James

[font=arial]I agree that the reality is that it's an OOC forum - that's what it was intended for and that's essentially what it is. The only real problem at the moment is just lack of activity. We could roll Underground into the Inn to boost activity but we run the risk of things getting too confusing (especially for newer members). And as I said before, we'd need to differentiate between sign-up threads and general RPG discussion threads. When we eventually eliminate thread ratings, this will become even more confusing. So we need a solution to that problem before we can go ahead with any forum merging.[/font]

[quote name='Gavin']I'm not talking about all atheists, just those ones who are as closed minded as fundamental religious people, and often as confrontational as them as well. I've a few friends in school who belong to said group and it gets irritating to hear the words "God delusion" over and over without being willing to debate it. [/quote] [font=arial]Yeah that's cool, I just mean it's not good to make general statements about a group like that. Obviously each group (both religious and non-religious) have their extremists. Another thing I dislike - which has been mentioned here - are rude salespeople. Few things can be more annoying than this. A little old-fashioned customer service goes a long way. Nothing will make me forget my horrible experience at EB not long ago with an over-eager salesperson...[/font]

[quote name='DeadSeraphim][size=1][color=indigo][font=arial]You're Australian, it's hot here no matter what time of the year it is. [i]Endless Summer, on the realz.[/i][/font][/color'][/size][/quote] [font=arial]Yeah I suppose that's true. We've had some cool nights but we've also had some fairly warm winter days. Still, it's not like the 44 degree days we have in [i]real[/i] summer, lol. (That's uh...over 112 farenheit I think - don't quote me on that though, I always forget the conversion!)[/font]

[font=arial]It's coming into winter where I live, so my summer plans are already over... *sniff*[/font]

[font=arial]Geeze, it's amazing how time flies. It makes me feel old! Nice to see you back though. We tend to encourage people to just join in with discussions rather than post intro threads, so I'll close this. But once again, welcome back to OB! [/font]

[quote]Anywho where was I going there...ah yes. Canada doesn't have the weapons or soldiers to attack a random country, but that's because we have no plans to, duh. [/quote] [font=arial]Actually Canada is a lot like New Zealand when it comes to defense. Canada is in the enviable position of simply not needing to spend much on military because it is situated right next to the United States. Canada very much relies on the US for defense. The same is true with NZ. NZ's military is tiny - it actually gave back a fleet of FA-18 aircraft that it'd bought from Australia because maintaining them in New Zealand was too expensive. NZ is completely reliant on Australia for military defense. So I think as much as we would like to think that these countries "have no plans to attack" someone...the reality is that it's much more about saving money and relying on allies as opposed to actually having a philosophical viewpoint or something. Just thought I'd throw that in there in the hope of grounding the discussion a bit, lol. As I said before, the whole "we are better than you" or "this country is better than that country" is a bit silly.[/font]

[QUOTE=Nerdsy][color=deeppink] Although I'm a little surprised that Australians are naming their scandals after American ones. We must be the world leaders in scandels or something. :whoops: [/color][/QUOTE] [font=arial]Haha, well I think it's just that Watergate is such a famous political incident globally. Plus, Australians are probably more in-tune with American culture than Americans are with ours, just by virtue of the size difference of both countries. I mean, many Australians know a decent amount about American history even. Then again, our high school history focuses much more on world history than our own (you have to take a separate course for Australian history). I also think that close-mindedness annoys me. Especially when it comes to talking about which country is better. I mean, I love Australia and I would never want to live anywhere else - Australia has the highest average living standard in the world (higher even than the United States and Canada, lol), but I am [i]very[/i] keen to travel overseas and to visit as many places as I can. I would like to visit the US within the next few years, there are a million things over there I'd love to see. I have also heard from family that Canada is absolutely gorgeous and I must see it if I visit North America. So yeah, an appreciation for other countries and cultures is usually a good thing. :catgirl:[/font]

[quote name='White']Also: People who think that Americans are stupid just because some silly TV show finds dumb people on the street and asks them trivia. Couldn't you do that in any country and get the same results? >_>[/quote] [font=arial]Amazingly, no. Haha There isn't a huge amount that really bugs me I have to say - dishonesty, mistreatment of other people, belittling of people...that sort of thing probably annoys me more than anything. I suppose much of that comes under the general umbrella of being petty. Oh and speaking of politics...there's one thing that does annoy me in terms of political catch-phrases: the "gate" suffix. That they are already saying "Thorpe-gate" with this drug testing thing related to Ian Thorpe is annoying. Where's the originality? >_> [b]Edit[/b] Yes, I too sometimes get annoyed by American-English. This is mostly from a purely functional point of view (depending on your audience, you have to adjust your spelling). But also on a basic level...American-English is a simplified/lazy version of English. That bugs me at times, lol. Also, Gavin, I don't think it's fair to lump athiests in with intolerant people. Athiests do not believe in God, this does not automatically make them intolerant of religion.[/font]

[font=arial]The Underground was intended as more than just an RPG "OOC", it was designed to allow for the creation and planning of RPGs. The Inn allows you to create an RPG sign-up thread and recruit...but it doesn't really allow you to throw an idea out there and plan/build an RPG in a group setting. A potential problem we have is the differentiation between completed sign-up threads and RPG "ideas" that are not complete and that need input from members. You could theoretically see a really cool RPG title and want to sign-up, only to find that someone is just floating an idea...or that they are actually entering into a discussion [i]about[/i] an RPG without that thread being a sign-up in and of itself. Bear in mind also that I [i]don't[/i] want extra tags being used. So this could potentially make the mixture of forums confusing if they are combined. I am sure there might be a solution to this but right now I'm more interested in keeping them apart and seeing how we go. I have other plans as well, which should improve things significantly. So hopefully I can talk about that shortly as well.[/font]

[font=arial]Yep, apologies to those who use the threads. The OB staff have very kindly offered to begin working on new threads. We are not really sure what happened, as all of the database stuff was very routine. In response to the general gist of the thread...I have to say, there is still more coming. Right now theOtaku.com is taking up most of my online time but that's temporary - I am going to be updating a few things here including a successful (hopefully) and major revamp of the Geisha skin (it's very neglected, as you all know). We may make further adjustments to the forum layout depending on how things go, but at the moment I'm satisfied that the big changes were really needed.[/font]

[font=arial]Brilliant stuff, Sandy. This sorta reminds me of Adam's Angels a bit. It's nice to see an updated version - we owe much to the highly skilled Arena Mob! Our Moderators are becoming quite famous these days. :catgirl: [/font]

[quote name='Gavin']At the end of the day multi-format is actually a good thing in my mind, at least from a consumers point of view. Nintendo fans were having strokes with Viewtiful Joe went from exclusive to multi-format and yet as anyone will tell you, the big N are still live and kicking despite overtly losing the last "console war". Multi-formatting makes games cheaper, as they can't be used to sell a particular console based on the awesomeness of the game.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Multi-platform releases are definitely good for consumers, although I suppose it depends on the specifics (sometimes a game looks and functions better on the platform it was originally designed for - that is, if it's a port and not a "true" multi-platform release). Having said that, I think that too many multi-platform releases is bad for the industry. In a way I think it's almost anti-competitive.[/font] [quote name='Gavin']The PS3 is also miles more powerful than it's two rivals and that fact will probably show more clearly in time when some of Sony's biggest hitters, MGS4 for instance hit the shelves later this year. On top of all that, the PS3 was only released to Europe and Australia a matter of days ago, that's pretty much two more continents of consumers.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]I don't know if I agree that PS3 is miles more powerful than its rivals, but I do agree that it's a bit far fetched to suggest that this system is going to be a failure. In many ways, PS3 isn't a good move by Sony (from a business point of view). But the sales are looking good so far - not as good in some areas as people predicted and [i]better[/i] in other areas - and the release list is still pretty strong. I think we'll have a better idea about where this system stands by this time in 2008.[/font] [quote name='BKstyles']That's exactly it, from a consumer's POV. It could easily spell trouble if the price and convenience for a multi-platform big name were not in favor of the system. It wouldn't bother us, because so long as we get the game in a fashion that best benefits us we are content. Sony is going to have to appeal to to the consumer either in this form, which means lowering the price of their games or taking it a step further (where applicable) offer something special (i.e Knights of the Nine with Oblivion, despite the PC having the expansion out). The concept should be clear.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]I think this is absolutely true. If every third party title were multi-platform, the differentiation between hardware platforms would be severely limited. In effect, first-party exclusives and price variations would become even more important. At least Sony's first-party offerings are now pretty good. I think Sony's first-party stuff is definitely competitive with Nintendo and in some ways, superior to Microsoft's first-party offerings (particularly in terms of the quantity of high quality titles coming from first-party studios).[/font] [quote name='BKstyles']My attraction to the PS3 initially were due to it's big exlusives that I would gladly shell out the money for in order to play, mainly MGS4, FFXIII, Assassins Creed, DMC4, etc. Two of these titles have already been decided to be released multi-platform. So obviously, being a 360 owner it will be more convenient (and probably cheaper) to play these games on the 360. It would be considerably hard to find a reason to get a PS3 if even one of the other 2 (MGS and FF) go multi as well. But that's just my personal bias, I wanted a PS3 solely for specific games, where as i've always seen the 360 as a more reliable system for constant new releases of the obscure and popular kind. In the long run it's a stronger system in that aspect for me. [/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Yeah, there are still a few exclusives that make PS3 attractive for me (at least when the price drops or there are [i]more[/i] great exclusives). But I don't think many of these exclusives will remain so forever. At this stage I'm actually a lot happier with my Xbox 360. I can live without the few PS3-only games that may or may not end up being exclusive in the end anyway. Still, as I keep saying - and as I stress everywhere - it's way too early to count [i]anyone[/i] out. If PS3 can continue its sales momentum (particularly in Europe), this will make a major difference to third party developers.[/font]

[font=arial]I really think the writers/director really hit the nail on the head with this one. First of all, it's important to note that a) the live-action films had pretty lame plots (even when compared to the cartoon series) and b) dialogue was never this franchise's strong point. As far as this movie goes, I really think it achieves everything it sets out to do. The dialogue is probably the best I've seen with this franchise ever - yes it's cheesy and lame at times, but that's the point. The characterization is flawless - the writers absolutely nailed each of the turtles' respective personalities. And the story, while not brilliant by any stretch of the imagination, was certainly reasonable - and probably better than much of what we've seen in the past from this franchise (at the very least, it was on the same level that TMNT fans would come to expect). There were a couple of things I didn't like. One thing was Splinter's voice (bad choice there in my view) and the style was, at times, a bit jarring. However, the animation was absolutely ideal for the format - finally we can see real choreography and the fluidity of the turtles' movements, something that the live action turtle-suits and cartoons never provided. CG is really an ideal format now that I think about it. No other format - not 2D animation nor live action - was able to truly capture the grace and complexity of the turtles' movements. This film finally achieves that. I have to say, I was really pleasantly surprised. Having watched one of the live action films recently (and being someone who grew up on the turtles), I was disappointed to find that not only had it not aged well...but it really wasn't as good as I'd thought to begin with. Nostalgia had kind of filled in the gaps. TMNT was obviously crafted lovingly and really does justice to the legend. I just hope that a few of the rough spots are looked at next time - and it will still take a bit of time to get used to the actual designs that were chosen. But yeah, overall, pretty impressive. It's not going to be earth-shattering for anyone, but it's absolutely ninja turtles right down to the ground.[/font]

[font=arial]There is nothing wrong with being a virgin. However, I think it was [i]very[/i] rude of you to take that girl to task - she isn't even your sister. It's not your place to tell her off. Even telling her brother is questionable, but I suppose that would be better than telling her off directly as if you are her parent. Seriously, even if what she is doing is wrong...I just don't think that's a good way to handle the situation. But the short answer is no, there is nothing wrong with being a virgin. A lot of young teenagers feel pressure to have sex and it's ridiculous; it has to happen when the time is right for you (and when you have some emotional and physical maturity to deal with it).[/font]

[font=arial]If you want to get technical, Shinmaru's original OB username was very distracting to members in the Hardwired forum. I estimate that we lost several dozen potential posts as a result of people staring at it, wondering if someone would [i]really[/i] choose a username like that. So he can probably expect an invoice from us sometime in the near future.[/font]

[font=arial]Quite a few responses already, this is great. Rather than respond in an announcement I might respond here (this way people can reply to me or quote me if they wish). I will address what I saw as being the major issues here. [b]Monitor Resolution[/b] I know this can be a touchy topic because everyone is at a different stage with this. OtakuBoards is currently built for a minimum 800x600 resolution. This decision was made to ensure that we cater for as many users as possible - it makes the browsing experience more comfortable. There's nothing worse than horizontal scrollbars (or a site that totally dominates the screen), in my opinion. Having said that, it isn't realistic to stay at 800x600 forever. Why? Well, if we stay at this resolution, it forces us to squeeze more objects into the same space. The next OtakuBoards will have additional display panels that will need their own real estate - trying to squish them into our current size would be very difficult. Future versions of the site will be based on a minimum 1024x768 design. This is [i]plenty[/i]. Believe me, all of the computers I use run at resolutions far higher than that but it is not necessary to make the site's default resoultion any higher. As I said, I don't want OB to "fill the screen" and we also have to take into account different monitor types (CRT versus LCD, widescreen versus regular, etc). What does this mean for those using smaller resolutions? One of two things. At worst, it will mean that there [i]will[/i] be a horizontal scrollbar - however, the actual posting area will fit well within your resolution. So at least you won't be scrolling to actually read text. The best case solution is that we are able to build either a scalable site or that we build a smaller "Lite" version and a bigger version (the smaller version might be good for cell phone use as well). At the moment this is the least likely option because of a lack of resources, but it's something I would like to do. Also just as a side note to this issue, one of my main concerns with OB is readability. If you are reading an RPG or a story (or even a discussion thread), you're often reading several paragraphs of text. Those paragraphs can not be too wide - the more characters that are added in a horizontal line, the easier it is for the reader to "drop" that line or to accidentally re-read it. This is why newspapers are arranged in tight columns. So any extra space will be used for other site elements, rather than thread displays. [b]OB Network[/b] The suggestions I've seen so far are great. Many of you seem really interested in a review site. I think we can probably produce this based on the technology we are using for Otakupedia. It would be nice to have reviews submitted by OB members, rather than having a full-time staff dedicated to the site (although we'd have to have an editor and staff would be welcome to contribute). [b]Hosting[/b] I was interested to see how this would go and many of you have had very different interpretations of what I meant by this. Basically I have been thinking about creating small sites that are relevant to OB and having them run by members of the community. So "hosting" wouldn't mean putting your journal up or your own personal site...it would mean having a site hosted that is somehow relevant to the OB universe. So for instance, if you own a cool gaming site you might have the option of having it transferred to the OB Network. Your site would then be owned by us, but you would essentially have totally free hosting and an instant community (in other words, you'd be linking yourself with a larger and more established site). This is obviously very dependent on quality and so on. At the moment I have no sites in mind for this - instead I'm more interested in developing our own from the ground up. But the option is definitely there. [b]Events[/b] There seems to be a call for more regular events, too. At the moment a new event is being developed by White. My hope is that we won't have big gaps between events in the future - I think a month-long gap is more than enough. But generally speaking I'd like to run events back-to-back. So I do want to assure everyone that this is the goal. Everyone must remember, however, that we do only have one Event Master. It might be necessary to recruit a second (or even an "events team") in the future. [b]Forum Structure[/b] Yep, this is one thing I agree with 100%. There's a lot we need to do here. I am very much in favor of some of the ideas I've read here - perhaps the final layout will be a combination of these ideas. [b]OB Picture Site[/b] If we do this, it would need to be non-thread-based. OB pictures didn't work well as a thread, but as a standalone site with the ability to comment...that's a different thing altogether. If we can create a picture site that ties into our database (so that you can use your OB account on the pictures site too), then that's something we might do. I will investigate and see what's possible. [b]Suggestions Page[/b] This was submitted by 2007DigitalBoy and I'm kind of intrigued by the idea. Perhaps you could clarify exactly what you mean - I haven't seen Amazon's suggestions page. I will have a look soon and see if I can get a better idea of this concept. If we had a better way to organise suggestions (as in, "most wanted" features in order of preference), this would be good. I'll have a think about it. [b]OB Emptyness[/b] I acknowledge that OB has been slow lately, but I believe this is largely due to our email system problems. I am pushing hard to have this fixed as soon as possible, but server issues rely on Adam or Justin's involvement. Both of these guys are extremely busy and OB is not a top priority. Hopefully, though, we can sort something out before too long. [b]Post Tags[/b] Very cool idea. I will look into this. [b]The Nexus[/b] This idea really came at the wrong time. We don't have enough online game playing members to justify this forum - plus, we couldn't quite get the forum operating as was required (this is to do with the way vB displays forums). I'm sure we could have modified the technology to do what we wanted, but again, we had no programmer for this task. [b]Gaming Site[/b] Stay tuned on this. We are working on something, but it isn't an OB Network project. [b]Skins[/b] This is a really big issue - it's a big issue for me too! I have put together a skin package for the OB staff to look at but thusfar, nobody has developed a skin. Unfortunately skins take a very long time to produce. And for OB, they are especially tedious because of our heavily customized layout. I have been considering other options to solve this problem. First, we could look at incorporating "free" established skins into OB (with the relevant modifications to make them "OBified"). And second, as was suggested, we could open up skin design to the community as a whole (perhaps some kind of event, as Shy mentioned). These days I don't have the time to produce more skins myself and if I don't do it, it probably won't happen. This is why I've been looking at other ways to achieve this goal without necessarily needing large amounts of my time. [b]RPG Community Events[/b] Yep, I hear you. We are limiting these as much as possible. We'll have them rarely. Instead I am encouraging White to look at other avenues for events. The next event, when it is ready, should be pretty cool. [b]Jukebox[/b] I really have to look at exactly how many people are using this service. I agree that the number is probably pretty low (if anyone is using it at all). There was once a time where the Jukebox mattered, but I agree that it doesn't anymore. So it will be one feature we won't be keeping. [b]Staff Rotation[/b] This is pretty much done as needed. Staff will especially change as forum numbers/layouts change as well. [b]Connectivity with theOtaku[/b] This is something I'm keen on and there are a couple of small ways that this will be improving, especially when the updated version of theOtaku.com launches. That's about it for now I think! Phew! Feel free to reply and if people want to continue to answer the survey, feel free to do so. [/font]

[size=2][font=Georgia][b]PRIME'S BASE[/b][/font][/size] [size=2][font=Georgia][/font][/size] [size=2][font=Georgia]Within a second, bursts of gunfire exploded from the turrets atop the HAPC. The small drones - which must have now numbered in the hundreds - were moving in unison, as though they were part of a larger entity. As the HAPC's rapid gunfire painted the cavernous walls of the tunnel, the drones dodged and fired in unison with remarkable speed and accuracy. Their individual weapons were small, but the crew of the [i]Impact [/i]could feel the thud of thousands of projectiles striking the machine's hull every second. The force was such that Havoc initially had difficulty steering the vehicle; the rear tended to lurch sideways, almost sending the craft into the tunnel wall. The hull integrity monitor fed data to Havoc constantly. Through it, he was able to identify where the vehicle was being struck and what the extent of the damage was. The HAPC's engine, which was a thin, wafer-like, fusion-based engine, was housed in the floor of the vehicle. It was slim and stretched from the rear of the vehicle to its front, somewhat like a large lithium battery. Havoc could now see that the drones had focused their fire at the lower half of the vehicle, in an attempt to damage the delicate engine. The engine was protected by various measures - including layers of reinforced titanium shell and a high-powered energy shield - but such systems would not withstand the constant drone barrage for very long.[/font] [font=Georgia]"We need to get some distance between us," said Havoc calmly as he continued to struggle with the HAPC's self-alignment systems. "If we can just make some room, we'll be able to fire off grenades. That should stop them."[/font] [font=Georgia]Indeed, the [i]Impact's [/i]grenades were so powerful that, if detonated at close range (and within the tunnel), the resulting pressure would easily have flung the vehicle right into the nearest wall. Even if it were not destroyed by the blast, there was a good chance that the blast [i]and [/i]the resulting concussion wave could have severely damaged the vehicle, stranding the crew within the expansive tunnel system.[/font] [font=Georgia]The only escape was the valley that lay beyond a large hole in the tunnel, which was itself layered with what looked like fresh construction work. From their position, it was possible to see the expansive valley, with the strange pyrimidal structure in the center. Flying directly into Prime's base would no doubt be suicide, but with some distance, they'd be able to deploy the HAPC's heavy weapons. Havoc privately hoped that, if given a slight window, it would be possible to destroy most of the base's defense systems. Afterall, the base had probably not been designed to withstand an assult by a certified military vehicle of the [i]Impact's [/i]capabilities.[/font] [font=Georgia]The gunfire grew heavier, as the [i]Impact [/i]rose over the water and lurched closer to the looming exit. The miniature drones promptly scattered further down the walls of the tunnel, as they now had a better opportunity to hit the HAPC's delicate underbelly. The vehicle's upper turrets were only able to reach the outer edges of the swarm - from their position, it was difficult for Warlock and Iota to hit the bulk of the drones.[/font] [font=Georgia]"Hold on!" yelled Havoc, as he jerked the control sticks fiercly, sending the [i]Impact [/i]into a kind of momentary nosedive. The vehicle's impressive bulk slipped through the exit and accelerated down toward the distant pyramid, which was now growing ever closer. The drones continued to give chase, however, and quickly massed in a thick wave along the rocky earth outside the tunnel.[/font] [font=Georgia]As the HAPC picked up speed, it rocketed downhill, over the large rocky outcrop that led into the heart of the valley. "Yes!" exclaimed Iota, "I have them in sight now! Keep going, we'll finish them off!"[/font] [font=Georgia]Proteus, meanwhile, diverted much of the HAPC's energy to its rear energy shield, so as to fend off the rearward attack. "Shit!" yelled Iota.[/font] [font=Georgia]"What is it?" asked Havoc, still staring intently at the various navigation controls in front of him.[/font] [font=Georgia]"The drones!" cried Iota, "they're in the air!"[/font] [font=Georgia]"What?!" roared Havoc, as he peered through the rear camera view. Sure enough, he could see a thick swarm of metallic objects behind them, rapidly growing larger on the screen. The little drones had apparently retracted their legs and were now using small plasma engines, which glowed a bright blue on their undersides. Suddenly, the entire crew felt an enormous thud, as the metallic fist slammed against the rear of the HAPC. The thud soon gave way to fresh bursts of gunfire, as the drones scurried over the vehicle's hull and began blasting directly at the outer hull.[/font] [font=Georgia]"My god," said Havoc under his breath, "they're going directly for the engine! I can't shake them off!"[/font] [font=Georgia]Proteus's fingers darted over the touch screen in front of him, as he re-aligned the hull's energy shield. As the shield materialized in various places, it connected with the drones and send them flying off. But the drones - remaining undamaged from the shield - simply scattered in mid-air, re-grouped and re-attached themselves to the same place on the vehicle.[/font] [font=Georgia]"This is hopeless," said Proteus, "there's no way to remove them from there. We're going to have to crash-land."[/font] [font=Georgia]Havoc nodded and brought the [i]Impact [/i]lower to the ground. They were now remarkably close to the large pyramid, but in a fleeting moment, Havoc noticed that there were no obvious defense systems present. He could see no large guns, nor could he see the welcoming committee that he'd expected. Instead, the entire area remained eerily silent, save for the drones that were beginning to peel the outer hull away as they focused their gunfire on specific points.[/font] [font=Georgia]"Okay, hold on!" yelled Havoc. The reploids did as they were told and braced themselves. They braced themselves, but they did not abandon their posts - if the ship was going to go down, they'd go with it, captain included.[/font] [font=Georgia]The enormous HAPC finally came into contact with the abrasive, rocky earth. A high-pitched screech echoed through the vehicle's cabins, as reems of orange and white sparks were thrown outward from the hull. "Quick!" called Havoc, "divert the power from the shield to the engine! I'm going to need all the power I can get to pull this thing to a halt!"[/font] [font=Georgia]Proteus nodded quickly and diverted the power, but just as he did so, the rear undercarriage of the [i]Impact [/i]exploded forcefully and fell away from the craft. The entire vehicle shuddered violently from the explosion and several internal monitors went black. "Fuck!" cried Havoc, "the engine's critically damaged! We won't be able to stop! Everyone, hold on!"[/font] [font=Georgia][/font][/size][size=2][font=Georgia]Proteus closed his eyes and gripped the console tightly, as the [i]Impact [/i]dived right into the wall of the pyramid. A thunderous crash rang out through the valley as plumes of dark smoke billowed from the wounded building.[/font] [/size] [center][font=Georgia]------[/font][/center] [center] [/center] [left][font=Georgia]Proteus opened his eyes. Everything was silent, other than the sound of crackling flames. He was lying on his back, on top of the command console. Above him, he saw the [i]Impact's [/i]main hallway. Light was streaming in from the rear; the doors of the cargo bay had been blown clear. Proteus checked his internal systems for damage. There was a deep gash just above his right eye and he noticed several thin wires protruding from his skin. He seemed otherwise okay - the internal systems check confirmed that he hadn't lost much mechfluid, though he could barely see from his right eye, as it was covered in the thick substance. He lay still for a moment and then, satisfied with the results of his sytems check (or as satisfied as he could be, given the circumstances), he crawled to his knees and adjusted his sight.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Is everybody okay?" called Proteus, toward the hallway above him. For a moment, he almost panicked; he couldn't see Havoc anywhere in the command center. But the [i]Impact [/i]contained no windows, so it was clear that he hadn't been thrown from the vehicle in the collision. Finally, he heard sounds of clanking metal from above. Havoc's face appeared from an open doorway. He looked down at Proteus and nodded.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"I'm fine. Iota is hurt, I think he right arm has been badly damaged. The explosion got her."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"And what of Warlock?" asked Proteus.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"It's okay, I'm alright," responded Warlock's voice from the cabin nearest the command center. "Just a headache," he added jokingly.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]The entire crew climbed up through the hallway and emerged from the rear, which was still smoking heavily.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]It was only when the entire crew were standing safely on the earth that they appreciated the true scope of the area surrounding them. They valley appeared to be relatively secluded; its only entrance, other than from the sky, was through the aquaduct. The drones were lying scattered on the ground - some of the quite far away. Perhaps the blast had destroyed all of them, although at a glance, most seemed to be intact. The pyramidal structure seemed much larger when one stood near it, thought Proteus. It had no discernable openings or features, other than the various communications equipment near its apex. The surrounding huts, which were actually not as closed to the pyramid as Proteus had first thought, also seemed to be deserted. Maybe Prime thought that the entire crew had been killed in the collision? If so, why hadn't he made any attempt to remove the [i]Impact [/i]and clear up the gaping wound in the side of the pyramid? Proteus felt that they must have been there for at least an hour after the initial crash.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Where is Prime?" mused Proteus aloud.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Wherever he is, I'm glad it's not here," said Warlock, as he brushed a hand through his matted hair.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]Iota's arm was badly damaged, but she seemed in good spirits. She was sitting on the ground near Havoc, who was still checking himself over. He was carrying a bag with him, which Proteus assumed was full of weapons. He must have gathered them up quickly as they passed the armory cabin, thought Proteus.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]The crew heard a soft, electronic whoosh from nearby. The front of the pyramid apparently had a kind of door at ground level, which swiftly opened, to reveal an enormous machine. It was a bipedal robot of some kind, but it did not look at all like a reploid. Proteus instinctively aimed his buster at it, suspecting that it was perhaps a cyborg of some sort.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]The robot was at least three times taller than the crew of reploids. Its torso spun around and faced them. The top half of the machine was like an angular metallic cage, with a small head on top. The arms - if you could call them that - both resembled heavy machine guns, with reems of ammunition streaming out of them and into the large torso cage. The legs were long and angular, with long, splayed toes at the feet. The robot's legs were almost bird-like, but were nonetheless thick and robust-looking. The machine promptly began walking towards the Maverick Hunters crew, the movement of its legs making an ominous hissing sound.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"My name is Prime," said a voice that came from somewhere deep within the enormous robot. The voice sounded harsh and metallic. "Hold your hands above your heads at once." The robot spoke calmly and despite its size, it moved with grace and swiftness that gave it a formidable appearance.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]The crew all immediately held their weapons at the ready. As far as they'd come, they were not prepared to negotiate. Besides, they had fought and destroyed Massacre, who was far more imposing than even Prime himself.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]Prime aimed his guns at the group and paused. "You have ten seconds to comply."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"What?" Havoc raised an eyebrow. "This is the infamous leader of the local gangsters?"[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Ten."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"This all seems very automated," said Iota.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Nine."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Why is he the only one here?" asked Proteus.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Eight."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"I don't care," replied Havoc. "He's getting in our way and we don't have time for this shit."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Seven."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Oh, dear me...whatever is going on here! Prime! Stand down!"[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]A small, somewhat nervous voice came from behind the group. They turned and saw a small man standing nearby, holding a thin remote controller of some kind in his hand. He looked to be about sixty-five years old, give or take. His hair was a deep silver and he wore large, black glasses. He was dressed in an odd sort of coat, which [i]almost [/i]looked medical in nature, but appeared to have some obvious military influences.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Six."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Stop! Now!" The man pushed past the Maverick Hunters and walked right up to Prime. He opened a small panel on the robot's leg and entered some sort of numeric code on the keypad within. Immediately, Prime's aggressive stance relaxed and its guns lowered.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Okay, this is getting odd," said Warlock, as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]The old man turned around and smiled awkwardly. "I apologize," he said nervously, as if he was embarassed. "This wasn't supposed to happen."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Who are you?" asked Havoc.[/font][/left] [left][font=Georgia][/font] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Oh, I'm sorry," said the man as he adjusted his glasses. "My name is Dr. Inoue. I know who you are - you are all Maverick Hunters aren't you?"[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]Proteus nodded. "We are searching for a local weapons expert."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]Dr. Inoue smiled. "Yes, well, I am the only man around here who fits that description."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]Havoc glanced at Warlock. "Wait. I thought you said you knew this guy? Why didn't you warn us about all of this?"[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"I've never met him before," said Warlock. "He never trades directly with customers himself. As far as I ever knew, his stuff was sold directly on the black market in Xen."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Yes," Dr. Inoue interjected, "and you wouldn't be wise to purchase large amounts of arms on the black market. You might make one of the gang leaders suspicious, especially given the obvious origin of your transport."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"We need help," said Havoc, "but Iota here is injured. Can we go inside and do some repairs?"[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]Dr. Inoue smiled and gestured toward the entrance that Prime had exited from. "Absolutely, please follow me. On the way, I shall explain what this is all about."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [center][font=Georgia]------[/font][/center] [center] [/center] [left][font=Georgia]Havoc, Proteus and Warlock followed Dr. Inoue through a string of expansive corridors. Iota had been taken to the infirmary by one of the doctor's medics. He'd promised that she would be repaired in no time.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"I know what you are going to say," said Dr. Inoue as he walked ahead of the group. "What about the rumors of Prime? The big gang leader from the aquaduct? Well, the truth is, Prime is one of my creations. He isn't quite up to the task of leading a gang, though."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"So why perpetuate the rumor?" asked Proteus.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Xen is very complicated," replied Dr. Inoue. "There are many different factions and many different political rivalries. It is not safe for me to openly do business within the city. Besides, even if I did use the city to continue my research, one of the gang leaders would probably try to kill me. They consider me dangerous, because I supply the vigilantes with weaponry."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Vigilantes?"[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"Yes," said Dr. Inoue. "As you might be aware, Xen is very different from Novus Concordia. It's a place of outcasts. It is lawless - there is no government. Power is controlled by a very loose network of gang leaders. Whether they are replimasters, or humans or reploids matters not. They all desire power and they are all greedy; this is what motivates them. As a result, they cultivate vague alliances, which shift from month to month. But there are still many people in Xen, perhaps the majority, who simply want to live a quiet life. Although the city contains gangsters and criminals, it is also home to people who actively oppose them."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"So they are a kind of police force, like the ALED?" asked Havoc.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"They are not like the ALED," replied Dr. Inoue. "They are not there to enforce any laws and they are not particularly organized. They do, however, seek to destroy the most powerful crime bosses in the city. As I said earlier, the relationships in Xen are very complicated. In a strange way, Xen is like a haven for those of us who previously lived very regimented or oppressive lives...[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]Proteus thought he understood what Dr. Inoue meant. He had felt a sense of freedom as the [i]Impact [/i]had been travelling along one of Xen's highways. The wide open spaces and the lack of strict regulation made the place attractive to Proteus. Novus Concordia was not a particularly strict society, but life was different for reploids - especially those in military service. A Maverick Hunter's life was about commitment and sacrifice, about training and devotion to the Commander. He had never known any other way of living and the life of ordinary citizens intrigued him. Warlock, for example, was almost a kind of unspeakable blasphemy for the higher-ups at the Maverick Hunter HQ. He was a reploid who had "gone off the rails" and who had ultimately been rejected by the organization. The human commanders did not understand his motivations and despite the reploid's general complexity, they still viewed Warlock and others as subordinate beings, built for a particular purpose.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]At this moment, Proteus felt a sense of admiration for Dr. Inoue. He was human, but he was different from any human that Proteus had ever met before. His manner, the way he spoke, his frankness...he didn't posess the somewhat duplicitous nature that Proteus had seen in other humans. Even in the more sincere conversations Proteus had had with various humans in the MHHQ, he had always felt a slightly patronizing tone. Or, conversations were always simply orders that had to be carried out. Proteus realized that he'd never really spoken to a human on equal grounds - when it didn't involve orders or medical treatment or training.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"So," continued Dr. Inoue, "I live in this installation with various other humans and reploids. It is necessary to live this far away from the city, to avoid detection. The myth of Prime is maintained simply as a security mechanism. So far it has worked, but there are times when overly-curious trespassers try to make their way here."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"And that's what the drones are for," said Havoc, in a slightly gruff tone.[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]Dr. Inoue nodded. "Precisely. You managed to break through thanks to your vehicle. The Maverick Hunters and the ALED have no business at all in Xen, so we never see them here. We therefore never have to worry about creating defences to fend them off."[/font][/left] [left] [/left] [left][font=Georgia]"We are still trespassers, though," said Havoc, "and you have not tried to get rid of us so far. Why?"[/font][/left] [font=Georgia][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=2]Dr. Inoue stopped and turned to face the group. [/size][/font] [size=2][/size] [font=Georgia][size=2]"Something must be happening out there for you to have even considered coming out this far. I had heard rumors when you were spotted in the inner city and I expected that I might be one of your stop-off points. But I couldn't be certain, so I did nothing to lower my defences. I originally came here because I wanted to do something more with my life - I wanted to be more than another faceless weapons scientist within the UN. At least this way, maybe I can affect some change..."[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=2]"That's very noble of you," replied Havoc, "but it doesn't really answer my question. You are right, something [i]is [/i]happening in Novus Concordia. And something does need to be done about it, otherwise we could be facing a total catastrophe."[/size][/font] [font=Georgia][size=2]Dr. Inoue nodded gravely. "Come to my meeting room and we shall talk. I want you to tell me what I can do to help you."[/size][/font] [center]-----------------------------------------------------------------------------[/center] [font=Georgia][b]THE SIGMA STRAIN[/b] Proteus' room was spacious but ultilitarian; it was not particularly designed for comfort. There were some amenities, however: a sink, coffee pot, cutlery and fresh fruit lay on the counter at one end. At the other end was a single bed with simple white sheets. It looked very much like a private hospital room and this made sense to Proteus; afterall, Dr. Inoue probably entertained guests very rarely. The meeting with Dr. Inoue had been surprisingly short. Surprisingly, Dr. Inoue seemed to know of Commander Sigma although he seemed reluctant to go into specifics. Perhaps Proteus was misreading Dr. Inoue, but it almost seemed that he was somehow scared of the Commander. Dr. Inoue had simply said "I can only tell you to be very careful with Sigma, [i]nobody[/i] has outlasted him." Nobody in the room had prompted Dr. Inoue to go further. There were some positive results, though. Dr. Inoue had agreed to provide weapon support for Proteus and the others, on the condition that the weapon signatures were removed (Dr. Inoue stressed that he did not want the technology to be traced back to his laboratory). Proteus was shocked to learn that Dr. Inoue carried some very unique weaponry. Much of the technology Proteus saw seemed almost beyond anything the Maverick Hunters had produced - Proteus remembered the chest-beating and chanting that Maverick Hunter officers often engaged in when it came to weapons superiority. There wasn't much more time to think, as the door to Proteus' room opened suddenly. The sound was deep and harsh, it made Proteus think of the MHHQ blast doors. Proteus looked up to see who had disturbed him - it was Dr. Inoue. "I'm sorry to bother you so soon," said Dr. Inoue quietly. He gestured toward a nearby chair. "May I?" Proteus nodded. "Of course, doctor." Dr. Inoue sat down on the chair and cupped his hands together. He looked at the floor. "I am sorry all of this had to happen." Proteus cocked his head to one side. "It's not your fault. You have been of great help to us already - we should have died long ago." Dr. Inoue smiled slightly but did not look up. "You are all very brave," he said quietly. "I am sorry to say it, but we do not have all the parts that Iota needs. We can patch her up but she will need longterm fixes if she's to survive." Proteus paused. "What can't you fix?" Dr. Inoue raised his head for the first time and looked at Proteus. His tone hardened slightly. "We can patch up the titanium damage but Iota has lost a great deal or her mech fluid. It is impossible to replace that here." "Can you give her a substitute to keep her going?" asked Proteus. Dr. Inoue shook his head. "No, we can't. Mech fluid contains multiple elements that are highly sophisticated, including protoneurone. This is very specialized nano-technology that we have no way to replicate." Proteus was searching desperately for an answer. "She can't live without some mech fluid at all?" "At best, a reploid can survive with mech fluid levels of around 10% - 6 or 7% if you really want to take a major risk. Iota is sitting right on that line, she is just under 10%. Unfortunately this means that she doesn't have enough fluid to keep her body operating at full capacity. This means that elements of her body will slowly deterioriate - her body will begin to shut down until it receives a mech fluid infusion. This is a safety procedure that the Maverick Hunters built into every reploid; if a reploid were to continue to operate with critically low levels of mech fluid, a fusion collapse could be triggered." Proteus' eyes widened. "Fusion collapse? I have never heard of the term." Dr. Inoue nodded. "If you push a reploid's fusion core too far - especially with low levels of mech fluid - it could shut down. A fusion core is built from the same energy that powers the sun. When the sun dies out, a super nova is produced. This is often followed by the birth of a black hole - in other words, there is a massive explosion followed by an implosion." No wonder MHHQ never told them. What reploid would want to know that they are potentially a walking bomb? "Luckily a reploid's system has many ways of preventing this," said Dr. Inoue, "including a progressive system shut down. If Iota were to push herself too hard with such low mech fluid levels, however, she could easily trigger a fusion collapse. A fusion core is significantly more powerful than its older nuclear equivalent - this might give you an idea of how serious a fusion collapse would be." It took Proteus a while to to process the information. Being a reploid was difficult enough in many ways, but the thought that Iota could literally blow herself up was almost too much to bear. Proteus paused for a moment before continuing. "What if we manually shut Iota down and take her somewhere to get help?" "Shutting her down manually would prevent any chance of a fusion collapse," Dr. Inoue began, "however, there's only one place where she can be properly treated." "Where?" asked Proteus. Dr. Inoue looked into Proteus' eyes and his warm face hardened; it was as though it were covered in shadow. "Maverick Hunter Headquarters," said Dr. Inoue.[/font]

[font=arial]Some of these things that have been brought up are actually worth responding to directly because they involve things that have been planned or are being worked on. Rather than responding bit by bit, perhaps I should just write a response when the thread is finished. Would you guys rather I post that here or in an announcement? It might help to answer some questions and give you an idea as to which suggestions we are really looking at very seriously.[/font]

[font=aral]I'm back with yet another thrilling OB Survey! Okay, I know these things aren't all that thrilling, but people usually like to give their opinion on things and previous surveys have yielded very positive results. Plus, I'm really wanting to give everyone the opportunity to make bold suggestions at a time when we are most-able to implement them. Also, I like to give all members the chance to voice their opinions/concerns and to brainstorm together. We have small versions of this occasionally when an issue pops up in Suggestions & Feedback, but OtakuBoards Survey really provides an opportunity to get the whole community involved. Anyway, enough with the intro...I'll just get to it. At this stage I really only want to ask three questions: [b]1: What changes (if any) do you think the forum structure needs?[/b] So for this question you could suggest new forums that you'd like to see, the removal of forums you think are useless or changes to the way forums are ordered. Feel free to elaborate and be creative here - if there's something you really want that we don't provide, feel free to say so. [b]2: What new sites would you add to the OB Network?[/b] The recent launch of Otakupedia opened up many new possibilities for OB. If you could add sub-sites to OB, what would they be? [b]3: Should OB Network provide a [i] free[/i] hosting service to members for their own personal sites? If you have your own personal site, would you consider having it hosted by OtakuBoards?[/b] Pretty self-explanatory. [b]4: Comments/Suggestions[/b] If you have other comments or your own suggestions that aren't covered by an item above, please use this area to post 'em. Thanks in advance for everyone's help! Member feedback on this scale is always great and I always make sure to read every post thoroughly in these threads.[/font]

[QUOTE=Kenshin DX]Easy stuff .Hack the schools main computer and while you are at it change your grades. No same in my school unless you have permission (which I doubt they would give you ) then theres no way to fully access the site.[/QUOTE] [font=arial]I don't think we should be encouraging hacking, thanks. Use MySpace at home if you can't access it at school. I'm going to leave this thread open for the time being - it seems to be a reasonable discussion for the most part.[/font]

[QUOTE=Retribution][size=1] And I'm not really sure it's fair to say the government is being the "bigger man" by apologizing. I think it is indeed a goodwill gesture, but isn't it a bit patronizing to consider those minorities wronged in the past by the government complainers (not word I was looking for)? [/size][/QUOTE] [font=arial]Maybe I mis-worded that. What I meant was, the Government is "being the bigger man" as compared to those who feel that no apology is necessary and that there is no sense of inequality (those two are often mutually exclusive, too). I don't mean that those who complain about slavery are to be trivialized. [/font]

[font=arial]I think an apology is definitely appropriate. It is not a question of apologizing for something you didn't do - I almost think that's beside the point. It's a question of the "United States" officially acknowledging what it did in the past and apologizing for that. Having an apology recorded on the books is both appropriate and a good will gesture. It's also about being the bigger man I think - it's about making a real attempt to move on in a very literal way. The whole issue of payments and stuff is another question entirely; I am not an American so I don't have much of an opinion on that subject. But I do think that a formal apology is wholly appropriate. Saying "we won't apologize for our ancestors" is just kind of unnecessary - as I said, it's not so much about that, it's more about righting a historical wrong in some sense (and providing some kind of finality to the whole issue, on an official level).[/font]

[font=arial]Yep, the email system is critical to the site's growth. Hopefully this will be sorted out soon, I think it will really require Adam's involvement. I will try to get in touch with him about it as well.[/font]

[font=arial]The latest video of Super Mario Galaxy looks [i]brilliant[/i]. This is by far the best-looking Wii title I've seen. That's mostly due to the art style I think - this game has a real sense of character and seems incredibly vibrant. Super Mario Sunshine was very "bright", but its artistic design was very bland when compared to Super Mario Galaxy. I really get the feeling that this game is a return to form for Mario - about time, too! This would have to be my #1 most-wanted title for the Wii this year. It's pretty much the reason I bought the system. I'm loving that this video shows how varied this game will be. I remember a few people being upset that the first clip somehow looked very "small and plain". This latest video demonstrates that worlds will come in many different sizes and in many different forms. I also love how there are lots of little weird "side stages" scattered around the galaxy; it's very cool. I haven't been this excited about a new Mario game in a while.[/font]

[font=arial]We are currently experiencing a problem whereby OtakuBoards won't send out any emails at all. I've discussed this with Desbreko and it seems to be a server-side issue rather than something specifically related to the vB software itself. We are in contact with Adam to try to get the situation resolved. Hopefully it won't be much longer.[/font]