Sandy

I'm pretty sure there has been numerous shots on the FF7-style RPG, but hey, maybe yours will be the successful one! ;D Just work on the story some more, don't leave it as open as it is now, and [I]please[/I] don't use the classic four elements! If you want some change, perhaps use the five oriental elements (fire, water, earth, metal, wood), or the combined ten elements (fire, air, water, earth, thunder, ice, metal, wood, light and dark), or make up something totally original - [I]anything[/I] beyond the four classic ones! The X-Men game seems more predefined and quite interesting actually, although I can't really see myself participating in it personally. So, I suggest you choose either one and really start working on that for optimal results (you can always make the other one later). ;D Which one will it be, it's totally up to you - they both have a good potential, I'll say that.

Tyler Koregaten: please go away! People aren't stupid, you know? Do you honestly think we buy your Full-Metal-Alchemist-come-true -lifestory? I'm just waiting the moment when you reveal that your late brother actually lives inside a metal armor now, and that you gave up your arm and your leg for it to happen! Please, come back to reality, or seek help! (Or just stop trolling this forum.) Sure, alchemy is an interesting science, if not anything else, but it's a thing of the past now. It has no basis in real life, it's superstitious! No government in the civilized western world hires "State Alchemists" (a term taken directly from Full Metal Alchemist, btw)! Geez, what would the scriptwriters of FMA think if they heard there was a guy posing as their created character... XP

A topic on the news today was that the people of some town in Pakistan had started to rob the aid trucks that carried supplies, because they were angry that they didn't come sooner. Talk about reason here... 8/ I noticed the same (quite obvious) thing with the events New Orleans last month: many people just break down mentally, or even worse, see a catastrophe as an opportunity to break havoc and pilfer stuff. What a crazy species we are... :P Oh, and it's great that we agree on something, Imi. ;D

[quote name='James][font=franklin gothic medium']The first paragraph is, I think, more than a little unfair.[/font][/quote] Oh, I didn't mean it that way! Obviously it was my fault that I couldn't get my point across in the aforementioned thread, I wasn't trying to take credit from what Imi said or anything. It is a good point, though, how much media controls our knowledge about things. [quote=James]Germany was the enemy of Australia during WWII, but do you think Australian people didn't like German people or didn't care about them? Afghanistan isn't anyone's enemy anymore anyway, or at least, it's government isn't. I think people are (generally) able to distinguish between "Taliban" and "ordinary Afghan citizen who only wants to survive and isn't concerned with blowing things up". You know? [/QUOTE] Yeah, I know, that's why I asked and didn't just blame (see, I'm learning! ;) ). But we must also remember that insititutions like media and government aren't just one person, they reflect the generalized thinking of the majority of people, so I wouldn't be surprised if the tv-channels have made a principle decision about not showing the damages of the earthquake much (even though I can't think of a reason why...) In Finland the issue has been on the news and papers and everywhere over the weekend, at least.

[QUOTE=Imi][COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1] With regards to the earthquake, this is the first I've heard of it. I find that quite awful, actually, that I watch the news every morning and haven't seen a single thing featured on it, but I'm learning all about what celebrities do in their free time.[/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] That's exactly what I tried to point out back at the 9/11 thread, but I guess I couldn't word it right... :/ As I'm not American, I have a[B] question [/B] to those who are: Do you think the fact that there aren't much news coming from the earthquake destruction zone has anything to do with the fact that Afghanistan (and to some extend Pakistan) are considered to be enemies of the USA? I think I personally sense a connection here... Oh, Jamesy! Money isn't the answer! :P Seriously speaking, I am quite suspicious with aid donations, I have some difficulty believing that all the money will go to their directed address. Besides, I'm a student, I currently have less than a hundred euros in my bank account for the rest of the month - [I]I[/I] should be among the ones getting donations instead of giving them! ;P But sure, when I get a job and make more money, I'll most probably give donations to ease my bad conscience about having no empathy, or something... :/ Except that will prove that I [I]do[/I] have empathy, so this whole train of thought is getting me nowhere! X(

Well, wasn't that an unnecessary argument you started, DeathKnight... :/ Just because people here are young, doesn't mean they don't have the right to think about these things! That's what philosophy is, thinking stuff yourself - this thread isn't faux to the least! Besides, I'd much rather have young people thinking themselves than to have them only listen to their elders and swallow [I]their[/I] truths as a whole. Most of the things said here about the human nature might not be accurate, or even right, but at least we ponder on it on the face of another such event, and I see nothing wrong in it.

Somehow I'm not that surprised that a thread like this hasn't been made, even though the earthquake occurred yesterday morning (in my time). Anyhow, a [B]7.6[/B]-magnitude earthquake caused utter destruction in three Asian countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. An estimate on the death toll is [B]18.000[/B]. Well, that sure passed Katrina's victims by far... I brought this issue up on the 9/11 memorial thread, and I will bring it up again: when a natural disaster happens in a foreign country that kills this many people, why do we act like we couldn't care less? This is NOT a criticism towards just American people, I'm also pointing to every other people from other countries - including myself (I would be the worst kind of moralist if I didn't do so). Personally, even the tsunami in last December didn't do much for me emotionally, and hundreds of Finns died there too. Am I just a cruel, emotionless, self-centered person who doesn't give a damn about anybody else but myself and the people around me? Or has the modern world made me like this? Is this really an each-on-his-own -type of society we live in? Why do I have to go through something so horrible myself before I really care? These are some questions most of us need to ask from ourselves. Fortunately there are those who care, and much aid from governments around the world is pouring to the Middle Asia. I just wish I could care more...

It's just a feeling I got from the recruitment thread, and this thread as well, that's all... I trust Shy won't dig up his sadistic side and throw out people just for the pleasure of it, but on the other hand, who knows... 8/ Anyhow, the Gold Team's first mission is now accomplished, more or less successfully. I'd appreciate some kind of feedback on the conclusion, though. What did you think about it etc.? Anyone?

Now [I]this[/I] is crazy: apparently not only FF IV and V are coming to GBA, but FF VI as well! 8/ And they all contain material not included in any of their previous releases. I mean, remaking old games is great and all, but isn't S-E going a bit too far? Where are the completely [I]new[/I] games? Okay, [I]Radiata Stories[/I]. Can anybody think of another recent S-E game that isn't a remake or a sequel?! Luckily Grandia 3 and FF XII are coming pretty soon, and even those two avoid the "sequel"-stigma just barely. :P Anyways, I'll definately get both FF IV and V when they are released, but most probably NOT VI, because I played it through only a few years ago (I'm not much of a re-player). [size=1]Sheesh, next year will be packed with games to buy! FF XII, FF IV, FF V, Radiata Stories, Grandia 3, Dreamfall, Shadow Hearts: From the New World...Phew![/size]

[SIZE=1]I guess it is my honor to wrap this mission up, so here goes. If you guys are bothered by anything in this conclusion, just let me know, okay?[/SIZE] *** It had been quite a while since Unhate, Augur and Pygmalion had left Melinoë and Joseph to fight the guards that seemed to be spawning out of nowhere. [COLOR=DarkRed]"How many of these lunatics are there?!"[/COLOR] Melinoë exclaimed while whirling the Phlegethon furiously above her head. The curved blade cut the cultists down like weed, but new fanatics appeared from every corner. The skinny photographer didn't answer, he just let his machinegun sing while the heat and the anxiety steamed his glasses. Everywhere around them the cultists surrounded them with scimitars and guns. Melinoë knew that the two of them couldn't last much longer. At that moment she saw the cult leader, a bald black-skinned man dressed in robes that glittered with pure gold. The man shone an inner light, like his heart was replaced by a small sun. Melinoë saw him above the heads of the cultists, trying to sneak out. She knew she had to inform the others. She glanced back at Joseph, and saw him fall. For a split second she hesitated if she should go and help him, but she knew that the mission was much more important. Besides, there were too many raving fanatics between them. She couldn't do anything Melinoë lost sight of his team mate, and jumped straight into the air using her demonic agility. She landed on top of the heads of the cultists, and jumped over them, towards the center of the temple. Some of the cultists tried to follow her, and shot a few times behind her, but she was out of their range. She reached the other three, crouched behind a barricade, just in time to hear Augur say: [COLOR=DarkRed]"Do you want me to go after the leader before he gets away ??[/COLOR] Melinoë stepped out of the doorway. [COLOR=DarkRed]"Let me do it. I saw where he went, and I can sense him heading south-east"[/COLOR], she said in a serious tone. [COLOR=DarkRed]"What are you talking about?" [/COLOR] Unhate asked baffled. [COLOR=DarkRed]"Where's Joseph?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=DarkRed]"I lost him. Expect a horde of fanatics to rush in here any second now."[/COLOR] [COLOR=DarkRed]"Great!"[/COLOR] Unhate huffed. [COLOR=DarkRed]"Like we didn't have our hands filled with these Djinns."[/COLOR] [COLOR=DarkRed]"Did you know you can kill them by decapitating them?"[/COLOR] Melinoë asked dryly. [COLOR=DarkRed]"Yes, Sam informed us on that already. Fine, go get the leader then! We'll follow you as soon as we can. Just try not to kill him, alright?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=DarkRed]"I'll [I]try[/I]."[/COLOR] At that moment, a dozen noisy mercenaries rushed into the room from the doorway behind Melinoë. With one quick swing of the Phlegethon, half of them had lost their heads or hands. She bounced over the falling corpses and rushed to the entrance. The battle at the front gate had ceased, but with a quick glance, Melinoë couldn't see Joseph's body. She had more urgent issues to worry about now. She sensed that the leader had stopped, either to take breath or to enter a vehicle. She had to hurry. The demonic huntress sprinted across the dry savanna, heading towards south-east, and it wasn't long until she saw a familiar golden glitter in the horizon. She also saw a helicopter descending towards the cult leader. [COLOR=DarkRed]"Halt!"[/COLOR] she screamed, and the hellish whip in her hands burst into flames. The cult leader turned to the woman, his face distorted with anger and annoyance. [COLOR=DarkRed]"How dare you intervene with the plans of the Son of Aton?! Burn in the holy light, infidel!"[/COLOR] The man's eyes flashed, and a ray of pure light shot towards Melinoë. She was still far enough to dodge the beam, but she knew the next one would most likely hit, so she had to act fast. The cult leader was running towards the chopper that had already landed, but Melinoë thrust the Phlegethon forwards, and it cut the man's ankle, making him tumble to the ground. A pair of armed guards appeared from the helicopter, but Melinoë had already reached the cult leader, who was holding his stump of a leg. She gave the guards a menacing glare, and they remained where they were. Phlegethon hovered above the man's face, threatening. The man sobbed something in his native tongue. [COLOR=DarkRed]"No use, priest! You will suffer the consequences of your actions!"[/COLOR] The man gave her a defiant look, and his eyes began shining again. Before Melinoë could react, her demonic weapon had sliced the man's head from his shoulders, causing the destructive beam of light to hit backwards to the helicopter and blow it up. Melinoë covered herself from the sudden blast by ducking to the ground. She sat up, throwing her malicious weapon from her hands, and covered her head with them. A few minutes later, she heard a loud sigh from behind her. Her team had caught up with her. Somebody spoke to a mobile phone. [COLOR=DarkRed]"The target has been eliminated, mission #108 accomplished."[/COLOR]

Sorry, I didn't realize my question had already been answered. If this is the case, I shall write the last post today, and that's a promise (because this is pretty much the only day in the near future I will have time to do anything like this). Anyhow, Takuya, I wouldn't go too far in theorizing who will go and who will stay at the Body Bags, because as Gavin said, we don't know nothing about them yet. So be ready to even go yourself - I know I'm ready for that, as unpleasant as that feels. :/ I've got a feeling that this game's eviction system won't be one of those "fair and just" ones...

It was announced that also [B]Final Fantasy V[/B] is being remade to GBA, and I personally am looking forward to having those two games to my handheld. I really hope they come in the same package like FF I&II - it was very conventient and profitable. ;) Hehee, once I play those two, I only have NOT played FF 3 and 11 (which I doubt I ever will), thus I shall become one of the TRUE FINAL FANTASY GURUS!!! Mwahahaa, my life's ultimate (or should I say ULTIMA) goal will be achieved!! >;D Okay, just exaggerating, but boy will it feel good nevertheless! ;D PS. Sorry about the rather non-sensical post, I'm tired and ill at this moment... X/

Okay, here's the deal: the Gold Team's first mission is drawing to conclusion, as there are four active players assigned to it (no sign of Break?) , and everybody else has posted twice, except me, who is the last in line. So a question: is it my duty/honor to conclude the mission, or should I leave the end of my post open for somebody else (René? Shy?) to end the mission? I have a good (in my opinion) ending thought in my mind now that I read Gavin's last post, I was just wondering if I'm the one who gets to do it... I'll hold my posting until there's a reply.

[quote name='Drix D'Zanth']Anyone else here as allergic to this ******** as I am?[/quote] I'm with you on this, Drix. That Tyler guy must have some serious issues if he sincerely believes that he works as an Alchemist to the German government. But meh, whatever gives his life some spice... Okay, to the subject at hand, I'm currently a student of Social Care, and once I graduate, I will get a Bachelor's degree on that. I'm specializing to children and youth, and I will most likely go work with the latter ones. Despite the sound of it, this work isn't mere child's play (although playing is a crucial factor to a child's development), as I will most likely have to deal with difficult clients who come from various backgrounds and some will have very heavy issues on their hearts. I'm not going to be payed much, from about 2000? to 3000? per month (the minimum limit of a monthly salary in Finland is about 1500?, by the way), and the work I will do is taken pretty much for granted, but I trust I will enjoy it nevertheless, to get to help young, growing people on their worries and make their angsty lives more meaningful etc. My youth wasn't a happy one, so I aim to make it better for others, and that's why I want to work in this area. So there.

I'm utterly freaked out by all flying, buzzing bugs such as flies and horseflies and especially bees and wasps (I've never been stung by one, but I'm still a bit scared they will do so out of natural malice)! For some reason I exclude butterflies, moths and dragonflies from the list, maybe because they're so pwetty! ;P Currently my windows are infested by the teenyweeny bananaflies, and I get to squash like five per day... X/ At one point they got so numerous I had to resort to a hoover, and to my unpleasant surprise, when I opened the windows, I got assaulted by ten or so normal big flies! Down the hoover they went as well! ;D Luckily the fall is coming, and the buggers will die away. >:) All sorts of bugs usually creep me out, because they're so tiny and they can go to unwanted places while you sleep etc., or just because they bite. However, I'm not the slightest bothered by rats, mice, bats, or even spiders. I actually thnk spiders are spiffy, especially the ones with the long legs. ;) Even Shelob from the Lord of the Rings wasn't disgusting to me.

Ummh, I think it's just you... 8/ I mean, you compare Nina to Gwen Stephanie just because they both have short blonde hair?! Same goes to Kazuya and Vegeta - both have pointy hair, so? Asuka and Yuna? Where is the connection?! Sure, there are some similarities, but your examples are [I]far[/I] from lookalikes... ;P Next time you should take an effort to explain your views a little better, okay? ;D

[quote name='tasu22889']sorry i dont ask for help from others,if I cant figure it out then i dont use it and jsut say what's on my mind,and I'm back on topic.[/quote] So you're basically saying you won't obey the rules of this boards or take advice from the moderators because you do as you will? That's a foolish thing to say, and it will get you in trouble both in life and at these boards. Drop the attitude and use the friggin' edit button, it's not that hard a thing to do! To add to the discussion, as an atheist I have hard time believing there is any higher power - good or evil - behind the numerous hurricanes and tidal waves that have pested the humankind in the past year or so. I may have been too hasty to blame the global warming etc., because I have no scientific background to prove it, but I can't help feeling that the increase of technology in the past centuries and the pollution caused by it have messed up the "nature's order" or something. Sure, natural catastrophes have always occurred, but have they ever been this frequent in the near past? :/ [I]Something [/I]is affecting them, that's for sure...

[QUOTE=Ozymandius Jones][COLOR=DarkOrange] [B]B)[/B] 90% of the n00bs zoom [b]right[/b] to my territory [B]C)[/B] I'm only allowed to lock things for bad grammar and spelling, and lack of rating, and not lack-of-any-story-what-so-ever-hiding-behind-a-backstory-that's-[b]just[/b]- long enough. [/COLOR][/QUOTE] I concur that leaving the Adventure Arena under just one moderator horrified me at first, especially considering the amount of ignorant kids flooding it, but James assured that he's "hiring" more people there in the near future, so your burden will be lightened, Ozy. I feel for you, nevertheless. ;) But you say you don't feel you can't involve yourself with so-called crappy games created there? Why not? I feel that a part of the quality of the Arena comes from quality games, and if somebody makes a game with a story including two paragraphs of nonsense, I think it's justified that the creator is notified by it and the thread is locked. You're the moderator, Ozy, you have the power - use it well! ;D

Excuse me, Noriko, but your description of this rpg is just too vague for you to get much players for it. You have to explain more about the world, and especially about all the characters! Now you're just giving a list of names, and nobody has any idea who is who and what's going on. For your own sake I ask you to revise your post. Add more to the introduction, and explain who are all these characters, gods and factions you've created. Do that, and you'll get much more players to this, trust me. ;D

I think you're missing the point here, tasu. Despite your morals, do you really want your government to waste money on such trivial things when your country is at war and hurricanes are breaking havoc there? Not to mention the continuous economic problems and the widening of the gap between social classes and races? With so many problems abrewing in your country, I honestly think legal pornography containing sensical adults is the least of your problems. If you don't like it, don't watch it - simple answer, and that much money saved. ;P

This is something to think about the next time global warming and the Kyoto's climate convention comes up in the discussion... I truly hope that the government of the USA finally signs the convention so we can stop ruining this world of ours before it's too late. We humans only have ourselves to blame.

I voted for the background story, as it's obviously the first thing after the title one reads when one enters a RPG-thread here. To me, if the story isn't appealing, I often do not even read further, so things like character creation or other rules go unnoticed. Of course all the stuff in the poll are important for to have a successful and good RPG, but as said, the background story is the most important one, at least in my opinion. The genre of the game is defined by it, as are the characters. I don't really look at [I]who[/I] has created the game, although some names might attract me more than others, but basically anybody can create a great game if he or she puts enough effort to it. I'm also not bothered by whoever else joins the game I'm joining - if I know them before the game, great, but if not, I get a chance to get to meet new people. That's the whole charm of RPGs to me: to enter a fantastic world of imagination with a bunch of others, and have a heckuva time. ;D

[B]A) Which aspect of OtakuBoards do you find to be the most negative/confusing?[/B] Aside from personal issues, I can think of very little technical stuff at OB that irks or confuses me. Maybe the fact that OB used to be much more "catering" in the past. These past few new versions have been quite stripped off and compressed, at least in relation of sections and threads etc. I don't know, maybe it's a good thing the amount of sections has critically decreased, but in my opinion, considering the massive amount of users here, these boards could be broader (not including myOtaku or theOtaku, of course). [B]B) What is your favorite aspect of OtakuBoards?[/B] Arena Underground, absolutely! That was a great invention! And public events, they really spice up the everyday life here! I can't wait to see what you and your little helpers have planned for the future, Jamesy! ;D

I'm sorry - again - for being too harsh on this subject, MistressRoxie. I know that the event touched many lives, and is still touching, and to those people the tragedy was more close than anything else. I feel sorry for those people, and I wish I never have to experience anything like that in my life. This time there will be no "but"s in my post, even though some of you might have expected them. I'm not saying I know how you feel, Roxie, cause I don't. I'm just hoping you could some day get over the bitterness that drizzled from your post. :/

[quote name='Mia67']Heh I'm looking forward to another Final Fantasy, Problem is I gotta beat the two I didn't beat yet before I get another![/quote] Actually, you don't really have to, since as you know Final Fantasy series consists of individual games that have little to no links to each other (minus FF X and FF X-2, but that's obvious). Anyways, much new info has been released since I last posted in this thread. Let's see... [U]CHARACTERS:[/U] [URL=http://ffxii.net/image.php?view=images/magscans/mag27.jpg][B]Vayne Kaldas Soridor[/B][/URL], the second oldest of the three princes of Archadia, he became the counsil of Dalmasca after the invasion. He is also the head of the judges, but is said to lack arrogance and pride. [spoiler]He is potentially the main villain.[/spoiler] [URL=http://ffxii.net/image.php?view=images/magscans/mag43.jpg][B]Ramon[/B][/URL], noble preteen boy who has ties to the mysterious Demon Stone. He joins the party, but perhaps only temporarily. [spoiler]He is rumored to be Vayne's younger brother, thus a prince of Archadia as well.[/spoiler] [U]SUMMONS:[/U] Two summon monsters have been revealed: [URL=http://www.ffxii.net/image.php?view=images/magscans/mag31.jpg][B]Velius and Hashmurim[/B][/URL], both of Final Fantasy Tactics fame. Velius, the upper one in the scan, is a fire-elemental ram with two heads, while Hashmurim (or Hashmalum), the one below, is an earth-elemental beast with huge metal arms. Apparently any character can summon any summoning monster, but only after certain unknown conditions have been met (I don't know if it's a bar that has to be filled or time elapsed or what). When a character summons a monster, it replaces the two AI-party members, but it can't be controlled automatically. The remaining character can probably give commands to the summon, but they will both fight side-by-side. Also, when one summons, the screen gets a dark tinge to its colors, and the summoners statistics get a boost. The summons are very powerful, so it is wise to spare them for harder monsters. After certain amount of time has elapsed, the summon vanishes and the other two party members reappear. [U]BATTLE SYSTEM:[/U] New features have been implemented to the Active Dimension Battle System. [B]Chain System:[/B] if you keep attacking monsters of the same type without killing others in between, your chain counter increases and you get better and rarer items from the enemies. [B]Multi-Hit Combo:[/B] while attacking, all characters have a chance of making a combo of multiple hits (kind of like critical hits). Chances of this happening increases as the character gets better with the weapon s/he is using. [B]Shield Block:[/B] same as the multi-hit combo, but on defensive side. The character has a small chance of completely blocking the enemy's attack with his or her shield, and the better the shield is, the better the chances are of this happening. [B]Monster Feud:[/B] the many monsters who you encounter on your journey will not only attack the characters but monsters of different types as well. It is known from the S-E Party demo that the cuddly vegetoid Mandragoras and the horse-like Sleipnirs have a never-ending feud between them, and will attack each other on sight. [B]Monster Classes[/B]: much like in FFXI, some monsters in this game have "jobs" as well. The aforementioned S-E Party demo had a monster that varied in monk, fighter and red mage jobs. [B]Attracting Monsters:[/B] some monsters and enemies encountered in the field won't attack you unless you do something specific, like cast magic near them (this goes for example to elementals). Well, I think I've been drained out of all the info released now. Gotta say that this game just keeps getting more and more intriguing, although I thought it couldn't be possible. ;D Now, to finish things up, the [B]official release date for Japan[/B] revealed at the S-E Party is [B]3/16/2006[/B]!