Murdoc

Honestly I haven't played a total war game since Shogun. I know they have gotten good, but the themes in Shogun just seemed to fit so perfectly. From the description though I'm a little wary as to how it'll play out and all the improvements from the other games that may be incorperated into this that I just don't understand yet (naval battles? wtf) But yeah, as a Shogun: total war fan, I'm excited but caustiously optomistic as I'm pretty sure the series is completely different then now.

This forum possibly might be turning into your blog? ha, anyway, I can probably take your place as the racer in the world. I can do ok at the older stuff mainly because it was arcadey, but now a days my playability test is start the race, drive a little, see the first corner, and then basically run straight into the wall. If that happens i know this game isn't for me. Also that Psygnosis game was Destruction Derby and it wasn't really a racing game, but it was awesome. I always liked the name Psygnosis, someone should acquire the rights to use it again.

Wow I'm exactly the same way. I've done like 2 mexico missions and I'm pretty much thinking I don't care. The pacing of the story is slow but really, really, really plain. I like the look of the characters, but you never really get enough time with them to get to know them. Marsten himself is a blank slate more or less and pretty damn dull. It was around the time just before Mexico I realized the entire game was about getting Bill Williamson, and I'm sure that would be fine for a 2 hour movie premise or something, but for a game as long as this, I need something a little higher level then this. It's sort of the same way in GTAs where when you run out of missions for a particular character they just stop existing in the world and this is no different... which is kind of a shame. I'm really thinking they could of condensed the game to the texas, montana, arizona locations and told a more solid narrative in those. Mexico, georgia/louissana, and probably the east areas feel unnecessary. Mexico is a big place though so I'm guessing a significant chunk of game happens here, but I just find it not as interesting as the frontier of the US. Despite wanting a slightly different game out of this(more towns, blank character that I get to chose a direction in, etc) I can't help but think the ambient world is just so much better executed in this then the core missions and story. Once I spent all my time doing the ambient stuff at the start and got onto the main storyline my interest has totally died.

Just saw Heat? Damn I'm envious. I liked Collateral, but thought that was a pretty low level movie for Mann. Essentials according to me: Miami Vice (Tv: executive producer, but important note in his history) Miami Vice (movie: completely understated, but basically staying true to the tv series while updating the detective action movie genre) Manhunter (awesome.) Public Enemies (I've mentioned this, its not so much the story, but the awesome experiments in cinemetography going on) Last of the Mohicans (Not a huge fan of his period peices and this is totally the most typical hollywood movie he has made, but it has aspects of his regular stuff I enjoy)

We had no agreement with you, so not sure how I'm a backstabber. Sorry that I attacked when you weren't logged in though, I didn't know. The Neptunian people may be neutral, but in order to maintain our neutrality new territories needed to be expanded. Since the Remo is conquering the north, we decided occupy the nation of Hermies to preserve some balance.

I can clear some of this up without leaking anything. I mentioned before the rumor that BGnE2 was off the rails at the moment(January) and decisions on what to do with it were being made. Haven't heard anything since, so I'd say got moved or is on hold most likely what happened. The video that was leaked was a target render video. A lot of companies, Ubisoft in particular create a that target video early on to get the feel of what the end product will be. That's all that video was, it happens before any real work has been put into the game, sometimes it's done in engine with post fx added later(like if it's a sequel to another game and there are assets readily available to make something like that) other times its done internally or through a third party company(I believe Bioshock used Blur at some point? oh and Killzone 2 used another company for their initial e3 showing) I thought that video leaked was discovered to come from whatever company was working on it? Anyway, that's what I imagine that video was, how it ended up on the internet is a bit weird, but if it was being made outside Ubisoft not really out of the realm of possibility. If you can track down whatever company did the Assassins Creed 2 cinematic video for E3 last year, you may find more as I know they are using them more then once, so it may have come from there, but thats just a guess.

Projects often hit dead ends and need retooling to really start working. I have no doubt that Beyond Good and Evil 2 will be made at some point. But if a project isn't working they may have sent it off somewhere else(there was rumor it was coming to Montreal... it did not) or Ancel might have enough clout to put it on hold while he does something else(rayman) for awhile. Both possibilities seem possible and likely from the looks of it.

That was my assumption on the zombies as well, not the metaphorical effects on the mind theory that was offered. Though I think that is the most rational explanation it also doesn't explain why York never mentions it or is even off put by it. Also,

Yeah... I wasn't feeling that though. I assumed Zach was the player the entire time and when that switch happens nothing in the game changes , making it just seem like a pointless narrative switch. It was a "twist" in the story I guess, but really didn't ultimately impact anything except for some dialog changes between them. I suppose a sequel would allow more actual differences to occur. Also I don't buy into the whole thing is effects on your mind with some things, as it seems to play fast and lose with what is real and what isn't in that case with a lot of inconsistencies. The raincoat killer for example, seemed to be pretty real and physical, considering Harry's recollection of his father and the whole thing with George... unless that wasn't real either; but nothing alluded to this, so it seems like a rubber stamp you could put on anything that didn't quite make sense. I didn't pick that up, lol, so yeah that makes more sense. Those I think the very inclusion of being the mastermind didn't really sync up with the rest of the narrative and felt heavily tacked on when they ran out of characters to use. I wrote something longer and deleted it, forgot the "also not" line. Anyway, show me where the zombies were ever explained like that in the game(could happen, I only watched VJ play through it) and I'll give a nod. Until then, it's pure speculation. I could speculate York is actually fucking crazy, making up those scenarios in his mind just like he made up Zach... how he was ever admitted to the FBI is beyond me. I wouldn't say it's important as there would have been better care given to the colour design across the board to help the aesthetic, but interesting little points you mention about key narrative objects and colour. Though again, what is this trying to say? It doesn't add anything at all or unlock hidden clues early on... From the VJ play through, there is absolutely nothing in there that would have been used as a clue if you use this decipher from the beginning... so what's the point? Someone spent some time doing that with no real pay off. I think there is a bunch of "its so crazy for the sake of crazy" as it seems to have that Japanese sensibility about things... which I suppose isn't fair to call crazy, but coming from a North American perspective where shit happens for no discernible reason in their media I'll roll with that term. It has a neat little story, but far from powerful/profound storytelling in games. From a game design point of view, nothing about it did anything differently then every other game telling a story. Walk to a location, trigger cutscene, repeat. The story itself has a lot of influences, most notably being Twin Peaks, Resident Evil/Silent Hill themes. That doesn't mean it isn't good, for the most part it was and has more interesting influences then most games. However, the final act was just a mess of mystery cliches mix with video-gamey ridiculousness. The one thing I gave props to was the relationship between character and player, but they completely destroy that in the end. Like I said, I enjoyed whatever was going on in the game, and probably more then I should have due to the low budget execution and the really poor game design choices. I think the final act really destroyed the narrative/mood they were shooting for with the rest of the game, but I can say that about almost every video game, video game endings are usually just bad. I think there was a lot of crazy unexplained stuff, narrative points that just happened for no reason, and general wackiness... which makes it a bit more endearing, honestly. I'll also say that it might actually explain that stuff somewhere in the game, but it's probably a few hits of dialog after discovering something or text somewhere. But I'll really need to hear your case for profound storytelling in a game... then again you added the "I've seen in a game" so yeah, I guess that could be true.

Ten bucks says SpaceGentleman is blue and is now sending his mega fleet to destroy me. I'll find out when I get home, lol. edit: nope.

huh? People do specific things in games to get achievements? Man, I'm old...

I read the descriptions on the deeds and tried to remember them. The game gives you a kentucky saddler early on which as far as I've seen is one of the top horses, so really no need to get another. Once it was given to you, the option to buy the deed opened up, so I did that and now i have infinite kentucky saddler(is that right? the Kentcky one) I really hope these horse names are real because then I just learned some useless information that at last applies to the real world which would be neat.

Yeah I dunno, we don't get much news from France, but they usually send out notices when the important people leave (Clint Hocking and several others since I've been here) All I know is that he has a computer here and it's still logged in, so my guess is as good as yours.

Have you been hitching it near water? Giving it apples? Brushing it's coat? Riding it too hard? You have to take care of the gentle beasts you friggin monster!

Well, I'm sure most actual science about time travel would kill most scifi time travel. But we have to just accept the rules it gives us and accept that. I'm sure at some point in one of the movies either with Reese or John they do point out the fact John knows Reese is his father when he sends him to the past; which just brings up more questions. But again, it's not hard science or even close to it, just accept the rules it gives you and hope that the fiction doesn't go against itself. Judgement day was on August 29, 1997; after T2 it wasn't; but to Reese it was 1997, so they did change something. Really I am more bothered at the fact that a super computer who can time travel only sends one thing at a time years apart. Why not just send a few terminators back, and why do it a decade apart. You already had one terminator in the past, just keep sending it back to right after the first one dies and Reese is dead, that way it's open season on Sarah. But really it's just a cool movie, as long as it fills what needs to be filled and explains it in a logical sense within it's own universe, I'm happy.

Arrived in Theives Landing last night during a thunderstorm; I bought the available room and hunkered down for the night. I woke up in the morning and it was still dark and raining, I walked down the stairs and saw the road, so I hoped over the railing into deep water and drown to death. Thank you for that, Rockstar.

People are still playing in Puffin? It seems so quiet. I'm playing against the mute Blue which, despite me screwing everything up for him early on hes doing better then me and keeps sending fleets to slowly whittle me down. Would be a little more fun if the bot talked, I'm sure its a player, but who the hell knows, it isn't talking and it has a bug up its ass about me, so I'm betting on human.

Yeah I've been here since joining the forums. I like commenting on stuff and offering my opinion, it's just a fine line between my opinion based on what I've seen vs NDA contractual stuff. I stay out of any real sensitive areas and really have only been offering personal opinions on old/common knowledge stuff. I've also stayed, mostly, out of anything I worked out just out of not being a total nob. I'm leaving here in a week so I don't want to this to be interpreted as me being a dick and trying to burn the company... if anyone follows my comments(no reason to, lol) you'll notice I offer a lot of opinions about a lot of things either based off what I read on the net, hear from friends in other companies, or my experience in other companies. It's really all mundane stuff and totally subjective to my personal opinion. Really, if I were to break any kind of contract I'd go all out and talk about this interesting shit like, So yeah, there's that.

If this means anything to anyone, it's 9:30 pm in Montpellier and Ancel's computer is still on and logged in though he is away. Meaning if he quit, he isn't gone yet as most people would turn off their computer, i'd reckon.

Huh? Reese was always younger then future Connor in every movie, unless theres a comic book or tv show or something that says other wise. Also, if your eluding to that new thing, meh, most of the timeline and fiction in that didn't make sense according to the james camerons one. I consider those the only real terminator movies.

I heard in December that they were thinking of sending it here to Montreal for retooling... in which case I wizzed my pants and would still be working here past June if that happened. It didn't. Sucks too, because that previs trailer was friggin cool. It could still get made at some point, but nothing in the works for the near future as far as I can dig up. Really weird too, out of all the fresh IPs(2?) I've seen developed here, BGnE 2 had the most potential in terms of game, concept, and visualization. Not to create a big rant about Ubisoft because I don't have much of an opinion over, but the choices I've seen with my time here have been strange to say the least. So far I've seen some amazing technology developed with really poor concepts and game design ideas.

I dunno, it's noticable though. But I wont start my own personal opinionated rant on why I hate 3D; I just found that information pretty funny and a little comforting that I can probably bet this fad will go away again someday. But if Nintendo can make a glasses-less 3d thingy I wonder if the theatre can ever do it? I wouldn't mind that as much as I do putting on goggels.

Neat link, Thunderpeel. Haha, silly 1950s neanderthals; glad we don't have to go through that bull shit again.

Makes sense, I chose to interpret it literally though, for some reason this is the one case where it's more awesome, lol.

I can't tell most anime apart, his "style" looks like typical anime faire to me. I would like to make to try to seperate style and design though. When someone says style I think proportions, line work, colouring, etc... When I hear design I think of the asthetics, hair, makeup, clothing, accessories, etc... So in those terms the style seems fine, the designs are friggin horrid. There is a style similarity between those designs the dude's previous manga work, but the designs are totally different.