I've never seen any promises until now about what would be on the HD, and any references to Halo 2.5 have been pure speculation. Quit whining that the rumor you made up was false.
Jade Empire - Mythic Chinese themed RPG w/ real time martial arts combat - but not hack and slash, more like the combat-as-puzzles presented in this game you should also try:
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Fantastic platforming, puzzling, and combat-as-puzzles. Great storyline featuring ACUTAL CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Woah.
Mind Rover build and program robots for fun! Anyone remember robotwar on the Apple ][? This is fun like that was fun.
And I've been playing RPGs on tabletops for 25 years (and I got a girlfriend, married her, game with her, and our son games too, so forget the 'RPGs are for anti-social ubergeeks' sterotype). It's not my fave, but D&D is the industry standard - like Windows, everyone's got it, everyone knows it, and many of us hate it but use it anyhow. For more flexibility, I suggest GURPS, the new 4th edition is very smooth. And for the Linux of RPGs, just google on "free RPG". Here's one by a designer I admire: The Shadow of Yesterday but I haven't gotten to play that particular game yet. Enjoy!
Met my girl in high school. Taught her to game. Married her. Had a kid. Taught him to game. He GMs for his friends now and for his folks on occasion.
Let's get one thing straight about roleplaying - it's not a barrier to getting laid. But conforming to every stereotype of a nerdy roleplayer is. So the deal here is that if you play RPGs *and* bathe occasionally, your chances are probably just as good as they are for anyone else.
You say: Gary Kildall missed the boat on this one. His lack of business acumen resulted in him losing the fame and fortune that Gates stole. IBM actually made an offer to Kildall, but Kildall dallied and finally refused the offer.
How exactly did Gates steal anything from him? IBM came to Kildall and according to your own paragraph, he refused.
And good geeks have died broke for as long as there have been geeks. See Nikola Tesla / Thomas Edison.
I for one was begging for this show to be cancelled after the first few episodes.
And I don't hate Trek. I'm a huge fan of ST:TOS. I liked what little I saw of ST:TNG and ST:V. Never cared for ST:DS9 (Hey, let's sit here and wait for adventure to come *to us*!), but I know lots of people who did.
But ST:E? Feh! When the communications officer whined for the first couple of episodes, I thought, "Uhhh...aren't there a million qualified people who would *kill* for this post? Step down and get out of the way!" But when the captain (whom I loved in Quantum Leap and was really geeked about seeing in SF TV again) took his *dog* down to the first alien world they encountered...I just gave up.
This show blew chunks from the get-go.
Where were those big checks when Firefly needed them? Now *that* was some inspiring space TV. And a hell of a lot more entrepreneurial in spirit than the Treks.
The obvious win here is to make the wireless recievers standard (and not bluetooth, I'll bet they're buying Spike) and housed within the unit. Then, provide standard ports and allow both wired controllers (you know, buy a cheap wired controller for the kids / guests / whatever, and the good ones for yourself) and wireless, and allow the wireless controller to charge-while-playing by attaching a cable. I've been crossing my fingers for wireless standard on Xbox2! And while I love my Gentoo box, I love my Xbox, also. I just don't have time for PC gaming these days.
Snood.
It's a shareware game in the same vein as BubbleBobble / Bust-a-Move, only it's got no time limits and can be played at whatever pace you might like. It is a lot of fun and many find it addictive.
Any turn-based strategy game - Civilization III is awesome.
Bejewled is another popular puzzle game.
Old school RPGs like Wizardry(I-VIII) and Ultima (I-VII), Might & Magic (dunno how many) and others.
This show has sucked since day one. When a Federation captain brings his *dog* to the surface of an unknown world, I have to change the channel.
Every episode of this show that has aired since Firefly was cancelled is like a slap in the face to anyone who likes sci-fi tv.
However, since we're talking about readability - try Official Xbox Magazine - just pick one up and look at it. It's my only subcription mag since Next Generation went away. I believe at least one OXM editor was from NG (Francesca?). And the quality of the writing is way above average in the gaming press. Almost all of the content is in grammatical English and they're not afraid to say a game is awful in no uncertain terms.
It probably has to do with the fact that Xboxen are marketed at a higher aged demographic (I'm 34 today, f'rinstance).
Must be time for Cyberpunk roleplaying to come back on the scene. After playing the first Cyberpunk, CP2020, and GURPS Cyberpunk, fairly voraciously I dropped the genre around the time I left college.
Anyone else notice that after cyberpunk, most genres got a "punk" suffix? I mean Gothic, Steam, Diesel, Splatter, Cthulhu, and probably others have all be *punked. Anyhow, after spending plenty of time running other *punk games, I went back to FRPGs. And now, after years since running a cyberpunk game, I just got interested in http://www.iguardians.net/games/tristat/ and asked for it for my upcoming birthday.
It presents four separate cyberpunk backgrounds, each taking into account what we've learned since Neuromancer was published.
And Guardians could use your support right now. Yes, this is a blatant plug. No, I do not work for them. I'm just an ex-indie publisher with a soft spot of quality that gets ignored in the face of highly marketed crap from the gigantic competition.
I like Pondsmith's stuff, (Castle Falkenstein, especially. I think I own every RTG supplement for that plus 2 core books, one in hardcover plus GURPS Castle Falk.) and will probably check out CP203X if and when it is released (Castle Falkenstein taught me to take RTG release dates with a rather large grain of salt. Think livestock salt lick sized.), so don't be angry with me for changing the subject to Ex Machina.
To those who say their marriage and children prevent them from playing RPGs, I say, "My eight year old son represents years of training in gaming geekdom!"
PS- If you're a fan of A Game of Thrones check out the pdf preview of the d20/Tri-Stat Limited Edition book that'll be out in March.
The only problem with Fable was that it was too short. I didn't have any problem with the targeting system - in combat you don't *always* hit what you want to. Most of the time it was spot on, though.
I've been waiting for BC and The Movies since I first saw previews of them. I hope those are two of the games in the pipeline. Based on Fable, they're going to be a lot of fun!
Prince of Persia Splinter Cell Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow Rainbow Six 3 DOA3 Soul Calibur II Crimson Skies MechAssault Fable Links NHL Hitz Ghost Recon Project Gotham II
I could go on, but I don't need to. Why don't you pick up a controller an play before you mouth off any more? And speaking of the controller, I am a fan of both the original "Duke" controller and the Controller "S". I like them both much more than the original PS pad, the Dual Shock pad, and the hideous GC pad. I wish there were more like my Saturn analog controller...mmm...smooth...
Yes, there is. That's the age when your dessicated remains float away on the wind.
I'm 33 and still play.
Look, I've been playing RPGs since I was in fourth grade, and in my experience, there is no greater entertainment than a good RPG. Books, movies, comics, other games...they all pale when you compare them to a really good roleplaying session. Sure, sometimes you have an off night; sometimes, it sucks like anything else. But like golf, the rewards of proper play keep you coming back. I played D&D and AD&D until about eighth grade, then got bored and stopped. It wasn't until maybe 10th grade that I discovered GURPS and began playing RPGs again, especially GURPS and various Supers games (Marvel, DC, Champions, V&V, etc.). I did the whole White Wolf thing in college, CoC in there, too. I've played Ars Magica, Cyberpunk, Ghostbusters, Gangbusters, and more I can't dredge up right now. I sort of fell out of gaming about five years ago, just because I lost my group, not because I didn't want to play any more.
About a year ago, I discovered indie RPGs. I found a little gem called Donjon and a great big shiny diamond called The Riddle of Steel and my love for the form was reignited. I started a TRoS game with some friends (including my wife). And I wondered when I could teach my seven year old son to play.
I looked at GURPS. I looked at TRoS. I looked at Donjon. None of them felt like I could get him to absorb and apply their rulesets. Then I realized that we were playing D&D already - in the form of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance on our XBOX. (Yes. I have and enjoy an XBOX. It's a great console. Get over it.) He was comfortable with the concepts of experience and levels, hit points and ability modifiers. I had a 3.0 Player's Handbook, so I dragged it out and we made characters. My friend taught his kids (my son's best friends) to play, and now they play every chance they get, and they play-act it all the time, too. My son is writing adventures and wants to make a Neverwinter Nights module. We just started painting miniature figures.
I have fun playing D&D with him and his friends, and even more fun playing games with my friends. Someday, he'll wonder, "How come I can get hit with a giant two-handed axe and still have the same chance to hit on my next turn?" or, "Why are my character choices so rigidly defined? How come I suddenly improve by leaps and bounds instead of getting a little better at a time?" And then he'll be ready for more sophisticated RPGs.
So, if you're saying "After a certain age, you will appreciate the sophistication of RPGs besides D&D" you're correct. If you're saying, "There's no place for roleplaying after age 25," you're just ignorant. Or maybe just judgmental on a topic you've not investigated. Take your pick.
The Firefly DVD set is slated for release this December. I know I'll be happy to release the 8 hours of Firefly that are stashed on my PVR drive when that DVD hits my hands. Check out FireflyFans.net for the latest Firefly news!
Oh, wow! This is probably the first "museumware" disc I've ever really wanted - The big names are all there...Joust, Robotron2084, Defender 2 (uh...isn't that...Stargate?) and little known classics like Toobin' (loved it in HS) and Roadblasters and Vindicators! Bring it on!
I am a co-creator of an original indie comic. When we were first getting started, the idea of web publishing was very attractive, and we gave it a lot of thought and discussion. We rejected it because primarily, we wanted to make comics. It was my opinion that what we are selling is more than content, it is an experience. Seriously. There's a lot that goes on in your head about paper. Just think about how the act of turning pages controls pacing. We set the reader up with something exciting, the page gets turned quickly. Something dreadful, the page gets dragged over slowly. That's just one example, there are others.
Our decision has largely been vindicated. Nobody we've ever spoken to wants to read comic books on a computer. Strips are another matter, they fit neatly on a screen and once one has loaded you can decide whether you want to read the rest or not. They're like M&Ms. But a comic book is different. Even if you reformatted the standard page to fit a monitor's aspect ratio, you still have problems. No 2 page spreads, for example.
The lack of micropayments is another problem. And yes, I'm on Peppercoin's mailing list. Not a peep since the announcement.
We've got a website obviously, where we try to keep in touch with our readers, promote ourselves to the unsupecting masses, and allow people who don't live where we do to buy our books. We've tried both online pictures and downloadable samples in PDF. Neither one has exactly gone gangbusters.
I'd love to know what you guys think -- would anyone pay to read these (or other comic books) online? How many subscribers does Crossgen have? Try to keep in mind that we have four people who work at other jobs and that we lack Crossgen's millionaire benefactor before comparing us.
Slashdot Mirror
I've never seen any promises until now about what would be on the HD, and any references to Halo 2.5 have been pure speculation. Quit whining that the rumor you made up was false.
Jade Empire - Mythic Chinese themed RPG w/ real time martial arts combat - but not hack and slash, more like the combat-as-puzzles presented in this game you should also try:
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Fantastic platforming, puzzling, and combat-as-puzzles. Great storyline featuring ACUTAL CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Woah.
Mind Rover build and program robots for fun! Anyone remember robotwar on the Apple ][? This is fun like that was fun.
And how about some games with people? Try Munchkin or Illuminati.
And I've been playing RPGs on tabletops for 25 years (and I got a girlfriend, married her, game with her, and our son games too, so forget the 'RPGs are for anti-social ubergeeks' sterotype). It's not my fave, but D&D is the industry standard - like Windows, everyone's got it, everyone knows it, and many of us hate it but use it anyhow. For more flexibility, I suggest GURPS, the new 4th edition is very smooth. And for the Linux of RPGs, just google on "free RPG". Here's one by a designer I admire: The Shadow of Yesterday but I haven't gotten to play that particular game yet. Enjoy!
Met my girl in high school. Taught her to game. Married her. Had a kid. Taught him to game. He GMs for his friends now and for his folks on occasion.
Let's get one thing straight about roleplaying - it's not a barrier to getting laid. But conforming to every stereotype of a nerdy roleplayer is. So the deal here is that if you play RPGs *and* bathe occasionally, your chances are probably just as good as they are for anyone else.
You say:
Gary Kildall missed the boat on this one. His lack of business acumen resulted in him losing the fame and fortune that Gates stole. IBM actually made an offer to Kildall, but Kildall dallied and finally refused the offer.
How exactly did Gates steal anything from him? IBM came to Kildall and according to your own paragraph, he refused.
And good geeks have died broke for as long as there have been geeks. See Nikola Tesla / Thomas Edison.
I for one was begging for this show to be cancelled after the first few episodes.
And I don't hate Trek. I'm a huge fan of ST:TOS. I liked what little I saw of ST:TNG and ST:V. Never cared for ST:DS9 (Hey, let's sit here and wait for adventure to come *to us*!), but I know lots of people who did.
But ST:E? Feh! When the communications officer whined for the first couple of episodes, I thought, "Uhhh...aren't there a million qualified people who would *kill* for this post? Step down and get out of the way!" But when the captain (whom I loved in Quantum Leap and was really geeked about seeing in SF TV again) took his *dog* down to the first alien world they encountered...I just gave up.
This show blew chunks from the get-go.
Where were those big checks when Firefly needed them? Now *that* was some inspiring space TV. And a hell of a lot more entrepreneurial in spirit than the Treks.
The obvious win here is to make the wireless recievers standard (and not bluetooth, I'll bet they're buying Spike) and housed within the unit. Then, provide standard ports and allow both wired controllers (you know, buy a cheap wired controller for the kids / guests / whatever, and the good ones for yourself) and wireless, and allow the wireless controller to charge-while-playing by attaching a cable. I've been crossing my fingers for wireless standard on Xbox2! And while I love my Gentoo box, I love my Xbox, also. I just don't have time for PC gaming these days.
Snood.
It's a shareware game in the same vein as BubbleBobble / Bust-a-Move, only it's got no time limits and can be played at whatever pace you might like. It is a lot of fun and many find it addictive.
Any turn-based strategy game - Civilization III is awesome.
Bejewled is another popular puzzle game.
Old school RPGs like Wizardry(I-VIII) and Ultima (I-VII), Might & Magic (dunno how many) and others.
Best of luck and enjoy!
This show has sucked since day one. When a Federation captain brings his *dog* to the surface of an unknown world, I have to change the channel. Every episode of this show that has aired since Firefly was cancelled is like a slap in the face to anyone who likes sci-fi tv.
There is nothing I have ever seen or experienced that explains DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball.
I now officially duck to avoid the hurled flames.
However, since we're talking about readability - try Official Xbox Magazine - just pick one up and look at it. It's my only subcription mag since Next Generation went away. I believe at least one OXM editor was from NG (Francesca?). And the quality of the writing is way above average in the gaming press. Almost all of the content is in grammatical English and they're not afraid to say a game is awful in no uncertain terms.
It probably has to do with the fact that Xboxen are marketed at a higher aged demographic (I'm 34 today, f'rinstance).
meant to hit "preview"...
Must be time for Cyberpunk roleplaying to come back on the scene. After playing the first Cyberpunk, CP2020, and GURPS Cyberpunk, fairly voraciously I dropped the genre around the time I left college.
Anyone else notice that after cyberpunk, most genres got a "punk" suffix? I mean Gothic, Steam, Diesel, Splatter, Cthulhu, and probably others have all be *punked. Anyhow, after spending plenty of time running other *punk games, I went back to FRPGs. And now, after years since running a cyberpunk game, I just got interested in http://www.iguardians.net/games/tristat/ and asked for it for my upcoming birthday.
It presents four separate cyberpunk backgrounds, each taking into account what we've learned since Neuromancer was published.
And Guardians could use your support right now. Yes, this is a blatant plug. No, I do not work for them. I'm just an ex-indie publisher with a soft spot of quality that gets ignored in the face of highly marketed crap from the gigantic competition.
I like Pondsmith's stuff, (Castle Falkenstein, especially. I think I own every RTG supplement for that plus 2 core books, one in hardcover plus GURPS Castle Falk.) and will probably check out CP203X if and when it is released (Castle Falkenstein taught me to take RTG release dates with a rather large grain of salt. Think livestock salt lick sized.), so don't be angry with me for changing the subject to Ex Machina.
To those who say their marriage and children prevent them from playing RPGs, I say, "My eight year old son represents years of training in gaming geekdom!"
PS- If you're a fan of A Game of Thrones check out the pdf preview of the d20/Tri-Stat Limited Edition book that'll be out in March.
The only problem with Fable was that it was too short. I didn't have any problem with the targeting system - in combat you don't *always* hit what you want to. Most of the time it was spot on, though. I've been waiting for BC and The Movies since I first saw previews of them. I hope those are two of the games in the pipeline. Based on Fable, they're going to be a lot of fun!
You're nuts.
Prince of Persia
Splinter Cell
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
Rainbow Six 3
DOA3
Soul Calibur II
Crimson Skies
MechAssault
Fable
Links
NHL Hitz
Ghost Recon
Project Gotham II
I could go on, but I don't need to. Why don't you pick up a controller an play before you mouth off any more? And speaking of the controller, I am a fan of both the original "Duke" controller and the Controller "S". I like them both much more than the original PS pad, the Dual Shock pad, and the hideous GC pad. I wish there were more like my Saturn analog controller...mmm...smooth...
Yes, there is. That's the age when your dessicated remains float away on the wind.
I'm 33 and still play.
Look, I've been playing RPGs since I was in fourth grade, and in my experience, there is no greater entertainment than a good RPG. Books, movies, comics, other games...they all pale when you compare them to a really good roleplaying session. Sure, sometimes you have an off night; sometimes, it sucks like anything else. But like golf, the rewards of proper play keep you coming back. I played D&D and AD&D until about eighth grade, then got bored and stopped. It wasn't until maybe 10th grade that I discovered GURPS and began playing RPGs again, especially GURPS and various Supers games (Marvel, DC, Champions, V&V, etc.). I did the whole White Wolf thing in college, CoC in there, too. I've played Ars Magica, Cyberpunk, Ghostbusters, Gangbusters, and more I can't dredge up right now. I sort of fell out of gaming about five years ago, just because I lost my group, not because I didn't want to play any more.
About a year ago, I discovered indie RPGs. I found a little gem called Donjon and a great big shiny diamond called The Riddle of Steel and my love for the form was reignited. I started a TRoS game with some friends (including my wife). And I wondered when I could teach my seven year old son to play.
I looked at GURPS. I looked at TRoS. I looked at Donjon. None of them felt like I could get him to absorb and apply their rulesets. Then I realized that we were playing D&D already - in the form of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance on our XBOX. (Yes. I have and enjoy an XBOX. It's a great console. Get over it.) He was comfortable with the concepts of experience and levels, hit points and ability modifiers. I had a 3.0 Player's Handbook, so I dragged it out and we made characters. My friend taught his kids (my son's best friends) to play, and now they play every chance they get, and they play-act it all the time, too. My son is writing adventures and wants to make a Neverwinter Nights module. We just started painting miniature figures.
I have fun playing D&D with him and his friends, and even more fun playing games with my friends. Someday, he'll wonder, "How come I can get hit with a giant two-handed axe and still have the same chance to hit on my next turn?" or, "Why are my character choices so rigidly defined? How come I suddenly improve by leaps and bounds instead of getting a little better at a time?" And then he'll be ready for more sophisticated RPGs.
So, if you're saying "After a certain age, you will appreciate the sophistication of RPGs besides D&D" you're correct. If you're saying, "There's no place for roleplaying after age 25," you're just ignorant. Or maybe just judgmental on a topic you've not investigated. Take your pick.
The Firefly DVD set is slated for release this December. I know I'll be happy to release the 8 hours of Firefly that are stashed on my PVR drive when that DVD hits my hands. Check out FireflyFans.net for the latest Firefly news!
Oh, wow! This is probably the first "museumware" disc I've ever really wanted - The big names are all there...Joust, Robotron2084, Defender 2 (uh...isn't that...Stargate?) and little known classics like Toobin' (loved it in HS) and Roadblasters and Vindicators! Bring it on!
I am a co-creator of an original indie comic. When we were first getting started, the idea of web publishing was very attractive, and we gave it a lot of thought and discussion. We rejected it because primarily, we wanted to make comics. It was my opinion that what we are selling is more than content, it is an experience. Seriously. There's a lot that goes on in your head about paper. Just think about how the act of turning pages controls pacing. We set the reader up with something exciting, the page gets turned quickly. Something dreadful, the page gets dragged over slowly. That's just one example, there are others.
Our decision has largely been vindicated. Nobody we've ever spoken to wants to read comic books on a computer. Strips are another matter, they fit neatly on a screen and once one has loaded you can decide whether you want to read the rest or not. They're like M&Ms. But a comic book is different. Even if you reformatted the standard page to fit a monitor's aspect ratio, you still have problems. No 2 page spreads, for example.
The lack of micropayments is another problem. And yes, I'm on Peppercoin's mailing list. Not a peep since the announcement.
We've got a website obviously, where we try to keep in touch with our readers, promote ourselves to the unsupecting masses, and allow people who don't live where we do to buy our books. We've tried both online pictures and downloadable samples in PDF. Neither one has exactly gone gangbusters.
I'd love to know what you guys think -- would anyone pay to read these (or other comic books) online? How many subscribers does Crossgen have? Try to keep in mind that we have four people who work at other jobs and that we lack Crossgen's millionaire benefactor before comparing us.
Thanks.