GoOB

This thread is a little like watching reality TV isn't it? Projecting ourselves as better than the poor sods we are witnessing going about their toiletries and love lives in front of cameras. I don't wish to offend anyone, in fact, I probably would join you in laughing were circumstances different - But really, has these forums stooped to the Something Awful level of making fun of people for whatever they write on the internets? Or is this thread just a little oasis of pettiness that the moderators leave open for the sake of leaving it open? Sorry for the rant - Really, truly sorry... But the whiskey made me.

Haha - That's great, I think I am going to sell my kitchen table and buy a couple of pillow tables. It doesn't only save space, it allows guests unimaginable freedoms, perhaps they wish to dine upon the porcelain throne rather than in the hustle and bustle of the kitchen? A true bachelors' comfort!

I didn't say anything about that, really, my whole point was that it could be done without picture in picture - With an obvious tradeoff of lessened situational awareness (as I wrote in my previous post), but during the right circumstances, and if the camera switch is quick enough, getting another viewpoint would be very useful nonetheless.

Any chance of a future collaboration with STALKERGB? Perhaps in future you will be able to reskin his models or something to that effect. Sterling job with these though, just as with the special forces.

Does it need to be picture in picture though? I quite like this idea, especially for multiplayer where the pilot might need to quickly get an idea of what his human and or AI gunner can see (allowing more accurate positioning of the aircraft for effective fire from the gun) - There just needs to be an action menu option to "engage crew chief camera" or "engage landing camera" which switches the view to a camera above/below one of the doorguns. The disadvantage is ofcourse that the pilot loses forward view, but I think this could be useful even without picture in picture. All in all, a system somewhat similar to the Mando Missile suite, just eh... Without the missiles.

About a month or two too late - Never understood developers that launch game demos long after the initial release. BIS released a demo post-release, but atleast it was alot closer to release than this.

I just sit on the floor with my back against the sofa and my keyboard and mouse on the coffee table - Works a charm, as long as you remember to put a cushion on the floor ;)

Erh - I thought digital distribution was doing the PC as a platform favours asopposed to disfaboursnot. Much in the same way that digital distribution does the music and film industry alot of good. But I suppose that if you aren't going to eleaborate on your opinion, I might aswell not bother with adressing it - You might not comprehend this text, afterall.

Wow - Is this thread seriously still around? And do my eyes deceive or is it 205 pages long? That is a long chain of discussion for a game that nobody plays anymore.

In my mind there's really no way to compare Dragon Age with NWN2, atleast not when it comes to the depth and quality of the story. Dragon Age is alot more consistent and offers characters that are alot less generic than the NWN2 ones - Some are rather flat and boring, I admit that, but most are rather well thought out and every single one of import has quality voice acting to go with. The overall storyline is also very engrossing, and there is alot of variety to the main quests I have finished so far - Also interesting to see that choices made in game actually make a difference, or a semblance thereof. And yes, party size is still only four - But so far, I haven't found that to be a limiting factor. It makes battles challenging and it forces you to make some tough decisions in regards to how you want to fight, and what approach is suitable for each battle.

One thing I found bothersome is the sheer ammount of times your character(s) are saved - It is very dramatic and effectful, but when your character is dramatically rescued like five times in four hours it gets old.

Sure, that's a good price - But 7 yankee dollars for an hour (or less, depending on how quick you are) of content isn't my image of a bargain. Soldiers' Peak is really alot like the "horse armour" of Dragon Age, the horse armour being a piece of overpriced DLC for Bethesdas Oblivion. I am also not a fan of how the DLC is more or less advertised in the game - An NPC stands about in the camp with an exclamation point over his head, one of the conversation options with him being: "Hold on, I'll be right back (download new content)"

Had the game since release and I am loving it - The DLC is mostly air that they charge through the nose for, especially the Soldiers' Peak one. It's reportedly about one hour of gameplay. As for the game itself, it really is great for any RPG fan. As close to a true successor to the Baldur's Gate series as possible in my opinion. The sidequests feel a bit too generic and too many of them are fetch-quests of the MMO variety. Combat is also a bit akward at times, positioning being the hardest thing to carry out correctly - I wish there was a setting in the tactics' menu to tell a character to try to flank and or backstab whenever possible. Minor inconveiences in the combat system aside, combat is most often engrossing and tactical.

EDIT: Erh... Nevermind.

Right - Just finished the campaign... About halfway in it got too much, I kept on playing but the god-awful storyline killed any and all enjoyment, and ripped the heart out of the games' ambiance. I really didn't think it was going to be that bad. Infinity Ward really should consider getting some new writers, when the storyline of the Metal Gear Solid series makes more sense than your story, it's time to re-think. Tomorrow my mate is going to change this game in for FORZA Motorsport 3 - I bet you a dedicated server package that that is going to last more than two days.

It's companies like EPIC that will make sure that PC gaming, or rather gaming in general lives on and thrives - A fantastic decision really. Let the indie games flow.

Just borrowed my mates' copy for the 360 (he had already finished the campaign) and I must say I really like the singleplayer - It is a somewhat glorified on-rails shooter but it does it's thing really well with plenty of atmosphere and to be honest, alot of immersion. The storyline is as already mentioned laughable in parts, but the singleplayer as a whole really works.

The developers of Mafia 2 have also been very quiet - The same goes for Remedy's project Alan Wake for the 360. Silence and a lack of news isn't neccessarily a bad thing, often times it's the opposite of bad actually. There is plenty of time to build hype just shortly before a game goes gold, as Madus said above. I also doubt that the same people that are working on OA are working on Carrier Command - Some human resources might be shared among the teams, but it is much more efficient to be making two producst at once. And OA is no doubt alot less resource intensive than Carrier Command. More to the point however... This game looks completly awesome, and with BIS making it I know I shall be satisfied with the end result.

EDIT: Whoops.

I don't know of a single person who prefers living on unemployment to working - And unemployment benefits are payed by the workers themselves through their union fees. Social security benefits (for people who aren't able to work, for various reasons) however are payed for by the government and if the leave is temporary, by the employer of the person who is unable to work jointly. Ofcourse social benefits opens the doors to people who want to exploit the system - And some do that, they get jobs under the table whilst they still receive social benefits, but the system can't be made to punish the people who need this money for the crimes of the people that exploit the system and break it's laws. And there is no social housing - My municipality makes money off of renting out apartments, yet they strive to keep rents low and controlled so that there is a level of housing availible for all income layers. And I beleive I posted who pays for it all in my previous post - Yes, I pay high taxes (though not quite as high as the norwegians do), something I gladly do. This in exchange for not having to pay a quarter of a million SEK when or if I need surgery next time, to get a chance to study what I want for free and not having to work at McDonald's to make ends meet when I grow old. I am also glad to pay high taxes out of solidarity - I may never need healthcare again, but I am rather certain that alot of other people will. My close friend for instance has cerebral paresis, he gets all the tools he needs to function and be productive in society from paying his taxes - A specially adapted car, an electrical wheelchair a specially adapted apartment, the list goes on, and I will get the same benefits if I ever get in an accident that leaves me with a handicap.

Haha, mate have you ever heard of the NHS? The National Health Service, that system of health care is completly free of charge, and it's in one of the countries you mention. In Australia I remember there being some measure of free healthcare aswell, in the least government healthcare is heavily subsidized (a word that no doubt makes your eyes see red, no pun intended) Canada also provides free healthcare, so you argument falls flat on it's face dear sir. Providing healtchare and free education (the UK also provides cheap, or free higher education as tuition fees are income based) doesn't constitute laziness or a lack of free thinking. I am rather free to undertake whatever I want, even if I won't be very productive after taking my degree in social anthropology, my government pays for me to gain that degree. Precisley because they promote free thinking and knowledge for everyone - Perhaps that is why Kockums wharf were able to make submarines that frequently best American ones' or why Bofors and SAAB are such succesful producers of military technology (not that a nations armament industry has a semblance of relevance to what we ar discussing, but you brought it up for some reason). As for educational systems in Russia and other eastern block countries, I really can't argue - But their shortcomings aren't due to them being free. Look at Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Austria, France, The Netherlands... The list goes on, these countries all provide more or less free education and none of them can be called academical hellholes - Quite the opposite actually. Also, thank you for calling me a communist, that made me laugh. And to supplement MehMans's figures - Sweden spends about 9,3% of it's GDP on healthcare, or rather, free healthcare. But this is still grossly off-topic :cry:

I like this discussion - It's like watching Fox News or something, wake up people. Capitalism and social security aren't mutually exclusive. I am sitting rather comfortably in my apartment (rented from a company the municipality owns) surrounded by the baubles of my own excessive consumerism. This all whilst my arm is in a cast thanks to an operation that made a dent of 24,75 USD in my budget. An operation that has left me unable to work for three months, and during these three months my generous government (together with my most kind employers, as they are bound by law to do) provides me with 80% of my regular income. I have also been accepted to start a candidature in social anthropology come january - During that time I will be able to opt for a loan of 5000 SEK a month at approximatley 1% interest. So I shall be able to continue to enjoy capitalism whilst my socialist (well, somewhat socialist) government provides me with knowledge. Oh, did I mention that my cousin is currently on three month paternity leave to care (during which he receives a percentage of his income from the state and indeed, his employer) for his newborn child? This ofcourse after his wife had three months of maternity leave under the same conditions. It really is quite amazing - All this in exchange for having a third car or fifty credit cards, I know my kid will thank me for paying high taxes, and I know I thank my government for providing me with these oppurtunities and caring for my health, and indeed thankful for that my taxes will go towards caring for my own children aswell as my parents welfare when they grow older. Erh... But we really are off-topic in the offtopic section - Aren't we?

In my country a physician pays back his or her debt to the society that afforded him or her education by working and paying taxes so that another person that wants or needs an education can get it - For free, without tuition charges. Personally, I am against armies using "free education" and "free healthcare" to lure or dare I say it exploit potential recruits - The army is about one thing, and one thing only when it comes down to it, and I am sure you all know what that one thing is. I am also sure everyone who signs enlistment papers know what that one thing is - The problem is when there is no other choice viable choice for survival but to sign that paper. But really, this topic isn't the proper place to debate politics or the practices of the American Armed Forces - It was started so we could pay our respects to the families who lost husbands, brothers, sisters or wives to these gruesome events. My thoughts go out to everyone who needlessly lost someone to either of these attacks.

Indeed - I would rather live with some "antiquated" concept from the early 90's that works than use some newly thought of method that ensures instability.