James

[color=#606060]Oh yeah I agree - sometimes it's great that the retards really [i]don't[/i] have a say in how companies are run. Nintendo would probably be a clone of Microsoft now if that were the case. So I'm all for keeping the retards out! Anyway, back on topic... It seems that in some respects they revealed Sonic quite late...I mean, this game is due out in January in Japan. I suppose there are still a few more months to go, but still. I wonder if they will reveal any further characters. Does anyone have a character or two they would still like to see added to the ever-growing roster?[/color]

[quote name='Andrew'][size=1]Yeah, what Vick said, only ¬_¬ instead. Seriously James, where the hell'd you come up with that? [/size][/QUOTE] [color=#606060]I was trying to be as polite as I could...I don't know the woman, so I didn't want to really say "remind her of the ten massive vibrators you found in her room". I thought rubbery friend would be more fitting. ;) [/color] [quote]*uproarious laughter* man my ***! Seriously, the reason I have to take off my pants is cuz I don't want to have to reach through the zipper to get to it XD[/quote] [color=#606060]*falls over* :blulaugh: In terms of the Japanese attitude towards sex, I did once read that there used to be a big problem in Japan of men stealing underwear off washing lines. The solution? To establish nation-wide Used Ladies Underwear Stores. Apparently ladies who have a shabby pair of knickers can kick them off and rake in the dough while they're at it, all without having some creepy pervert in their backyard. Nobody does convenience like the Japanese.[/color]

[color=#606060]Having Sonic in SSBB would have to be one of the most logical things Nintendo could do. As has been said, these two characters were once massive rivals. I'm sure plenty of Nintendo fans have been waiting years to finally see Mario kick the crap out of Sonic first-hand. Now, they can. lol As for his voice...meh. I'm sure it'll be fine. I don't particularly notice voices in the SSB games anyway. And of course, there's always the option of simply not using him. That'd pretty much solve any dilemmas. But at least the option to use him is there, for those that want to. It's win-win! [/color]

[color=#606060]This is quickly becoming one of the weirdest threads of 2007, which is a good effort considering we're near the end of the year, lol. In any case, anyone who tells you that masturbation is wrong while they are simultaneously using a sex toy...ah, well, that's pretty self explanatory. Every time your mother tells you you're evil for doing it, just remind her of her rubbery friend.[/color]

[color=#606060]Well it sounds like there is enough experience here for this guy to receive plenty of advice on how to avoid masturbation-related pitfalls in future. :catgirl: As for his parents saying it's evil...I'm not really sure what anyone could say in response to that. It's like saying urination is evil; it is just a bodily function. Now, if you were sitting on the family sofa in full view... [i]that[/i] could be considered evil. My point is that the act itself is not evil, but the way the act is discovered could possibly be labeled as such. Edit: I posted at the same time as you, oops. Your mother actually called your father in? Geeze. Double whammy, lol. Once again I don't really know what can be said; it's too insane to really warrant a reasonable reply. :catgirl:[/color]

[quote name='2007DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"] Seriously though, your parents caught you? I'd kill myself XD[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [color=#606060]Yeah, that part stood out as the main thing for me, lol. Talk about longterm damage.[/color]

[color=#606060]I think you have good basic ingredients for a redesign here. First of all, yes, I'd change the text font. The font they have chosen is a little difficult to read - but my recommendation would be to remove the centering and keep the text left-justified. Centering looks messy and is difficult to follow. I think one of your biggest hints relates to the existing logo with the horse and the little flourishes that come from it. It's actually quite a nice logo and it's under-utilized in this design. What I'd do is re-draw that logo in a much bigger size and use it as a feature on the design - perhaps even as a big faded image in the background. It's the only real design flourish on the page so I'd take full advantage of it.[/color]

[color=#606060]I remember you as Cyko and Shroom. Good to see that you're still around. I miss some of the older RPGs actually. There are quite a lot of good new ones around, but I think times have changed for some of us - some of us now have more responsibility and we can't devote the time to them that we once could. Still, I'm waiting for more posts in MHP...I've been writing a new post and it's now looking like a novel, lol.[/color]

[color=#606060]This game is just looking incredible. I watched some of the other Japanese demo videos, including two player and creating a player...it all just looks amazing. I'm not sure how many adjectives I can use to describe these videos, haha. But as a huge Mario fan, this game is driving me crazy - I can't wait for it! I finally feel like Mario is making a true comeback. The more I see of this game, the more it looks like a major system seller. It would be great if Nintendo chose to package SMG with Wii consoles sometime next year, especially if they do a new colour or something.[/color]

[color=#606060]I will answer the rest of the questions shortly, but I just wanted to comment on this quote:[/color] [quote]And if the separation of church and state was in the Constitution, then any religious individual would not be able to run for government. [/quote] [color=#606060]My understanding is that when people talk about "Separation of Church and State", they are referring to the Establishment Clause. From what I understand, the Establishment Clause prohibits Government from establishing an official state religion. This does not mean that Government and religion are mutually exclusive; it just means that Government can not "officially favor" one religion over another, in terms of legislation and so on. I am not American but this is my understanding of the issue; I'm sure someone more knowledgable about the American constitution could go into much more detail than that.[/color]

[color=#606060]There's one main reason I never signed up for this - I'm an Admin. Although it wasn't expressly stated, I assumed that would pretty much void me joining. Also it depends how the RPG plays out - for instance, I wasn't sure if it would actually have a story or not. Like...say the candidates make threads to "campaign" for president. Would there be an ongoing story in the background? I'm thinking something like FQFG2, which had a main RPG coinciding with what was happening out in the field, so to speak. If so, that would change things...if it were like that, I'd be able to sign-up in some form or another (even if not as an actual candidate). I'm disappointed that the RPG didn't take off though, because it really is a fantastic concept.[/color]

[quote name='Queen Asuka'][color=hotpink][size=1]I popped in here to give an announcement, and I guess this thread is as good as any: I'm having a baby!

[quote]...yeah...Nintendo's giving you a CONTACT LIST. NOT a friends list.[/quote] [color=#606060]A contact list that - wait for it - you [b]put friends on[/b]! lol The rest of your post reads like some kind of odd PR-speak press release. You still make me laugh, Alex, haha. Let's get back on topic now. Anyhoo, I have to admit that I haven't been following SSBB's progress much at all (other than the really big announcements). One thing I liked about previous games was the extensive adventure mode. Any word on whether this will be expanded for SSBB? And, while I'm here, a question to all Smash Bros. players out there: what control method will you use on Wii? And do you think this will have any impact on you in terms of tournaments and such? I think it'll be interesting to see how people adapt to the many different control offerings on SSBB.[/color]

[color=#606060]There's no point arguing about it, lol. A friends list - its simplest and clearest definition - is simply a list of stored contacts. The Wii console and various Wii games let you keep and maintain a contacts list. Simple, really. The only point you're trying to make is that it doesn't let you communicate in a certain way and you can't add people you've recently played against. Yeah, we get that. But that doesn't make it "not a friends list" - that just makes it a crappy friends list, lol. As for the other stuff...I assume there will be some sort of matchmaking involved - this is how most online Nintendo games work presently. You either go through a matchmaker or you add people whom you already know. So yeah, I think that all pretty much makes sense. I don't think anyone here would argue that it's a great online system, because it sure isn't. I'm an Xbox Live user myself and I haven't ever really found anything I like as much (in terms of a general cross-game type system). Having said all of the above, I'm not sure how interested I even am in Brawl, personally. I've never minded SSB but I was never a massive fan of the franchise. Since I didn't get SSBM though, I might look at picking up SSBB.[/color]

[quote]years and still nobody notices me ¬_¬ how nice. Actually, I don't really mind. I think someone said I was overlooked on OB, can't remember who that was... but yeah that's kinda true now [/quote] [color=#606060]I notice you! And quite a few staff mention you when it comes to great RPGs. Funnily enough I was going to join This is Earth, but I could not decide on a character, lol.[/color]

[color=#606060]Well, it's still hair-splitting really. A friends list is a friends list, at the end of the day (putting aside broader internet strategy). Friends lists can have dfiferent features though - and some are more fully featured than others. Des, yeah, I agree with you. I just hope whatever matchmaking system SSBB uses is intelligent enough to create the fastest possible connections. I'm sure it will be fine; latency would have to be the most pressing issue for Nintendo here.[/color]

[color=#606060]For all intents and purposes though, what Desbreko is describing is basically a friends list. Calling it a "previous contacts list" is an exercise in hair-splitting. Having said that, I think Nintendo needs to change its approach to online gameplay as a matter of urgency - they need a unified system, or at least to kill off game-specific friend codes. I wouldn't even mind console-specific friend codes (or having multiple users as with 360 and PS3). There are plenty of ways to provide protection to children without massively restricting the service. One of the biggest inconsistencies is the fact that each game makes very different use of WiiConnect24. This will also be true for PS3 to some extent, but still, at least PS3 doesn't use friend codes, lol. Anyway, to get back on topic, I'm most concerned about how a game with the speed of SSBB will actually run online. If Nintendo can get the thing running smoothly online, I will actually be pleasantly surprised.[/color]

[color=#606060]I agree with DK - you do have to approach some things with protocol, no matter what your opinions of the leader. This says far more about the United States and the fact that it is willing to be respectful and decent in the face of an enemy, rather than saying anything about Iran. If the host is respectful it makes Iran's rhetoric look even more misguided.[/color]

[color=#606060]Okay, we'll do that then. Sounds good. I know I get annoyed when older threads don't show up, especially if they are listed in the thread directory.[/color]

[color=#606060]Thanks for the tip about the thread merge, Des. Good stuff. Perhaps we can change the default thread age view? Maybe that way it will be harder to lose threads. I'm not sure what setting would be best though.[/color]

[color=#606060]You don't have to apologize for any lack of creativity - that's not the point. The point is, it's very easy to point out what you dislike about the place. It's harder to make an effort to enjoy yourself. My overriding point is that there is very little anyone in the staff can do to radically change the site. We can change rules or develop new skins or adjust forums forever and ever...and it will all still come back to what the members do with their time here. Anyway, in terms of the specific point you're referring to...I honestly don't know, because I didn't merge the threads myself. I am guessing that if your thread was merged with an older thread, it's possible that the older thread keeps its place in the forum (someone can probably correct me on this). I always felt that the old thread should be merged into the new one, so that the listing stays fresh. But again I could be misinterpreting what happened. Maybe Desbreko or a Moderator is in a better position to answer your question.[/color]

[color=#606060]A lot of old members leave as soon as they come? No. People just naturally move on after several years. Many forums have a pretty high turnover of members, you know. I'm surprised that some have been here as long as they have. This has nothing to do with whether the site is "good or bad", it has more to do with the fact that people do naturally get tired of the same thing after a while. The thing is, there is nothing I can do to artifically change this. I do not - and would not - control what people choose to discuss. If the same topics come up repeatedly (as some do), there is nothing I can really do to change that. And why should I? You may have seen one topic come up a million times, but what about the member who joined yesterday or a week ago? They have the right to discuss that topic too. People seem to have this false sense that myself or any other staff can magically control what happens here. We can't. The site is entirely member-driven. That is why I tell people to try new things and experiment - and many have and the results have been great. There are a ton of interesting things happening most times, including some old favourites. If you're concerned about RPG length, well...that's fine. But why are longer RPGs automatically "bad"? That's just your opinion. If you prefer a shorter/quicker RPG setup, then make one yourself. Seriously, people have to put aside the hollow complaints and actually go out there and make something that they like. Other people are joining these RPGs and enjoying them. So yeah. I just get really tired of treading the same ground over and over again. If what I'm saying isn't obvious or clear, or if it doesn't make sense, then I'm not sure how many ways I can present it. Edit: And while I'm here, kudos to members like Shy, Charles, Retri, SunfallE, Aaryanna_Mom and several otehrs for demonstrating [i]exactly[/i] what I'm talking about in this post. Otaku Newspaper, FQFG2, art competitions...these things bring life to the boards and are great fun to watch and participate in. More of this stuff is what generates member interest. :catgirl:[/color]

[color=#606060]What you can do is quit the whining for one, lol. Seriously though, do you realize how depressing it sounds? It's that kind of stuff which makes OB lame, not the rules or anything else. The rules have been scaled back quite a lot - if you go and read the rules page you'll see that. Right now they're pretty general I'd say. And they're definitely pretty relaxed. The best way you can make OB interesting for yourself is participation. Instead of relying on others to entertain you, it would be better to think about how you can present your own ideas - for instance, the creation of an RPG...suggesting a competition, or something along those lines. Alternatively you can always make suggestions about any new features you'd like to see, etc. So yeah. If OB is depressing you, there are really only two alternatives. Either a) do your best to entertain yourself and join in with others or b) don't visit. I guarantee that the rules make little difference these days. They have been pulled back about as far as they'll go. If we lighten the rules even further, what then? Do you really think that will make any difference to activity? It won't. Ultimately the members make the forum. If they are all sitting on the sidelines complaining, then nothing is going to happen. But if they all jump in and make their own fun, things start to get interesting. I know I sound like a broken record here, but seriously, it's time to stop complaining and do something about it.[/color]

[color=#606060]You will only find nothing if you don't look - and if you aren't willing to embrace new members. Refusing to move with the times can mean that you suddenly find that you don't know anyone anymore, because your old friends have since moved on. That's why I always try to get involved with new members all the time. It means that the site never becomes alien to me, because I still know quite a lot of people. Having said that, my job is keeping me so busy these days that it's hard for me to visit OB for long periods of time anymore. That's a big shame because there are quite a few RPGs I'd be interested in joining (Silver One looks great; it sucks that I missed the boat on that!).[/color]

[color=#606060]I think SSB is probably just as strategic and suitable for competitive play as any other fighter, but having said that, I think latency could be the biggest issue for any online component. This is true for virtually any fighter (one reason why there are so few that have extensive online modes), but it's particularly true for a fast-paced game like SSB.[/color]