Sandy

Yeah, sorry... But I got like thirty sign-ups in such short time, it was hard enough for me to pick the players from those, let alone if there were like [I]fifty[/I] of them... X/ I know some great players were left outside, but I really sought individual, versatile and interesting characters played by dedicated and skilled players. I'll try to get this thing running tonight (in my time), so be sure to check back on the Arena, everybody. ;D

After much pondering, I have made up my mind on which 18 members will get to participate the OtakuBoards Survivor: Game On! And here they are: [INDENT]^.^ as "Ada Wong" Baron Samedi as "Crash Bandicoot" Desbreko as "Samus Aran" Deucalion as "Dante" Doukeshi as "Lara Croft" Imi as "Kuja" JimiWiggy11 as "Mitsurugi" Kitty as "Sora" KKC as "Fox McCloud" Lrb as "Mario Mario" Outlaw as "Carl Johnson" Raiyuu as "Ling Xiaoyu" Sakura as "Yuna" Shinji as "Pac-Man" Sinistra as "Link" Solo Tremaine as "Krystal" Unborn Lord Xion as "Riku" Wraith as "Shadow the Hedgehog"[/INDENT] All of you that didn't make it to this list, don't throw in the towel just yet, as [B]I will contact you if anybody from the chosen players doesn't show up when the game starts[/B]. So you are in reserve. I want to thank everybody who signed up for their activity, I was really overwhelmed by the popularity this game gained in such sort notice. Some of the sign-ups were better done than others, but I also had to select some players by how interesting their chosen characters were. From now on, things will advance so that [B]I will make the actual game thread sometime in the next few days[/B], and each of the contestants will post an "introductory" post. Then the eighteen will divide into [B]three teams[/B] which will [B]compete against each other[/B] in various contests. After every contest,[B] two losing teams will vote out, or "delete", one of their teammates[/b]. At some point the[B] teams will merge[/B] into two, then into one with individual contestants, until only [B]one player remains[/B] to claim the title of the [i]Ultimate Videogame Survivor[/i]. Stay tuned! Game on!

Thanks for all the sign-ups, guys! There's now a total of 26 sign-ups, but I've decided to take only 18 players for [I]three[/I] teams. Fret not, there's still time to sign-up until [B]this Sunday[/B]. I'll return then from a small trip, and will close this recruitment, announcing who's in and who's not. The game itself is going to start sometime [B]next week[/B]. This game is going to be something totally else, I tell you! ;D So stay tuned, and keep those sign-ups pouring in!

Oh yeah, I never understood why in Super Mario Bros 3 the palm trees curtseyed instead of swayed... 8/ Sara's smilies are a bit too bright for my taste, it's pretty hard to see the details, and the poison green one hurts my eyes. X/ But sure, new smilies would be a welcome refreshment for these boards. ;D

My current screenname is what my real [B]last name[/B] [I]would[/I] be if it was translated from Finnish to English. I also choose it because it shares the first two letters of my real [B]first name[/B], Sami. I used to be Sage ever since I first joined these board, but just a week ago I changed it. Sage pretty much was about having a similar name to my real one, plus that "besserwisser"-attitude I have had in the past (it still sometimes surfaces from inside me, though...). Anyways, I just thought it was time to flip a new page in my OB life, and I think it has worked - now every [I]second[/I] person thinks I'm a girl, when it used to be "just" every third... :P

This is just a sort of "midway announcement", so this is [I]not[/I] the final player list. I'll compile here the sign-ups thus far, sorted by genre. [B]RPG[/B] Yuna (Sakura) Riku (Unborn Lord Xion) Ruby (Frankie) Sora (Kitty) Kuja (Imi) Link (Sinistra) (sorry Rurouni922, your sign-up was too lacking) Caim (Justice) Lucia (Pumpkin) [B]ACTION[/B] Carl Johnson (Outlaw) Lara Croft (Doukeshi) Dante (Deucalion) Gordon Freeman (Lafleur) Raziel (Raiyuu) Mushashi (sand dragon 19) Prince (Achilles) [B]PLATFORMER[/B] Crash Bandicoot (Baron Samedi) Fox McCloud (KKC) Hard Man (Shy) Shadow the Hedgehog (Wraith) Pac-Man (Shinji) Krystal (Solo Tremaine) Sonic the Hedgehog (Nomura) [B]TOTAL: 22[/B] As you can probably see, the sign-ups have divided pretty well between these three generic genres, but I'd really want more versatility. Characters from other genres, more females and critters, less bulky hotshot studs - you know what I mean. There's still time to sign up for this game, I won't make the final decision until next week (which means the game will start much sooner than originally announced, thanks to your activity). I have thought about it, and I can't probably take more than 20 contestants into the game, so [B]being different from the others is really your key into the game here[/B]. Most of those who have already signed up won't have anything to worry about, but I will have to "cut the fat", as the saying goes, so you are free to use the edit button if you're uncertain wether your entry was good enough. Okay, please continue with the sign-ups!

Eh, time for even more guidelines, guys... (geez I'm picky, ain't I?) - [B]I will not accept any characters from Final Fantastic Survivor[/B]. That means Auron, Cecil, Zell, Rinoa, Zidane, Sephiroth, Zack, Cloud, Rikku, Freya, Tidus and Squall are all no-noes. The reason for this is simply that I want to separate this game from the previous one. (Wraith has been already received a PM about this.) - [B]Consider carefully before signing up as a character from Final Fantasy[/B]. Having Mog, Yuna and Kuja is enough. This is [I]not[/I] another Final Fantastic Survivor but one combining all possible videogame genres, so there's a huge amount of choices for characters to play outside the FF-series. If you still crave to play as one, might I suggest characters from other RPGs? - [B]Choosing a character from [I]any[/I] videogaming genre is possible[/B]. Well, you won't probably find very "playable" characters from sport- and driving games, but for example [B]fighting games[/B] have plenty of great characters, yet nobody's chosen one yet. And what about them[B] retro-games[/B]?

Whoa, ten sign-ups overnight! I'm impressed... ;D If this pace continues, this game will be likely to begin much sooner than I first thought. I won't say who's in and who's out just yet, but I just had to say that there's one or two sign-ups in this group that will definitely [I]not[/I] make it to the game (although a large majority of you probably will). Just a few more [B]guidelines[/B] for future sign-ups: please select a character that is clearly from a [B]videogame[/B], and not from any book or movie or anime that has been made into a licensed game. Also, having few characters from the same game/game series is great storywise, but [B]I don't want to see the entire cast[/B] of for example Kingdom Hearts in this game. There's plenty of games out there to choose a character from. And lastly, [B]more female characters[/B]! Just to make this game balanced. It has no relevance wether you're a he or a she yourself, you can certainly play either one in this game. ;D I think that's it. Stay tuned for more info about the schedual of the game.

Hmm, I wonder what you're aiming at, Lafleur? ,:) Yes, I'm very aware that Finland is as big as a fly's pile compared to Canada, but the fact is that most of the countries that are [I]smaller[/I] than Finland have much more people. Like Belgium - the capital Brussels alone has about the same amount of people as Finland has in total. What comes to the concentrated population, about 2/5 of the population lives in Helsinki and the surrounding cities. The norther you go, the scarcer the population.

Umm, maybe because I do not think it's the "greatest scene in videogame history"? ;P And just because he acts all macho around Garnet doesn't make him a womanizer! Name one other female he makes a pass at during the game? ,:) Okay, I admit that Zidane is unordinarily straight for a hero of a Japanese RPG, but seriously, I can't think of anything else that makes him so special. Don't get me wrong, I actually loved FF IX! I'm just not usually too fond on the main heroes, and this game was no exception.

[quote name='-Otakon-']Does anyone here like Zidane from Final Fantasy IX? I think he's the greatest FF character ever. Zidane is also the most unique character imho, and I love his tail.[/quote] Unique my butt! He's like the most stereotypical character in the whole Final Fantasy series! Cut the tail, and you got your generic Robin Hood -type hero - a thief with a good heart! :P Add the sword, the crush on the heroine, the amnesia and the shrouded past, and you've got the whole package. He didn't even have any reason for his roguish ways, unlike Vaan from the upcoming FF XII (the guy in my avatar) - though Vaan is a thief, he has also lived in the streets as an orphan most of his life, so he has no other option. Vaan has been often compared to Zidane, but here's the biggest difference in my opinion.

[font=century gothic][center]Welcome to the wondrous world of videogames, where [i]anything[/i] can happen and [i]everything[/i] is possible! A great event is about to begin, one that will bring together characters from all videogaming genres. It is the ultimate game, where there is only one winner. The name of the game is [size=3]OtakuBoards Survivor: Game on![/size] [img]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24703[/img] Now, welcome your cute and fluffy host: [SIZE=3]Mog the Moogle![/SIZE] [img] http://www.ffcompendium.com/EspMon/mooglet-a.jpg[/img][/center] [SIZE=1]?Kupo for everybody! I am totally kupo over this game, and I hope you all are as well! In this game, a misfit cast of videogame characters will compete against each other and the erratic and kupo events that the game has to offer. One by one these characters will get KO?ed and deleted until only one will remain to claim the title of the Ultimate Videogame Survivor. Isn?t that kupo or what?!? [/SIZE] *flips in midair* [SIZE=1]?Now you?re all probably wondering just how exactly you can participate to this kuporrific game? That?s easy as Hedgehog Pie, because all you have to do is to fill in the following sign-up form as good as you can, kupo! Good luck to everybody, and I hope to see you when the game starts! Remember, you can?t win if you don?t play! Kupo!?[/SIZE] >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> To sign up for the game, carefully fill in the following sheet in the form of an [b]interview[/b]. [indent][b]Name[/b]: the name of the videogame character you choose to play. Please choose a character that is at least somewhat known in public. It doesn?t matter from what year the character is from, as long as it?s from a playable videogame. [b]Picture[/b]: this is a must. Find a quality fullbody picture of your character and link it here. No other physical description is necessary. [b]Game[/b]: the title of the game or game series where the character was taken from. If the character has appeared in multiple game series, please choose the most known one. [b]Genre[/b]: the type of the game that the character is from. Genres are for example Role Playing Game (RPG), Fighting, First-Person Shooter (FPS), Adventure and Platformer. [b]Personality[/b]: what your character is like, how it behaves, how it communicates and gets along with other characters, et cetera. If the character of your choice really has no given personality, you?re free to make up one, but please [i]try[/i] to stay in the context and frame of the respective game. Exaggerating is recommended, though. [b]Talents[/b]: the special abilities your character possess, wether it be a superpower or just something the character likes to do. [b]Motive[/b]: the reason why your character wants to join the Survivor: Game On! What are its goals, is it going for the victory or just for the fun of the game.[/indent] The minimum [B]amount of players[/B] that are chosen to the actual game is 10, but it can be much more, even twenty, if there are that many quality players willing to join. The teams will be decided when the game kicks off. You have time to sign-up until [B]November 13th[/B], and the game will begin soon after that, so keep those sign-ups coming! Also, be sure to [B]check all my posts[/B] within this thread, they contain updated information about what type of character would be the best to choose. If any [B]questions[/B] arise, post them either to this thread or PM me, and you are sure to get an answer. When the game starts, there will also be a separate [B]Underground thread[/B] for out-of-character discussion and questions. Hopefully this game gets lots of sign-ups, because the saying ?the more the merrier? is very true when it comes to OB Survivor. So don?t hesitate but join the ultimate game of survival! Game on! [/font]

[QUOTE=DeathKnight] [color=crimson]That's a blessing to me. Who wants to deal with all that crap every year? lol. [/color][/QUOTE] Tell me about it... >:/ Well, the climate in here [B]Finland[/B] is about the same as Canada (we are located on the same latitudes), meaning there's snow from November till April, and we have a heatwave in July lasts two weeks. There are odd changes in the weather sometimes, though. Like last week, it began to snow and it covered the ground totally, and in few days it was all gone. 8/ Last year we had a huge heatwave at September, and it isn't unheard of that there's still snow on the ground and May. But enough about weather, there's one big thing that separates Finland from Canada (and from almost every other country in the world). Finland is no small country, it's over a thousand kilometres long, spanning from the Baltic Sea to near the Arctic Ocean, and has three neighboring countries (Russia, Sweden and Norway). Yet, there's only [B]five million people[/B] living here. You can only imagine how scattered they are throughout the country. In the capital, [B]Helsinki[/B], which is by far the biggest city in Finland (and also the city where I was born), there's only a little over half a million people - and people from the countryside call it "crowded". It really puts things into perspective, when in the wide world a city with five million people is regarded as "medium sized". :/ I currently live in a city with 100 000 people, [B]Lahti[/B] (the center of winter sports in Finland), where I study, but I intend to move back to Helsinki as soon as possible, because this town really is dead - nothing but old ladies here. :P

Okay, I've made up my mind... [B]And the winner is[/B] *drumrolls*..... [size=3]Doukeshi![/size] [img]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24676[/img] This one I really like. It's simple, the colors indicate that this is an OB-game, aside Link there's other shapes from other games in the background, the fonts are nice... It's the whole package, man. ;D As a reward, you are automatically in the game once you sign-up in the recruitment thread (coming up shortly). I still trust you make a quality sign-up, though. ,:) What comes to the other candidates, I just wanted to say that they are all extremely good, and it was a tough choice. You all are free to sign-up for the game as well if you'd like, there's plenty of room and I am likely to take in all quality players. Now I must go and make the final tweaks to the recruitment-thread before I post it. I hope I see you all in the game! ;D

Actually that wasn't an idea, just a thought thrown into the air. Of course it wouldn't work in practice! And what comes to the kawaii smiley-blob-thingies, I really can't see them used in for example the Play it-section or the Arena... They are just so clearly [I]manga[/I]. But it's of course my own opinion, maybe seeing them "in action" would be different...

Awww, but they're so cuuute!! Squee! ;D Well, a little big, but the kawaii-theme would be [I]perfect[/I] for example for the Anime Lounge. I understand though that they're too big, and wouldn't fit everywhere here... Actually, [I]nowhere[/I] outside Tokyo-3, heh. Hmm, a different set of emoticons for all four different sections...?

Oh, OB Survivors have always been light-hearted and quite humorous (the first one was pure parody, though), and I do not intend to change it for this game either. ;D Of course the evictions might be difficult for some people, but I try to stress out the facts that nobody's dying here and it's just a game. Currently I'm struggling with coming up with a perfect host for the game. There's a few good choices, but I just need to make up mind. You all will see the result in the recruitment thread. Speaking of which, I intend to get the recruitments running this weekend, so the actual game could start somewhere around late November or early December. Stay tuned... ;)

Aww geez, you've all done such a fantastic job, it's quite hard for me to choose one... :/ So for now, I won't. ;D I'll still keep this thread open, and make the final selection on weekend. I'll give you each some feedback, though. [B]Lrb:[/B] compared to other contributions, your logo seems somewhat bland. I understand it has much to do with the software you've got, but a little more tweaking couldn't hurt. [B]Doukeshi:[/B] I like the traditionality of your logo, it's simple yet appealing, although the Link in the background could stand out a little bit more... [B]Shinji:[/B] your logo has few mistakes, the golden bar goes over the blue circle and there's a few white spots. Also, the colors are rather dark, and I don't think Cloud is the perfect choice for a famous videogame character... [B]Delta:[/B] if this was another Final Fantasy Survivor, your logo would be my choice in an instant - it's really magnificent, colors et al. But as this is not, I fear the logo will give people the wrong first impression. Would you mind doing another one with the same color scheme and layout, but with characters from various videogames, other than Final Fantasy? (I totally agree with you on the Gunplay-font, by the way.) Thanks enormously for all of your contributions! :D

I think it'll do now, but I'll just keep this thread open for other suggestions for a while, if you don't mind. Thanks again for your contribution, Lrb! I forgot to mention, but the [B]maker of the best logo will get an automatic place in the game[/B] if he or she so wishes. That should be a good carrot for everybody to make up their own suggestions, right? ;D

[QUOTE=Adahn] Sandy, what are the odds that a woman will be raped in her lifetime? 1 in 4, according to statistics. [/QUOTE] Seriously, where do you get those numbers?! Are you saying that one out of every four women gets raped or what? Nevertheless, female sex seems to be quite an unfamiliar thing to you, if your concept of womanhood includes dresses and soap operas and low self-esteem and fragile bodies. Trust me, most of the women at least in the western cultures fall far from those characteristics. It's kind of sweet that you cling onto the traditional, chivalrous attitude that women are something that need physical (and economical?) protection from men, but honestly, they can manage to live quite well without men, as well. ;) You said yourself that you think both sexes are equal, but in many things you've said, you've shown the exact opposite. And [I]please[/I], I ask you again, stop making comparisons of who would beat up who! In modern society it's just as illegal to hit a man as it is to hit a woman, for whatever reason - if it were otherwise, we couldn't talk about equality.

I have a friend who goes to Iaido class (iai is a type of katana, to my knowledge) held by a local Iaido organization, so I guess that you'd be best off if you searched for some local organization from a phone/servicebook (if you have those over there) or from the net. Just remember that Iaido includes a philosophical aspect as well, so don't expect that you'll go all Kill Bill in the first lesson... or ever. ;P Learning the way of the sword takes lots of dedication, and the classes aren't exactly free either, so for your own sake you should reconsider if you really want such a hobby.

[QUOTE=Adahn] [font=Verdana][size=2]Poor, misguided Sandy. I only identified the one difference I see between males and females (physical strength) in terms of ability. It is an observation, and not one I'm bragging about. I see women, and their bodies just scream "weak, vulnerable, helpless." It is not their fault, it's our society's. Don't get so beat up about my statement. Your aversion to it says more about you than it does me.[/size][/font][/QUOTE] Err, I wasn't beat up by your statement, I was trying to bring up a different point of view. :/ Nobody's getting personal here... But when [I]I[/I] see women, their acclaimed physical weakness doesn't even cross my mind. Okay, my own muscles are flaccid as a flan, but still, you must be a bodybuilder or something if you compare bodies like [I]that[/I]. And seriously, quit that "fight for life" thing, people! Life isn't a videogame, no random man (or a woman) is going to come around the corner and just beat you up for no reason in the brought daylight! Okay, it [I]could[/I] happen, but what are the odds, honestly? Apparently it's so that if women put too much emphasis on their appearance, men obviously are overly concerned by their brawn... :P In modern society physical strength doesn't really matter anymore. Muscles don't stop bullets, for an example. Also, solving problems with violence is quite illegal. I quarantee, quick wits will get one much further in life than hulking muscles. Intelligence is also natural for both sexes. I'd be more worried about sexism and enforcing of the stereotypes of sexes, but those can be affected by upbringing - the same way they are absorbed into thinking.

I think it's absurd to talk about [I]fighting[/I] when the issue is men and women. I mean, who even [I]fights[/I] in modern times, if you count out children, criminals and looneys? To me, bragging with the ability to "beat up" somebody is a sign of utter idiocy, not manlihood or anything else. As for me, I behave more like girls than boys, despite being male. I guess it has something to do with my sexual orientation, but I'm by no means one of those pink-glad fairy stereotypes. I'm not into sports or cars or gambling, I don't drink or smoke or try to "act cool" in any way (although it can be debated if these are truly masculine charasteristics or not). I'm actually pretty average guy, at least from the outside. Nearly all my friends are females, and I grew up with a female-dominant environment, so I do get the whole feminine way of thinking - I just don't think like that, really. I'd prefer to stay away from the stereotypes, I want to see each person as a unique individual, not just manly men or feminine women. Sometimes I just can't help it, though, and I fall into shallow thinking (most often its "straight men are [I]such[/I] pigs!"). :P But nevertheless I'd encourage to people to see members of the opposite sex as individuals too, and not judge the whole half of the human population by the acts of few. Then I'd like to comment on few of your statements: [B]Delta[/B], do you realize that by advicing men to compliment women about their looks, you are only supporting the pressure of looks that so many women have? I think both men and women should give compliments to each other when they see it fit - men have issues with their self-esteem as well, although they may not bring it up as loudly as women. [B]Lunox[/B], you said that neither sex can live without each other. That's not exactly true, you are forgetting us sexual minorities. But I assume you meant they can't [I]exist[/I] without each other, which is very true - as of now, both male and female sexual cells are needed in order to conceive a child. ;) Maybe some scientific research in the future is able to bypass that, but probably not for a very long time.

I actually think Smilies are a great way to express your feeling and tone of voice in an internet dialogue, where those things can't really be heard. Honestly, [I]so[/I] many of my sayings would've irked somebody if I didn't have a humorous smiley next to them! ...Well, actually, in some cases even the smiley hasn't helped... XP

Yeah, the fonts [I]are[/I] pretty bland... But I like the implementation of OB's own colors, and Mario is a good choice, I just wish you could see him better. :/ Also, it'd be good to have the outer ring say the infamous "outwit, outplay, outlast", and the "Game On!" should be directly below the Survivor, with a capital "O" and an exclamation mark. But it's good start, anyway! :D Thanks!