Messages

1

Completely Unrelated / Re: I'm curious to know... (Firefox VS IE VS Opera)

« on: 2006-11-16 03:57:13 »

What you currently use?
Firefox

What exactly do you want in your browser
I want something that I can, like Jari, add extensions to. I want one that allows someone who is HTML literate but hasn't made a webpage for years to be able to view source code to see somethnig specific. I want a browser with an efficient download manager and I want the ability to pause downloads when I wish. Sometimes between classes I find myself unable to complete a download; I don't want to have to close up shop, go to a classroom that has the internet disabled by proxy, and have to begin my download all over again. I also want a browser that allows me to hit up any popular search engine with great ease. The ability to search any search engine within the browser, without navigating to a new page is sheer brilliance, IMO (and the Google Toolbar for IE attempts to emulate that). I can search Wikipedia, Uncyclepedia, Google, Altavista (why, I don't know, but I can), Torrentspy, Yahoo!, E-Bay, etcetera, all with very little hassle.

In short, I want a browser that comes out of the box, so to speak, extremely versatile, that can be made even more versatile by downloading and installing a few plugins (right now I have one that allows me to see what the weather is like on campus, so for those few short minutes before I head off to class I can see what shitstorm I'm running into).

What makes your browser better

IE is all cluttered up, IMO. Firefox seems more down-to-earth, and it would appear that a lot less space is wasted on bars and so forth, with the majority dedicated to content, which is what I'm paying x amount of dollars a month to see.

What do you love the most about your browser

Just it's versatility, in short. I have the feeling that I can do anything with my browser. It's more secure than IE, etcetera, but the other main point is that Firefox can do essentially everything that IE can do, but IE can't do everything that Firefox can do, which is the main problem. Firefox is like IE +1.

What would make your browser better

Beats me.

2

Completely Unrelated / The 360's First Real Entry Into The Stealth Genre

« on: 2006-11-16 03:36:08 »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIVw6p9lCgg&mode=related&search=

MGS4 doesn't stand a chance.


In-Game video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iamxED8Efu0&NR


Personally, and yes, I'm young and hip enough to use these words, this game looks harsh dope.

My initial analysis tells me that the folks who made this seem to have an idea of what they're doing, and besides being a massive advertisement, the game looks fun. They're also releasing two others, so it should be interesting.

Apparently, they made the games seperate for both the X-Box and X-Box 360, so it's not just reverse compatable, but whichever version you get was specifically designed for your console.

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/driving/bigbumpin/news.html?sid=6159158

3

Completely Unrelated / Re: PS3 autopsy

« on: 2006-11-16 03:09:04 »

I don't know if there is a solution for the PStwo specifically. The guy at the store did say that it would "burn out" if I left it playing for too long (which he specified between 2-4 hours!), and a lady in the line told me even before I got up there that it would burn out in no time.

I was implying that they fixed the PStwo's problem with the PS3, not that they fixed the PStwo's problem.



BTW: the old PS2 I mentioned was, without a doubt, the loudest piece of crap in the world. Hopefully by now it's been repaired and your PS2's status as loudest remains secured.

4

Completely Unrelated / Re: Saddam Hussein to be hanged

« on: 2006-11-16 03:03:55 »

I mean, have you seen pictures of his cell? He spends his free time drinking green tea and gardening! Gardening for Christ's sake!

I haven't, but that sounds pretty reasonable. Two different things here. First, he is currently under arrest, not being punished of anything. Second, even if he was being punished, the point of imprisonment is just that, imprisonment. Not torture. Not driving someone insane.

Just like prisons in Nordic countries (and in quite a few others, I think), offer several modern conveniences. Inmates are often allowed to keep TVs, radios, coffee makers and game consoles - if there's room. Which is good. Like I said, it's not supposed to be torture, and most of the inmates are expected to return to society one day... and I'd prefer that they return sane.

I won't even bother to wait until someone says that everyone wants to be in a prison like that. They don't. Nordic countries have one of the lowest incarceration rates (warning: links to pdf-file) in the world. As you can see, imprisonment in itself is a valid punishment.

You believe it reasonable that the murderer of an untold number of people deserves to be sitting around, drinking green tea and gardening, a luxury that maybe a dozen people in Iraq can afford, and a luxury that even not many of the western world can afford between schooling, work, family, etc?

If we ended up capturing Hitler, is it your belief then that he too should have been given such amenities?

People can remain perfectly sane without gardening, without drinking tea. Give him a couple of books, maybe an encyclopedia or two. Let him work on his understanding of how the world outside of Iraq works, anything. Maybe give him a picture of Stalin or two to hang above his bed (the two look so similar it'd be wrong not to). Put him to work, maybe. One of the points of imprisonment is that the person recognizes the fact that they are in prison. Living the sweet life behind bars is hardly imprisonment.

Might as well lock him up in the Bastille, no?

However, the reality of the Bastille was much different than the mystique created by the King. All of the rooms until the year 1701 were left unfurnished. Wealthy political prisoners were allowed to bring in their own furniture, many even brought their own servants with them. Meals were of generous proportions, and more luxurious meals could be bought if the prisoner was wealthy enough. Most prisoners were docile. They were allowed to walk freely around the fortress, talk with officers and other prisoners and play games. Many had their own personal hobbies, and a few were even allowed to visit the city of Paris on parole. The Bastille was much more comfortable, even homelike, than the horrific rumors that circled around France proclaimed.

5

Completely Unrelated / Re: Most immersive games you have played?

« on: 2006-11-16 02:50:44 »

Forgot to mention two series:

The 'modern' Prince of Persia series. Just how intense it eventually gets with you jumping off like six walls, grabbing ten ledges, slicing through no less than twenty enemies, and then running up more walls... intense.

The Civilization series. Makes me feel like the dictator of a mighty empire poised to take over the world. I'm hardcore like that.

6

Completely Unrelated / Re: PS3 autopsy

« on: 2006-11-14 01:13:08 »

Pretty cool.

Hey, that bad boy drops in a couple of days, doesn't it?

Anyway, this leads into an anecdote of very little humour:

My PS2 was giving me troubles, going as far as to "sputter" and actually scratch discs! Fortunately, I had a warranty and could easily replace it. At the same time, however, I had just received quite the windfall of money and didn't want to deal with the hassle of continually replacing it. So, I went into the local EB and picked up a PStwo without doing the proper research. I kept it in the box, and looked it up, and saw people complaining of it burning out due to poor ventilation; after seeing that, I returned it, and got my PS2 replaced after driving all the way uptown to find one of the only refurbished PS2's in town that could replace mine.

With that said, I think it's fair to say that the PStwo suffered from the problem of poor ventilation. The Xbox does seem to heat up quite a bit, too, but not to the extent that it's a huge problem. The PS2 for the most part stays fairly cool.

I'm glad to see they remedied the problem of the PStwo with the PS3.

7

Completely Unrelated / Re: Bully AKA Canis Canem Edit

« on: 2006-11-14 01:08:56 »

While you raise a good point with your example, I still think that the "gay" importance of this game is greatly overhyped. That's not the point, though.


This game is pretty cool. I beat it the other night, and as with pretty much any Rockstar Games game (Bully was actually created in my hometown, which I find somewhat interesting), although I haven't played Table Tennis, sadly, the ending has been very rewarding leaving the player with a sense of accomplishment.

Somewhat of a vague spoiler, but a somewhat interesting point, too:

At the end of the game, the bad guys are punished, the meek inherit the earth/school, you're back on top, and at the very end, you do get the girl.

8

Completely Unrelated / Re: Saddam Hussein to be hanged

« on: 2006-11-14 01:05:01 »

I've lightened up a bit with regards to my "hang him at all costs" style of thought, but I still think the man is a drain on civilization and perhaps prison would be too good for him, I mean, have you seen pictures of his cell? He spends his free time drinking green tea and gardening! Gardening for Christ's sake!

Imprison him for life, but take away the soft pleasures the man gets, at the very least.




When I compared Eichmann and Hussein, you'll note I put 'kidnapping' and 'trying' in quotes, and then in brackets wrote that those two words were VERY SUBJECTIVE.

That said, he was retrieved against his will, which constitutes kidnapping in the loosest sense of the word.

And, Hussein is guilty, do not get me wrong - I'm no sympathizer. But it would seem that, as with the Eichmann case, the judges did not attempt to determine whether or not he was guilty or innocent - everyone walked in knowing he was guilty, and everyone walked out knowing he was guilty.

It's all subjective, like I said originally, afterall.

9

Completely Unrelated / Re: Curious about fanboy behavior...

« on: 2006-11-14 00:59:41 »

I'm not implying the X-Box is inferior, I was just using it as a case example. If Inferior Console R were to release their epic flagship game of the century, while Superior Console T did not have an epic flagship video game, it stands to reason that Console R would still be able to compete just because of the title. I was using Halo 2 as an example because, if I remember correctly, the first (maybe the only?) month that more X-Boxes were sold than PS2's happened to be about two years ago - 11/9/2004. X-Box sales soared through the roof due to Halo 2.

I'm a proud every-console-owner (even though recently the PS2's been seeing a bit more gametime), so...




I've noticed the same thing with GH2, JP (which interestingly enough are my initials...), and I just blame GH 1 for making us all so legendary at the game in the first place. Practice mode helps, too.

I started on Hard, did not fail once, and cleared Freebird with 5 stars on my first try.

That said, multiplayer is quite a bit more fun, and the game itself has been improved a bit. A good play, nonetheless.

10

Completely Unrelated / Re: Most immersive games you have played?

« on: 2006-11-14 00:55:37 »

I loved Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow online.

Offline, I'd describe it as balls.

Your complaint of MGS is the AI, mine is of that goofy prick Sam Fisher. Not to mention the fact that he is pushing 100 (like Snake in MGS4, granted), but the guy's got the largest assortment of fist-to-fist fighting combat movies ever conceived. The Forearm Of Doom is the most essential one, but other than that, he's pretty much screwed if a guy runs at him.

Ever.



Carry on, Jari. I just found it to be an intersting mannerism. I've visited a variety of message boards/groups etc in my time, and have never seen someone do that before.

11

Completely Unrelated / Re: Bully AKA Canis Canem Edit

« on: 2006-11-11 09:10:14 »

Yeah, except the main reason for rescuing the princess is on moral grounds. It doesn't matter what gender the person you're rescuing is, it shouldn't affect your need to rescue them. That is to say, an objective person (a type of person who does not exist) would not distinguish between a man and a woman when it came to rescuing one or the other - personally, I'd sooner rescue a woman than a man, depending of course upon social status, but that's not because I find the woman to be more aesthetically pleasing (which, I do, but video game characters... cough), but because in society the woman is seen as more helpless.

That said, I'm drawing my inferences mostly from one source, who, for whatever my reasons, I see as the "typical gay gamer". He plays all the same kinds of games I do, and doesn't really feel a need to draw any distinctions between rescuing the princess or rescuing the prince.

Now, I'm sure an exception would arise if there were some sort of aesthetic reasoning behind the game's objectives (for example, I don't think he's ever played Playboy: The Mansion, and probably never would as the game is meant to appeal to heterosexual men), but as long as the rescue is being undertaken due to moral principles, he is neutral. That is basically to say, if you had a choice between rescuing a prince or a princess, and you 'liked' both equally (as characters, of course. I can't count the number of times I've neglected to save someone because they just pissed me off or annoyed me. A prime example would be guards in MGS2. Those, who at gunpoint, said "Just try and pull the trigger." would usually end up on the ground, asleep. Those who asked "What are you?", asking an incredibly stupid question, would end up with a hole between their eyes.), odds are that he would pick the same one as you.


That's not to shoot down your point, though. I'm sure there are some gay gamers out there who say "Right on! I get to make out with another boy!", but I don't see it as the norm.

12

Completely Unrelated / Re: Saddam Hussein to be hanged

« on: 2006-11-11 08:28:12 »

No, Iraqi insurgents are nationalists. There is no longer a cult-of-the-leader kind of thing going on. Saddam is already dead to the average insurgent.

Besides, the man is the epitome of the banality of evil... why should he get three squares, a nice place to sleep, and media exposure for the rest of his life?


The key difference between the Eichmann and Saddam trials would then be that Eichmann was "illegally" captured. Capturing the leader of the country you're stomping through is the accepted norm.

Saddam is guilty, without a doubt. We'll never get a fair trial, but we'll get fair judgement.

13

Completely Unrelated / Re: Curious about fanboy behavior...

« on: 2006-11-11 08:19:55 »

I'm all for multi-platform releases except when the release title is announced as "X Console Only" on release day, then months later jumps ship to the PS2 or whatever.

When I picked up GH2 on the 7th of November, I knew that it would be later released on the 360 and would be better, so I wasn't too choked.

When I picked up RE4 on the GCN, then later played the improved PS2 version, well.


That aside, multi-platform releases are excellent. They open the playing field better and make it easier to judge which console is the best (if you think about it). If Game X is released on consoles A, B, and C, well, it's fair to say that, given enough samples of various games, one could determine the best platform for which kind of game. Perhaps A plays FPS the best, while console C's main strength is RPG, and B is the best for Action-Adventure / Puzzle type games.

It gives the player choice, and usually means more money for the software company, this way, an inferior console can't have one flagship game that carries them above a better console that perhaps doesn't have that game. I'm of course referring to Halo 2 as an example (though I'm a proud X-Box owner), but it can easily be argued that quite a few people ended up getting a X-Box just because of Halo 2.

God knows I'm picking up a PS3 for MGS4 (unless it's released on the X-Box 360, first, which I doubt), and a 360 for Guitar Hero 2.

14

Completely Unrelated / Re: Most immersive games you have played?

« on: 2006-11-11 08:07:29 »

KotoR.

Also Guitar Hero (I and II) - it's not so much as immersive as it is just further proof of how much I rock.

And the MGS series... the story telling is just so absolutely gripping that I can't help but feel like I'm Snake, Big Boss, or for that gruelling period of time, Raiden. By the time the game gets to the crazy stuff, you're already too far in to even question it - from an outside perspective, a lot of the stuff is pretty whack, but from an in-game, it's fairly logical. Of course, when you're about to clear the tanker and Ocelot shows up with a guest to his right, well... what the hell, Kojima?



As a side note, Jari, I understand your past here to a certain extent, insofar that I know you "ain't no newb", but for Christ's sakes - if you're putting sh*t in brackets, do you really have to make the font smaller too? The point of brackets is so that the reader understands that the text within isn't neccessary to understand the rest of the text - they're meant to be inobtrusive so you can continue reading if you so choose - making the text smaller catches the reader's eye and causes him/her to study the words more than they normally would have.

Plus, there is no denying that just using brackets in the first place and not making the font smaller is less work than what you're doing; granted, making the font smaller isn't a lot of work.

Maybe I'm just b*tching because I'm sitting back at a distance and don't feel like moving in closer to read your tiny font; it's harder to ignore because of how it actually stands out due to its small size.

Anyway, I'm just curious as to why you feel it is neccessary to not only write things in brackets (which I do - QED), but also make the font smaller.

15

Completely Unrelated / Re: Post Your Desktop

« on: 2006-11-11 07:59:42 »

Seeing this inspired me to clean up the ol' desktop. I usually have the "Show Desktop Items" turned off, so I just save stuff to the desktop anyway without actually putting the files where they belong; that said, my desktop is down to My Computer and a single filefolder, so I might as well just post the picture from where I got it, no?

http://66.90.73.203/el/elisha1711024x768.jpg

On a side note, it's hosted on http://www.sexydesktops.co.uk which is a very good resource for finding wallpapers of virtually any celebrity (except male... not that I'm complaining, but who doesn't want to add a little Kiefer Sutherland to their life now and then?).

I feel better plugging them after killing a bit of bandwidth.

16

Completely Unrelated / Re: Saddam Hussein to be hanged

« on: 2006-11-11 07:34:10 »

I'm glad to see him hanged, especially now that he has told the people of Iraq to co-operate.

In my opinion, the United States 'kidnapping', 'trying', and now hanging (as the first two words are very subjective), is no different from the Isarelis kidnapping Eichmann when he was hiding in Jerusalem, quickly and publically trying him, and then hanging him - the only man to be ever hanged in Israel.

The only difference is that Hussein is Hitler compared to Eichmann - Eichmann was a yes man, Hussein's just a jerk.


Let him hang.

17

Completely Unrelated / Re: Bully AKA Canis Canem Edit

« on: 2006-11-11 07:28:02 »

A few points:

Gays aren't a seperate subset of people. The average gay guy doesn't care about getting the girl rather than getting the guy; I mean, I don't receive any sort of sexual gratification from rescuing the princess - it's an objective. It makes very little difference.

That aside, the issue at hand, being the gay content, is moot. The big question should be : who cares?

I played GTA: SA even though the main character is black and I'm white; played Vice City even though the character's Italian and I'm Canadian, so on. I don't think the nationality or sexual preferences of a character would ever deter me from playing a video game (unless of course the game was specifically geared to that, in which case I'd either feel like a douche or gay - that is to say, if the main object of the game was to, I dunno, produce rap albums (actually, I still might play it), or to have gay sex (as an extreme), I'd probably stay away). That said, the main point of the game is to survive. You're thrown into a raw, gritty, and real world and just gotta try to come out on top. Jimmy Hopkins is trying to survive more than anything.

Now, as a bully simulator? Fuck right off. The vast majority of people do not play video games for training; from that, there are three or four 'groups' within gaming... the smallest of which would probably those who might use Bully for training. The rest are either too smart or too responsible to do so.

And, the stuff you do in Bully? It's hardcore, stereotype bully stuff. Stuff that happens extremely rarely (tossing in garbage cans, swirlies, etc); there is of course general fist fighting and so forth, but we see that in tons of other games, so that isn't the issue.

That said, anyone who opposes Bully as it's a gay/bully simulator is simply a douchebag.

Whenever Rockstar gets slammed for a game (like every game except for Table Tennis, which was slammed before it was even announced with a title), there seems to be two sides to the fence with a group in the middle - those who oppose it, those who don't care, and of course, those who end up playing it (but likely don't care about the bad press). I'm sure that for every one or two members that join the first side, a good handful join the middleground and the gaming side of the fence.

I don't see bad press as really being a hinderence.

The only thing worse than getting talked about is not getting talked about, after all.

Or. to quote the shmuck who ripped off Wilde, the only bad publicity is no publicity.

18

FF7 Tools / Loveless - a FF7 text editor [v.1 - 2.5]

« on: 2006-10-12 06:35:05 »

 

Very cool.

19

General Discussion / Re: FF8 - Squall's Gunblade

« on: 2006-10-11 08:24:42 »

In that case, I think the thing's a beaut.

Well done.

20

Completely Unrelated / Re: Hate to use this forum as a computer advice column, but...

« on: 2006-10-10 23:12:18 »

Thanks.

I'll swing by the nearest Future Shop and attempt to pick one up.

I've written down the chief ones that I'll be looking at, namely the Soundblaster Live, and the Creative X-Fi.

I'll likely settle on the SB-Live. I get my refund check for my scholarships today, so while that boosts up my spending limit significantly; I'm cheap.


--addendum

Ended up getting the SB Audigy 4 for a bit over $100... I love it so far. Now, my only complaint happens to be that the rear right speaker doesn't play properly.

It isn't the rear right speaker itself, but whichever speaker is plugged into the "REAR RIGHT SPEAKER" slot on the subwoofer.

It's a Logitech X-530, still under warranty, so I shouldn't have a problem getting that solved.

21

General Discussion / Re: FF8 - Squall's Gunblade

« on: 2006-10-10 23:07:09 »

My only problem with it is the colour change between the gun part of the blade and the blade part of it...

Maybe it's just me?

22

Completely Unrelated / Hate to use this forum as a computer advice column, but...

« on: 2006-10-08 09:59:36 »

I've noticed a lot of smarter chaps happen to visit this place. So here's my bit:

I believe my integrated sound card is a piece of crap - with that said, can anyone reccomend an alternate sound card in a below $100  Canadian price range - that supports 5.1 Pro Logic Surround Sound (rght now my stupid integrated sound card won't even support Stereo sound, so, anythings better).

Thanks in advance if you reply.


J

23

Completely Unrelated / Re: Series? (Official spin-off of Japanese Series etc.. topic)

« on: 2006-10-08 09:50:35 »

I realized that Vanished sucked so I quit watching that.

I'm always busy on Tuesday evenings so I miss every episode of House except for the rare day off I get on Tuesday nights (too lazy to acquire the episodes in another fashion).


I'm essentially waiting for 24 to start back up.

That's it.

24

Archive / Re: help?

« on: 2006-10-08 09:38:40 »

This thread has a very detailed walkthrough for using the NPC/Reunion walkthrough. Literally step by step and easy enough to adapt for the NPC patch instead of the Reunion patch if needed.

The last post was made in MAY of '06, FYI, so please don't ressurect it asking for help etc.

25

Archive / Re: Main Character Reconstruction?

« on: 2006-09-27 04:13:26 »

Exactly, the problem will be that the DoC models look waaaaaaaaaay better than the upgraded NPC models..

Just a minor gripe, though... usually when I see something like that out of the ordinary it distracts the crap out of me.