joltan

Any games tonight?

Yeah, but don't go to the one next to the Karl's bridge (it's famous but just a poor tourist show compared to others) - there's a much better one somewhere between the old jewish cementary and (very near to) the big plaza with the astronomical clock. It's been ages since I went there last time with enough time to stroll around but if you like classic music there's always some good concerts somewhere in town (also the opera is cheap and good).

I think VBS is fine at what it does - but in the end it still has the same engine limitations OFP has. The second generation OFP2 engine is still in development - and might be so until late next year or even longer (assuming the spring 2006 release date for OFP2 holds). So I can understand that they want to look into another engine, especially after VBS has already proven how usefull a good infantry sim can be for military training. Multiple gunner positions (engine supported so performance doesn't suffer), good CQB performance - you can easily trade some terrain size for that if your sole purpose is training.

Here's a link to a webcam on Johnston Ridge looking over to Mount St. Helens.

How about convincing Codemasters to rerelease OFP GOTY as a budget title? Almost all big publishers have game collections, budget series, etc. This would ensure that even more people try the game - and thus prepare the ground for OFP2 in 2006. The more people have tried & know OFP, the more will think about buying OFP2. The main problem with OFP is that many people still don't know it - or never tried it. A budget release could change that (as we already see by the people who still join the community day by day).

Who cares - look who's got all the middle east oil now!

Everything with 300ms or less should be fine for playing coop games. After that the delay becomes to big and it get's unplayable - mostly for yourself, although it might affect other players insofar as that they might get run over or shot by you because you were lagged out. For competitive DM/CTF the ping should be significantly lower (<100ms).

Any directx 8.0 compatible graphics card (Nvidia GForce series/ATI Radeon series) should work perfectly fine with OFP as long as it has at least 16mb and you're using an updated driver (not nescessarily the latest, tho).

Any directx 8.0 compatible graphics card (Nvidia GForce series/ATI Radeon series) should work perfectly fine with OFP as long as it has at least 16mb and you're using an updated driver (not nescessarily the latest, tho).

VBS: ADF1

Oh yeah, those gangster missions were big fun (and we did very well in them, too). Some of the most fun FDF missions I played in a long time!

Windows XP Service Pack 2 has been released today. It's already available as a 265mb download, but you'll soon be able to use the Windows online update, too.

Used: VBS w/ ADF1

I guess tonight. Every wednesday & sunday night - if the server's up. As a proposal for variety: how about we arange a date with the Zeus guys and play a night there using WGL and play that 'bastogne island' mission (if it's fixed and working) all together? That mission seems perfect for good dedicated coop players with a bit of discipline.

"a game like ofp" - well, that's definitely VBS. Wait, that IS the same (more or less)... Ok, apart from that I really can't recommend anything like OFP: there simply isn't. If you need a break from OFP then go and play something completely different. I enjoy playing EVE (online scifi rpg), strategy games and roleplaying games - or the odd 'shooter' like DeusEx2. While there's great many good games out there none of them has manged to capture me as OFP did - and I always return to play that after a short while.

Well, I must say I only stumbled across this mission yesterday on Zeus, and it really impressed me. While there were some problems with players crashing out it really was an overwhelming experience (also thanks to good squad leaders like Jinef). Great work!

Uh, Halle is quite a nice city, Albert. I'm there quite often and while of course there's Neustadt (not much to do about that) you also find there (among other things) Germany's biggest art nouveau quarter (the 'Paulus-Viertel' - looking good now). Of course you have to look (i.e. actually enter the town), not just peek out of the train station. As for the 'Trabanten-Stadt' Neustadt - it's outside the old city (in the GDR Neustadt was an independent city, it only became part of Halle after the reunification), and while you find of course the same ugly 'modern' buildings they constructed also in the west during the 60s and 70s it's not as bad as in many west german cities. Halle was lucky and survived the war in a much better shape - and the GDR never had the money to actually tear down the old parts of the city (unlike in western germany). If you consider that there's not much economic interest there it's really impressive how that city looks after just 12 years. Of course there are cities where the change is more visible (Potsdam, Weimar or Dresden), but then there's more money to be made (or public interest) in those places. And regarding the schools - well, just look at what they build in the west during the 70s: they usually got a better paint job, and the asbest got removed already in the late 80s, but that's about the only difference there is. (Edit: ah, raedor beat me to it!) So much for prejudices... Mind you, I live in Freiburg right now - and I'd still move to Halle any day if I found a good job around there. It's a nice looking, little university city with quite a good cultural live (if you want more then Leipzig is 20 minutes to drive, Dresden 1 hour, Berlin 2 hours). The hardest thing is the dialect - but then there's always Bavaria to compare it to...

Ah, bugger! Well, cu wednesday night then.

I don't think this is about hunting in general - I have no problem with that. I have a problem with 20 people hunting after one little fox, using horses and packs of dogs. That is neither population control, nor is it a 'humane' way of hunting. It's just sick fun for some 'traditionalists'. The excuses that are used to justify what they are doing are so flawed (when considering the way they're 'hunting') that it just makes me laugh. And the number of job actually created by that is marginal. If the hunt was done in another way people would find work there, too.

The EOS 300D is a nice piece of equipment - I have the analog version of it, and I'm definitely thinking about getting either this one or the new EOS 20D asap. The good thing is I'll be still able to use all my old lenses (got a nice 28-200 Tamron - ideal for travelling).

I had some nice shooting lessons on a range over here in Germany a few years ago and I didn't need to take any classes - but then getting a hunting license was basically part of my studies (although not obligatory), so we had all the theory at the uni already. Was fun and we started right away with shotguns (skeets and moving ground targets) and hunting rifles (100m+ ranges and moving targets). It was real fun! And the few bruises quickly teach you to press the rifle butt firmly against your shoulder. Never finnished the training, tho, as I wasn't actually interested in getting the hunting license and just went there with my pals to have some fun. Still got my Peltors - maybe I'll give it another go one day.

Thanks for the nice games! We did really good tonight. Here's Llauma just before the bmp noticed him and he was forced to blow the satchel while he was not quite out of range...

The problem is the wall in the heads that's still there. As can be seen here in this thread many people in the west still thim in "us - them" cathegories - and many people in the East do the same. Although I have to say that in my experience west german people are worse in their prejudices. They border on arrogance and make the situation just worse for both sides. The people in the East are just unhappy how the situation there developed, and they complain a lot - but who wouldn't.

Albert, it is ignorant as the majority of longterm unemployed have a vastly different profile from what you mention: they are too old, and they lack the qualifications for most jobs. And often they have to compete with students and pupils who are even cheaper to employ (also I wrote above: you only need so many waiters etc. - and then a nice 20 year female student looks much better than a 40 year old male with a beer belly).

I think they were used to search for mines around Basra.