Guys, MORE PAX PICTURES PLEASE. Give me the whole bunch, and I don't just mean those mobile phone ones where the only thing you can perceive is that puzzlebox is small.
(I know, I know: "YOU'RE small". I mean, for those in here who actually play TWD and know the quote)
I'd show pictures, but all I have is a picture of a friend of mine who doesn't frequent these forums.
Yeah... I don't really take pictures.
Maybe I'll take one of the Disney drawing I got and show off that.
I really really wish you would quit simplifying my problems into "just throw prozac at it bro". I honestly need more counselling than anything else. I feel like I have nobody to talk about about my issues with at all and it's driving me mad. And anytime I ever show signs of these issues people just back off and call it creepy and leave right when I need somebody to talk to the most. I'm left to putting up this fascade and bottles everything up.
Statistically speaking only a few private schools are superior. In actually practice, public schools normally provide a wider range of activities, educational resources, accreditations, etc. In addition to competitive academic performance.
I think this depends on the area that you're in. I went to private school. Yeah, I didn't have access to as many APs as some public schools in the area, but the APs I did have were actually equivalent to college courses. As in, after those classes, the exam was not only passable, but rather easy. And due to my school's reputation for being tough, my transcript counted for more when I was applying to college because the colleges knew my grades were well earned. There was also the benefit of having a devoted college counselor on staff to help with applications and a lower student to teacher ratio (my AP physics class was five people).
I think this depends on the area that you're in. I went to private school. Yeah, I didn't have access to as many APs as some public schools in the area, but the APs I did have were actually equivalent to college courses. As in, after those classes, the exam was not only passable, but rather easy. And due to my school's reputation for being tough, my transcript counted for more when I was applying to college because the colleges knew my grades were well earned. There was also the benefit of having a devoted college counselor on staff to help with applications and a lower student to teacher ratio (my AP physics class was five people).
And then you have a ton of private schools that teach this:
1. Dinosaurs and humans probably hung out: "Bible-believing Christians cannot accept any evolutionary interpretation. Dinosaurs and humans were definitely on the earth at the same time and may have even lived side by side within the past few thousand years."—Life Science, 3rd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 2007
2. Dragons were totally real: "[Is] it possible that a fire-breathing animal really existed? Today some scientists are saying yes. They have found large chambers in certain dinosaur skulls…The large skull chambers could have contained special chemical-producing glands. When the animal forced the chemicals out of its mouth or nose, these substances may have combined and produced fire and smoke."—Life Science, 3rd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 2007
3. "God used the Trail of Tears to bring many Indians to Christ."—America: Land That I Love, Teacher ed., A Beka Book, 1994
5. Slave masters were nice guys: "A few slave holders were undeniably cruel. Examples of slaves beaten to death were not common, neither were they unknown. The majority of slave holders treated their slaves well."—United States History for Christian Schools, 2nd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 1991
6. The KKK was A-OK: "[The Ku Klux] Klan in some areas of the country tried to be a means of reform, fighting the decline in morality and using the symbol of the cross. Klan targets were bootleggers, wife-beaters, and immoral movies. In some communities it achieved a certain respectability as it worked with politicians."—United States History for Christian Schools, 3rd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 2001
8. SCOTUS enslaved fetuses: "Ignoring 3,500 years of Judeo-Christian civilization, religion, morality, and law, the Burger Court held that an unborn child was not a living person but rather the "property" of the mother (much like slaves were considered property in the 1857 case of Dred Scott v. Sandford)."—American Government in Christian Perspective, 2nd ed., A Beka Book, 1997
13. "Global environmentalists have said and written enough to leave no doubt that their goal is to destroy the prosperous economies of the world's richest nations."—Economics: Work and Prosperity in Christian Perspective, 2nd ed., A Beka Book, 1999
12. Gay people "have no more claims to special rights than child molesters or rapists."—Teacher's Resource Guide to Current Events for Christian Schools, 1998-1999, Bob Jones University Press, 1998
Now funded by your public tax dollars people!
And this gem:
Starting in the fall, thousands of schoolchildren will receive publicly funded vouchers to attend private schools, some of which are religious. Religious schools in Louisiana will receive public funding as part of a push from Louisiana's governor, Bobby Jindal, to move millions of tax dollars to cover tuition for private schools, including small bible-based church schools. Money will fund schools that have "bible-based math books" and biology texts that refute evolution.
At Eternity Christian Academy, pastor-turned-principal Marie Carrier says that the her first through eighth-grade students learn at their own pace from Christian workbooks. The beginning science text explains "what God made" on each of the six days of creation. Evolution is not taught.
Carrier said, "We try to stay away from all those things that might confuse our children." She hopes to secure enrollment of 135 voucher students for the 2012-2013 school year. According to the website Salon, the school currently has just 38 students.
6. The KKK was A-OK: "[The Ku Klux] Klan in some areas of the country tried to be a means of reform, fighting the decline in morality and using the symbol of the cross. Klan targets were bootleggers, wife-beaters, and immoral movies. In some communities it achieved a certain respectability as it worked with politicians."—United States History for Christian Schools, 3rd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 2001
Quite an honorable agenda for an organization the name of which is an onomatopoeia for the cocking of a gun.
Sorry its a Kotaku link (I know there are some out there who don't like them), but its still a pretty interesting article.
Essentially it reveals quite alot about the working conditions of the video game industry. (I've read many similar reports/ people's experiences in the past that essentially say the same thing)
It makes me wonder, where do companies like Telltale place?
(I'm sure they place fairly high up, considering standards are so very low! XD (I should imagine the smaller independant studios like Double Fine are fantastic places to work at, especially those run by industry veterans that try to avoid these obvious pitfalls that the older larger companies have got themselves firmly wedged into (too many suits, not enough innovation normally)))
If I was running a large company like that, I'd be looking to get that talent onto fresh IPs/side projects with occasional rotation (if it looks to stagnate).
These companies normally snub smaller, less risky projects, but I'd argue that instead of wasting all that money into mindless marketing, they could use alot of that budget to try something new. Especially with the digital market thriving so well, and the technology for smaller projects being so cheap, but still relatively powerful.
We've already seen these companies dip their toes into it and get good results. A good push in a year or so would be all they need really.
(I see Ubisoft, Squareenix and maybe even EA being the most capable of persuing this, (though EA is kind of a longshot... -_-))
Especially since big projects barely seem to break even these days.
Ultimately its that higher management that seems to be choking the industry. Too stubborn and blind to see what damage they are doing. Too resistant to retire or move on to something else.
I see a massive industry shakeup being very possible in the future. Its happened in other industries and quite clearly not many in this industry have paid attention to that.
Heh, If I ever do properly get into developing video games, I'm certainly only going to do it casually or on the small scale, because working for companies like these would drive me crazy! XD
With a little more confidence and industry experience I'd probably do ok on the business end (because I actually DO pay attention to the stuff I study /research), but my heart is definately in the creating part.
If I was running a large company like that, I'd be looking to get that talent onto fresh IPs/side projects with occasional rotation (if it looks to stagnate).
These companies normally snub smaller, less risky projects, but I'd argue that instead of wasting all that money into mindless marketing, they could use alot of that budget to try something new. Especially with the digital market thriving so well, and the technology for smaller projects being so cheap, but still relatively powerful.
We've already seen these companies dip their toes into it and get good results. A good push in a year or so would be all they need really.
(I see Ubisoft, Squareenix and maybe even EA being the most capable of persuing this, (though EA is kind of a longshot... -_-))
Especially since big projects barely seem to break even these days.
Ultimately its that higher management that seems to be choking the industry. Too stubborn and blind to see what damage they are doing. Too resistant to retire or move on to something else.
I see a massive industry shakeup being very possible in the future. Its happened in other industries and quite clearly not many in this industry have paid attention to that.
Heh, If I ever do properly get into developing video games, I'm certainly only going to do it casually or on the small scale, because working for companies like these would drive me crazy! XD
With a little more confidence and industry experience I'd probably do ok on the business end (because I actually DO pay attention to the stuff I study /research), but my heart is definately in the creating part.
Are you serious? Management is choking the industry? Please, it's customers that are choking the industry.
These are the top selling games of 2011 in the U.S.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (360, PS3, Wii, PC) Just Dance 3 (Wii, 360, PS3)
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (360, PS3, PC) Battlefield 3 (360, PS3, PC) - Electronic Arts Madden NFL 12 (360, PS3, Wii, PSP, PS2) Call of Duty: Black Ops (360, PS3, Wii, NDS, PC)
Batman: Arkham City (360, PS3, PC)
Gears of War 3 (360) Just Dance 2 (Wii)
Assassin's Creed: Revelations (360, PS3, PC)
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE IS A DAMN SEQUEL.
Of them, five, which I've highlighted, are essentially the same sort of game on either different systems or in different iterations. One, Madden, is essentially going on a legacy format at this point. Of them, only four aren't mirrors of each other. Of those four, Elder Scrolls, Batman, Gears of War and Assassins Creed, all are action based games with some wrinkles.
The secret to running a good business is you make games people buy, not make games that are your hearts passion or desire. Experimentation does not produce sales on a regular enough of a basis for the majority of companies to justify massive expenditures.
No, there's no massive industry shakeup looming on the horizon, not for the big companies. Big companies make money by making big games that do mostly the same things. Since there's really no such thing as a mid level developer anymore, it's either swing big or go indie. The mid level creator is going extinct due to budget and buying habits. Not enough money to justify higher prices, so you might as well try making the next Angry Birds. Except that, on the indie market, only a few games get noticed, and the rest are swept away in a sea of garbage.
I hope you are taking rest stops man, no good driving when you're exhausted. Take care of you!
I made him sleep here and made Fawful promise to do the same. He was anxious to get moving, but I wanted to be sure he was safe. But yeah, he left for PAX last Monday, so the timing is about right for him to be getting home today.
I have the ability to get rooms for next year's pax if anyone is interested. It's not the Sheraton, but it's a 4 star hotel a few blocks from the con for 40 dollars a night.
I'm not sure if I'm going to PAX next year, but if I am, it is an option.
holy cow i can really get that hotel at 40 dollars a night? i just started looking at the pictures
Awww man... Thats almost dream-like.
(I wish my life was sorted enough. and I had enough money to get to PAX or any con/expo really. I'm only going to Rush next year because my best friend paid for me. (I feel like a sponge sometimes. Yeah, my best friend earns a lot more than me (£1000+ a month vs my measly £240 pittance) but he's always treating me to stuff!))
EDIT: Also Coolsome, that DBZ dvd set. Is that the one with the cool artwork on it and the orange background (I think it has multiple audio tracks for each episode), as part of the series. Because if so I think a friend on mine (a huge DBZ fan) might of had all of those by now (I remember him demonstrating the features of the DVD to me once a few years ago).
EDIT 2: Yes. 2007-2009 in Region 1. Sounds about right.
Someone knocked my mailbox off its post last night. Enough parts were broken that it's costing me more than $40 to fix. I could have had a night at the Giant Tope Hotel for that!
EDIT: Also Coolsome, that DBZ dvd set. Is that the one with the cool artwork on it and the orange background (I think it has multiple audio tracks for each episode), as part of the series. Because if so I think a friend on mine (a huge DBZ fan) might of had all of those by now (I remember him demonstrating the features of the DVD to me once a few years ago).
DBZ DVD history is stupidly complex. If you take out all the "singles" releases, though, it gets a lot more simple.
"Orange Brick" Season Sets
These are shit. They have the worst picture quality and worst "remastering" treatment I've ever seen on anything ever. The show is cropped from 4:3 to 16:9, cutting the top and bottom of the screen. The colors are WAY oversaturated and the brightness is ISNANE. Grain removal is applied so liberally that actual lines in the animation are smudged or removed completely, TONS of detail is lost this way.
The menus are horrendously ugly and have ear-splitting faux rock on constant loop. When I owned these, I'd mute my television before putting them in and didn't unmute it until the episode was actually playing, because setting Japanese audio and subs forces me to spend more time than I'd like in that obnoxious mess.
Also the packaging is absurdly cheap, ugly, economy bulk trash.
BUT they are absurdly cheap, easily available, and have three audio tracks(Dub with Shitty US Music, Dub with Original Music, and Original Japanese).
Dragon Boxes
THESE are awesome. Best picture quality possible through Toei's own remastering which was actually properly done from the real film source(rather than the nth generation garbage Funi was sourcing from), Japanese with subs is the default language setup, packaging is high-quality and GORGEOUS, episode guides in a hardcover book with design/concept sketches and timelines and such, and all materials(packaging, book, menus) refer to the Japanese version naming conventions for everything. Easily the best DVD release I own of anything.
BUT they were limited, are now absurdly expensive to pick up(jumping from $30 for a box to around $200 for a couple of the more rare ones), and if for some reason you WANT the shitty US music, it doesn't exist on this release.
I'll post pictures from the trip when I get situated and settled and everything. I'm still winding down. It feels nice to be back on a proper computer again. I'm tired of my dodgy Android phone that won't charge or connect to WIFI unless it feels like it.
I feel very floaty at the moment. Like I'm about to fall.
I'm not entirely sure why. I'm sitting down.
I'm sure it will pass. (I think it has to do with the balancing in the ear)
You know, sometimes I wish I could just talk to people I used to know, like on Facebook, but I'll admit I am intimidated by the thought of telling them about myself.
These amazing people I used to know go around and do amazing stuff, while I haven't done anything at all really.
A friend who is coming back from spain.
Another from Switzerland, after doing all this amazing sciency stuff.
The uni people I used to hang around with in the first and second year, they all went off to do placements and I constantly see all their successes.
You know what. Once my parents get back off their holiday, I should just delete my Facebook account. I mean I only regularily keep in contact with two people anyway, and my best friend doesn't even use Facebook at all really.
The other one I could just message on youtube, or steam, or through the 360.
All it seems to do is just remind me of how much better everyone seems to be doing and it saps my time here and there as well.
And then you have a ton of private schools that teach this:
[stuff that made me make a face I doubt I can duplicate]
Now funded by your public tax dollars people!
And this gem:
[more the same]
The hell? It's shit like this that makes me want to fly into a rage and throw a table through a window or something. (I won't. Windows cost more than I'm willing to destroy for the sake of these mockeries of human beings)
And that bit about confusing children is fucking nuts. When I was a kid, I was far more confused about how God could live in the clouds when we'd clearly explored most of the solar system and found no trace. Also, I found it incredibly confusing when my sixth grade teacher attempted to convince me that evolution was impossible because we didn't have a kid who looked like a monkey every once and awhile.
Same teacher also used a ten year old boy as an example of the "horrible gay agenda" because she said he'd been influenced and was "turning gay". Kid actually was gay, as it turns out (that has a happy ending--he got a full ride to Harvard and is probably going to do awesome things). Luckily, the school fired her after only a year. I still can't guarantee that I'll be civil to her should I ever meet her again, though.
I was talking about high school, though. My high school was awesome and I wish more schools would be just like it. Technically, it was a Catholic school, but over half the students there weren't Catholic and there was a sizable percentage that weren't religious at all. I knew it was a good place to be because all the super conservative people I know would just give me this sad look whenever I mentioned that I was going there.
Look at me here ranting. I guess I've just been waiting to let out all this pent up frustration about the state of education and horrible extremists in our country.
And the next Super Sentai, Jyuden Sentai Kyoryuger, has been revealed. My first reaction is that it's an awesome name. Everyone else is apparently complaining that it's another Dino sentai when there have been two already.
I look at it this way. There have only been two at this point, and it's been 8 or 9 years since Abaranger. It is a kids show.
Okay, lets see the other themes...
It's probably quicker to count how many weren't beast based.
Ninjas have been used twice
Secret Agents have been there 3 or 4 times.
1 pirate sentai
1 Angel sentai,
1 magic sentai
2 electric sentais
a few special police forces
4 car based sentais
They recycle ideas, and most of the time it's animal themes. It's also been 20 years since the first Dinosaur sentai.
They're complaining about there being THREE! and they don't complain when there's yet another beast based sentai.
Ahhhh, the PAC. I wouldn't be able to separate these fuckups from the actual candidate if the second Season of The Good Wife hadn't explained the difference in such glorious detail.
Ahhhh, the PAC. I wouldn't be able to separate these fuckups from the actual candidate if the second Season of The Good Wife hadn't explained the difference in such glorious detail.
This is me writing for the sake of writing.
(Or writing about nothing to write about! XD)
A blank page stared in front of him. It’s glow unnerving. The pen drifted back and forth whilst his mind pondered. “What to write?” he asked himself, but no answer came to him. The pen jolted towards his mouth. Without thought he began to gnaw on its end, hoping that the grinding would spark something from within his mind.
Though the sun was out, and the sky cloudless, the writer kept his curtains firmly closed, with only the distant roars of machinery and mindless twittering of the birds and people below to leak through its gaps. Oddly enough though, the door was still open. It appeared to him an endless void of infinite possibility, glowing bright from the energy of the sun. He intentionally left it open to remind him that any kind of adventure was within reach, should he be able to imagine it beyond that door.
But yet the page was still empty and absent of ink. The guidelines appeared uniformed and grey. It was almost as if they demanded action from him; a statement, a reply, but the flash of inspiration had not come. He looked up from the page to the staring of mechanical eyes, unblinking and focused entirely on him and him alone. Lifeless, yet judgemental and impatient.
He wondered whether he should just abandon this whole endeavour. Give in to the eyes. Please and entertain them with the investment of his undivided attention, but he wanted to prove to himself most of all that he can create as much as he can consume.
An irrelevant set of thoughts suddenly invaded his mind. He imagined how strange his bedroom would be without life’s context.
If an alien were to just suddenly walk into his room at this very moment, it would likely be very confused. After it would have finished eating his brains, he wondered how it would interpret and interact with his room. For instance, what would it make of all the CDs? They are all covered with text and symbols. Would it have thought that this is how we humans communicate? What if it found the books in the drawer? Even a rational alien may think those fictional books were some kind of historical artefact. I’m sure even after translation Ankh-Morpork would be a very strange location to find and place historically and geographically. What about that empty crisp packet on the bed? Would it be seen as a kind of storage pouch? What would really differentiate it from any other kind of bag? And what about that toy Christmas tree on the wardrobe? Would it think we humans were allergic to trees?
These odd thoughts persisted for quite some time, at least until his eyes once more drifted to and locked back onto the blank page in front of him. The page still empty and stern, and likely still outraged at its purposeless exposure to the world.
His legs were beginning to ache from the awkward sitting position on the bed, his feet resting on the wooden step below. Whilst writing in bed was not the smartest thing to do, he thought he would try it anyway, since he couldn’t seem to concentrate anywhere else in the world.
If truly the bed was the catalyst in which dreams are created, he wondered if staying in bed would lead him to be more creative, but alas, all it really did was make him sleepy. He yawned and slowly blinked his eyes. Staying in bed any longer might actually cause him to fall asleep, and though he liked musing over the idea of trying to write his dreams, his stomach reminded him that he has responsibilities to uphold.
He moved the pad aside, and poked his head out through the curtains, letting the cool air revive him. He saw the very same sights in the very same perspective. Very normal, empty and bland. The barking of the dog in the distance had no significance to him other than that it was just really annoying. He closed the pad up and returned it to its bag with a sad sigh of submission.
The candidate's pac is getting too extreme in their viral stuff, trying to protect their flagging investment - while the candidate's family can't really bear the echo from the opposite side. Politics are really dirty, and TGW makes some interesting points about how far people are maybe NOT willing to go. But this portrays just the race for Cook County state's attorney - not for the presidency of the United States.
I wish politicians would just worry about their own strengths and weaknesses and stop smearing their opponents with campaign ads funded by PACs and Super PACs.
Some one needs to get rid of the PACs. Where's Inky, Pinky, Blinky, or Clyde (or Sue) when you need them?
I wish politicians would just worry about their own strengths and weaknesses and stop smearing their opponents with campaign ads funded by PACs and Super PACs.
Some one needs to get rid of the PACs. Where's Inky, Pinky, Blinky, or Clyde (or Sue) when you need them?
Trapped in a maze. Or, alternately, off on a rock farm somewhere.
Comments
I'd show pictures, but all I have is a picture of a friend of mine who doesn't frequent these forums.
Yeah... I don't really take pictures.
Maybe I'll take one of the Disney drawing I got and show off that.
I wish I had people to talk to. I feel really boxed up when it comes to what I'm allowed to talk about and what I'm not supposed to talk about.
I thank you for your kind words though.
I really really wish you would quit simplifying my problems into "just throw prozac at it bro". I honestly need more counselling than anything else. I feel like I have nobody to talk about about my issues with at all and it's driving me mad. And anytime I ever show signs of these issues people just back off and call it creepy and leave right when I need somebody to talk to the most. I'm left to putting up this fascade and bottles everything up.
Oh jeez. I'm talking way too much. I'm sorry.
The line to get one was five hours and it's a damn awesome drawing that I wouldn't mind seeing again. You should totally show it off.
I think this depends on the area that you're in. I went to private school. Yeah, I didn't have access to as many APs as some public schools in the area, but the APs I did have were actually equivalent to college courses. As in, after those classes, the exam was not only passable, but rather easy. And due to my school's reputation for being tough, my transcript counted for more when I was applying to college because the colleges knew my grades were well earned. There was also the benefit of having a devoted college counselor on staff to help with applications and a lower student to teacher ratio (my AP physics class was five people).
All right. I shall. Just gotta take a picture.
Edit: Here we go!
And then you have a ton of private schools that teach this:
Now funded by your public tax dollars people!
And this gem:
http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/9296/unbenanntgm.png
Thank god I still had a skip left over.
Quite an honorable agenda for an organization the name of which is an onomatopoeia for the cocking of a gun.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/05/1128078/-Texas-Recovering-Economy-that-Leaves-People-Behind
Sorry its a Kotaku link (I know there are some out there who don't like them), but its still a pretty interesting article.
Essentially it reveals quite alot about the working conditions of the video game industry. (I've read many similar reports/ people's experiences in the past that essentially say the same thing)
It makes me wonder, where do companies like Telltale place?
(I'm sure they place fairly high up, considering standards are so very low! XD (I should imagine the smaller independant studios like Double Fine are fantastic places to work at, especially those run by industry veterans that try to avoid these obvious pitfalls that the older larger companies have got themselves firmly wedged into (too many suits, not enough innovation normally)))
If I was running a large company like that, I'd be looking to get that talent onto fresh IPs/side projects with occasional rotation (if it looks to stagnate).
These companies normally snub smaller, less risky projects, but I'd argue that instead of wasting all that money into mindless marketing, they could use alot of that budget to try something new. Especially with the digital market thriving so well, and the technology for smaller projects being so cheap, but still relatively powerful.
We've already seen these companies dip their toes into it and get good results. A good push in a year or so would be all they need really.
(I see Ubisoft, Squareenix and maybe even EA being the most capable of persuing this, (though EA is kind of a longshot... -_-))
Especially since big projects barely seem to break even these days.
Ultimately its that higher management that seems to be choking the industry. Too stubborn and blind to see what damage they are doing. Too resistant to retire or move on to something else.
I see a massive industry shakeup being very possible in the future. Its happened in other industries and quite clearly not many in this industry have paid attention to that.
Heh, If I ever do properly get into developing video games, I'm certainly only going to do it casually or on the small scale, because working for companies like these would drive me crazy! XD
With a little more confidence and industry experience I'd probably do ok on the business end (because I actually DO pay attention to the stuff I study /research), but my heart is definately in the creating part.
You're STILL GOING? :eek:
I hope you are taking rest stops man, no good driving when you're exhausted. Take care of you!
Slept at gurus an fawfuls. Resting when Ive needed too.
Are you serious? Management is choking the industry? Please, it's customers that are choking the industry.
These are the top selling games of 2011 in the U.S.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (360, PS3, Wii, PC)
Just Dance 3 (Wii, 360, PS3)
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (360, PS3, PC)
Battlefield 3 (360, PS3, PC) - Electronic Arts
Madden NFL 12 (360, PS3, Wii, PSP, PS2)
Call of Duty: Black Ops (360, PS3, Wii, NDS, PC)
Batman: Arkham City (360, PS3, PC)
Gears of War 3 (360)
Just Dance 2 (Wii)
Assassin's Creed: Revelations (360, PS3, PC)
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE IS A DAMN SEQUEL.
Of them, five, which I've highlighted, are essentially the same sort of game on either different systems or in different iterations. One, Madden, is essentially going on a legacy format at this point. Of them, only four aren't mirrors of each other. Of those four, Elder Scrolls, Batman, Gears of War and Assassins Creed, all are action based games with some wrinkles.
The secret to running a good business is you make games people buy, not make games that are your hearts passion or desire. Experimentation does not produce sales on a regular enough of a basis for the majority of companies to justify massive expenditures.
No, there's no massive industry shakeup looming on the horizon, not for the big companies. Big companies make money by making big games that do mostly the same things. Since there's really no such thing as a mid level developer anymore, it's either swing big or go indie. The mid level creator is going extinct due to budget and buying habits. Not enough money to justify higher prices, so you might as well try making the next Angry Birds. Except that, on the indie market, only a few games get noticed, and the rest are swept away in a sea of garbage.
I told you that you had a long drive ahead and you should've let me take more of the driving while I was still in the car.
I made him sleep here and made Fawful promise to do the same. He was anxious to get moving, but I wanted to be sure he was safe. But yeah, he left for PAX last Monday, so the timing is about right for him to be getting home today.
Every other service I use I get it in 2-3 days normally, but play.com is like 4-6!
Its kind of annoying because I really want to watch Labyrinth....
I'm not sure if I'm going to PAX next year, but if I am, it is an option.
It's this one.
IKR! I want my Dragonball Z dvd!! 6 dvds of Frieza fighting ppl.
To be fair. Those were some awesome fights!
(I think the series lost track at the Majin Buu saga really. Should really have ended it with Cell)
IKR..again!
Awww man... Thats almost dream-like.
(I wish my life was sorted enough. and I had enough money to get to PAX or any con/expo really. I'm only going to Rush next year because my best friend paid for me.
EDIT: Also Coolsome, that DBZ dvd set. Is that the one with the cool artwork on it and the orange background (I think it has multiple audio tracks for each episode), as part of the series. Because if so I think a friend on mine (a huge DBZ fan) might of had all of those by now (I remember him demonstrating the features of the DVD to me once a few years ago).
EDIT 2: Yes. 2007-2009 in Region 1. Sounds about right.
Oh well, off to drill some more....
"Orange Brick" Season Sets
These are shit. They have the worst picture quality and worst "remastering" treatment I've ever seen on anything ever. The show is cropped from 4:3 to 16:9, cutting the top and bottom of the screen. The colors are WAY oversaturated and the brightness is ISNANE. Grain removal is applied so liberally that actual lines in the animation are smudged or removed completely, TONS of detail is lost this way.
The menus are horrendously ugly and have ear-splitting faux rock on constant loop. When I owned these, I'd mute my television before putting them in and didn't unmute it until the episode was actually playing, because setting Japanese audio and subs forces me to spend more time than I'd like in that obnoxious mess.
Also the packaging is absurdly cheap, ugly, economy bulk trash.
BUT they are absurdly cheap, easily available, and have three audio tracks(Dub with Shitty US Music, Dub with Original Music, and Original Japanese).
Dragon Boxes
THESE are awesome. Best picture quality possible through Toei's own remastering which was actually properly done from the real film source(rather than the nth generation garbage Funi was sourcing from), Japanese with subs is the default language setup, packaging is high-quality and GORGEOUS, episode guides in a hardcover book with design/concept sketches and timelines and such, and all materials(packaging, book, menus) refer to the Japanese version naming conventions for everything. Easily the best DVD release I own of anything.
BUT they were limited, are now absurdly expensive to pick up(jumping from $30 for a box to around $200 for a couple of the more rare ones), and if for some reason you WANT the shitty US music, it doesn't exist on this release.
Homophobic campaign ad.
I lost faith in humanity after I watched the video.
It was restored after I read the comments.
I
I'm not entirely sure why. I'm sitting down.
I'm sure it will pass. (I think it has to do with the balancing in the ear)
You know, sometimes I wish I could just talk to people I used to know, like on Facebook, but I'll admit I am intimidated by the thought of telling them about myself.
These amazing people I used to know go around and do amazing stuff, while I haven't done anything at all really.
A friend who is coming back from spain.
Another from Switzerland, after doing all this amazing sciency stuff.
The uni people I used to hang around with in the first and second year, they all went off to do placements and I constantly see all their successes.
You know what. Once my parents get back off their holiday, I should just delete my Facebook account. I mean I only regularily keep in contact with two people anyway, and my best friend doesn't even use Facebook at all really.
The other one I could just message on youtube, or steam, or through the 360.
All it seems to do is just remind me of how much better everyone seems to be doing and it saps my time here and there as well.
The hell? It's shit like this that makes me want to fly into a rage and throw a table through a window or something. (I won't. Windows cost more than I'm willing to destroy for the sake of these mockeries of human beings)
And that bit about confusing children is fucking nuts. When I was a kid, I was far more confused about how God could live in the clouds when we'd clearly explored most of the solar system and found no trace. Also, I found it incredibly confusing when my sixth grade teacher attempted to convince me that evolution was impossible because we didn't have a kid who looked like a monkey every once and awhile.
Same teacher also used a ten year old boy as an example of the "horrible gay agenda" because she said he'd been influenced and was "turning gay". Kid actually was gay, as it turns out (that has a happy ending--he got a full ride to Harvard and is probably going to do awesome things). Luckily, the school fired her after only a year. I still can't guarantee that I'll be civil to her should I ever meet her again, though.
I was talking about high school, though. My high school was awesome and I wish more schools would be just like it. Technically, it was a Catholic school, but over half the students there weren't Catholic and there was a sizable percentage that weren't religious at all. I knew it was a good place to be because all the super conservative people I know would just give me this sad look whenever I mentioned that I was going there.
Look at me here ranting. I guess I've just been waiting to let out all this pent up frustration about the state of education and horrible extremists in our country.
I look at it this way. There have only been two at this point, and it's been 8 or 9 years since Abaranger. It is a kids show.
Okay, lets see the other themes...
It's probably quicker to count how many weren't beast based.
Ninjas have been used twice
Secret Agents have been there 3 or 4 times.
1 pirate sentai
1 Angel sentai,
1 magic sentai
2 electric sentais
a few special police forces
4 car based sentais
They recycle ideas, and most of the time it's animal themes. It's also been 20 years since the first Dinosaur sentai.
They're complaining about there being THREE! and they don't complain when there's yet another beast based sentai.
End pointless rant
Ahhhh, the PAC. I wouldn't be able to separate these fuckups from the actual candidate if the second Season of The Good Wife hadn't explained the difference in such glorious detail.
I feel a good conspiracy in this one.
(Or writing about nothing to write about! XD)
The candidate's pac is getting too extreme in their viral stuff, trying to protect their flagging investment - while the candidate's family can't really bear the echo from the opposite side. Politics are really dirty, and TGW makes some interesting points about how far people are maybe NOT willing to go. But this portrays just the race for Cook County state's attorney - not for the presidency of the United States.
Some one needs to get rid of the PACs. Where's Inky, Pinky, Blinky, or Clyde (or Sue) when you need them?
Trapped in a maze. Or, alternately, off on a rock farm somewhere.