


- Sirian

Hey gang,

I have a judgement call to make here, and I could use some input. I've probably made up my mind already, but it would be nice to hear others' points of view.

Last week, while my husband and daughter were waiting for me in our car, somebody pulled in next to us and scratched the bumper. It's not a big scratch, but it's all the way through the paint and maybe 4" long. It's small enough that I wonder if the person who did it might have just driven away, except for the fact that my husband was in the car and saw it happen.

We got her name and phone number, but not her insurance number. It doesn't seem like calling the insurance company would do either of us any good.

I didn't think that it would cost very much to repair. Maybe a little sanding and some touch up paint, and we'd be all set. But, all the repair places want at least $350 to fix the scratch. They say that it's too deep, and with metallic paint you can't touch it up anyway; you have to repaint the entire bumper.

The bumper is plastic. If we don't fix it, it won't rust. On the other hand, the car is new. We have another 6 years of car payments to make on it.

So, I'm not sure what to do here. If the repair was less costly, I'd have no problem asking the woman to pay for the repair. But, $350 seems like an awful lot to charge for a little scratch. There's even a chance that we could fix it and have it scratched again the next day by somebody else, who wouldn't stick around to pay for the repair. We have a similar scratch on the front bumper already, for example, but we don't know who did it and don't have an extra $350 to repair that one ourselves. On the other hand, if I had put a scratch in somebody else's car, I would want to make sure that I had paid for the repair.

If this was our old car, I wouldn't think twice about leaving the scratch on there. Of course, looking at our old car, I'm guessing that similar contact would never have scratched the car.

I think we're going to tell her not to worry about the damages. It's just too expensive of a repair. Part of me hopes that she will insist on paying, although that's probably unlikely. So, I'm just wondering if I will kick myself for this down the road, if scratch by scratch our nice new car starts looking like a piece of junk.

-Griselda

Behold the power of perseverance. Where there's a will, there's a way.













I have beaten "The Box". Only took me six months and about 500 to 1000 attempts.

I went on to clear three more boards, of an easier variety, before getting stuck in the expected place, at The Palace.



w00p! Been a good week for me.


- Sirian

Doc tried to tell me that "Pearls are for girls", but don't you believe it. Pearls are for everyone.

There is an exhibit on at the Royal Ontario Museum now, called Pearls: A Natural History. It is well worth seeing, when the exhibit gets to a museum near you. It combines the science of pearls, the history of pearls, the never-ending efforts of humanity to 'make' or 'improve' pearls and some very beautiful pearls. The exhibit has been pulled together from a wide variety of sources and contributors.

There are pearls worn by men, pearls worn by women, pearls worn by children. Pearls worn by Indian caliphs. Pearls worn by Marilyn Monroe. Pearls worn by Hopi Indians.

There are cultured pearls, fake pearls (hey, even the Romans made fake pearls) and pearls from a surprisingly wide array of mussels. Conch pearls, which are a remarkable colour of pink. Melo pearls, which are a gold colour. Freshwater pearls from a polluted river in Georgia that ended up with a surprisingly appealing hue. Pearls from Scotland, even !

The other surprise was just how much the exhibit captivated the boys. They dragged me through the Ancient Egypt exhibit with breakneck speed, because they wanted to get to the vastly more interesting Arms and Armour section of the museum. (Don't even ask how long they let me spend in the Beatrix Potter display when it was here.) But this exhibit got them. They looked at microscopic images of different pearls. They checked out the video on how cultured pearls are made. They were positively leisurely about their tour.

And, yes, Doc. Black pearls are lovely. But the entire exhibit is something to see - for everyone.

Today is closing day for Epic Forty-Five. You have until the end of Tuesday to post at least a game summary. Since this was such a big event and likely to have been grueling at best, we'll understand if full reports aren't posted immediately. Feel free to take through the weekend, if you need the time. We would rather hear all the details than have you rush through them.

- Sirian

Hi all, Sirian in particular,

I posted a thread over at Civfanatics following the end of the OSG3 game there, using the OSG3 game as an example of the sort of things I can write potentially useful utilities for. Zed-F suggesting posting here to alert anyone who might be interested.

Moo1 utilities - an OSG3 example

I can *potentially* write a better ship bug fixer than Oreo has turned out to be. There are drawbacks, it wouldn't be very friendly, but this doesn't matter too much for a dedicated ship bug fixer.

I can also write some tools that may be helpful for those people who are sponsoring Imperium or Succession games (looking for games with specific interesting conditions set), though there are issues with trying to write general-purpose tools that provide specific information - "player race is missing (the ability to research) techs X Y and Z" without spoiling things so that the sponsor can't take part in their own game.

I wouldn't expect these tools to be any friendlier than the tools Sirian expressed dissatisfaction with recently - probably less friendly - but I could custom them to fill specific needs so they may be useful.

The Murphy's Law corollary to all of this is that the copious spare time I have had for the last few months (since I've been posting here) may be about to evaporate. Having done not terribly much to help things along here so far, I may have less time in the future to contribute.

Cheers,
Factoid.

Quote:I think if we are going to do any sort of GvG play we will want to consider how we can get variant characters into the mix

Quote:I think if we are going to do any sort of GvG play we will want to consider how we can get variant characters into the mix

Disclaimer: This Variant owes an inspirational debt to the ABC TV network, Eagles wide receiver Terrel Owens, and a promotion for the new prime time ho-drama Desperate Housewives. A sneer is cast to the Drama Queens at the NFL front offices, and elsewhere, who responded to what was at worst an exercise in bad taste, and more a reflection of the groupie syndrome endemic to professional sports. Given the character portrayed by the actress involved, TO's well advertised (via ESPN and other network live locker room interviews) beefcake credentials, and the theme used by all network TV of "libido as THE driving force in the universe" . . . why all the fuss? What did the NFL expect?

I checked the Variant's page. (nice segue, eh?)

Did not find the Seven Sisters/Assassins team that Sirian had proposed a couple of years ago. Ran across the Moore Wall of Death. Looked at KoP's success with Zon tanking for Rogue. Considered Bolty's All Paladin team. Mixed in some Seven Samurai farmer themes, and Harlequin Romance novel cliche's, and a nod to Mae West.

Add my penchant for being politically incorrect, and the result is

Mandingo and The Underground Railroad

Team variant. This could be tough solo. Might best be done HC. My experiences with the EEP Paladin showed me how hard it is to keep that wench alive, thanks to the air head element of rogue AI. Of course, this team may never happen, as Diablo II is getting long in the tooth.

Team pure, team play. No twinks, no trades other than within the team. You just can't trust anyone else . . .

Premise

After the most recent garbage detail, cleaning out the Grave Yard, "enough is enough" decides Mandingo. The time is now for leaving the drudgery of the Plantation, which is run by the Slave Drivers Kashya and Warriv. One of the young Ladies of the House has been eyeing the handsome laborer, with suppressed libido, ever since he arrived from the slave markets of Westmarch. She succumbs to temptation after the death of her rival Blood Raven -- who was a catty b***h anyway, what with her nicer dresses and exotic hats on display at all of the cotillions.

Time to hit the road, just in time to stop a lynching in Tristram . . . only to discover that Cain is High Yellow and in league with The Man!

The two lovers travel from town to town, only to find betrayal and discrimination dogging their footsteps. They party up with likeminded couples who dream of escaping the stifling social restrictions to their torrid love. (A TFOS to approximate the Ripped Bodice would be nice.) Thus begins the cliche escape from the Plantation by a slave, accompanied by the jaded and lusty lady of the house.

**Sound of bodice ripping**

Mandingo and "the Mistress" are pursued by the Hounds of Hell, the Law, the enraged Plantation owner, Colonel Sanders, Elvis, David Duke, Paul Tagliabue, or whoever fits the Harlequin Romance cliche of "illicit love" in the ante bellum South, or last week in the NFL!

Cover Story and Goal

The Lady is travelling with her personal body servant (double entendre intended). Her superior combat power demonstrates who is in charge. Once "free" in the North, where Baal the Slave Master is finally defeated and a door to "a new world is opened," the couple can live in freedom and love happily ever after, etc ad nauseum.

**Sound of bodice ripping**

Paladins/Runaway Slaves serve the mistress dutifully, for which they expect (dream of?) ample romantic reward.

Neurotic relationships for fifty, Alex?

**Sound of bodice ripping**

The Kicker

If the Lady dies, it is over. No love, no cover for the runaway. If Mandingo dies . . . she commits suicide, as she knows she can't ever go home.

Options:

1. The Act Ending Battles are out of whack in re damage done to servants. In this option, the "I am not dead yet" dodge is allowed for the aftermath of Andariel, Duriel, Meph, Diablo, Baal. It takes a team to pull this off and Three Dot, in my estimation. That, and a decent connection to bnet. Ancients may also be waiverable, given the holiness of that mountain . . . otherwise, Do Not Let Your Ladylove/Mealticket die. Oh yeah, and don't die yourself: you want to die a free man!

2. Do it as a Live Off The Land style game. Upon the death of Blood Raven, you can only go to town to extinguish the exclamation points. At all other times, you can't even go to town. You are on the run, on the Underground Railroad, and on your way to the next town.

3. If not opting for 2, You can always go to town and mess with your stash if you have a WP, TP scroll, and want to re organize you kit. No littering the town with items, that allows the Law to track you. Cleanup after yourself, cover your tracks.

How it works.

A paladin, and his dearly beloved rogue, with 1-7 like minded couples.

After the first dot, you start over again with no wench in the next Diff level. You earn her admiration by reaching the "enough is enough" point in the Grave yard. In Live Off The Land option, you go on the lamb after you rescue Cain and find out via the gossip mill that he will betray you for your efforts.

Aura Focus.

The team combines auras to serve their Mistresses. General priority:

Defiance, Vigor, Might, Concentration, Fanaticism, Conviction, a resistance, Sanctuary, Holy Freeze. (Need to get used to the Frozen North as you travel North.)

Vigor must have at least one point, since
i) you are on the run and
ii) you are fast. (T.O. is fast, and why not give a nice nod to the list of Gold Medal Olympic Sprinters since Jesse Owens, not to mention Kenyan Marathon runners!)

Healing skills need careful consideration.

How the team mixes skills to be decided on a team by team basis, since smaller teams need different mixes than larger teams.

Armor Restricitons: None. Whatever you find or gamble is yours to keep until it wears out.

Weapons Restrictions.

Rogues use bows. That was the easy part. The rest is more non-PC.

Mandingo the Paladin has Javelin in Weapon Tab I. Missile, or both, his choice. A shield is allowed, but it must be round.

Weapon Tab II:

Clubs, axes, hammers, machetes/falchions, knives, sledge hammers (mauls), pitchforks (tridents) and scythes of any sort are allowed. These are farm implements most familiar to them. No Swords. No Maces. No bows. No spears/pikes. No Wands. No throwing potions. No Sceptres. No throwing knives.

Interaction with townsfolk:

When an exclamation mark is over the NPC's head. Otherwise, townsfolks will turn the runaways into The Man.

Exception.

1. (Optional) To gamble once beyond the initial exclamation point rule opportunity. The gambling NPC, the criminal element, is the only fence and the contact for the Underground Railroad. Also, the gambler is the only authorized fence for selling stolen/found items.

2. In Act IV, you can talk to any NPC other than Cain. Angels are OK for any lovers true of heart. Halbu and Jamella are sympathetic. During this act, Gambling and selling to the fence is unlimited.

3. Nihlathak is an albino who cannot be trusted, as he has made a deal with The Man. He MUST be killed in all three difficulties, and cannot be spoken to after the initial exclamation point is sorted out. You NEVER gamble with him, since he cheats.

4. You can't go back to previous towns. You are on the run, heading north.

5. Repair. Via Horadric Cube, other wise . . . on any occasion that the blacksmith can be spoken to under exclamation point rule.

5. Items. Anything gambled on authorized visits to the den of iniquity, or found. Fencing stuff for cash to gamble with is authorized on visits to the Fence.

6. Potions. Only Jamella may sell you potions, except under the exclamation point rule.

7. Imbues are all authorized, though you can expect to be cheated! :mad: Charsi must die!

No skill restrictions. Whatever it takes to keep her alive, you do it!

Wonder if this one will ever happen.

Occhi

I have been thinking of starting up a topic on the PvP aspect of the game but I wasn't sure what I wanted to cover

Quote:Still, the competitive aspect can be bad for us on some points. Are we going to play to win? Or are we going to play BNM and take ubervariants into battle vs other guilds? If we ever do the latter, how will the competition react if/when they realize that is what we are doing? There are a lot of things that could go wrong if we aren't careful.

Still, when Occhi first pointed out this game, the PvP and the teamwork elements were a big part of the appeal. Competitive multiplayer is something that can be very much fun under the right conditions. The odd thing seems to be that one needs to balance SP and MP in order to get stronger characters. That may tend to favor those with lots of time or a greater capacity to handle Feast Mode. We'll just have to see.

Frankly, the biggest appeal so far in SP is the tactical element. I'm afraid that the quest system, or what I've seen of it so far, is rather shallow and even boring. The combat was a lot more interesting than running around gawking at the art and trying to guess at the bonus quests. I never was one for Mario Brothers type "secrets" and puzzles.

Quote:Someone - The thing that concerns me most about Guild Wars, besides the time thing (which may be manageable) is the PVP aspect. Is PVP integrated thoughout the game, or how does it work? As usual, I'm in the dark.

Quote:Zed - Going on the basis of Diablo, Civ, and MOO, I think, in general, we in the RB crowd enjoy competing against the game, far more than competing against other players who don't understand our philosophy. Even when we gather for a more formal competition such as the Epics, care has always been taken to at least attempt to emphasize competition against ourselves and de-emphasize competition amongst ourselves.

Quote:Are we going to play to win?

I got an email message tonight about galciv2.com being open only to those who bought the AP expansion. Previews, maybe even betas. There was one bit of potentially encouraging news in this message: they are NOT close to releasing. Sounds more like sneak peeks and community feedback.

My needs haven't changed. The AI needs a massive upgrade for the game to be worth my attention. The original was a load of fun until I had solved the paths to victory and boiled the game down to a few essentials. Do this, you win, don't, you lose. Not enough game left after that to hold my interest, even though I really liked a lot of the game's elements.

Anyway, that's all I know for now. Not sure when I'll learn more. I don't exactly plan to contribute to their effort, but I would be happy to see them be successful. Maybe I'll check out one of the beta versions, if my purchase of AP is good enough to open that door. If I see things moving in an encouraging direction, I'll be happy to buy the next version and give it a whirl, whenever it's finally ready.

Anyone else have thoughts on this subject?


- Sirian