James

[color=#808080]Well, in the case of SW books...yes, you'd use the literature forum. I've tried to make the forum description as thorough as possible. So, I don't know what else we can do to really improve the message. I mean, if we had manga in Anime Lounge for instance, and comics in the Literature forum...and SW books in movies, music & TV...it kinda becomes confusing you know? I see that as being a problem. If it's all in one place, at least that's a bit easier. But yeah, maybe there's a better way of expressing what that forum is about. I welcome suggestions. ~_^[/color]

[color=#808080]The Literature forum is a place to discuss a wide variety of literature -- from your own fan made stuff to comics and manga. It's all "books", I guess. lol It's done partly to encourage further posting in that forum. Sometimes members don't seem to read the forum information on the front page though, which gives me little hope that anything else will be noticed. lol[/color]

[color=#808080]Shizuko opened her eyes and was met by endless fields of green. They were covered in yellow flowers. And they looked like a green canvas that had been dabbed with the tip of a yellow brush over and over again. This was a pleasant sight, one that made Shizuko feel at home. The field was relatively busy on that particular day. Groups of players were getting together for sparring practice, whilst others were clumsily trading items and learning how to ride Puchiguso. The sight made Shizuko smile; Summer Grove was a place for newbies, generally. It was completely free of monsters. And it was common to see experienced players entering the fields and hoodwinking newer players out of their player credits. One player, however, was not as clumsy as the others. An adult Light Warrior character, adorned with a suit of snowy white armor. He was practicing in the field by himself, seemingly oblivious to those around him. Shizuko, on the other hand, was almost the polar opposite. A slender asian woman with long dark hair, wound tightly around a pair of elaborately decorated chopsticks; soft red and black face highlights and a red satin Chinese dress, punctuated by small black dragons curled up in little balls. Shizuko was a lovingly crafted character and looked as though she may break at any moment -- were she not made of polygons and painted textures, she just might. Shizuko did indeed look the opposite of the armored character, who's squared jawline and dynamic crystal hair made him appear unique amongst a field of characters who were, generally, of mediocre aesthetic quality. There was a very clear difference between characters created by truly skilled artists and programmers, compared to those taken from mass fan sites and the like. To an outside observer, Shizuko would never have been seen as a likely partner for the armored man. But she found him interesting and noticed that despite his lower experience points, he was clearly skilled with weaponry. Perhaps he'd played The World for a long while and only just downloaded Azure Sea? That thought snuck its way into Shizuko's mind and seemed logical enough. Shizuko's red high heels carried her across the field with an air of dainty elegance and carefully measured confidence. As she approached the male character, he did not acknowledge her. Shizuko stood still and her head tilted to one side, as if expecting acknowledgement. Sure enough, the armored character paused and turned his head in her direction. Shizuko half expected him to continue practicing, but instead, he smiled warmly and sheathed his weapon. The armored man approached and held out a polygonal hand. "Hello, I'm Jet," he said cheerfully. Shizuko bowed politely and realized two different things immediately; this player must be from the west and thus, she should have known to return his hand shake; and secondly, Shizuko had no idea how to speak English. Thankfully, the other player had thoughtfully engaged his translation program so that his words could be heard in her own native language. Shizuko hastily engaged her own translation system...and held out her hand. Jet shook it vigorously and continued to smile. "Hello, my name is Shizuko." Shizuko blushed (or at least, she knew she must have been blushing in reality, because it clearly wouldn't have been evident on her player model). Jet smiled once more and sat down on a nearby rock. He looked up at Shizuko, who was standing still with her hands crossed in front of her. "Nice. Your experience points, that is," said Jet. "I've been playing The World ever since it was released, but I only just downloaded AS. I haven't made a party yet though." Shizuko nodded. "Yes, my party is always changing. I have not stayed in one party for more than a week. So I'm hopeless!" Jet laughed and shook his head. He seemed to be comfortable with Shizuko already, which surprised her. Most players found her somewhat intimidating; most likely due to the intricate crafting behind her player model. Perhaps players assumed that a skilled modeler was also a skilled player. Though Shizuko knew this not to be true, through her own experiences. Shizuko sat down next to Jet and in doing so, she was careful not to exhibit too much obvious enthusiasm. It's how she played the game and was sometimes the source of amusement for her school friends. Of course, Shizuko shrugged this off as "jealousy" or something of the sort. Regardless, Shizuko was finding herself in good company with Jet. She noticed that he was looking over his sword and scrolling through his inventory. He seemed to be very prudent, even at this early stage. The training and the thorough double-checking were both qualities that Shizuko admired in other players. So, it was time to broach the subject; "Excuse me," prompted Shizuko softly, "but would you be interested in creating a party? We would only need one more player for a basic party. Without a party of three, we can't move into Pebble Cove, The Church or any of the Net Slums." Jet hastily closed his inventory menu. "So, you're interested in fighting some tough baddies, eh?" Shizuko nodded. "Yes. I heard that there is a special key item to be found on high level monsters." "Oh? What does it do?" asked Jet. "I do not know. I think it may open a new level or give us some kind of hack. But I have not heard specifics; I just saw a thread about it on the BBS." "Oh, I see. I don't visit the BBS much." Shizuko grinned at this comment. "You should! It is full of useful information." "Yeah, I'll look into it now," said Jet with a decisive nod of his head. "So? Any idea who we can bring into our party?" Shizuko looked around the fields. All of the players she saw contained low experience points. "It's no good," she said, "I don't know if we can find anyone at the moment." Jet stood up and waved his sword. "Well in that case, we might as well move toward the outer edges of the grove. The better players tend to hang around out there." "See those hills nearby?" asked Shizuko, pointing northward. "Yes," said Jet. "I think we can find some mid level monsters up there. If we walk around there a little, we may find someone. At least we can gain some items that way too." Jet sheathed his sword and gestured for Shizuko to follow. The pair began walking across the field to the [b]Northern Hills[/b]. Shizuko hoped that they'd stumble across another player; she didn't want to be embarassed on her first day with Jet.[/color]

[color=#808080]There we go. Character information updated. ^_^[/color]

[color=#808080]Apparently different characters can utilize different items. So I guess you choose your team based on your own skills and the track setup itself.[/color]

[color=#808080]Wow, that's really fantastic, E. You should start an RPG! Whee. ^_^ (lol, but seriously, it's very good. I'd like to read more) ^_^[/color]

[color=#808080]The pictures don't work because Nintendo's E3 site isn't working at the moment. I would like to see LAN play on Pikmin 2, even though it wouldn't be easy for me to find someone else that I know with a GCN.[/color]

[color=#808080]Well said. I think I'll close this now -- let's focus our energy on people who genuinely want to discuss their art in a positive way. lol[/color]

[color=#808080]Actually, [i]you[/i] are sounding like the 11 year old boy here. I couldn't even understand most of your post. At OtakuBoards, we pride ourselves on good quality -- members, discussions, etc It doesn't mean you can't have fun. Just look at our RPGs and such -- people can have fun without acting like total nutcases. If you prefer a board with less spam control, that's fine. But when you're on [i]our[/i] boards, you'll respect [i]our[/i] rules or you will not be welcome. Simple as that.[/color]

[color=#808080]About the censorship thing. Yep, I am definitely aware of the whole alt-code business. ;) But most people understand that using codes to get around the software is against the rules (and some have been banned for exactly that). I am the first to admit that our censoring software isn't wonderful. Every word has to be added manually -- it doesn't come with some automatic database. It's all based on what we include. And so, it's never going to be ideal. But we do allow people who are younger than 13 to register here. So, we have certain commitments that we choose to live up to. We try to have a relatively clean environment, where most swearing is blocked out. It's not ideal by any measure, but it's something.[/color]

[color=#808080]The only reservation I have about this is that it's being developed by NST. I don't think NST has really proven itself as a highly capable developer yet. But we'll see. MK:DD could be a fantastic game (and better than MK64 -- which isn't hard to achieve). Visuals do look crummy right now, but bear in mind two things. First, the game is unfinished. Second, as has been said, SMS looked pretty horrible in most of Nintendo's own shots. But the game ended up looking a whole lot smoother than people gave it credit for. Plus, Mario Kart is the type of game where everything moves rapidly and there is lots of animation -- so that plays a major role in determining how good the game looks (particularly if you have a screen full of characters/karts/weapons/etc)[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Mitch [/i] [B][color=black][size=1][font=rockwell] But it's so dead. I hate it.[/color][/size][/font] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]Are you asking for its removal? :wigout: [/color]

[color=#808080]Okay, a few things to answer here. 1) Mitch and Lalaith, regarding the first question -- I think you've missed the point. I am asking what [i]new feature[/i] people would like to see. Higher activity in a forum isn't a feature, it's a behavior. lol People will move to whichever forums they are interested in -- the site's Administration does not control that whatsoever. If nobody is visiting the poetry threads, they are either simply not interested or they only read and don't reply. Once again, member behavior is something we don't control in terms of which forums are more popular. 2) Shyguy, regarding the banner thing. I have no idea. I haven't yet seen this hack in action. I'll ask Justin B. about it. 3) Regarding affiliation. I should have made that a bit clearer. I doubt that OtakuBoards would ever actually put other sites' buttons or banners up. I'm not talking about a banner exchange. I'm talking about a [i]partnership[/i] with other sites -- in other words, holding joint events, joint competitions, etc etc. Kind of like having a "sister boards". 4) Regarding skins. More skins = lower quality. That's the point of the question. So, I'm asking if people would rather see five to ten [i]really high quality[/i] skins or twenty medium/lower quality skins. So I guess I'm asking if quality is more important than quantity. This doesn't mean that we'd ever put up low quality skins deliberately; it's not as cut-and-dry as that. It's just a hypothetical question to see what you guys think about skins. If there are anymore questions, just post 'em and I'll do my best to answer.[/color]

[color=#808080]Not bad; I like your choice of pictures. The electrical effects are very appropriate, though pretty standard fare. But they certainly do suit the images, I'll give you that. I also like your use of text. It's not the common "tiny text in the corner half faded" stuff that just about everyone else seems to be using these days. So, I think there's some originality there, which I like. Plus, I also like the futuristic tone of the banner. Typography can be [i]very[/i] effective in an image, if used well. 7/10.[/color]

[color=#808080]Are you really that concerned about post count and rank? Post counts will not change, nor will User IDs. However, ranks/status [i]may[/i] change in the move to v7. But I can't be sure about that until the time comes (and it could be a long way away). Either way (minor update or major VB3 update), nobody will have to re-register.[/color]

[color=#808080]I'd have to agree with Semjaza on that one. Capcom hasn't changed its plans for GameCube whatsoever. As a side issue, a lot of sites are reporting that "everything after RE4 may not be exclusive". Geez -- they say it as if it's a new decision. They're wrong. Capcom's position on that aspect hasn't changed at all. Capcom [i]never[/i] planned to have "exclusives" after RE4 as it is. I mean, RE4 is where the agreement went up to -- no further. In addition, Semjaza is right about RE0. This game may have sold in greater numbers on PS2, but only because of that console's higher userbase. It may very well have not met Capcom's expectations had it sold on PS2 anyway. Also, I'd say that Capcom [i]are[/i] receiving an added benefit for working with Nintendo. Primarily, there'd be some shared development costs (on games like Zelda for GBA). But also, with games like RE, I'd say that Nintendo has significantly cut its licensing fees for Capcom. And of course, you have the added benefit that GameCube games are essentially piracy-proof. That is a bigger financial incentive than many publications suggest (and many totally ignore it).[/color]

[color=#808080]I just want to indicate, for clarity, that the stars don't need to be corrected. The stars are there to block out swearing. And although we discourage swearing, language blocked by the censor is not something that we generally worry about (for the very reason that it's not visible). But bypassing the censor to deliberately type a swearword for instance, is definitely something that all Moderators should be cracking down on. And, regarding the membership thing on theOtaku.com? Stay tuned. ~_^[/color]

[color=#808080]I thought I'd create this thread rather than creating an Announcement. Basically, there are a couple of things I want to mention to everyone here. And also, I'd like to get a little feedback too. ^_^ Firstly, we'll soon be upgrading OtakuBoards to Virtual Bulletin v2.3. Hopefully this will be done tomorrow. I am unsure exactly what improvements we'll see (usually a few extra bits and pieces are added by JelSoft in each new minor update -- and some bugs are corrected), but I'm sure the change will be positive nonetheless. Also, I've been talking to Justin Blessing (our main tech guy) and we have discovered an interesting piece of software that I want to use on signatures. It allows us to completely control images in sigs. So how does it work? Basically, you will no longer be able to link to images in your sig using the [IMG] code. And you won't be able to include more than one image in your signature [i]at all[/i] (in other words, the software will directly prevent it). Instead, banners in signatures will be handled in the same way that avatars are handled. So, you will go to your User CP and there will be an option to add an image to your signature. You'll add your banner or whatever by uploading it to OtakuBoards (just like a custom avatar) and it will appear in your siggy. So what is the benefit to this approach? There are a few. Firstly, you'll be able to host your banner on OB and you will not need to host it on any other site. The great thing about this is that if you [i]replace[/i] your banner after you get tired of it, OtakuBoards will delete the old banner and make way for the new one. And so, it won't waste space on our server. This would be a [i]massive[/i] improvement over the inefficient system we have now (where people create banner after banner and attach them in posts and then choose something else a week later). Remember, old banners in attachments are [i]always[/i] stored on OtakuBoards unless they are removed for some reason. So it does waste space, albeit a small amount. There's also something else I want to mention. Skins. As you guys know, I've been working on a Zelda skin for OB. However, Justin told me that Virtual Bulletin 3 may not support our current skins. Or, at the very least, they'll need modification to "fit". Virtual Bulletin 3 (we are on 2.2.7 right now) is not yet complete. But it's looking impressive so far and I am very keen to upgrade to it on [b]OtakuBoards v7[/b]. I'm not sure when VB3 will launch, but you can bet that OBv7 will launch soon after. So, I'm saying this because I am going to shelve the Zelda skin as of now. Rather than working on a skin that may only last a short period of time, I'm going to stop and continue development once VB3 is available -- so that it will be designed entirely for VB3. I hope that makes sense. >_< Also, someone mentioned the idea of including "retro" OB skins (ie: v1, v2, v3 etc). This is something I am strongly considering right now. And it's entirely possible, if time permits, that we can include retro skins on OtakuBoards before the launch of VB3. We'll see how it goes. I hope all of that made sense. It's late over here and I'm not sure if I was rambling or not. lol Anyway, I also did want to ask a question of everyone -- well, a few questions. I know you guys like surveys (hehe), so I'll just list 'em below for you. Thanks.[/color] [b]If you could choose only one new BIG feature for OtakuBoards, what would it be? If you could only add one new forum to OtakuBoards, what would it be? Would you like to see a closer link between OtakuBoards and sister site, theOtaku.com? [/b](ie: closer fan art links, contests, etc)[b] Would you like to see OtakuBoards open an affiliation program with other message boards? Do you feel that theOtaku.com's chat system should be linked to OtakuBoards? [/b](ie: shared moderators, scheduled chat events etc)[b] Are you satisfied with the level of spam control on OtakuBoards?[/b] (ie: do you feel that we need more spam control or less? Or are we just right?)[b] If you could access OtakuBoards on a handlheld device (PDA, Generation 3 Mobile Phone, etc), would you access it regularly in this way? Is it more important to have a large variety of skins, or smaller (and higher quality) range of skins? Would you prefer to have anime/gaming-themed skins or completely original works? [/b](if you had to choose only one option)[b] Do you actively engage Moderators and Category Moderators if you are having problems on OB?[/b] (in other words, do you seek out Mods/Category Mods to help you when you are unsure of a rule or something like that)[b] Are you satisfied with OtakuBoards' child protection policies? [/b](such as language restrictions, conflict resolution between members, strict blocking of sexual imagery, etc... - this question is aimed primarily at parents and members over 15 years) [color=#808080]That's all for now. Just a few areas that I'm interested in hearing about from the members. If there are any questions about my pre-survey comments, feel free to ask in this thread. ^_^[/color]

[color=#808080]Well, as far as I know, our maximum font size is 72pt (not the Internet measurement, but the measurement you might use in MS Word). However, nobody uses it. And I think it's pretty obvious why; it looks horrible and it would make each post massively long. It's just really unnecessary. Very few people even use a size 3. Even size 3 is a bit too big. Most people use size 1 or 2. In any case, I guess you could say that we have certain "aesthetic standards" at OB. Yes, we do allow quite a lot of flexibility (in colour/font/size). And I'd say that it's more than enough for what most people are doing. But certainly, there are places we just won't go. Shadows is one of them. It can have a different look in different browsers and for the most part, it looks overly messy and can make text difficult to read. Anyway, Justin Blessing showed me the next major leap in vB technology yesterday (the beta of Virtual Bulletin 3) and I'm pretty impressed by it. OtakuBoards will be updating to VB3 as soon as it is released -- and no doubt, it will provide a myriad of extra features for you to play around with. Hopefully it will also be more stable and help to eliminate a lot of the problems people have had with past versions. However (and I'll throw this in right now), none of our current skins may be compatible with it. Or so Justin feels. So, we may have to modify each current skin for use on VB3. This means that I will cease development of the Zelda skin as of now. Instead, I will develop the skin based on VB3 rather than what we have now. That way, I won't have to scrap the skin soon after I produce it...and it will work with all of VB3's newest technology.[/color]

[color=#808080]New fonts are a possibility, but we won't be adding a shadow or highlight effect to OtakuBoards -- for purely aesthetic reasons. We do allow people to change the colour of their text and such, but we have certain basic standards of how we want the site to be presented. Shadows in particular generally look absolutely horrible, due to the fact that text isn't anti-aliased on the Internet. Plus, it can make posts more difficult to read. Highlighting is a possibility, but it's not on my "to do" list right now.[/color]

[size=5].hack//EXPANSION[/size] [i][b]My Diary: March 3rd, 2008[/b] I remember that day like it was yesterday. And even though there are many things that led to this point, that day was where it really started. I woke to the scent of cleaning chemicals and to the sight of golden maple leaves. The organized row of Japanese maples outside the window were as predictably organized as everything else in the room. At first, I didn't know why I was there. I lay in bed for several minutes, staring at the sterile ceiling above. And finally, vague memories returned to me. I remembered that I was in the study at home and that I'd collapsed. Initially I did not know why this was so. But I soon discovered some answers.[/i] [color=#808080]Tomoko lay back with her hands crossed behind her head. Her shoulder-length black hair framed her face neatly and her expression was not one of pain. Even she was somewhat confused as to why she was at the hospital. But it was not in her nature to panic and she thought it best to remain calm and wait for the doctor. Her patience was soon rewarded; the metallic doorknob in the corner emitted a soft click as a hand on the opposite side of the door carefully turned it. As the door opened, a short man in a white coat and a taller, older woman entered. The woman was wearing a pink hat and matching pink gloves. She approached Tomoko's bed and sat by it, patting Tomoko's arm with a gloved hand as she did so. The doctor stood at the end of the bed and peered down at a small clipboard in his hand. Tomoko turned her head slowly and looked over the woman sitting by her. It wasn't her mother, whom she had originally hoped to see. Rather, it was her aunt -- "Auntie Masako", as she was known. Auntie Masako was a relatively wealthy woman. Her husband had died in 1998 and left her with a small fortune. Auntie Masako had never completely gotten over this loss and as a result, she was often quite cold toward the younger members of her family. As much as Tomoko and her cousins complained about this to their parents, the response was always something akin to "always be nice to Auntie Masako and remember that she misses your uncle very much". Of course, this response was generally met with a collective eye roll from the children in the family. Considering Auntie Masako's slightly distant relationship with her nieces and nephews, Tomoko found it particularly surprising to find her here at the hospital. But she didn't question it. She knew better than to question Auntie Masako. Besides, she was confused enough about her very presence in the hospital, let alone the presence of her aunt. Auntie Masako glanced at Tomoko momentarily and smiled briefly. Once again, she stroked Tomoko's arm. But it was a sharp, insincere motion. Not genuine by any stretch -- or at least, it didn't feel that way. This made Tomoko feel a little uncomfortable. "Miss Kazama, my name is Dr. Takeda," said the man in the white coat with a warm smile. Dr. Takeda took the clipboard and clipped it onto the edge of the bed. He clasped one hand in the other, thoughtfully. Tomoko nodded slowly and forced a smile. "Hello doctor," she said quietly. "Please tell me why I am here." "Of course, Miss Kazama." Dr. Takeda pulled up a chair and sat close by Auntie Masako (which made her look a little uncomfortable herself, Tomoko thought). Dr. Takeda leaned forward a little and smiled. He spoke softly. "Miss Kazama, you were brought here by ambulance," Dr. Takeda paused for a moment, "at three AM, if I'm not mistaken." Tomoko nodded slowly. "Right. Well, you were unconscious. At first we thought you had suffered an asthma attack, because your breathing was irregular and your airways were tightened. But you have no medical history of asthma." Dr. Takeda stopped for a moment, as if expecting Tomoko to respond. "Are you saying that you don't know what is wrong with her?" asked Auntie Masako, in a distinctly irritated tone. Dr. Takeda nodded. "Yes, I apologize. We have run numerous tests on Miss Kazama and discovered nothing. Her unconscious state made us believe that she might have slipped into a coma but once again, we could not determine the cause." Auntie Masako's face tightened ever so slightly. "This is not acceptable, doctor. Her mother will be very worried," she said. "I understand that, madam. But Tomoko seems fine at this moment. She's conscious, which is obviously the most important thing for now. We haven't noticed any physical problems and I feel confident in recommending that she be taken home. At least she'll be in a more comfortable environment. If her parents have concerns about her, they can always return her to us here. Of course, we will need to check up on her in one week's time." Dr. Takeda stood up and smiled once more. At the same moment, Auntie Masako rose from her chair. "If you will excuse me, I need to freshen up before we leave. I'll be driving Miss Kazama home," she said sharply. And with that, Auntie Masako left the room. Tomoko sat up carefully. "Sorry," she said softly, peering at the doctor through her long dark fringe. "Sorry?" "About Auntie. She's like that with everyone." "Oh. It's nothing to worry about, Miss Kazama. But I do have something to ask you." Tomoko raised her head a little and looked at the doctor directly. "Yes?" Dr. Takeda paused momentarily, as if searching for the correct words. "Do you play 'The World'?" he asked. Tomoko's gaze immediately moved from the doctor to the maple trees outside. "Why?" she asked softly. The doctor sat down by her bed and spoke in a soft, deliberate tone. "Miss Kazama, I am sure that you are aware of the incident that occurred on March 1st? That was the day you arrived here, along with countless other patients. You suffered similar symptoms to several other people here. All of you are gamers, aren't you?" "So what if we are?" Tomoko's tone hardened slightly. Clearly, Dr. Takeda had struck a nerve. "Miss Kazama, The World can be dangerous. I don't know why. And I don't have a way of proving it. But it seems to affect people, especially when they are feeling the effects of fatigue." Tomoko finally turned to face the doctor again. Her expression had changed. It no longer featured a subtle smile, but rather, it now featured large frightened eyes. "So what am I supposed to do, doctor? Just stop playing? It's not that easy. I have friends on there. I can't just leave them," said Tomoko. Tears began to well in her eyes, but she blinked them away. Dr. Takeda nodded. "I understand. And I know that nothing I say will stop you from playing. But please don't play it when you're tired, Tomoko. It might not let you wake."[/color] [i]Those words stayed with me for countless weeks after. And I was definitely much more careful about my playing habits and the time I spent online. But nevertheless, The World was a second home to me. Perhaps even more of a comfortable home than my real life house. It was an escape, more than anything. And Azure Sea was the pinnacle of that experience; the soft blue sky, the deep blue sea and the majestic white buildings of Azure City. How could any person possibly favor their real life over The World? At least, this is what I thought in the beginning. My experiences after that time in hospital have changed my thinking a great deal. After that conversation, Auntie Masako drove me home. She didn't talk to me at all on the way back, which led me to believe that perhaps she was blaming me for causing discomfort for my mother. When I returned home, my mother was practicing calligraphy in the courtyard. It's one of her favourite pasttimes. I did not want to disturb her. And I simply snuck into my room as quietly as I could. It was late evening by this time and my computer was sitting right in front of me. It was too tempting. I booted up the game and that is where my adventure started.[/i]

[color=#808080]GAH. I accidentally deleted my sign up. V_V Oh well. I will post that later. For now, I'm going to provide a list of who got in. This list is based [i]solely[/i] on your sign ups and whether or not I wanted them in the story. ALSO: I will keep sign ups open. If other people want to sign up as the RPG gets going, please feel free -- I'll tell you if you are accepted.[/color] [b].players//AZURESEA[/b] [b][Player 1][/b] [Name: Shizuko] [Account Holder: Tomoko Kazama] [OB Member Name: James] [b][Player 2][/b] [Name: Traumerin] [Account Holder: Kelly Thraves] [OB Member Name: Braidless Baka] [b][Player 3][/b] [Name: Delete] [Account Holder: Sammy Westfield] [OB Member Name: Break] [b][Player 4][/b] [Name: VicuMiru] [Account Holder: Anna Rose] [OB Member Name: Serendity] [b][Player 5][/b] [Name: Kizin] [Account Holder: Dani Mills] [OB Member Name: Sarsy] [b][Player 6][/b] [Name: Ralvenar] [Account Holder: Craig Burke] [OB Member Name: Yoda] [b][Player 7][/b] [Name: Maria Sanchez] [Account Holder: Jesse Baez] [OB Member Name: Arikel] [b][Player 8][/b] [Name: Arano Karakkaze] [Account Holder: Gus Bailey] [OB Member Name: Medra] [b][Player 9][/b] [Name: Orlia] [Account Holder: Lauren] [OB Member Name: ChibiTrunks] [b][Player 10][/b] [Name: Jet] [Account Holder: Leo Canton] [OB Member Name: Zidane] [b][Player 11][/b] [Name: Marika Angelus] [Account Holder: Evira Shinjitsu] [OB Member Name: Kaiba's Angel] [b][Player 12][/b] [Name: Rayne Anmell] [Account Holder: Robin Powell] [OB Member Name: Raquel] [b][Player 13][/b] [Name: Wes] [Account Holder: Jake Thompson] [OB Member Name: Shyguy] [b][Player 14][/b] [Name: Lucius Cord] [Account Holder: Charlie Schafer] [OB Member Name: Heaven's Cloud] [b][Player 15][/b] [Name: Kattarin Telecanter] [Account Holder: Flynn Mitchell] [OB Member Name: The Harlequin] [b][Player 16][/b] [Name: Geist] [Account Holder: Johann Mueller] [OB Member Name: Kouberei] [b][Player 17][/b] [Name: Celestine] [Account Holder: MeeJin Lee] [OB Member Name: Juuthena] [b][Player 18][/b] [Name: Minus] [Account Holder: Natali Pyllen] [OB Member Name: PiroMunkie] [b][Player 19][/b] [Name: Phros Poe] [Account Holder: Edgar Grant] [OB Member Name: Mitch] [b][Player 20][/b] [Name: Raye Misaro] [Account Holder: Nakeisha Rowe] [OB Member Name: Lady Katana] [b][Player 21][/b] [Name: Kaya] [Account Holder: Melissa Green] [OB Member Name: Millennia] [b][Player 22][/b] [Name: Tabrett Mechanus] [Account Holder: Connor Robertson] [OB Member Name: Final Flash] [color=#808080]If you didn't get in, it's most likely because I was dissatisfied with your sign up in some way. Either it was pretty far out and unrealistic, it ignored the basic guidelines or it was simply a rush job. I will add people to the above list as I select them. If anybody still wants to sign up (who hasn't already), please feel free to do so. If you see your character details added above, you're in. The RPG will start soon.[/color] The RPG is located here: [url="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23137"]C://Progra~1/dothack_EXPANSION/dhEXP.exe[/url]

[color=#808080]Ahh yes, now I remember. I've just gotten the Gravity Suit...so, I really have no idea how far I am overall. But what can I say; I'm absolutely loving this game. It still feels as fresh and interesting as it did in the beginning. And it seems like each level just keeps expanding in new ways...it's very interesting and it's always exciting to explore a new area. ^_^ "Metroid Prime 2" is fast approaching the top of my list for most wanted games...after Mario 128, that is. ~_^[/color]

[color=#808080]I also think people are misinterpreting the idea of "mainstreaming anime". By being exclusive, anime fans are only making the situation worse for themselves. As has been said; a large reason why animes like DBZ are so popular is because other kinds of anime are not nearly as readily available to the audience (whether it be kids or adults). I personally feel that DBZ is a pretty silly show. And in my opinion, it sits on the lower end of the anime scale. However, I also recognize that the so-called "mainstream" who watch it don't necessarily have the kind of choice that more knowledgable people have. If you are knowledgable about anime in general, it won't do you [i]any[/i] good sitting there and complaining about the proliferation of animes like DBZ and then [i]resisting[/i] the mainstream proliferation of more "exclusive" animes. It is actually better for all sides that anime becomes more widely accepted. Or, if you like, "mainstream". Does that automatically mean that anime has to lose any of its charm or quality? No, of course not. And some see the idea of "mainstreaming" as being equivalent to a loss in quality. It's like "Oh, darn...we've lost that one to the masses, so let's find another one that hasn't been touched by the dirty hands of dubbers". It [i]is[/i] elitist, but I also think that it's plainly ignorant. Let's face it. We all want more anime. We all want more [i]options[/i] and variety within anime. And we all want a greater array of high quality anime appearing on our shelves. So how do we encourage that? We encourage that by providing DBZ fans (and fans of other series like Pokemon or something) with the opportunity to learn and accept other types of anime. It has to be a positive process. However, if you want to further limit the availability of high quality anime...and if you want to [i]encourage[/i] poor dubbing and lousy translations, then continue with what you're doing. The more you exclude people and the more you resist a proliferation in anime, the more difficult you make it for anime companies to justify high quality and numerous conversions and International releases. Really, it's common sense. I think all anime fans should be on the same page here. Whether you like DBZ or whether you like .hack//SIGN; you still have something in common -- a respect and appreciation for anime (regardless of the specific series). Rather than using the franchise as a divisive issue, we should use the common love of anime as a way of empowering ourselves and expanding the available market so that anime producers will see reason to release anime that may otherwise never be seen outside Japan.[/color]

[color=#808080]Posts that are spammy/incoherent [i]will[/i] be deleted. If you don't want them to be deleted, then you are advised to take more care with your posting. As far as producing a "retro" skin -- you just never know.[/color]