Good to see so much activity! I'll have to post later, but I just needed to say that... and Jack, you'll be on the Casual List until you prove you do come in more often-- Fair???
Eeeeeeeeeeeeee....I know. It's just so hard with school and all, but I'll definitely try.
@Omna: Hello i don't think i've ever met you before?
LOL I'm still in the library, in their computer lab, on campus. I get a ride home. Thanks, tho..
Allin, if you'd like, feel free to read the past Regulars of the Week on post #2 (the Weeklies). There's a lot of info from Omna there, as well as the rest of us. I highly recommend it for a good read
Edit: Sarnath'd by the man himself. And another post appears before my edit. Dang, we're flyin.
Seriously.. 120+ posts, and the first day of the clan thread isn't even over.
Sorry I got everyone's hopes up. I'll try to get home as soon as possible. And it'll be my 5,100th post!
Extendo-Sig: I'm moving mine to my blog. If you haven't read my blog, do so. It's still #1 in posts, comments, and views. (seriously.. like over 1,600 views. Who's reading my blog!? I have to post about this.. in my blog..)
Dangit Alacar, you shouldn't leave your instant messenger on when you're not on it. You confused me.
ha ha, I see 13 members :D. I haven't been on at the right time to see this forever.
I hope I do well in FCC, Its actually difficult to get through the first round now O.o . I think my card can win, but I don't know for sure. I'm in a very tough group.
Congrats to those of you who have moved on.
I'm in Freaking Elves with alacar (first done with character sheet... just saying :sneaky:...). Its a DnD campaign Photon's DMing done in the oots style play. I don't remember anyone explaining that, but I wouldn't be surprised if I missed it. It should be fun regardless :D.
EDIT: Yes read the RotW's, I think mine is particularily enlightening ;).
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I'll bet you wish you had a non-unglued/unhinged card that shared your first name.
FINALLY! A new thread for me to spam up...........no, not again. They call that sarcasm. And TRUST ME! I remember what happened last time.
.....And while we're at it, let's at least change the title to "tea and coffeehouse".
If I recall, last time I basically came at you like a mad bull about it.
I don't think we need to change it, since coffeehouses regularly serve tea anyway, and a teahouse is a very different environment from a coffeehouse. Or at least, different enough. Teahouses tend to be a bit more formal.
Oh, and I'm crappy by the way. Or at least I feel that way. But I'm feeling better, bit by bit. Picking out my new laptop today, and eating a wonderful stew with beef, garlic noodles, and a tomato-red wine broth.
@Alacar: yes elves rule, but patience my friend patience
There is no time for patience! The elven rule cannot go unchallenged! We must not rest until we have Rofellos' head on a pike, until Elrond and Mialee are hanging in the town square, and until Herbie's little dentist drill has been forcibly inserted into his jolly little rear!
PE lessons for 8-9 year olds? Sounds cool. But 6 weeks of it? Phew...don't know if even I could handle that.
As Photon Eater, I must go on record as saying that I do not recommend giving PE lessons to anyone under the age of 18. While many parents may take pride in the site of their child brandishing a searing hot kitchen appliance with an inflated sense of self, many pediatricians agree that such situations are seldom in the child's best interest.
So, I was picking out my new laptop today. I have a somewhat limited budget- I'm not really willing to spend over 700 bucks on one right now, but I really just need a new computer. Right now, we are all sharing my desktop, and it's just not sufficient.
I'll be away from tomorrow morning until Thursday afternoon, for anyone who might give a damn.
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[16:23] Alacar Leoricar: maybe if you do it'll make the porn more meaningful
Sok, Mr. Stuff. I just throught it would be nice if Allin didn't have to wait days for a shop to make his banner/avvy. No disrespect to your shop--If anyone wants an anime banner, I'll gladly direct them to you and your shop
Well, actually, my shop is AWOL at the moment. I might get Erasmus to open it back up at some later date, but honestly I just found that it was eating up too much of my free time. All I've been doing lately is the weekly avatar/sig contest. My comment earlier was obviously intended to be before yours, so feel free to disregard what I said.
Edit: Good luck with the laptop hunting, Photon! Hopefully you'll find a good one at an affordable price. And I do give a damn.
Well, actually, my shop is AWOL at the moment. I might get Erasmus to open it back up at some later date, but honestly I just found that it was eating up too much of my free time. All I've been doing lately is the weekly avatar/sig contest. My comment earlier was obviously intended to be before yours, so feel free to disregard what I said.
Edit: Good luck with the laptop hunting, Photon! Hopefully you'll find a good one at an affordable price. And I do give a damn.
I found an Acer Aspire for a little over 600 bucks. I'm not sure how good it is, but it has a decently sized harddrive for me, and it has what I really need- a wireless LAN connection, so I think I'm gonna go with that. I have to wait until Friday to actually buy it, though.
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[16:23] Alacar Leoricar: maybe if you do it'll make the porn more meaningful
Allin I'm a freshman also, and if you're up for t2 apprentice pm me you're I.P
I should get to hw. I hate the first day of school. Its so strange to me. Its freezing here also. I'm happy I'm not a big fan of football cuz then I would be stilled pissed the bears lost.
edit: still no one knows where my user name comes from. shame on you guys. I'll double it to 6 ripe points, and a playset of foil squires :-P
It's finally warm enough to sit here at the chair but damn my computer is having a cow with the cold air... and I left it be until it got warm enough. I'm thinking i have ot keep it off overnight tonight.
Apprentice: Evil bad looking program! I banish you to the pits of hell! Nothing really against Apprentice - other than the time I lost in an online league tourney thanks to the cheating script... But really it's not bad aside from that one thing. I just find it so much easier to use MWS that I don't bother with Apprentice anymore.
Quote from KoolKoal »
I hope I do well in FCC, Its actually difficult to get through the first round now O.o . I think my card can win, but I don't know for sure. I'm in a very tough group.
My sentiments exactly. It's a good thing tho. Makes each player strive that much more.
Banners: You can tell I made mine myself. But seriously I want to try to learn some of the more fancy stuff on GIMP - like how to animate an avatar would be great for starters. I'll just google for some tutorials on that someday...
It's interesting playing with people who are from other countries. I'm playing against two other guys from Germany who are a bit interested in life on my side of the pond.
And yeah, I know that bloodbaths are not everyone's cup of tea. It's not really mine. I just like to play in the this type of strategic fighting game.
Banners: You can tell I made mine myself. But seriously I want to try to learn some of the more fancy stuff on GIMP - like how to animate an avatar would be great for starters. I'll just google for some tutorials on that someday...
Or, I can just tell you.
*note* - For this, you'll always want to have your Layers dialogue box up, from the top menu, (I think it's Dialogues->New Dialogue Box->Layers, Frames, Channels) so you can see what you're doing.
All you do is make an avatar with multiple layers. Each layer will be a frame of animation when you save it as a gif. So, to start, you can take a standard avatar and just right-click and hit "duplicate layer" a bunch of times. Then just tweak each layer a little bit so it makes an animation, like a flipbook. After you're done, save it as a gif, and select the "save as animation" option when it asks. You can also check under Filters->Animation->Playback to see what your animation will look like. That's a very basic explanation of how to do it, but it suffices.
Hehe, thanks Mr. Stuff, I've been wondering how to do that for a while! Now I can make a cool avvy to go with my new banner.
Aww, only 6 people viewing now.
edit-I was also wondering what is considered spam here
It's sort of a weird thing to judge. If it's spam, you usually just know it is spam, in my opinion. Generally, though, if it doesn't contribute to the conversation at all, then it's spam.
For example, if someone said something along the lines of "How is everyone doing today?" and you replied with "Oh, I'm doing pretty good, how about the rest of you?", then it probably wouldn't be spam.
Now, jumping into the thread and saying "Hey guys", and then never adding anything else to the conversation would be a pretty clearcut case of spam.
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[16:23] Alacar Leoricar: maybe if you do it'll make the porn more meaningful
I can see why people Like MWS more. But apprentice for me is just easier. There is no doubt that MWS is the better program but if I just want to play I dont want to have to move arrows and stuff. I also heard the shuffler on mws is like Monica Lewinsky(that was literally how someone explained it to me)
If someone has the time can someone please make me an avatar of the blink-182 bunny? Like if you just find a picture of it, and put it into the avatar resolution I will be very grateful
Seriously.. 120+ posts, and the first day of the clan thread isn't even over.
Sorry I got everyone's hopes up. I'll try to get home as soon as possible. And it'll be my 5,100th post!
Extendo-Sig: I'm moving mine to my blog. If you haven't read my blog, do so. It's still #1 in posts, comments, and views. (seriously.. like over 1,600 views. Who's reading my blog!? I have to post about this.. in my blog..)
We're a mad house, remember?
I should move mine, as well. Or at least make a new one like TT did. Whatev'. Too much to worry about.
ha ha, I see 13 members :D. I haven't been on at the right time to see this forever.
It has been a while. What was the most we had, like 20 or something? We're like the rumor mill clan.
Quote from Photon Eater »
If I recall, last time I basically came at you like a mad bull about it.
Yeah, I remember that. I still have the horn marks from where you hit. Won't let THAT one happen again.
@Tuatha: Man, you're here too?!? Hello to all newbies again, even though you may not all be newbies anymore.
@Nai: That's what I like about playing online. Seeing all the other people. It's really an introspective way to hook up, video games. Odd to say that one, though.
Yeah, I remember that. I still have the horn marks from where you hit. Won't let THAT one happen again.
I wouldn't be so confident in my ability to dodge, if I were you. I've taken Rogue levels since then... you'll never know when I might spring a surprise attack from the shadows.
I also heard the shuffler on mws is like Monica Lewinsky(that was literally how someone explained it to me)
Har har. The MWS shuffler is responsible for every bad thing that could happen. Get manascrewed? Shuffler did it. Topdecking crap? Shuffler. Running the green-white Saviors Precon? Shuffler. Have diarrhea? Shuffler. It's amazing how much villainy that damn little thing has a hand in.
Edit: My Kefka icon makes me feel cantankerous, dramatic, and let's face it, crazy.
Photon Eater you just got my signatue quote, bye bye
Zyrakris I am thinking of making a blog, but im not sure what to put in it, and I don't just want to rant about my personal life. Thats what the coffeehouse is for
edit: Gelectrode was funnier Photon
Don't worry, I just played some Gears of War and Chainsaw'd a few Locusts and I feel much better. I understand where you're coming from, I just thought it was a neat idea. Oh well. Theres next month, maybe I'll get some goodluck since it is also the Month with my Birthday.
My blog isn't really ranty or emo. I put one thing in it that could be construed as such. The rest is mostly my thoughts on the universe at large. It helps to take a philosophy class.
Anyways, it's time for a Make Up Game of the Week. And this one is...
That's right, Jak and Daxter. A friend of mine played this game one day, didn't like it. I rented Jak 2, thinking it would be something different. Yes, it was. I quit after a few levels. Eventually, I re-rented Jak and Daxter, and then proceded to beat that, Jak 2, and Jak 3 in about a week. It was a fun, fun week. This week, we're doing all three of them.
Y'know, graphics-wise, the games really aren't all that special. We're talking about, with the first game, old-school PS2 graphics fit for a platformer. With the second and third, you get a bit more, but graphics really aren't what the game is about. In any case, you're not going to get fantastic views, but you'll be entertained by your surroundings, and since the games are primarily platformers, you'll be able to interact fairly well.
Next is sound. The guns sound like guns, the flying cars sound like cars, and those alien bad guys sound disusting. Sound effects? Check. Music is repetative and gets annoying after a while, but you probably won't pay much attention to that while playing. The voices... Well, Daxter is probably the highlight of the voices, as I'm sure most of you know. He's funny, obnoxious, and has a thing for the ladies. Jak gets a voice, what, game 2? Maybe game 3? Most of the other voices fit the characters, but you don't hear much from them. Shame, the leader of the resistance has such a cool voice.
Next is storyline. For a platformer/shooter, this game actually has storyline down pat. You're talking about time travel, evil wizards, aliens, outcasts, rebels and an oppressive dictator. This game winds them all into one neat package that goes from old-time fantasy to a neat future. Neat, yes, but not one you'd like to live in. There's plenty of twists and turns, interesting things to see, and Jak actually has a personality/story to him. Amazing, no?
Speaking of Jak and the rest, this game features (rarity among Platformers, I find) in depth characters. Jak has several sides to him which are fun as hell to watch and play. He starts out the mute, strapping hero off to save the land. He ends up an angsty mess, then finishes off on a high note. Daxter? Well, he's annoying, whiney, joke-cracking, and loves the ladies. Did I mention he's annoying? He's also quite funny. You'll enjoy him. The rest are minor roles which you'll probably like. I'll leave it for you to meet them.
Gameplay is split into several sections: Guns, vehicles, and platforming. There's missions (the basis of the game) and exploration. There's also collection, too. And, lastly, powers.
Let's start with the Platforming, since the first game has none of the guns and only one or two vehicles. Jak has your standard platforming abilities, from jumping to climbing to grabbing walls. He'll punch and kick and do all those fancy stuff. In all actuality, he's not covering much new ground, platforming wise. The games are pretty nifty in what they get you to do, and there's a couple puzzles for you to try to solve. Nothing extravagant. Usually, you're facing off with annoying enemies that you have to beat in any way possible. You also have bosses you have to figure out, as well as other stuff. I'd say it's a bit like the original Ratchet and Clank in some ways. Combine that with Mario and a little Spyro and you've got yourself a game.
Next is vehicles. The first game makes use of, if I remember correctly, one vehicle. A hover bike. You'll spend several missions in the first game on a bike speeding through dangerous places with guys hot on your tail. However, it's pretty basic. There's not much more in the other two games. Sure, there's a ton of new vehicles in game two and even more in game three. They're your primary mode of transportation in the other two. They have two zones of flight (standard and ground travel), you can steal them whenever you want, blah blah. While they're standard travel, they don't really factor into the second game much. The third game has much more involved, but... To be honest, the vehicles are sort of an extra feature that you don't pay much attention to unless you want to go Grand Theft Auto on the guards.
Now, guns. The games, past number 1, feature several guns. Off the top of my head, I think game 2 gets four guns, and game 3 gets sixteen, each of the original four plus several attachments. You get your standard machine gun, a shotgun, and two other fun guns. You'll probably use the machine gun and gun 3 the most. But everything is fun to play with. The game almost revolves around the use of the guns, since you don't want to melee against most of the people you see. In game 3, each gun gets four attachments. One is the standard gun, plus three new powers, which range from throwing out a saucer that attacks everything it sees to a 'gravity gun', which makes all enemies around you float. The guns are seriously fun, and they come in a timely manner. You get your final gun near the end of the game, which means you won't have a point where you're playing a huge amount of levels with nothing new to get.
Now... We're going to do powers, then missions. Powers are something Jak 2 and 3 give you. Jak 2 gives you the 'Dark Jak' powers, where Jak uses his angsty, emo side to turn him into a super fighting freak that kicks the absolute crap out of everyone. All the powers involved here are damaging, and generally blow up enemies. Jak 3 gives you 'Light Jak' powers, where Jak uses his sunny side to be nice to people. Yeah, right. Actually, all of Light Jak's powers are what I call 'utility' powers, which means they aren't exactly offensive, but you use them at all times. Slowing down time, invincibility, the works. You have a guage to fill up, by fighting or by collecting mana-like stuff, before you can use your forms. Taking damage, using abilities, and time, all remove that guage. Once it's empty, time to start shooting again. Powers also come in a timely manner. And if you use the powers, make sure to watch Daxter on Jak's shoulder, especially if Jak ever stands still while in a form.
Eh.. Skipping Missions again to talk about Collectables. Specifically, the eggs. (I can't remember any other ones). In game 1, the eggs are actually a required collectable, both to advance the game (you pay the eggs for power, I believe), and to get the secret ending. There are 101 eggs in the game, if I remember correctly, and you need 100 for your 'secret' ending. Games 2 and 3 make them an actual collectable. Not required, but you want them. Why? because as you collect the eggs, you can buy and unlock cheats. Such as unlimited ammo, unlimited Dark Jak/Light Jak powers, etc. There are also skins, new vehicles, and other stuff to unlock. Nifty, no? Collecting eggs comes in the next section...
Exploration. For a platformer, there are a surprising amount of areas included. The first game has areas you'll never see again, while the second and third games share some commong ground. Mostly, these are places for your missions to take place. But you'll also find cool stuff around. You'll ALSO find side missions to do. This could be a hoverbike race, seeing how fast you can deliver packages, or the dreaded Egg Hunt. For every one you beat, you'll get eggs. Keep in mind, though, that they are pretty difficult. The Egg hunts, in particular, show you a quick snapshot of an egg somewhere nearby. Then you are given a time limit to get there and snatch the egg. If you run out of time, you have to start again. You need a good knowledge of the area to find them all.
Okay, now it's time for Missions. The game actually revolves around these, like Ratchet and Clank. You'll be on a mission almost always, unless you're traveling to another mission-giver. The missions range from easy to hard, depending on who gives them and how far in the game you are. It's actually pretty basic. Mostly, you'll be exploring an area and blowing the heck out of everyone there. You'll advance the storyline through these missions.
I think I've said all I need to say about this series. Unfortunately, the series IS over. Jak 3 was the last game in the storyline. The racing game... I never touched, nor have I checked out Daxter for the PSP. Neither seem appealing. So we'll leave it off here. I give these games 10/10 on the gaming scale, perfect (in my opinion) representations of their genre. If you want a platformer, and you like blowing stuff up, look no further than Jak 1-3 on the PS2.
Yes, but the GW Saviours precon is worse! And it made me laugh harder.
I'm not sure why everyone is so afraid of their blogs being percieved as being emo. Oh my God, it's not like you are asking people to read it. If you want to write something down, write it down. Seriously, there is nothing wrong with having negativity so long as you aren't forcing it on others.
As for ranty- oh dear, is ranty out of style now? Whatever will I do?
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[16:23] Alacar Leoricar: maybe if you do it'll make the porn more meaningful
I hope you didn't mean to insult Mamelon with that
Insult Mamelon? No, I work at Chick-Fil-A, and I was just mentioning how working at a library sounds much nicer.
Quote from Omna15 »
Something that irked me... Alpha_Strike you should try READING the first post before you complain about not being on the list... . *fumes*
Wow, was my name really up there? I read over the list probably five times, sorry for the mistake.
And sorry for making you fume!
@Jak and Daxter: The game is fun, but it took me no time at all to collect all the eggs, or whatever you collected. Never played Jak 2 or 3 though. Nice write up though!
Man, posts are being racked up fast, its really hard to keep up with all of them.
Eeeeeeeeeeeeee....I know. It's just so hard with school and all, but I'll definitely try.
Oooooh, please do.
Ooh.....that's rough, dude....that's rough. :mad::rolleyes::p I can wait, though, even though it probably won't be me. LATER, though.
EDIT: Sarnath'd SF: That big, huh? Geez, talk about needing an update. Mine hasn't been updated in near four months. I'll update later.
Allin, if you'd like, feel free to read the past Regulars of the Week on post #2 (the Weeklies). There's a lot of info from Omna there, as well as the rest of us. I highly recommend it for a good read
Seriously.. 120+ posts, and the first day of the clan thread isn't even over.
Sorry I got everyone's hopes up. I'll try to get home as soon as possible. And it'll be my 5,100th post!
Extendo-Sig: I'm moving mine to my blog. If you haven't read my blog, do so. It's still #1 in posts, comments, and views. (seriously.. like over 1,600 views. Who's reading my blog!? I have to post about this.. in my blog..)
Like freeform roleplaying? Try Darkness Befalls Us
Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
ha ha, I see 13 members :D. I haven't been on at the right time to see this forever.
I hope I do well in FCC, Its actually difficult to get through the first round now O.o . I think my card can win, but I don't know for sure. I'm in a very tough group.
Congrats to those of you who have moved on.
I'm in Freaking Elves with alacar (first done with character sheet... just saying :sneaky:...). Its a DnD campaign Photon's DMing done in the oots style play. I don't remember anyone explaining that, but I wouldn't be surprised if I missed it. It should be fun regardless :D.
EDIT: Yes read the RotW's, I think mine is particularily enlightening ;).
If I recall, last time I basically came at you like a mad bull about it.
I don't think we need to change it, since coffeehouses regularly serve tea anyway, and a teahouse is a very different environment from a coffeehouse. Or at least, different enough. Teahouses tend to be a bit more formal.
Oh, and I'm crappy by the way. Or at least I feel that way. But I'm feeling better, bit by bit. Picking out my new laptop today, and eating a wonderful stew with beef, garlic noodles, and a tomato-red wine broth.
There is no time for patience! The elven rule cannot go unchallenged! We must not rest until we have Rofellos' head on a pike, until Elrond and Mialee are hanging in the town square, and until Herbie's little dentist drill has been forcibly inserted into his jolly little rear!
As Photon Eater, I must go on record as saying that I do not recommend giving PE lessons to anyone under the age of 18. While many parents may take pride in the site of their child brandishing a searing hot kitchen appliance with an inflated sense of self, many pediatricians agree that such situations are seldom in the child's best interest.
Not until you can hop over that counter for us.
So, I was picking out my new laptop today. I have a somewhat limited budget- I'm not really willing to spend over 700 bucks on one right now, but I really just need a new computer. Right now, we are all sharing my desktop, and it's just not sufficient.
I'll be away from tomorrow morning until Thursday afternoon, for anyone who might give a damn.
Well, actually, my shop is AWOL at the moment. I might get Erasmus to open it back up at some later date, but honestly I just found that it was eating up too much of my free time. All I've been doing lately is the weekly avatar/sig contest. My comment earlier was obviously intended to be before yours, so feel free to disregard what I said.
Edit: Good luck with the laptop hunting, Photon! Hopefully you'll find a good one at an affordable price. And I do give a damn.
*Otaku Pupil takes his hot chocolate graciously*
Mmmmm....good to have something warm....
Speaking of banners, I'm working on a great one right now.
edit:
I found an Acer Aspire for a little over 600 bucks. I'm not sure how good it is, but it has a decently sized harddrive for me, and it has what I really need- a wireless LAN connection, so I think I'm gonna go with that. I have to wait until Friday to actually buy it, though.
I should get to hw. I hate the first day of school. Its so strange to me. Its freezing here also. I'm happy I'm not a big fan of football cuz then I would be stilled pissed the bears lost.
edit: still no one knows where my user name comes from. shame on you guys. I'll double it to 6 ripe points, and a playset of foil squires :-P
Le Gambit @ Aether did this banner
[NYC Dark Knights]
join today
It's finally warm enough to sit here at the chair but damn my computer is having a cow with the cold air... and I left it be until it got warm enough. I'm thinking i have ot keep it off overnight tonight.
Apprentice: Evil bad looking program! I banish you to the pits of hell! Nothing really against Apprentice - other than the time I lost in an online league tourney thanks to the cheating script... But really it's not bad aside from that one thing. I just find it so much easier to use MWS that I don't bother with Apprentice anymore.
My sentiments exactly. It's a good thing tho. Makes each player strive that much more.
Banners: You can tell I made mine myself. But seriously I want to try to learn some of the more fancy stuff on GIMP - like how to animate an avatar would be great for starters. I'll just google for some tutorials on that someday...
And yeah, I know that bloodbaths are not everyone's cup of tea. It's not really mine. I just like to play in the this type of strategic fighting game.
Game of the Week (for past weeks) next post.
My helpdesk should you need me.
Or, I can just tell you.
*note* - For this, you'll always want to have your Layers dialogue box up, from the top menu, (I think it's Dialogues->New Dialogue Box->Layers, Frames, Channels) so you can see what you're doing.
All you do is make an avatar with multiple layers. Each layer will be a frame of animation when you save it as a gif. So, to start, you can take a standard avatar and just right-click and hit "duplicate layer" a bunch of times. Then just tweak each layer a little bit so it makes an animation, like a flipbook. After you're done, save it as a gif, and select the "save as animation" option when it asks. You can also check under Filters->Animation->Playback to see what your animation will look like. That's a very basic explanation of how to do it, but it suffices.
Aww, only 6 people viewing now.
edit-I was also wondering what is considered spam here
Oh well, such is life.
Yeah, I've only just started playing around with Photoshop myself, in school. So I haven't explored animated things at all yet.
Though I made the avatar and banner I'm using.
It's sort of a weird thing to judge. If it's spam, you usually just know it is spam, in my opinion. Generally, though, if it doesn't contribute to the conversation at all, then it's spam.
For example, if someone said something along the lines of "How is everyone doing today?" and you replied with "Oh, I'm doing pretty good, how about the rest of you?", then it probably wouldn't be spam.
Now, jumping into the thread and saying "Hey guys", and then never adding anything else to the conversation would be a pretty clearcut case of spam.
If someone has the time can someone please make me an avatar of the blink-182 bunny? Like if you just find a picture of it, and put it into the avatar resolution I will be very grateful
Le Gambit @ Aether did this banner
[NYC Dark Knights]
join today
We're a mad house, remember?
I should move mine, as well. Or at least make a new one like TT did. Whatev'. Too much to worry about.
It has been a while. What was the most we had, like 20 or something? We're like the rumor mill clan.
Yeah, I remember that. I still have the horn marks from where you hit. Won't let THAT one happen again.
@Tuatha: Man, you're here too?!? Hello to all newbies again, even though you may not all be newbies anymore.
@Nai: That's what I like about playing online. Seeing all the other people. It's really an introspective way to hook up, video games. Odd to say that one, though.
Anyways, time to go eat. I'll see y'all in a few.
I wouldn't be so confident in my ability to dodge, if I were you. I've taken Rogue levels since then... you'll never know when I might spring a surprise attack from the shadows.
Har har. The MWS shuffler is responsible for every bad thing that could happen. Get manascrewed? Shuffler did it. Topdecking crap? Shuffler. Running the green-white Saviors Precon? Shuffler. Have diarrhea? Shuffler. It's amazing how much villainy that damn little thing has a hand in.
Edit: My Kefka icon makes me feel cantankerous, dramatic, and let's face it, crazy.
Zyrakris I am thinking of making a blog, but im not sure what to put in it, and I don't just want to rant about my personal life. Thats what the coffeehouse is for
edit: Gelectrode was funnier Photon
Le Gambit @ Aether did this banner
[NYC Dark Knights]
join today
7 now. Keep posting!
Anyways, it's time for a Make Up Game of the Week. And this one is...
That's right, Jak and Daxter. A friend of mine played this game one day, didn't like it. I rented Jak 2, thinking it would be something different. Yes, it was. I quit after a few levels. Eventually, I re-rented Jak and Daxter, and then proceded to beat that, Jak 2, and Jak 3 in about a week. It was a fun, fun week. This week, we're doing all three of them.
Y'know, graphics-wise, the games really aren't all that special. We're talking about, with the first game, old-school PS2 graphics fit for a platformer. With the second and third, you get a bit more, but graphics really aren't what the game is about. In any case, you're not going to get fantastic views, but you'll be entertained by your surroundings, and since the games are primarily platformers, you'll be able to interact fairly well.
Next is sound. The guns sound like guns, the flying cars sound like cars, and those alien bad guys sound disusting. Sound effects? Check. Music is repetative and gets annoying after a while, but you probably won't pay much attention to that while playing. The voices... Well, Daxter is probably the highlight of the voices, as I'm sure most of you know. He's funny, obnoxious, and has a thing for the ladies. Jak gets a voice, what, game 2? Maybe game 3? Most of the other voices fit the characters, but you don't hear much from them. Shame, the leader of the resistance has such a cool voice.
Next is storyline. For a platformer/shooter, this game actually has storyline down pat. You're talking about time travel, evil wizards, aliens, outcasts, rebels and an oppressive dictator. This game winds them all into one neat package that goes from old-time fantasy to a neat future. Neat, yes, but not one you'd like to live in. There's plenty of twists and turns, interesting things to see, and Jak actually has a personality/story to him. Amazing, no?
Speaking of Jak and the rest, this game features (rarity among Platformers, I find) in depth characters. Jak has several sides to him which are fun as hell to watch and play. He starts out the mute, strapping hero off to save the land. He ends up an angsty mess, then finishes off on a high note. Daxter? Well, he's annoying, whiney, joke-cracking, and loves the ladies. Did I mention he's annoying? He's also quite funny. You'll enjoy him. The rest are minor roles which you'll probably like. I'll leave it for you to meet them.
Gameplay is split into several sections: Guns, vehicles, and platforming. There's missions (the basis of the game) and exploration. There's also collection, too. And, lastly, powers.
Let's start with the Platforming, since the first game has none of the guns and only one or two vehicles. Jak has your standard platforming abilities, from jumping to climbing to grabbing walls. He'll punch and kick and do all those fancy stuff. In all actuality, he's not covering much new ground, platforming wise. The games are pretty nifty in what they get you to do, and there's a couple puzzles for you to try to solve. Nothing extravagant. Usually, you're facing off with annoying enemies that you have to beat in any way possible. You also have bosses you have to figure out, as well as other stuff. I'd say it's a bit like the original Ratchet and Clank in some ways. Combine that with Mario and a little Spyro and you've got yourself a game.
Next is vehicles. The first game makes use of, if I remember correctly, one vehicle. A hover bike. You'll spend several missions in the first game on a bike speeding through dangerous places with guys hot on your tail. However, it's pretty basic. There's not much more in the other two games. Sure, there's a ton of new vehicles in game two and even more in game three. They're your primary mode of transportation in the other two. They have two zones of flight (standard and ground travel), you can steal them whenever you want, blah blah. While they're standard travel, they don't really factor into the second game much. The third game has much more involved, but... To be honest, the vehicles are sort of an extra feature that you don't pay much attention to unless you want to go Grand Theft Auto on the guards.
Now, guns. The games, past number 1, feature several guns. Off the top of my head, I think game 2 gets four guns, and game 3 gets sixteen, each of the original four plus several attachments. You get your standard machine gun, a shotgun, and two other fun guns. You'll probably use the machine gun and gun 3 the most. But everything is fun to play with. The game almost revolves around the use of the guns, since you don't want to melee against most of the people you see. In game 3, each gun gets four attachments. One is the standard gun, plus three new powers, which range from throwing out a saucer that attacks everything it sees to a 'gravity gun', which makes all enemies around you float. The guns are seriously fun, and they come in a timely manner. You get your final gun near the end of the game, which means you won't have a point where you're playing a huge amount of levels with nothing new to get.
Now... We're going to do powers, then missions. Powers are something Jak 2 and 3 give you. Jak 2 gives you the 'Dark Jak' powers, where Jak uses his angsty, emo side to turn him into a super fighting freak that kicks the absolute crap out of everyone. All the powers involved here are damaging, and generally blow up enemies. Jak 3 gives you 'Light Jak' powers, where Jak uses his sunny side to be nice to people. Yeah, right. Actually, all of Light Jak's powers are what I call 'utility' powers, which means they aren't exactly offensive, but you use them at all times. Slowing down time, invincibility, the works. You have a guage to fill up, by fighting or by collecting mana-like stuff, before you can use your forms. Taking damage, using abilities, and time, all remove that guage. Once it's empty, time to start shooting again. Powers also come in a timely manner. And if you use the powers, make sure to watch Daxter on Jak's shoulder, especially if Jak ever stands still while in a form.
Eh.. Skipping Missions again to talk about Collectables. Specifically, the eggs. (I can't remember any other ones). In game 1, the eggs are actually a required collectable, both to advance the game (you pay the eggs for power, I believe), and to get the secret ending. There are 101 eggs in the game, if I remember correctly, and you need 100 for your 'secret' ending. Games 2 and 3 make them an actual collectable. Not required, but you want them. Why? because as you collect the eggs, you can buy and unlock cheats. Such as unlimited ammo, unlimited Dark Jak/Light Jak powers, etc. There are also skins, new vehicles, and other stuff to unlock. Nifty, no? Collecting eggs comes in the next section...
Exploration. For a platformer, there are a surprising amount of areas included. The first game has areas you'll never see again, while the second and third games share some commong ground. Mostly, these are places for your missions to take place. But you'll also find cool stuff around. You'll ALSO find side missions to do. This could be a hoverbike race, seeing how fast you can deliver packages, or the dreaded Egg Hunt. For every one you beat, you'll get eggs. Keep in mind, though, that they are pretty difficult. The Egg hunts, in particular, show you a quick snapshot of an egg somewhere nearby. Then you are given a time limit to get there and snatch the egg. If you run out of time, you have to start again. You need a good knowledge of the area to find them all.
Okay, now it's time for Missions. The game actually revolves around these, like Ratchet and Clank. You'll be on a mission almost always, unless you're traveling to another mission-giver. The missions range from easy to hard, depending on who gives them and how far in the game you are. It's actually pretty basic. Mostly, you'll be exploring an area and blowing the heck out of everyone there. You'll advance the storyline through these missions.
I think I've said all I need to say about this series. Unfortunately, the series IS over. Jak 3 was the last game in the storyline. The racing game... I never touched, nor have I checked out Daxter for the PSP. Neither seem appealing. So we'll leave it off here. I give these games 10/10 on the gaming scale, perfect (in my opinion) representations of their genre. If you want a platformer, and you like blowing stuff up, look no further than Jak 1-3 on the PS2.
My helpdesk should you need me.
Yes, but the GW Saviours precon is worse! And it made me laugh harder.
I'm not sure why everyone is so afraid of their blogs being percieved as being emo. Oh my God, it's not like you are asking people to read it. If you want to write something down, write it down. Seriously, there is nothing wrong with having negativity so long as you aren't forcing it on others.
As for ranty- oh dear, is ranty out of style now? Whatever will I do?
Insult Mamelon? No, I work at Chick-Fil-A, and I was just mentioning how working at a library sounds much nicer.
Wow, was my name really up there? I read over the list probably five times, sorry for the mistake.
And sorry for making you fume!
@Jak and Daxter: The game is fun, but it took me no time at all to collect all the eggs, or whatever you collected. Never played Jak 2 or 3 though. Nice write up though!
Man, posts are being racked up fast, its really hard to keep up with all of them.