Messages

I can't say I'm too pleased with the resulting oversaturation of ^__^ style smilies.

Not to mention "Furries."

And per usual, you can't spell Flippy without Lip, always has some.

I think the most basic answer to your question is that nobody will criticize a game that's any good (except in a constructive manner).  You can always get lotsa feedback too, on art, storyline, music, scripting, initial demo, etc.

I believe saying somebody has a strong personality is no more a compliment than saying they have a strong smell.

I've only seen/messed with RedHat 7.  They make the installation pretty simple as well as including some docs that kinda bring the complexities down to a beginner's level.  And, they've got the coolest logo.  Really, though, I should probably drop out of this thread and let some linux-using experts post. Good luck.

Yeah, the best way to support good music is probably going to concerts and stuff like that.  

Anyway.. if we're gonna keep on this subject, someone wanna change the title.. a bit misleading at this point.

Good software costs good money, yes.. but 3d studio max costing 3500?  You'd think they could trim it down a tad and offer a "lite" version for broke-ass bastards like me.  Adobe had a good idea..   trim down photoshop some, call it Adobe Elements and charge a reasonable price.  If power users want more features, then they'll come up with the extra cash.  Nice plan.

Yeah, that's the movie with... oh, nevermind.   Well, it was fun for a page or two.  

I like 2 better also.  Both are leaps and bounds above the other as far as content and skill.  Excellent work.   And Pessi...   jeez..     I drew in a sharp breath and screamed when I saw that one. (Not really, but I am amazed)    Definately not to put down AGSking's image as Pessi is probably the most revered background artist here.

No, you're thinking of the guest appearance he did on What's Happenin' when he tries to start a lynch mob by recruiting family members.  Ray Liota went on to star in Charles in Charge.

Sorry to see you go.. you added some personality to this place.  (albeit a fairly demented and twistedly dark personality but one nonetheless)

Well put.  I've got a few legal copies of bundled software sold to me for 5 bucks at various computer shows.

As for record companies.. screw 'em.  They're the leeches of the music industry.  When so little money goes to the bands for each album sold, why is it CD's have gotten twice as expensive in the past 5 years?  You can't tell me it's piracy - sales are up.  The record companies are using the napster/piracy issue as an excuse to rake in more profits.  Each frickin' cd costs them 72 cents! (This is taking the initial cost of layout, printing setup, mass production, burning to media, everyone's paychecks, etc).  Why the hell should I pay 24 bucks for a CD that I might not even like?  I'm gonna continue going the Kazaa route and buying shit that's actually worth something.   I'm also currently downloading Unreal 2.  I've heard that it's horrid but has nice eye candy.  If I actually find it enjoyable for some reason, I'm gonna buy the thing.  One argument you forgot is the one about software costing so much because piracy's so rampant.  That one's easily refuted with an example.  XP's been out for what 2.5, 3 years now?  The reason for their evil copy-protection scheme was given to the public as a piracy prevention method that would stop them from having to charge so much for their OS.  Has the price of XP suddenly dropped now that it's more or less the universal standard?  Nope.  I know it's still pirated, but a significant amount less.  I'm ranting here, but extremists on either side of the fence get to me.  Neither extreme side seems to regard all facts and based their "facts" on opinion.  It seems the only difference between the "small-scale" BBS/Disc copying piracy and the PtP style is that it's opened up piracy for the idiots.  Yay.  If anything, it seems piracy for the masses has only been a curse laid on the ones who did it before PtP-internet.

Boston Lowe is the frontman for that group...  what's it called?  Named after some city...  oh yah, Chicago.

And Ray Liotta is the center for the Harlem Globetrotters.

From what I've heard from a buddy in LucasArts (who isn't testing S&MII but another game) they're, "Shooting for using 3d but with a 2D feel" and are going to try like hell to avoid any kind of movement where the character walks forward, then you rotate them 35 degrees and then walk forward a bit and then hit enter and then rotate because you missed the hotspot (you get the idea).  Anyway, they (LA) have been wanting to do it for some time but Steve Purcell didn't wanna back something unless it was done right (god knows why he okayed the TV series (or at least some of the episodes)).  Anyway, they're trying to avoid an MI4 kind of interface, just working out kinks on how they'd like to do that without losing the "benefit" of "3d interactivity."

I'll look forward to this either way...

WEll, it's all the same OS just with differently compiled files.  I've heard good things about RedHat's package.

I don't know.. I absolutely loved all of CMI, no disappointment for me. And, I loved EMI.  I was disappointed with the 3d-look & feel but after I got over the initial reaction, I sat back and enjoyed more MI humor and inane puzzling.  I'd take any of the MI's over it but really, with the current crop (or should I say crap) of adventure games on the market, I'm not gonna complain about that one.

I know one thing though, I'm gonna buy sam and max 2 for myself and anyone I know who plays adventures.  Then, I'll buy FT2 and if that's any good I'll do the same.. gotta encourage these guys to keep making adventures..     I mean, just look at Sierra.  They won't touch adventure because there's not enough profit in it.

I like the north one and then the west one.  The others are either too bulbous or too incongruous.

I'm a bit shocked that anyone expected anything from any Voyeur game.  They're absolute crap with that being their total ambition.

Anyway, Syberia was more FMV and dialogue than puzzles from what I understand.  

KQ7.  This is a sad chapter in my adventure gaming life.  A KQ in SVGA! Wow, I hafta purchase this now!  However, you install the thing (and note how long it takes due to all the crap it throws in there) and fire it up.  You're greeted with the disney-style song and cutesy animations. The writing is horrid (I think Roberta Williams handed the idea to her kid and asked them to write it), the puzzles are terrible and the game's buggy as hell.  Even bad guys aren't remotely menacing (like in the other KQ's:  Evil witches, Mordac, the Genie and the Sultan (or prince or whatever he was)).  I'm sorry to say I don't believe I ever played past when you first enter a forest and confront  a bear or wolf or whatever it was.  

KQ8 - Noone's mentioned this one?  After the crap that was KQ7, we hoped they'd revitalize the series.  Okay, they're going 3d.. maybe it'll add something.  AFter all, it worked for Lucasarts with Grim Fandange.  It seemed to have a darker tone and more adult atmosphere.  Excellent.  However, you fire up the game and the first couple minutes of gameplay you're able to actually influene is combat.  A combat engine in a KQ game?!?  action-adventures have been done better than this...  I think even Tomb Raider.  I, sadly, haven't finished this one either.  I'll hafta buy it bargain-bin somewhere or d/l it to see if the story-line's at least worth a crap.

Other adventures.. well, we haven't seen too many recently.. I loved The Longest Journey.  QFG 5 was playable but was utter crap compared to any of the others.. with a horrid combat-system, dumbed-down puzzles and a 3d-engine that only depicted a 2d world, thus making that 2d world look that much less detailed.  Why didn't they just do a sprite-based game in hi-res?  ARgh. Then, it seems, the only adventures being released are Myst clones or pre-rendered rail-walking quest games.  I've purchased a few out of desperation for adventure.  How sad is it when the best adventure game to be released for sale in the past couple years is from an Amateur from AGS? (Fatman is a wonderful return to adventure roots, highly recommended).

Heh, CJ speaking out for the warez.. way to go. =]   Actually, I had similar experiences.. my first adventure game I think  (aside from an ascii action/adv called Castle) was KQ4 which my dad copied from a friend and I played in glorious monochrome.  Later, I was amazed by my friend's SQ3 and copied it to play in 4-color.   I was hooked and then began to purchase my own.  

About game demos... these days they're also either released well before the game so don't have all the features, features get dropped, or they're so buggy there's no way I'd play the actual game if it were like that.  The better game demos come out well after the game has come out.   I really don't like the current system..  release Unreal 2, let people buy the stinker, months later release a demo hoping to corral all the people that actually like the gameplay into buying it.  Some game demos have so little gameplay it's hard to get a feel for the features (mostly due to their inclusion of FMV and other non-essentials that inflate demo size).  Anyone remember when Wolfenstein came out?  Or Doom for that matter?   You played an entire episode (or roughly 1/3 - 1/4) of the game before you decided to buy it.  That model seemed to work for Id since Doom is one of the most purchased games ever (I'll concede probably one of the most pirated too, but that's irrelevant in this case).  when companies start learning their lessons and actually give us a taste of a game before buying it, or stop hyping something they're pulling millions into only to forget putting any kind of depth, then I'll be a little happier with making "blind" purchases.  If I would've blind-purchased any game in the past couple years, it would've been Unreal 2.   Boy, am I glad I didn't.

Andail, I'll PM you some links where you can get a live chicken of your very own.