@ethersphere: Bah, I didn't get into your P&PI campaign! (And yes, I know full well why and it's completely reasonable.) If you need a replacement at some point I'll likely still be up for it.
As for me, I had a surprisingly productive afternoon/evening, especially given that it's Friday.
Now I'm off to bed. I haven't been getting enough sleep lately.
My way of making banners isn't that challenging, I'm just not creative and unmotivated (the same reason its hard for me to program on my own, even though I feel I am quite skilled at doing so).
That, and I think I might have hurt my ankle tonight, pretty badly.
I'm sure you are skilled at making banners... Nobody be afraid to try their skills at a Coffeehouse banner, you might have just the right idea! And I really hope your ankle is ok.. How did you hurt it?
@ethersphere: Bah, I didn't get into your P&PI campaign! (And yes, I know full well why and it's completely reasonable.) If you need a replacement at some point I'll likely still be up for it.
As for me, I had a surprisingly productive afternoon/evening, especially given that it's Friday.
Now I'm off to bed. I haven't been getting enough sleep lately.
Regarding Ether's campaign, bah, I wasn't included either :p.. but yes, I know why I wasn't included as well, and I hope that if there presents room for me in the future, that I will still be considered.
EDIT: I think I'm going to head off to watch some Quantum Leap before bed... I finally watched the first episode of Read or Die.. I like it so far She reminds me of me Btw Stuff, have you heard of the anime/manga Read or Dream? I was looking for Read or Die once and that was R.O.D. too..... have you read it or heard of it at all?
My ankle...was hurt playing DDR i think. That is the only logical reason, unless just from walking/running so much on it did something to all of the injurys that have happened to it before (sprained at least 6 times, broke it once, did something major to the ligaments a couple years back that almost needed surgery).
And I do know I'm quite good at banners, just without inspiriation I find myself unable to really complete anything good, because I get overwhelmed with the options I have availible to myself.
Also, I'm out for the night, decided against going to the PTQ.
Hi everyone, its a busy day today and its only getting busier for me, I made a thread in the P&PI asking for some feedback regarding my item creation, so if anyone is willing to help around heres the link.
Well thats all from me for today.... gotta run... busy day.:D
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Call me old fashioned, but an evil ascension to power just isn't the same without someone chanting faux Latin in the background.
Oreo, Glazing people better than Dunkin' Donuts since 2009
That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange eons even death may die.
If the mass-ive picture isn't good enough for you, you should know that I'm reviewing Mass Effect right now. There were Mass amounts of media for this, the Effect of which was that many people thought it would become another Halo 3, or similar title that was mass-ively hyped and let people down. Have I made enough puns yet?
So, as usual, let's talk about history of the game here. For those of us that get the magazine Game Informer, the magazine of choice from Game Stop, you may have known about this game as early as a year and a half ago. Back then, we knew it was a first person shooter, but it was billed a lot like Fable, where any choice you made changed the outcome of the game. I don't recall linking Mass Effect with Knights of the Old Republic, so I didn't think that there would be any similarities. Of course, when I bought the game, I knew about the link and was expecting something similar. What I got... Well, let me tell you about it.
As usual, I'll start with Graphics. I actually have to take some issue with some things that Mass Effect does. At this point in my gaming career, I expect graphics to be pre-loaded in the game. That is, I expect to see the crisp and clean graphics of my game when I start playing. I don't just expect this on the Xbox, but on every console and handheld I play. It's not a very big assumption, since most games do it now, and with minimal loading. Mass Effect... Seems to have a problem here. See, they seem to want to load up the basic polygons and then grow layer by layer until you get the sharp and crisp things I'm looking for. Which is fine by me. What is not fine is when I have to see the basic shapes of the character before the textures load up while I'm playing. This is something that should have been fixed in the beta. It's not game breaking by any means, but it does get a little annoying after a while. However, if you ignore it, it'll go away after a few seconds. Otherwise, the game is quite stellar in the way of graphics. It doesn't have the level of graphics of, say, Oblivion. But, then again, you don't really want that. We're talking the graphics of KoToR II upgraded. One thing I wish they could have done was synched the lip movements to the English voices. I think they're still synched to Japanese, but I'm not quite sure. They're just a bit off. In any case, it seems that every main character has a unique character model. By 'main character', I mean any character with an actual name. And there are many of them. Even secondary characters seem to have unique models. If not in face or body type, in color of clothing. I haven't actually noticed any repetitions. Perhaps there are big spaces, not enough people, or perhaps they just did very well. One thing a friend noticed that made me laugh was a slight comparison to Final Fantasy XI and Mass Effect. In FFXI, two races (Mithra and Galka) only ever show their female or male genders, respectively. The same goes on in Mass Effect. Save that the Asari don't actually have any males. To be honest, in the game, you only ever seem to see humans of both genders. Unless I missed something, every other race seems to only show one gender at all. Which is rather odd, but many of the races actually have reasons for it. Asari only have females, Krogan females are always trying to breed and don't go off to war, etc. You never truly see the 'high quality graphics' in cutscenes in the game that you see in other games of its type. When action comes, you usually expect to see the graphics take a distinct upwards turn to lifelike while cool things happen, then downgrade again. I never actually saw that. I'm not sure if I'm disappointed. In other news, the environments look realistic if sci-fi, just enough to run through and not pay attention. Which is what you'll be doing the most part. I have another complaint about the side worlds you visit, since they never seem as much unique as they do the same types of things with different textures applied. Some variation would have been nice. Guns look fairly cool, if a bit big. Holographic displays seem interesting. Enemies do have very few character models, but there are enough of them that you dont really have to bother with it. Bottom line: Mass Effect has a few graphical issues, but not enough to kill the game for you. They're enough to enjoy, not enough to really marvel over. 6/10 for graphics.
I can be quick with the sound. Music is pretty good, though it gets rather repetitive. Each clip seems about two minutes long that repeats or cuts out, depending on your location. There's an 'uplifting' track I rather enjoy, a 'heroic' track which is good, and an 'emotional' track which is excellent as well. The music enhances the mood while not getting in the way. Sound effects are fine. Not good, not bad. Really what you expect from the game, especially if you recall the KoToR games. Voices are excellent, no matter who you look at. Something I rather enjoyed were the 'overlay' effects you got with certain races, where there were actually two levels of voices that made it much cooler. One of the main bad guys has this very low 'bass' effect underneath his voice that really accentuates the character. Every voice is perfect. Something I thought was cool is that even though you can edit what your main character looks like, the voice still fits. Somehow, I got a character who looks like he has Asian background, yet the voice still fits. Voice acting is great, with just enough emotion to be believable. Quite perfect. So I give sound an 8/10. I'd like better music and better sound effects, but it's nothing to really worry about.
Gameplay is next. The game is an RPG crossed with a shooter. Every enemy, every quest, every 'hacked' chest, and a few investigatables give you experience. This experience leads to levels, like a standard RPG. The game took a different direction from KoToR I (I forget how II worked) in that your 'Skills' and your 'Abilities' rely on the same system. See, there are three main attirbutes for a class: Combat (gun focus), technical (hacking and the like) and biotic (spell-like abilities). There are nine classes to choose from, each of which focuses on one or two of the previous classes. And each class focuses on specific skills, though you miss out on some rather cool skills if you go 'multi-class'. Each skill, from Pistol to Shotgun, from Electronics to Hacking, from First Aid to Fitness, has 12 levels. Level 1, for most skills, unlocks the basic ability. Then each skill level will ugrade its base skill, with an upgrade to your ability, or an unlocking of a new skill, every few levels, until you master your ability. The first five to ten levels give you three skill points each level, then two skill points until around level 20, where you get one skill point per level. Giving you a good grounding in your abilities before you have to specialize. For the main character, a few more skills are available. Each other party member has their own skills relating to their class. With six other characters, you get a nice mix, as each character has their own specific mix of the main skills. You get a party of 3 (including you) that you get to mix and match with. My only complaint about the party is that you only get to pick your people every time you leave the ship, and at no other time. It'd have been nice to switch characters at other times.
There are four gun types in Mass Effect: Pistol (which everyone can use), Sniper Rifle, Assault Rifle, and Shotgun. Every character will have one of each. They can also use any gun type, though if they are untrained in it, they will do incredibly badly. The better your skill in your weapon, the better you will do, in respect of accuracy and damage. Guns have unlimited ammo, but they do overheat if you use them too much. This allows you to shoot as much as you like, being careful while doing so. Being able to use any gun is nice, showing versatility that most games don't allow. It's not hard to point and shoot any gun, it's hard to do it -well-. Every gun type has an ability connected to it that enhances its regular use (sniper rifle's ability, Assassination, increases the damage done on the next shot by 225% at the highest level). In addition to guns, there are several skills that can be used that do effects such as damaging enemy shields, overloading their weapons (which means they have to wait for them to cool down), putting an enemy in stasis (they can't move, but you can't damage them), and others. You can also take cover behind crates or walls, and can order your allies to do things like move to a certain point, attack a specific enemy, take cover, or form up on you. While combat in a first person shooter is never exactly the most difficult or tactical thing in the world, Mass Effect makes it interesting and keeps it interesting.
There is also the basic KoToR gaming that people remember. There are multiple replies to any conversation, some of which are 'evil' while others are 'good' (ethically speaking), some of which act like a 'force persuade' ability of you have poitns in that specific skill. There are worlds to explore, items to search and collect, and quests to complete. There are many different 'models' of guns, the higher the number increasing the ability of that specific model. There are upgrades to guns, unique ammo for them. There is armor of all three classes (light, medium, and heavy) as well as unique armor for different races. There are also 'omni-tools' which enhance tech abilities and items to enhance biotic abilities. In other words, there's lots of content. There are choices you won't want to make, but the game doesn't give you a choice. One complaint I have is that being good or evil doesn't seem to change anything. Though, there is a specific good ending, and specific bad ending. Something interesting that some people may enjoy is that you can 'carry over' your character from the end of one game to the beginning of the next. This means you will start the game at the same level you ended it with, and enemies will still be leveled with you. You keep all your items, of course. There will also be downloadable content from Xbox live, which I can only assume to mean weapons and new worlds and quests.
Gameplay gets a 7/10 from me. Good, but there are a few things that need better fleshing out (such as the good and evil things, as they don't seem to have much effect on the game aside from deciding what skill of persuasion works), and I wish there were better weapon effects.
Last is storyline. What people say, that it isn't as good as KoToR, is true. The story for KoToR was much more in depth. However, you have to remember that Mass Effect doesn't get to rely on a pre-made universe and a pre-made storyline. All KoToR had to do was introduce the problem and the characters. Not only does Mass Effect have to do that, it also has to introduce the universe, the background, the species, the tech, and all of that. I think they did a very good job. More than this, KoToR's storyline was even better when you include the second game. Mass Effect seems to be setting up for a sequel, if not a trilogy. There are unresolved conflicts in the game. This will probably put it on the level, if not past the level, of KoToR. The only real complaints I have with the storyline is that the main character's background is not really fleshed out enough, and that the minor characters don't seem to have much to them. With the main character, your entire story is given, but not really given in depth. You choose your story, of course, but I'd like that to be a big plot point. While characters -do- talk about it, and a few conversations depend on what you chose, it doesn't seem to be that big of a deal as to how the game turns out. As for the minor characters, while you can get close to them, and you do get to explore their stories, there doesn't seem to be much there. They each have one big problem you get to solve, but that's it. In KoToR, all your party members had multiple things you could do for/with them, and that would help you in your journey. Mass Effect only seems to give you one for each, and it doesn't seem to change how things end up. So Mass Effect gets a 6/10 for story, a score that could rise depending on what the sequel does. It'd be better if the minor storylines, of worlds and people, were more in depth rather than just the surface scratching we seem to get.
And that's it for my review. Overall, Mass Effect gets a 8/10 score. Good game, worth playing, and has plenty of play time and replayability. I highly recommend it to all Xbox owners.
I am going to hit the sack pretty soon as well. Have a goodnight everyone and myhouse just had a black out the power just finally came back on after like an hour but I am doing good though. Have a great night everyone and talk to you all soon.
I should probably be asleep by now. Oh, well, I finished all my work last night.
Coffeecon-- That is an awesome idea! I'm in California, and will probably not have available funds, but I'd love to see video, if possible. Makes me want an epic coffeehouse grand melee.
A banner contest sounds cool, too, but I lack the skills to participate.
Been a pretty lazy day for me. Classes from 9-11 AM only and I got my other stuff done early. Tried to fall asleep, ended up not doing so and going to the card shop.
And yes, no incantatrix for you. Or anyone. That class makes puppies cry. Mostly because they are the former Big Bads who have been Baleful Polymorphed into said puppies. By you. Because you're an incantatrix.
Quote from Yukora »
This is Deraxas we're talking about.
Remember, the girl that just killed an aspect of herself before literally consuming her?
Yeah, I don't see her handling a pissing match in any way other than a duel.
Quote from RedDwarfian »
Yes mistress...
Quote from About epic-level D&D »
There are only so many epic, psuedonatural barbarian/blackguard half-dragon akutenshai vampire balor paragons they can throw at you, right?
Quote from Concerning breeding habits of humans in fantasy games »
I suppose it's true. Though the logistics implied in a human/Great Wyrm Prismatic Dragon pairing makes me shudder.
...Something tells me that even should all arcane casters in the world unite, that the Grease spell would NOT be sufficient.
I need FR help! Does anyone here know anything about Sshamath but me?
(Note: I am NOT used to asking for help.)
isnt Sshamath someone or something Yuan-Ti related? i remember reading references in a novel but my mind is fuzzy.
Sepiriel, I posted on your thread regarding custom weapon :D.
Thanks a lot, already left a post there, Alacar was helping me with this and he suggested i posted at P&PI so i gave it a shot Thanks alacar:D
Anyone have any ideas for a new banner/avatar for me? Mine's getting old and boring.
Well since im completely consumed by D&D lately how about someone find some art featuring a Human with a Black Dragon aura/ features in the background, or a Black dragon in an Hybrid form (Humanoid in size and shape but distinctively draconic)... Avatars... i got no idea.
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Call me old fashioned, but an evil ascension to power just isn't the same without someone chanting faux Latin in the background.
Oreo, Glazing people better than Dunkin' Donuts since 2009
That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange eons even death may die.
How about a banner with something like the pic that's on my profile, maybe with a lot of elemental stuff around it? Wording something along the lines of "The Metamage"?
And yes, no incantatrix for you. Or anyone. That class makes puppies cry. Mostly because they are the former Big Bads who have been Baleful Polymorphed into said puppies. By you. Because you're an incantatrix.
Quote from Yukora »
This is Deraxas we're talking about.
Remember, the girl that just killed an aspect of herself before literally consuming her?
Yeah, I don't see her handling a pissing match in any way other than a duel.
Quote from RedDwarfian »
Yes mistress...
Quote from About epic-level D&D »
There are only so many epic, psuedonatural barbarian/blackguard half-dragon akutenshai vampire balor paragons they can throw at you, right?
Quote from Concerning breeding habits of humans in fantasy games »
I suppose it's true. Though the logistics implied in a human/Great Wyrm Prismatic Dragon pairing makes me shudder.
...Something tells me that even should all arcane casters in the world unite, that the Grease spell would NOT be sufficient.
Well, forum awards are over today. I have to say I'm pretty relieved. Having actually been a part of it this year, I can say that it's really not the fun experience it's supposed to be. It's just undue stress and a lot of pointless bickering. Of course this year I found myself getting much more frustrated with the holier-than-thou crowd sitting back and snarking at the whole thing than I did with the drama muppets.
ANYway.
@Arkham by Night: I was really disappointed that I couldn't include everyone at first, because I wanted to see you all in action. I do have a reserve list, though, and I plan on making use of it this time unlike in Broken Mandala.
@Mass Effect: Wow...see, I remember when seeing bitmaps being drawn as you play was just the way of things. I for one don't mind load times of any sort, but I'm an older gamer, so that has a lot to do with it. The current generation of gaming is a pretty spoiled one. When I first started playing RPGs you had to command your character to use the stairs he was sitting right on top of. Nobody could carry more than eight items at a time. Not to mention the whole "cross that bridge and die" thing. Load times are nothin' for me.
metamage i like the ring to that especially for you Aok.
Anyhow looks like me and emidln tied once again for like the 100th time or something like that for best legacy strategist. So there will be another voting of me against emidln exclusively. Anyway I wasn't really especting this thought emdiln would hit the home run but I guess not.
Well anyway i am going to go eat some breakfast then probably get going to work pretty soon. Its a good thing i have monday off though.
Yay my Anime inspired D&D Item is DONE!!!!, thanks a ton to the wonderful AoK, who proves that you can never dream to high when it comes to D&D!!! (honestly thanks a lot).
*Sepiriel starts waiving and flailing thinking of all the potential Warlock combo moves
In other News, im about to upload the pics of my son's activity today into the Pc, ill be sure to update this post with a picture in a few minutes
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Call me old fashioned, but an evil ascension to power just isn't the same without someone chanting faux Latin in the background.
Oreo, Glazing people better than Dunkin' Donuts since 2009
That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange eons even death may die.
Not a problem, I didn't have anything else do to today rather than housework...
Which I am avoiding like the plague.
On "Metamage"- Title for one of my IRL D&D characters. My oldest one still alive. There's a reason for that- she has almost every decent metamagic feat in existence.:D
And yes, no incantatrix for you. Or anyone. That class makes puppies cry. Mostly because they are the former Big Bads who have been Baleful Polymorphed into said puppies. By you. Because you're an incantatrix.
Quote from Yukora »
This is Deraxas we're talking about.
Remember, the girl that just killed an aspect of herself before literally consuming her?
Yeah, I don't see her handling a pissing match in any way other than a duel.
Quote from RedDwarfian »
Yes mistress...
Quote from About epic-level D&D »
There are only so many epic, psuedonatural barbarian/blackguard half-dragon akutenshai vampire balor paragons they can throw at you, right?
Quote from Concerning breeding habits of humans in fantasy games »
I suppose it's true. Though the logistics implied in a human/Great Wyrm Prismatic Dragon pairing makes me shudder.
...Something tells me that even should all arcane casters in the world unite, that the Grease spell would NOT be sufficient.
Hmm.. I'm on it, AoK! I'll look for an avatar for ya. As for a banner, we'll figure something out.
What didst thou need to know about Sshamath? Page 175 of the 'Underdark' supplement to FR. If you don't have it, drop me a line already.
Forum awards: As I expected, second place or worst. Meh. As for kevin, I suggest they both just get a freaking trophy and let it be done with, so we don't have to repeat the ****storm that was the mamelon/kcw tie last year.
edit: How about a christmas-related avatar, AoK? And I like the custom
And yes, no incantatrix for you. Or anyone. That class makes puppies cry. Mostly because they are the former Big Bads who have been Baleful Polymorphed into said puppies. By you. Because you're an incantatrix.
Quote from Yukora »
This is Deraxas we're talking about.
Remember, the girl that just killed an aspect of herself before literally consuming her?
Yeah, I don't see her handling a pissing match in any way other than a duel.
Quote from RedDwarfian »
Yes mistress...
Quote from About epic-level D&D »
There are only so many epic, psuedonatural barbarian/blackguard half-dragon akutenshai vampire balor paragons they can throw at you, right?
Quote from Concerning breeding habits of humans in fantasy games »
I suppose it's true. Though the logistics implied in a human/Great Wyrm Prismatic Dragon pairing makes me shudder.
...Something tells me that even should all arcane casters in the world unite, that the Grease spell would NOT be sufficient.
Aww i was planning to sicken you all with pictures of my kid but it sems the files are too big.... how do you guys post images that exceed the 434KB limit? Simg tags?
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Call me old fashioned, but an evil ascension to power just isn't the same without someone chanting faux Latin in the background.
Oreo, Glazing people better than Dunkin' Donuts since 2009
That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange eons even death may die.
Sepiriel, the easiest way to shrink your image size is to physically shrink the size of the pictures, using MSPaint (Sketch/Skew).
Well i just remembered i have a photobucket account (which i dont even use), so ill try it through there since the uploads are in progress (that doesnt break any rules right?)
Edit: Here he is... be forewarned, my kid is just adorable
This ones are from way way back... but he is just so adorable!!!!
Coffeecon-- That is an awesome idea! I'm in California, and will probably not have available funds, but I'd love to see video, if possible. Makes me want an epic coffeehouse grand melee.
heh that sounds almost like Alacar's Magic Coffeehouse Smash Bros. art... wanna show 'em, Ally?
Since Arguas is busy (ha, a mistype almost made that Arguas is busty), I'll temporarily take his place by responding to EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD!
haha.... Funny....:p
Count me in on both the "would like to go" and "would need loads of time to plan it" parts. Actually, that's not strictly accurate - I'd only really need a couple of months warning, so I could save up the cash to get to the States.
Yea, judging from the amount of money you make, it wouldn't take too long, pfffffffffffffffffft
Cliched as it might be, how about something from A Christmas Carol? Literary and seasonal.
In fact, we could have our own CoffeeHouse version of A Christmas Carol. I'm already mentally casting Photon as Scrooge...
Well, while yes, that is an awesome idea, who would I be???
I'm going skiing next March, for the first time in forever - think it's a good idea to get some refresher lessons before I head out? We're going to a beginner area, as most of the people going have never been skiing before, but I hate not being at least reasonable at something.
Man, oh man, I haven't been skiing in a looong time.... Maybe i'll end up going when I'm back at home in Oregon, up on Mt. Ashland!
*vomits*
Really dislike mushrooms. Still, it could be worse - you could have ordered prawns as well.
I really, truly don't understand how someone can NOT like mushrooms.... that and olives, and tomatoes!!
Keep an eye out if I ever manage to get my campaign going. It's going to be a beginner one, but having one more experienced player isn't usually a bad thing.
Well, forum awards are over today. I have to say I'm pretty relieved. Having actually been a part of it this year, I can say that it's really not the fun experience it's supposed to be. It's just undue stress and a lot of pointless bickering. Of course this year I found myself getting much more frustrated with the holier-than-thou crowd sitting back and snarking at the whole thing than I did with the drama muppets.
Indeed... I was a little disappointed at my ranking in Nicest Member...But hey... at least I got 17 votes.. that was nice.
@Arkham by Night: I was really disappointed that I couldn't include everyone at first, because I wanted to see you all in action. I do have a reserve list, though, and I plan on making use of it this time unlike in Broken Mandala.
That would simply be awesome And I see that you just responded to my PM... Gonna go check it now lol. But while I'm on the subject, has anyone else here played "Rogue Galaxy"? Any thoughts on it?
Not a problem, I didn't have anything else do to today rather than housework...
Which I am avoiding like the plague.
@Forum Awards:
Hehe I SO know what you mean.... to all of the above
So, I'm here, around 12:30, prob gonna check things out and then get offline to do some reading or maybe gaming, not sure... I'm a little hesitant to begin gaming again cuz of all the memories that it brings back of ryan and i... but I know he'd want me to play and I am looking forward to trying this new game, and it has nothing to do w/ him besides being a game... so yea maybe i'll try that today....
Well i just remembered i have a photobucket account (which i dont even use), so ill try it through there since the uploads are in progress (that doesnt break any rules right?)
Edit: Here he is... be forewarned, my kid is just adorable
Cute, but I had to right click and go 'view image' to see the full size sucker. Just use img tags. Simg tags are for signatures only.
heh that sounds almost like Alacar's Magic Coffeehouse Smash Bros. art... wanna show 'em, Ally?I really, truly don't understand how someone can NOT like mushrooms.... that and olives, and tomatoes!!
Yea, about being real dated, I remember when everyone had those avatars, and I totally miss some of the people in there... its been too long since they've come around here
and *Shakes fist at thee* Again I say, I don't know how you can not like those.. I don't like green olives too much, but black olives are scrumptioius, and mushrooms are soooo good... especially in Chinese food... and those stuffed mushrooms you talked about, ether were making me drool As for tomatoes, far too few people like those than is reasonable in my opinion
Well i edited my pics, i hope you guys can see them... my kid is just so darn adorable!!!!! (sorry for the father moment... my new kid being born next wednesday has me all gushy feeling).
Sakura wasnt around there yet it seems... either that or she was one of the elusive secret characters
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Call me old fashioned, but an evil ascension to power just isn't the same without someone chanting faux Latin in the background.
Oreo, Glazing people better than Dunkin' Donuts since 2009
That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange eons even death may die.
As for me, I had a surprisingly productive afternoon/evening, especially given that it's Friday.
Now I'm off to bed. I haven't been getting enough sleep lately.
Winner of the Weekly Signature & Avatar Contest Weeks 51, 59, 78, & 118.
I don't care if I was framed for murder if I only got a warning I would let it go.
I'm sure you are skilled at making banners... Nobody be afraid to try their skills at a Coffeehouse banner, you might have just the right idea! And I really hope your ankle is ok.. How did you hurt it?
I'm glad you drove safely... A friend of mine was in that train accident outside Chicago this morning, I'm just thankful she's ok...
Regarding Ether's campaign, bah, I wasn't included either :p.. but yes, I know why I wasn't included as well, and I hope that if there presents room for me in the future, that I will still be considered.
EDIT: I think I'm going to head off to watch some Quantum Leap before bed... I finally watched the first episode of Read or Die.. I like it so far She reminds me of me Btw Stuff, have you heard of the anime/manga Read or Dream? I was looking for Read or Die once and that was R.O.D. too..... have you read it or heard of it at all?
Magic Coffeehouse!
Come in, sit down, relax, get to know somebody!
Open Three and a Half Years as of October 19, 2009!
Banner by PurpleD and avatar/custom by Tanthalas
And I do know I'm quite good at banners, just without inspiriation I find myself unable to really complete anything good, because I get overwhelmed with the options I have availible to myself.
Also, I'm out for the night, decided against going to the PTQ.
Well thats all from me for today.... gotta run... busy day.:D
If the mass-ive picture isn't good enough for you, you should know that I'm reviewing Mass Effect right now. There were Mass amounts of media for this, the Effect of which was that many people thought it would become another Halo 3, or similar title that was mass-ively hyped and let people down. Have I made enough puns yet?
So, as usual, let's talk about history of the game here. For those of us that get the magazine Game Informer, the magazine of choice from Game Stop, you may have known about this game as early as a year and a half ago. Back then, we knew it was a first person shooter, but it was billed a lot like Fable, where any choice you made changed the outcome of the game. I don't recall linking Mass Effect with Knights of the Old Republic, so I didn't think that there would be any similarities. Of course, when I bought the game, I knew about the link and was expecting something similar. What I got... Well, let me tell you about it.
As usual, I'll start with Graphics. I actually have to take some issue with some things that Mass Effect does. At this point in my gaming career, I expect graphics to be pre-loaded in the game. That is, I expect to see the crisp and clean graphics of my game when I start playing. I don't just expect this on the Xbox, but on every console and handheld I play. It's not a very big assumption, since most games do it now, and with minimal loading. Mass Effect... Seems to have a problem here. See, they seem to want to load up the basic polygons and then grow layer by layer until you get the sharp and crisp things I'm looking for. Which is fine by me. What is not fine is when I have to see the basic shapes of the character before the textures load up while I'm playing. This is something that should have been fixed in the beta. It's not game breaking by any means, but it does get a little annoying after a while. However, if you ignore it, it'll go away after a few seconds. Otherwise, the game is quite stellar in the way of graphics. It doesn't have the level of graphics of, say, Oblivion. But, then again, you don't really want that. We're talking the graphics of KoToR II upgraded. One thing I wish they could have done was synched the lip movements to the English voices. I think they're still synched to Japanese, but I'm not quite sure. They're just a bit off. In any case, it seems that every main character has a unique character model. By 'main character', I mean any character with an actual name. And there are many of them. Even secondary characters seem to have unique models. If not in face or body type, in color of clothing. I haven't actually noticed any repetitions. Perhaps there are big spaces, not enough people, or perhaps they just did very well. One thing a friend noticed that made me laugh was a slight comparison to Final Fantasy XI and Mass Effect. In FFXI, two races (Mithra and Galka) only ever show their female or male genders, respectively. The same goes on in Mass Effect. Save that the Asari don't actually have any males. To be honest, in the game, you only ever seem to see humans of both genders. Unless I missed something, every other race seems to only show one gender at all. Which is rather odd, but many of the races actually have reasons for it. Asari only have females, Krogan females are always trying to breed and don't go off to war, etc. You never truly see the 'high quality graphics' in cutscenes in the game that you see in other games of its type. When action comes, you usually expect to see the graphics take a distinct upwards turn to lifelike while cool things happen, then downgrade again. I never actually saw that. I'm not sure if I'm disappointed. In other news, the environments look realistic if sci-fi, just enough to run through and not pay attention. Which is what you'll be doing the most part. I have another complaint about the side worlds you visit, since they never seem as much unique as they do the same types of things with different textures applied. Some variation would have been nice. Guns look fairly cool, if a bit big. Holographic displays seem interesting. Enemies do have very few character models, but there are enough of them that you dont really have to bother with it. Bottom line: Mass Effect has a few graphical issues, but not enough to kill the game for you. They're enough to enjoy, not enough to really marvel over. 6/10 for graphics.
I can be quick with the sound. Music is pretty good, though it gets rather repetitive. Each clip seems about two minutes long that repeats or cuts out, depending on your location. There's an 'uplifting' track I rather enjoy, a 'heroic' track which is good, and an 'emotional' track which is excellent as well. The music enhances the mood while not getting in the way. Sound effects are fine. Not good, not bad. Really what you expect from the game, especially if you recall the KoToR games. Voices are excellent, no matter who you look at. Something I rather enjoyed were the 'overlay' effects you got with certain races, where there were actually two levels of voices that made it much cooler. One of the main bad guys has this very low 'bass' effect underneath his voice that really accentuates the character. Every voice is perfect. Something I thought was cool is that even though you can edit what your main character looks like, the voice still fits. Somehow, I got a character who looks like he has Asian background, yet the voice still fits. Voice acting is great, with just enough emotion to be believable. Quite perfect. So I give sound an 8/10. I'd like better music and better sound effects, but it's nothing to really worry about.
Gameplay is next. The game is an RPG crossed with a shooter. Every enemy, every quest, every 'hacked' chest, and a few investigatables give you experience. This experience leads to levels, like a standard RPG. The game took a different direction from KoToR I (I forget how II worked) in that your 'Skills' and your 'Abilities' rely on the same system. See, there are three main attirbutes for a class: Combat (gun focus), technical (hacking and the like) and biotic (spell-like abilities). There are nine classes to choose from, each of which focuses on one or two of the previous classes. And each class focuses on specific skills, though you miss out on some rather cool skills if you go 'multi-class'. Each skill, from Pistol to Shotgun, from Electronics to Hacking, from First Aid to Fitness, has 12 levels. Level 1, for most skills, unlocks the basic ability. Then each skill level will ugrade its base skill, with an upgrade to your ability, or an unlocking of a new skill, every few levels, until you master your ability. The first five to ten levels give you three skill points each level, then two skill points until around level 20, where you get one skill point per level. Giving you a good grounding in your abilities before you have to specialize. For the main character, a few more skills are available. Each other party member has their own skills relating to their class. With six other characters, you get a nice mix, as each character has their own specific mix of the main skills. You get a party of 3 (including you) that you get to mix and match with. My only complaint about the party is that you only get to pick your people every time you leave the ship, and at no other time. It'd have been nice to switch characters at other times.
There are four gun types in Mass Effect: Pistol (which everyone can use), Sniper Rifle, Assault Rifle, and Shotgun. Every character will have one of each. They can also use any gun type, though if they are untrained in it, they will do incredibly badly. The better your skill in your weapon, the better you will do, in respect of accuracy and damage. Guns have unlimited ammo, but they do overheat if you use them too much. This allows you to shoot as much as you like, being careful while doing so. Being able to use any gun is nice, showing versatility that most games don't allow. It's not hard to point and shoot any gun, it's hard to do it -well-. Every gun type has an ability connected to it that enhances its regular use (sniper rifle's ability, Assassination, increases the damage done on the next shot by 225% at the highest level). In addition to guns, there are several skills that can be used that do effects such as damaging enemy shields, overloading their weapons (which means they have to wait for them to cool down), putting an enemy in stasis (they can't move, but you can't damage them), and others. You can also take cover behind crates or walls, and can order your allies to do things like move to a certain point, attack a specific enemy, take cover, or form up on you. While combat in a first person shooter is never exactly the most difficult or tactical thing in the world, Mass Effect makes it interesting and keeps it interesting.
There is also the basic KoToR gaming that people remember. There are multiple replies to any conversation, some of which are 'evil' while others are 'good' (ethically speaking), some of which act like a 'force persuade' ability of you have poitns in that specific skill. There are worlds to explore, items to search and collect, and quests to complete. There are many different 'models' of guns, the higher the number increasing the ability of that specific model. There are upgrades to guns, unique ammo for them. There is armor of all three classes (light, medium, and heavy) as well as unique armor for different races. There are also 'omni-tools' which enhance tech abilities and items to enhance biotic abilities. In other words, there's lots of content. There are choices you won't want to make, but the game doesn't give you a choice. One complaint I have is that being good or evil doesn't seem to change anything. Though, there is a specific good ending, and specific bad ending. Something interesting that some people may enjoy is that you can 'carry over' your character from the end of one game to the beginning of the next. This means you will start the game at the same level you ended it with, and enemies will still be leveled with you. You keep all your items, of course. There will also be downloadable content from Xbox live, which I can only assume to mean weapons and new worlds and quests.
Gameplay gets a 7/10 from me. Good, but there are a few things that need better fleshing out (such as the good and evil things, as they don't seem to have much effect on the game aside from deciding what skill of persuasion works), and I wish there were better weapon effects.
Last is storyline. What people say, that it isn't as good as KoToR, is true. The story for KoToR was much more in depth. However, you have to remember that Mass Effect doesn't get to rely on a pre-made universe and a pre-made storyline. All KoToR had to do was introduce the problem and the characters. Not only does Mass Effect have to do that, it also has to introduce the universe, the background, the species, the tech, and all of that. I think they did a very good job. More than this, KoToR's storyline was even better when you include the second game. Mass Effect seems to be setting up for a sequel, if not a trilogy. There are unresolved conflicts in the game. This will probably put it on the level, if not past the level, of KoToR. The only real complaints I have with the storyline is that the main character's background is not really fleshed out enough, and that the minor characters don't seem to have much to them. With the main character, your entire story is given, but not really given in depth. You choose your story, of course, but I'd like that to be a big plot point. While characters -do- talk about it, and a few conversations depend on what you chose, it doesn't seem to be that big of a deal as to how the game turns out. As for the minor characters, while you can get close to them, and you do get to explore their stories, there doesn't seem to be much there. They each have one big problem you get to solve, but that's it. In KoToR, all your party members had multiple things you could do for/with them, and that would help you in your journey. Mass Effect only seems to give you one for each, and it doesn't seem to change how things end up. So Mass Effect gets a 6/10 for story, a score that could rise depending on what the sequel does. It'd be better if the minor storylines, of worlds and people, were more in depth rather than just the surface scratching we seem to get.
And that's it for my review. Overall, Mass Effect gets a 8/10 score. Good game, worth playing, and has plenty of play time and replayability. I highly recommend it to all Xbox owners.
My helpdesk should you need me.
Love,
Cecilia
Coffeecon-- That is an awesome idea! I'm in California, and will probably not have available funds, but I'd love to see video, if possible. Makes me want an epic coffeehouse grand melee.
A banner contest sounds cool, too, but I lack the skills to participate.
Been a pretty lazy day for me. Classes from 9-11 AM only and I got my other stuff done early. Tried to fall asleep, ended up not doing so and going to the card shop.
(Note: I am NOT used to asking for help.)
Sepiriel, I posted on your thread regarding custom weapon :D.
Anyone have any ideas for a new banner/avatar for me? Mine's getting old and boring.
"I am in the arcane, and the arcane is in me."
Official Matron Mother of Clan Planar Chaos
Awesome Avatar and signature by DarkNightCavalier
Deraxas, Dark Maiden of Shimia,, still oddly obsessed with a mindmage.
Thanks a lot, already left a post there, Alacar was helping me with this and he suggested i posted at P&PI so i gave it a shot Thanks alacar:D
Well since im completely consumed by D&D lately how about someone find some art featuring a Human with a Black Dragon aura/ features in the background, or a Black dragon in an Hybrid form (Humanoid in size and shape but distinctively draconic)... Avatars... i got no idea.
How about a banner with something like the pic that's on my profile, maybe with a lot of elemental stuff around it? Wording something along the lines of "The Metamage"?
"I am in the arcane, and the arcane is in me."
Official Matron Mother of Clan Planar Chaos
Awesome Avatar and signature by DarkNightCavalier
Deraxas, Dark Maiden of Shimia,, still oddly obsessed with a mindmage.
ANYway.
@Arkham by Night: I was really disappointed that I couldn't include everyone at first, because I wanted to see you all in action. I do have a reserve list, though, and I plan on making use of it this time unlike in Broken Mandala.
@Mass Effect: Wow...see, I remember when seeing bitmaps being drawn as you play was just the way of things. I for one don't mind load times of any sort, but I'm an older gamer, so that has a lot to do with it. The current generation of gaming is a pretty spoiled one. When I first started playing RPGs you had to command your character to use the stairs he was sitting right on top of. Nobody could carry more than eight items at a time. Not to mention the whole "cross that bridge and die" thing. Load times are nothin' for me.
Anyhow looks like me and emidln tied once again for like the 100th time or something like that for best legacy strategist. So there will be another voting of me against emidln exclusively. Anyway I wasn't really especting this thought emdiln would hit the home run but I guess not.
Well anyway i am going to go eat some breakfast then probably get going to work pretty soon. Its a good thing i have monday off though.
See you all soon and have a good day everyone.
Love,
Cecilia
*Sepiriel starts waiving and flailing thinking of all the potential Warlock combo moves
In other News, im about to upload the pics of my son's activity today into the Pc, ill be sure to update this post with a picture in a few minutes
Which I am avoiding like the plague.
On "Metamage"- Title for one of my IRL D&D characters. My oldest one still alive. There's a reason for that- she has almost every decent metamagic feat in existence.:D
@Forum Awards:
"I am in the arcane, and the arcane is in me."
Official Matron Mother of Clan Planar Chaos
Awesome Avatar and signature by DarkNightCavalier
Deraxas, Dark Maiden of Shimia,, still oddly obsessed with a mindmage.
What didst thou need to know about Sshamath? Page 175 of the 'Underdark' supplement to FR. If you don't have it, drop me a line already.
Forum awards: As I expected, second place or worst. Meh. As for kevin, I suggest they both just get a freaking trophy and let it be done with, so we don't have to repeat the ****storm that was the mamelon/kcw tie last year.
edit: How about a christmas-related avatar, AoK? And I like the custom
Like freeform roleplaying? Try Darkness Befalls Us
Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
Yeah, I have the book. I feel dumb, though. VERY dumb.
Archmage in a Santa hat for an avatar? LOL
Plus, I figured you'd like the custom, since it was you who suggested it.
"I am in the arcane, and the arcane is in me."
Official Matron Mother of Clan Planar Chaos
Awesome Avatar and signature by DarkNightCavalier
Deraxas, Dark Maiden of Shimia,, still oddly obsessed with a mindmage.
And of COURSE I suggested it. It works.
As for the santa avatar.. sounds like fun to me--a badass meta-Archmage in a santa hat
Either that or Kokusho himself.
edit: For your banner.. I'm tempted to make something like 'Raistlin? Never heard of him.'
Like freeform roleplaying? Try Darkness Befalls Us
Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
Like freeform roleplaying? Try Darkness Befalls Us
Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
Well i just remembered i have a photobucket account (which i dont even use), so ill try it through there since the uploads are in progress (that doesnt break any rules right?)
Edit: Here he is... be forewarned, my kid is just adorable
This ones are from way way back... but he is just so adorable!!!!
heh that sounds almost like Alacar's Magic Coffeehouse Smash Bros. art... wanna show 'em, Ally?
haha.... Funny....:p
Yea, judging from the amount of money you make, it wouldn't take too long, pfffffffffffffffffft
Well, while yes, that is an awesome idea, who would I be???
Man, oh man, I haven't been skiing in a looong time.... Maybe i'll end up going when I'm back at home in Oregon, up on Mt. Ashland!
Really dislike mushrooms. Still, it could be worse - you could have ordered prawns as well.
I really, truly don't understand how someone can NOT like mushrooms.... that and olives, and tomatoes!!
Yes indeed, I'm very much looking forward to it!
Indeed... I was a little disappointed at my ranking in Nicest Member...But hey... at least I got 17 votes.. that was nice.
That would simply be awesome And I see that you just responded to my PM... Gonna go check it now lol. But while I'm on the subject, has anyone else here played "Rogue Galaxy"? Any thoughts on it?
Hehe I SO know what you mean.... to all of the above
So, I'm here, around 12:30, prob gonna check things out and then get offline to do some reading or maybe gaming, not sure... I'm a little hesitant to begin gaming again cuz of all the memories that it brings back of ryan and i... but I know he'd want me to play and I am looking forward to trying this new game, and it has nothing to do w/ him besides being a game... so yea maybe i'll try that today....
Magic Coffeehouse!
Come in, sit down, relax, get to know somebody!
Open Three and a Half Years as of October 19, 2009!
Banner by PurpleD and avatar/custom by Tanthalas
1) I sure will!
Dang that thing looks awful dated..
2) I don't like any of those
Like freeform roleplaying? Try Darkness Befalls Us
Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
Yea, about being real dated, I remember when everyone had those avatars, and I totally miss some of the people in there... its been too long since they've come around here
and *Shakes fist at thee* Again I say, I don't know how you can not like those.. I don't like green olives too much, but black olives are scrumptioius, and mushrooms are soooo good... especially in Chinese food... and those stuffed mushrooms you talked about, ether were making me drool As for tomatoes, far too few people like those than is reasonable in my opinion
Magic Coffeehouse!
Come in, sit down, relax, get to know somebody!
Open Three and a Half Years as of October 19, 2009!
Banner by PurpleD and avatar/custom by Tanthalas
Sakura wasnt around there yet it seems... either that or she was one of the elusive secret characters