James

[font=franklin gothic medium]Hello, aizima. Welcome to OB. ^_^ Just for future reference, we actually discourage introduction threads at our site. Instead, we prefer it if new members introduce themselves within their first post. That way we avoid having too many introduction threads and it also gets new members involved in discussion immediately. If you find anything too confusing, I recommend checking out the rules page, which you'll find on the left navigation menu. If you have any further questions or concerns, please use the Suggestions & Feedback forum. Again, welcome to OB. Hopefully you enjoy your stay. [/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]It's that time again, my dear children. ~_^ Actually, this time I have a very simple/short little survey for you to take if you are interested. I'd like you to select an option from the poll and then respond to the two questions below. Of course, the survey is entirely optional, but I'd really appreciate it if you take a few moments to provide this really critical feedback. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to use this thread. Anyway, on to the questions. [b]A) Which aspect of OtakuBoards do you find to be the most negative/confusing? B) What is your favorite aspect of OtakuBoards?[/b] Feel free to answer with as much or as little detail as you like. It's up to you, really.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I don't really know what to say - I can't think of any advice I could give that wouldn't somehow seem forced or something. I don't know. All I can say is, as Alex said, if you ever want someone to talk to (or just someone to listen to your problems), you should feel free to send me an IM. Although I can't ever guarantee that I'll have useful advice for you, I can guarantee that I'll be there to listen whenever you need it.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Guys! Please, watch the double-posting. I strongly recommend checking out our rules page for information about this. Not only is double-posting not allowed, but it would be cool if you guys would remain on topic. I don't want to ban [i]too[/i] many people today, lol. ~_^[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I don't know if I have a temper really, I am very slow to anger in general. If something is really bugging me, my first reaction would be disappointment or sadness rather than raw anger. In terms of being angry enough to physically hurt someone, I don't know how angry I'd have to be - but it would be pretty difficult to get me to that stage. Part of that is just who I am, but part of it probably comes from doing martial arts, where ironically the focus isn't really on fighting at all, but on managing a situation (especially managing your anger/response). Even so, I've never really been a person to react quickly or to become angry very easily. If I am very angry about something, I try my best to divert that anger elsewhere...into creativity or something along those lines. It's not always easy, but sometimes it's actually good fuel for getting things done - anger can be a motivation to actually do constructive things.[/font]

[QUOTE=Dragon Warrior]But unlike rules, ratings aren't backed up. The most mods can do is close a topic that doesn't contain one. If someone doesn't follow a rule, they're told to. If someone uses a wrong rating (which everyone tends to), nothing happens. The Rating System is not like the rules because people follow the rules (aside from a select few), but we have yet to see the community fully use the rating system accurately. And of course, it's the creator of the RPG's fault as well.[/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]But how do you define "wrong rating"? I mean, yes, I know we're talking about people over-using the mature rating...but that's it really. The point is that RPG creators are solely responsible for selecting a rating that they feel is appropriate. It's not my business to necessarily say "you're using the wrong rating", it's more my business to say "you can use whatever rating you want, as long as you understand what each rating means". In addition, ratings are enforced and corrected. If someone doesn't use a rating, their thread is closed. If they use a rating incorrectly (in terms of the sub-ratings), their thread is usualy edited to be in-line with the ratings system. So ratings are as enforced as they can be, considering the nature of what they are. If we "enforced" ratings by literally changing them on someone, that would be pretty unfair and too time consuming.[/font]

[quote name='Dragon Warrior']The system is broken if it doesn't have enough boundaries to stop people from misusing it. If it was made for people to rate their threads correctly, but no one does it, what's the point of having it?[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]But that's a kind of ridiculous point. That's like saying that we shouldn't have rules because most people probably won't completely follow them. I mean, people make mistakes and people follow them in a general way - but we try as much as we can to keep things within the guidelines. The ratings are there simply to advise people about what the RPG may contain. So it is not really our responsibility to tell people what rating to use - we do tell them that they need a rating, but they have to choose what rating is most suitable for their RPG. Obviously some people will get that wrong or they will use the wrong rating "just in case". That doesn't mean that the ratings themselves are messed up, it just means that people need to have a clearer understanding of what we are looking for. I am not convinced that making any modifications to the ratings themselves will make one single difference. People will still misuse ratings, regardless what they're called or how many we have. What is really at issue is ensuring that people have a clear understanding of how we want those ratings to be applied - or at least, how they should be applied to be most accurate. If we change the ratings at this stage, we'll have to go back and pretty much retro-fit a great deal of threads. As far as I'm concerned, that's totally unnecessary. What's most important is that we find ways to improve communication with members, so that our still-young ratings system is used more accurately across the site.[/font]

[quote name='mewlink64']No, the gyration mechanism is seperate from the pointer mechanism. It can still detect motions in 3D space, it simply loses its function as a pointer.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Yeah, absolutely. If you point it at your screen, it will act like a laser pointer and the system will also detect rotation and position as well as where you're aiming. If you point away from the screen, it won't actually act like a laser pointer, but the system will know exactly how far away and what position you're in. It will also know where you're rotating or tilting the controller and in what direction. As for RSI...it wouldn't be any worse than current controllers. In fact, it'd be a lot better, because you wouldn't be mashing your fingers around as much. Moving your arms in the air in a natural motion isn't going to cause RSI - unless you have some other medical condition or something, lol. I never get strain from my mouse, but I do get it from my keyboard if I have to type for a very long time.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]The risk of physical snags is only the same as making your thumb sore on current controllers, I think. Most games won't require you to use large hand/arm gestures, I imagine it'll be a lot more like moving a mouse. If you think about how much the mouse has influenced gaming (ie: the FPS genre) and you consider that this controller is basically a 3D mouse...you can imagine what kind of implications that has for precision control in 3D. Potentially, it's an innovation that is as significant as the analog stick. Of course, I am a Nintendo fan and I like what they do in general, but my GameCube is my least-played system in the last year. I've been spending more time with MGS3 and Half-Life 2. Resident Evil 4 is the only game in recent times that has really brought me back to GameCube. That's not to say GameCube has had bad games, but I personally have been after something fresh. RE4 was a fresh spin on its genre and MGS3 felt significantly fresher than MGS2 (no doubt thanks to the cameo-related stuff). This is why I'm into DS as well - it's something different than what I've been playing for the last 20-odd years. Given that Revolution's controller apparently makes existing game software feel better, I can imagine certain games working particularly well with it. I mean, I can imagine Counter-Strike on Revolution being absolutely brilliant. You've got online play out of the box and you've got a controller that is as good or better than an optical mouse. But as always, it'll come down to hands-on impressions. This is why it's so important for Nintendo to show off this new system as much as possible in retailers. Just like with DS's touch screen, the best way to understand it is to do it. ^_^[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Store trials will not die - they are an essential part of the sales process. The same could be said for the DS stylus - it's not attached to anything, so won't people just run away with it? Well, no. The stores keep it tethered to the kiosk unit (albeit with a tether that is long enough for flexibility). The same will be true for Revolution. Stores will simply tether the controller to a fixed point but give it enough length so that you can still experience it without actually walking off with the thing. In regard to the second attachment (the traditional controller dock), you'll find a mockup of that over at IGN. Mind you, it is just a mockup - Nintendo have yet to reveal what it will look like. However, the mockup is based on what is currently known about the functionality (ie: that the pointer will slot into the center of a controller shell). Also, there are potentially other features of the pointer itself that haven't yet been revealed. I suspect that one of them might be so-called "haptic feedback", but we'll have to see. Nintendo is still working on the pointer, so it will go through a couple of minor changes before it goes on sale next year.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Well, GameCube controllers will be compatible with Revolution anyway. So that's covered. As far as attachments go, I would anticipate that they'd be very cheap. So don't worry about developer support - primarily, the secondary attachment is for virtual console software and not new software. Most developers will take advantage of the new controller in its pure form, along with the nunchuku attachment. With the nunchuku attachment (which comes standard), you have four buttons, an analog stick and a 3D mouse. You can also access the D-pad easily. I guarantee, that's all you need. lol As far as people saying it's unconventional and not being interested, well, that's always a risk. The key is for them to actually try it in a store or at someone's house. If they have a good experience with that, they'll probably go for it. This exact same thing happened with the D-pad and the analog stick when they were both introduced. I wouldn't worry if the product is good, honestly.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I have just watched the full TGS conference and there are a couple of points that aren't really mentioned on news sites. First of all, you all know about the secondary "nunchuku" style controller attachment, which offers extra features (ie: control stick and two more buttons). What most sites are not reporting is that Nintendo will be releasing a second attachment that will turn the remote into a more "traditional" controller, which will allow you to play SNES and N64 software. Iwata said that the nunchuku style controller attachment will come with the Revolution package - so you will not need to buy it seperately. And in case you have not heard, everyone from Hideo Kojima to the people at THQ and Square-Enix are very excited about this thing. Once again, I strongly recommend reading hands-on impressions - apparently this controller feels as tight, responsive and precise as a mouse, but in a 3D space. I'm pleased and I think that Nintendo really could pull a DS in the home market in the next generation. At the very least, this new controller does make other next-gen controllers look remarkably old right now. lol (Here is a link to the conference, some of it is a bit dry but I recommend it if you want to understand why the controller is designed this way: [url]http://www.irwebcasting.com/050916/03/ff3672f7df/main/index_lo.htm[/url]).[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I guarantee, when you use this thing, you will be pleased. It has the precision of a mouse, but in three dimensions. Think about that for a moment. Think about how mouse-look is always better on FPS games than analog stick aiming. Extrapolate that into 3D and it'll give you a better idea of what to expect here. Anyway, I am proud of Nintendo. When people first heard about touch control on Nintendo DS, they were skeptical - until they tried it. When they understood the simplicity, intuitiveness and precision, it all made sense. This is exactly the same example. In addition, if you combine the secondary controller, you essentially have something that can replicate what traditional controllers have (ie: four buttons, an analog stick and gyroscopic control - which translates to mouse-look or a more accurate secondary analog control). So, think about the Metroid Prime: Echoes demonstration and how it was converted over to this controller. 1UP said that it felt [i]significantly better[/i] on Revolution's controller than on the GameCube pad. And it did not take long to port over at all. So, ports are entirely possible - and they will possibly feel a lot nicer with this controller. But ports are the least of anyone's worry. What's most important is the [i]new[/i] software, the exclusive software, coming from both Nintendo and third party developers. My feeling was that this controller would have the same reactions as the N64 and GameCube controllers. When those pads were first unveiled, a lot of people responded negatively. But after a while, they came to understand how it worked and they played with it themselves. As a result, many features from these controllers became industry standards. If the software is designed around the controller, you have a much better experience. This is no different. The media has actually responded mostly very positively, even the naysayers. I expect gamers to follow suit, given a reasonable amount of time, news reporting and eventually the ability to try it themselves. (And yes, if you rotate the controller 90 degrees, it becomes a NES pad - very good for Revolution's download service). In reference to third parties, do not worry. They are in love with this thing. And when they see the much lower development bill on Revolution, it won't be an issue. As I said a few months ago, you will be surprised. And I maintain that now. It'll all make sense as more pieces of the puzzle come together. ^_^ [/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I just want to add a comment to this thread, since I am ultimately responsible for what happens at OtakuBoards as far as rules and FAQs and so on. Sage, I can only tell you that I am aware of everything you've listed there. Unfortunately, providing the appropriate updates is not as easy as you may think. At present, I am relying on a single programmer for [i]all[/i] network-related updates. When you consider how miniscule OB is in terms of the broader network (myO completely dwarfs OB in size, for example), it becomes clear that 99% of our programming resources need to be dedicated to myOtaku and theOtaku in particular. Because our FAQ and rules pages are self-built (ie: they are not a part of the vB structure), they really need to be edited by Justin. My hope is that we can build a system where these areas can be updated in a very simple way, using some sort of backend that any senior staff member can access. In addition, I want to make a general comment about all of this. As you may know, we have a lot of trouble getting members to read the rules page in the first place. So although I appreciate your concerns about what the rules do not contain, I would also point out that even if they did contain a very comphrensive list of information, things wouldn't necessarily change so quickly. Also, in regard to Arena ratings, it is really unnecessary to have them as part of the rules (though in future we will contain them in some form). When are Arena ratings used? Only in RPGs and so on. And therefore, those parts of the boards contain visible notifications about them. It is actually more effective to list ratings directly within the areas that people need to use them, as opposed to displaying them in a more vague and general way. Of course, having [i]both[/i] would be nice and that is what we will do. I'm very disappointed with the way this thread progressed. There is no need for any abrasive language. Sage, whether it was intentional or not, I did feel that your initial post was a little rude in places (although I do sympathize with what you're saying and I acknowledge the problem). However, be that as it may, intentional or not, there's absolutely no reason for everyone else to jump in and make things worse. I do not want to limit feedback threads in terms of discussion - I don't want to make it so that only staff can reply to these complaints. This kind of thread does push things in that direction, though. Luckily it is a rarity. I hope that in future, everyone will focus on the actual topic.[/font] [quote name='Shy']The issue here is that the forum's basic rules were written years ago (and more than likely, lifted from the forum rules of another site.) [/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Just to be annoying, I'll mention that the rules were written by me for OtakuBoards specifically. But yes, they are somewhat old and that's why we've included sticky threads across the site (both because they are more effective than the rules page in general and because they can be easily updated, where our rules cannot, for coding reasons).[/font]

[QUOTE=Sage] This is not the single-most destructive thing that humans have caused to other humans, and [I]that's[/I] why I'm so annoyed that even us foreigners are almost forced to have "silent moments" and think about it annually. America is not the navel of the world, even though you living there seem to think that! I apologize for being rude and coming to flood this thread with my frustration, but I really did it [I]out of respect for those billions of dead people who [B]do not[/B] get an annual memorial thread here[/I]. Oh, and SunfallE, I wasn't saying that America doesn't send any foreign aid, I was saying that all the western "civilized" countries seem to have money only for the tragic events that occur in the west.[/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Nobody is forcing you to have a silent moment. It's up to you. And the fact is, America [i]is[/i] the navel of the world. I'm not even saying it's a good thing - but it's true. lol America is the richest/most powerful country on Earth. By definition, they are therefore at the center of commerce and so many other things. It would be better to just accept that reality, whether it sits well with you or not. Believe me, I'd agree that there are problems with this whole concept, but there's no point complaining about a basic reality of life. As far as the tsunami goes, I think you are wrong. I think the number of Australians who died was an incredibly small number (in single digits), yet we sent a ton of financial and other aid to the region. This is also true of America and other nations who lost very few people. While I agree somewhat about media coverage, it's important not to take that idea too far. The reality is somewhere in the middle.[/font]

[QUOTE=Lady Asphyxia][font=Arial][size=2] The ratings have nothing to do with age. It's to do with people not wanting to see certain content. The subratings help by saying exactly what is included; perhaps there's violence but no sex. This helps someone who doesn't mind violence but is opposed to the idea of coming across sex in an RPG. [/size][/font][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Exactly. I have spoken to several people who are fine with violence and mature storylines, but they don't want sex in the RPG because it may not suit what they are wanting to create. So, ratings have nothing to do with age. We could not - and would not - restrict people based on that. Ratings are all about a quick summary of what kinds of things the RPG will include. As I mentioned, you may want an RPG with violence but no sex, or you may want one with only language and no sex or violence. If everyone uses the M rating, they are doing themselves a disservice, because they are failing to accurately summarize the general level of content in their RPG. If I sign-up to an M-rated RPG, I expect something on that level - if I am getting a PG-RPG, then why would I bother? It's very important for RPG creators to think about what their RPGs will contain and to rate them accordingly. As I mentioned earlier, the problem is not with the ratings or the ratings system. If you read the ratings and their descriptions, you'll find that they cover the entire spectrum pretty much. The core issue is that people are not correctly using ratings in some instances. So the core question is how people can be advised on how to use the ratings more effectively. The only way this can really be done is by making the meanings of the ratings more prominent. I would like to do this via an actual software-upgrade to OtakuBoards, so that we can hardwire the ratings into the site itself. This way you would not need a ratings thread at all - your actual post editing page would contain ratings and their information. But I don't know when it will be possible to do that, because Justin is very busy with the new myOtaku site right now. Unfortunately it's a question of having only a certain amount of resources and having to assign them with some priority - OB is usually unlikely to be high up on the list. In any case, I do welcome suggestions on how this area can be improved. I do not want to remove ratings altogether, but I am happy to see some constructive ideas on how the system can be improved.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]The point I was making about Finland was not related to any other country. I was just saying that for you personally, it's something you'd probably mark with more seriousness and gravity because it happened in your own nation. So in that sense, Americans are justified. In terms of world reaction, I don't know - I think it was fair enough. The media covered September 11 in a reasonable way I think, for the most part. Yes, there was some over-coverage. But those attacks were more devastating than many of the other terror attacks in recent times (including those in Indonesia). So in that sense, it has some further international significance. Don't forget that when the two big attacks occurred in Africa, the news were focusing on that for ages. Perhaps not as intensively as 9/11, but at the time, it was difficult to watch anything else. So the fact that it's happened in America and been big...part of that is just to be expected. Part of it is no doubt due to American networks being more prominent, but part of it is also due to the scale of it and the fact that it occurred in such a major city, where the economic impacts were felt far more broadly. So you know, it's not all necessarily so American-centric for no reason. But I do understand the frustration when we get nothing else. It's like the hurricane Katrina - yes, that's a terrible tragedy and it should be covered. But not 24/7, at the expense of all other global news. When situations like that occur, I turn over to other channels to hear what the rest of the world is up to - I flick back to the American stations when I want an update or something.[/font]

[QUOTE=Desbreko][color=#4B0082]Like Baron said, it's not the ratings system itself that's the problem. The ratings are doing exactly what they were meant to do: Warn people that threads may contain things which they don't wish to read. The problem lies in people not having a firm idea of what they want their RPGs to be like, so they slap a [M-LSV] rating on them "just in case." [/color][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Bingo. The actual ratings are not broken - it's the way people apply them. All we can do is try to make the specifics of the ratings more visible or understandable. I'm not sure how we can do that, because people will still try to buffer themselves by upping the rating "just in case". Unfortunately that's not what the ratings are really for - they are there to provide a general idea of the content of the RPG. A Pokemon RPG would never need M or PG really, unless it were a radically different spin on the concept. So there is no need to include those ratings "just in case". However, RPGs can go in unexpected directions. And this may lead people to up the ratings on their own. Unfortunately that's just a reality - short of having Moderators go through and re-apply ratings everywhere, I don't know what we can do to really change it. Moderators are busy removing spam and keeping things tidy, asking them to read every post and to make qualitative determinations about ratings constantly, is simply asking too much.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I agree and disagree with Sage. On the one hand, it's true that there are many other issues in the world that go unnoticed (especially given the scale). On the other hand, September 11th was a specific tragedy in America. Americans deserve to feel the gravity of that and to remember it as they do. I mean, if such an event had happened in the capital of Finland, I would not think that the people there shouldn't mark the event in whatever way they choose. I also think that a terrorist attack is different from a natural disaster, in the sense that it's a man-made issue (or should I say, in the sense that it's a kind of act of war). A natural disaster is something that nobody can stop or really prevent to any great degree (at least in terms of something like the recent tsunami), but human acts are important to focus on because they are the symptom of larger issues that need to be resolved. Still, the day did pass without me really thinking about it to any great extent. I did think about it, but it doesn't rule my life and it isn't something that I would want to dwell on forever - even if I were an American. Most importantly I think it's worth learning various lessons from the event and if it's given me some kind of more rounded perspective, then that is something I will carry with me, which will always be a positive (rather than just being unhappy or depressed whenever I think about it).[/font]

[QUOTE=Desbreko][color=#4B0082] And the gold. ... Man, the gold you get down there is crazy. It's easy to make a couple thousand just from gold drops, and then when you sell stuff back in town you can get even more. Or if you salvage things, the amount of crafting materials you can get is also crazy. I think I got close to 500 wood last night, from salvaging all the bow and staff drops. If you aren't already, Sorrow's Furnace will make you rich; if you are, it'll only make you richer.[/color][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Cool. That's what I'm in need of. ~_^ Not just for my character, but so that I can use it on other characters. I like the idea of being able to gather resources with my main character and then share them with characters that are further behind. Gives me even more reason to ascend. ~_^[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]If you want to see the clip about myOtaku, contact me on AIM and I will send it to you. [/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I'm not sure if you are saying that you want to do CG animation in games or if you want to do CG movies. Either way, you're going to need to be good with math and digital graphics in general. I wouldn't worry about any lack of freshness. If you are a computer animator, your concern will be to animate the projects that are given to you (or if you're in a senior position, to play a role in the development of animation and so on). As the industry grows, [i]more[/i] people will be needed to undertake computer animation. Artists and animators are going to be a hot property in gaming to an increasing degree. The basic point is, if you love animation, you should do it. Don't let the state of the industry stop you. As long as you love being an animator and doing that work, you'll be a lot happier, even when you're dealing with projects that you may not have much interest in (and pretty much every animator is in that position now and then).[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]My mother once told me that the best way to avoid shyness is to remember that the average person on the street doesn't care about you at all. It sounds harsh, but it's true and it works! :lecture: If you watch someone else give a speech or walk past you or whatever - even if you notice them - they'll probably be out of your mind in a moment. They won't make a huge difference to your day. You have to think about yourself in that sense, as Sara said, from other people's eyes. I mean, if I watched a speech and the person did a horrible job or something, I really wouldn't think much of it. I wouldn't be thinking about it for years to come, you know? So if you have that attitude, that you're "just another person", it can help in these situations. I'm only really reiterating what Sara said and I'm doing it in a more confusing way. So yeah, just read her post.[/font] :sweat:

[font=franklin gothic medium]I'm really happy with the PSTwo, particularly the fact that it seems to have a lot less errors than the older models. It's my third PS2 system, which is only due to necessity (ie: the previous two have had disc issues, especially the original system). So that's disappointing, but it's nice to actually own such a small console. However recently my sister accidentally broke my copy of GTA: San Andreas. And now that the game is banned in Australia, I can't buy a new version. Hopefully Rockstar will put the game out here with the objectionable stuff (the hidden sex bits) taken out, so that I can purchase it again. It's one of the few PS2 games that I still play semi-regularly.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I don't think any of this should come as a surprise, because I think we were told quite some time ago that the most recent Bond film would be Brosnan's last. As far as his acting goes...he's really ideal to play Bond, but the most recent films have been awful and haven't done the franchise any justice. Goldeneye was the last great Bond film I've seen in a long time (it was also one of my favourites in the series). After that, the series just stumbled downhill.[/font]