INN OF LOST SOULS: general chit-chat thread

[T0Mi]

One day they will remove all those warning labels and let things develop naturally again.

There are 3 spelling errors on my (american) ex-army truck:

- no smoking withain 20 feet
- antifreze checked
- hearing protection reguired

These labels were put on by people who shoot other people. With guns.

Paul the Octopussy should make all the important decisions from now on.

[oh_brother]

Yes, Paul the octopus has been very impressive. 8 games out of 8 correct. Even if you discount draws, there is only a 1 in 256 chance of doing that randomly.

So I conclude that there is at least a 255 in 256 chance (99.6%) that animals possess psychic powers.

[Bit]

pfft - he just likes it extraordinary and remembered that:
http://www.pollsb.com/photos/o/204726-m ... t_food.jpg
red-yellow-red...

[raixel]

@TOMi Heh. I'm not surprised. There are 2 types of people in the US military.
1) Poor/disadvantaged people who want to get a leg-up using the GI bill to go to college (my grandpa was one of those)
2) Rabid stupid patriotic idiots with IQs of 90.
When I was in high school (oh, a little over 10 years ago, now) a lot of people saw the military as a way to go to college (join for i think 3yrs and they pay for up to a BA). I had friends that did that. Then GW Bunghole became pres and screwed everything to hell in a handbasket. So you get a much larger percentage of 2) now.
So ya, the guy writing that stuff on your truck prolly had a minimal education, no knowledge of the world, and was sure in his knowledge that AMERICA IZ THE BEST DAMN COUNTREE ON EARTH. Idiots.

@OB
Octopuses(pi?) rock!
I read in an article in a magazine once, let me see if i can dig it up on the net...Hm I cant seem to find it. this one is close tho http://www.thecephalopodpage.org/behavior.php Anyway, at the Seattle Aquarium theyve been doing research on octopus intelligence. Turns out that an octopus has basic reasoning skills, (can use its tentacles to open a jar to get food inside), likes to play, recognizes individuals. They are probably bout as intelligent as a dog(which put them at a way higher level than your average soccer thug).

The best part was that the octopus used in the study had a tank that was about 3 feet off the ground, with a lid that wasnt locked down. There was another exhibit about 5 feet away with some fish in it. The fish started disappearing. The scientists were confused. This happened for a few days. Then a scientist noticed a wet trail going from the octopus' tank to the fish tank. The octopus had been sneaking out of its tank at night when the aquarium was closed, stealing fish, and then going back to its tank and pulling the lid closed behind it. Thats pretty cool.

[oh_brother]

@Bit - you might be onto something there! The Spanish flag does look like that can. And the German flag looks vaguely similar, so that would explain why he went for Germany all the other times. But...he did pick Serbia, and their flag is very different. So no, I still think the most likely explanation is mysterious psychic powers.

@Raixel - great story, amazing they could do that. Especially considering that they are so different to us, and must have evolved along a different path for so long. You normally associate advanced thinking with mammals. I read that article, they claim that they have distinct personalities too.

[Ameena]

Jfyi, it's "octopodes" . "Octopuses" is also acceptable, however - "Octopi" most certainly isn't as the word is Greek in origin, not Latin .
And yeah, they are prety clever - I've seen the jar-opening thing on telly a number of times now, and a few other bits. Pigs are pretty clever too - more so than some/most dogs.

[Bit]

@Bit - you might be onto something there! The Spanish flag does look like that can. And the German flag looks vaguely similar, so that would explain why he went for Germany all the other times. But...he did pick Serbia, and their flag is very different. So no, I still think the most likely explanation is mysterious psychic powers.
...

Still - catfood!
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/bilder/7/13278 ... bowl_7.jpg

[T0Mi]

Talking about aliens (and pusses)...

We look up to the sky, pointing to the stars, wondering if they pay us a visit some day.

They are here already.

Roaming the deep sea.


[Star Trek theme playing in the background]

and...


[cheap german public television soft porn theme from the 70th playing. (German title: "LIEBESGRÜßE AUS DER LEDERHOSE")]

mating on our skin.

Really, there is a very similar looking creature mating on your brow. Right now.
So, do not wrinkle your forehead. That'll be hell of a coitus inter... mophus.

Speaking of which: I really hope this creature lives deep sea and that... thing... is his nose:


[sound of a leather jerkin against bare skin mixed with a... huh... japanese anime tentacle rape theme? Only this time the schoolgirls are raping the tentacle monsters.]


As for the mystical things... a hoooorse story. Hooray! Click to read.

Spoiler

We were e-welding some iron grates at the entrance of the barn. The ground cable of the welding machine was laid through the stable alley. Before getting started, the horses had to be braught out of the stable of course, so they would not panic. Very eager to go out to the pasture, they still refused to walk over the cable.
One could think they can sense the electromagnetic field from the cable.

Thing is there is no alternating current and hence no EM field from the cable, as long as there is no welding going on.
Still: The instance we pulled the plug of the machine, the horses walked across as if it wasn't there.

Lucky chance always works... luckily.

[raixel]

Yeah, Demodex mites rock! I recommend "The Secret House" by David Bodanis. Also "the Secret Family", "The Body Book" or "The Secret Garden". He's a microbiologist who writes about what happens raound us that we cant see, with full color electron microscope pictures interspersed. The stories are really awesome. He anthropomorphizes the creatures hes talking about, just a little. Just enough that you can imagine life from the persepective of a tiny demodex mite wandering across the infinite plain of a forehead, searching pores for a willing mate to start a tiny mite family.

[MasterWuuf]

This one reminded me of a 'skinned' Pikachu.

[Trantor]

Two days ago, I visited the Essen game fair in west Germany, which is the largest fair for board games in the world. The last time I went there was in 2004 I think, but nothing much has changed. It's still a really nice way to get to learn lots of new board games, and you can shop there as well. I bought a game called Ascension which is very similar to Dominion. It seemed to me that it is more luck-based than Dominion, but seeing that I don't seem to stand a chance against my girlfriend, I might be wrong. Whatever.
Should you really be into board games and always wanted to take a look at Germany, mid-to-late October would be a good opportunity to visit.

[ian_scho]

I never knew that Germany/Germans had such an affinity for board games until recently. A sign of intelligence and imagination if I don't say so myself

[Bit]

pfft - I think I got two dozens.
My beloved one is that I think:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talisman_%28board_game%29
and that one too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizards_%28board_game%29
Also the card game of the settlers.
My brother's favorite is Magic Realm.

[Trantor]

Bit, I'm confused. The Wikipedia link to Wizards directs to a game of that name. If you switch to the German article, it is about a game called Elasund by Klaus Teuber which doesn't seem to have anything to do with Wizards. Is it the same game, or is Wikipedia's link function not working properly? I mean, I haven't played either game...

[Jan]

More interestingly, if you go to English Wizards and switch to German, you get Elasund. If you switch back to English - you get Elasund too! It's obviously a confusion on Wikipedia.

[Trantor]

Oh, thanks for that Jan. I didn't went one step further (in many regards, come to think of it).

[zoom]

I would like to know more of e.g. how Talisman works. Gamemechanics and what is so great about it. It has pictures and some text, too. So I guess it is a combination of nicely done and round product, because it works well

[Bit]

I mean the english version of wizards, indeed.
Game mechanic of Talisman (which got in german just a new edition) - I just know the old rules.
First you get a character card, nicely different. You always got lifepoints, talent & strngth. Once you really die, you continue with another character - except you are in the endgame,
Now you got an outer level, one in the middle, one inner. You roll the dices and run around the outer level. You end up in a field like grasslands and draw one or two cards. Those may be items or companions (you get the card), monsters (have a fight), an event (whatever), or the place changes to a new one, like a shrine that spents heal points from now on. You may fight other players to get their cards. Once you get enough strength, fight the guardian to the 2nd level. There you have to solve a task to gain a talisman, which is needed to finally enter the third level. Once you are in the center of the game, other players have to hurry to come close to you, because you now just throw the dices to take their lifepoints...
The whole game design is pretty simple, just start playing with very basic rules and then read what happens on the several places and what the cards mean. It's even more fun if you don't know what is available.

Oh well, that's all written in the article too,,, (talent=craft)

Fight mechanic? Sooo simple - roll two dices, add your strength and check if you are equal or higher than the monster's value. If so, the monster disappeares and you activate another card for that place. If you lose, give a lifepoint and continue your way, the monster stays with the hidden extra card at the position until beaten.

In opposite, that one is really complex: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Realm
Very complex and long play is that one: http://www.boardgame.de/reviews/fellow.htm
(never found one to play with )

@ian_scho: See boardgame.de - we have lots of boardgame fans in germany. Unfortunately the designs of german games are mostly really quick games. They want us to go to work the next day again...

Also for board game fans maybe that one: http://colossus.sourceforge.net/
One of the programmers is in my old gaming community.

[Trantor]

After almost 3 years of contemplating, I finally bought the Orange Box, mostly for Portal. That game is still as amazing as ever, but I have a hard time figuring out what is supposed to be so great about Half Life 2. After playing for 2.5 hours, I finally seem to have reached a point where something actually happens. Up until that point, the game was basically only running around through impressive looking landscapes, with two rather clever physics puzzles I enjoyed. I still hope that a little more will happen, and it seems the game finally picked up some speed. Still, I'm quite curious why so many people consider it one of the best games of all time...

[beowuuf]

You've had the game built up for three years now. Alot is the narrative - the pacing, structure, positioning of plot and puzzles, etc. Little details of craftsmanship like the level design actually forcing you to look in certain ways, of hinting at certain points for later, at giving you plot without metagaming you plot (overhearding broadcasts, etc)

If you are emerced, the part being dragged into the cells by the guard - while you know your inventory has no weaponery - should be terrifying. If you are still looking for the game to amaze you, then those sorts of things will just not land.

Plus its a product of its times - when it was first released, there was an expectation after the first game that was morre n delivered, many things that aree probably taken for granted were fresh. It's like the original half life - play it now with new eyes, and I don't think anyone would see the big deal most of the time.

Just a thought. If you are looking for it to wow you, it won't. Just play it and enjoy it for what it is I think.

[Trantor]

I do enjoy the game. It looks absolutely great, the physics engine is good, and the scenario certainly is interesting. I just don't quite see why so many people hailed it as one of the best games ever made. If it really is, I don't think it should be outdated today (not to mention that I haven't played any similar games that are newer anyway). Maybe it just doesn't exactly fit my tastes, that often happens to me with supposed-to-be-greats. Sorry if I sounded a little harsh, I didn't mean to troll.

[beowuuf]

Yeah, but how much do you love Dungeon Master for what is is, was, did and does? How many people would rate it at anything liek the same level today? Great anything - film, novel, game, etc - always seem to be subjective. at some point, someone is going to be left cold by them. I don't blame you for not rating it, but I wouldn't look any further anyway.

[Gambit37]

Perhaps it would be better to describe the whole HL2 experience as more of an interactive movie than a pure game... but either way, I think it's wonderful.

How far have you got after 2.5 hours? If it hasn't grabbed you by now, it probably won't which is a shame. As beo notes, a lot of what makes HL2 a great experience is the attention to detail. If you're blasting through it and not paying attention, you're going to miss a lot of what makes it great.

I know Source is now an outdated engine and HL2 doesn't look as good as current games. That doesnt bother me, I think it looks just fine and the gameplay still works for me. That first scene coming into the station, the way the lighting is arranged, the atmosphere and dust, the dirty walls, the combine soldiers standing around, the dejected civilians, the sense of decay and dereliction of the world -- it really drew me in when I played it for the first time 6 years ago, and I still think it's great now.

There are some cool pieces that make the game really fun later on involving vehicles; that might get you more into the game side. But do keep trying; it's a great story and a great gaming experience and really worth some quality time spent on it.

[Trantor]

I'm actually quite impressed how great the game looks; it's hard to believe it's already 6 years old! I agree that the whole setting and atmosphere are good. I think I'm just past the part with the hover-boat-thing, which was a nice change of pace. I'm currently being attacked by a helicopter, using containers as cover and entered a large building with a lot of soldiers in it. I'm starting to like it more; maybe I was just expecting something different. As I said, I don't think it's a bad game at all, and I will definitely spend some more time on it - will report back.

[Gambit37]

I found the air-boat insanely fun. The setting sun imagery in this section is also really beautiful, which is an odd counterpoint to the chaos and dereliction around you. It makes you as a player realise that while the world has lost its liberty, it hasn't lost all that makes it beautiful. The art direction of the game is simply superb at creating the right mood and pulling your emo strings. (Well, it was for me anyway)

There's more fun with a road-based toy later too...

As noted above, I think one of the things that really works is the sense of "abandonment" of a lot of the areas. You arrive at places without any info and so you think "WTF happened here?" That's what made me curious and made me pay attention to the details, such as broadcasts and what the NPCs were saying, which basically tells the back story. You can happily play the game without all that stuff, but it makes it a richer experience if you pay attention.

Oh, and you'll have a lot more fun later too when you get a certain firearm...

[ian_scho]

Agree with Trantor somewhat about Half Life 2. It's too linear, but does fall back on a nice plot. An interactive movie is an excellent description!

[Gambit37]

If you want a compelling story to drive your game, then by it's nature it has to be linear really. It's extremely difficult, if not impossible, to write an open ended and coherent story that allows for complete player flexibility. I think HL2 gets the balance right by railroading the player along a story path, while still giving him or her enough to scope to play the game and still feel like they are in control of what's happening.

[Bit]

I think they use the Unreal-engine - don't they? And as far as I know this one has just one entry and one exit at each level. That's the common style for shooters since Doom. So - must be linear...
I played Wheel of Time and Undying - those have been clones done with the engine too. Liked both though.

[Gambit37]

Nope, Half Life uses the Source engine.

[Bit]

See - I was already wondering because that name appeared in the posts. Really not the same family? I have no idea, i just remember some rumors.

edit: ah yes, just studying that one:
http://n4g.com/news/42025/source-engine ... comparison
picture-link broken, but here it is:
http://www.pcgames.de/Der-PC-Games-Graf ... ie/656996/

I agree to the people's statements: Source for environment, cry for characters.
But - we don't want to bring DM/CSB that far, I hope...