Pendix
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Posts
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Joined
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Quote:If you are not using a religious definition of the Soul*, what definition are you using?Originally Posted by Golden Girl
When I say souls, I'm not talking about religion.
This is a serious question, if your arguement is that robots will never possess emotions because they will never have souls & souls are the source of 'deeper' emotions, then we need a working definition of the soul to disscuss.
*(I would hazard that the religious definition of the soul is the one people think of most commonly) -
Quote:*sigh*Originally Posted by Golden Girl
But they're only shallow responses, not the genuine deep emotions that we get in our normal lives.
You would be the expert on shallow responses. -
Quote:If the soul is not 'knowable', how do you know it exists?Originally Posted by Golden Girl
Emotions are something deeper than just stimulation - they're part of our consciousness, which makes us who we are.
Our life spirit isn't - our souls are something deeper. -
Quote:And if they didn't try, they never would.Originally Posted by BrandX
Well that's just silly.
Scientist's keep saying one thing, then discovering they were wrong.
Funny how that works. -
When I first heard about all this, the following when through my mind:
The scene is a darkend office, a brooding figure stands behind a desk.
Namless Criptic Drone: "Sir, I . . . I have those reports."
Jack Emmert: "I already know what they say."
NCD: " . . . Sir, things are looking pretty bad."
Jack: "I've made a lot of mistakes. We need to do somehting. We need to change our perspective. We need . . ."
NCD *gasp* "Surely you dont mean . . ."
Jack: "I do. There is only one man who can save Criptic Studios now."
NCD: *gratuious gasp*
Jack: "Get me: 'The Brawler'."
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I'm torn on this on. I don't feel it offers as much value-for-money as past boosters of the same price.
But, in it's favor:
- The 10 Auras are whole Aura Sets (past booster Auras were mainly individual auras).
- All parts unlock at level 1, which is niffty.
- The current respecitive vaules of the Australian & American dolar are such that this will be the chepest booster I've paid for
- Some of them may be ideal for certain characters of mine.
I suppose the tipping point may come when I've actually seen them in action I suppose.
Quote:Oh! Hmm . . . I'll be right backOriginally Posted by Ramification TM
If anybody wants to check out the pack in game before you buy. Put together a fashion show in AE displaying all the new capes and auras.
Just head to your local AE building and search for ARC#461733. Or check page 4!
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Quote:*blinks*Originally Posted by Venture
That's because people are a sea of statistics. Social policy is not established by the fact that something bad happened to someone somewhere. Bad things happen to good people, and that's unfortunate, but we don't stop the world on account of it. It would be hard to find some aspect of our existence that did not have unfortunate consequences for someone somewhere attached to it. Cars kill 45,000 people a year and injure 2.5 million more (roughly), not to mention the long-term environmental issues, but just try even raising the standards for a driver's license, never mind getting rid of them.
Ok, let me divulge a small amount of personal information, on the internet, by my own choice;
I am an Engineer (Mechatronic to be precise, dont get me to explain) and I've done some Risk Assessment work in my time, not to mention having to deal almost daily with various safety and compliance standards.
And, let me just say; I hope you are not in the buissness of Risk Assessment, for if you are, you should be fired. Today.
And here is the funny thing; if you were posting with your real name, I could (ethically I might have to) determine your place of employment, and direct your employers to this thread and your comments herein. And you would likely get fired. Today. (or at least get a very firm WTF from your boss)
Funny That.
As a funny bonus: in my country, a few years back; we did just that.Quote:Originally Posted by Venture
... but just try even raising the standards for a driver's license, never mind getting rid of them.
EDIT: We lifted standards; we didn't get rid of them.
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Quote:David Nakayama: Special Power: Roundhouse Art!Originally Posted by Techbot Alpha
Paragon Studios doesnt have Chuck Norris. But David is the next best thing
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This
Quote:and this:Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Deliberately doing that is harassment, and the game already has a remedy for that: you can validly petition such conduct. That's really dodging the point though, because the question I'm asking is what is the difference between restricting what the game does to you and what the players do to you. Resorting to conduct defined to be actionable griefing only clouds the issue.
dont really seem to gel. Surely if the player's capacity for Malicious behaviour is the reason these controls exist at all, then the ability for something to be used Maliciously, and maliciously enough to warent GM action, cant be somehting that 'only clouds the issue'.Quote:Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Conversely, because players act far more unpredictably than critters, and sometimes far more maliciously, the devs cannot simply allow players to do *anything* to other players. In particular, a decision usually has to be made as to whether to allow non-consensual PvP or not, and usually the decision is to disallow that. That's a compromise, though, against the general principle that if it happens in an MMO, you're supposed to deal with it. And in fact, in declared PvP zones, that rule is still in force 100%: if a player takes action which kills you in a PvP zone, then short of them using a game feature that would have been an exploit anywhere else, the fact that they killed you against your will is not a problem the game intends to address. -
Values in powers seem too high, nerf now before anyone pays actual money for it.
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I think some animation polerifieration could be do-able and offer some good bang for your buck as it were.
For instance; there are several different animantions for ranged damage sets that share a single animation time. Psionic Bolt, & Ice Bolt have differnt animations, but are both 1.00 sec in animation time.
Giving powers with a single animation an additional animation to chose from selected from those other powers that share the same animation time, and similar theme (i.e. no sword attacks launching power bolts, for instance).
I dont know how animations work 'under the hood' but this sort of thing must surely be easier and faster than creating whole new animations from scratch. -
You have warmed the cockles of my heart, I know this becasue I can see them glowing from the jar on my shelf where i keep my heart.
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Quote:*clears throat* 'Action Figures' Thankyou very much.Originally Posted by Decorum
We pay $15/month to play with online virtual dolls. To the "outside world", we're all strange.
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Ok, character deconstruction and flame wars aside, Id like to return to the issue raised in the OP (taken at face value at-least).
Quote:Firstly Id like to say, we should be a little careful in discussing Fun. Fun is broadly subjective, and while there is a certain consensus in many ways, we never really know where we, as individuals, fall on that bell-curve.Originally Posted by Ultimo_
This statement baffles me. Why would ANYONE design a game where ANYTHING in it is not supposed to be fun?
The Endurance mechanic is designed to be a limit on a characters capabilities, both for game balance reasons, and for game design reasons. Game Design, in particular, is relevant here.
Id like to talk about 3 elements of game design, and how they interact with End; Incentive, Achievement and Process. The endurance mechanic, as it functions, serves as an incentive to level-up and to learn about how the game works, an incentive to engage with the game, and seek out ways to manage or mitigate the limiting effect it has. Once a player has learnt about how End works, how to manage it, and how to mitigate it, they will play better (somewhat), succeeded more easily, and be able to take on more difficult things. This will (or should) lead to a sense of achievement. All of this, of-course, takes time, it is a Process. It will keep a player playing longer, not just by taking time in and of itself, but by leading to a deeper investment in the game; knowledge that is gained wants to be used.
This can go further. When a player seeks ways to mitigate the effects of End even further, they will pursue the options there are for that, this will take time, it will further the Process, and feelings of achievement.
I guess, mainly, what Im trying to say; is you are /supposed/ to dislike endurance management, and you are supposed to take measures in the game itself, as part of the game, to handle it. That, at least, is how it is (or seems to me to be) designed.
The above is ultimatly my own understanding, I dont make games for a living, I'm no expert. I ilke to think that I have at least the outline of somthing, and that I've comunicated it well enought. What do you think? -
Quote:Ultimo, consider that this person is your principal supporter.Originally Posted by Johnny_Butane
Broken like you 'break' a horse? Yep.
Many people were expressing the sentiment that they wished Tankers were more like they are in comics, but that they didn't expect that to change in this game. They were also unwilling to fight for what they wanted, or work for a better compromise, and so just rolled over and accepted what they got. To me, that's the definition of someone who has been broken.
Now let THAT sink in for a bit.
If you are looking for the definition of disagreeing by being disagreable, Check J_Bs history.
(Also, I did make another post, actually on-topic, if anybody cares to address it, even if only to disimiss it, that would be nice) -
Ok, *rubs hands together* lets see now:
"The Rascal King" (Ma/Nin Stalker) AKA "Vinnie" - He is an internaternal Jewel Thief. He's not particularly 'Evil', infact if "Lovable Rogue" were an archatype thats what he'd be.
"Kate Kelly" (Th/Tr Mastermind) - is probably evil in a sence, she hates Cops, and by extention Heros, with an unreasobnableness that probably pushes her over the line. It's a very 'human' sort of evil though, if you know what I mean.
"Operative Siege" (Crabspider) - is pretty Evil; he's an absolute believer in 'Might Makes Right', and 'Only the Strong' philosphies, and is not shy in their application. But he doesnt revel in suffering or anything like that. He's not a Monster after all.
"Steel Oni" (WM/Sh Brute) - is equal first in the Evil Stakes for my characters. He is a Demon who feeds on the suffering and negative emotions of mortals. The only limit to his depravity, is his own dignity and pride; there are some tasks so mential he would not stoop to them (which isn't really a moral limitation)
"White Harlequine" (NB/DA Stalker) - Is the other contender for most evil. An indolent Venetian aristocrat who turned to murder for amusment, she sold her soul to a Baron of Hell, and to this day acts as his eyes, ears and blade in the mortal world.
"Mad Doll" (DB/St Corruptor) - is a strange kind of evil. An animate vodoo doll, she has the mentality of a small child, dosent really understand living things, likes to play, and gets really upset if her toys get broken.
Of course there is a really interesting disscussion behind this about what contistutes 'Being Evil' and difference between that and 'commiting Evil acts'. But prehapes another time
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Back to the actual, as stated topic. I pulled this quote out of an old thread about pre-20 endurance, and I stand by it.
Quote:The Dev's, IF they are significantly conserened with the endurance issues faced by new and low level (and bad?) players are most likley not going to do any global adjustments to End Consumption. (that would not be keeping with the posted philosphy above) Rather they would be trying to increase and diversify players End-Consumption-Mitigation options. Which, largely, is the tatic they appear to have embraced over the years. End Increasing accolades, IOs with +recovery, insperation combining, and, most recently, Recovery Serum (dayum, that's some awesome temp).Originally Posted by Pendix
The early levels of most RPGs (PnP, Single Player and; MMO) have to strike an important balance between 'Suk' and; 'Awesome' or 'Suk' and; 'Fun'. A low level character has to feel like he both is haveing fun, but could be having more fun if certain things were different, for instance if he were doing more damage, hitting more often, or being better at taking hits, that way he will feel compelled to strive for the higher levels where he will (presumably) have those things. If the game were as 'instantly' as fun as the player could imagine it being, he will likley not feel as compelled to play it will lack any relevant/tanigable reward to complement the 'fun'. Concenquently he will be further likley to be drawn away buy other games (or passtimes) that do induce a compulsion to play.
The very existance of this disscussion is evidence of the game being very successful in inducing in the player a need for certain things, in this case, better 'End Managment'. Feeling that 'End Managment at the low levels sucks' is not only understandable, but INTENDED. It is suppose to make you want to get to a higher level where you have access to many more better and; varried 'End Managment' tools. -
Quote:Perhapes you didnt' call them "Agro Monkies" But you did characterise people who didnt agree with your stance on tankers as "Broken". Which, pro-tip; is pretty dam insulting.Originally Posted by Johnny_Butane
Actually, I used the expression for Tankers themselves, not the people who play them.
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Quote:"Welcome back." ?Originally Posted by Ironblade
What do you say about the people who stopped playing because they were told power customization was too hard?
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Ok, time for my own crazy, homebrew Nemesis Theory.
*hands out some tin-foil-hats*
Nemesis has /always/ known about the Coming Storm, even before he became Lord Nemesis. And now for a story:
A long time ago in Prussia, there lived a young man, let’s call him Gerhardt. Perhaps he was a brilliant scientist, or maybe a simple toymaker, whatever he was, one fateful day he invented (or discovered) a way to travel between dimensions. Gerhardt wandered the many various alternate realities for many years, he learnt a great deal from his wanderings, mastering a strange steam-powered technology. He saw many strange and wonderful things, things that left him in awe, things that scared him.
Soon though he began to see a strange pattern; world after world, earth after earth, lying in ruin, devastated by some unnamed force. In some the devastation was old, in some fresh. Sifting through the ashes he would piece together the history of these worlds and he realised that this threat was coming for every earth, in every reality, even his own. The only difference was the time-frame. In fear for his home he sought ways to halt the threat, examining worlds that had lost and seeking out those that already caught up in the threat. When he finally returned home he had come up with a plan for combating this . . . Coming Storm.
His travels had taught him much, but mainly that adversity breeds strength. He knew that if his home, his earth, Primal Earth, was to survive it would need the strongest of defenders. If he was to ensure that Earth’s defenders were strong enough he would need to ensure they faced the greatest of challenges. He would need to, not just engineer those challenges, that adversity, he would need to become it. He would need to ensure that every defender of earth, every super powered individual, every Hero, faced a brilliant, ruthless, implacable . . . Nemesis.
And now for a word from our spons . . . I mean; some supporting evidence.
This is why all his plots ultimately fail; because they were never meant to succeeded, they were meant to challenge Heroes. If the heroes succeed, they get stronger, if they fail; weakness has been weeded out.
That’s why he has so many plots going at once, to challenge as many Heroes as possible at the same time.
That’s why he (spoiler) went to so much trouble to get the Rikti to invade, what better way to prepare a world for a devastation alien invasion, than by cutting it’s teeth on a smaller one.
That’s why he (spoiler) had control of the world’s weather for 2 years and nobody noticed (seriously; look up the “Meteorologist” badge).
That’s why he (spoiler) had nearly complete national mind-control network (the “Get Track Sample” mission from Maxwell Christopher), and never finished it or brought it online. He wasn’t avoiding using it because he wanted people to “love him of their own free will”, it was a set up, just waiting for a Hero to come along and be ‘challenged’ by it.
Weird Upshot of this theory; it would mean that the entire premise of our game; that of becoming more powerful by defeating ever increasing challenges . . . is a Nemesis plot.
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Quote:Thanks, I'm running good'old Win XP so I'll try some task manager testing this weekend. I did check such things pretty briefly with it the other night, but a more targeted test definatly seems in order.Originally Posted by Agonist_NA
Hey Pendix,
Well, there are probably better ways, but if you are running Windows, you could leave up the Program Manager and see what the CPU burden does. If it is up near 100%, then you are at least bumping up against a limit there. RAM might be an issue too, but keep in mind that 32-bit operating systems can't access more than 4 Gb of RAM. So if you have a 32-bit OS, don't bother buying any more than that.
There are only so many bottlenecks of that magnitude in a computer... I would guess that since it is so closely related to turning on the shadow map, that is what bogs down the CPU. I don't know if graphic cards do that type of calculation - projecting an image from a fixed point as 2D seems like a CPU thing to do, then the graphic card calculates what that image looks like from your POV.
One of the experts can probably offer a better diagnostic.
Here's hoping I can sort it out, I really like the UM shadows.
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Quote:Can I get a confirmation on this?Originally Posted by Agonist_NA
Vox, I'm no big expert, but if you are locked at 30fps, that sounds like a CPU limitation. It might be that shadow maps use more CPU than graphics card processing, so you hit a ceiling and your graphics card is going as fast as it can, but is waiting around for something to do.
I'm having pretty much the same problem: Upgraded to a GTX 260+, and everything pretty much runs fine (other games look brillaint as well) unless I turn on Shadow Maps, which absolutly hammers my FPS (down to below 30). Dont want to go out and try and up grade again without knowing weather I should upgrade the Graphic Card, or the processors. -
Quote:I have but one thing to say:Originally Posted by Venture
Yes, it is. Camp is garbage, always, without question. Calling it "camp" is an acknowledgment of special pleading.
VIAL OF BEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!
That is all. -
Quote:According to the newsletter I just recieved* the active accounts of EvE is over 330K (more than the population of Iceland apparently).Originally Posted by Slashman
Last count was around 350K+ I think. It's doing quite well.
It's quite sad that many MMO companies are not gibing out their 'active account' numbers anymore and the "MMO Charts" websites stopped getting updated.
I remember** from reading that site that MMO populations tend to fall into one of 4 catogories:
1 - Standard pattern: large spike after launch, minor dropoff, followed by a stable, slow decline, possibly with seconday spikes that conencide with the launch of a expansion or similar. Most MMOs (including Cities) fall into this catogary, and are reasonably long lived as a byproduct.
2 - large spike after launch, followed buy a much more major dropoff, possibly followed by a small but stable a stable population, but not enough to sustain the game for a long period of time. These are the MMOs that die.
3 - Huge ongoing upward curve slowly approaching plato over the course of years. This is WoW, it is in a class of it's own, even the other 'big' MMOs (Linage I think is a good example) follow the same pattern as catogary 1, allbeit on a larger scale.
4 - minor launch spike, but no dropoff, and gradual, progressive gain over time. The only MMO i remember** seeing in this catogary was EvE. Which is to say, it's just as much an abberation as WoW.
* Played EvE for 6 months back away back, I still get the news letters. It is a good game, but about as different from CoH as you can be while still being an MMO.
** All from memory here
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Quote:Heh, I have a friend pretty much the same situation. Infact, he should be re-subing any day no. . . HEY!, Wait a second!Originally Posted by Mister_Shade
Wellp, I'm someone who's just returned from exile, during which time I was playing a certain Similar But Different game... which I'm still running an account on, mind you. It's an interesting phenomenon.
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I'm a complete plot (bleep), so I love it, and I'm glad I have employment enough to re-up my sub. Are there other things I enjoy in other games? Of course! But none of them give me the story fix that I feel from CoX. ^_^