James

[font=franklin gothic medium]I just want to add that this thread has been fine with me, in the sense that it was kind of silly to begin with... so I haven't minded what's happened here. But even if it's a silly discussion, at least try to keep to the point - having private chats between two members is pretty much a pain in the butt for everyone else. As long as you remember that, threads like this won't bother us at all.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I'm in the same boat as Treble; I recently finished MGS4. I rented it for a few days and played it on my dad's PS3. It's true that MGS4 is probably the best in the series and it [i]does[/i] wrap up all of the various storylines and sub-plots. In doing so, however, we are treated to (or punished by) frequent long cutscenes. And I mean [i]frequent[/i] and [i]long[/i]. Sometimes this really irritated me, because I'd watch a cutscene for half an hour, then play five minutes of game, then be forced into another twenty minute cutscene. Yuck. I must point out that I didn't mind this in MGS3, both because the MGS3 cutscenes were all incredibly interesting/well done [i]and[/i] because they generally weren't too long. They were pushing it, but were tolerable. MGS4 goes a bit too far in this regard. A lot of scenes could have been snipped back quite a bit or avoided all together, simply with better editing. In some scenes, characters repeat the same concept over and over again but in different ways. In other words, much of it is utterly redundant. Having said that, it is difficult for one game to wrap up all of the storylines from this series. And MGS4 does do this effectively, although in doing so, it does betray the highly convoluted nature of the MGS plot. I did follow most of it, but some things just lost me, primarily because I had forgotten details from previous games. So I almost feel that it's worth reading plot summaries of the prior three games before playing MGS4, just so that you are in the best possible position to enjoy the story. Anyway, the actual gameplay (when the game gives you the chance to play it, that is) is excellent. There is quite a bit of variety - probably moreso than previous games in the series. In fact, the trailers are all pretty much centered around the Middle East (which is great fun). But you will also visit [spoiler]South America, Eastern Europe and - wait for it - [i]Shadow Moses![/i][/spoiler] Also, as Treble said, there's a lot of variety in terms of how you can approach situations. There are times when it's quite advantageous to move in quietly, but other times you're actually better off diving in with all guns blazing. MGS4 seems far more "alive" and action-orientated than previous titles. There's a greater sense of urgency and a more thorough sense of being engulfed in the middle of a million proxy battles. Funnily enough, you will spend a lot of the game being surrounded by lots of other characters - be it friends, enemies or neutrals (or all three). And yet this does not in any way impede on the concept of Snake "going it alone" or being stealthy. In fact, once again, it offers some great variety to the formula. And like with previous games, there are some hilarious fourth wall aspects to MGS4. In fact I think the whole break down of the fourth wall barrier is done better in MGS4 than in any other MGS game to date. Also to answer one of Clepto's questions: no, this game only runs on one Blu-ray disc. And honestly, that's all it needs. It still took me a good 19 hours to complete it on the first run through. At one point, in fact, [spoiler]Otacon tells you to change to Disc 2. At this point, Snake is confused...and Otacon says something like "Oh, I forgot... we're on the PlayStation 3, so no need for multiple discs! What will they think of next?"[/spoiler] So, yeah, this is a great game in general and an even better game for MGS fans. Definitely the first truly must-own game for PS3. Be prepared, however, to play 50% and watch 50%. If you can tolerate that, you'll find it a worthwhile experience.[/font]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]Wouldn't that be "Interesting. Most interesting."...? [I]I[/I] think it's a better line.[/FONT][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Wouldn't it be scary if Gavin was actually the CEO of Wal-Mart and he'd infiltrated the internet? We're all doomed... :animeswea[/font]

[quote]Wal-Mart is the mastermind behind the majority of gang related incidents and gang crime.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]It would make a lot of sense if Wal-Mart were actually funding an entire system of illegal activity. I wonder if the CEO of Wal-Mart sits in a big leather chair and strokes a cat or something. He's probably twirling his moustache and saying "Excellent, excellent."[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]No worries, DeLarge. It happens. Thanks for letting us know. :catgirl: Anyway, you guys can continue this at any time. I figured a post from me might help to lead things on, but I think I will wait until someone else posts before I jump in again.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]That's cool. We just have to remember that there will be approximately 10 characters staying back on the outpost at this stage...which is by far the majority of active players. That in itself is fine, it's just that we'll have to be careful writing for that many. Maybe we can find a creative way to have them all meet and then split up into two groups. While I'm here I might as well do a bit of brainstorming on that. I think I mentioned that there were two escape pods left. So that could fit two groups of five, for instance. But they'd have to activate the station's power for those pods to be usable. Perhaps everyone can meet up and then split into two groups in an effort to solve the problem more quickly (maybe they can keep contact via walkie-talkie or something... if we have any more than one staff member in the group, that should be achievable). We just have to bear in mind that this will have to be quite fluid and we'll have to play each other's characters as best we can. I don't want to get too bogged down in over-planning this part. :catgirl:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Okay guys, let's see if I can explain where this is going. First of all, I've added the Landmark Index to the first page of this thread. As you can see, the third landmark contains two parts that operate simultaneously. 03a involves a group of passengers being stranded on the Outpost. The shuttle has returned to the Von Braun and the Von Braun itself is now speeding away from the asteroid. 03b involves a system error on board the Von Braun, whereby the starmap is actually drawing alternative paths that do not include a return trajectory to Earth (in other words, the ship is trying to take itself somewhere else). [i]However[/i], at this point, the engineers have the vessel under manual control. They figure that if they can fix the problem they can just manually steer the craft back to Earth if necessary. Now, here comes the tough part. Some passengers will have remained behind on the Outpost, while the others will have made it back to the Von Braun. My group (Natalia, Viktor, Katelyn and Zahir) are stuck on the station. Also, Darren's group (Ilona, Devin, Jamie and Alex) are stuck there (presumably the two groups will meet at some point). I would ideally like Arthur to remain on the outpost because I think he will have some personal revelations that can start to come out soon. Shy and I had talked about that, but it's ultimately up to Shy as to whether or not he stays. This would mean that Arichan's character can either stay or leave for the Von Braun (up to you, Arichan - you may have story elements that you want to play out further on the ship itself). Having said all of this, I'm very much open to mixing things up - these are just suggestions. Each of you can choose which Landmark to follow. [b]Those who follow 3a will be trying to escape from the Outpost (and will perhaps learn a little more about the conspiracy). And those who follow 3b (primarily ship staff) will be involved with uncovering the A.I. problem and trying to fix that.[/b] Then these two Landmarks will dovetail back into Landmark 04, which will mark the effective halfway point of this RPG. If you guys have any questions, let us know! :catgirl:[/font]

Landmark 03a: Alone in Space[font=arial][size=2][color=#202020][center][b]North Atlantic Republic Deep Space Outpost (Security Log)[/b] [i]NAR Shuttle Inbound...Docked. Entry Dock...Activated. Visitors Aboard Outpost...60 (10 Personnel, 50 Unknown). Cargo Dock...Powered Down. Cargo Dock Breached. Cargo Dock...Emergency Power Activated. Cargo Dock...Security Locks Engaged. Entry Dock...Disengaged. NAR Shuttle Outbound...Sensor Sweep Complete. Visitors Departed Outpost...51 (10 Personnel, 41 Unknown). Remote Counters Updated. Total Visitors Aboard Outpost...0.[/size] [/i] [img]http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/8932/escapepodvbzc6.jpg[/img] [size=1][i]Image of one of the six Outpost Escape Pods. The pods are accessed via a Cargo Dock door. Escape pods are housed within a deep tunnel cut into the asteroid's surface. The struts underneath provide boost to allow the pod to escape gravity.[/i][/center][/font][/size][/color] Landmark 03b: System Error[font=arial][size=2][color=#202020][center][img]http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/1483/ctrlroom2zc6.jpg[/img] [/size] [size=1][i]Image of Control Room 2.[/i][/size][size=2][/center] [b]Excerpts from WPNN Broadcast:[/b] "Early reports suggest a malfunction with the Von Braun's navigation system. So far, the error is only being reported out of Control Room 2, which contains the Long Range Starmap." "The ship's Captain Sorokov tells [i]WPNN[/i] reporters (via video link) that the ship itself is still maneuvering correctly and that manual control has been engaged." "The long-range mapping capabilities of the ship seem to be the only internal A.I. system suffering errors. This system provides basic mapping data for the ship's navigators, to allow them to circle the galaxy and return to Earth at the correct trajectory." "Captain Sorokov says that all logs are maintained and if further problems arise, the course home can be mapped manually (and the ship steered manually if required)." "Unnamed sources aboard the ship suggest that the A.I. malfunction is more widespread, but refuse to indicate the cause or exact nature of the problem."[/font][/size][/color] [center][img]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/avatar1_crew.gif[/img] [img]http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/4489/avatar2crewcd2.gif[/img][/center] [i]"I was lucky enough to sit down with none other than Lazar Sorokov last night. His office had told me that he would not allow an interview until the shuttle had safely docked with the Outpost, as he wanted to be sure that the passengers arrived safely. Lazar Sorokov is, of course, the highly-secretive Captain of the Von Braun. I believe that this was his first ever major interview. Since I can't broadcast video back to Earth, my cameraman has saved the file and we will air it once we return."[/i] Meryl Hunter switched off her voice recorder and placed it down at the side table by her bed. She then walked over to a large pile of video equipment, which had been sitting in the corner of her room for the last few hours. Meryl had an uncanny eye for detail. She was also known as [i]WPNN's[/i] most senior political analyst. An expert on domestic political matters, her assignment to the Von Braun came as quite a surprise (both for herself and her colleagues). Although she had a general interest in NARA's space program, she originally had zero interest in Captain Sorokov himself. At least, that was the case until she started digging through his past. She reached down and flipped open one of the cameras. It was a hand-held recorder, used to film a documentary: [i]Life Aboard the Von Braun[/i]. It was easier to view that version of her earlier interview, rather than going through the larger cameras. Meryl sat down and placed the recorder on a nearby table. She had a cigarette in one hand and it was connected to a long black cigarette holder. The little screen in front of her flickered to life. She sat back and analyzed every word spoken. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] Thank you for agreeing to join us, Captain. [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] My pleasure. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] I want to begin by asking you a little about your career. What did you do before becoming Captain of the Von Braun? Did you always want to be a ship Captain? [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] Actually, I began my career as a scientist. I studied Computer Science in Moscow and I eventually began working for the NARA Computer Laboratory there. It was a very exciting time. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] I can imagine. What kind of work did you do for them? [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] Well, that was almost thirty years ago. At that time there were many fields of work being undertaken at the Lab. I was often assigned to different areas, but at one stage I took over my own project; we were developing complex A.I. systems. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] I see. So how did you end up in America? [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] When I was about twenty-seven, I remember that NARA moved a large amount of its computing work to Washington Prime. I was moved along with nearly one hundred other staff. And I felt it was time for a change in career at that stage. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] What did you do? [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] I joined the military. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] Hm, that seems like a very big career change... [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] Not really. At the time, I was doing similar work for the American military. The nature of the A.I. projects were different, but the change of environment was wonderful. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] The American military? Which answered to whom? NARSIA? [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] That's correct. Although I never had anything to do with NARSIA directly. I am not sure what they did with a lot of the data from our experiments. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] And then your life took another turn, didn't it? [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] Yes, it did. I was stationed in the Naval Unit, aboard the amphibious vessel [i]Oceanic Viking[/i]. After only a few months, I became Captain of that ship. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] And that's where the career as ship Captain comes in. How does that tie in with your current role, though? [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] Well, at the time there was talk of a new space program in the pipeline. Although many of us wondered if it was just a rumor, being that I had certainly never heard of it during any of my earlier work. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] But you became aware of it at some stage? [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] Oh, yes. It was interesting because there was a new agency created while I was captain of the [i]Oceanic Viking[/i]. It was called [i]Republic Space Administration[/i], or [i]RSA[/i]. The RSA was drawing on many different groups for knowledge, including the NARA Computer Laboratory as well as various NARSIA organizations. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] Did you know about the Von Braun right away or was there a long testing process? [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] None of us knew anything about the Von Braun for years. All we knew was that RSA was calling on different groups to submit research and support to their efforts. Each part of the project was kept separate, so as to avoid any one organization having a monopoly on the RSA's work. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] So it was very secretive? Why? [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] Well I suppose you can imagine what the public's reaction would have been to the idea that they were going to launch a space craft for civilians. The RSA were initially only working on satellites and other low-orbit technologies. After a few years, they started to focus heavily on A.I. and robotics work. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] Did you then begin working for the RSA? [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] My post as Captain of the [i]Oceanic Viking[/i] finished. Once my tour of duty was over, I became a consultant to the RSA's Computer Science Division. At that point, I learned more about the nature of their A.I. work. It was really quite fascinating; they were building complex A.I. systems that could handle everything from navigation to life support. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] It sounds like this project really captured your imagination. [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] It did, yes. I must admit, it was very exciting to be at the cutting edge of technology. It wasn't long before the RSA began testing prototype vehicles, although none were nearly as large as this incredible ship that we are in right now. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] How did your role change, then? Were you still just a consultant? [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] Actually I became a test pilot. The RSA agreed to pay for my training. It was a wonderful experience. I had been involved with a lot of the computer engineering and now I'd learned how to pilot spacecraft. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] You were the obvious choice for Captain, then. [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] I suppose so. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] In that case, you would know a great deal about how the Von Braun works? [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] I know as much as any Captain knows, yes. I am very lucky to oversee multiple departments, each of which operate different areas of this vessel. Admittedly, the Von Braun is significantly more complicated than a naval ship. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] In that case, I do have one burning question for you. I think all of our viewers back home will want to know: we have one entire dock of the ship that is off-limits to all passengers. Just what is so secret? [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] [Laughs]. I assure you, there is nothing secretive down there. The ship has major engine components down there and we also have a large storage bay for cargo. We don't want people going down there because we would not want anything to be tampered with. Don't forget, the Von Braun is a very delicate machine. [b]M. Hunter:[/b] Even your engineers are not allowed down there, though. [b]L. Sorokov:[/b] I don't know where you heard that, Ms. Hunter. I can confidently say that if we encounter any major engine trouble, we will be quite happy to dispatch an engineer. But, in day-to-day operations, it is not necessary for anyone to go down there. Meryl switched off the camera. The interview continued for a further fifteen minutes, but somehow she felt unsatisfied with some of Sorokov's answers. She instinctively felt that several pieces were missing, but she couldn't place her finger on them. She tended to believe Sorokov's explanation about the secretive deck. After all, what else could possibly be down there? And the Captain of the ship would have to know, given his level of responsibility. Although she almost felt that something was missing from his explanation, she did not feel that it raised any suspicion. Meryl stood up and adjusted her nightgown. Her cigarette was half-finished. She walked over to the large window, which wrapped around one wall of her spacious hotel room. From there, an ocean of stars unfolded before her. Their soft lights trickled over her room in the darkness.

[font=franklin gothic medium]Yup. I will be posting the next landmark soon, with an explanation as to how it will work. I will also be putting up a landmark index on the front page of this thread, so that we can keep track of everything. :catgirl:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Okay, so my latest post includes a little more information (only a little) that may help to shed light on a few things. Shortly I will be posting the next Landmark, which will involve a significant incident (and which will lead into the first major "revelation" of the RPG). Also, for those of you who haven't yet posted...there's no real urgency to do so, but it would be courteous to let us know if you're actually quitting. Sandy has quit due to time constraints (he's on holiday from memory) and he was kind enough to let me know. Having said that, everyone else is doing a wonderful job. I'm really happy with the way people are taking their characters - we're seeing some good personalities emerging now. Please feel free to take some liberties with your characters, too (flashbacks are fine but it might be a good idea to mark them so that we know what's going on).[/font]

[center][img]http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9978/vboavatarey3.jpg[/img] [img]http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2357/kathykf5.jpg[/img] [img]http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5076/aryaviif9.jpg[/img] [img]http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/9613/sabavixi1.jpg[/img][/center] Everybody sat on the floor, with their backs against the metal crates. Natalia had taken her torch and pulled the bottom end out, so that it turned into a lantern. She placed it on the floor between them. 'Are you sure they won't see that light?' asked Katelyn. She still seemed nervous. Natalia shrugged. 'I think they might have just gone, but it would be wise for us to wait here a little longer. I would hate to bump into them on the way out.' Viktor examined his watch. 'We still have a little time before the shuttle is due to depart. And considering that the passengers are now all over this place, I imagine it would take a long time to round everyone up.' Zahir took Viktor's handkerchief out again and dabbed his forehead. 'Still claustrophobic?' Viktor raised an eyebrow and smiled. 'No,' Zahir shook his head. 'Just very warm. Don't you notice it too?' The others nodded in unison. 'I think the life support system is struggling,' said Natalia. 'It's still running on back-up power in this sector, I'd say.' Katelyn moved slightly closer to Viktor. He put his arm around her shoulder, perhaps to reassure her. Zahir wondered about the nature of their relationship, but said nothing. After all, he had only just met them and didn't want to intrude too much. 'So,' piped up Katelyn finally, 'what were you saying back in the office? Something about a Helix Program?' All of the eyes in the room fixed upon Zahir. 'Er, well...yeah. I mean it's nothing major, just something I read in a magazine.' 'Magazine? You mean one of those space conspiracy things?' Natalia wore a slightly incredulous expression. Her reaction reminded him of Khalid, who had never believed in the glossy space magazines. 'It's interesting,' Viktor interjected, 'that you read about a "Helix Program" in your magazines but that very same thing was mentioned on an official computer here in this complex. I don't remember hearing anything about this program back on Earth. So how would the magazines know that it exists?' Zahir felt somewhat relieved; Viktor was right. The very mention of such a program on a secret NAR computer terminal did at least somewhat validate the magazines, if only on the surface. Natalia crossed her legs and fixed her eyes on the lantern in the middle of the room. 'So, why don't you tell us about it then, Zahir?' 'I don't know very much,' replied Zahir hastily. 'Only bits and pieces that I've read. I'm not sure what it all means or how it should be put together...' He took a deep breath. 'It really goes back to the Great Disaster.' There was almost an audible gasp in the room. 'There are [i]so[/i] many conspiracy theories surrounding that,' said Natalia flatly. 'The fact of the matter is, almost everyone lost much of their family to that horrible disease. There's a reason it isn't considered polite to discuss it anymore.' 'Discussing it won't bring it back,' replied Katelyn firmly. 'Besides, it happened almost a century ago. Do you really think it will happen again? It was like the Black Plague - sometimes things come along that have devastating effects and we don't completely understand them.' Natalia opened her mouth to respond, but Zahir interrupted. 'It doesn't matter anyway. The point is that the disease ended but we don't know anything about it, even now. It wasn't like we cured it or anything - we were completely at its mercy. And what's worse? We still don't know where it came from.' Viktor smiled. 'I think I know what you're going to say,' he said confidently. 'I am aware of what those magazines suggest.' Zahir almost blushed. He now felt somewhat foolish for even talking about the magazines in the first place. 'They suggest that the disease did not originate on Earth,' said Zahir finally. 'Ridiculous!' cried Natalia. 'Are you suggesting that those nutty historians are accurate? That the disease came from the Moon?' 'A lot of historians say it,' acknowledged Viktor. He seemed to be defending the idea, even though it was apparent he was not entirely sold. More than anything, Viktor at least seemed to have an open mind when it came to the Great Disaster. Natalia huffed. 'The majority of credible historians say that this disease originated from somewhere in Africa. All the evidence points to that. How could it have come from the Moon, if there is no life there?' 'Because,' said Zahir hesitantly, 'miners in Andronov Prime made a discovery on the dark side of the moon. And that discovery triggered the spread of the disease on Earth. Or so the stories say.' Zahir carefully added the last sentence in an effort to avoid coming across as too gullible. 'What, exactly, did they discover?' asked Natalia. 'And what does that have to do with the Helix Program?' The others shared glances across the room. 'I don't know how they are related,' said Zahir finally. 'But the stories say that the miners discovered something underneath the Moon's surface. And there's one important question you have to keep in mind.' 'What's that?' asked Natalia. 'Who were the first people to contract the mystery illness?' Natalia paused. When she finally spoke, she seemed almost horrified and surprised by her own words. 'The first cases of the disease were in Andronov Prime, as far as I remember...' 'Right,' said Zahir. 'And then the disease spread to Earth because Andronov Prime did not have the medical facilities needed to treat it. So the miners had to return home to local hospitals, where the disease spread further.' Natalia's eyes widened. 'I have to admit, that does make sense. That still doesn't answer the question about what they discovered, though. It must have been biological, in order for them to have contracted an illness from it.' 'That I don't know,' said Zahir. 'There are a lot of theories, though. And there are apparently a few scientists who have tried to talk about it, but have been silenced by the Government.' Viktor rubbed his hands together. 'A good old-fashioned Government conspiracy!' The others laughed, with the exception of Natalia. 'There's something that doesn't make sense, though,' she said quietly. 'The Government banned all space travel for some fifty years after the outbreak on Earth. I remember that they had listed all sorts of reasons. And they [i]implied[/i] that the Great Disaster was principal among them. But this makes me wonder...why did they all of a sudden decide to return to space? And in such a major way? The Von Braun isn't exactly subtle.' 'I think,' said Viktor, predicting Zahir's response, 'that this might have something to do with the Helix Program?' Zahir smiled. 'The magazines say so.' The lantern flickered. 'Low battery,' muttered Natalia. She picked it up and tapped the underside. 'I think that means we should start heading back,' said Katelyn. 'Ms. Wells and Major Sijan must have left by now.' The others stood up and stretched. 'I tell you,' chuckled Zahir, 'I would kill for a hot shower and some dinner.' Everybody laughed and agreed.

[center][img]http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9978/vboavatarey3.jpg[/img] [img]http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2357/kathykf5.jpg[/img] [img]http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5076/aryaviif9.jpg[/img] [img]http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/9613/sabavixi1.jpg[/img][/center] The air vent was growing ever tighter around them. It seemed to twist and turn; its walls were like skin, breathing and constricting around them. Zahir stopped and touched his forehead. He was breaking into a cold sweat. 'Are you okay? What's the matter?' called a voice from behind. It was Viktor. Zahir felt a hand touch his. It deposited something into his palm. 'Take it,' said Viktor calmly. 'Wipe your face, you'll feel better.' Natalia turned slightly and aimed the torch over her shoulder. The air vent was just big enough for Zahir to sit up against one side, although his head was touching the ceiling. In the stark light, he opened his hand and saw a white handkerchief there. It was embroidered on all sides and featured Viktor's initials. In other circumstances, Zahir may have appreciated these details. Now, however, he just wanted to be free from the metal tunnel. He dabbed his forehead and neck with the handkerchief and took a deep breath. 'Sorry,' he said finally. His breathing was hard and labored. 'A touch of claustrophobia?' asked Natalia. Zahir nodded weakly. 'Never mind,' replied Natalia. 'I think we are close. Can you hear that sound?' Zahir closed his eyes and tried to imagine himself somewhere else - an endless field, or perhaps even back in his apartment at home. It didn't work, but as his breathing regulated he noticed the presence of a deep metallic humming sound. It faintly echoed down the vent at them. 'What is that?' 'I believe that is an air purifier,' said Natalia. 'They station them every few dozen meters. Usually they are accompanied by a large manhole that leads into the ventilation system, just in case repairs are needed. I think there is one just ahead, which means we aren't far from the cargo dock.' Zahir put the handkerchief in his pocket; it was drenched. He assumed that Viktor would probably not want it back. As they progressed further into the tunnel, Zahir tried to forget where he was. He wondered what Khalid would be doing right at that moment. Thinking about what time it would be in Washington Prime helped to distract him sufficiently; he felt his face cool slightly. The air felt cleaner and cooler. At that moment, Khalid would likely be standing on their balcony. He had a habit of standing there alone each night just after dinner. He would stand against the railing and slowly puff on one of his cigarettes. During this moment of solitude, he insisted that he should not be disturbed. Zahir often wondered what Khalid thought about during those moments to himself. He smoked all the time, but that one cigarette was special; it was when his mind seemed to reboot itself. Providing that he had not been disturbed, he would return with a very different attitude; usually he seemed happy and relieved. 'We're here,' said Katelyn. 'At least, we've come across a dead end... I think there's another grate here.' Zahir squinted ahead; he could see Natalia squeezing up beside Katelyn as the pair attempted to push the grate away from the wall. After several attempts (and a loud, metallic clang), faint light poured into the shaft. Katelyn and Natalia emerged from the end of the tunnel, followed by Zahir and Viktor. 'Thank god,' sighed Zahir, 'I couldn't stand being in there any longer.' 'I'm not sure if this place is any better,' replied Katelyn. 'Look.' Zahir looked up and noticed that they were standing in an enormous room. Their voices echoed slightly when they spoke. From where they were standing, they could see large metal crates stacked into columns. The number of columns seemed almost endless; it was like standing before a city of metal cubes. The far end of the room seemed to be divided from the main area by a floor-to-ceiling glass wall. Behind it, Zahir noticed an unnatural green glow. 'What's over there?' He looked to Natalia, who shrugged. 'I don't know. I'm sure the escape pods must be around here somewhere.' 'Not if they're gone,' said Viktor as he scanned the room carefully. 'Even if they are gone,' replied Natalia, 'we would still see the docking stations that they enter and exit from.' 'Do you know what they look like?' asked Katelyn. Natalia tapped her torch, which was starting to flicker. 'I'm not certain,' she said calmly. 'However, the brochures all said that the escape pods leave from docking stations at the perimeter of the outpost. So I would imagine that there would have to be doors of some kind along one of the walls that leads to those stations.' Viktor nodded. 'I suppose they'd be like big roller doors, no?' Everybody seemed to agree, as they began walking between the metal columns. Natalia flashed her torch around from side to side, trying to catch a glimpse of anything unusual. They walked for several minutes in silence. It seemed that everyone was holding their breath, waiting for some kind of revelation. After walking past what seemed like countless rows of metal crates, the room seemed to abruptly clear again. 'We've reached the end,' said Katelyn, pointing to the opposite wall. 'I'm not sure if it was really worth coming here; it's just a storage center.' Viktor rested up against a crate and looked around. 'I think you're right. I doubt we'll find much here. And I'm starting to worry a little that we will miss the shuttle.' He looked down at his watch, which glowed eerily in the dark. 'We still have another hour. It hasn't taken as long as I thought.' 'Still, it might be worth turning back,' said Zahir. 'If we miss that shuttle, we have no way out of here.' Everybody nodded, except Natalia. Instead, she swung her torch around and aimed it at a wall nearby. 'What about this?' The giant glass wall that they had seen previously was now very close. Natalia's torchlight bounced off the glass and seemed to light up the room. Katelyn's eyes widened. 'Oh. Look at all those computers. They're still switched on.' Natalia began walking towards them. Viktor rose his hand in protest. 'Er, do you really think we should be touching those? We could get in big trouble...' The flashlight covered Viktor like a spotlight. 'We have come this far, Viktor,' said Natalia with a grin. 'Besides, what are they really going to do? We'll be careful. We will just look.' Viktor laughed. 'I don't know you very well, Natalia,' he said with a smile, 'but somehow I never pictured you encouraging us to browse classified files.' They heard a laugh ahead of them, where Natalia had already entered the glass room. Once the others stepped inside, they noticed several walls lined with computer screens. Keyboards were strewn everywhere. Ashtrays and drink cans also sat strewn across the desks. Zahir approached the nearest desk, where he saw a still-lit ember burning in the bottom of the ashtray. He looked at it closely. 'Still burning,' he muttered. When he turned around, he saw that Viktor and Natalia were standing next to each other, tapping on keyboards. Katelyn, meanwhile, was standing near the room's entrance. She looked somewhat worried, as though they might be caught at any moment. Zahir butted out the ember and wiped his hands on his jeans. [i]I hate cigarettes,[/i] he thought. Natalia suddenly gasped and gestured for the others to join her at her terminal. 'Guys, have a look at this.' Zahir, Viktor and Katelyn crowded around the screen. 'What are we looking at?' asked Katelyn. Natalia hovered her cursor over a file. 'This file looks like a transmission log of sorts. We use these all the time at Caesar's Palace - in our case, they are used to record machine pay-outs. But if you look at the filename, you can see that this log relates to the escape pods.' Natalia double-clicked the file, which unfurled before them. It contained rows and rows of dates and codes. 'These all look the same,' said Viktor. 'The codes, I mean.' Natalia nodded. 'Yes, I'd say that's because they routinely test the escape pods. They need to make sure that they're going to work in case of an emergency.' 'Oh, yes, there it is,' said Zahir, pointing at the screen. 'They just ping the pods from this terminal and make sure they respond.' 'Look at today's date,' whispered Natalia. 'Of five pods, they received responses from only two.' 'That can't be right,' said Katelyn. 'So that means three are not working?' Viktor shook his head. 'I'd say it means three have left the asteroid all together.' Natalia rubbed her forehead. 'Why would they leave like that? As far as I know, the staff rotation occurs by shuttle. At home, I regularly heard about people leaving and returning from shuttle rotations.' 'So, something went wrong,' said Zahir matter-of-factly. The others turned and looked at him. Viktor raised an eyebrow. 'Went wrong? Like what?' Zahir shrugged. 'Who knows. But let's face it, this entire place is abandoned - it's no rotation. Something happened to cause them to leave.' 'Oh!' Everybody turned back to the monitor, as Natalia almost jumped out of her seat. 'Look at this, it was sitting right out in the open.' Viktor squinted. 'Huh? They've got a whole folder on something called The Helix Program? What is that?' 'Don't you know what the Helix is?' asked Katelyn. 'It was all over the news back home.' Viktor smiled awkwardly. 'I'm a very busy man, I don't get to watch much news...' 'Helix is the name of the system that powers the Von Braun,' replied Katelyn. 'Actually,' Zahir interrupted, 'I think there's a lot more to it than that.' Katelyn opened her mouth to speak, but held back momentarily. Her expression seemed curious, if not slightly incredulous. Zahir felt a little flustered, as the eyes weighed on him. He suddenly felt silly for what he was about to say. 'Er, well,' he scratched the back of his neck. 'Did you ever read about The Helix Program? There's a lot more to it than the Von Braun's engine. Apparently it all started just after the Great Disaster, and--' His words were interrupted by the sound of many footsteps. They could hear voices drawing in on them. 'Don't worry about the passengers, I'm sure they'll be fine. We will get them back to the ship safely, Major. I am more concerned about what happened here. If any escape pods are missing, we must account for their whereabouts. Don't forget, I have people to report to back home.' The voice was unmistakable; pleasant, but firm. It was Samantha Wells. 'Oh my god!' Katelyn covered her mouth, trying not to attract attention. 'It's Ms. Wells! What if she sees us here?' Natalia waved a hand dismissively. 'Don't worry, I'm sure she'll understand that we're just bored passengers. We don't know what we're doing, right? She'll probably just ask us to return to the shuttle dock.' 'I think she's right,' said Viktor reassuringly. 'Samantha Wells is a fine woman, from what I know of her. I think she'll be reasonable, I am just not so sure about Major Sijan; I get the impression she can be quite tough.' 'So what do we do? Should we give ourselves up?' Zahir looked around. 'Er, well, maybe not just yet. I'm sure we can find somewhere to hide. They haven't yet put the power back on here and I think she's probably only walking around with a few officers. They probably won't even notice us.' The others nodded. 'Okay,' said Katelyn. 'Let's try to find a safe spot near here.'

[quote]I've found that the response to that is usually almost the exact same thing. I'm pretty sure I've seen you use "rose colored glasses" and "naval-gazing" at least a dozen times each in this exact context. : P[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Yep, you're totally right. It's what I usually say in these threads at some stage. But, you know, it's true. And someone's got to say it, haha. It's funny because when people talk about RPGs even and the "good old days", I wonder if they've seen something like Almagest Legacy; it was an RPG with a ton of members (old and new) and everyone had a lot of fun. It was one of the better projects in recent years. I just think people love to complain but don't bother to actually get involved at all. And if you never get involved, you'll never know any better.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]It does suck when a thread like that makes the rest of us look like Newbie-haters. As long as we remember that most people don't think that way, it isn't too bad. Anyway, I suppose that if you're here for a long time (and you actually spend most of your time doing constructive things rather than whining constantly), then you probably do earn some sense of seniority. Still, I am happy that this has never been something the staff have really endorsed. I mean, we've had such a wide range of Mods over the years... all ages, all backgrounds and all levels of "seniority". I think that's important and it speaks for itself. I do think there are two things that have never (and likely will never) change on OB, though. First, the ironic situation of members who complain and make regular snide comments about the community, yet who remain here year after year (and who themselves are the number one contributors to the very degredation they complain about). And second...the fact that no matter what, there will always be naval-gazing threads. I think sometimes members do so much talking about the site that they forget to actually post discussions or artwork or RPGs or whatever. It's kind of like buying a new video game and doing nothing but talking about it, rather than actually playing it. I somehow don't think that'll change too much for some.[/font]

[quote name='Stephanie'][size=1] As cool as the new layout is, I sincerely miss the simple, old layout. I don't know why, I guess I'm just old fashioned. [/size][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]I wish I still had all of the old layouts on my computer. Many fatal crashes and different computers have come and gone since those days, though. I do, however, have some stuff that never ended up seeing the light of day. And hopefully now we can actually pick up the pieces on the new version of the site, after being left somewhat high and dry. And Stephanie, did you ever have different user names on OB? For me, personally...it can be one of the primary reasons why I forget who people are. Some members who have changed their names frequently are still remembered because they've been incredibly active, which makes a difference too. But yeah, in some ways that's why I've never wanted to change my own user name. I mean, yes, mine is boring... but then again, there will never be any mistaking who I am. It can get very confusing at times with some members (for me, anyway). :catgirl:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]And ironically, Allamorph's post was the most pretentious thing I've read on OB for some time. (Pretentiousness from a Moderator? OMG! :smirk:) Anyway, I agree with DeathKnight. It's so easy to look back on the past with rose-coloured glasses, but if you actually went back to the past... well, most of it now is nostalgia. OB is a lot more laid back now than it ever was. In fact, I'd say that between about 2003 and 2004 was probably our most strict time...and that was because we were recovering from a giant melt-down due to mass spammers. These days, most things are acceptable. Anyway, that certainly doesn't stop me missing some older members - it's not that they are any better than those who are here now, it's just that I have fond memories of them. In fact, there are a ton of new members around from the last year or two who have become great contributors. I think the "oldies" who don't get too disillusioned with things are the ones who actually bother to talk to the newcomers in the first place.[/font] [quote]It's true. OB is much more friendly towards 'newbies' than it was when Nerdsy or I joined. If I remember correctly, it was H-Bomb who threatened to ban me after my first few posts.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Yup. I still remember when I became a Moderator at the site, before it became OtakuBoards. Back then, the [i]only[/i] activity on the site was restricted to maybe half a dozen spam threads (i.e. just people flaming each other and stuff). I still remember going into the Nintendo forum and struggling to find a single person who would post anything. Good ol' H-Bomb. I still remember your early posts, Shy. We've all grown up. :smirk:[/font]

[center][img]http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9978/vboavatarey3.jpg[/img] [img]http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2357/kathykf5.jpg[/img] [img]http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5076/aryaviif9.jpg[/img] [img]http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/9613/sabavixi1.jpg[/img][/center] 'No power here.' Viktor's voice echoed in the darkness. All four passengers were standing at the end of a long hallway. The only light came from a large room at the opposite end, where they had come from. There was no door between the larger room and the hallway; they had instead come through an open archway. 'Is this the only way to access the cargo port?' asked Katelyn. Zahir could barely see the others; the thin rays of light that fell down the hall barely reached the group. Zahir heard the faint sound of metal rubbing together. And then, suddenly, a bright light flickered before them. 'I carry a small torch with me,' said Natalia with an air of satisfaction. 'After all, when the casino shuts down I need to be able to access everything. You never know when you'll need it.' 'Good thinking,' replied Viktor with a grin. 'Let's look at this door, shall we?' Natalia aimed the torch at the door and examined the wall around it. All security doors in the facility had a small control pad just next to them. The locked doors had a small screen that glowed a faint red. On this door, however, the control panel sat dark and lifeless. 'This doesn't make sense,' said Zahir finally. 'Why is this one section out of power?' Everyone else shrugged. 'Maybe a fuse is broken,' said Katelyn. 'That's possible, isn't it?' Natalia nodded. 'I'm sure it is, considering that the Communications Beacon is also broken.' Viktor opened his jacket and produced a small brochure. As he unfolded it, Zahir realized what it was; the brochure contained a simplified map of the station. All passengers had received a copy upon entry to the ship. Natalia instinctively aimed her torch at the map, as Viktor held it open before them. 'As you can see,' he muttered as his eyes scanned the map, 'this is the only entrance to the cargo port. They've kept it secure; can't have too many access points, I suppose.' Katelyn huffed. 'Well, I guess this is as far as we can go! We might as well start heading back to the shuttle.' 'I guess so,' replied Natalia hesitantly. Nobody moved. Viktor chuckled to himself. 'Seems our feet don't want to take us back. I have a feeling there's more for us to find here.' 'If we can't reach the cargo port, then we can't check the escape pods, can we?' asked Katelyn. Natalia took another look at the door with her torch. 'Wait,' she said quietly. 'Look.' Everybody looked up. Zahir squinted. 'What are you looking at? It's just a wall.' 'No, look...a vent. It's large, too.' Sure enough, about halfway up the wall, they saw a sizable metal plate. Viktor approached it and put his ear against it. 'Very faint, but... I can hear the air. The life support system is still operational in there, even if everything else isn't.' Katelyn gulped audibly. 'Wait! Are you suggesting we climb into a vent?!' Viktor turned to face her. He placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. 'My dear, I would never put you in harm's way; if you do not wish to do this, we can return to the shuttle. Please don't feel pressured.' Katelyn looked at the others. They both nodded slightly, as if to reassure her. She could tell, though, that they all wanted to continue forward. And she did not want to ruin their fun, despite her reservations. 'Er, well, okay... I suppose we can keep going. I'm just not so sure that this is a good idea.' Viktor put his hand to his chest. 'I promise you, nothing bad will happen. We will be safe in here...and we still have another hour and a half before we're due to return to the Von Braun. Plenty of time.' 'Now, Zahir, do you want to help me remove this plate?' Viktor walked over to the wall and gripped one edge of the plate in his hands. It was slightly slippery and not easy to hold, but it did not seem to be fastened with screws or anything more permanent. Zahir struggled to get his hands around the other edge. The plate was sitting out from the wall ever so slightly and it seemed as though it simply snapped into place. Just as Zahir and Viktor had begun pulling the plate away from the wall, they heard distant noises. 'Wait, quiet,' said Viktor softly. 'Does anyone else hear that?' Everybody paused and listened intently. They could hear the soft droning of the life support systems and, occasionally, what sounded like footsteps and voices. A female voice stood out among the others. 'Oh no,' cried Katelyn, 'don't tell me the security crew are coming. What if they find us trying to climb into an air vent?!' Natalia laughed to herself quietly. Katelyn spun around and pointed at her. She spoke in a strained, hushed tone, in an attempt to keep as quiet as possible while still sounding authoritative. 'Why are you laughing?! We might get into big trouble!' 'I know,' replied Natalia, much to everyone's surprise. 'I am just thinking about how utterly absurd this is. Here I am, the most senior staff member at Caesar's Palace...breaking into a damn air vent!' Katelyn paused for a moment. Zahir was sure he could see a slight grin spreading across her face. 'At least,' continued Natalia, 'I can say I'm finally having fun on the job.' All four chuckled quietly in the dark. 'Okay, but c'mon, we have to get through this vent before they arrive,' whispered Viktor. 'With the security door locked, it will take them some time to get through. And I [i]doubt[/i] Ms. Wells will be climbing into a vent anytime soon.' Viktor and Zahir finally pulled the vent cover away and set it down by the wall. 'Ladies first,' said Viktor as he gestured toward the vent. Katelyn glanced at Natalia immediately. 'Er, I'm not sure if I should go first.' Natalia sighed. 'Fair enough. I'll go first. It doesn't look too high, we should be able to climb in pretty easily.' And with that, she placed the torch between her teeth and perched her hands inside the air shaft's entrance. She pushed herself up against the wall and disappeared inside the dark tunnel. Then, a moment later, her face appeared at the hole in the wall. 'Well?' Katelyn shivered involuntarily and approached the vent. Viktor knelt on one knee and looked up at here. 'Here, I'll help you.' Katelyn smiled down at him. 'You'll stay close, won't you?' Viktor nodded. 'Of course. I'll be right behind you. Just make sure to follow the light from Natalia's torch.' Viktor held Katelyn's hand and helped her steady herself as she awkwardly climbed up into the vent. The noises from behind them grew ever louder, if only slightly. 'We don't have much time,' said Viktor. 'You go first, Zahir. I'll close the vent behind us.' Zahir dived into the vent behind Katelyn. By the time Viktor pulled the cover up against the wall, he saw several torch lights probing around the other end of the hallway. [i]'Just in time,'[/i] he thought.

[center][img]http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9978/vboavatarey3.jpg[/img] [img]http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2357/kathykf5.jpg[/img] [img]http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5076/aryaviif9.jpg[/img] [img]http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/9613/sabavixi1.jpg[/img][/center] Zahir and Natalia made their way down a short set of steps into what looked like a large dining hall. It contained dozens and dozens of long tables with simple, plastic and metal chairs neatly surrounding them. The walls were glass, although trees and ferns blocked most of their view. Two figures sat next to each other at the end of the room. A young man and woman, both seated at the end of one of the lengthy tables. It was odd to see them sitting there, dressed so finely, all on their own. Their voices echoed somewhat through the room. As Zahir and Natalia approached, it was clear that they had been spotted. The man stood up and extended his hand to Zahir. 'Oh, it's good to see signs of life,' he remarked cheerfully. 'My name is Viktor. And this lovely lady is Katelyn,' he gestured toward the woman sitting next to him, who smiled and blushed heavily. Zahir shook his hand. 'Zahir. And this is Natalia.' Natalia shook Viktor's hand and nodded to Katelyn. 'Pleased to meet you.' Viktor gestured towards two seats nearby. 'Please, take a seat, both of you. We would love the company.' As the pair sat down, a grin came across Viktor's face. 'I think I know you,' he said, looking at Natalia. 'You're running the on-board Casino, aren't you?' Natalia nodded and glanced at Zahir. She looked somewhat surprised. 'Er, yes...although my face hasn't been published anywhere that I know of. How did you know who I am?' Viktor looked satisfied with himself. 'Well, my company was involved with some aspects of the Von Braun program. So we are aware of some of the senior staff on board the ship, although I have not yet had the chance to share a drink with the Captain.' Natalia chuckled. 'Good luck. He's very reclusive; I'm running our largest casino and I [i]still[/i] haven't been introduced to him.' Everyone smiled at each other and then fell silent. It was too much for Zahir to bear. 'So, is it just me, or does anyone find this situation totally ridiculous?' Everyone around the table looked at each other. 'You mean the fact that we're exploring an abandoned space station? Or the fact that they seem so preoccupied with fixing the communications beacon that they've left the passengers to do as the please?' Everyone around the table laughed. 'All of the above,' replied Zahir with a grin. 'Granted, I have never been into space before, but this doesn't seem like great service to me.' Natalia looked at her watch. 'We have already been here for almost fifty minutes. As interesting as this place is, I must admit that I don't like the idea of staring at the walls of a station for another couple of hours.' 'What do we do about it, though?' asked Katelyn. 'Do you think we can get back to the ship early?' Viktor shook his head. 'No, doubtful. The shuttle has returned to the Von Braun for now. I think it may come back with more engineers, but I can't be sure.' 'They [i]should[/i] be extending the access bridge any time now,' said Natalia sharply. 'If that were the case, though, we'd hear it. When the bridge locks into place, the access lights around the station are supposed to turn from red to green.' 'Impressive - you've been reading up on this,' said Viktor with a wink. Natalia simply nodded. 'And, as you can see, the lights are all still red.' She pointed to a small flashing light at the top of a nearby wall. It sat just beside the entry door at the other end of the room. 'If we're going to be here for another couple of hours,' said Zahir, 'I think we should at least have some fun.' Everybody around the table looked at him - they all wore an air of suspicion. 'Er, well, why don't we [i]really[/i] investigate this place? Nobody's watching us. There are [i]clearly[/i] no security people around... and it might kill just enough time for us to get back to the ship.' 'I just don't know,' muttered Natalia hesitantly. 'I do have my job to think about - what if I was caught snooping on a secret government outpost?' Viktor nodded and gestured towards Zahir. 'You have a point, but Zahir is right; there's nobody around to pull you up. Besides,' he rubbed his chin, 'you never know what we might uncover.' 'And, we might just find some more passengers. Everyone seems to have run off in different directions,' said Katelyn cheerfully. 'I am a little worried that some of them will get lost,' replied Natalia. 'This hasn't been planned properly. I'm actually very surprised - how are the staff going to find the passengers that have gone missing? This station is massive, they could be anywhere.' Katelyn shrugged. 'All we can do is try, I suppose,' she said. 'Considering how incompetent the Von Braun staff have been so far, we might find more answers here than they do.' Zahir stood up. 'I don't think they're even looking. Why not cram us all right back into the shuttle as soon as they realised nobody was here? It doesn't make sense.' Viktor looked around. 'Something strange is definitely happening here. I think there's one place for us to look at first, though.' Natalia raised an eyebrow. 'Oh?' Viktor nodded. 'Yes. The escape pods. Just think about it; where could all these staff have gone? Even during a rotation, skeleton staff are left behind to monitor everything. Either those staff are here somewhere or they've left. And if they've left... that means something unexpected has happened.' 'So where are the escape pods?' asked Katelyn. Everybody automatically looked to Natalia. Although she was as new to the outpost as they were, she seemed far more clued in on procedure. Natalia shrugged. 'I'm not sure. However, it's unlikely that they would be underground for obvious reasons... so that cancels out a good ninety per cent of the station, doesn't it?' Viktor smiled broadly. 'Very true. The next biggest above-ground part of the station is the cargo bay. Did you read about it in the brochure? It's where all of the mining equipment can be found. I'm sure I read something about the escape pods being near there...'

[font=franklin gothic medium]There are a ton of things I miss about the past... but I think most of it relates to the people. There are people I still remember well from the early days who aren't around anymore. Sephiroth, for instance. We used to chat all the time... and I think he was the first member on OB (that I can remember) who had a baby. At least it was the first that was well-known to everyone, heh. I did chat with Seph only a few months ago, but he's disappeared again. There are just so many members... I miss Jenna a lot (she was one brilliant RPer - I was so honored to write with her). And like others here I really miss Sara; almost everything she did here was really brilliant and added a lot to the place. And then there is Warlock and Flashy. We had some great times. I miss our MH RPGs...those two were so much fun. I've spoken to Warlock within the last year or so, but I haven't seen Flash around much (other than his brief reappearance a while ago). I miss thread ratings, although the members voted to have that one removed... so it's sort of interesting that everyone misses 'em now. It was just a shame that they never really worked properly. There were a lot of complaints about them. I'd like to say that I miss activity in the Art Studio, but... it was never the most active place. Nobody could ever be bothered to do major critiques and that hasn't changed a great deal (unfortunately). Although there were some pretty great threads in there. Sometimes I wish we could bring some of those elements back to the boards, but a lot of it is just impossible. All we can do is try to make things as interesting and enjoyable as we can now. That's why I really love it when people put effort into RPGs and things like that - a lot of the time it feels very nostalgic for me. I often wonder what the future of OB will be like. It's changed so many times over the years...but it still manages to keep going. We have a wonderful pair of Admins now, but I do sometimes wish the likes of Hbomb and Frank would return - even if just as members. The Frank Mystery still baffles Adam and I to this day. Speaking of which, I'm really glad that Adam is still there to talk to. We still talk regularly and share ideas all the time. This entire community owes much to him and I still view him as a great friend. It's so weird that we haven't met, after nearly ten years! Anyway, maybe you guys should actually suggest what we could do to improve OB. After all, we have to all roll up our sleeves if we want to bring back the glory days. :catgirl:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]A quick word of advice: if you're outnumbered/outgunned/etc by the police, you're better off having them kill you than arrest you. If you die, you'll pay a small fee to the hospital (damn American healthcare system :P) but you won't lose your weapons. If the cops take you in, you'll pay a bribe [i]and[/i] lose your hard-earned weapons. Considering some weapons are quite costly, this can be a problem. Anyway, it's so hard to describe one cool incident... as there have been countless weird and funny things happen to me during GTAIV. In recent times, I've been trying to see how many cars I can blow up at once. I achieved this by using the parking lot at the strip club on the third island (I forget the name of it, now...). It was rather cool setting off a chain reaction with a dozen cars. Also I've had some very narrow escapes. One mission I had four or five stars and only one or two hits until I was due to die... it was at the very end of the mission. And I was being chased for what seemed like ages (a good ten minutes probably). Making it out of that was extremely weird and satisfying, haha.[/font]

[center][img]http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9978/vboavatarey3.jpg[/img] [img]http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2357/kathykf5.jpg[/img] [img]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/maul.jpg[/img][/center] Half of the shuttle had now boarded the Outpost's entry dock. Natalia walked casually beside Zahir as they stepped over the threshold and entered a wide hallway, which led to the Outpost's main reception area. The Outpost's interior was brightly-lit and was remarkably comfortable. The walkway that connected the entry dock to the main building had clear walls, so that visitors could see the dark sky above them as well as the deep gray rocky surface of the asteroid. As they walked, the hallway curved slightly downwards; most of the station was underground, although rooftops and certain buildings popped up above the surface now and then. 'I suppose this makes the trip at least a little worthwhile,' sighed Natalia as she glanced around. 'I'd rather be here than on the ship, to tell you the truth.' Zahir smiled. 'I'm happy with the Von Braun, I just wish I didn't have to work there too. To be a first class passenger...' Natalia smiled and put her hand on his shoulder. 'You could be doing a lot worse. Just be thankful you aren't in a position like mine; the more senior you are, the more angry customers you have to deal with. I don't think it's worth the money.' They both laughed as they realized they'd reached the reception area. It was completely empty. Natalia raised an eyebrow. 'No welcoming committee?' she asked aloud. 'And where did the rest of the passengers go?' Zahir looked around. He heard noises nearby, down another hallway. A large sign on the wall pointed to the Botanic Laboratory, which presumably contained gardens used for farming and clean air. Another sign sat just below it, with the words "Communications Tower" printed in large black letters. Natalia rubbed her chin thoughtfully. 'I'm quite sure I heard some talk on the shuttle about them needing to repair the communications system here.' She chuckled to herself. 'Wouldn't it be funny if the ship arrived during a staff rotation.' Zahir's ears perked up. 'Staff rotation? You mean that they change the entire staff regularly, on a station this size?' Natalia nodded. 'Well, perhaps not everyone [i]at once[/i],' she said, 'but few of these workers actually bring their families with them. I don't know the ins and outs of it, but I do know that the station's staff rotate every year or so.' 'Still,' she continued as the pair began making their way towards the Botanic Laboratory, 'it would be quite remarkable if we arrived during the rotation period. That would be a very odd coincidence.' The thought of being on an abandoned station excited Zahir greatly. And since they had apparently walked away from the rest of the group, they could perhaps spend some time looking around on their own. As they came closer to the Laboratory and Communications Tower, the voices became louder. 'Sounds familiar,' muttered Zahir. 'I think I know the voice. It's the Chief Engineer.' Sure enough, as Zahir and Natalia rounded the corner, they came upon the entry door to the Communications Tower. Several Von Braun engineering staff were gathered around the door, with the Chief Engineer standing in the center. One of the engineering staff piped up, just as Zahir and Natalia came within earshot. 'So what are you saying, Chief? We can't get up there to fix the beacon?' A deep, gruff voice emanated from the Chief's somewhat small frame. 'That's precisely what I'm telling you. The beacon is down but we do not have access to this tower; we rely on the Outpost staff to assist us. But as you can see, there's nobody here.' As the Chief said this, the group of engineers mumbled amongst themselves in agitated tones. 'Look,' said the Chief as he adjusted his collar and checked his watch, 'I don't know what's happened here. It will be up to the Captain, Ms. Wells and Major Sijan to determine the situation... all I can tell you is that we have a job to do. We will need to return to the ship and bring some additional tools over, so that we may access the beacon.' He eyed the engineers one by one as he spoke. 'I suggest that you prepare for another few hours' of work here, as we have a great deal to do.' The engineers grumbled and protested, but around half of the group returned to the entry dock. Zahir and Natalia were close enough to hear the conversation, but they were out of sight of the crew. 'Looks serious,' whispered Zahir. 'I wonder what's happening here.' Natalia grinned. For the first time, she seemed somewhat excited. 'Well, why don't we try to find out? I think some of the other passengers have headed to the Botanic Laboratory...why don't we head over that way too? We might have a couple of hours to do some sleuthing.'

[quote]Voter confidence doesn't equal competency when it comes to actually governing successfully.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Absolutely. This could be true for Obama as well. Or any candidate, really.[/font] [quote]Anyone who really thinks the media is unbiased and fair is fooling themselves if they really think that's enough to be informed on the candidates.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]I agree with this. And I think it's a shame that the media have such an ability to push one candidate over another. I remember in the last election, looking at the minor candidates who were never considered "front runners". So many in the media used this term and it made me wonder who decides to call a person a "front runner" if there is no electoral success to back it up. It seems to be to go back to that idea of the most entertaining narrative. The news media are increasingly about entertainment and narrative, rather than facts or objective analysis. I mean, yes, some of the minor candidates in the last election simply couldn't pony up the dough - so that hurt their campaigns. But you have to wonder - if the media won't give them the time of day, how can they spread their message far enough to actually solicit donations? Yet those who have massive media support are far more easily able to reach wide varieties of people and therefore solicit a greater slice of the donation pie. So in that sense, I think it's very unfortunate.[/font]

[quote]Of course it is impossible to prove, in any capacity, that she believed X or Y. I made assumptions based off the tone of her campaign. I assumed that because Bill was acting like an angry parent at a little-league game when she began to lose that there was a certain sense of entitlement there. When she cried in the wake of Iowa because the campaign trail was becoming hot, I assumed she was panicking. That she never believed some random nobody could actually win the first primary state. [/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]I don't think it's impossible to prove that she believed X or Y. She obviously believes that she's a good candidate for the job, or else she wouldn't be running, lol. That's self-evident surely. As for Bill...maybe he had a sense of entitlement. I don't know. But I never got that impression from Hillary. I do think Bill damaged her campaign significantly, so we agree there. As for the crying in Iowa...I have no idea why she cried. I just think it's a huge assumption to say she cried because a) it was getting hot and b) because she had some superiority complex when it came to Obama. I mean, she's human just like anyone else. I did see a lot of criticism of her emotion during the campaign, which I thought was pretty ridiculous.[/font] [quote]C'mon, James. He's a black man running for President in a country that was heavily segregated and openly racist not even 50 years ago. He's got a crazy name to most Americans (not to mention his middle name). He didn't even have an entire term in the Senate under his belt before launching to the national spotlight for the Presidency. All of this is against the odds -- he's the stereotypical "American dream" story.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Oh this is all very true. But what's your point? I agree with everything you've said here. And this goes back to me telling you about the "Obama story", which is a narrative that has been very popular. So... yeah. We agree on that. I'm not sure how that relates to what I had originally said, about the spin and all the rest of it.[/font] [quote]He brought record number of voters (specifically amongst the youth) to the polls for the first time. He got an immense number of independents and Republicans voting for him. He's shattered the fund-raising records. If you step back and look at it, it's almost unsettling how much support he has. Call it bleary-eyed or what have you, but he's gotten massive numbers involved into the political process. [/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Yeah, again, that's all true. None of those facts are in dispute. The problem is when this sort of information turns into the entire story. Nobody would deny that Obama's rise is history, whether he wins the presidency or not. However, it's very easy to become so swept up in the narrative tide that we forget to say to ourselves "Hang on, this guy may actually become president... let's step back for a moment and scrutinize his policies rather than constantly pedalling the obvious surface issues". Historic or not, there are still journalistic standards that the media should be held to. And all candidates - no matter their ethnicity or whatever - should be held to the same objective standard. That's all I'd ask.[/font] [quote]Yes, he did ride the media wave. I guess I don't really see it as a potential negative or a point that could cause doubt in his ability. I just see his command over the news as good strategy. [/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Yeah, I suppose this is just where we disagree. You're looking at it from the perspective that he ran a good campaign, whereas I am concerned about the implications of a media-backed/elected candidate and the corresponding bias against his opponents (not just Hillary, but primarily Hillary). Maybe that is a summary of our positions, I don't know. I just think we are sort of looking at two seperate facets of the campaign - I'm not interested in talking about whether or not Obama's policies are right (or whether he even has the ability to be president), because I view that as an entirely different discussion from the one we've been having.[/font] [quote]Well, I feel like we've had a pretty healthy discussion on this... so I'll make a few closing responses. I'm pretty sure you don't feel like reading even MORE replies from me haha.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]It's cool. I really appreciate that you put the effort into these discussions... I think a lot of people just don't bother. It's understandable though, since politics doesn't interest everyone. But yeah, it's been a good discussion. And I do enjoy reading your responses; one reason I like OB is because I am interested in seeing different perspectives on all kinds of subjects. Politics is just one that I'm personally interested in. :catgirl: I think we have more passionate and well-informed members than many other similar communities out there. So I'm always very happy to see some serious discussion mixed in with the fun stuff (as long as we still have plenty of lighthearted stuff, which we do). :catgirl:[/font]

[quote]The problem with this point of view is that it summarily dismisses and devalues the power of rhetoric, framing, and campaign tone. It seems you're more a fan of "substantive" campaigning, which is all well and good, but discussing issues without giving it a greater context or higher purpose is utterly lost. People do not exist in a vacuum, a national sentiment is not formed or sustained in a vacuum, and so the discussion of "the issues" comes off as dry and uninspiring.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]I'm not dismissing the power of rhetoric, I'm just saying that rhetoric should not utterly dominate a political message. That's all. I do think that candidates should speak from the heart, not just the head. But what if you're all heart, at least in your speeches? Surely that's not desirable. And of course, the media only latches onto the hearty stuff without giving people enough of the important information. That has surely got to be a problem, regardless of your political persuasion. "Issues" may come off as dry and uninspiring, but as I said earlier, we aren't talking about American Idol; we are talking about the leader of the next federal government. Sometimes things are serious and probably should be taken as such.[/font] [quote]So you can preach about "solutions" to "the issues" until you're blue in the face, but it's hilariously ineffective. Rather, a competent campaign sets the issues in a larger and grander scheme or theme that captures the public's wishes.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]The latter sentence makes a lot more sense than the former, I think. A competent campaign sets the issues in a larger and grander scheme, which captures the public's wishes. Yes, that's about right. And within that is room for putting forward a substantive agenda. It doesn't have to be either/or. Nor should it be. A media that frequently ignores issues for dazzle is a media that insults the intelligence of its audience. I don't think that is an easily-defensible position.[/font] [quote]Likewise, a campaign riding the zeitgeist is not necessarily devoid of substance. Just because Obama can speak well and impressively does not mean he's peddling snake oil. I mean, he's got just as many views on the issues, but no one cares to look them up. They're all on his site, here. So just because he's not rattling off dull and bland statistics or outlining comprehensive plans on TV does not mean he's devoid of substance, it just means he's focusing his efforts and energies on connecting with the American heart rather than mind.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]I don't remember saying that Obama had to rattle off dull and bland statistics in order to be a man of substance. I could be wrong there, but I certainly don't think I've mentioned anything along those lines. I agree that a lot of people don't care to look them up. And that's a problem with individual voters, especially those who feverishly support him without knowing a thing about his platform. [i]However[/i], there is a problem both with the media and his campaign. The media has over-emphasized his campaign without being sufficiently balanced. Secondly, if we expect Hillary Clinton to be responsible for everything she says and does, we must expect the same of Obama - and we so regularly don't. As I have said before - and will repeat now - I am quite certain that Obama has ideas and substantive policies. That in and of itself is not in debate. The point I'm making is two-fold. One point is about media coverage and the other point is that Obama too often shoots himself in the foot by imbalancing his speeches and public comments, thereby perpetuating the ridiculous media spectacle that we've seen thusfar. So I'm identifying an issue with the campaign approach and the media, as opposed to the man and his policies. I hope that distinction is clearer.[/font] [quote]The media had such power in the Democratic primary because Obama excels in live, face-to-face situations. He delivers amazing speeches (and surprise! they're on TV). He's photogenic.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Yes, I would agree that he's good in face-to-face situations. And he's definitely photogenic. But his speeches? They're okay. They're standard fare. He could do better, especially with his intelligence and ability to articulate complex ideas in a manner that makes them easily understood and received by the community. I have seen Obama when he's been at his best, as far as combining policy discussion with showmanship. He does well at it; he's just be better off making sure that policy messages are the ones that make it into the soundbytes more often.[/font] [quote] And it's my opinion that Obama had a pretty rough media attention at times. Reverend Wright? He's a Muslim? He doesn't wear a pin on his lapel? He did coke? I mean come on, I'd say he faced far more personal, outrageous, and [potentially] damaging things via the media than Clinton.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Oh I agree, he's faced some ridiculous criticisms. It is a shame that so much of the criticism has been related to him as a person, rather than him as a politician. Having said that, I still believe that Hillary Clinton has faced less fair coverage on balance.[/font] [quote]I'm going to drop pretenses and ask you this: why bother with discussing the nuts and bolts of his future administration when it's far easier and more expedient to play different cards and persuade people through rhetoric? Politics isn't a noble thing, and maybe you think it is. Sure, it'd be nice if people were persuaded by "just the facts," and Clinton definitely relied on that assumption. But there was no resonance with her approach. I just don't understand why you'd advocate a campaign strategy that does not optimally connect with citizens if there's a better one to adopt.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Politics isn't a noble thing? I don't know about that. But that aside, what difference does it make? Okay, so we say politics isn't noble. Why does that mean we can just excuse everything, especially media responsibility? I understand what you're saying here, in the sense that politicians need to do what works best. And I agree with that. But what I'm saying is that you can have both approaches simultaneously. Does it worry nobody that a presidential candidate - of all people - can essentially be elected as a result of media spin? That simple statement says so much about the power of media and the willingness of the public to do what they're told, rather than to think critically. I mean I agree with you that "just the facts" is probably never going to work (unfortunately so). But in the absence of that, why go in the entirely opposite direction? I think that the truly effective leaders (of both our countries) have been able to adequately balance both approaches. In other words, they've been able to express policy ideas - and their importance and impact - while still appealing to people's hopes and dreams. The two are not mutually exclusive and certainly don't have to be.[/font] [quote]The fundamental problem with this line of reasoning is the assumption that everything diametrically opposed to Bush is not good. I say this almost totally seriously -- I support none of Bush's major policy initiatives. I totally disapprove of almost everything Bush has done during his administration. Perhaps I'm far too liberal, but Bush was a terrible president, and a total departure from those policies would IMHO be a great improvement.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Right. But the problem is not with my line of reasoning - the problem is with the vague implication that was made to begin with. What you're saying here makes a lot more sense. The original suggestion was simply that being the opposite of the status quo was plenty. And that implies that opposite is good enough, no matter what the policy and no matter what the costs of that policy. If you know his policies and you agree with them, that's totally cool. That's a different thing.[/font] [quote] Additionally, I've researched the majority of Obama's positions. I would not say he's blindly for change. I would say, however, that he would take the country in a largely positive direction.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Yep, that's fair. My point just now wasn't about Obama, it was about what you'd said. And that's totally reasonable; knowing his policies and agreeing with them means you're making an informed choice. And that's good - it's what more people should do.[/font] [quote]I mean, I personally viewed her as thinking she was entitled and inevitable. Her entire campaign pre-Iowa was pitched on that premise, that she was "electable," that she could fundraise and manage a competent campaign, that she had experience, etc. She began with a lead in super-delegates, she began with a vast network of political allegiances and donors, and a very positive public perception of her husband's presidency. All the signs pointed to epic win. And when Obama gave a strong showing in Iowa, she realized her opponent was rising above the airs of inevitability.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Everything you've said about Clinton does not imply that she ever thought a win was inevitable. To me, it just implies - as you said - that she thought she was "electable". So does Obama. So does every candidate. What's wrong with that? Criticising her for considering herself "electable" and for expressing such a view is profoundly unfair. And I don't think the signs pointed to an epic win - not if you paid attention to the commentary. The commentary was frequently pointing out that Hillary had an uphill struggle and that she was hanging on for too long (even early on). It was often unreasonable. This idea of Obama rising above the airs of inevitability is a perfect example of the utter spin that has been perpetuated throughout the media. It's part of the Obama story - the narrative. It's that kind of approach that I dislike (and that most objective commentators also seem to find painful, haha).[/font] [quote]Rather than attributing Clinton's loss to a media circus, attribute it to immense grassroots efforts, inspiring people to get involved in politics, and mobilizing people nationwide to do what was thought previously unthinkable. He fundraised in the face of Clinton's ridiculously expansive contacts. She was simply outperformed at almost every point in the competition... and I don't think you can attribute her fall from greatness as a media phenom.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Mobilizing people nationwide to do what was through previously unthinkable? Geeze, you should be working on the campaign yourself! Haha. :catgirl: But seriously, yes, he did outperform Clinton. There's no doubt there whatsoever. There's also no doubt, generally, that he has been riding a media-fuelled wave which has played a large role in this performance. I think that's generally accepted by most onlookers/independent commentators, whether or not they are a supporter of Obama.[/font]

[quote]I find this year's election rather ironic in that for the first time in decades I'm more likely to vote Democratic instead of for the Republican candidate. I certainly didn't get that view from listening to the media. I know I'm not the only one to outright ignore most of that in favor of trying to learn what their stances on policy really are.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]I think that's very reassuring. I also wonder if any of this phenomenon is generational. For example, it seems that a lot of younger people are getting diving right into the hype, as though it's a new airing of American Idol. Whereas those with a little more experience (especially experience of multiple elections) seem to be a bit more reserved with the whole thing. I'd be interested to know if anyone else sees that as a factor.[/font] [quote]The media here on some level, by anyone truly wanting to know what's going on, is simply ignored. It can't be helped that people are willing to take speeches at face value instead of taking the time to learn more.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Yeah, that's true - there are always going to be people to take a candidate at face value. I think the reason this seems amplified right now is because [i]so many[/i] people seem to be attracted to one candidate on that basis... and aggressively against another candidate for the same reason. I mean, this definitely seems very different to the last couple of federal elections, at least in terms of media coverage. Unfortunately I don't think Obama helps himself by gleefully feeding into this cycle, rather than frequently centering his messages on substantive matters. Having said that, Hillary is definitely guilty of perpetuating the bias against her. So as I said earlier, both candidates are definitely responsible for how they convey their own messages.[/font]