James

[font=franklin gothic medium]Bringing up slavery if you want to date a white girl? That sounds asenine to me, lol. I wouldn't have thought that this was even an issue in today's society. You should be able to make your own decision about what is and isn't acceptable when it comes to dating. Dating someone with a different skin colour should be irrelevant - if anything, I think that's a really good statement of tolerance.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]There are plot-twists that go well beyond this introduction, but I can say one thing. The sign-up will include further information, to give you some bearing for your characters, so you will know how to position them. But for now I'll just say that the message above was written [i]for[/i] the sign-up characters, it's the first message they see when they wake up. And as you can see, the introduction message was written by the West French Supreme Chancellor, so although it records history, it records history according to the West France government. ~_^[/font]

[center][img]http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/3852/hvcityofparis2it.jpg[/img] [img]http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/5496/hvparis9xo4nn.jpg[/img][/center] [img]http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/9693/hvcoma3it.gif[/img] Yesterday, before you fell asleep, you were an ordinary citizen. Wherever you came from, you had an ordinary life. When you fell asleep, you had ordinary dreams. Though you may have had many thousands of dreams spanning hundreds of years, you were unaware of time. You were part of a mass exoddus that you can not remember, during a Second Great War that you were oblivious to. You never saw the famous rise of the Second Faction flag over Washington D.C., nor did you witness the destruction of that city and many others. No matter where you came from, you are now here. When you wake up, in only a few hours' time, you will open your eyes to a new world. [img]http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/5325/hvparis22ld.gif[/img] Paris 2 is the national capital of West France. West France's eastern border lies just outside the Seine River, while its western border extends down through the area that was formerly Spain. Today, West France is the most powerful nation in the world. It is the global leader in government-approved sciences, arts and industry. It is also the world's largest military power. West France emerged during the Third World War (also known as the Second Great War). Unlike previous global conflicts, the Third World War was driven largely by a series of smaller-but-interconnected Civil Wars. And, although we do not have a complete record of events, we do know that these worldwide Civil Wars were based on a singular event in science; the fusion of human and animal genes through the use of genetic engineering. The specific dates and incidents that led up to the creation of the first hybrid are largely forgotten, clouded by the fog of war. However, one thing is certain - hybrids were created en masse and were quickly relegated to a second-class status in society, as a result of their unpredictable nature and violent tendencies. Unfortunately, so many hybrids were created that it did not take long for a major revolt to occur. One of the few things we know for certain is that the first revolt occurred in Chicago, in the former United States of America. It was during the middle-years of the war that the hybrids started to band together, in a multinational effort, which they labeled "Second Faction". Second Faction was not just a para-military organization, it was also a global movement. Second Faction influenced politics, music, the arts and almost every area of popular culture; it was apparently a broad and all-encompassing call-to-arms, designed to inspire (or manipulate) all hybrids around the world. For many years, humans and hybrids fought one another on many battlefields around the globe, without either group being able to claim the upper hand. But eventually the tide began to shift and it looked as though hybrids would be victorious. What hybrids lacked in technology, they made up for in organization and natural physical advantages. Washington D.C. was the first to fall to the hybrids. Then Tokyo, Berlin and Moscow. There were few areas left which did not contain a strong hybrid presence, with the exception of much of western Europe. It was during this time that the French government made a radical decision; they chose to cut their losses and stop the hybrid advance once and for all. The French parliament enacted new legislation, which called for the construction of a National Barrier. The barrier would isolate the country from the outside world and would stop any foreign forces from entering. As the eastern-most portions of France were still in the thick of war, the government simply receeded the national border to the Seine River and then proceeded to annex Spain (the Spanish people owe a debt of gratitude to the French to this day, for protecting them from the hybrid menace). And then, within less than one year, the National Barrier was completed. During the barrier's construction, Second Faction attempted to invade France several times. While it had succeeded in crossing the border, it had only ever been able to reach Paris. Unfortunately, Paris bore the brunt of the hybrid attacks on France. When the barrier was completed, Paris was re-built and re-named "Paris 2". The French president considered that "Old France" was no longer relevant and given its trumphant completion of the National Barrier (as well as the establishment of its new and significantly-expanded borders), the country was re-named "West France". As part of West France's contribution to the war effort, refugees from all over Europe and the wider world were brought to Paris 2 and given shelter. Many humans lost their homes and were killed, raped and tortured by the hybrids. During the latter phases of the war, a mass exoddus occurred, whereby several hundred thousand civilians were moved to West France and guaranteed safety from Second Faction. When you wake up, this is the first message you will see. Welcome to your new home. [i]Dominique Villette Supreme Chancellor, West France[/i] [img]http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/5999/hvrevelations1ko.gif[/img] [list] [*]Napoleon Bonaparte [/list] [img]http://img456.imageshack.us/img456/5065/hvartefacts4ua.gif[/img] [list] [*]Napoleon Bonaparte [Statues, Paintings, Artwork] [/list] This thread is designed to introduce you to my new RPG, [b]Hybrid Vigor[/b]. Given the type of RPG and the various plot twists involved, I felt it'd be important to maintain a thread here in the Underground. If you're interested in the RPG, but all means, feel free to ask questions here. This is not a sign-up thread though - that will come sometime during the next week. I figure this is just a good opportunity to shed a little light on what this RPG is all about.

[font=franklin gothic medium]I think age is less relevant when you're an adult, but it's pretty relevant when you're a teenager. Teenagers mature very quickly over a short period of time, so even a couple of years can make a big difference. There's also the simple legal issue of a minor versus an adult. However I think that (generally) age is something that each person has to make a choice about, although there are some obvious exceptions (a minor with an adult is always iffy, so I think it would really depend on the specifics there - a 17 year old and an 18 year old are obviously legally classified differently but it's only a year's difference and is probably irrelevant to most people).[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I think it's worth pointing out that the information I mentioned earlier is not "fake". Clearly, human sexuality (like "love") is not something that is easily quantifiable. And there is much that isn't understood, on a scientific basis. But at this point, the evidence not only suggests a biological link, but there are some specific indicators as to what the various causes might be (not just of homosexuality, but of [i]all[/i] sexual orientations). I don't think that doctors and scientists have an axe to grind on that issue. But those who have a moral agenda clearly do - and it is that type of science (or psuedo-science), which is dubious. At the end of the day though, none of that matters anyway. There's simply no excuse to treat people differently or to discriminate against people based on any of these factors - factors which are beyond the control of the individuals in question. Discriminating against someone based on a part of themselves that they cannot change is not only ignorant, it's also cruel. Surely no matter what someone's belief system tells them, the underlying message should be about tolerance and general respect for the dignity of all human beings.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Yep, you can put whatever you like on your myOtaku, provided that it doesn't violate the Terms of Service (which can be found in your backroom).[/font]

[QUOTE=Dodeca][SIZE=1]The basic arguement was this; in a straight situation, if there's a girl/boy you're attracted to, you don't think [I]"Oh right, I'm straight, therefore I like her/him"[/I], you just get more of an instinctual [I]'BAM!'[/I] response. In that sense, no-one has any conscious control over their sexuality. In the same way, a person couldn't just decide [I]"Oh, I think I'll be gay today"[/I] and actually [I]be[/I] gay. [/SIZE][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Bingo. Nobody - straight people included - actively choose who to be attracted to. We notice who we notice and it's not something we consciously think about. If it were, we'd be able to simply "stop" loving someone whenever we wanted to (which would be very handy during break-ups). Funny how it doesn't work like that. In any case, my partner works in medicine and has explained to me that there's actually quite a lot of strong evidence (particularly in recent years) that suggests a biological (genetic, to be more specific) connection with sexuality. In fact, it is currently thought that it's actually the father's genes that contribute to sexual orientation. However, there are also those doctors and scientists who feel that hormone levels during puberty (levels of testosterone and estrogen) also play a role. Perhaps a combination of chromosomes [i]and[/i] hormones play a role. Who knows. But the link is there. More importantly, many seem to forget that the ratio of gay people to straight people in any given population is usually 10% to 90%. So no matter what the population size, around 10% will always be homosexual. My feeling is that this is simply nature's way of maintaining population balances (and avoiding over-population). I suspect that further research over the coming years will probably bear that out. Just as racism has become less acceptable as we learn more about the biological similarities of people from different races...so too homophobia becomes less acceptable as we become less ignorant in general. It's the same as anything - difference breeds fear/misunderstanding and that simply takes time to overcome. (And no, it's not a fad - it's simply that more people are willing to talk about it now. Just as many people were gay fifty years ago, but far fewer spoke about it back then.)[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I'm getting the same error, though Adam isn't. But he's looking at the problem now and trying to work out what can be done to fix it. ^_^[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I think that a Revolution version of Pokemon would help to reinvigorate the franchise, especially if the controller were used effectively in the game. For example, imagine throwing a PokeBall by flicking the controller forward. Or perhaps there could be an element where you have to look after your Pokemon by patting them and feeding them - this could also be done with the controller. Maybe you could use gestures to determine the type of attacks that the Pokemon perform in-game. Basically I think there's a lot of scope to really expand Pokemon - not by adding more creatures, but by fundamentally improving the gameplay and finding new ways to interact with the creatures and their world.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Basically, Groups was something that vB kind of forced on us. It's not something we ever planned to include. The main reason was that we'd have to have Moderator or Administrator approval for each group - if everyone were making groups, you can imagine that it would take a lot of time for a staff member (or a group of staff) to actually go through all the approvals. I wanted to ensure that the OB staff were dealing with moderating duties rather than approving people's groups all the time. I can say, though, in the future we are going to revisit this idea and hopefully we can find a way for groups to be more effective. So it's not something that I want to avoid, it's just that I want to make sure we implement the concept properly. ^_^[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Just wanted to give this thread a little kick in the butt. As you can see from the main page, both Return to Wonderland and The Reanimatrix are still open, although I don't really expect that people will continue to post in them. However, The Reanimatrix in particular is something that I'd like to keep going - people are still free to post stories, poetry, song lyrics or whatever else in there. I'd also like to mention that I have another RPG in the works, which you can find in the Under Construction area on the front page. Those of you who are OB oldies might remember the title...I can only say that while I'm not resurrecting that old RPG, I [i]am[/i] kind of doing a "remake"...although that's probably not a good term. Basically I'm borrowing vague elements from it and turning it into my own RPG. I'm hoping it'll be a little tribute to OB oldies and those who were a part of the original series may want to join (but it's also going to be open to newcomers too - you don't need to know anything about the old Meteo City RPGs to be part of the new story). [img]http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/5683/hvlogo6go.jpg[/img] [/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Basically, analysts are bad at everything. I never listen to what they say - they all have different opinions and they are often basing their views on extremely shaky information. Predicting the future, especially in this industry, is a dangerous business. But I remember thinking that everyone was seriously underestimating Nintendo DS when it was unveiled. Everyone assumed PSP would crush it and the opposite has happened. So...I think those who underestimate Revolution are taking a big risk. When you look at these products from the perspective of the average consumer, the environment looks very different - hardcore gamers aren't very qualified to make judgements about this kind of thing, I think. I mean, hardware power is no longer really an issue. Now we're only talking about minor differences here and there - differences that [i]most[/i] consumers will not notice or care about. We're talking about a television technology that is being forced by Sony and Microsoft and that hasn't yet reached mass penetration - and won't for several years. So the entire ballgame is very different now. As I said, it happened with DS...and I'm willing to bet that the situation with Revolution could be similar. If Revolution ends up leading the market by 2010, I would not be at all surprised.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]If you go ahead with this project, I recommend using the OB Anthology forum. That way you can set it up as you like. As Dagger mentioned, we won't regard it as an "official" newspaper, but I'm more than happy for members to create a member-driven project of this kind. ^_^[/font]

[QUOTE=Samurai Mix][COLOR=Red]Medicore? Arent you being a little harsh?I thoguht the gameplay was very well done. I had alot of fun with the gameplay. It was unique and origianl. You just got to give it time. Once you unlock the colisieum then things get alot cooler. Some of the boss fights are amazing. Yes the platforming did suck but the RPG elements were mixed in well with the combat. Yes I agree the gameplay was not revolutinary but it was fresh and unique.I will say that the gameplay is not on par with the story but its pretty damn good. [/COLOR][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]I don't think I'm really being very harsh, I mean...I think it's clear that Square Enix makes great RPGs, but whenever they stray from that formula they start to stumble. They simply aren't very good with level design or character movement/interaction in a platformer environment. [i]However[/i], as I've said, I do believe that the tie-ins were done well and I think they handled the story and the cinematics with flair. In general I think the game is good - good, not great. It's like Halo. I don't think anyone would argue that Halo is a [i]bad[/i] game, but it's largely derivative and it certainly isn't the best example of its genre. So it tends to be overrated. I would classify Kingdom Hearts in the same way. Yes, it's fun...and yes, it does a lot of things right. But it also contains lots of rough edges and it fumbles the ball on several fundamental elements - this keeps it from being in the same league as majorly influential titles. But I have no problem with people liking the game. I just think that it's one of those games (like Halo), which tends to get overrated...often to the detriment of truly incredible games that tend to get overlooked. And guys...it's fine to have a debate/discussion. That's what this place is for. It doesn't mean we're angry with each other. You guys have to lighten up a little sometimes. :catgirl: [/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I believe that someone at Sega mentioned that it isn't entirely out of the question for them to release another game console in future...although obviously, the chances of that are slim. It would really depend on a major change in the market. As the industry grows (particularly if Revolution can grow the home console userbase in the same way DS has done in the handheld area), there may very well be more room for another hardware manufacturer. But I think there's a slim chance of it happening, considering the enormous investment involved in starting a business venture like that. It's really a long term process and even Microsoft is still struggling to turn its gaming division into a profit-making exercise (although they seem to feel that it will happen with Xbox 360). It'd be interesting to see a game system from Apple, but Apple have already been there and done that. I don't think it's something they want to focus on in the future, particularly given the level of competition there already. If Apple got involved in game consoles at all, I'd expect them to be engaged in the software side more than anything else.[/font]

[quote name='Shinjitsu][color=dodgerblue']Man, I really really really want to see it, but (as far as I know/have seen) we haven't even got the trailers here in Australia yet, lmao![/color][/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]I went and saw a movie at Greater Union last night and they were airing X-Men 3 trailers there in the lobby. So it's definitely happening, although I don't know what the local launch date is. :( [/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]As usual, Charles, you are the voice of reason. I understand the popularity of the original Kingdom Hearts, but even fans of the game would have to admit (at least in comparison to other titles) that the gameplay was mediocre. Yes, the cinemantics were nice and yes, the visuals and the tie-ins were well done. But the raw gameplay was certainly nothing incredible; it was a mixture of light RPG elements and semi-awkward platforming. That's really what it boils down to. This is why I was not particularly anticipating Kingdom Hearts 2. Before I played the original game, I was really looking forward to it...I loved the idea. But the game really let me down in the end. The complaints that IGN level at the sequel seem reasonable enough to me. In fact, I think they were incredibly fair on the game, in the sense that they covered every aspect of it and deliberately pointed out the areas where the game really shines. So it's not as though they were going after it and deliberately beating it down or anything.[/font]

[QUOTE=sungravy]Your argument would be a lot more valid if the source material for this movie wasn?t originally produced in the mid-80s, long before Dubya?s reign. It could be read as an ?FU? to Bush, but if you want to read it that way, then it was more of an ?FU to all of Government in general. But really, it?s just a comment on all of fascism., I mean, the dystopian setting, the Guy Fawkes mask, it all fits together working for more of a "theme" rather than just snubbing Bush. [/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]That's very true I think. Not every political film these days is a commentary on president Bush. Moreover, I think people tend to forget that this film is based on specific source material...so although some may consider its theme topical, it's more a timing thing than a direct reference to current day events.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]What surprises me most about this game is how intuitive and interesting the touch screen control appears to be, at least from the video. When I heard about a "touch screen Zelda" I wondered how it would work...but it looks like there's plenty of variety here to keep people interested. I'm actually pretty excited to see how this title works out.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]The Commonwealth Games are for countries that are a part of the Commonwealth of Nations. The United States is not part of the Commonwealth, as its head of state is the President...whereas Australia's head of state is Queen Elizabeth II. Obviously we are independent and we have a Prime Minister who is the equivalent of your President. However, our "figurehead" head of state is the Queen. This is true of all Commonwealth countries. Today the Commonwealth is more like the United Nations, in the sense that it's more of a close alliance of countries who share a history with the Monarchy.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]If you want the ideal Paint Shop Pro, I'd go for Version 8. Version 9 has some added features, but for some unknown reason, Jasc decided to mutilate the anti-aliasing feature in Version 9. As a result, it operates completely differently - and with far less precision and predictability. It's as though they've added auto-feathering to it, which gives it a very "fluffy" look...so you really can't get the kind of clean-cut selections that are available on previous versions. As for Version X...I didn't even know that there was a tenth version. I'll have to check it out.[/font]

[QUOTE=Retribution][size=1]Alright, so I watched it, and I love it. I'm sure there'll be those who gun it down, but I seriously think that the Wachowski Brothers got their acts together after trashing The Matrix II and III. [/size][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]It's worth pointing out that the Wachowski brothers were involved with the script development rather than the direction (although they were also the producers and were on-set the entire time). If you know about their script writing process, you'll also know that they not only use a written script but also a complex storyboard process, to ensure that every shot comes out as they've envisioned. James McTeigue was the director. He was the first assistant director on The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. There are people who think that the first Matrix film was a fluke, but if they like this film at all then I think it becomes more obvious that the latter two Matrix films will come to be understood and appreciated in time. Don't forget that 2001: A Space Oddyssey went through the same issues in its day, but Kubrick was appreciated eventually. [url="http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/696/696607p1.html"]Here's the IGN review[/url], which apparently comes from someone who wasn't too impressed with the Matrix sequels. Worth a read, at any rate.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I have to say, though...the longer it takes to make Zelda the more excited I get. Think about how damn long this thing has been in development and how far it's been extended over its initial launch date target. I'm hoping it's going to be the 3D Zelda to end all 3D Zeldas, at least thusfar. ~_^[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I think this delay was inevitable. I don't even regard it as a delay as such - I think the Spring release originally announced was ridiculous and obviously not possible in the first place. lol Even despite the Blu-ray issue, I seriously doubt that Sony would have had much software ready for a Spring launch. And I doubt that they'll have a huge amount ready for November - although hopefully more than they had with the PS2 launch. All-in-all, I think this is good news for Sony. Better to get the product correct than to rush out a sub-standard machine. There are still many issues with PS3 (cost being the major factor), but at least now I think we're seeing Sony doing [i]something[/i] right with this thing.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]There's no release date for Twilight Princess, but you can probably expect it to be released somewhere near the launch of Revolution. In case you hadn't read it, apparently Shigeru Miyamoto has confirmed that Twilight Princess [i]will[/i] be compatible with the Revolution controller. I think there's a lot Nintendo could do with that, from a business perspective. It'd be great if they bundled in a copy of Twilight Princess to those who pre-order Revolution or something like that. Having a new Zelda game right off the bat surely won't be a bad thing.[/font]