Messages

You might want to update the first post with the link to the DL page (up to you!)

Congrats on finishing!

[forum rules]

Yup, it's called "read the forum rules"

Nightfable - when you are ready to post an update let me know and I'll unlock this!

And a big ol' happy merry holiday season with ghosts and bake sales to you too Mr. Dave.

But see for me a gun is SO FAR OFF MY CHART of a reasonable item to hold that this part of your constitution seems silly, blah blah... It's not connected to any violent act made with guns (although there certainly is a connection): It's my amazement at this culture which seems... well... silly to me (sorry... I'll try not to generalize and I'm happy to know that you don't own a gun, etc, etc. Plus you know I love you! ^_^).

See for me a gun is a very specific item: You can either threaten to kill (injure), you can kill (injure) or you can practice doing those two things. I wouldn't mind seeing a collector of guns (which would be locked away and safely kept), but I don't think that many users keep their arms just there for no reason; it has to be one of the three above. And any of the three involve an enormous amount of violence (even if you're just thinking about it, or hold it 'just in case'). So... a gun is unlike anything else: A hunting knife falls roughly in the same category, but it can be used for hunting (and for diving... We have tons of divers here and they all own a knife, but there's been 0 kills with such knifes in Greece). A handgun is NOT for hunting (unless I'm misinformed...). A kitchen knife CAN be used to kill, but it's not there for that purpose.

So there's a huge difference between a gun and anything else.

And a law that allows owning a gun, allows for more violence.

From your personal point of view I completely understand what you're getting at but, and I really hate to keep using the word, it feels like generalizing to me.  You feel (and are totally in your right to feel this way) that those three things you outlined are the only reasons to own a gun.

But, as Ponch has pointed out, there are other purposes to owning a firearm. 

My father is a collector of guns and he has made it clear to me that he would use them in self-defense if it ever became necessary but that he NEVER wants to harm another human being.  He enjoys shooting recreationally and only shoots geometric targets (not human shaped ones).  I think the argument that guns only have one purpose is flawed.  It's like saying (also as Ponch mentioned earlier) that cars (automobiles in general) ONLY exist to drive from point A to point B.  But we know this is not the case.  People dress up their cars, put in stereo systems, live in their cars, race their cars, etc.  I would agree that guns were invented as deadly weapons but like most things they've evolved to have other purposes besides killing/harming.  Yes, they are still "deadly" but so is any knife, any car, any baseball bat, etc. 

The bottom line is; it all depends on who is holding the object, not the object itself.

You in the US (generalizing... I know, but I don't know how else to put it) have been very lucky to be 'detached' from the rest of the world. Never invaded, never in a close war... Japan is in the other side of the world.

Ummm... that's completely inaccurate   From the time the first settlers set foot on American soil it was a near constant state of warfare for nearly 300 years.  Sure we don't have as much history as you guys across the pond but what we do have is, lamentably, surrounded by the fog of war.  Conflicts with all the native tribes, King Phillip's War, King Williams's, Queen Anne's, King George's, the French and Indian Wars, the Cherokee war, the war for Independence, Franco American, Barbary, the War of 1812,  Texan Independence, Mexican/American war, our own Civil War, and the Spanish/American war to round out the 19th century.  We are a nation founded and formed to the sound of gunfire.  In that context (and given how close we came to losing the Revolutionary War) it makes perfect sense to amend our constitution to allow an armed populace. 

In the 20th century... The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor wasn't the end of Japan's aggression on the USA.  They sent balloon bombs over on the jet-stream (one of them killed 5 boyscouts in northern Oregon if I'm remembering correctly) and they had documented intentions of bringing the war to our western shores (all along the west coast there are still "historical" sites where you can see the decommissioned anti-aircraft batteries that were there to ward off Japanese attacks).  Germany also had documented plans to attack the eastern shores of the continental USA as well (they were planning nuclear bombers that could reach New York).  After WWII we got ourselves embroiled in the Cold War and were under constant "threat" from soviet missles/bombers coming in over the poles and had to deal with the Soviets putting missile batteries in Cuba.

I would agree that we don't have any "close" neighbors that wish us harm.  Though I still think those Canadian bastards are plotting something...

I was hoping that my note that I'm not in the US and thus I'm not sure, etc, would avoid anything like that. I'm kinda generalizing, I'll agree, because there's no other way about that, but eventually I know that everyone is different. Plus I put inside the same paragraph Greece as well, so there's a point to be made here!

Yeah man I know what you're trying to say (and you know I love ya too!).  I am not mad (or even upset) by anything you said.  I don't let the internet get to me like that (any more).  I agree 100% that something needs to be done about the problem but I just don't think gun "control" is the answer.  A mentally disturbed, or psychotic, or just asshole person that wants to commit violence will commit said violent act whether or not they have a gun to do it with.

We should focus (as I think was Miquel and Tamata's points) on the people that are committing these acts... not the tools they commit the acts with.

A Sith Lord simply cannot be friendly! 

That's like a cow not dancing... can you just imagine?!!?

[normal]

Somehow US citizens seem to get the impression that the rest of the world is attacking the US (not unjustifiably but anyhow). This is NOT the case here. We are talking about an insane, silly, bullshit part of your constitution that stands since the late 1700s... And since it's there it IS your right to bear arms! Well done on that!

I will try to shed some light on this (though I'm not optimistic it will sway your opinion).  It is very easy to criticize the Constitution (2nd amendment) when you do not live under that Constitution.  The second amendment made perfect sense when it was proposed (1789) and ratified (1791) given the recent war for independence (among others).  It was a vastly different world back then.  So while I would agree that the concept of the "Right to Bear Arms" is a tad antiquated in modern times it is still a part of our culture.  Yes, the beauty of the Constitution is that it can be changed but it's not like updating your Facebook profile.

Can you explain why you think it's "insane, silly and buillshit"?  My guess (just guessing) is because you think the constitutional right to bear arms is what led to the horrible events in Connecticut.  That because this man could own guns, this happened.  I do not have the statistics in front of me but I believe the percentage of gun-crimes committed by legally owned firearms is somewhere around 7%.  His "right" to own weapons had nothing to do with his decision to murder people.  His mental state led to those tragic events.  If he had no access to guns he'd have committed the atrocities in some other way (as Squinky pointed out earlier).  Must we then make it illegal to clean your kitchen? (I could make a very destructive bomb from the stuff I clean my kitchen with).

I agree that the "ease" with which a person can obtain a gun is a problem.  It should be harder to purchase a firearm.  But making it illegal just isn't going to solve any problems.  It might reduce that 7% down to 1 or 2% instead but the illegal guns aren't going away.

But the point remains if other normal (Darth) countries have less or more problems with heavy restrictions on gun ownership. And my impression is that there are far less problems RIGHT NOW! Of course it will take some time and nobody is arguing that the minute the law passes everyone will leave their guns and the US will be heaven! Of course not! But I'd dare to say that after a few years (no idea on how many) things WILL be better. For everyone.

I would be curious to know (I'm at work and can't take the time to do the research right now) if in countries that have much stricter regulations on gun ownership (like Greece, Nic) did the country enact such restrictions because there were a lot of guns and gun related crimes?  Or was it done in an attempt to prevent a gun problem?

That and if your news channels STOP portraying every murderer, every thug, every homicide constantly in the news... This is NOT happening over here and it's the ONE thing that's not poisoning our minds. We do get very pessimistic news constantly about the economy and it's killing the very same economy even further... So much so that I've been wondering if we banned news forever things in the economy would be much better (or not?), but still... News are much more influential than a Hollywood movie: Everyone knows that a movie is bullshit, but everyone knows that news are real (except for fox news?).

You'll get ZERO argument from me on this.  I cannot stand the media (not just in the USA, but the world).

While I'm not in the US, I've been there a few times and have many many friends from the US: I get a feeling that your love for guns is attached to your DNA somehow. The same way we Greeks have tax evasion in our DNA! But both can change and as is evident with Greece it can be done through sheer force and with dire consequences but it can be done!

But see, you've done it again.  You're generalizing and lumping all Americans as "gun lovers".  This is exactly the point I was trying to make about the "bandwagon".  I do not own a gun.  I do not intend on owning a gun.  Most of the people I know do not own guns (and most of them hate guns).  We don't walk around calling people out at high-noon to have a showdown in town square.  This is another problem I have with media because it would seem this is the impression most outside the US have of the citizens of the US based on pop-culture and media [mis]representation.

Four, we really should be thinking about better ways to understand what the hell is going on on this people's minds, specially teens where there's still time to change their point of view about life.

This, to me, is the most important thing you said! (though I agree with the rest for the most part as well).  And your posts aren't boring... just hard to keep up with everything in a thread like this

Where I live, people have to get a license in order to get a gun; they have to convince a public authority that they are fit to do so. In the US, anybody without a record can easily get one, and this is what I'm objecting to.

In this regard you'll get no argument from me (as I stated above).  It should be harder to get a gun.  I know some people that "legally" own a firearm that should not be allowed.  Not because they're mentally unstable or would ever commit a crime with it but just because I fear "accidents" (shooting their foot, somebody else, etc).  They just aren't a responsible enough person to own a firearm.

Would George Zimmerman have put a knife into Trevor Martin, or have ran him over with his car? I very much doubt it.
The right to bear arms is from a time where it made sense. So are the rules about how to keep slaves from the American people's favorite book of laws.

Also as I stated above, the 2nd amendment is a tad antiquated.

However, your statement about Zimmerman not killing Martin (if he'd not had a firearm) doesn't hold much water.  If Zimmerman intended to kill Martin his lack of a gun wouldn't have stopped him.  Sure it was easier with a gun, but if he wanted to murder him he'd have found other means in lieu of a gun.  So I find your statement "wrong" because you're assuming Zimmerman's intent was to kill Martin (which you cannot know).  He claims it was purely self-defense.

I do not know Zimmerman nor was I a witness to the event so I won't speculate.

[a thread]

There is a thread specifically for this type of post!

Well somebody had to be the jerk!

Welcome to the forums.

To quote Arnold Schwarzenegger, "stick around!".

But I don't believe there is a greatest nation on earth.

Nor do I think of the president as the "leader of the free world".

Sounds to me like an individual problem (the "american exceptionalism" being rubbed in your face) in other countries.  Because, in America, on a daily basis I hear NOTHING of our superiority (or the "rubbing it in" other's faces).  I see the VAST majority lamenting the "failings" of our nation and discussing ways to improve and move forward rather than stagnating as we are.  I hear statistics on how our education system is falling FAR behind the rest of the world.  How our technology is now lagging well behind.  How corporations are dominating and getting away with monopolies.  I see hard working people struggling to get by in an economy that sucks.  I see homeless people begging for handouts on EVERY intersection of EVERY street. 

I don't see anything "exceptional" about that. 

So to lump us all together as touting our greatness, simply because of our geographical location, seems a bit silly and should probably be "backed up with facts".

I'm really not going to get into this [pointless] debate again though. 

It's like trying to convince a religious person the sheer folly of religion.

The majority of Americans are lovely people, I am absolutely sure of it without a doubt. But there is no need for guns. Too many cases where people flip out and use them like this imo.

Problem is, because it's such a heated debate they will never change the laws dramatically. The whole thing is too far gone. Hopefully the democrats will be brave enough come up with some changes. In a perfect world guns wouldn't get in the hands of such people. But as Darth says, it isn't a perfect world.

While I agree wholeheartedly with you in principle, I find the notion of "gun control" as the solution completely laughable.  It's not the solution. 

The blame for this event, and others like it, lies not at the feet of "gun control" it lies at the feet of the disgusting mass media corporations. 

They sensationalize the people that commit these crimes and give them the very spotlight they sought in the first place.

Why just kill yourself and vanish as the nobody you are when you can achieve celebrity by committing (or one-upping) a terrible crime?  They can, because the media gives them this fame.

(There's a "viral" article going around supposedly penned by Morgan Freeman, that nails my sentiments on this topic better than I could ever write it, but I don't want to link to it 'cause I'm not sure, yet, that it was actually written by Mr. Freeman).

We can make guns illegal, sure.  It might stop a few crimes.  But in the end it would be no different than the colossal failure that is the "war on drugs".

I don't disagree my friend.

I wish I had the answer.

The world is a fucked-up place.  I'm not claiming, nor will I make the claim, that the U.S. is some beacon shining in the darkness.  It's a fucked up country just like the rest of the world.  My point is/was just that it's very popular to insult the USA.  The USA seems to be the Nickelback of the 'countries of the world' genre and people just jump on the bandwagon to insult the USA when shit like this happens.  If I, as a resident of the states, made some of the blanket generalizations about another country the way non-residents make blanket generalizations about the USA I'd just get flamed for being an "typical ignorant american" (which is just another generalization in itself).

There are more [documented] school-shootings in the states than there are in other parts of the world.

We have less tossing of acid in women's faces for refusing an arranged marriage.

We have less people strapping bombs to their bodies and blowing up civilians on buses.

We have less little girls being shot in the face because they want an education.

We have less women being hanged because their ankles showed in public.

We have less homosexuals being murdered for their "sin".

So, yes, we may be top of the hill with tragic events like school shootings but that does nothing to diminish my original point that the world is a fucked up place.  Period.

So yes;

Avoiding to face reality won't change anything...

I couldn't agree more.

Face-palms or no face-palms.

The same thing the rest of the world is (but everybody seems to forget the rest of the world is just as shitty).

It's the [shitty-ass] world we live in.  And it sucks.

Some really good advice in here (and accurate).

However... my advice? 

KEEP THOSE OUTLINES MAN!!  I love the way it looks and it just screams personal style!  (though I do agree that line weight could work really effectively to separate the depth)

Just my $0.02!

This doesn't belong in here. 

Please read the forum rules before posting!

You need one more "in game" screenshot (menu screens do not count).

Please update the first post or this will have to be locked until you can provide the second screenshot.

Thanks for the update!

Congrats on finishing!

I think the problem I have with the style is that the lack of "depth" makes it hard to tell where your focus should be.  The background (sky, hills, trees) feel as important to the composition as the foreground elements which confuses my eyes a bit!  It's already been suggested but I did a [very] quick paint-over to illustrate it better:



- did two layers of "depth" on the hills
- kept a gradiated sky but did it with far less colors to maintain the shading style you're using
- this really separates the fore/back ground areas and draws your eye into the foreground which (I'm assuming) is where the game play is focused anyway!

I didn't have the dev-file here so this was done with the wand tool (in photoshop) thus it's a little sloppy but it's just an example!

On a side note; this style you're using just screams for some parallax scrolling!  I would love to see this moving in parallax!

Wow congrats! 

Man when I was your age the last thing I was thinking about was marriage but hey, you're ready when you're ready!

Good on ya!

It warms the bottom of my [cold, dead and evil] heart to see you working on a game again.  Love the eye patch.

Eric pretty much said, verbatim, what I was going to suggest.

Excellent!!  Congrats on finishing it.

You might want to include the link (to the completed games thread) in the first post as well!