Judas_Ace
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Posts
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Joined
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Quote:I think it depends on whether the overall tone of the thread is favorable to the game or not.Originally Posted by DumpleBerry
I thought these threads were against the new board rules? -
So, I was looking at movie trailers earlier, and saw the one for next year's Spider-Man (I'd seen it before) and it got me thinking: Why reboot after only 10 years? Bond changed actors many times and never felt the need for an "origin" story...why not just pick up where the last series left off...or go ahead and set it in High School but skip the origin.
I realized, though, that they're taking the approach that comics should. Many people will not have seen the Spidey from 10 years ago, and that's a movie that was created for a different people in a different time (I still remember the original teaser with the Twin Towers featured prominently). At some point in a story that just goes on and on like comics do, you need to dump the old continuity, get back to the basics of the character and tell the story again, with whatever updates keep it relevant for the newcomers.
Comics used to know this. Every 3-4 years you'd get a renewal of sorts...not necessarily a hard reboot, but they'd just tell the same stories again for what they assumed were the new new generation of readers.
But something happened...primarily with "Generation X" but other outliers as well...they refused, upon growing up, to put away their childish things. They carried their adolescence into adulthood, and expected their toys to grow up with them. They insisted that Spider-Man, Superman, etc. all follow them from the bright primary colors of their youtrh into the gray land of moral inabsolutes of their adulthood. They demanded ambiguity, dark and gritty, middle ages and married characters that reflected their lives.
But that's not what comics were or ever should have been. Comics should stick to the core of their stories and not cater to audiences that simply want to walk hand-in-hand with Superman to their graves. To this end, I think that comics from the big 2 should hard reboot every 10 years or so. Throw out the old continuity and start the story over again and see where it goes. Don't do what Ultimate Spider-Man did and feel compelled to reintroduce every minor supporting character that ever appeared in the main books. Just start the story over and see where it goes.
As long as you maintain the core of the character, you'll keep the core fans and attract new ones. sure you'll lose the desperate guys that have posters of Mary Jane Watson on the walls of their parents basement and the guys that so identify with Superman that they wear faux eyeglasses, but you'll grow your overall audience in a way that clearly isn't happening with comics today.
If you don't think the numbers will be there for a reboot, take a look at the New 52 from DC and think again. What started out as a soft reboot is getting "harder" with each issue as sales increase. DC went from the clear loser in sales to the winner...while doing it with less books and at a lower price than Marvel.
IMO, it's the only way for the industry to survive. -
The quickening pace at which corporations manage to take control of our government and turn us into a slave society.
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Grimm is a procedural in Fantasy dress, but it's opposite two genre faves that will steal its potential audience like candy from a baby. I give it 6 episodes.
OUAT is a heavily serialized fantasy drama, but it's up against aging shows with one foot in the grave. I think it will make a second season. -
I was here on day one, but I've left and come back a lot. I like many elements of the game...probably more than any other MMO. But the fact is that the devs, whether of their own accord or at the urging of their suited masters, can not stop chasing the WoW carrot. Raids, gear, forced grouping, lack of solo options...all these have, bit by bit, poisoned the game until it's really not what it could have been: A true alternative to the failed Diku/EQ clones that litter the MMO landscape. As it in now it's a "Hybrid" (Read; Schizophrenic) game where you can play how you want to a point, but eventually must enter the land of elitism, gear grinding, raiding etc. in order to progress.
And with an aging graphics and an archaic engine, it's not going to hold my attention over games with better graphics, more engaging gameplay and other new shinies. If I have to play something that desperately wants to grab the WoW crowd and cater to that type of play, I'll just play a game far, far away from here. -
Just out of curiosity for anyone that's read the books: Not knowing any of the background of how the books were created, there was a point where I was reading and said "Everything seems like it was based on a roleplaying game" Something about the character mechanics, their "NPC's" etc. just gave off this weird vibe that made me feel like everything was built in Champions 4E (I think it was something about Captain Trips). Later when I found out that it was based off of actual Roleplaying sessions I was pretty unsurprised, even though it was a different system.
Just curious if anyone felt the same way when reading it. -
Quote:Hell, I never even bothered killing the Nem LTs last. I just fought through the stacks of vengeance...this game just isn't that difficult.Originally Posted by UberGuy
I think the issue here is that, for some reason, the way you played before left you thinking you needed to do all those things. That level of planning combat in CoH has never been necessary to the degree you outline above. I and those I played with never did any of these things except target Nemsis LTs last and DE emanators/LTs first, and we essentially never had any problems.
(By the way, I and everyone I play with still tries to defeat Nemesis LTs last, because enough stacked Vengeance on survivors (especially bosses) and they will still wreck you, Inventions and Incarnates notwithstanding. We target Cairn and Quartz emenators, and ingore/AoE the rest.) -
Obviously I'm a fan of the series, but I seriously doubt this will ever see the light of day, and if it does it'll be a mess. As was stated earlier, there's really no way to do a big screen adaptation of the scope necessary to establish the world and history the way the books did, and without that all you have is a generic superhero series.
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I just rejoined to play around with some of the new stuff. While some of it's fun, the incarnate system is terrible. Too long, too repetitive, too boring, too much of a PITA.
If I[m going put that kind of time into a game, it's going to be one with modern graphics and gameplay. There are too many MMOs coming down the pipe for me to invest that kind of time in a 7 year old game. If the incarnate system was fun and less of a long boring grind, I might actually keep a sub to play on different alts. After all, the casual, mostly solo experience that let me easily level up and really do stuff with a lot of alts is what got 5+ years of sub fees out of me in the first place.
Inventions made alting more of a pain, but it was doable. With the incarnates system, I'd have to devote too much time for even one character, and that robs the game of any of its potential fun factor.
It was an interesting visit back, but I won't be sticking around, and it's primarily due to the incarnate system feeling like an entirely different game than the CoH I remember. -
Yeah, the whole episode makes no sense, because all Walter has to do is take the memory chip from Newton, unless they go out of their way to explain why Walter wouldn't have access to the body.
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Quote:You forgot Catwoman.Originally Posted by Wayfarer
Of course Marvel has actually been making movies in recent years while DC hasn't. I mean in recent years Marvel has turned out 3 X-Men flicks, 3 Spider-Man, 2 Fantastic Four, 2 Hulk, 2 Iron Man, Wolverine, Daredevil, Elektra, Punisher...while DC has turned out 2 Batman movies and 1 Superman movie. And yes, I know there's also been DC based movies like Watchmen and V for Vendetta but I'm not counting those since they're separate from the main DC universe.
Apparently DC heroes are so big they're unfilmable so perhaps Marvel was smart to go with smaller heroes.
Or maybe you didn't. -
Wyvern Boots
Nemesis Minigun
Lost TV helmet
Meat Doctor backpack
Hellion Jackets/vests
PPD Hardsuit -
Since it's highly unlikely that any incarnation of WW will be a huge ratings winner, the only place this is likely to end up is the CW. Which means that there's no way it would be about an adult, mature amazon princess. Instead, we'll get a 16 - 19 year old waif who spends her time mooning over boys in between stopping the villain of the week. The boy she spends the most time mooning over will most likely be one of those villains. This show will be set in a typical midwestern High School.
Likely candidates for Wonder Woman:
Taylor Swift
Kristen Stewart
Miley Cyrus
Selena Gomez
Dakota Fanning
Likely candidates for Steve Trevor:
Anyone who looks like Robert Pattinson. -
Quote:And if the moral of the story was "They're just kids and didn't respect each other's beliefs but learned a valuable lesson about not pushing your faith onto others" that would be one thing. But when the moral is "Non believers should just STFU and let the religious people disrespect your beliefs because they are just trying to be nice, you angry old athiest", which is what was presented, then it's a different story.Originally Posted by NiVra
Hmm, Interesting viewpoint. I actually thought it was something very touching of the group to do as a way to show that they really wanted to help a friend. I didn't take it as them trying to push their beliefs on Kurt or his dad but more of friends using whatever they believe in to give positive energy to help his dad get better. I mean, they even threw in a song with the prayers which for glee-kids makes sense as a "this make it better!" choice. Was it right they did it without his permission, nope. But if we are going to pretend they are HS kids then the impulse to help might have gone farther than the fore-thought.
Of course, if they had written the show with an ounce of sense and had the girls either praying for him in their own homes, or getting together in some other place and doing it, it would be one thing. It's the part where they invaded the hospital room when Kurt wasn't even there after he'd made his wishes clear that's the problem. -
Quote:So if they had come into Kurt's dad's hospital room and said "He's like this because you aren't straight enough" that also does no harm right?Originally Posted by Father Xmas
I thought it was a great episode. OK the Yentl song was sort of forced at the beginning and I'm quickly getting tired by all of Rachel's choice of Streisand even though it makes a bit of sense, it's just to easy to fall back on.
And while it disrespects Kurt's wishes, we have no idea about his father's believes. Also it does no harm. None of his classmates are in a position to fly in House from Monday nights, or have a specialist in the family, sometimes all you can do is prey for someone to recover.
As I said, no harm. If there isn't a God or higher power, the others are just wasting their time and the results will be what will be. However if asking for help from a higher power or getting a flood of "positive waves" from the collective Gestalt consciousness of man wishing him well may have an effect, why not take it? What's the worst that could happen? It's not like they were asking Kurt to stop medical treatment. It's not like any were blaming his Dad's condition on Kurt's sexuality or Atheism.
That's the one problem I have with extreme Atheists. If they think that everyone who is religious are a bunch of superstitious yahoos then how does that affect them negatively? How is someone saying a "God Bless You" when they sneeze or Namaste when they greet them is so offensive that they go off on a rant rather than take the offer of good fortune?
This is starting to tread to closely to forbidden subject matter.
Again, I thought it was a good episode, the insertion and choice of songs fit the topic of the episode and I prefer episodes like this to ones like last weeks.
I hope they have a really good reason for using Rocky Horror songs in two weeks. However I doubt the club teamed up with the drama geeks to put on Rocky Horror. No high school would ever attempt that much less than one run by a vampire fearing Principal Figgins. Maybe a community theater group. Or the whole thing could be a fantasy episode that simply includes the cast, sort of like the end of season 4 of Bones.
Because it's the exact same thing. It's disrespectful, insulting and downright disgusting behavior. It's saying that Kurt's values, beliefs and desires are insignificant and not worth honoring when it comes to his ill father. It's saying that our beliefs are better because they have magical healing powers so we're just going to trample all over what you want, because we're doing it out of the best of intentions, really.
Just because you smile and tell me it's raining while you piss in my face doesn't make it anything other than you pissing in my face. -
Quote:The show used the typical "angry atheist" sterotype to an extreme. They couldn't have a character that examined the options and came to the logical conclusion that the idea of God was silly nonsense. No...it has to be portrayed as "God didn't give me what I want so I'm gonna be an Atheist, waaaaah!"Originally Posted by BafflingBeerMan
The one thing I will say, and it was discussed on the AV Club's review of the episode, is that all the atheist were that way because something bad happened to them or the world was mean to them. Rather than the fact that some atheist simply, "logically" (I am not saying it one way or the other) just don't believe in God.
Kurt touched upon this with his teapot analogy, but for him, that was backtrack reasoning to feeling abandon by God after the death of his mom and the church's stance on his orientation.
Then it compounded that sin by basically saying that's it's ok to disrespect the wishes of an Atheist as long as it makes the believers feel better. I seriously doubt that if a bunch of atheists went into the hospital room of a believer and started chanting "there is no God" that the moral of the story would be "Just shut up and let them have their way". However, it seems it's perfectly ok for a group of believers to totally disrespect an atheists wishes and invade his father's hospital room with their praying.
The characterization of Finn from lovable goof to drooling idiot, the poor song choices and performances didn't help the episode either. -
Quote:Saying it's bad because it's on the CW, then toting out a show from Syfy and Showtime? Talk about turds. SG-1's highest ratings were 3.2 million, compared to over 8 million for SV. And no, you don't get to include the whole SG franchise in your numbers, unless you're going to include the entire Superman franchise as well.Originally Posted by Rylas
Is the show a success? Yes. Not that it means much on the station it airs on. Being the best that the WB/CW has to offer is like being the most polished turd. It's still a turd.
But your defense lacks a lot of merit when it disregards the quality of show we had in the first 4 seasons, and the subject material from whence it draws its characters from. Then the fact that it ignores the characterisitics these people SHOULD have. Clark, acts like a buffoon and creep sometimes. Then sometimes, the characters can't act the same from episode to episode.
That's what most people are upset about when they complain. The fact that the show completely disregards the things that made it great from the beginning. Now, the writing is just a joke. The only real reason it stays on, is because the CW needs something to carry it along.
Oh, and when you say there's been no other prevelant shows in recent decades to be as successful as Smallville, you missed at least one very obvious success. And it's spawned spin-offs and (straight to DVD) movies. And has probably made a lot mroe money.
SV may be bad at times, and downright horrible at others, but complaining about it at this point, while it's walking out the door with nothing but financial and ratings success under its belt, is just self indulgent whining. There's no point to the complaints other than the typical crybaby nerd nonsense that makes up half the internet. -
Quote:Funny thing is, they're also completely irrelevant. As much as people can whine and moan about Smallville (And I've done it as well) it's managed to stay on the air for an entire decade, and is leaving on its own terms. Nothing else in the sci-fi/fantasy genre from the last few decades can really even come close to competing with that kind of longevity.Originally Posted by Rylas
Which one is the "one?"
Qui might have missed some things, but his overall complaints are pretty valid.
As bad as it may be sometimes, it's managed to stand the test of time while other shows have faded into dust. The one thing that all the ranting and complaining can't deny is that the show was a success. -
Well, giving them varying dialog is fine. Not sure about leaving it up to roleplayers, or every boss text would be like:
Princess Azure Skylark Dragonqueen blinks her giant purple eyes at you. You can't help but be captivated by their perfect combination of innocence and mischief. She whispers sweetly in her musical voice "Please don't arrest me. It's not my fault, I was abandoned by my father Statesman and my mother Lady Grey at a young age where I was taken in and trained as a ninja assassin by Lord Recluse himself. But I was "abused" by the vile Doctor Aeon. Only then did I discover that I was truly one of the Fey, royal daughter of the Dragon-kin who sent me to earth to protect me from the evil Lord Shadowfiend. As heir to the lands of the Fey, Paragon City and the Rogue Isles, I have to keep my lineage a secret as I pretend to be a villain while fighting for the freedom of my true people." -
My plans for this season:
Monday: Castle, The Sarah Jane Adventures,The Event although I'm not expecting it to do much.
Tuesday: Going to try No Ordinary Family but not too sure about it. Caprica when it comes back in Oct.
Weds: Criminal Minds. Lie to Me in Nov.
Thurs: Fringe, Nikita Though I suspect it might not last
Fri: Smallville, Supernatural
Sat: Doctor Who in the Spring
Sun: Lost Girl First episode was passable, barely. Going to see about the rest.
Shows I'm giving up on: Chuck, Human Target, V.
Shows I'll miss the most: Lost, Ashes to Ashes -
Most people will probably suggest some pretty good films. However, IMO it might be more interesting to teach them to write an objective review of something horrible. With that in mind:
The Wicker Man
Batman & Robin
Dungeons & Dragons
The Avengers
Wild Wild West
Battlefield Earth
Waterworld
Mr. Nanny -
Quote:Kevin Bacon (Friday the 13th, Tremors)Originally Posted by Hero_of_Steel
The actors I most want to see in this film:
Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, Army of Darkness)
Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street)
Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th, Hatchet)
Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator, From Beyond)
Brad Dourif (Child's Play)
Tony Todd (Candyman, Final Destination)
Andrew Divoff (Wishmaster)
Doug Bradley (Hellraiser)
Tobin Bell (Saw)
Terry O'Quinn (The Stepfather)
Warwick Davis (Leprechaun)
Jonathan Breck (Jeepers Creepers)
Angus Scrimm (Phantasm)
Muse Watson (I Know What You Did Last Summer, I still know...)
Kurt Russell (The Thing, Death Proof)
Kevin J. O'Connor (Lord of Illusions, Deep Rising)
Who am I missing?
Dick Miller (Terminator, Little Shop of Horrors)
PJ Soles (Carrie, Halloween)
Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead, Dusk til Dawn) -
Quote:Actually, IMO the first few seasons are quite good. Schneider, Glover and Rosenbaum all give outstanding performances, and it takes a while for Lana to overwhelmingly annoying. It's the middle seasons that suffer...reaching a low point in the sixth season with the lex/lana stuff. It starts to get better again in the seventh season and has improved quite a bit since then.Originally Posted by QuietAmerican
I know I'm late to the party, but if this show looked this good from the get go, I would have watched it. As it is...
I'll wait to netflix it someday. -
It was a Tuesday...I remember I was in a meeting when one of the secretaries stuck her head in the door and said "a plane hit the WTC"
I figured it was some ******** in a Cessna and wondered why she was bothering us, and we went back to what we were doing. When we came out of the meeting the second plane had hit. We spent pretty much the rest of the day watching it on the TV. -
Quote:Originally Posted by Noble Savage
Hey, folks. So I have two overarching philosophies when it comes to the Art Direction in COH: first, that we continue to improve the quality bar with every new initiative we undertake and second, that we not forget about the legacy art as this happens. But when it comes to legacy art, there are of course items in the Costume Creator that are starting to show their age. We could hypothetically remake these assets with crisper, more detailed textures and modern shaders and do our best to maintain the 'flavor' and 'feel' of the originals, with the goal of giving you the same stuff, only better.
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But then there's a choice on how to deploy them, and that's where this very informal poll comes in: How would you, the players, want to approach this issue?
HYPOTHETICAL OPTION 1: Old assets would be removed from the Costume Creator menu and you'd have the newer, updated ones instead.
Pro: This raises the overall quality bar of the game by eliminating the oldest, least-attractive pieces; players look cooler; everything looks more consistent and modern. Less menu clutter.
Con: change is scary; perhaps some players will prefer the old pieces?
HYPOTHETICAL OPTION 2: We leave the old version alone and put the new version immediately below it in the Costume Creator.
Pro: Nothing is 'taken away.'
Con: Outmoded art remains, clashes progressively more with newer, modern assets. Menus swell with 2 options for each basic piece, making it harder to navigate.
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So you can see where I stand on this.
Personally, I'd like to see the game's art evolve, improve, and remain consistent, so I much prefer Option 1. But as always, I'd be interested to hear what you guys think about this. Do me a favor and please keep your posts short and to the point.
Possible grist for the mill:
--non-animated tails were left in Costume Creator when Animated Tails were added. Do any of you use the non-moving ones at this point?
Since the new practice is to make us pay for everything...even stuff we used to get as part of free issues, such as emotes, please do not remove the old pieces.
Here's what will happen if you remove them:
- You make 5 new pieces.
- You remove 5 old pieces.
- Management decides the 5 new pieces are pretty nice and that we should pay 9.99 for them.
-Now we're stuck with 5 less pieces unless we buy a new booster pack.
Since we aren't getting anything new for our $15/Month, please don't take away the stuff we've already got.