tMatch
02.16.06 (10:24 am) [edit]
I am trying to do some more blogging so I can be tMatched.
movies
02.03.06 (10:19 pm) [edit]
top ten sci-fi1. 2001 (actually, this one is really my favorite)2. the thing/alien3. scanners4. videodrome5. blade runner (actually, this one is my second favorite)6. they live!7. star trek: the motion picture/star trek II: the wrath of khan8. a clockwork orange9. gattaca (which i always thought would have made a better book or longer movie)10. close encounters of a third kind11. A.I./Minority Report (didn't make the cut of top ten because they were too long and should have ended before the wrap up of the "happy ending")
Dan's Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies
03.17.04 (3:34 pm) [edit]
top ten sci-fi
1. 2001 (actually, this one is really my favorite)
2. the thing/alien
3. scanners
4. videodrome
5. blade runner (actually, this one is my second favorite)
6. they live!
7. star trek: the motion picture/
star trek II: the wrath of khan
8. a clockwork orange
9. gattaca (which i always thought would have made a better book or longer
movie)
10. close encounters of a third kind
11. A.I./Minority Report (didn't make the cut of top ten because they were
too long and should have ended before the wrap up of the "happy ending")
1. 2001 (actually, this one is really my favorite)
2. the thing/alien
3. scanners
4. videodrome
5. blade runner (actually, this one is my second favorite)
6. they live!
7. star trek: the motion picture/
star trek II: the wrath of khan
8. a clockwork orange
9. gattaca (which i always thought would have made a better book or longer
movie)
10. close encounters of a third kind
11. A.I./Minority Report (didn't make the cut of top ten because they were
too long and should have ended before the wrap up of the "happy ending")
Dan's Top 20 Horror films
03.17.04 (3:34 pm) [edit]
top 20 horror films:
in no particular order
1. cemetery man
2. dawn of the dead
3. the howling
4. night of the living dead
5. re-animator
6. evil dead 1 + 2
7. the shining
8. nightmare on elm st.
9. friday 13th
10. halloween
11. the thing
12. dead alive
13. american werewolf in london
14. texas chainsaw massacre
15. poltergeist
16. rosemary's baby
17. the fly (cronenberg version)
18. fright night
19. any sequels of the previous films/childsplay
in no particular order
1. cemetery man
2. dawn of the dead
3. the howling
4. night of the living dead
5. re-animator
6. evil dead 1 + 2
7. the shining
8. nightmare on elm st.
9. friday 13th
10. halloween
11. the thing
12. dead alive
13. american werewolf in london
14. texas chainsaw massacre
15. poltergeist
16. rosemary's baby
17. the fly (cronenberg version)
18. fright night
19. any sequels of the previous films/childsplay
Ninja Gaiden: Gaming Excellence
03.08.04 (9:35 am) [edit]
Not since Halo has a game blown me away like Ninja Gaiden. It is rare to see a game these days that has so much value. Lots of content, I am estimating that it will take me 20 hours just to beat the game on normal. Plus you get all three of the Nintendo Ninja Gaidens. I know I am going to play through the original at least (ah...the memories).
The controls are fluid and intuitive. The cutsenes are among the best I have seen. Gameplay graphics are top of the line. Camera control has some issues but it works. I love the puzzles. They have an old-school feel. There are several different types of enemies with their own style of attacks (ninjas, demons, zombies soldiers and so on). This keeps the combat in the levels from becoming repetitive. As soon as you get comfortable fighting one set of guys they throw a new type at you.
The boss fights are great too. Interesting concepts (I don't want to spoil anything). It has an NES-feel in that the bosses have these devastating, complex attacks that you just have to play them a lot to learn to beat. But this game steps it up by having the bosses change up their patterns every time you play them. So the bosses don't do the same moves in the same order every time. Basically you end up getting used to different sequences of moves and have to adapt on the fly, even if this the 15th time you fought the boss.
Ninja Gaiden, great game. If you own an x-box, you need to own Ninja Gaiden. If you don't own an x-box you may want to consider buying one so you can play Ninja Gaiden.
The controls are fluid and intuitive. The cutsenes are among the best I have seen. Gameplay graphics are top of the line. Camera control has some issues but it works. I love the puzzles. They have an old-school feel. There are several different types of enemies with their own style of attacks (ninjas, demons, zombies soldiers and so on). This keeps the combat in the levels from becoming repetitive. As soon as you get comfortable fighting one set of guys they throw a new type at you.
The boss fights are great too. Interesting concepts (I don't want to spoil anything). It has an NES-feel in that the bosses have these devastating, complex attacks that you just have to play them a lot to learn to beat. But this game steps it up by having the bosses change up their patterns every time you play them. So the bosses don't do the same moves in the same order every time. Basically you end up getting used to different sequences of moves and have to adapt on the fly, even if this the 15th time you fought the boss.
Ninja Gaiden, great game. If you own an x-box, you need to own Ninja Gaiden. If you don't own an x-box you may want to consider buying one so you can play Ninja Gaiden.
Zombie Movies--The best Dan has seen
03.04.04 (10:13 am) [edit]
This is from a comment that Dan made to my Zombie blog. There is a lot of good info so I decided to pull it out and make it a blog of its own.
10. resident evil--semi decent zombie flick. a 10 because milla is in it...gratuitous tna as well.
9.return of the living dead 3--humans in love with a zombie.
pretty rad.
8. the return of the living dead 1--bad and funny. kind of twisted ending, but i remember catching the first one on t.v. as a kid. they played it a lot. plus, dan o'obannon directed it and he wrote alien, so that's cool.
7. 28 days later/day of the dead--only because it was just rehashing the same ideas. 28 days later did a much better job of showing a wasteland desimated by infection.
6. re-animator--should be on the list for the decapitated head cunnilingus scene alone...
5. Dead Alive (Braindead)- peter jacksons last real horror film. quite possibly his bloodiest.
4. Evil dead 1+2--okay, so i thought about it some more and i feel differently. it has a justifiable place on this list.
3. night of the living dead---the one that started it all.
2. Dellamorte Dellamore--the new wave of horror films i believe. although it is low budget, it uses horror as a back drop for an even bigger story. it's also surreal as hell.
1. dawn of the dead--nuff said.
10. resident evil--semi decent zombie flick. a 10 because milla is in it...gratuitous tna as well.
9.return of the living dead 3--humans in love with a zombie.
pretty rad.
8. the return of the living dead 1--bad and funny. kind of twisted ending, but i remember catching the first one on t.v. as a kid. they played it a lot. plus, dan o'obannon directed it and he wrote alien, so that's cool.
7. 28 days later/day of the dead--only because it was just rehashing the same ideas. 28 days later did a much better job of showing a wasteland desimated by infection.
6. re-animator--should be on the list for the decapitated head cunnilingus scene alone...
5. Dead Alive (Braindead)- peter jacksons last real horror film. quite possibly his bloodiest.
4. Evil dead 1+2--okay, so i thought about it some more and i feel differently. it has a justifiable place on this list.
3. night of the living dead---the one that started it all.
2. Dellamorte Dellamore--the new wave of horror films i believe. although it is low budget, it uses horror as a back drop for an even bigger story. it's also surreal as hell.
1. dawn of the dead--nuff said.
Zombie Movies--The best I have seen
02.27.04 (4:56 pm) [edit]
10) The Return of the Living Dead--So bad it is really funny.
9) 28 Days Later--Interesting twist on the classic zombie film. I had a good time with it but I don't think it will stand the test of time.
8) Resident Evil--Possibly the best movie made based on a video game. If you are a fan of the game series or of Mila Jovovich then this is a must see.
7) Day of the Dead--This Romero film left me just wanting more. The weakest of the series.
6) Dellamorte Dellamore (Cemetery Man)--Great action, funny, trippy ending.
5) Dead Alive--The level of gore reaches absurd levels in this New Zealand splatterfest.
4) Army of Darkness--The third Evil Dead movie. I thought it got a little silly but it may have more mainstream appeal, especially compared to Evil Dead I.
3) Night of the Living Dead--The classic that has withstood the test of time. The 1990 remake isn't bad and has a special place in my heart as the first horror film that I ever saw. Late one night on basic cable I caught a strange version of this film. It had all the original footage but included scenes that added an entire plotline to the movie involving a minister that gets bit by a zombie. The added scenes were in black and white but it looked like they were shot on video. Watching the additional plotline was embarrassing. You know how people complain that George Lucas ruined the Star Wars movies my making the special editions with extra footage. Well this was a lot worse.
2) Evil Dead I/II--These movies are just really funny. Both have the same basic plot and many of the same scenes so I grouped them together. Great party movies. Most people like the second better although the first has that messed up tree rape scene.
1) Dawn of the Dead--George Romero's masterpiece. Great action, great gore. By setting the film in a shopping mall, Romero is able to show that the modern man has become like a zombie; a mindless consumer wondering from store to store collecting objects.
9) 28 Days Later--Interesting twist on the classic zombie film. I had a good time with it but I don't think it will stand the test of time.
8) Resident Evil--Possibly the best movie made based on a video game. If you are a fan of the game series or of Mila Jovovich then this is a must see.
7) Day of the Dead--This Romero film left me just wanting more. The weakest of the series.
6) Dellamorte Dellamore (Cemetery Man)--Great action, funny, trippy ending.
5) Dead Alive--The level of gore reaches absurd levels in this New Zealand splatterfest.
4) Army of Darkness--The third Evil Dead movie. I thought it got a little silly but it may have more mainstream appeal, especially compared to Evil Dead I.
3) Night of the Living Dead--The classic that has withstood the test of time. The 1990 remake isn't bad and has a special place in my heart as the first horror film that I ever saw. Late one night on basic cable I caught a strange version of this film. It had all the original footage but included scenes that added an entire plotline to the movie involving a minister that gets bit by a zombie. The added scenes were in black and white but it looked like they were shot on video. Watching the additional plotline was embarrassing. You know how people complain that George Lucas ruined the Star Wars movies my making the special editions with extra footage. Well this was a lot worse.
2) Evil Dead I/II--These movies are just really funny. Both have the same basic plot and many of the same scenes so I grouped them together. Great party movies. Most people like the second better although the first has that messed up tree rape scene.
1) Dawn of the Dead--George Romero's masterpiece. Great action, great gore. By setting the film in a shopping mall, Romero is able to show that the modern man has become like a zombie; a mindless consumer wondering from store to store collecting objects.
Final Fantasy XI (the MMORPG)
02.24.04 (5:44 pm) [edit]
I haven't posted in awhile but I figured that I would say a few words about Final Fantasy XI. This is the best MMORPG that I have played in awhile and I would recommend it to fans of the genre that are waiting for World of Warcraft or Everquest 2. The graphics are great for an MMORPG and the gameplay has more depth due to skillchains, the complex elemental system, aggro management and positional attacks then we have seen from previous entrants into the genre.
We also had a bug free North American release which is a first in my experience.
The downside to the game is that most of the people playing it are Japanese so there is a language barrier. I found that it could be overcome by using the built in translator and learning some basic Japanese but your mileage may vary.
The game uses a class system but allows you to change classes throughout the game and allows you to hold two jobs at once. This adds a lot of replay value.
Fun times if you can manage the monthly fee.
We also had a bug free North American release which is a first in my experience.
The downside to the game is that most of the people playing it are Japanese so there is a language barrier. I found that it could be overcome by using the built in translator and learning some basic Japanese but your mileage may vary.
The game uses a class system but allows you to change classes throughout the game and allows you to hold two jobs at once. This adds a lot of replay value.
Fun times if you can manage the monthly fee.
Confessions
10.21.03 (11:31 am) [edit]
I found this interesting site on the net that gives people the chance to confess they worst things they have done.
Check it out:
http://grouphug.us/" title="http://grouphug.us/" target="_blank"http://grouphug.us/
Check it out:
http://grouphug.us/" title="http://grouphug.us/" target="_blank"http://grouphug.us/
The Recall Actually Worked
10.08.03 (10:24 am) [edit]
I am not happy with the result of last night's election but I can understand the result. The public was dissatisfied with Governor Davis because of the budget and energy crisis and wanted to vote him out when he ran for reelection back in November in favor of a moderate Republican.
Of course the Republican party didn't nominate a moderate Republican, like former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Reardon. Instead they nominate a conservative cooperate business man who is indicted for fraud during the campaign, Bill Simon. This is particularly bad timing since the scandal about Enron was in the news and the nation distrusted cooperate American more then ever.
How can the voters get what they want? Democrats had their chance with the budget and dropped the ball. Republicans couldn't bring themselves to nominate a decent candidate.
The Recall, in spite of being a media circus, bad for the stability of the election process and incredibly expensive in a time the state can't afford it, actually got the voters the candidate they wanted. A candidate that at least campaigned as a moderate republican. The Republicans won last night, but only because the voters made them support a moderate which they were unwilling to do in the past.
Of course the Republican party didn't nominate a moderate Republican, like former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Reardon. Instead they nominate a conservative cooperate business man who is indicted for fraud during the campaign, Bill Simon. This is particularly bad timing since the scandal about Enron was in the news and the nation distrusted cooperate American more then ever.
How can the voters get what they want? Democrats had their chance with the budget and dropped the ball. Republicans couldn't bring themselves to nominate a decent candidate.
The Recall, in spite of being a media circus, bad for the stability of the election process and incredibly expensive in a time the state can't afford it, actually got the voters the candidate they wanted. A candidate that at least campaigned as a moderate republican. The Republicans won last night, but only because the voters made them support a moderate which they were unwilling to do in the past.
Recall Election is Imminent
10.06.03 (4:10 pm) [edit]
Doesn't look good for the Democrats in California. Davis's last minute smear push on Arnold doesn't appear to be doing enough damage to the actor turned candidate.
The Dems can't hit Arnold on the issues because Arnold actually agrees with Democrats on most issues. He is pro-choice, pro-gay and anti-gun. He doesn't have a political record to attack. The guy has never made any tough votes that the Dems could use against him because he has never held an office.
In terms of personality, Davis and Bustamante can't compete with Arnold's star quality.
I am a pessimist but I think Arnold walks away with he election tomorrow. I hope he stays true to the politics he campaigned with and his Republican handlers don't bend him down the conservative path too much.
The Dems can't hit Arnold on the issues because Arnold actually agrees with Democrats on most issues. He is pro-choice, pro-gay and anti-gun. He doesn't have a political record to attack. The guy has never made any tough votes that the Dems could use against him because he has never held an office.
In terms of personality, Davis and Bustamante can't compete with Arnold's star quality.
I am a pessimist but I think Arnold walks away with he election tomorrow. I hope he stays true to the politics he campaigned with and his Republican handlers don't bend him down the conservative path too much.
Davis Accused of Racism
09.08.03 (2:38 pm) [edit]
[url=http://www.sacbee.com/content...]Davis says he was 'just joking' about Schwarzenegger's pronunciation[/url]
Arnold's accent has been made fun of for the last decade by everyone. Comedy shows, political talk shows, even in the print media. Davis does it an is accused of being a racist.
The Republicans are grasping at straws. The fact is the Republicans in California don't support bills for racial minorities. They can talk all they want about how they care about minorities but they don't vote for them.
The Democrats vote for bills supported by groups representing racial minorities. It is as simple as that. Who cares if Davis made a joke that is essentially the same joke that people have been making about Arnold since he became famous.
Arnold's accent has been made fun of for the last decade by everyone. Comedy shows, political talk shows, even in the print media. Davis does it an is accused of being a racist.
The Republicans are grasping at straws. The fact is the Republicans in California don't support bills for racial minorities. They can talk all they want about how they care about minorities but they don't vote for them.
The Democrats vote for bills supported by groups representing racial minorities. It is as simple as that. Who cares if Davis made a joke that is essentially the same joke that people have been making about Arnold since he became famous.
Bush Economic Plan
09.08.03 (1:30 pm) [edit]
The economy has slowed down so revenue is declining. Tax cuts shrink revenues even further.
Expand spending by creating a new bureaucracy of Homeland Security.
Expand spending further by fighting two wars at once without the financial support of our historical allies.
Is this what passes for fiscal responsibility these days?
Expand spending by creating a new bureaucracy of Homeland Security.
Expand spending further by fighting two wars at once without the financial support of our historical allies.
Is this what passes for fiscal responsibility these days?
Why Halo is so good
09.03.03 (6:12 pm) [edit]
The premise of the greatest x-box game, Halo, is basic. It is just another first person shooter, except this game does everything right.
The enemy AI is incredible. There are at least 10 different dynamic AI scripts that the player goes up against. All of them employ group tactics with each other. I have been playing through the game again on legendary and it is damn hard. One reason there is such rich tactical depth in Halo is the level design.
The level design is superb. Different terrains, long epic levels, good use of vehicles. There is some repetition latter in the game but great overall.
Very solid story. Fast moving plot and great back story on the alien races.
The enemy AI is incredible. There are at least 10 different dynamic AI scripts that the player goes up against. All of them employ group tactics with each other. I have been playing through the game again on legendary and it is damn hard. One reason there is such rich tactical depth in Halo is the level design.
The level design is superb. Different terrains, long epic levels, good use of vehicles. There is some repetition latter in the game but great overall.
Very solid story. Fast moving plot and great back story on the alien races.
Decent X-Box Games
09.02.03 (5:58 pm) [edit]
Halo is the King, of course.
Splinter Cell is second, in my mind.
DOA 3 is the best fight game, although some may argue for Soul Caliber 2.
Madden 2004 is the best Football Game, and sports game for that matter.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is the best RPG. Some may say Morrowind and they are right that Morrowind is a better pure RPG. However, KotOR has a wider appeal and is a great dumbed-down RPG.
Splinter Cell is second, in my mind.
DOA 3 is the best fight game, although some may argue for Soul Caliber 2.
Madden 2004 is the best Football Game, and sports game for that matter.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is the best RPG. Some may say Morrowind and they are right that Morrowind is a better pure RPG. However, KotOR has a wider appeal and is a great dumbed-down RPG.
Bad movies not making money
08.21.03 (11:35 am) [edit]
People are actually not going to see the bad summer movies. All it took was portable instant text messages. Who knew!?!
The U.S. exceeded its authority
08.14.03 (11:51 am) [edit]
We sure are lucky that the U.S.A. is around with all its military might to enforce some U.N. resolutions when it is in its interest and ignore others. It is like having a sheriff in the neighborhood that selectively enforces laws.
The U.N. did pass a resolution telling Sadam to disarm but it did not authorize the war that the U.S. waged on Iraq. There are other U.N. resolutions that the U.S. flatly ignores. What a system of International Law we have. The U.S. can enforce the laws that support its interests and there is no way to stop it from exceeding its authority as it did in Iraq.
"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just." --Thomas Jefferson
The U.N. did pass a resolution telling Sadam to disarm but it did not authorize the war that the U.S. waged on Iraq. There are other U.N. resolutions that the U.S. flatly ignores. What a system of International Law we have. The U.S. can enforce the laws that support its interests and there is no way to stop it from exceeding its authority as it did in Iraq.
"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just." --Thomas Jefferson
Schwarzenegger is Republican?
08.07.03 (10:14 am) [edit]
The guy is Pro-Choice, Anti-Gun, Pro-Gay Rights and married to a Kennedy. Schwarzenegger in the race is bad news for the Democrats. A candidate this moderate (liberal?) could never win a Republican party primary in California but Schwarzenegger doesn't have to win the primary because of the recall. He can go straight to the general election.
Schwarzenegger's crossover appeal is going to be very dangerous for the Democrats.
Schwarzenegger's crossover appeal is going to be very dangerous for the Democrats.
Difficulty of Video Games
08.01.03 (12:08 pm) [edit]
When did it become an expectation that every game that person bought he or she would be able to complete. Back in the day when they actually made difficult games people would own games that they had never mastered. Beating a game was meant something because it was difficult and not everyone could do it.
One would have to play through a game many times to be able to beat it. Finally mastering a very narrow strategy to conquer the game.
From that we get to: Some guy gets stuck in the game and instead of taking responsibility for making bad decisions he complains that the game should not allow him to make mistakes. That the game should be made so he can't fail.
I wish they still made games were people like that couldn't possibly beat the game instead of dumbing the game down for the rest of us.
One would have to play through a game many times to be able to beat it. Finally mastering a very narrow strategy to conquer the game.
From that we get to: Some guy gets stuck in the game and instead of taking responsibility for making bad decisions he complains that the game should not allow him to make mistakes. That the game should be made so he can't fail.
I wish they still made games were people like that couldn't possibly beat the game instead of dumbing the game down for the rest of us.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Review
07.31.03 (3:21 pm) [edit]
This new game put out by BioWare restores my faith in Star Wars games. The Star Wars license has been used to make a lot of bad games. There was a time in the mid-90s where in seemed that a company could get the rights to the license just by buying the box set of the original movies.
BioWare is fresh off its recent hit of [i]Neverwinter Nights [/i]where they took the AD & D 3rd Edition D20 rules and made a great online roll playing game out of them. In [i]Knights[/i], BioWare takes the AD & D 3rd Edition D20 rules and made a great Star Wars roll playing game out of them.
The most amazing thing about this game is the voice acting. There is more voice acting in this game then any other title I have seen. The game allows various paths to choose from (mainly lightside and darkside). Your actions and conversation choices dictate your path. So there is non-linear gameplay. Not as much as in other games but considering that all the dialogue is voice acted I understood why that didn't use resources to allow players to go way off the beaten path.
Because there are 2 main paths to this game (lightside and dark) there is replay value. You don't get a totally different game by replaying on the alternative path though. It is more like you undertake the same quests but solve them a different way (i.e. some poor sap has a bounty on his head, in one version you help him fake his death and escape the planet, in another version you kill him and collect the bounty).
Solid Star Wars sound that we have been hearing since 1979. Graphics aren't that great for the X-box. Bio-Ware decided to using the gameplay engine for cutscenes which makes sense because there is so many of them but they don't look as good as other game's cut scenes. Using the gameplay engine does cut loading time though.
Very fun RPG that I got 70 hours of game play out of.
BioWare is fresh off its recent hit of [i]Neverwinter Nights [/i]where they took the AD & D 3rd Edition D20 rules and made a great online roll playing game out of them. In [i]Knights[/i], BioWare takes the AD & D 3rd Edition D20 rules and made a great Star Wars roll playing game out of them.
The most amazing thing about this game is the voice acting. There is more voice acting in this game then any other title I have seen. The game allows various paths to choose from (mainly lightside and darkside). Your actions and conversation choices dictate your path. So there is non-linear gameplay. Not as much as in other games but considering that all the dialogue is voice acted I understood why that didn't use resources to allow players to go way off the beaten path.
Because there are 2 main paths to this game (lightside and dark) there is replay value. You don't get a totally different game by replaying on the alternative path though. It is more like you undertake the same quests but solve them a different way (i.e. some poor sap has a bounty on his head, in one version you help him fake his death and escape the planet, in another version you kill him and collect the bounty).
Solid Star Wars sound that we have been hearing since 1979. Graphics aren't that great for the X-box. Bio-Ware decided to using the gameplay engine for cutscenes which makes sense because there is so many of them but they don't look as good as other game's cut scenes. Using the gameplay engine does cut loading time though.
Very fun RPG that I got 70 hours of game play out of.
Capital investment changes in the video game industry and its effect on games
07.03.03 (12:22 pm) [edit]
Look at how the game industry has changed. Those early games could be made by less then a dozen guys for a relativity minor capital investment. This allows for more risky and creative games.
Just look at the credits of today's games and you'll see it takes nearly as many people to make a movie as it does a video game. The technology has gotten so complex and expensive that it can literally take hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions in some cases, to create a game.
With such a large investment and huge team put into making a game, the developers tend to make games in established genres rather then try something creative and risky.
In truth, in the Golden Era there was a many great games and a whole lot of crap. There are so many horrible Nintendo and Atari games. The average quality of games has increased tremendously because no one can afford to make a worthless PS2 or X-Box game, there is too much money invested. For the same reason we don't get really creative games like Zelda, Metroid and Final Fantasy because the money invested is too much to take a risk on an unproven formula.
Just look at the credits of today's games and you'll see it takes nearly as many people to make a movie as it does a video game. The technology has gotten so complex and expensive that it can literally take hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions in some cases, to create a game.
With such a large investment and huge team put into making a game, the developers tend to make games in established genres rather then try something creative and risky.
In truth, in the Golden Era there was a many great games and a whole lot of crap. There are so many horrible Nintendo and Atari games. The average quality of games has increased tremendously because no one can afford to make a worthless PS2 or X-Box game, there is too much money invested. For the same reason we don't get really creative games like Zelda, Metroid and Final Fantasy because the money invested is too much to take a risk on an unproven formula.
Funny Gamer Pic
07.02.03 (4:23 pm) [edit]
This is how online gamers talk to each other. [image_left]Luthar_828238 140.jpg[/image]
Owned or Pwned
05.30.03 (10:58 am) [edit]
=http://www.clubtsx.com/bbs/sh...
Here is a thread with some great owned pics. Use them when flaming someone on a message board. The first is my favorite. That poor baby.
Here is a thread with some great owned pics. Use them when flaming someone on a message board. The first is my favorite. That poor baby.
The Matrix Reloaded Plot
05.23.03 (12:59 pm) [edit]
A fun and interesting film that can be enjoyed on several levels besides the dazzling special effects. I want to lay out some of the major theories concerning the plot.
[b]The Religious Theory or the Zion is Real Theory[/b]
Neo is a Christ figure. He is supported by Trinity (the Holy Trinity) to save mankind (Zion). At the end of M2 he uses supernatural powers in the “real” world because he is actually a higher being. Unlike the other 6 matrices, he made the choice to fight the system, by picking the door to save Trinity and his friends in Zion, instead of “Reloading” the program for another cycle.
His encounter with Merovingian (the French guy) is significant because Merovingian is a former “One” that faced the same choice as Neo but decided to take the other door. The name Merovingian comes from the original bloodline of the Kings of France. The lore surrounding the Merovingian line is that they were descended from Jesus and Mary Magdalene when Jesus escaped from the cross and fled to some part of France. This fallen savior no longer cares for humanity, only his own power. His wife, Persephone (the name of Zeus’s daughter that married Hades lord of the underworld), once played a role like Trinity supporting Neo. She longs for a kiss to recapture those days before her husband made his choice.
[b]The Blue/Green Matrix Theory[/b]
Zion is not real. It is just another Matrix (Blue) for those 0.1% that cannot accept the Green Matrix that imprisons most of humanity. Zion’s (Blue Matrix) existence is essential for the survival of the Green Matrix.
The Matrix imprisons the human mind by treating it like a computer program. This works to a degree (99.9%) because human minds are logical and rational like computer programs. But minds are not completely logical. This is the fundamental flaw with the Green Matrix. Eventually enough minds rebel to crash the entire system.
The Blue Matrix was created as a place to put the people that were rebelling. It creates the illusion of choice (between blue and green). Yet this is only a temporary solution. Over time those that are rebelling will become so great in number they will be able to crash the entire system from Zion (Blue Matrix). Thus the inherent flaw of the system remains, but it is mitigated by the existence of the blue matrix. Zion can destroy the system, that is why it must be purged when it gets too strong and a new Zion created. This is the program loop that has been “Reloaded” six times.
Neo’s role in the Machines’ plan is to make the choice to create a new Zion, thus both saving and imprisoning humans, if one believes the machines’ possible bluff that they would allow humanity to die.
This is why Neo can use his powers in Zion as he does at the end of M2. He isn’t superhuman, he just realized that the spoon given to him in Zion isn’t real, just like the one he bent in the green matrix isn’t either. Perhaps we will see that the coma he went into at the end of M2 is his emergence into the Real world.
Under this theory, Merovingian, is a former “One” that made the choice to create a new Zion.
Councilor Hamann is either a former “One” or in league with the machines. In his discussion with Neo in the reactors of Zion he alludes that the Machines maintaining Zion, just as they are maintaining the Green Matrix. He stresses they symbiotic nature of existence and conflict between the Machines and humanity.
Agent Smith is an unwitting weapon created by Neo with the potential to destroy the Matrix. Smith’s bloodlust for Neo may destroy the vary Matrix that he used to protect as he assimilates more and more of it to increase his own power.
[b]Tron Theory[/b]
There are no humans, not yet anyway. The Matrix movie is like a version of Tron with no human watchers (Jeff Bridges), of a computer running through a simulation with all possible factors being worked first, before it initializes the program for real.
The main computer has been caught in a loop cycle for 5 iterations, and it is trying to find a variance that will break this cycle by utilizing a random bit anomaly piece of software (Neo), to allow it to fully complete its cycle. It has tried this before, but has always failed and in its attempts.
Matrix - main base operating system.
Zion - secondary operating system for software that can no longer can function in main system - but can be utilized to build a new matrix system.
Neo - Random bit anomaly software for breaking loop cycle – utilized by the Oracle and Architect software to be a random variable to upgrade itself.
Trinity - complement software to aid in Neo's completion of purpose.
Morpheus and crew - collector programs for mainframe to try to enable the end of the loop cycle.
Architect - Mainframe operating system.
Oracle - old Macro Software that has been part of all 5 iterations of the loop and can see all variances.
Oracle's Protector, Seraph - Mainframe hard code software.
Merovingian - old Neo that did not fully implement objective in beta 5.0.
Merovingian's wife - Old Trinity code.
Twins, and Merovingian's guards - old base black ice protector code.
Councilor Hamann in Zion - Advisor for Mainframe that advises Neo along his upgrade to not touch the main bios (engineering) systems.
Key Maker - come on now, too easy, a simple keygen.
Smith – originally an anti-virus program, now a self-replicating virus - now capable of moving to either system – infused with anomaly code from Neo.
[b]The Religious Theory or the Zion is Real Theory[/b]
Neo is a Christ figure. He is supported by Trinity (the Holy Trinity) to save mankind (Zion). At the end of M2 he uses supernatural powers in the “real” world because he is actually a higher being. Unlike the other 6 matrices, he made the choice to fight the system, by picking the door to save Trinity and his friends in Zion, instead of “Reloading” the program for another cycle.
His encounter with Merovingian (the French guy) is significant because Merovingian is a former “One” that faced the same choice as Neo but decided to take the other door. The name Merovingian comes from the original bloodline of the Kings of France. The lore surrounding the Merovingian line is that they were descended from Jesus and Mary Magdalene when Jesus escaped from the cross and fled to some part of France. This fallen savior no longer cares for humanity, only his own power. His wife, Persephone (the name of Zeus’s daughter that married Hades lord of the underworld), once played a role like Trinity supporting Neo. She longs for a kiss to recapture those days before her husband made his choice.
[b]The Blue/Green Matrix Theory[/b]
Zion is not real. It is just another Matrix (Blue) for those 0.1% that cannot accept the Green Matrix that imprisons most of humanity. Zion’s (Blue Matrix) existence is essential for the survival of the Green Matrix.
The Matrix imprisons the human mind by treating it like a computer program. This works to a degree (99.9%) because human minds are logical and rational like computer programs. But minds are not completely logical. This is the fundamental flaw with the Green Matrix. Eventually enough minds rebel to crash the entire system.
The Blue Matrix was created as a place to put the people that were rebelling. It creates the illusion of choice (between blue and green). Yet this is only a temporary solution. Over time those that are rebelling will become so great in number they will be able to crash the entire system from Zion (Blue Matrix). Thus the inherent flaw of the system remains, but it is mitigated by the existence of the blue matrix. Zion can destroy the system, that is why it must be purged when it gets too strong and a new Zion created. This is the program loop that has been “Reloaded” six times.
Neo’s role in the Machines’ plan is to make the choice to create a new Zion, thus both saving and imprisoning humans, if one believes the machines’ possible bluff that they would allow humanity to die.
This is why Neo can use his powers in Zion as he does at the end of M2. He isn’t superhuman, he just realized that the spoon given to him in Zion isn’t real, just like the one he bent in the green matrix isn’t either. Perhaps we will see that the coma he went into at the end of M2 is his emergence into the Real world.
Under this theory, Merovingian, is a former “One” that made the choice to create a new Zion.
Councilor Hamann is either a former “One” or in league with the machines. In his discussion with Neo in the reactors of Zion he alludes that the Machines maintaining Zion, just as they are maintaining the Green Matrix. He stresses they symbiotic nature of existence and conflict between the Machines and humanity.
Agent Smith is an unwitting weapon created by Neo with the potential to destroy the Matrix. Smith’s bloodlust for Neo may destroy the vary Matrix that he used to protect as he assimilates more and more of it to increase his own power.
[b]Tron Theory[/b]
There are no humans, not yet anyway. The Matrix movie is like a version of Tron with no human watchers (Jeff Bridges), of a computer running through a simulation with all possible factors being worked first, before it initializes the program for real.
The main computer has been caught in a loop cycle for 5 iterations, and it is trying to find a variance that will break this cycle by utilizing a random bit anomaly piece of software (Neo), to allow it to fully complete its cycle. It has tried this before, but has always failed and in its attempts.
Matrix - main base operating system.
Zion - secondary operating system for software that can no longer can function in main system - but can be utilized to build a new matrix system.
Neo - Random bit anomaly software for breaking loop cycle – utilized by the Oracle and Architect software to be a random variable to upgrade itself.
Trinity - complement software to aid in Neo's completion of purpose.
Morpheus and crew - collector programs for mainframe to try to enable the end of the loop cycle.
Architect - Mainframe operating system.
Oracle - old Macro Software that has been part of all 5 iterations of the loop and can see all variances.
Oracle's Protector, Seraph - Mainframe hard code software.
Merovingian - old Neo that did not fully implement objective in beta 5.0.
Merovingian's wife - Old Trinity code.
Twins, and Merovingian's guards - old base black ice protector code.
Councilor Hamann in Zion - Advisor for Mainframe that advises Neo along his upgrade to not touch the main bios (engineering) systems.
Key Maker - come on now, too easy, a simple keygen.
Smith – originally an anti-virus program, now a self-replicating virus - now capable of moving to either system – infused with anomaly code from Neo.
A graduated experience system for MMORPGs
05.15.03 (4:38 pm) [edit]
Instead gaining experience directly for killing monsters and doing quests the player increases the [u]rate[/u] at which he gains experience. The player is always gaining experience, even when not logged on, at whatever his current rate is. The rate steadily declines but can be raises through completion of quests or killing monsters. When the rate is high, over 90%, it declines very quickly. Like one hour to go from 100% to 90%. When the rate gets lower, around 75%, it declines very slowly. Like one week to go from 80% to 70%.
[b]Advantages of this system[/b]
Players will not be able to out level the content. Developers will always be able to know what is the potential maximum level of the player base. The highest level that anyone can be is starting on the first day and always keeping their rate at 100%. Most players in the initial playerbase will be about 25% behind the maximum level.
Exploiters brought down to earth. Let's say someone figures out an exploit to kill a high xp mob over and over again. Under the new system the only benefit is that they will always have a rate of 100% instead of the 70%-80% rate that most of the playerbase can easily maintain. This means that they will only be about 25% ahead in total experience from the rest of the playerbase. This is substantial but far less then how fast they can level under the traditional xp system.
Low level content stays relevant. Since there is no effective way to powerlevel, new players to the game will go through the low level content at about the same rate as the initial playerbase.
[b]Problems with the system[/b]
It is much harder to catch up friends in levels or powerlevel alts.
Players can hit a rate 100% and not have any incentive to continue hunting until their rate declines. This problem can be mitigated if other features of the game are fun (crafting, socializing, and so on).
[b]Closing[/b]
Developers need to put a hard cap on player advancement to create stability in the xp system.
[b]Advantages of this system[/b]
Players will not be able to out level the content. Developers will always be able to know what is the potential maximum level of the player base. The highest level that anyone can be is starting on the first day and always keeping their rate at 100%. Most players in the initial playerbase will be about 25% behind the maximum level.
Exploiters brought down to earth. Let's say someone figures out an exploit to kill a high xp mob over and over again. Under the new system the only benefit is that they will always have a rate of 100% instead of the 70%-80% rate that most of the playerbase can easily maintain. This means that they will only be about 25% ahead in total experience from the rest of the playerbase. This is substantial but far less then how fast they can level under the traditional xp system.
Low level content stays relevant. Since there is no effective way to powerlevel, new players to the game will go through the low level content at about the same rate as the initial playerbase.
[b]Problems with the system[/b]
It is much harder to catch up friends in levels or powerlevel alts.
Players can hit a rate 100% and not have any incentive to continue hunting until their rate declines. This problem can be mitigated if other features of the game are fun (crafting, socializing, and so on).
[b]Closing[/b]
Developers need to put a hard cap on player advancement to create stability in the xp system.