"...In either case, most of the actual surgery will be done by small robots. And as you go forth today remember always your duty is clear: To build and maintain those robots."
Fair enough, but really all they're doing is making more complicated quests, and maybe tying them together by weaving the major aspects through some larger plot line. Ok, but since you've got (hopefully) thousands of players all playing through the same quests, then each individual's "story" is going to be basically the same, or follow one of the predetermined paths. Either way, there's going to be scores of characters that all have the exact same backstory, which sort of makes any connection to the greater story arc pointless.
Even if that were the case, it's better than nothing. But I think it could be doable. I'm thinking in terms of permutations or roles rather than branches. Take a smuggler for example. A smuggler's "personal story" could include a number of NPC enemies and a number of NPC contacts. Different smugglers could collect different sets of enemies and contacts. Two smugglers might have a couple of the same enemies, gotten in different ways, or different contacts that they got the same way but that are different NPCs. It shouldn't be too hard for the devs to create enough of these possibilities to keep personal stories fairly unique. "Hey, you pissed off Hidalgo too? What, did you steal his girl like I did?" "No, but I accidently killed his pet fynock."
What would get interesting is if the devs come up with scenarios involving these NPCs. For example, one NPC might put a contract out on another. The first NPC would tell all the players who are his contacts. The second NPC learns about the contract and asks all his players for help. You can imagine how this will go.
The key idea is to have a relatively small number of NPCs that interact in many different ways with each other, and in fewer ways with a larger number of almost-but-not-quite interchangable NPCs. Basic social networking theory, actually.
If this were a significant, pervasive problem, you can bet there would be lots and lots of public outcry.
Public outcry? Everyone knows someone who knows someone who had stuff stolen from their luggage. What more are you looking for? Media coverage?
What I suspect happens is many, many people fill out missing item complaints. But the airports aren't able to do anything about it, perhaps because inadequate security measures, useless security tapes, or some wrinkle in airport/TSA relations. So the people whose things were stolen go on with their life and treat it like any other petty theft, i.e. they reported it, they don't expect a resolution, they replace the item and say "sucks to be me."
I'm not sure how I know I'm dreaming. Usually it is because there is some real-world leakage, like I hear traffic or something in the background, or it's a fantastical situation, like I'm stranded on an alien planet. But once I realize I'm dreaming, I no longer have any issues with nightmares. I just imagine up a BFG or something and solve my nightmare that way.
Do "b&w people" have more feeling for shapes and textures while "color people" look at the world from a more color-based perspective? Does it influence the way a photographer composes a picture?
I don't know about black & white television, but I know that black & white photographers consider shots differently from color photographers. They look around and see shadow and contrast, and choose their photos from that basis, rather than from color contrast or attractive or startling color combinations. They look at the world differently.
Sometimes I dream that I'm awake lying on my bed but I can't move and I start to panic (it's awful).
This is pretty common, it's called sleep paralysis. The reason is because you actually are a little awake and you actually can't actually move. Your may not be fully asleep but your mind has gone into dreaming mode and isn't really controlling your body anymore. You try to move and you'd be moving your dreaming self, not your physical self. Usually it makes people panicky, too.
I don't know if that has ever happened to me, but if it did, I don't remember or it didn't bother me too much.
Re:Great, but how about clicking and carpal tunnel
on
Blizzcon 2008 Wrap-Up
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· Score: 2, Insightful
Have they done anything to tone down the insane amount of mouse clicks needed to play the game?
I think that's actually a selling point for the game.
I think a few stable, decent builds would emerge fairly quickly, while still giving enough variety for people to come up with viable alternative builds.
Hey, you make a good point. Maybe we could call those builds "classes!"
A - so what? Are you assuming people from different races are also members of different species? This is part of evolution, not some kind of end to it.
Our races aren't different species, but there are some advantages to having a diverse gene pool that we lose if everyone ends up the same homogenous race. That said, I still prefer to bang interracially, so I'm kind of in a glass house here.
(Except for the leprous and turgid part. That's a really disturbing mental image.)
Re:Can we mark this "Sudden Outbreak of Common Sen
on
Seeing With Your Skin?
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· Score: 1
Blind folks often tap their canes or make clicking noises, and by the sound they hear back, they can tell if there is some object nearby.
BTW, if you are wondering, here's how I perceive the results: normally, people have a sense of space around them; an elevator, room, hallway, parking garage, outside, etc. feel differently. In a dark room, when I echolocate a bed-side table (for example), that area suddenly impinges a bit more on my awareness and I know there's something solid there. In terms of touch, it's like a raised section on a black velvet surface.
Re:Can we mark this "Sudden Outbreak of Common Sen
on
Seeing With Your Skin?
·
· Score: 1
5- I think a more promising route would be a form of echolocation, since we already know that it works for many other creatures.
Including people, to some extent. Blind folks often tap their canes or make clicking noises, and by the sound they hear back, they can tell if there is some object nearby. I do that myself (though I can see). It's actually helped me navigate when the lights are out before.
Haskell syntax looks like LISP, if you took away the parentheses, added 5 kinds of arrows, allowed random ASCII operators, and made whitespace significant. Significant whitespace sucks, custom operators suck, and LISP doesn't have enough delimiters as it is. I have to guess what stuff means in Haskell. Does not make me happy.
I loved Dark Forces! The settings and levels just screamed Star Wars, they were frickin' perfect. Imperial City? Awesome. The weapons were interesting, too. I liked that you weren't playing a Jedi. One of the disappointments of the later Star Wars FPS games was how Jedi-focused they were. I mean, the Jedi are cool and all, but I like Han Solo better.
Slashdot Mirror
"...In either case, most of the actual surgery will be done by small robots. And as you go forth today remember always your duty is clear: To build and maintain those robots."
Fair enough, but really all they're doing is making more complicated quests, and maybe tying them together by weaving the major aspects through some larger plot line. Ok, but since you've got (hopefully) thousands of players all playing through the same quests, then each individual's "story" is going to be basically the same, or follow one of the predetermined paths. Either way, there's going to be scores of characters that all have the exact same backstory, which sort of makes any connection to the greater story arc pointless.
Even if that were the case, it's better than nothing. But I think it could be doable. I'm thinking in terms of permutations or roles rather than branches. Take a smuggler for example. A smuggler's "personal story" could include a number of NPC enemies and a number of NPC contacts. Different smugglers could collect different sets of enemies and contacts. Two smugglers might have a couple of the same enemies, gotten in different ways, or different contacts that they got the same way but that are different NPCs. It shouldn't be too hard for the devs to create enough of these possibilities to keep personal stories fairly unique. "Hey, you pissed off Hidalgo too? What, did you steal his girl like I did?" "No, but I accidently killed his pet fynock."
What would get interesting is if the devs come up with scenarios involving these NPCs. For example, one NPC might put a contract out on another. The first NPC would tell all the players who are his contacts. The second NPC learns about the contract and asks all his players for help. You can imagine how this will go.
The key idea is to have a relatively small number of NPCs that interact in many different ways with each other, and in fewer ways with a larger number of almost-but-not-quite interchangable NPCs. Basic social networking theory, actually.
Yeah, if there's a bright center to the universe, we're on the planet that it's farthest from.
If this were a significant, pervasive problem, you can bet there would be lots and lots of public outcry.
Public outcry? Everyone knows someone who knows someone who had stuff stolen from their luggage. What more are you looking for? Media coverage?
What I suspect happens is many, many people fill out missing item complaints. But the airports aren't able to do anything about it, perhaps because inadequate security measures, useless security tapes, or some wrinkle in airport/TSA relations. So the people whose things were stolen go on with their life and treat it like any other petty theft, i.e. they reported it, they don't expect a resolution, they replace the item and say "sucks to be me."
I'm not sure how I know I'm dreaming. Usually it is because there is some real-world leakage, like I hear traffic or something in the background, or it's a fantastical situation, like I'm stranded on an alien planet. But once I realize I'm dreaming, I no longer have any issues with nightmares. I just imagine up a BFG or something and solve my nightmare that way.
It's quite fun!
Do "b&w people" have more feeling for shapes and textures while "color people" look at the world from a more color-based perspective? Does it influence the way a photographer composes a picture?
I don't know about black & white television, but I know that black & white photographers consider shots differently from color photographers. They look around and see shadow and contrast, and choose their photos from that basis, rather than from color contrast or attractive or startling color combinations. They look at the world differently.
Sometimes I dream that I'm awake lying on my bed but I can't move and I start to panic (it's awful).
This is pretty common, it's called sleep paralysis. The reason is because you actually are a little awake and you actually can't actually move. Your may not be fully asleep but your mind has gone into dreaming mode and isn't really controlling your body anymore. You try to move and you'd be moving your dreaming self, not your physical self. Usually it makes people panicky, too.
I don't know if that has ever happened to me, but if it did, I don't remember or it didn't bother me too much.
Have they done anything to tone down the insane amount of mouse clicks needed to play the game?
I think that's actually a selling point for the game.
Pff, as if. Even a harem of gay boys can't handle my jelly-jelly!
"Earthling probe?" Are we officially Earthlings now?
I think I'd prefer Earthican probe, or maybe even Terran probe.
That said as long as the game is as fun to play and as addictive as D2 the next class could be the gold farmer for all I care.
Hm. That might just work!
I think a few stable, decent builds would emerge fairly quickly, while still giving enough variety for people to come up with viable alternative builds.
Hey, you make a good point. Maybe we could call those builds "classes!"
A - so what? Are you assuming people from different races are also members of different species? This is part of evolution, not some kind of end to it.
Our races aren't different species, but there are some advantages to having a diverse gene pool that we lose if everyone ends up the same homogenous race. That said, I still prefer to bang interracially, so I'm kind of in a glass house here.
Hell, I do that all the time when I slam on the brakes for idiot pedestrians. I feel like such a traitor to Darwin. I'm screwing up the whole system.
Dammit, I didn't feel bad that I do the same thing -- until now!
Oh well, needs must. I don't think I'll be able to take out more than 5 of them before the cops find me, though.
I believe that some solutions have space being discrete at the Planck length, rather than continuous
BTW, the image tag on this XKCD gives you a more visceral idea of how staggeringly small a Planck length is.
Mod up insightful!
(Except for the leprous and turgid part. That's a really disturbing mental image.)
Blind folks often tap their canes or make clicking noises, and by the sound they hear back, they can tell if there is some object nearby.
BTW, if you are wondering, here's how I perceive the results: normally, people have a sense of space around them; an elevator, room, hallway, parking garage, outside, etc. feel differently. In a dark room, when I echolocate a bed-side table (for example), that area suddenly impinges a bit more on my awareness and I know there's something solid there. In terms of touch, it's like a raised section on a black velvet surface.
Including people, to some extent. Blind folks often tap their canes or make clicking noises, and by the sound they hear back, they can tell if there is some object nearby. I do that myself (though I can see). It's actually helped me navigate when the lights are out before.
Haskell syntax looks like LISP, if you took away the parentheses, added 5 kinds of arrows, allowed random ASCII operators, and made whitespace significant. Significant whitespace sucks, custom operators suck, and LISP doesn't have enough delimiters as it is. I have to guess what stuff means in Haskell. Does not make me happy.
I loved Dark Forces! The settings and levels just screamed Star Wars, they were frickin' perfect. Imperial City? Awesome. The weapons were interesting, too. I liked that you weren't playing a Jedi. One of the disappointments of the later Star Wars FPS games was how Jedi-focused they were. I mean, the Jedi are cool and all, but I like Han Solo better.
Here is a picture from the control room which I'm sure makes sense to someone that isn't me.
"It's a UNIX system! I know this!"
(from Jurassic Park)
"DOS ain't done 'til Lotus won't run."
The physical contact to whom is actually only your hands touching the DVD as you insert it into the player.
Hey, if there's something being inserted into something, that counts as sex as far as I'm concerned.
A flying unicorn-like pony we can ride to the stars!!!!
Oooh, and there can be a wizard casting a spell, too! On a rainbow!
I ended up watching all of them
Yeah, episode 5 was the shiznit. :)