James

[font=arial]I think that the title of your original post is more than a little unfair. No matter what security measures we put in place, we are [i]never[/i] going to be able to monitor private conversation and we are never going to be able to be there to always protect people. Ultimately, we can only really police what is posted on our site and obviously, if anything inappropriate is found, action is taken. In terms of Private Messages, I think we have to find a balance. People who are being harassed or who are uncomfortable with another member can approach the staff to have that dealt with - but by the same token, we do not want to monitor people's PMs (not to mention that we couldn't physically do that, there are far too many sent each day for us to actually read). We are about as careful as forums go when it comes to rules and how people abide by them. But we do not want to create a completely claustrophobic atmosphere where people no longer enjoy discussion. It has to be a balance. Unfortunately, if one person wants to prey on another, they can do it on pretty much any medium where it is possible for two people to communicate - this is inclusive of OtakuBoards and any other communication site out there. While we (and other sites) can include some security measures, we cannot (and would not want to) create arbitrary age restrictions that limit who people can talk to. Nor do we want to assume that older members are immediately more likely to be predatory; I can tell you that our membership ages vary greatly here and throughout our network and it would be unreasonable and unfair to start dividing members based on age, in any context. Moreover, I continue to encourage parents of young members to register at OtakuBoards and to participate themselves. Several parents have actually done this and have become strong contributors and avid readers of OtakuBoards - this is something that I want to see continue, because I think the very best defense is an informed parent.[/font]

[font=arial]You can introduce your character in any way you like, even if it's just a post involving the character and no actual interaction with other players (there are NPCs too, which you can create yourselves if you like). I'm sorry for being so slow; I had to travel interstate for a funeral last weekend, which is why nothing was posted. As you can imagine, it's kind of easy to leave this sort of thing behind when you have a lot of other things going on. But it'll get moving again this week, as I'm back in my home state. Again, please don't feel shy about putting your character in at this stage - you can do so without affecting the plot (as long as nobody talks to the Chancellor yet).[/font]

[quote name='Morpheus']You're right on the point James, but you've got it backwards. The old games that cost $60 or $70 seem expensive, and when you factor in inflation, are even more expensive, since the dollar is worth less now than it was 10 years ago. Sony's games aren't the most expensive ever by a longshot compared to these.[/quote] [font=arial]Yeah, I think you are right. My mistake. Having said that, I think it's reasonable to expect PS3 games to regularly retail for more than previous generation games. Even at $59.99, developers are going to have trouble turning a profit unless they have astronomical sales. I tend to think that we're on the tip of the iceberg with this stuff. Microsoft has already set a price precedent and Sony are likely to match it (or go slightly over on selected titles).[/font]

[font=arial]I also think it's important to point out that the prices listed here are deceptive in one important way: currency values change. Today's $59.99 would have been worth significantly more ten or fifteen years ago. So although old games may appear more expensive on the surface, they actually aren't, as a result of currency value changes. So PS3's games could easily be the most expensive ever, depending on which way Sony chooses to take their software pricing strategy.[/font]

[font=arial]It doesn't surprise me that Americans are reacting so harshly to this ad. I doubt it is stirring the same controversy in Europe. Just because it contains a black woman and a white woman in opposition does [i]not[/i] make it racist. If it included a blonde haired woman and a brunette in opposition, are you going to call it anti-blonde or something? Are we going to get so sensitive about media that we start censoring everything unnecessarily? This ad shows one thing: contrast between the colours black and white. The people are anonymous and there is no underlying message - it's a purely visual statement, designed to show black and white in sharp contrast. I actually think a lot of the photos in the campaign are pretty artistic. I'm as annoyed and appalled by racism as the next person, but I didn't once regard these ads as racist.[/font]

[QUOTE=The13thMan][FONT=Century Gothic] [COLOR=DarkOrange] Korea, North Korea, and South Korea are 3 totally different countries. What used to be in North Korea has changed a lot since the communist party took over. I can be proud that my heritage leads back to South Korea and then Korea, but not North Korea. [/COLOR] [/FONT][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]There are three Koreas on the Korean Penninsula? That's news to me. I tend to agree with Lunox. Of course there are major differences bewteen North and South Korea; they are two completely different countries. However, they do have a shared heritage and whether or not you choose to say you are "Korean" or "South Korean" is just a matter of personal preference. [/font]

[font=arial]It's important to remember that all media and information is controlled by the government, so the people are offered no alternative information. Under such circumstances, they really have no choice but to believe what they are told. You can call that brainwashing or propaganda or whatever you like - but the government clearly controls what most people believe. Of course, there are still plenty of people who are in poverty and there are people who try to escape the country, so obviously there are still plenty of people who [i]know[/i] that they are being oppressed.[/font]

[font=arial]You know, the main reason I don't imagine an E. Gadd invention for Mario in this game is because the player already has the Wiimote. If you think about it, the pointing/activation ability of the Wiimote in Super Mario Galaxy basically acts as a kind of secondary tool for Mario. The main thing I hope to see is lots of different objects to interact with in fun ways (like the sticky trees, which are very cool). In terms of multiplayer...it could be interesting in Super Mario Galaxy. I almost think a cooperative mode might be fun, especially if you're both running around and aiming at the boss with your Wiimotes; the fact that players are on planets of limited size is already probably beneficial for multiple players, if only due to the size. Other than that, I think there are lots of possibilities if Nintendo were to include online play. You could have those simple type of modes where you race across the galaxy to find stars, or you could have some kind of obstacle course that requires heavier use of the Wiimote...lots and lots of possibilities. :catgirl:[/font]

[font=arial]Justin has informed me that he is looking at the issue and will hopefully have something arranged soon. I will keep you guys updated on that.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Of course North Koreans are different to South Koreans; they are poorer and those who have been involved in any kind of education or military service are absolutely brainwashed. That's the difference. But that doesn't mean there's some inherent difference in the people themselves. It just means that there's a vast difference in the societies of both countries. Considering that North Korea never accepts tourists or anything (with the very rare exception), it's a bit of a moot point anyway. Unless you've seen one of those "hidden camera documentaries", where someone actually shows you what North Korea is like, there's just no way to know because nobody's ever going to go there unless there's reunification (or unless the stalemate ends).[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]The only thing I [i]couldn't live without[/i] would be my family. Even now living away from them, I'm in constant contact. I just feel that my life would be pretty pointless unless I were able to share it with them. Having them makes everything else bearable; it doesn't matter what I live without in terms of material stuff, as long as I have them. :catgirl: [/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]No need to worry; I would rather leave the censor on than disable it completely (mostly because I don't think we can seperate the PM censor from the main forum censor at this stage). But if we can give people an option, that's what we'll do.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I don't think indifference is being elitist; she makes a good point. If we don't allow swearing on the site, why allow it in Private Messages? I think that's a legitimate point. But the way to answer it is to say that we'd have the censor activated by default so that nobody gets surprised - we don't want to rule out swearing and then surprise people by suddenly allowing it. That's why it should be an option if it's included at all. It's not so much a matter of what people are comfortable with, I think it's more a matter of what we've promised and what we deliver. We can't promise censorship and then not provide it, you know? But as I said, as long as it's an option I think most people will be okay with that.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I was under the impression that our software won't differentiate between regular posts and private messages, but I could be wrong about that. Ideally, PMs would be censored by default, but there would be an option to diable censorship. In fact, this is probably something that would work well on the entire site - those who don't care about profanity can see it if they choose, but everyone else would be automatically protected from it. I understand that the censor can be frustrating if you don't care about swearing and I also recognize that we have a broad age range here...so the same rules need not apply to everyone. Hopefully we can sort this out just through our regular software, but it may require some actual tweaking of Virtual Bulletin. If the latter is the case I'm going to have to get Justin to help me with it.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Random, that's up to you. You might want to introduce your character in the ball, or you can wait until the first chapter begins. I really don't mind. I should have mentioned this earlier, but I don't want anyone to introduce the Chancellor yet; there will be a little surprise there, which will kick off the first chapter. One or two of you may want to make edits to your posts to remove that portion. Unfortunately that kind of holds things up just a bit, but I will be posting the first chapter shortly. I apologize for my delays, but you guys know how it is when full time work (or school) won't let you go. :animecry: Once that's posted it'll be more open and you can go your own way, anyway. In the meantime I do encourage people to post within the context of the ball, to get to know one another's characters - you may even use this opportunity to post flashback sequences or to reveal more about your character's history. That part is up to you. :D [/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I think that when you talk about price justification it depends on what angle you're mentioning. Yeah, Blu-ray is expensive and it makes sense that including it in PS3 would increase the price of the system. But is that price justified to the consumer? I don't really believe so. Consumers don't care how much technology is packed into the box - asking them to pay for something intangible isn't going to make any sense to them. Consumers will only see value in that technology if it delivers something significantly different or better - and we have yet to see that. It comes down to Sony wanting to shoehorn their own format into PS3, in an attempt to push Blu-ray into the market in place of HD-DVD. Unfortunately that has made the PlayStation 3 prohibitively expensive for most consumers, except the very small percentage who are early-adopters. Perhaps Sony will cut the price in 2007, but who knows. It would have to be a significant price cut to make much of a difference to general consumers though. PlayStation 2 and Saturn retailed for around $800AUD here. PlayStation 3 will retail for just over $1,000AUD here. That makes PlayStation 3 the most expensive new console in history; it is as expensive as a home computer. The lay audience probably isn't going to spend that much on a game console, especially when you consider that even $250USD is still considered too expensive for many non-gamers out there.[/font]

[quote]This makes me nervous because I have friends who are in the military and I know how war loving our (US) president is due to the fact that we have too little military stretched too thin in two different wars. So now I'm wondering what Bush is going to try and do next along with the other countries about this whole missle thing. [/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]I don't think Bush is war-loving. This is largely evidenced by his response to both Iran and North Korea, I think (as well as the process that led up to the Iraq war). In any case, North Korea is all about bluffing. They threaten the rest of the world because they want to get attention. I don't think they are going to attack anyone at any time soon, largely because they know that if they were to strike another country they would be absolutely flattened. If North Korea were to attack, say, South Korea or Japan, you'd have a whole line of treaties that would come into play. That would draw Japan, South Korea, the US and Australia into a war with North Korea...and that's at minimum. North Korea is happy to provoke that block of allies because they want to get attention, as mentioned earlier, but I don't think they'd go to the point of actually attacking a neighbour.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]As people in this thread have said, you're pretty much not going to have a Utopia simply because everyone has different ideas of what the perfect society would entail. Human beings have different opinions and perspectives, so clearly, nobody is ever going to agree on everything. At the very least, in a democratic society, we all have the ability to live the way we want (generally). I suppose that's probably the best we can expect, given that we all have different perspectives on life.[/font]

[QUOTE=Hayabusa] To all who're talking about poor gameplay. What exactly are y'all looking for in terms of gameplay? I mean all you can really do in FPS's is run and gun, so I'm not really understanding what makes the gameplay in Halo so repetitive. If Halo is repetitive, wouldn't that make all FPS's repetitive?[/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Not really. One of the problems with Halo (not so much Halo 2 in my experience), was that there was a definite repetition in level design, to the point where it was sometimes difficult to know where to go. If you get lost in corridors because they all look the same, I don't think that's necessarily going to be fun for most players. If you look at a game like Half-Life 2 though, it all takes place in the same city but there is a great deal of variety in the environments; you are constantly moving through different areas that provide different gameplay opportunities. One moment you might be in a tunnel and the next moment it's opened up and you're in a warehouse, fighting off enemies. There's just a lot of freshness because you're always experiencing new things. I think that in the first Halo, especially, there was just far too much of the same stuff in terms of textures and room styles and such. The main reason I didn't particularly like Halo is just because it felt so derivative...there was really nothing terribly original about it. Even Halo 2, which I actually like, is still clearly borrowing heavily from the likes of Half-Life 2. [/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]When it comes to tolerance I think it's also important to make a few distinctions. Religion is something that people are taught and it comes about as a result of many things - usually it's based on convention and tradition. It is a part of society's culture, but not really a part of society's biology. So I think it's one thing to be tolerant of something biological (ie: something someone can't help - their race, gender, sexuality, whatever), but it's different to be tolerant of someone's [i]ideas[/i] and philosophies. Of course, I do think it's important to allow free speech and to be tolerant of different belief systems, so long as they do not impede on others. But I suppose I'm saying that it's quite different to reject an idea or a concept, as opposed to simply rejecting a core part of someone's humanity. If you are religious and you are offended by people questioning a religious organization or its system of principles, then I would say you should consider how closely you adhere to those principles. If you truly believe in them and they match your world view, then I wouldn't be threatened by what others say - they can have their view, you can have yours. I think the only time this becomes a problem is when people start really excluding others based on this sort of stuff.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]It's still not really worth the money, unless you're a really hardcore gamer with a lot of cash. The technology doesn't particularly justify the price - especially if Blu-ray ends up with a sluggish start. But Sony have suggested that they might end up making custom-built systems (to further confuse the issue, lol). Generally though, I think people are just going to have to wait until the price drops. I bought PS2 on launch, but I won't be buying PS3 on launch. I doubt I'll buy it until at least the end of next year.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Gay guys are identical to straight guys (again, other than sexual orientation). In the same way that most straight men do not run around grabbing women, most gay men don't run around grabbing other men. That's a really asenine comment to make, lol. Besides, straight guys who are [i]that[/i] afraid of gay guys are only worried because they themselves question their sexuality - if you were truly comfortable with yourself, you wouldn't be concerned...you'd just knock back an unwelcome advance in the same way that you'd knock it back if it came from a woman. Anyway, I think that should probably mark the end of this thread for now. Thanks to those who provided an in-depth discussion on the legal and religious implications - I think we all got a pretty good run out of this thread. [/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]You can't be "ex-gay" and you also can't choose to be gay or not gay. We really can't have a serious discussion until that is put well behind us - it's an archaic, draconian view of the world and it's based only on ignorance. Don't even bother making those type of arguments in this thread, please. Being gay is exactly like being straight, except the gender involved is different. There you go. Nothing else is different in terms of personality and stuff...there are just so many stereotypes involved that it's hard to get anywhere in a legitimate discussion. In any case, it might be a good idea to remain on-topic here. This thread had some good potential and it's generally been very informative for both sides. Let's not drag it down into a pit of ignorance, okay? :catgirl: [/font]

Lucas wore an odd deep gray suit that looked like it fit, but somehow felt completely uncomfortable. It was as though the suit were trying to crush Lucas slowly. Waking up in a strange location and reading an even stranger letter was enough to give Lucas a headache, but his clothing seemed to stifle him, as though it were limiting the oxygen to his brain; even being in the middle of an enormous, elaborate ballroom didn't alleviate the feeling of claustrophobia. He was in a spacious room, but his clothing seemed to be a subtle reminder that he was not here by choice. The ballroom was full of strange faces. But Lucas noted with some mild interest that there were no elderly people in the room; everyone was young, although there were very few bright faces. Everyone seemed to be as confused as him, although some were already adapting to their new environment. Had they simply accepted what they'd been told, or were they all presenting a calm exterior but really planning to make a break for it? A thin smile appeared on Lucas's face, at this latter possibility, but he also wondered where they would go...Paris's skyline was eerily different than he remembered. He wondered if he, a Parisian resident for more than a year, would have any idea about the strange and dark world beyond that ballroom. At the present time, it made little sense to Lucas to even attempt to leave. He didn't even know which building he was in, for one thing. But he also wanted to learn more about the situation; he considered the possibility that this was all a big hoax or that perhaps he was on some kind of exotic new reality television show. Lucas felt his eyes roll as he entertained this idea; he hated reality television. Everyone around Lucas seemed to be talking, many in excited whispers. But nobody was talking to Lucas. He had always been timid in social situations, but he felt particularly out of his depth tonight. Just as he was beginning to feel completely awkward, Lucas noticed a series of enormous windows running along the outer perimeter of the room. Each large window contained a door that led to a series of seperate balconies. At the very least, Lucas would be able to spend a few minutes alone in thought; ever since leaving his guest room (as it had been called), he had had no opportunity to be alone. And Lucas found that things made so much more sense when he was able to ponder by himself. He opened the door and felt the cool air surround him. As stifling and restrictive as the suit was, it at least kept Lucas warm. The balcony was smaller than he had expected and it was flanked on either side by elaborate vines, which looked somewhat alien to Lucas. Much to his dismay, however, Lucas was not alone. There was another figure on the balcony, standing at the edge. It was a young man, with his arms wrapped around himself. His breath formed short clouds in the cool air and he seemed to be deep in thought. Lucas decided that it would be better to go unnoticed - he was certain that this man was probably seeking the same kind of solitude and probably didn't want to be disturbed. Perhaps Lucas was too distracted by the figure, but in an instant, a loud crash reverberated around the balcony. The figure immediately turned around and started at Lucas. Lucas felt his cheeks flush a deep crimson, as he looked towards his own feet. There, laying near his right foot, was a large vase, which was now only [i]half[/i] a vase. The other half lay in thousands of pieces all around Lucas's shoes. Lucas momentarily looked up at the man, who's expression hadn't changed. For a moment, Lucas thought he looked angry. But the man waved a hand in the air and said "They have thousands of those all around this place. They aren't going to miss one." The tone was dry and masculine and Lucas could not immediately sense anything especially comforting about the way it was said. But then, the man smiled. And Lucas was immediately disarmed. He felt lucky that the second person he'd spoken to that night actually seemed [i]human[/i]. The man walked over to Lucas and extended a large hand. "Bellerophon," he said, with the hint of a mediterranean accent. Bellerophon immediately had the air of a man who was completely comfortable with himself and it seemed as though he was supremely self-confident. But upon closer inspection, Lucas noticed that there was a very slight hint of nervousness in his eyes. Lucas shook his hand - a slightly sweaty palm. It wasn't at all a negative thing, on the contrary, Lucas was pleased to meet someone who seemed slightly human. Even the people within the ballroom had mostly seemed somewhat robotic. Lucas suddenly realized he'd gone too long without responding. He was looking at Bellerophon's face, further pondering his situation. "I'm Lucas," he said quietly. "It's nice to meet you." Bellerophon nodded. "I had to get out of there," he said, suddenly easing up noticeably. "I've never been one for events like this. And under these circumstances, I am [i]definitely[/i] not in the mood to dance." Bellerophon moved over to the edge of the balcony once more and gestured for Lucas to follow. Lucas rest his hands against the ledge and looked over it into the abyss below - abyss seemed to be the best way to describe what he saw. There was really nothing identifiable that Lucas could see, the view instead consisted of a deep black canvas, punctuated with the odd set of lights. The moon loomed overhead, but it didn't seem to have much effect on the city; it was just as dark as it had been earlier, with or without the moon. "I don't know how to dance," said Lucas finally, breaking the silence. Bellerophon grinned broadly. "Lucky you. I know all too well how to dance and it gets me into trouble...people expect me to join in." Lucas nodded, but he did not look directly at Bellerophon. He continued to stare into the darkness below. Somehow he suddenly felt nervous in Bellerophon's presence, despite the fact that this was the first positive experience of the night. [size=1]Hopefully I've played your character somewhat accurately, Sandy. Please feel free to take it from here. I suspect this will be my last post before the chapter begins. Great work, everyone! I'm loving your posts![/size]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Retri, the problem is that you are taking things too literally. The ball is [i]supposed[/i] to be a jarring experience. You're absolutely right - people don't just wake up from a long coma, read a letter and attend a ball. [i]That's the point[/i]. The idea is that on the surface you're seeing a beautiful ball, but underneath there's something incredibly subversive and unnerving going on. It's supposed to be somewhat surreal and unexpected. Characters do not have to mingle and be nice to each other as if nothing happened - I would expect each character to have a very different attitude. Some might be frightened, others might be complacent...and others might be in denial. You know? I hope that all makes sense.[/font]