James

[quote] Why we never had a desginated moderator to that forum is beyond me. [/quote] [color=#606060]The reason we never had a dedicated Moderator was simply because we never needed one. The forum was so tiny and so inactive that it was really something the Category Moderator could handle (or any CM for that matter - not necessarily the one for the anime category). I can't remember who was in that position at the time but I'm pretty sure I'd discussed it with them and we'd agreed that it was better to just let a CM handle the odd problems here and there, rather than hire someone to look after a forum where nothing was happening. I'd really like to see articles on the Dragon Ball and Digimon forums, actually. Both of these forums were so large that they were almost their own communities. They each have some very rich history, which is kind of separate to OB itself. But I imagine researching for these much larger forums would be even more difficult in some ways.[/color]

[color=#606060]I think it probably depends on the context. If we're talking about a language that people still predominantly speak...that's one thing. If we're talking about an older language that isn't widely used anymore, that's another. I mean, in both cases language is important to culture. I think the two are intrinsically linked. However, culture is more than just language. Culture changes and evolves over time - I don't view it as being entirely static. Physical traditions, beliefs, politics, arts and other things are important contributors to culture (whether national or otherwise). In Quebec's case, it's a tough one to answer. I suppose I could see both sides to it. The only footnote I'd add here is that you don't need to separate in order to perserve your heritage. For many years Western Australia resisted Federation here - they rejected the early proposals and ever since they have pretty much viewed themselves as quite separate to the rest of Australia. They have never really been as involved in Federation as the other states were. However, you'd really have to ask the question: what advantage would independence bring in that case? In WA's case...well, there wouldn't really be many advantages. WA - like all Australian states - receives money from federal taxes. It also obviously qualifies for ADF protection and so on - there are numerous advantages to being part of a federation, as opposed to splitting off (especially if your population is small). But yeah, I am not familiar with Quebec's case. We'd need someone from that area to tell us what they think. :catgirl:[/color]

[quote name='Shy'][size=1]A "[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladyboy]LadyBoy[/url]," or "Kathoey" is actually another name for a male-to-female transgender, usually from Thailand. It's a very broad term, though, and has been used to describe anything from cross-dressers to hermaphrodites. I don't think I'd do a LadyBoy character just for the sake of doing a LadyBoy character... hm... I'll definitely work on coming up with something unique. -Shy[/size][/QUOTE] [color=#606060]Ah I see. Yeah I thought I'd heard that term somewhere. I just wasn't sure what the specifics were. But yeah, I figure most people will have good justifications for their characters being a certain way, so it doesn't worry me too much. At this stage I'm thinking that the sign-up will be introduced with reference to a biography written by one of the main characters. From there I'll just explain how the system works. I want the story to really develop through the sign-ups and the main thread. I just have to get the HTML stuff sorted and I have to put the biographical bit together, then it should all be ready to go.[/color]

[color=#606060]I haven't looked up "LadyBoy", but I'm really referring to either transvestites or transsexuals...not hermaphrodites. Not that there's any rule against the latter, but you know, there would have to be some merit to it...I wouldn't want people deliberately signing up as obscure characters just for the sake of doing so. If you could make something interesting from that and make a cool sign-up, then no, there are no real restrictions. I've really had no time to put this together any further (other than some further graphics work) but I'm glad there's some interest in the idea. I'll be sure to keep going with it. In the meantime, feel free to ponder your weirder character ideas out loud. ~_^[/color]

[color=#606060]I think we've had a couple of threads like this in the past, but I thought it would be fun to make a new official pet thread - all pets are welcome! I've only really ever had one pet in the past - a cockateil named Stimpy. My siblings have also had birds, but Stimpy was by far the smartest of them all. I have no idea what posessed me to give him that name...but somehow it fit. In any case, he was hand-tamed and seemed to think I was mother. He was the oddest bird I've ever come across - he was more of a dog than a bird. He'd play tug-of-war with pieces of string or he'd pick a fight with the buttons on my shirt. I also briefly owned a galah (native Australian bird - almost as big as a cockatoo), but unfortunately he flew away (my dad released him from his cage, thinking his wings were clipped - they weren't!) Most recently I finally made the move to a dog. She's a Siberian Husky named Amira. [center][img]http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/7995/amiraqv9.jpg[/img][/center] When we got her she was sick but things seem to have mostly cleared up now. I still have to get a new picture of her (this one was taken at the pet store). Once she's had her third vaccination we'll be off to puppy pre-school, which should be a lot of fun. One thing I've definitely noticed with this breed is their energy. She's only about fourteen weeks old and she's already got so much of it! She can literally run for ages (and pull an adult along) without any issues. I wonder what she'll be like when she's ten times bigger! :animeswea So, please feel free to share photos and stories about your pets in this thread. I'm curious to see what people's pet experiences are - how many have you had? And has anyone ever had a really unusual pet? I've known a couple of people who had Mexican Walking Fish, which were incredibly odd. lol [/color]

[color=#606060]I'm proud of OtakuBoards. Although I can be happy with whatever work I've done on the site over the last few years, I am mostly proud that OB has become what it is today. And although much of that has happened naturally, it's needed frequent attention from the staff. In terms of personal stuff...I guess I'm most proud of my work ethic. I'm working one job now, about to start consulting, I've also applied for volunteering work...[i]and[/i] there's all the online work. Maybe I sometimes put too much on my plate, but I really keep trying no matter what.[/color]

[color=#606060]I think that post speaks for itself really. Others who read it can make a judgement about whether or not they agree - that's up to them. I think if you view anything through a particular ideological prism, you will end up with a result that is less than accurate. And I think, even more fundamentally, we have to consider the general idea of human dignity (whether or not we think a particular trait is right or wrong). Anyway, the issue here is not whether homosexuality is right or wrong - I would say that this is probably a moot point in some respects. Those who choose to view the issue through a prism of fundamentalist ideology will always arrive at the same outcome. And those who choose to view the issue in a more scientific and/or objective sense are also usually going to arrive at a shared outcome as well (although probably not exactly the same). The overriding point is, I think, the issue of sex education in general (and by extension, whether or not you think homosexuality should be discussed as part of it). I mean, as I said before, I think it would be hard to suggest that less education (or education distorted by a particular ideology) is preferable for anyone. Education in and of itself is usually a neutral thing - what matters is giving people the freedom to make a choice. If someone goes through that education and still makes a choice one way or the other (negative or positive), at least they're doing so based on something substantive.[/color]

[color=#606060]I used to do primarily freelance work, but these days I'm working regular hours for a national company. So it's not bad - I'm reasonably comfortable here. I'm also now just starting to do some consulting work for another business (a non-profit company) and that is hopefully going to be a lot of fun. However, it does mean that I will now have to work weekends. Ugh. But I guess that's how it goes - I saw a house I want to rent and I will need that extra money for it! So it's worthwhile. :catgirl:[/color]

[quote]This is probably another atempt to further promote non-Christian behavior and/or exclude Christianity and its morals from schools.[/quote] [color=#606060]The overriding point here is whether or not more education is a good thing. I think it's undeniably a good thing. Educating someone - providing them with information - is not the same as saying "this is what you should believe". It's about arming people with raw information (hopefully from many reliable sources). When you're armed with information you can then make your own decision. If you only present a limited point of view (or one that pushes a certain point of view), you are inherently limiting a person's education. I think it's better to be armed with info and [i]then[/i] make a choice, rather than making a choice in ignorance. This is why I don't like it when people who know nothing about Christianity bash it - that isn't fair. It's just as unfair as people attacking homosexuals without having any understanding of them. In terms of sex education in general, the system in Australia (at least in my state) is pretty clear. You [i]can[/i] have sex education in primary school (elementary school), but these classes are optional and parents must approve. However, by the time you reach about year 9 (so the third year of high school), sex education classes are compulsory. These classes cover everything from the biological aspects to safe sex education. I was happy with the way our sex education was presented and I thought it covered everything in a pretty non-biased and scientifically factual way (which is about the best you can expect, I suppose).[/color]

[quote name='Catgirl08']As for school, popularity really doesn't matter at all. What I meant by my post is how to get people to visit my site and comment on it. But I guess because I haven't been here that long, alot of people don't know me as well as the others that been a member for years. But no, I don't care if people don't like me. But thank you for the advice. ^-^[/QUOTE] [color=#606060]I think you'll find that it's mostly a viral thing. The more friends you make, the more comments you'll get. But this means work on your part - if you comment regularly on other people's blogs, they are more likely to comment on yours. I know quite a few people read mine (amazingly, lol) but only a few comment. However, I'm sure more would comment if I sat down and commented a lot on theirs. It's a bit of give and take, you know? I expect lower amounts of comments because I don't really comment on other blogs much. I do, however, respond to people's comments on my page. I think that helps a bit too because it gets you into a bit of a discussion. [b]Edit:[/b] Oh and to what Rachmaninoff said...I notice a lot of new members in this thread alone. That's really great to see. OtakuBoards is a great place to build up friends and contacts. A lot of people on OB have made many friends here - so this is one way to also attract people to your work and stuff. It's also just good to start making friends in the network in general I think.[/color]

[color=#606060]I'm not sure what the issue is with iChat (I never use it), but if worst comes to worst I'd recommend downloading Adium. Adium does MSN/Yahoo/AIM etc and it works pretty well. It's not exactly ideal but it's probably the best you'll get on a Mac. I've never had an issue with it, personally.[/color]

[quote]I think some of you people are seriously mixing up "teaching kids what homosexuality is" to "teaching kids how to be homosexuals". The case is obviously about the first option, and you shouldn't get all worked up about it. It's not like homosexuality should be the "private matter no one should discuss" like some people still seem to think.[/quote] [color=#606060]Bingo. Besides, it makes no sense to "teach about homosexuality" in its own subject. It should simply be a part of any sex education course, if you're going to go down that road. We need to get away from this idea of homosexuality as a "lifestyle" and "teaching someone to be gay". Doesn't work like that, folks. It'd be like teaching a blue-eyed child to have brown eyes - it has nothing to do with learned behaviour. In any case, I think the overriding question has nothing to do with homosexuality. The overriding question is this: at what age do you believe sex education should become part of the curriculum? If a ten year old is old enough to learn about sex, they are old enough to learn what homosexuality is. But if you feel that people shouldn't be learning about sex 'till they are older...then that's another question.[/color] [quote]Whether the students are ten or sixteen, sex-ed classes should cover homosexuality. The appropriate age at which to start sex-ed classes is a separate issue.[/quote] [color=#606060]Agreed.[/color]

[color=#606060]There are many reasons why this sort of thing can happen. First of all, many of the people involved in the teams who created the games you mentioned were probably assigned to next gen (now current gen) projects in late 2005/early 2006. In many cases - probably in most cases - this means that the teams are working on something new. And considering that it takes a long time to develop a game (especially on a totally new platform - I would expect few if any PS3 games to be developed in less than two years), this starts to answer your question. It's not that the publishers/developers have forgotten about those titles, it's just that all companies have limited resources that need to be constantly shifted around. You'll often find that one team will be responsible for various franchises - but often a single team or division can only work on a single title at once. And depending on what's being created, staff from one team might move to another for a single development cycle. So there are all sorts of reasons why this happens. You may very well find that we see a Dark Cloud 3 in 2009 or something - there may very well be a design document already written for it. But if the team members are busy on other titles for the next 18 months? Well, it's unlikely you'll hear about any planned sequels before then. Also, some of the games you listed - while great and while they probably sold good amounts - are not "mega blockbuster" titles. None of them really reach the heights of the massive franchises like Metal Gear Solid, Mario, etc... With the really massive franchises, you're likely to see regular games being released (or at least semi-regular). Developers know they can count on these games to bring in loads of profit - they are a sure bet. And in some cases, entire "permanent" teams are set up to continually develop games within a particular franchise. So yeah. Hopefully that sheds some light on the mystery.[/color]

[color=#606060]Or we could just have "Guestbook" and "Add Me as Friend" rather than the whole "View/Sign" thing. I think we can experiment with this. I have other ideas with this line though for OB:E, but there might be technical limitations. At the very least though you can be sure we'll make some sort of edit to this function to make it more convenient for everyone.[/color]

[color=#606060]I had thought about using images rather than text for part of that line...but I agree that making a line break would look awkward in practice. As for why it says when you are last updated...that isn't a Moderator feature. The whole idea behind that is that other [i]members[/i] can see when you've last updated. This way as you browse OB you can see which members a) have a profile/blog and b) when they've last updated. The information is designed to make communication between members easier...and to allow myOtaku users to broadcast their site to other members.[/color]

[quote]There's not really any difference in games on XBL between joining your friends list so you know when someone is online and joining a "clan" though. I mean, what is really the differentiation there? [/quote] [color=#606060]I think there's a difference. Based on what Desbreko is saying I think he's pointing out the difference between having one dedicated/official thread where everyone puts up their Xbox Live details, versus one person creating an entire thread about their private clan. So I'd say there was a difference based on Desbreko's reasoning. I suppose it would be a bit like someone posting a thread saying "Join my forums!" Anyway, I digress. Your overall points I agree with 100% - I have similar concerns about a single thread per franchise concept. It was something that was worth testing. We tested it...and now I'm convinced we can do more, which is why I'm asking for people's views. But yeah, I think the earlier example you brought up is very valid. And it's probably my number one concern with the current system.[/color] [quote]As I recall though, didn't we centralise the forums to try and encourage posting the last time ? It seems odd we'd revert them for the same reason.[/quote] [color=#606060]Well, yes and no. We collapsed forums because a) we didn't feel we could justify having entire forums that weren't terribly active (i.e. Yu Yu Hakusho) and b) we wanted the site to be cleaner/more organised. At this stage I'm wondering if we can't try to strike some sort of balance - either to try something new or to go back to having multiple sub-forums...but perhaps with a different focus or something.[/color]

[color=#606060]The reason I ask this question is because I don't think the current system is ideal. It's good - possibly better than what we had before - but it can be limiting. If you enter the FFX thread for instance, yes, it's all organised into one specific thread. However, if you have a specific question...it can all get mixed up. There can be multiple discussions going on in the one thread. It can get confusing. On the other hand we don't want a million forums. So although I'm asking which style people prefer, I'm also wanting to know if members have suggestions on a good compromise - on what you'd like to see that we aren't already doing. OB isn't a huge site, but forum layouts can stunt growth at times too, especially if people feel that the current system is too confusing. So yeah, I'm really trying to promote some discussion here. Members have solved some problems in the past and submitted some great ideas, so I figured this would be a good thing to open up to public discussion.[/color]

[color=#606060]I've been thinking about something for a while now and I decided to finally create a poll for it. It's nothing major, but basically, I've been thinking about how Hardwired and Anime Lounge are structured and I'm wondering if the "one thread per franchise" idea is becoming too restrictive. Having a forum for each franchise is also difficult, because you have to decide which franchise is going to warrant its own forum (or sub-forum). I am just wondering whether people have a preference for one system or another. Or if there are totally new ideas about how we could expand our coverage without making it too confusing for members. What do you guys think? :catgirl:[/color]

[color=#606060]Yeah and the way the story plays out in Max Payne (particularly the fact that it largely plays out via monologues) was something I wanted to try in this RPG. But we'll see. In any case, I'm currently working on an image header for the thread (I asked for the new logo font from Who Am I, since I really liked his interpretation) and then I'm going to put together the HTML that I want everyone to use (will be really really easy, just copy and paste). I am interested to see how the whole mini-RPG idea works. It'll be a good experiment.[/color]

[color=#606060]Hm, some interesting ideas here. This gave me a lot to think about! :D[/color] [quote]Instead of this solution, since we are talking about a "reality-tv"-show here, the game should have a changing cast. If someone quits, the group will get a whole new member (a rookie or a transferring Lady from another country etc.) - just like in Charlie's angels. That way you won't have problems with the clashing personality of one character when she's played by the new player. (Also, I'd personally hate to take over a character that someone else has created and played with, since it would feel like I wouldn't have any control over it myself). [/quote] [color=#606060]You have a good point here. My original idea was that it would be very much like a television show where "characters" are played by different actors. You can think of pretty much any TV show you know where at some stage an actor has left, only to be replaced by another (but with the same character). But yeah, this could be uncomfortable for some people - and understandably so. So I'm happy to scrap that idea and go with something more traditional (i.e. a rotating "main cast" that can change between seasons).[/color] [quote]Oh, what about men? Is there going to be a Bosley-type of character? Or will the roles be strictly divided between the Ladies and the Villains?[/quote] [color=#606060]At the moment I'm thinking of a structure that's like Metal Gear Solid. In MGS, Snake is able to radio various characters while in the field. These characters are either superiors or they are experts in various areas. My idea is that the ladies will have some sort of Bosley equivalent (as you mentioned), but that there might be a couple of other male characters involved as well (including, perhaps, a Q-type character who develops gadgetry or something). I am sort of happy to open that up to sign-ups though, honestly. I figure some people will have their own really cool ideas about some unique male characters who can be part of the team - but who are not necessarily going out there on missions with the ladies all the time. And don't forget, although these characters are "ladies", they don't all necessarily have to be women. Take that as you will. :animeswea[/color] [quote]I suppose you could even have television execs, although if you are planning on playing this out to be like a TV show, you probably wouldn't want to show all that kind of "behind-the-scenes" stuff.[/quote] [color=#606060]Actually I would like to explore the behind-the-scenes stuff at times. We might use an [b]On Air[/b]/[b]Off Air[/b] system. It would go something like this: [b]Off Air[/b] [i]Two paragraphs of behind-the-scenes story - perhaps this scene could involve one of the ladies going back to her apartment after a long day of filming.[/i] [b]On Air[/b] [i]As the lady gets home she notices that her front door is ajar. She draws a gun and is joined by a roving camera.[/i] Does that make sense? Certain parts of your post can be On Air and certain parts can be Off Air. The idea is that there is a general filming schedule - that is, during specific days and/or nights, the ladies are out doing missions. Between these times the cameras might be off, [i]unless[/i] something particularly dramatic occurs. So the cameras sort of come alive whenever something TV-worthy happens. This would be up to the individual writer to determine, of course.[/color] [quote](Also, did the description of the basic story remind anyone of a little thing called "Fox Force Five"?) [/quote] [color=#606060]That's where I got the idea originally. At first I was literally going to do a Fox Force Five RPG. But there was too little real information to go on from Pulp Fiction...so I eventually decided to take the overall concept and make my own universe from it.[/color] [quote]Seeing as I'd imagine a good deal of the villains in this are going to be male, just how far can we go with them ? As in how warped may these individuals be ? Personally I'm hoping to play a cannibalistic version of Willy Wonka.[/quote] [color=#606060]I suppose the villains could be as weird as you wanted. When I think about the tone of this story I'm really thinking of something like Max Payne. You know, sort of film-noir with quite a few monologues and things like that. Almost like Detective Story from The Animatrix. If you think of that sort of grainy black-and-white visual feel...lots of "thinking out loud" moments...that's sort of what I'm getting at. So within that context there's room for some fairly surreal characters. As I said earlier, "ladies" don't always have to be women. I would be quite interested to see if someone put forward a transvestite character or something along those lines (whether as a good guy or a bad guy - I'd want to see experimentation for sure).[/color]

[color=#606060]Let's see... [b]Xbox 360:[/b] A bit of everything really. Command & Conquer 3, Perfect Dark Zero (wanted to give this one another chance), Dead Rising and Gears of War. [b]Wii:[/b] Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat and Wario Ware: Smooth Moves. [b]PC:[/b] Max Payne 2 (I had forgotten how utterly brilliant this game was until I started it again recently - one of my all-time favourite PC games). [b]Nintendo DS:[/b] It varies between Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney and Super Princess Peach. Both are fantastic.[/color]

[font=franklin gothic medium] [b]Danger in the North[/b] The events unfolding in Novus Concordia had preoccupied the Hunters who remained loyal to Signus. Even Duke himself was unaware of the danger to the north. Proteus?s escape from Japan had prompted Dr. Karman to step up her preparations. And, after the battle with Massacre in Xen, she now had only one cyborg at her service: Gunner. Gunner stood in the centre of a large, spartan office. It was a type of penthouse, sitting at the apex of a large pyramidal structure at the top of a long, winding mountain range. One side of the office was covered with glass so that one could see for miles into the distance ? the stormy ocean beyond seemed to stretch away forever. For his part, Gunner was much smaller in stature than Massacre. He was also arguably the more intelligent of the pair; in most cases Massacre acted as his backup ? especially when the pair were on a field mission. And, where Massacre?s internal structure was visible from the outside, Gunner more closely resembled a ?finished? robot. He was not, however, reminiscent of a reploid. In fact, Gunner looked quite different; on the surface he looked most like a replimaster, being that he had a very ?droid-like? appearance. It was almost as though he were a small tank on legs, with a design very utilitarian in nature. Gunner was silent as he watched his master. She stood against the glass wall and contemplated the view quietly. When she turned around, she sat in a large leather office chair behind an elaborate wooden desk. Under this light, her mask was highly visible ? every detail was apparent. Dr. Karman?s mask most resembled the face paint of a Geisha with its glossy white surface. The mask covered her face entirely but it also stretched down over her neck and chest. It was as though Dr. Karman herself were some kind of machine ? she looked almost like a plastic Geisha. Unlike a Geisha, however, the mask?s lips were drawn thin with black lipstick. The eyes were narrow and cold; one could not clearly see her real eyes behind the blackened gaps. The intention, clearly, was to cover her skin entirely. And that theme extended to her hands, which were masked with dull black leather gloves. Her long black hair was tied back with two thin red chopsticks and she wore a long, elegant, tailored suit. The overall look was one that would invoke a mixture of emotions in any viewer; Dr. Karman?s costume was undoubtedly beautiful and elegant in its own way. On the other hand, it was eerie?she [i]almost[/i] looked like a very unique reploid, but she wasn?t a machine; nor was she entirely human. Dr. Karman?s voice also sounded slightly odd when she spoke; her voice was calm, clinical ? undoubtedly rational ? but was nonetheless muffled ever so slightly by her mask. It further contributed to the impression that she was something other than human. ?I am disappointed by the loss of Masscacre,? began Dr. Karman quietly (at this, Gunner lowered his head), ?but it is apparent that he was useless anyway. If only a handful of reploids can kill him, he would be of no consequence in a real war.? Gunner nodded. ?Any war with the Maverick Hunters will be difficult though, doctor. We will need to outnumber them many times over.? Although he could not see it, Gunner was almost certain that Dr. Karman was smiling under her expressionless mask. ?There was a time when I thought that,? she muttered. ?Things have changed. The best opportunity you can have against an enemy is when that enemy is internally divided. Under such circumstances, we no longer need to delay our effort by months; we can prepare for action in [i]weeks[/i].? Gunner looked up once more, surprised. ?How can this be so? How do you know about these divisions, doctor?? Dr. Karman stood up and began pacing back and forth by the glass wall. ?The key to this war is information, not brute force,? she said. ?Information is what will deliver victory. If the enemy is confused and divided, yet we are well-informed and single-minded in purpose, who do you think will win? We will have an unquestionable advantage over the Hunters. And, in truth, we have had that advantage for a long time now. It is simply luck ? or perhaps fate ? that Duke came along.? As if anticipating Gunner?s next question, Dr. Karman continued. ?We do not yet know who Duke really is, but he has taken over from Signas. Based on the information we have, I would say that it wasn?t a peaceful handover. Instead of falling in line, though, several Elite Hunters have rebelled. As we speak there is a battle unfolding within the Headquarters itself. This rebellion is just what we need; how can the Hunters fight as a cohesive force when they are battling one another?? Gunner considered this for a moment. ?Yes, doctor, that makes sense. How did we acquire this information though? I didn?t think it was possible to get a spy anywhere near the MHHQ.? For the first time, Gunner heard Dr. Karman chuckle to herself quietly. ?Actually, we have had a spy in their organisation for quite some time.? It suddenly dawned on Gunner. ?Proteus? But I thought his software malfunctioned. I thought we could never control him.? Dr. Karman nodded vigorously. ?Yes, that is true. However, it was never my intention to control him; Proteus [i]thinks[/i] the dormant software in his mind is malfunctioning. It is not. Every time he experiences a certain strange memory or an odd vision or sound, he is actually unwittingly uploading data. We receive regular data uploads to our central server without him even knowing. The software in his mind has nothing to do with controlling his actions and [i]everything[/i] to do with monitoring what he sees and hears. In short, Proteus?s Operating System contains our very own brand of embedded spyware?? ?But if Proteus realises the software is there,? said Gunner slowly as he played out his thoughts, ?what if he removes it?? Dr. Karman turned to Gunner and raised a gloved hand as if to stop him in his tracks. ?Impossible. The software is embedded directly in his OS. The only way to remove it would be to format the OS ? but this would be far too risky. There is only one time when a reploid?s OS is formatted and that is when they are processed for decommissioning. Even if Proteus could somehow manage a clean format, we have all the information we need to stage our attack. Any further information will simply be additionally useful.? Gunner nodded. He understood now. Everything had worked out according to plan ? perhaps even better than Dr. Karman herself had planned. ?Why did you summon me, doctor?? Dr. Karman walked around her desk and drew closer to Gunner. ?It is time to begin assembling our forces. I want you to personally prepare all hangers. And we need to make sure that all of the launch vehicles are ready. Also?I am promoting you. You are now General Gunner. Before you examine the vehicles and troops, you should head to the Armory; we have prepared several physical upgrades for you.? Gunner grinned broadly, bowed deeply and exited the room. The lights dimmed as Dr. Karman sat alone in her office. She was grinning under her glossy mask. ?My time is finally coming,? she muttered to herself. [b]Unexpected Arrival[/b] Proteus cruised along the Eastern Highway in the deep blue hover car. Ironically it was a very similar color to his armor. On the way back to Hunter HQ Proteus had paid a second visit to Zero?s friend who had reluctantly lent him a second vehicle. Proteus had never driven a car before and it seemed completely alien in comparison to the [i]Impact[/i]. And for the first time ever Proteus was able to listen to Novus Concordia radio. He had been listening to the chart toppers for the last thirty minutes but this was finally interrupted by a news report. It was a regular news report and didn?t seem unusual at first, except for one note toward the end: [i]?And in other news, Maverick Hunter Headquarters has temporarily closed its doors to all civilian contractors. The newly appointed head of the organisation ? known only as ?Duke? ? cited non-specific security concerns as his reasoning. Maverick Hunter Headquarters is due to take part in a roundtable meeting of UN officials next week, although it is unknown whether ?Duke? will attend personally or whether he will send a representative. Reports have been surfacing recently of growing UN concern over the management and internal security of the Headquarters??[/i] It was interesting, thought Proteus, that Duke was one topic of national news. Yet it was painfully obvious that the outside world didn?t truly know ? or care ? about the internal politics at Hunter HQ. General politics would not be a concern, of course, but there was quite literally a battle waging inside the complex right now and nobody was aware of it. In fact, it was probably true that many of the civilian residents of the HQ wouldn?t know what was happening either, especially if the battle was taking place in the central district (the highest-security area within the HQ, with the central tower and all of the management facilities ? including the Commander?s quarters). Just as Proteus was in the midst of thought, he saw an incredibly strange sight: there, on the side of the highway ahead, was a man who looked remarkably like Dr. Inoue. Proteus zoomed his view through his adjustable irises and confirmed without a doubt that it [i]was[/i] in fact, Dr. Inoue! He was holding up a large sign with the words ?DIODE CENTER? painted on it in large, red letters. The Diode Center was a building Proteus had seen several times before. It was a large glass building across the street from the HQ?s eastern entrance. Proteus slowed the car and stopped just in front of Dr. Inoue. He lowered the window and peered out. ?Need a ride, doctor?? [b]Maverick Hunter Headquarters[/b] The journey along the Eastern Highway was largely pleasurable. Proteus had been in such a serene environment for a long time. As he drove he passed commuters and holidaymakers rather than the usual assortment of military vehicles or ALED hover cars. Dr. Inoue had been somewhat quiet for the first few minutes of the trip but Proteus could not resist asking questions. ?Why are you in the city, doctor? I thought you had been exiled.? Dr. Inoue smiled to himself and turned to Proteus. ?When you and your team mates came to Xen, I could see that your situation was desperate. And Iota?even if you got her back to the Headquarters, I doubt any of you will be able to help her. You will need a doctor with the appropriate training.? Dr. Inoue glanced over his shoulder and back at Proteus. ?Speaking of which, where is Iota?? ?She isn?t with me,? said Proteus, ?she is with Warlock and Zero. I had an errand to run; I told them to go ahead.? ?Must have been quite an errand,? said Dr. Inoue with a smirk. Proteus nodded and stared ahead at the road, his expression serious and emotionless. ?Yes, it was necessary. I needed answers.? ?Did you find them?? There was a pause. ?No, not really. I learned more but?it was personal. I couldn?t find the information I needed to solve my problem.? And then everything flooded out of Proteus. He spoke of Angel Square and the files he?d found. He talked about the newspapers and the second missile strike?and the malfunctioning software. Dr. Inoue seemed to consider this new information for quite a while before speaking. ?I knew Lucia,? he said finally. He seemed to be looking at his knees, as though it were a painful memory. ?We actually worked together for a time. I think it was about six months in total; our fields brought us together. I dealt entirely with robotics but she had studied and pioneered in multiple disciplines.? Proteus was amazed. He knew that Dr. Inoue had been a successful scientist but he had no idea that he had worked with the likes of Dr. Karman. This was his chance to find out more about her history. ?What was she like back then? Was she very different before the missile attack?? Dr. Inoue looked out the window at the passing buildings. ?Oh yes, very different. She was the most kind-hearted person I had ever met. We developed quite a strong friendship as well as a professional relationship. But the truth was that she was far more skilled than I. Her knowledge, her research?she actually invented several entire branches of scientific study. In my entire career I have only known one other doctor with such a pedigree: William Light.? ?Did you have anything to do with Dr. Light?? asked Proteus. Dr. Inoue shook his head. ?Not really. He was in another league and he was involved in projects far removed from my own. Not to mention that even when Dr. Karman began working with him, he was already largely retired; she worked with him in Angel Square, which was after the vast majority of his career. Lucia and I are much younger than William Light would be if he were alive today.? For a moment Dr. Inoue paused again, as if considering what he had just said. Proteus was fascinated; he didn?t realize how small the elite research community in Novus Concordia had really been. ?The software in your mind,? said Dr. Inoue slowly, as if deliberately changing subject, ?is unlikely to be malfunctioning.? ?I thought it was intended to control me ? to make me a mindless weapon against the Hunters,? said Proteus. Dr. Inoue shook his head. ?No, I don?t think so. I knew Lucia?if she designed that software, I doubt it would malfunction, especially considering the high success of the rest of her engineering efforts. You function flawlessly, Proteus. You are the only reploid of your kind. Has your ACM ever failed?? ?No,? said Proteus honestly. ?Right. ACM is the most complex reploid technology ever designed, Proteus. And you are the first commercial model reploid to feature it. If you?ve had no errors whatsoever with this feature, do you really think a simple piece of software ? especially one so critical ? would fail?? ?No I don?t,? said Proteus, ?but if that is true, what could the purpose of the flashbacks be? I see images and hear strange sounds...I don?t know what the software is doing. I am worried that something horrible will happen.? Dr. Inoue smiled warmly. ?I will make sure nothing happens, Proteus. But we do need to find out the nature of that software. The Hunter HQ will have all the tools we need to do that?as I said earlier, this is why I came to the city. I wanted to help you. And that includes dealing with your software problem. Sorting these issues out will not be difficult with the HQ?s advanced diagnostics tools. The more pressing question is how we?ll be able to access them in the midst of heightened security.? ?Let me worry about security,? said Proteus as he guided the car down the last stretch of highway. [/font]

[color=#606060]Well, my new dog ate the ethernet cable that I'm using for the Xbox...so right now online gaming is again off the agenda, haha. But I will probably buy a replacement this coming week. I've so far really played nothing online other than C&C. But I have quite a few Xbox 360 games (no Halo though), so we'll see how that goes. I will probably get Halo 3 when it comes out though, so we might get into a few matches there.[/color]

[color=#606060]Yep, what Shy said. Welcome to OB! If you have any general questions about the site, I recommend using the Suggestions & Feedback forum. Members and staff are always on-hand to advise and help you out. :catgirl:[/color]

[color=#606060]I don't know what this really has to do with intelligence. Who's to say that studying Economics is inherently more difficult than Computer Science? Surely that's a value judgement. There's also the whole left/right brain issue. I'm pretty terrible at mathematics, but I've always been very good at English. Yet I've come across plenty of people who are brilliant at mathematics but cannot grasp the most basic elements of English. What does it say about them if they're brilliant at mathematics yet they can't comprehend the basics of a course of study that apparently requires less IQ? It's probably more likely that this is about math experts trying to explain why they aren't getting any. And their method of explanation ironically makes it even [i]less[/i] likely that they will be successful when it comes to sex, lol.[/color]