Desbreko

[size=1]The DailyOtaku iss.5Saturday, November 12, 2005[/size] [center][size=3][b]Spoiler Tags Uncovered[/b][/size][/center] Used to black out spoilers that people may not want to read, spoiler tags allow posters to talk freely about anime, games, or anything else without fear of upsetting those who haven't yet viewed the subject in question. Such a thing is quite beneficial for OtakuBoards, where all manner of things involving spoilers are discussed, and the custom vB tag was implemented some time ago. The use of spoiler tags has even become mandatory, to protect unwary readers from prematurely finding out something they wished to discover for themselves. All of this sounds innocent enough and in the best interest of OtakuBoards' membership but, as with so many things, it seems spoiler tags may conceal a dark secret. Everyone knows spoiler tags obscure the text enclosed in them, requiring the reader to highlight it in order to be read. But is that all they do? An investigation conducted by the DailyOtaku suggests otherwise. Recently we received a private message from a certain member of OtakuBoards (who has chosen to remain anonymous) who had, of late, been experimenting with various uses for spoiler tags. After his prolonged exposure to the tags he recorded that he felt a strong urge to enter the Otaku Lounge and write long, detailed posts expressing his opinions. Any thread would do, even if he lacked a solid opinion on the topic at hand. He wouldn't feel satisfied until he had replied to no less than half a dozen threads. This wasn't his normal behavior and he concluded that it wasn't the tags which had been experimented on, but instead, himself. Thereafter the DailyOtaku launched a full investigation into the effects of spoiler tags. The data uncovered evidence suggesting that, in addition to blacking out text placed between spoiler tags, they also insert subliminal messages into the text. Presumably controlled by the forum administrators from their secretive admin control panel, it is thought that these messages attempt to influence the posting habits of members who read them. The results of the tests performed in the investigation were odd to say the least. The DailyOtaku recruited some members to help with the tests and these are just some of the results of their spoiler tag overdoses: Gavin, while not affected in any other way, has lessened the number of posts he begins with, "Interesting, most interesting." Meanwhile, Baron Samedi developed an almost obsessive urge to reply to threads in the Suggestions & Feedback forum. And though we lost track of him only a short while into the test, it is suspected that Brasil is still at large on OtakuBoards, stalking the various forums for the weak and sickly arguments which he's found renewed delight in preying on. It is not recommended that members attempt any other experiments involving large doses of spoiler tags. Predictably, neither James, Dagger, nor Desbreko would comment on the subject when questioned. James offered a bland "No comment," while Dagger dismissed us with the roll of her eyes and the remark, "I have more important things to deal with." Desbreko laughed in our faces and told us to "Stop wasting [his] time." This reporter quickly heeded the advice, still having painful memories of a previous encounter with Desbreko fresh in my nads. As well, none of the moderators offered up any information beyond pointing us to various sticky threads detailing the use of spoiler tags. Of course, simply using the spoiler tags to influence better posting habits wouldn't be too objectionable. But the question of just how far such influence can extend, as well as whether or not it will be abused, must be asked. It may seem absurd now, but a few versions down the road, will we see OtakuBoards members become a brainwashed mass of puppets following every whim of the administrators? Those who refuse to use spoiler tags -- or, perhaps you could say, those who refuse to be assimilated -- are already being banned in consequence. If spoiler tags have the potential for further influences they could pose a danger to the membership at large. The DailyOtaku will continue to investigate spoiler tags, attempting to find out if anything more sinister is lurking beneath their shadowy surface. Until more conclusive findings are uncovered, however, you might just want to resist highlighting those blackened blocks of text.

[quote name='ThoraxtheImpaler']Also, Kuja is awesome. His genius, feminineness, and constant insulting of people reminds me of myself...[/quote][color=#4B0082]Please, please just don't start writing in a [url=http://img156.exs.cx/img156/5548/ctdbanner0lp.gif]red, century gothic font[/url]. I might have to ban you otherwise. :shifty:[/color]

[color=#4B0082]20 minutes for a single battle isn't long enough? Think about the usual length of random battles, then for boss battles. ... For me, at least, none of those came close to 20 minutes. (Well, besides the fights with Emerald WEAPON and Ruby WEAPON.) I did think Safer Sephiroth was a little easy compared to the end bosses of FFIV and FFVI, but unless you're spamming Knights of the Round, I thought it was a pretty good length fight. Of course, when I went back and fought him again with Cloud, Tifa, and Red XIII all at level 99, and only used attacks and healing during the fight, it went a little fast. Cloud had a mastered Double-Cut materia equiped (4x-Cut command) and Red XIII had a level one equiped (2x-Cut command), and everyone was doing 9999 damage each strike regardless of critical hits. Sephiroth's Barrior spell cut down on the damage while it was up but he still didn't even get a chance to use Super Nova. I totally beat him down. I'm still kicking myself for accidentally saving over that file. I had everyone but Yuffie and Cait Sith to level 99 and I had three Master Magic materia, three Master Command materia, and two Master Summon materia. The only thing I hadn't done was find the elusive Added Cut materia up in the Great Glacier.[/color]

Samus stood just outside Mog's study, waiting to be called in next. The line had been quite long; apparently, these games were rather popular. Idly skimming back through the rules of participation she had saved to her log book, she wondered how many of these people would make it in. "Next!" Mog was finally heard to call from within the small study as the door swung open and the previous interviewee walked out. Morphology: Moogle Sentient, unagressive creature. Capable of flight with the small wings on its back.Samus caught the door before it could swing closed, then entered. Inside, hovering above a small desk, pen and notepad in hand, was Mog. Switching to her scan visor, she gave the white, furry creature a once over. Flipping to the next page of the notepad, Mog greeted his next guest. "Welcome! Have a seat, and let's get down to kupo." He motioned with the pen to a chair facing the desk and Samus moved to sit. "First question, kupo! Can I get your name?" Samus gave a slight nod and smiled behind her visor. "[b]Samus Aran[/b]." She was liking this Mog so far. He reminded her, in a way, of the etecoons she had saved from planet Zebes. "Great," Mog said as he wrote the name down at the top of the page. "Do you have a picture of yourself with you . . . ?" He paused a moment, looking like he wasn't quite finished. "Maybe without the helmet on, kupo?" Giving a small chuckle, Samus reached up and removed her power suit's helmet. A blond ponytail spilled out from its confinement and Samus shook her head slightly to settle it behind herself. "I figured you might want it, so I got one of each," she said as she procured two pictures. One showed her with her [url=http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/5542/metroidprimesamus1gt.jpg][u][b]helmet on[/b][/u][/url], the other with it [url=http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/2625/metroidzeromissionending67ef.gif][u][b]off[/b][/u][/url], and she handed both to Mog. Mog looked a bit surprised as he took the pictures and affixed them to the notepad's page. "Oh, you're. . . ." he trailed off. "Hmm?" Samus had picked up on what Mog was perplexed over but she just smiled. She got that reaction fairly often when people learned she was a women. In truth she found it amusing to throw peoples' misconceptions out the door. Mog quickly regained his composure and moved on to the next question. "Kupo, nothing, kupo. So, where are you from, Samus?" "I don't exactly have a permanent place of residence," Samus answered. "I'm a bounty hunter, so I'm always on the go. Hunting bounties, as it were." Mog jotted down the information, occasionally glancing back and forth between Samus and the notepad. "Sounds interesting, kupo. Are you very well known?" "Just a little," said Samus, making more than just a little understatement. "I'm best known for hunting the floating lifeforms known as [b]Metroid[/b]s." "Oh, are Metroids dangerous?" "Yes, they--" Samus began, before deciding it might be best to spare the details. "Yes. It was quite the [b]adventure[/b], hunting them down. Lots of running, jumping, dodging -- you might call it [b]platforming[/b] -- and [b]shooting[/b]. Though I was paid a handsome sum for the effort." "Very kupo," Mog said. "Moving on, could you give a brief description of your [b]personality[/b]?" This question caught Samus off guard -- or at least as off guard as something was able to. She hadn't really thought of how to describe herself in words before. "Well. . . . I'm generally easygoing, if fairly serious. People tell me I need to lighten up, but only in the context of work." "Would those be the people who've got the bounties on them?" Mog interjected. Samus laughed. She was definitely getting to like Mog. "Sometimes. But, as you can see, I do have a sense of humor. I'm not all cold armor and large guns." "Next kupo then," Mog said as he finished noting everything. "Do you have any special [b]talents[/b] or areas of expertise?" "Besides hunting bounties?" It was Mog's turn to chuckle. "Yes, kupo. Something more specific?" "There's a lot I can do with my power suit," said Samus as she began to list off some of her abilities. "Shooting is not the least of its abilities, and I've got more than good aim. It lets me perform acrobatic maneuvers I wouldn't otherwise be able to accomplish. I know various martial arts for close quarters combat. . . ." She trailed off, looking to Mog to see if she should continue. The page on the notebook was almost full by now. "That should be enough, kupo, thank you. One last question, though: What's your [b]motive[/b] for joining this game?" "What else?" asked Samus, before answering her own question. "I'm here to hunt a bounty." "I hope you mean you want to win, kupo." Mog fluttered up and down in the air a bit, as if getting ready to take off in a hurry. "I'd hate to think you're coming after me!" "Of course," Samus said with a smile. "I make it a policy not to shoot small, fuzzy creatures if I don't have to." Mog stopped his fluttering. "Well, that's a relief. The participants will be posted in a couple days, so be sure to check back then." "I will," Samus said as she stood up and replaced her helmet. Strolling to the door, she gave Mog a thumbs up before taking her leave.

[quote name='Lore][color=3333333']Des, is that supposed to be an executioner smiley? o0[/color][/quote][color=#4B0082]Heh, no, that's meant to be a burglar. (Smirking as he makes off with the loot and all.) If I were to do an executioner smiley it would have the full face hood and look somewhat more sinister. It would probably also be holding an axe. Hmm ... ideas. I might have to do more of these.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Please, peoples, read the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=43464][u]Favorite Thread Guildelines[/u][/url] before posting in here or other favorite threads if you haven't already. I need to see at least some semblance of a real reason behind choices or else they get the boot.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Okay, looks like everything I just said was, in fact, outdated. So here's an entirely new post in its place! :animesmil According to a new bit of news on [url=http://www.n-sider.com/newsview.php?type=story&storyid=1522][u]N-Sider[/u][/url], you [i]will[/i] be able to send mail to friends who are currently offline and even attach gifts to them. I can't wait to start sending all sorts of random crap to people and seeing what I get in return. This is going to be awesome.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]"Don't make me touch you with this fuzzy. Or do you [i]want[/i] to get dizzy? Do you?!" Yay for [url=http://www.classicgaming.com/tmk/images/ss/ss_smw2_09.gif][u]lame video game references[/u][/url].[/color]

[color=#4B0082]I've made a few, mainly just out of boredom. Though I have been thinking of trying my hand at a "Des kicking Shin in the nads" smiley, after Gavin suggested it in that thread. The SMB3 palm tree and the chocobo were obviously adapted from game sprites, but it took some editing to get them to look decent at 15x15 pixels.[/color] [img]http://img471.imageshack.us/img471/5278/smileyburglar3ez.gif[/img] [img]http://img471.imageshack.us/img471/7499/smileybloody4rq.gif[/img] [img]http://img223.exs.cx/img223/4645/smileycookie1ej.gif[/img] [img]http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/2672/smileymarshmallow5kp.gif[/img] [img]http://img241.echo.cx/img241/3271/smileytriforce1lr.gif[/img] [img]http://img471.imageshack.us/img471/5284/smileychocobo8sd.gif[/img] [img]http://img38.exs.cx/img38/5195/smileysmb3palmtree8nr.gif[/img]

[color=#4B0082]Whoo! More fangirls! :2women: And wow, it's actually been two years since this thing began? That's ... way too long. We need more already! I mean, not even I'm that bad about ... *glances at The DailyOtaku* ... Nevermind. :animeswea Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the next chapter.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Man, I wrote a great sign up for Link that would've only needed a bit of editing before being ready to post. Looks like he's already taken, though. ... And I'm too nice to ban Sinistra just so I could take his place. ;) Okay, here's what I'm going to do then: I'll play Samus Aran, but it'll take me a bit to write another sign up, so no one steal her away from me in the mean time. And that'll also get another female character in here to help balance things out. I was considering signing up as Tom Nook from Animal Crossing, but it's been so long since I played AC that I'm not familiar enough with his character anymore. Too bad, because that could've been funny.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Interesting thread. ... Most interesting. :p Myself, when given moral choices in video games, I tend to go with what most closely matches my own personality. At least on my first time through the game. I don't necessarily stick to being "all good," or "all bad," but mostly the choices come out on the good side. 'Cause I'm (generally) a nice guy, you know? I do, however, find it fun to roleplay a more evil character sometimes. In those situations I don't have any problem making the evil side choices because it's my character doing the actions, not me. Rob that old lady? Burn that building down? Kick [strike]that puppy?[/strike] Shin in the nads? No problem, if it's in my character's nature to do so. I may get into my characters pretty deep, but I'm still just roleplaying in a fantasy world, so I let the moral dilemmas stay in there.[/color]

[color=#400B82][url=http://www.nintendo-europe.com/NOE/en/GB/games/gamepage.do?ElementId=Ej6on8HCjXh40Pz_SOlZeE-GssOSV2b2][u]Nintendo-Europe.com[/u][/url] also has the game's release date listed as March 31, 2006, so I guess that's correct. Sucks that there'll be nearly a four month gap between the releases. I was also looking forward to getting your fruit in my town so we could cha-ching together.[/color]

[quote name='Charles']The Final Fantasy series didn't begin with Final Fantasy VII. The series began on the Famicom and continued on with the Super Famicom.[/quote][color=#4B0082]Quoted for truth. FF never was and probably never will be exclusive to PlayStation. But anyway, I don't see why anyone would think this is a bad thing. All it does is open the game up to a wider playerbase. How exactly is that wrong? And so what if FFXI is online-only? No one's forcing you to buy it or pay the monthly fee. Square Enix made FFXI and targeted it at the MMORPG fanbase, and it seems to have met with decent success. Sure, there'll be some overlap there with people who are fans of the other FF games, but FFXI is targeted primarily at people who play MMORPGs. If that doesn't include you, well, that's your problem, not the game's or Square Enix's. Also, I don't see where people are getting that FFXI was a step back for Final Fantasy. There have been what, two, three expansions released so far? FFXI would only get that much attention if it were successful and making Square Enix money. And if FFXI is making Square Enix money, that must mean a lot of people are playing it and paying that $13 monthly fee. And if a lot of people are playing it and continuing to pay the fee, it must mean those people enjoy the game. So just because you don't happen to play or enjoy FFXI doesn't mean no one else does.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]*merges with the aforementioned thread* I'm still only on the first disc, but so far I've haven't found the game overly difficult. There've been a few times where I've died (though half the times were because I hadn't bothered getting new armor yet), but as long as you don't just rush enemies and blindly mash the A button it's not that bad. So don't discount being able to play the game without a guide before you've even picked it up. Thoough if you really do end up needing help, there's always [url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/][u]GameFAQs[/u][/url]. I'd recommend checking for help there before posting here, since anything you might need help with is likely already explained in a FAQ there.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Four, actually. Try and keep the posts on topic and have a decent point to them, please.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]I think I'd start having nightmares if I had to see those smilies all over OB. And can you even imagine what it would be like when one of those smiley-crazed newbies showed up? :twitch:[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Yes, as long as I have any say in it, the :p smiley will exist in some form. Definitely my most used one out of them all. But yeah, I'll go through and do some trimming and reorganizing/renaming. Probably add a few of my own smilies as well.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Yeah, there are actually a good number of people here that play DDR. (Or at least there used to be, anyway.) You can find a link to original DDR thread in the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=46746][u]Play It Thread Directory[/u][/url] if you'd like to talk about the games. Thread Closed[/color]

[QUOTE=James][font=franklin gothic medium]The main problem is that smileys have been added over the years by different people. So it's a bit of a mixed bag at the moment. I'd thought of doing something new with smileys, but I wasn't really sure whether or not it was worth spending the time on that at the moment. Perhaps I can talk to Desbreko about it, since he has done such a good job organizing our avatar library.[/font][/QUOTE][color=#4B0082]Yeah, I've thought about bringing this up. But the problem is that if we change the smilies and/or codes for them, any old posts that used smilies will be a bit messed up. Though personally, I wouldn't see this as a big deal. Mainly I think a little more consistancy in the codes for them would be nice. For example, it's impossible to do :[i][/i]pwhatever: as a smiley code because the :[i][/i]p part of it will turn into a :p smiley with the rest of the code hanging off it. And if we're going to be adding/changing around smilies ever, that could end up being a problem. And personally, I like the anime style smilies. :animesigh is my favorite. Probably because I sigh a lot while dealing with spam and such.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Stuart speaks the truth. GameFAQs will most likely have answers to any questions you've got. But, if you'd like to talk about the game or, if GameFAQs actually is lacking the information you require, you can find a link to the game's thread in the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=46746][u]Play It Thread Directory[/u][/url]. Feel free to post in there. Thread Closed[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Yeah, it does kind of look like a bucket from that angle. ... But how many buckets have you seen that glow in the bottom? If you've seen the series, you know the cannon is as tall as they are, heh. [b]A winner is you:[/b][/color] [quote name='shadowofdeath13][b][size=1][color=darkred]"Say hello to our lil' friend"[/b][/color'][/size][/quote][color=#4B0082]Picturing Meredy and Coreena shouting this just before blasting something is hilarious. [b]Close second:[/b][/color] [quote name='CloudsOnly189][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]Don't worry!! This vortex of eternal darkness is totally safe and secure! What could happen?![/COLOR'][/FONT][/quote][color=#4B0082]Again, a great line that's hilarious when you think of those two saying it. [b]Third place:[/b][/color] [QUOTE=Gaara kun][COLOR=Indigo]Meredy: "How come you don't want to try our hair dryer?" Coreena: "Yeah we made it from scratch!"[/COLOR][/QUOTE][color=#4B0082]Yeah, I can imagine someone doubting the safety of a hair dryer looking like that. :p [b]For the precious organs:[/b][/color] [QUOTE=r2vq][I]And now the white ball of doom shall attach you two at the shoulder!! Oh no my precious organs!![/I] -.o okay I just wanted to get that 'organ' line in there xP -ArV[/QUOTE][color=#4B0082]I love that line.[/color]

[quote=Sting]I'll come straight out with it. I am not a FF fan (I'm not fond of RPG's in general) but I have given it a chance. I have FF 7, 8 and 10. The only one that's caught my eye was FF8. My main problem with FF7 is the graphics. I'm pretty sure the story of it was amazing. (so I've heard) But the giant heads, feet and hands made of pipes turns me off of this game quite a bit. FF10 looks great but the main character is annoying. (another turn off) FF8 was the 1st RPG I've ever played so that could be another problem. People say they changed the junctioning system. It took me a while to get use to FF7 and 10's junctioning system. "shrugs" I do have respect for the RPG's but I don't think I'll ever like them. (Maybe cuz I don't like turn based games ^_^)[/quote][color=#4B0082]If you prefer more action-based games rather than turn based combat, you might enjoy Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles on the GameCube. It gets kind of old in single player mode, but the multiplayer can be a lot of fun. Running around beating on things and casting spells in real time with a few friends is great. Only problem is, you need a GBA and GBA-to-GCN link cable for each person in multiplayer mode.[/color] [QUOTE=Anime Pet][COLOR=DarkOrchid]Well, at least you gave it a chance! And not all RPGs are turn-based, by the way. Ones like Balduar's Gate and Champions of Norrath are RPGs, and they're the hack-'n-slash genre as well. I don't care for FFVII's graphics as well, but I just have to remember that it's an old game.....allowances must be made..... So, it's a definite thing, the remake of FFVII?!!? YES!!! :D :animeswea I REALLY hope the PS3 is compatible with the rest, but I'll probably end up getting it anyway since it'll be the next-gen console, and everything will be cming out on that instead. Like my bro said - if we don't get it, we can't get anymore games![/COLOR][/QUOTE][color=#4B0082]Um, not really. The FFVII opening scene they showed at the last E3 (it was at E3 wasn't it?) was just a tech demo to show off the PS3's graphics. Last I heard, Square Enix doesn't actually have any plans to remake FFVII. And yes, the PS3 is supposed to also play PS1 and PS2 games.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]Nothing's been announced. And if they ever are re-released on another console (there are already the PS1 collections, as mentioned earlier) it probably won't be until quite a while after all the GBA versions are out. They'll want to milk those as much as they can before releasing them yet again. Getting the whole FFI-FFVI collection on a single Revolution/PS3/X360 disc [i]would[/i] be really cool though.[/color]

[QUOTE=Lore][img]http://otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24655&stc=1[/img] I cried. :([/QUOTE][color=#4B0082]You only cry because, deep down, you know it's true. :p Myself, I'm enjoying stalking through the Torture Chamber. *cracks whip* Shinmaru! Polish my boots![/color]