James

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Mitch [/i] [B][color=red] Great story Jeh. I love stories. :) Hm. THe history of OB has always interested me. It's just so..interesting. Heh. Thanks for telling the story![/color] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]My pleasure, Mitch. I'm actually surprised that anyone is still interested in reading it. Hehe...I guess that's because I'm always being asked about it by someone. But we might as well use this thread to clear up OB's history once and for all -- then we can always give people a link if they ask. lol[/color]

[color=#808080]Hm, I'll try to give you some [i]constructive[/i] criticism, ssj3. I can tell by this image that at least you know how to place and colour text...and you know how to recolour images. You're also obviously able to determine the overall size of your image, which is a good start. So what do I recommend for this image? Well, I think you can do a few little things to make it more interesting. For example, do you know how to use layers? And for that matter, does your program support the use of them? If so, it might be worthwhile having a "background" layer behind both your text and your image. The background can be anything you like; a different image or your own design. You might want to try drawing basic geometric shapes and sticking 'em all together...or using different kinds of line. Really, it's up to you. And it doesn't have to be complicated; you can keep it simple and create a nice pattern from simple designs. You may even want to use text for a background. You could repeat the same word/sentence over and over again with very small sized text. Or alternatively, you might want to zoom the text in to make it huge...and then use it as a background (so the visible parts of the text would appear to be cropped). Your actual text also needs to be easier to read. The font, wording and placement are fine. However, this is simply a case of it not being light enough. So you might want to play around with that and experiment. Otherwise, I think you're on the right track. The key is to keep trying and trying. The more images you produce, the better you'll become. And don't be afraid to experiment in unique ways -- use wild colours or bizarre and ridiculous compositions. Create an image with no meaning at all. You can start anywhere and you will find that you'll develop some important skills along the way. So, good luck. I'd give this a 4/10 if I were rating an expert artist. But if you're a total beginner, I'd rate it 7/10; it shows promise in basic areas and with a little work, it can become something quite impressive. ^_^[/color]

[color=#808080]ssj3matthew, I really recommend that you read our rules. Even though there is some validity to this thread, I think you could have put a little more effort in. For example, you might want to tell us what [i]your[/i] favourite car is and why. Go into a little detail; give us some reasons and prompt some discussion. That's what we like to see at OtakuBoards. If this thread is able to move in that direction, then it can certainly remain open. Otherwise, it will be closed.[/color]

[color=#808080]I actually don't get angry very much; things that should make me angry usually end up disappointing me or making me upset in some way. But I'm rarely outright "angry"; mostly I am just annoyed/disappointed by negative things. In recent times, parts of my family have made me angry. But that is rare. Other than that, I can't say that I've had much to be angry about. School is going very well and other aspects of my life are fine. I think things are relatively good at the moment, except for a couple of issues.[/color]

[color=#808080]To address your first point, I think (as Semjaza pointed out), it's important to realize that skins are actually a great deal of work. And, due to the fact that I'm not technically skilled myself, the work time is significantly increased (because I rely on technical staff who's time is already finite as is). Of course, my own time for producing skins is significantly lower than it once was. A single skin can take five to ten hours of work, if you include the technical aspect as well. And that can translate to several days/weeks of solid work, because obviously you're not going to sit down and make the entire thing in one shot. I would like to have more themed skins on OB. But due to the time problems and the availability of tech staff, I've had to settle for more "general" skins that everyone can enjoy. If I put all my effort into a Digimon skin, for instance, its appeal will be a lot more limited than the Liquid skin -- because at least with this skin, it's something quite general. The second question has several answers. First, we don't allow multiple accounts for security reasons. Second, more than one account is [i]never[/i] required under any circumstances; if you want to join an RPG, you're usually creating a character other than yourself and you're usually playing from a third-person perspective. And so, your actual member name is really irrelevant. Third, people need to be easily identifiable. If you have five or six names for instance, you're going to be much harder to identify (which is both annoying for members and adds to a security risk in terms of staff tracking your activities). I think also, on a basic level, it's just unnecessary. Nobody needs more than one account.[/color]

[color=#808080]Proteus, Demos and Iota crept through the eerily silent passageways. The passageways were as sterile as ever; the reploids could even smell the scent of anti-static chemicals on the walls. All three reploids were carrying various arms (both conventional and reploid-based) in large military bags, which they were shouldering. It was not difficult to shoulder such a load; a single bag would probably have required six or seven men to carry it. But the hydraulic muscles of reploids were many thousands of times stronger than standard human muscles. And as such, this chore was relatively easy. Proteus briefly consulted his internal map. The trio had moved up several levels and were now on Sub Level B2, which was primarily used for storing standard firearm munitions for human troops. Proteus turned to the others. "We need to find a hovercar and get out of here!" The other two reploids paused for a moment, as though deep in thought. Demos clicked his fingers almost immediately. "It's a bit risky, but we can take an APC. There is at least one garage full of second generation APCs; they are rarely used. If we can just get down there and make our way past the Barrier Checkpoint, we can make our way through the desert." The others nodded. They began to walk towards the nearest elevator, which led directly to the underground APC docking bay (which consisted of around 52 APC ports with seperate APC types). But as they did so, the sound of metal clanging echoed throughout the nearby corridors. "Security Droids!" exclaimed Iota. She was right; the droids were not sent directly to look for the three reploids, but they [i]were[/i] sent to secure the area. If the group was found with unauthorized weapons, the entire sector would be after them... Demos carefully lay one of his ammunition bags on the floor and pressed the "up" button on the elevator's outer control panel. Just as Proteus, the last to enter, disappeared inside the elevator, a loud blast of gunfire erupted behind him. The doors closed rapidly and the three reploids moved to the sides of the elevator car. As they did so, tiny beams of light penetrated the darkness; the elevator door was being torn to shreds by armor-piercing titanium bullets. "Damn those droids!" exclaimed Demos angrily. The elevator jolted and paused, as an electronic whirring sound was heard from underneath the floor. "Looks like we're stuck," said Proteus. Demos nodded and opened the ammunition bag. He pulled out an R-Class Shotgun and gripped the handle tightly. The shotgun itself was made of two primary parts -- a static handle and a "sawn-off" twin-barrel extension. To reload, it was necessary to jerk the handle upwards slightly, causing the twin barrels to briskly rotate a full 360 degrees. While this was considered a "manual" firearm (and thus was never required by Maverick Hunters, who posessed their own busters and beam sabres), it was definitely one of Demos' weapons of choice. The gunfire from the outer corridor fell silent. Proteus and Iota could only barely make out Demos' figure in the darkness. Obviously, the local security administrators had disengaged all of the elevators within their sector. Proteus wondered how they'd make it out of there. Within moments, the elevator's heavy doors began to rattle; the security droids were attempting to cut their way through. Demos' grin was not visible to the others, but they somehow [i]knew[/i] that he was grinning to himself. "Persistent little bastards, aren't they?" The doors slowly opened. But it wasn't the droids who were opening them; it was Demos. He forced the heavy doors open with his hydraulic arms and was greeted by five gun barrels. Demos eyed the five security droids slowly. "Nice..." There were two droids directly nearby, one behind them and two a little further back. Proteus likened it to the pattern of the five dots on a dice cube. The nearest droid's attention was squarely placed on Demos. "Lay down your weapon and raise your arms immediately, or Maverick Hunters Security Squad 1,098 will exercise the use of lethal force," it said in a monotone robotic voice. Demos' grin widened at this warning. "I love a challenge," he snickered. Almost immediately, Demos grabbed the first droid's arm. Within a split second, the droid to his right lunged forward. Demos grabbed the second droid's arm and slammed the two droids together forcefully, resulting an a deafening crash that echoed down the nearby hallways. He then pushed each droid, causing them to tumble backwards over their own feet. Shotgun armed, Demos stared at the other three droids. "Want some?" he taunted. All three closed in immediately. Demos tripped the first droid and as it fell to the ground, he fired a single round at the second droid causing its head to explode. At almost the same time, he delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to the third droid's aluminium chest plate, sending it spiralling backwards on to the floor. Proteus jumped from the elevator and joined Demos. He aimed his buster at the fallen droid and fired a single energy blast, which caused the droid's body to erupt in a ball of orange and green fire. "Overkill, don't you think?" joked Demos. "It was about to get up," said Proteus calmly -- but not without a mischevious glint in his eye.[/color]

[color=#808080]Can we get back on track here, please? o_O[/color]

[color=#808080]For me it was just a matter of needing to sort things out quickly. Even though things were moving rapidly, I got the sense that those members that were actually online (or at least some of them) didn't notice much. Some people were responding to the spam threads with the usual "you're not allowed to spam here and this will be closed". lol Funnily enough, it was only when I closed the boards down entirely that people started saying "wait a minute, what's going on here?" I don't know if kuji or Justin were sending out any information about specifically what was going on though, so I guess I have no way of knowing what people were hearing on the night.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by cloricus [/i] [B]I What was this about wars to, and I?ve had it explained partially what happened at the end of V2 but can someone who remembers what they are talking about tell the story? Eps - P0st4ge! [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]I might as well explain, so that you don't get a distorted story. Basically, Shinji (who is a member here now, but rarely posts) was a staff member back in the day. Somehow he managed to get Adam's password (not that it was hard to guess -- I gave Adam a virtual slap on the wrist for that) and took over Adam's account. He made himself an Administrator and made several of his friends Administrators. And then, as you can imagine, the boards went to hell. Spam was everywhere, stuff was deleted, people's accounts were messed up, signatures were edited...you name it, they did it. I managed to stop Shinji and a few others in time (they were stupid -- they never took away my Admin capabilities :rolleyes: ), but it was like a chain reaction...people kept adding other people as Administrators. So it became a mob mentality, you know? Anyway, that's essentially what happened. All these other tales of elaborate hacking and such are bogus. Most people [i]don't[/i] know what happened. And most people [i]weren't[/i] there at the time. It happened late at night and only very few people were around. Very few. So that's the basic story. And, partially as a result of this, we moved to Virtual Bulletin (we were formerly on UBB) and we moved to v3. So here we are now, with over 4,000 members. Had we not had to "rebuild", I think we might have 6,000 - 7,000 members. But in a way it was a good thing, because it gave us the opportunity to rethink security and to reconsider the operation of the site. I think v6 is our most accomplished version, because we've been able to actually add more than one skin ([i]finally[/i]) and we have a much more organized staff structure. There are still plenty of things I'd like to do, of course. And some of my own ideas and goals are limited by the availability of technical staff. Even those that I have are very busy themselves, so it's hard to find someone who is dedicated to OB on a constant basis. But, not withstanding those issues, I don't know where this site will go in the future. For once, I really don't have any longterm plans for OB. I'm happy with where we are. Anything we add now would just be peripheral in nature (not that we won't add anything, of course). So, for the most part, I'm happy to stay on v6 (and various modifications of it) until the next big forum technology is available; either Virtual Bulletin 3 or something entirely different. [/color]

[color=#808080]You mean fan fiction? We've temporarily closed that site down, if memory serves me correctly. I'm sorry about that, but you will understand why very soon -- we have some alternative things planned. ^_^[/color]

[color=#808080]I think the most sobering thought is simply that there is no cure. And that the virus is spread much more easily than first thought - much more easily than catching a cold. But certainly, it can't be blown out of proportion. Hopefully it will be under control at some point.[/color]

[color=#808080]Gameplay is my main concern in every case. In RPGs, this is no different. Gameplay includes the battle system, movement/control, level design and game structure, etc... If the gameplay is no good, no amount of wonderful storytelling is going to provide overall enjoyment of the game. If you have no fun [i]playing[/i] it, you'll put it down. Even the much-worshipped FFVII was [i]far[/i] from perfect in this regard. The battle system was good, but not always great. The story was excellent; no issues there. But in terms of being an example of raw gameplay, FFVII was nothing special. It was mostly a question of characters, story and visuals that really made FFVII such a stellar title. Of course, a relatively strong battle system helped a great deal. I don't think RPGs should adhere to any different "code" when compared with other games. All games should consider the fundamentals and this is no different with RPGs. The only other thing I'd say is that perhaps RPGs do need more of a focus on story and character development (well, I guess they [i]must[/i] focus more on that). So, yes...that's one extra consideration. But visuals, music and physical gameplay (movement/combat/interaction) should always be considered in every genre, including RPGs.[/color]

[color=#808080]Hiachi, you shouldn't get involved in these so-called debates if you're going to get all defensive. Nobody has insulted you; rather, your inaccuracies have been pointed out to you. What was this debate all about? It was about the [i]definition[/i] of cel-shading as a visual technique. I believe that the definition has been clearly stated (and re-stated). Now you're changing your argument. You're backing away and saying that you were talking about Zelda having a [i]different kind[/i] of cel-shading. Nuh-uh. Sorry, but you originally said that Zelda [i]isn't cel-shaded[/i]. And it obviously is. So, yeah. It's not worth getting involved in these discussions if you're going two twist and turn like that. People with knowledge in these areas [i]will[/i] pull you up on your inaccuracies. That doesn't mean that anyone was being rude; I don't think anyone was. However, even when faced with the evidence, you yourself were quite dismissive and continued to debate. So you can't blame everyone else for your own obvious desire to continue discussing the subject. EDIT: Oh, Hiachi. That last GameSpy quote of yours? You misinterpreted it. GameSpy didn't mean that The Wind Waker isn't using cel-shading. They are simply saying that TWW isn't following the [i]recent trend[/i] of cel-shading technique. The implication is that Zelda is using another "brand" or "style" of cel-shading. GameSpy aren't implying that Zelda [i]isn't[/i] cel-shaded; they are just pointing out that Zelda's use of the technique is more "toon-like" than something like Jet Set Radio, where the black outline was indeed present.[/color]

[color=#808080]Oh I love that!! It reminds me of the Godskitchen album I just bought; the style is very similar...minimalist and "techno". Awesome stuff. The pink hearts are [i]great[/i]; people are too afraid to use pink because they think it's girly. I disagree -- pink is a powerful colour and if used correctly, can be very bold. Don't be afraid to use pink. ~_^ 9/10.[/color]

[color=#808080]I think Denzel Washington really deserved to win best actor -- but not for that movie. He's done so many great movies, like The Bone Collector for example. Why not win for that? I think he's been passed over way too many times. He's a great, skilled actor. Anyway, I watched very little of this year's awards. Michael Moore, while often quite interesting (though he's an unashamed liberal, some of his points are quite interesting -- particularly the guns and America issue), has no right to get on a political soapbox at the Oscars. It's rude, unprofessional and irrelevant. Anyway, did anyone notice all the frontend stuff in the Oscars? Like that history of cinema thing and the way the circles turned into different objects? Kinda like a menu graphics type thing. Well, the guy who created all of that gave a talk at an international design conference in my city, which my school attended. It was really fascinating! He was talking about that and how they did it. He also showed us opening credits that he did for Darkness Falls and a number of other upcoming movies. So yeah, that's sort of unrelated, but his involvement with the Oscars is interesting, because you never really think of all those menu graphic things...but they're often quite interesting. ^_^;[/color]

[color=#808080]Actually, this is something that we had planned on including. I'm not sure if we ever did or not. I entrusted this task to Shift, but I don't think he ever got around to adding it. Right now we're having some problems with adding hacks, so I'm not sure if this request can be granted right away. But we'll see. You might want to avoid using capital letters constantly too, Thing296. I can't speak for everyone, but for me it's a bit confusing. Anyway, that aside, welcome to the boards. I hope you enjoy your stay here. ^_^ I'll be looking into the hack issue as soon as possible, so hopefully we can do something about the midis then.[/color]

[color=#808080]Semjaza is exactly right. Hiachi is incorrect. Cel-shading is quite a general term -- you can utilize cel-shading for a multitude of visual styles and no, you [i]don't[/i] need a black line around the object to call it "cel-shaded". I also notice a lot of people saying "toon shaded" and "cel-shaded". That is nothing but pulling at straws -- both terms refer to the same thing. People kind of invented the term "toon shaded" as a way of communicating Zelda's visual style to a lay audience. These are just two terms that explain the same thing. The easiest way to describe cel/toon shading is simply to say that it basically consists of only two colours being used on a lit object. When you see Link's face in TWW, you'll notice that it only has two colours. One for the shadow and one for the lit area. The same is true for Jet Set Radio and just about any other cel-shaded game. Of course, this isn't the constant rule. There are many many different ways of cel-shading an object, depending on the particular style you want to express. So the term "cel-shading" is kind of like saying "dynamic lighting". Yes, dynamic lighting is a particular technique or principle -- but it can be used in so many different ways. I hope that makes sense. Hiachi, you're [i]obviously[/i] not a "developer", because your explanation of cel-shading falls hopelessly short of the mark. All you have to do is read [i]any[/i] developer interview about the use of cel-shading. Also, I'd like to point you to a feature written at N-Sider regarding The Wind Waker (it was published a while ago). The feature talks about cel-shading and explains what it is and how it works. [url=http://www.n-sider.com/index_content.php?page=features/zeldablowout.htm]N-Sider Article Link[/url] Considering that Hiachi probably won't read the article, I'll make two interesting quotes here:[/color] [quote][i]Jason Nuyens, Editor in Chief, N-Sider:[/i][b] With a new style comes a new challenge of development. The technology that goes into creating simple cell shading is complex, but nobody really knows what is going on for Zelda?s case. It remains to be seen what kind of hardware hit there will be when the trace lines are not on the models, and when dynamic lighting is used to the extent that has been so far. However, if we study what goes on with standard cell shading we might begin to understand the mathematics involved in creating the visuals. In simple cell shading methods for PC programming, using mainly OpenGL, the theory of cell shading can be analyzed. The first thing you must do is find out a lighting situation. Examine the picture below: The equation for a single pixel on the screen with lighting is essentially the dot product between a normal vector from the model and the ray from a light source. This is equal to the cosine of the angle between both the normal vector and the ray from the light source. Once you have this, you use it to index a color in a ?texture map?, like in the following figure: So, using the result from the cosine, we index a specific color from our ?texture map? or range of colors so to speak. Figure B shows a very simplistic palette of cell shading colors. Essentially when you determine the angle that the light is at, you can determine which shade of color to use. For this example we have three shades: bright, normal, and shadowed. By using this color indexing we can achieve the lighted shading that we wanted. Figure C shows what a cross section of a cylinder would look like with a light source. As you can see, when the angle between the light ray and vector approaches zero, the bright color is indexed. As it calculates along the surface, you move all the way to the shaded area. With the rules of cell shading, if there is a negative value when calculating the cosine, it is set to 0 on our ?color scale?. That is essentially the ?back side?, or complete shaded area of the object. As an example, if the light hits a point on the polygon at 60 degrees, then the cosine of the angle is 0.5 and the corresponding shade will be white (on our Figure B you can match it up). [/b][/quote] [color=#808080]I didn't include the pics in there because they're a bit hard to see. In addition, here's a quote from Nintendo Company Limited itself, regarding the use of cel-shading in The Wind Waker:[/color] [quote][i]NCL:[/i] [b]It asks for the pixel located in the edge of a subject using a depth (Z) value, and a border color is alternatively blended to these pixels, and is displayed on them. In order to ask for the edge of a subject, the depth value and the depth value of a circumference pixel of a certain pixel are compared. Based on this distance value, the boundary layer color for which it asks to the color value of this pixel is blended. It is used for this distance value adjusting for example the quantity of the boundary layer color which was used for the operation of the alpha value of a pixel and was blended by the pixel color after that. The frame buffer where an alpha value is usually memorized in the portion of the subject which has a discernment value is made to memorize other examples. This discernment value is used for discriminating a pause of the portion of a subject for giving a boundary layer color. [/b][/quote]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Etarah's Maverick [/i] [B][color=teal]OOC:Same way you talk to someone in the Matrix. And what the Hell are we supposed to do, remain bored while you and Raiha spar, waiting for the next mission. And besides, you know me, I have a suicidal complex. Anything but life-threatening situations are boring as Hell, even Armored Core 3. *lightbulb* Say, anybody wanna help me with an Armored Core RPG? That might be fun.....[/color] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]OOC: Oh c'mon. You don't need to rely on Neil and Raiha to push the story forward. There's plenty you can do while you wait for their shameless flirting to finish. ~_^ And I hope you're going to edit that post with an RP post. Half of it is totally unrelated to this thread. Of course, I'll be editing [i]this[/i] post with an RP post. ~_^[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Semjaza Azazel [/i] [B]I am sticking with what I said. I'm not citing anyone here at OB, but when people mention this game in general it's simply "Miyamoto this" and "Miyamoto that." His role in these games is downplayed more than ever, yet he is getting more of the credit than he ever has. It doesn't make sense to me. In my opinion, the series has gotten far better since Aonuma got more heavily involved... However, I seem to be in the minority that thinks Majora is one of the best Zelda games ever (and it too had far more characterization than any other Zelda game before it). There are tons of people that are not given enough credit at Nintendo, but we're talking only about Zelda. Considering that Aonuma wanted the cel shading as he thought it would show emotions and such better, I'd be willing to say he was the one responsible for getting more characterization and expression into this game personally. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]I think it's natural for Miyamoto to get some of the credit. And I do think he's getting credit where it's due -- though admittedly, the lay audience is often citing Miyamoto, when in fact they're talking about something created by another designer. Your comment about Aonuma wanting to show the emotions better and stuff...that's not quite accurate. If you look at the Space World video of 2000, you'll find that this was [i]actually[/i] what was planned in terms of graphics. The original plan had always been to produce an "extension" of Ocarina of Time in terms of style. It was Miyamoto who was concerned with this and who wanted a fresh and "more expressive" approach. Once again, I repeat what I said -- Miyamoto built the table, Aonuma put the objects on that table. The table, or brief, was for a more expressive game. Miyamoto didn't want an adult link with earrings -- he wanted a mischevious little boy. And Aonuma followed this line of thought and introduced the cel-shading technique and the current visual style as we know it (and rightly so). I hope that clarifies the Aonuma/Miyamoto thing. I'll even copy and paste the expansive IGN Insider interview and highlight specific parts if you want; there are many references (and often specific descriptions) of what Miyamoto and Aonuma's respective roles were. Fundamentally though, I do agree; Aonuma does not get enough credit. I adored Majora's Mask and I consider it to be my second favourite Zelda title (Link to the Past first, Ocarina of Time third -- don't know about Wind Waker yet, obviously). In terms of the older games...I do think that as a general rule, people tend to look through rose coloured glasses -- whether intentionally or not. If you go back and play LttP and directly compare elements with TWW, I think that the comparisions are pretty stark. However, it's important to note that such comparisons are usually unfair. It's very hard to compare OoT with TWW, in the sense that TWW [i]should[/i], by rights, be the superior game. It was developed after OoT and utilized the experience and lessons learned during development of that game. The natural progression is, ideally, that each new game improves on its predecessor. Of course, that's not always the case. But, I don't think that the Zelda games have necessarily gotten better or worse -- they're sort of different each time. In addition, it's very hard to compare LttP with OoT or TWW, because each game is actually quite unique. Plus, we're not necessarily talking about which game is better as such (because that's so very subjective); I think most people are referring to the feelings they have when playing each game. So for example, when I first played OoT, I had this massive sense of wonder and excitement...so it holds fond memories for me. But, I have even stronger positive memories of MM (which is why it's my second favourite). But my most happy memories of a Zelda game are definitely LttP -- in the sense that it took me the longest to beat and I found it to be thoroughly enjoyable all the way through. I never really came across many horribly tedious moments. So it's all relative. It's about how you felt when playing the games and what elements you value most. Yes, people do tend to look through rose coloured glasses at old games...but sometimes the newer games also fail to capture the magic of the older titles. Having said that, I'm not one of those "old school is always best" kind of people. I don't subscribe to the idea that all old school games were better and that we were living in a "golden age" of video gaming. I tend to find that newer games are far better designed than their older counterparts in terms of being more balanced and offering more variety. Of course, that's all based on the experience of designers and the changes in the market...it's really another discussion. [/color]

[color=#808080]Well, it's autumn here at the moment in Australia. And it's pretty evident already; leaves changing colour and plenty of gusty wind conditions. ~_^ The thing I love about Melbourne is that all our seasons are [i]real[/i]. We have a real autumn with golden leaves, a real summer (with temperatures frequently over 120-130 farenheit), a real winter (plenty of frost and ice, though no snow within the city) and a real spring (flowers, sun showers, warm weather). The weather can often be unpredictable in Melbourne specifically, but there is a lot of variety all the time.[/color]

[color=#808080]I like. ^_^ The green haze behind the gold text seems to work really well for some reason...kind of like it's haze in the forest. And the cropping of your character is [i]very[/i] nice -- no jagged edges, which is really important. The font you've chosen is also pretty appropriate. Nice job. I'd give this 8/10.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by GinnyLyn [/i] [B]Who do I blame for the miserable camera angle that keeps turning me away from the Mario series constantly? >.< [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]Oh surely you're not serious. ~_^ The camera system in the Mario games is superb! Especially in Super Mario Sunshine -- it doesn't hold your hand, it gives you full control. I really enjoyed that once I got used to it. And then there's the whole issue of you being turned away from stellar games simply because of the camera alone...tsk tsk. ~_^ Anyway...it's funny how the stylized graphics actually combine with the physics to make something quite realistic. In some ways, I did find this game more realistic than GTAIII. Just look at the fire temple (I have no idea what the name of it is), where you see the ash floating around on the wind. It's really subtle, but done so well.[/color]

[color=#808080]Cyko, WHAT is the point of that picture? It might be nice not to post erroneous attachments. lol Just a thought. ~_^ There isn't much to say about Mario 128. It's in development and it's been in development for longer than Super Mario Sunshine. So it'll be big, whatever it is. Nintendo insists that the game will debut before the end of 2003, despite the obvious feelings amongst game journalists that this is unlikely. Nintendo recently reconfirmed that the game will release before the end of this year. I expect to see a fully playable version at E3 -- so it'll be something to look forward to.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Manslayer [/i] [B]now im 13 too,i aint do dope but i been dion' it.now girls are my life.stay da way ya are or life could be livin hell for ya.and if u happen to end up in a closet bring a condom [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]Okay, first thing...Manslayer, you need to watch that post quality. Your post is very difficult to understand. And it's not an impossible ask; just look at Spikey...he's younger than you yet his post quality is [i]far[/i] superior. It just takes a little effort. You don't do dope but you've been "doing it"? Does that mean having sex? Hm... I really dislike the idea of young kids having sex. Most of them have no idea how destructive it can potentially be to their lives. For example, my mum was telling me about a guy who works at her company...he's 30 and he has an 18 year old son (meaning that his son was born when he was 12). His girlfriend at that time was [i]18[/i] (obviously making her a paedophile). And now, he's still paying for the consequences of that. I'm not entirely blaming him (because obviously the woman played a massive role in that situation), but still...I really personally disapprove of kids having sex at 12/13. You're just not emotionally developed enough to handle that responsibility. I always cringe when I see young kids smoking, too. It really rubs me the wrong way. If you're 18, I really don't care what you do -- at least you're of legal age and if you want to mess up your life, that's your choice. But sub-18...it's a really worrying thought for me personally. I could probably go on and on about that. But I think that mostly, kids underestimate things. And they overestimate themselves. Kids underestimate (and undervalue) sex, in my opinion (at least, those young kids who are actually having sex). And more often than not, young kids who smoke are also underestimating the damage of smoking. It's really hard to avoid giving a lecture when you talk to kids about this subject. My sister is 14...so I think these things are really relevant to her. The great thing is, she and I have a good friendship. I give her advice on things and she always tells me what's going on in her life. So, I never lecture her...I just ask her what's going on and if she ever needs to talk. And so, she trusts me. And I trust her. That trust is really important too, because I [i]know[/i] that she won't smoke for example. And I've spoken to her very frankly about sex -- I'm very confident that she won't have sex until she is fully ready (read: not for another few years lol). So, everyone is different and everyone has different relationships. It's really difficult to give advice because people will always take things in a different way, you know? Blah, I don't know if that makes any sense...just my rambling on the subject. ~_^[/color]

[color=#808080]Dark rains from the north blanketed the countryside that evening. Few travellers were on the roads; only those who's livelihood relied on the trade between towns. At the head of the nearby hills, the kingdom of Solstice sat as a dark silhouette to the night sky. As lightning flashed, the outer walls and elaborate turrets combined to form the image of some kind of enormous black creature that was crouched on its haunches over the hills. But, despite the lack of movement and light within the kingdom, it was at the foothills nearby that the true merriment was occurring. One of the most famous taverns in the region -- [i]The White Unicorn[/i] -- was hosting an oddly full crowd on this evening. The bartop's surface was barely visible for the hundreds of pitchers laid over it. At one end of the deep red wood bartop sat a young elf by the name of Sabel. Unbeknownst to those in the tavern, he'd been entrusted to an important task -- one that the King himself had entrusted to him. But at this moment, Sabel's focus was on his food and drink that, at The White Unicorn, was always rich and colourful. One voice made itself heard over the lively din of the tavern -- the voice of a rather large man who was obviously enjoying his ale a little [i]too[/i] much. Sitting next to him was a much smaller man, who seemed to be nervously serveying the room as though trying to apologize to every patron for his friend's behavior. "Aye! They shhay, all thosh prophets, that we're getting all corrupted theshe daysh!" The large man paused to take a large swig of ale (some of which dripped down over his shirt, which only added to the already sizeable stain there). "Yeah, you know, thosh prophets...they think they're sho shmart!! Well I tell ya, I ain't never sheen a greedy corrupted pershon in thesh parts 'afore...[size=3][color=brown]Hic![/color][/size]...[size=1]shcuze me...[/size]" As much as Sabel was tempted to grin -- maybe even chuckle -- at the ramblings of the drunk, his better judgement demanded otherwise. Afterall, the prophets of Solstice had been making many claims in recent times. And as much as Sabel didn't want to believe such claims, it was apparent to everyone in the area that there was some validity to them. Indeed, corruption was beginning to cling to Solstice, as Ivy might cling to the walls of the old chapel in the town square. And as each new sunrise and sunset passed, the grip of that ivy increased ever so slightly. Sabel continued to sip his ale slowly. For now, he wanted to forget his troubles and just enjoy his food and drink. He continued to listen, with some minor amusement, to the ramblings of the large drunk man.[/color]