Jade Empire was a very good game. I would recommend it to anyone.
I just want to point out the negatives. I just wish Bioware learned from their mistakes. But all they did was update their KOTOR engine, and didnt fix things!
The worst of it was the load times. I wanted to claw my eyes out going back and forth between areas (sometimes, like the Arena, you spend more time loading areas than fighting). Even saving took abysmally long late in the game.
Yes there was some slowdown in high traffic areas, but it wasnt enough for me to really complain about.
The fighting could have been better. It was too easy. Yes, I could have kicked it up to grand master level, but I thought it might get harder. There was no need to diversify your fighting skills. With thousand cuts and the sword I was able to slash through the game dying maybe once or twice. I never needed a transform skill, until there was a fight that appeared to be only winnable by a transform. That was the one time I used the Jade Golem. Plus, the fighting is "interactive" I hardly think hitting X repeatedly is interactive. I *NEVER* used the block button and the only reason I rolled was to get closer to an enemy faster than walking. Also, I *NEVER* used magic. I think this could have used more improvement. Maybe this style was good for beginners, but at least give us a choice for a better combat system. I learned a lot skills, but never used them, other than just to see what they looked like.
Also, the inventory system, is better than KOTOR simply because there isnt one. In KOTOR there was no need to buy anything, cuz you picked everything up in battles. Going to a shop was useless for items. In Jade Empire, they stripped most of it out. Unless I missed something, I was able to buy a new sword once, later in the game. I think its better to simplify than to overdo the inventory like in KOTOR.
It was a short game. I did it in 19 hours, and I did every quest that I came across with the exception of 1 or 2. It almost looked like there was supposed to be more locations, but they were not included - you can see this if you walked out of the gates of the city... there is a map with only 2 places to go.
Another thing I wish they got rid of was the pointless rangom urns, chests, etc.. Nothing is more mindless than walkin up to something and grabbing it. Let me get it out of a fight or something.
Not to sound like an ignoramous, but there was simply to much to read. I got tired of the long winded dialog and all the things to read. I got bored and just clicked through them. Plus the circular dialog loops could have been fixed since KOTOR, but didnt happen.
Another point is the pointless minigames. I didnt like them in KOTOR and I really didnt like them in Jade Empire. I could spend $20 on a arcade classic set if I wanted to play a 2D fighter arcade and mash the bottons.
Another downer was the bugs. I came across the quest bug they mentioned in Jade Empire forums. Fortunately, I saved often and load a save game that was not too far back. I also came across one or two others, but were able to continue without them. Why didnt they Live enable this game? KOTOR was live enabled, but they never put out new content or bug fixes.
Dont get me wrong, I really liked the game. It just needed some much needed polishing.
If you are trying to save pennies here and there, your IT department is the most efficient ever and you should be made CFO. The real question is "What does my IT department spend money on?" And you are the only person who can answer that. You need to look at your books and see where the money goes. Are you spending a lot on hardware? The simple answer is buy cheaper hardware. But, look a little closer and maybe you will realize the hardware you bought wasnt up to speed and you spend too much money on upgrades. The scenarios are endless. I would love to be able to look into a crystal ball and tell you what to do, but you are the master of your domain.
Also, think outside the IT box. IT has the ability to cut costs outside their department. Learn what your other departments do and how they work as well as talk to their employees, you would be surprised how much you can cut time costs in other departments by providing them with the right tools. For example, I noticed one of the financial departments employees spending a lot of time in MS Excel every day, so I asker her what she was doing. After, listening to her I realized that a simple macro could do most of the work for her. Her work was cut down to a fraction of what it used to be allowing her to do more. That is money in the bank.
Slashdot Mirror
Jade Empire was a very good game. I would recommend it to anyone. I just want to point out the negatives. I just wish Bioware learned from their mistakes. But all they did was update their KOTOR engine, and didnt fix things! The worst of it was the load times. I wanted to claw my eyes out going back and forth between areas (sometimes, like the Arena, you spend more time loading areas than fighting). Even saving took abysmally long late in the game. Yes there was some slowdown in high traffic areas, but it wasnt enough for me to really complain about. The fighting could have been better. It was too easy. Yes, I could have kicked it up to grand master level, but I thought it might get harder. There was no need to diversify your fighting skills. With thousand cuts and the sword I was able to slash through the game dying maybe once or twice. I never needed a transform skill, until there was a fight that appeared to be only winnable by a transform. That was the one time I used the Jade Golem. Plus, the fighting is "interactive" I hardly think hitting X repeatedly is interactive. I *NEVER* used the block button and the only reason I rolled was to get closer to an enemy faster than walking. Also, I *NEVER* used magic. I think this could have used more improvement. Maybe this style was good for beginners, but at least give us a choice for a better combat system. I learned a lot skills, but never used them, other than just to see what they looked like. Also, the inventory system, is better than KOTOR simply because there isnt one. In KOTOR there was no need to buy anything, cuz you picked everything up in battles. Going to a shop was useless for items. In Jade Empire, they stripped most of it out. Unless I missed something, I was able to buy a new sword once, later in the game. I think its better to simplify than to overdo the inventory like in KOTOR. It was a short game. I did it in 19 hours, and I did every quest that I came across with the exception of 1 or 2. It almost looked like there was supposed to be more locations, but they were not included - you can see this if you walked out of the gates of the city... there is a map with only 2 places to go. Another thing I wish they got rid of was the pointless rangom urns, chests, etc.. Nothing is more mindless than walkin up to something and grabbing it. Let me get it out of a fight or something. Not to sound like an ignoramous, but there was simply to much to read. I got tired of the long winded dialog and all the things to read. I got bored and just clicked through them. Plus the circular dialog loops could have been fixed since KOTOR, but didnt happen. Another point is the pointless minigames. I didnt like them in KOTOR and I really didnt like them in Jade Empire. I could spend $20 on a arcade classic set if I wanted to play a 2D fighter arcade and mash the bottons. Another downer was the bugs. I came across the quest bug they mentioned in Jade Empire forums. Fortunately, I saved often and load a save game that was not too far back. I also came across one or two others, but were able to continue without them. Why didnt they Live enable this game? KOTOR was live enabled, but they never put out new content or bug fixes. Dont get me wrong, I really liked the game. It just needed some much needed polishing.
If you are trying to save pennies here and there, your IT department is the most efficient ever and you should be made CFO. The real question is "What does my IT department spend money on?" And you are the only person who can answer that. You need to look at your books and see where the money goes. Are you spending a lot on hardware? The simple answer is buy cheaper hardware. But, look a little closer and maybe you will realize the hardware you bought wasnt up to speed and you spend too much money on upgrades. The scenarios are endless. I would love to be able to look into a crystal ball and tell you what to do, but you are the master of your domain. Also, think outside the IT box. IT has the ability to cut costs outside their department. Learn what your other departments do and how they work as well as talk to their employees, you would be surprised how much you can cut time costs in other departments by providing them with the right tools. For example, I noticed one of the financial departments employees spending a lot of time in MS Excel every day, so I asker her what she was doing. After, listening to her I realized that a simple macro could do most of the work for her. Her work was cut down to a fraction of what it used to be allowing her to do more. That is money in the bank.