Topics

26

NWR Forums Discord / The Roleplay Arena #2: Too Few Bullets

« on: May 16, 2007, 08:54:18 AM »

Scores:
Zach:1
Everyone else: A whole lot of nothing

Welcome to the second Roleplay Arena! The last one was won by Zach. This one might be a bit tougher.

You wake up in a dark room. Your head hurts and you can't remember how you got here. In the darkness, you can just make out the crude bed you're laying on. Your leg is fastened to one of the bedposts by a heavy chain with a very imposing-looking lock. You check your pockets and find a cell phone, some quarters and a corkscrew. Suddenly a door at the end of the room opens and you see two figures wearing body armor looking quite angry. One has an SMG, the other a riot shield and nightstick. Both have their weapons lowered and haven't noticed you yet in the dark. With the new light, you can see a nightstand within your reach. On it is a gun with one bullet.

What do you do?  

27

NWR Forums Discord / The Thread for 50 Post Per Page People

« on: May 14, 2007, 12:45:13 PM »

Yep, this is the meeting of the 50 P.P.P.P. Ours is clearly a better setup then yours.

If you don't have it set for 50 Posts Per Page, go away.

[BATTLE STATIONS! BATTLE STATIONS!]

28

General Gaming / X-Box Live for Windows

« on: May 14, 2007, 12:39:47 PM »

BATTLE STATIONS! BATTLE STATIONS!

Games for Windows - Live Silver Membership Features

   * Single gamertag
   * Common gamer profile
   * Common gamerscore
   * Single player achievements
   * Private chat via text and voice
   * Common friends list and online presence
   * PC only multiplayer including browsing a list of active PC games

Games for Windows - Live Gold Membership Features

   * All Silver membership features
   * Multiplayer matchmaking with friends
   * TrueSkill matchmaking
   * Multiplayer achievements
   * Cross-platform gameplay

Woho! Now we'll have to pay for things like friends lists, quickmatches and pay $10 to change your name!

Seriously, this sucks. I swear this is going to suck camel nuts. As a PC gamer, I'm use to getting all that junk for free. Hell, Ventrillo, Teamspeak, Steam and XFire can do all that stuff, and they're free.

And why on earth would you want to play with console gamers? The X-Box Live community isn't something you like. It's full of loudmouths and stupid 12 year olds singing into the mic. Most of them swear that thumbsticks are better for FPS' then mice.  They'll only be useful as cannon fodder.  

29

General Gaming / Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword

« on: May 13, 2007, 06:02:49 AM »

I'm saddened by the fact there's no thread for this game. So I'm starting it. And there's nothing you can do to stop me.

You all should know what Sid Meier's Civilization series is about (or at least be able to figure it out by the title), but for those of you with the brainpower of a lobotomized chimp I'll explain it. It's a turn-based strategy game with out as the leader of your civilization taking it from the stone age to the modern world. Civilization III was pretty stat heavy and complex, on the higher levels there were only a few strategies that worked. Civilization IV is perhaps the only game that the developers succeeded in simplifying without dumbing it down.

Civilization IV puts more importance on the choices you make. Should I expand now and take that iron resource and leave myself open to attack, but gain bonuses in the long run? Do I warmonger or become a peace lover? Should I take a side in the wars of my neighbors, stay neutral or wait for them to wear themselves out and strike then? Do I take Vassalage or Serfdom as my civics? Should I found my own religion and risk getting a holy war sent against me, or adopt the religion of my neighbors? Should I research to Monarchy or get Alphabet first? Spearmen to fight Chariots, or Axemen to fight Swordsmen?Decisions, decision, decisions.

I love Civ4, but I seem to always reach a point near the modern age where I know I'm going to win and it slows down. However, this expansion seems to be set to change that. Just look at the box art. More stuff for the modern world like spreading corporations, advanced espionage and new units. Plus random events. For more information, see the Civilization Fanatic's Center.

So, yeah, I'm looking forward to it.  

30

NWR Forums Discord / The Roleplay Arena #1: Crossing the Chasm

« on: May 11, 2007, 01:45:34 AM »

Hello, and welcome to the first (and hopefully not last) Roleplay Arena! I will present a situation for you, and you must pass it. The best answer wins the prize of ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! The rules are as follows:

-You aren't a Jedi. You have no superpowers. You're only human.
-You have only the items stated.
-You can't phone a friend.
-Simplicity is best, but complexity is much funnier.

So, let's get started.

You've come across a deep chasm about 20 feet wide. You have a spool of Kevlar thread, some paperclips and a rubber band. Nearby you see a lone chicken. What is the best course of action?

31

NWR Forums Discord / Wrath of Rome #4: Coming to Terms

« on: May 06, 2007, 03:23:53 PM »

It was the day after public mourning for Trebonius had ended. The Aeneid was a huge vessel, but it seemed even larger when one saw a map of it. The ship was almost a city in its own right. There was enough room to fit all the 4,500 men of the Praetorian Guard comfortably, and still had enough room that another legion could fit in. It had everything an army could need: vast storehouses, shooting ranges, a mess hall capable of feeding everyone on board and quarters for the troops, in addition to the command center, communication systems and its weapon systems. And Gaius knew each corridor by heart.

He walked into shooting range 3. This one was built for testing urban combat situations, and as such was smaller then the others. The range itself was an empty area, holographic projectors created realistic targets and environments. Today's practice was with the standard issue Model 267 high-velocity .50 caliber assault rifle. Gaius grabbed one off the racks and took up a booth next to Camilla. Like everyone else there, all were in their power armor, both to get them use to it (as if they needed it, the armor felt like it was an extension of their body) and safety reasons. Regular legionnaires claimed it was impossible to tell one Praetorian from another when in full armor, but Gaius could easily tell who was who, without using his IFF. He opened a private comlink with Camilla. This was just as good of a time to talk as any. Praetorians go through intense training to make sure they can communicate orders while under fire. He started to speak.

"We need to talk, Camilla."

"Speak."

The round began. The range became an urban environment, a row of three-story homes filled their sight. Gaius readied his weapon. The first target peaked its head out of a window right in front of Gaius. He let loose a three shot burst, but the guy next to him (Marcus Porcius) got it first, single shot to the head. "Camilla, Trebonius's death has affected all of us. I've gotten worried about you lately." As he said this, two targets rose. One in the upper left, other lower right. Gaius nailed the first with a three-shot burst to the chest without pausing in his speech. The second one got hit by two soldiers farther down the line at almost the same time.

"Why's that?" Camilla asked. Gaius sensed she knew what he was getting at. This time, four targets popped out, all in one row, and this time Gaius noticed they were Cornarians. That made the splatter effects all the more satisfying. He went full auto across the row, getting two but Camilla got the third and Quintus Nepos the last one. Gaius reloaded., as he had already almost wasted most of his 30-round clip. He never was very good with ammo conservation.

"You' had two settings before: When you smiled, the world seemed to shine brighter, but when you were in battle, well, that's why your call sign is 'Fury'. But ever since Trebonius died, you've become distant to all of us." Gaius Finished reloading just as Camilla got the last target.

"I can't be that scary." The sarcasm was dripping from that sentence. Camilla was a stealth and close-combat specialist. She used the standard gladius with an ultrasonic generator in the blade and forearm-mounted energy shield system for serious fights, but when charging into a group of conscripts she used twin gladii for the sheer morale damaging affect. In combat, she was cold as ice, and the fact that she could kill a man six different ways with only her thumbs made her someone you did not want to cross.

The warm-ups were over, and now came a constant stream of targets. Gaius continued. "Camilla, I'm serious. You can't hold these things in. It's just not healthy. I know you were in love with Trebonius, but he wouldn't want you to lose yourself mourning him," He had almost stopped aiming now and just let loose a burst of full auto at anything that moved.

"Gaius, it's not so much that. I miss Tebonius dearly. All my hopes for the future were in him." At this point, she took out five target in a row, one bullet each. "The main problem is that there was nothing I could do to save him."

Gaius nailed two with one bullet. How lucky was that? "Uh, shouldn't that be part of the healing process, not the problem?" This really wasn't how the conversation went when he had thought it out in his mind.

"I mean, when we joined the Guard, we're told we are almost gods among men, that there is no mission too tough for us. I'm agnostic, but when I stood beside Trebonius, it was easy to see why some Christians called him the 'Almighty's champion' or the pagans claim he was goddess-born. He had an aura of destiny around him. It was like Aeneas, Hercules or Augustus stood next to us. But, the way he died... It didn't fit. He was a hero. I always thought he'd either die peacefully of old age after a good life or fall sacrificing himself for all of us. But instead, he was murdered, and we could do nothing. It's like we were a general during his triumph with no one to remind him he's only a man."

Gaius paused to think about that for a second or two. He missed several easy shots, and he never was very good at consoling people. "When I think of how he died, I think the Cornarians are thieves. They robbed him of a glorious destiny. I can feel a rage building up inside me. The closest I can think of to compare it to is how you beat the crap out of that patrician snob who tried to have his bodyguards beat you because you're of Malinese birth." It had happened when she was walking in civilian clothes and the fools didn't know she was a Praetorian. She made a lot of bones break that day. "I, I feel like stealing a ship, going to Cornaria and killing as many of them as I can."

She and Gaius both hit the last target square in the chest. Almost the same spot. "Gaius, I feel same way. But, I think we'll get our chance. There's a 'diplomatic' mission to Cornaria scheduled for next week."

As the range began to reset itself for the next round, Gaius felt like Christmas had come early this year.      

32

NWR Forums Discord / The Xenophobic Party Campaign Thread

« on: May 04, 2007, 11:14:25 AM »

Friends! NWR Forum Members! Lend me your ears! A plague lies upon our fair forum! One which has only one solution: The purging flame. Men! This scourge is that of furries! These foul, unchaste beasts threaten to corrupt the most sacred thing of all: the human genome itself! It is time we take action! Death to the Xenos!

If you choose me as your leader, these beasts will be dealt with, there will be no mercy. Troops will be assigned from the most loyal citizens. Each will be equipped with the best weapons we have. They will be armored to take on any foe. And they will be trained to have no fear. I have already decided to call them the . That's right, they're so secret they have no name. The  will strike fear into the hearts of all our enemies.

We will also begin expansion. Let's face it, there are many forums smaller then us we can beat up. Right now we're like Switzerland, we're small and doesn't get involved in anything. We need to be more like Germany, ambitious and misunderstood.

Join me, brothers! Every vote for me is a nail in the coffin of furries!

Oh, and I will be taking questions now.  

EDIT: Due to issues with the forum,  has been renamed to ".". Now they are subtle so that you may not even know they exist.  

EDIT:  Due to the fact that I owned myself, I withdraw from this election. The Xenophobic Party now fully supports Khushrenada.  

33

NWR Forums Discord / Wrath of Rome #4: Mourning Sky

« on: May 04, 2007, 06:37:42 AM »

It was hard to tell the tears of the people from the tears of the sky.

The casket was nothing to Gaius while in his power armor, especially with five others sharing the burden, but it felt like it weighed as much as Terra itself. He grieved the loss of his friend. In some ways, the idea that a man like Trebonius Cinna could be struck down like that seemed unreal. Gaius could be a hard man to like, and Trebonius was one of his few true friends. How long had they known each other? As children they were playmates, running around the city of Rome pretending to be soldiers or some other childhood fantasy.

He would normally give anything to be in the Eternal City, but today there was no joy in the streets. All were wearing black mourning garments. Men, women and children lined the street to bid farewell to their hero. It was as if the sky mourned with them.

Gaius looked to the other side of the casket where Camilla was. Her face was set as hard as a stone, but he knew not all of the water rolling on her cheeks was rain. He knew the pain he felt must be nothing compared to hers. In the Senate, Gaius had been asked simple questions about the mission. Camilla had been grilled about her relationship with Trebonius. At first several Senators seemed to think she was merely a hanger-on, but when she had finished speaking every heart in Rome felt for her loss. Some started calling her the “Lost Matron”.

Rome had lost more then one hero. How many great generals, admirals, inventors, poets and statesmen could have come from such a grand union? Gaius did not want to think about it. It made the rage inside him build up even more. After the funeral, Gaius promised himself he would sacrifice to Pluto, to Mars and to Jupiter the Avenger.

And after the seven days of public mourning for Trebonius, he would need to talk to Camilla. He could not let her lose herself in her grief.  

34

NWR Forums Discord / Wrath of Rome: Last Wish

« on: May 03, 2007, 11:27:38 AM »

The rebuilt Senate House was a huge facility, housing the entire SPQR. It had been built in the manner of the ancients, so that no matter where one stood, their voice was carried to all of the 300 senators, even without microphones. The building was built of marble and looked totally authentic (even though it was less then 300 years old), it could sometimes seem like a time capsule, with the senators wearing their archaic togas with a single purple stripe to show their rank. That is, only when you disregarded the huge holographic projection sphere used to display information, the swarm of press camera drones that filled the air, and the Urban Cohort legionnaires standing guard. Every senator was accounted for, and the two Consuls (Autronius Paetus and Lucius Mugillanus) were just about to present something to the Senate when Gaius and Camilla were led in.

"Ah, excellent timing." Began Autronius. "Senators, I present you Gaius Drusus Rufus Marcellus, Tribune of the Eighth Cohort of the Praetorian Guard, and Camilla, Tribune of the Praetorian Guard's 10th Cohort." Both saluted, then took the seats on the speaking floor offered. They had literally been planetside only for a few seconds before being asked to testify at the Senate. Gaius tried to smile, but he felt he just made himself look like an idiot. He truly hated having his full name read. Camilla sat with her arms crossed and her head down, as if in deep sorrow. It was not because of being called only Camilla; Roman women were referred to by one name only.

Lucius spoke while motioning for the holographic projector to be turned on. The room darkened. "We are, of course, here to discuss the death of our beloved Trebonius Cinna, a hero of the Republic, cut down in a manner not at all fitting a man of his virtue. Our rescue fleet has returned, and a previously said, found our son of Rome dead. We have more details now. But I will not say them, instead we will let Trebonius speak to us.”

Gaius immediately realised they had been able to recover Trebonius’ last words. He craned his neck to look at the projection sphere floating in the center of the room. Camilla immediately raised her head. The voice cam clear through the room’s speakers, and the projection sphere played Trebonius’ HUD camera feed, though it was full of static and only showed the ceiling that he saw while lying on the stretcher. It was his voice, but weak and pained.

“This is Trebonius Cinna, Prefect of the Praetorian Guard, Roman Citizen and Hero of the Republic. I will not bore you with my many titles…” He breathed deeply. “I was sent here as an ambassador to the Cornarians. All went well until the station was locked down. I survived as many around me perished each night, mourning the slaughter but believing my inviolateness of person as an Ambassador and martial strength would keep me safe until the crisis was over. Little did I know these, Cornarians, these… Creatures, for they are certainly not human, they show so little sorrow at the deaths of their fellows, these souless Xenos did nothing to aid the situation, actually voting on who to kill. I barricaded myself in my quarters and waited for the storm to pass.

“That night I was sleeping when there was a clash, and the door was smashed open. I rose and shouted at the form. ’Intruder! I am Trebonius Cinna, Prefect of the Praetorian Guard and ambassador of Rome! Attack me and you will bring only a ruinous war upon your people!’ but it did not retreat. It strode into the room, and I saw it too was wearing power armor. It had razor-sharp claws and teeth, and was far larger then me. I had no weapons. It slashed and I rolled back to dodge its attack. What followed was a brutal fight, I used my fists and everything around me as well as I could, but I was badly mismatched. I broke some bones in it, but the beast rent me badly with claws and teeth. It did not even finish me. The cowardly Cornarians, who must have heard the tremendous fight, only came out in the morning to find me lying unconscious on the floor.

“I awoke days later in this medical bay, pain surging through my body as it still does. I must have been kept in a coma to ease my suffering. At the very least, the medical droids had stabilized my condition; I was terribly weak but still alive. There were no technicians nearby. My IV had run out, no one had come to refill it, and that is why I am awake. I sat up as best I could. Suddenly as I sat there, a Cornarian entered. Krystal, I believe she was called. She seemed to be… Of ill repute. Look at her outfit and you would understand.

"She began to work on a nearby terminal. I was going to thank her for coming to check on me with my weak voice when I realized she was shutting down the machines I was still attached to. I roared at her. ‘You bitch! What are you doing! If you wish me dead, have the courage to do it yourself!’ I was weak, but rolled off the bed and found I could still stand. Immediately I grabbed a scalpel from a table and rushed at her the best I could.  Fear filled the bitch’s face, and she hurriedly typed into the console. The droids grabbed me and held me down. I raged, but the strength was leaving my body. She left, and as soon as I could no longer fight, the droids returned to their stations and shut down. Here I am, unable to escape my fate. I know I am dying, and I know I cannot outrun the angel of death now.

“I am sad, but I can not complain of my life. To merely live among such people as the citizens of Rome was enough of an honor to fill a lifetime, and to serve them was enough to let my soul rest in peace. You are all my friends and countrymen. I hope I have made my father and mother (may their souls rest in peace) proud and have been worthy of my name. Gaius has been my closes friend and companion for years. Let him secede me as Prefect. I wish I had more time to be here, I know far too many of my men less then they deserve. To Camilla, I wish it to be know that…” He sighed, “that I love you.

“To all Romans, remember this: Strength and Honor. The human will can always prevail. Do not let me go unavenged; I know you will fulfill this wish. These are the last words of a murdered man. Strength and Honor.”

The projection finished, and the Senate immediately burst into shouts and mourning cries. Gaius could not speak. Rage filled him. The enemy had not even given his friend an honorable death. If he were not in the Senate, he would break something. Right now the only things nearby were the Consuls (punching one of them would not be a good idea) and Camilla (punching her would be perhaps the fastest way to commit suicide), so he suppressed his anger. He knew he must have looked furious, due to the number of camera drones that buzzed around him. Camilla still sat arms crossed and head down, but her eyes were open.

A fire burned in them.

LOL plot advancement. I just want to point out I'm trying to shoehorn as many historical references as I can into here. Points to whoever is a big enough history buff to find some!  

35

NWR Forums Discord / Wrath of Rome: Dust and Echoes

« on: May 02, 2007, 10:24:15 AM »

Situated deep within the heart of the vessel, the bridge of the Aeneid was always a hub of controlled chaos. Huge screens lined the room to provide video feed from any needed source, while admiral Varro Marcellius oversaw the operation. For Camilla, standing there on the bridge doing nothing was painful. While born a member of the Mali Kingdom, she was now a 100% loyal Roman citizen, and the first female Praetorian. Her martial skill was what had carried her to the rank of Tribune.

She and Gaius had thrown lots to see who would take this mission, she had lost, and her cohort was standing by a reinforcements. Gaius was an able soldier, and even though the mission had been on for almost an hour, had met no resistance. In fact, they had found no one. The station was sealed, they had been forced to blast open the hangar doors with precision strikes from the fleet, all defense turrets were disabled, security systems spiked, blast doors sealed and while there were signs of struggle everywhere, no bodies. While watching Gaius' HUD camera on one of the screens, she opened up a comlink with him.

"We still haven't found anything on the scanners. How are you holding up?'

"We've spent the last five minutes walking down empty corridors and prying these cheap storm doors open with our hands. We've seen no sign of Trebonius. The men are worried we might not find him. The maps we have are incomplete at best. The place could self destruct at any moment." He relayed, "And I'm starved. How are things on your end?"

Camilla couldn't help but smile. Gaius always seemed to think of his stomache. He wasn't joking about prying the doors open, though. Whatever alloy the Cornarians used could be molded like clay by their powered armor. "We're holding together well. The BCN is fully operational. The Virgil and Livy are here. They're handling most of the load." The Battle Command Network was an ad-hoc connection between all Roman units on the field, allowing an upreceded level of intelligence and coordination. Due to its nature, it was nearly impossible to tap into from an unauthorized source.

Camilla hoped that they could find Trebonius. They needed to. He was a hero, and an excellent soldier. His mere presence could shift the sway of a battle. They had fought together almost everywhere. They were comrades in arms and... And were in love. They had kept it quite. Camilla, Trebonius and Gaius were the only ones to know. Naturally, she and Trebonius followed all rules and regulations about interaction between soldiers, but they wouldn't be in the army forever.

Gaius spoke again into the comlink. "I swear, if we don't find something soon, I'm gonna start knocking down walls to-" He paused. "Camilla, tell me my radar isn't malfunctioning."

To his 2 o'clock, there was a weak Roman IFF transmission that wasn't registered with the rescue team. Camilla didn't have a chance to speak before Gaius took off after it, without even informing his squad. He bolted down the hallway and rammed the door with his shoulder, sending it flying into the room.

It must have been a medbay, but now it was a morgue. A single huge one-way window brought light into the room and gave a beautiful view of the star system. Rows of dead Cornarians on medical stretchers filled the room. Medical droids sat deactivated. And in the center was a sight that made Gaius freeze and Camilla's blood turn to ice.

There lay Trebonius Cinna. His armor was rent, and deep gashes were visible through it. They were far too many to have been done by a blade, even one with an ultrasonic generator. Pieces of the armor such as the helmet had been removed. He looked peaceful, and his hand still clutched a rosary. Trebonius had been a Christian, but even pagans adored him. At the sight of this, Gaius began to shake. He turned around and punched a piece of medial equipment nearby with his great fist, leaving a huge dent in the metal.

"Damn it!" He shouted out loud. "I was too late! This is all my fault. I should have pressed forward faster..."

By this time, his squad had arrived, and the medic Quintus had already scanned Trebonius' body. "Sir, he died three days ago. His blood does not lie on your hands. Logs show he was hooked to life support for a few days before it was cut. The memory core is still intact, we will find who did this."

Gaius stood still, facing the window, the Aeneid in full view and Cornaria in the background. "I am no oracle, but even I can divine this: Cornaria will burn, and I," He turned to face his men,"By Jove, I will throw the first firebrand."

Sullust had already reported their finding on the BCN. Gaius tried to open a comlink with Camilla, but her comlink was not responding.    

[Aeneid]

36

NWR Forums Discord / Wrath of Rome: Deployment

« on: April 30, 2007, 09:58:11 AM »

I'm bored right now.

At 6:00 on January 16th, 1807, Gaius Marcellus flipped through his HUD's feed of the external cameras one last time. The fleet had been scrambled in a few hours, but they were finally in position. All ships had formed a spherical perimeter around the station. Anything trying to flee would be torn to pieces by the sheer number of cannons that would concentrate fire once the Battle Command Network sensed a threat.

The Anchor III rebellion was the last time such an armada had been formed. Every available warship had been sent. Gaius again marveled at the Republic's raw strength. From the Galley-class frigates, the Trireme-class destroyers to the Quinquireme-class battleships, each was a sight to behold. In truth, these vessels took very little from their ancient seaborne brethren, but they had kept the elongated from and ram-shaped bow.

The most striking feature, however, was the presence of the Corvus Quinquireme Aeneid, Father of the Fleet. The first space faring warship, it was built in 1648 AD to show Rome’s power, to serve more an intimidation tool then a weapon. It was so huge that when in low orbit, it could be seen clearly in the sky. Elaborate engravings in its armor depicted Rome’s most glorious moments, from Aeneas carrying his father as Troy burned, Brutus driving the Tarquin from the city, the invention of the steam-motor, the founding of the first Mars colony and so on. But it was not all looks. The ship sported well over a dozen high-gauge rail guns on each side, aged but so huge a single shot could destroy most capital ships. It bristled with point defense weapons, and the bow had been used several times to ram enemy ships that foolishly attempted to block its path.

The sight of such a beast made Gaius proud to be a Roman citizen. Wealth, family, ethnicity and creed no longer determined your rank, only virtue was what a man was to be judged by. In truth, corruption was as always a problem, racism still existed in some places and he still hated politicians, but Gaius was able to push that aside for a second.

He was a Tribune of the Praetorian Guard, after all. He was in charge of an entire Cohort; each of the 450 men equipped with Mark V Praetorian powered armor and given the finest weapons and training Rome could offer, with several heavy support automations. They had been founded as a bodyguard for Augustus, but after Germanicus and his brother Claudius overthrew Tiberius, they were reassigned as an elite member of the Roman army, a Legion in their own right, and were now Rome’s finest specials forces unit. Time and time again, they had stood against impossible odds and triumphed. He was proud to lead them.

It was then he snapped out of his thoughts and focused on his mission. They were here to rescue one of their own. Trebonius Cinna, the Prefect of the Praetorian Guard, Hero of the Republic, shining example of virtue and Gaius' friend had not sent his weekly transmission. He had been sent as an ambassador to a vacation space station inside Cornerian space. The Republic had offered the finest Son of Rome as an ambassador to show their desire for peace. Soon after arriving, the Cornerians locked down the station and stated a terrorist had infiltrated it. Trebonius was stranded there until the crisis would be over, but was able to send regular transmissions and stated he would be fine.

This week, he had not sent his transmission. In less then two hours, an emergency meeting of the SPQR authorized the fleet to launch a rescue mission. They would not abandon Trebonius, and Gaius would not abandon his friend. The nine dropships, each carrying fifty Praetorians, continued their rush towards the station’s hangar doors, escorted by well over two-dozen heavy fighters and fire support drones. He switched back to combat view and loaded the dual belt feeds for his twin-barreled heavy machine gun.

Nothing would stand before him.    

37

General Gaming / S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl

« on: February 20, 2007, 09:18:01 AM »

I'm surprised no one's made a thread about this game yet.

Basically, it takes place in a world where in 2006 a second explosion occurred at Chernobyl, creating an area known as "The Zone",where serious mutations in plants and animals occur, with even the bare laws of physics affected sometimes. However, the amount of radiation can sometimes affect items throughout the zone with mysterious properties, turning them into artifact sought over the black market for millions. A few people known as Stalkers live in the Zone, looking to find these hugely valuable objects at their own risk.

In game terms, you play as a Stalker in the Zone, and have roughly 10 kilometers to freely explore. The world itself evolves around you, animals will hunt, Stalker clans will fight and quests are created at random. The game is pretty open, you can solve almost any mission many different ways. Pick enemies off from the rooftops, use silenced weapons to remove enemies, or just go in guns blazing. It plays like a FPS, but with many RPG elements. You have to mange your inventory, food, thirst and radiation poisoning. NPC interactions seem deep too.

I'm in love with the Collector's Edition box, too. Link to box.

[WITHOUT ADDING ANYTHING ELSE]

38

NWR Forums Discord / The Überquote Project V2.0

« on: January 16, 2007, 09:04:11 AM »

A while ago on another forum, I was browsing its off-topic area when I beheld the Überquote, a quote quoted so many times, the original message wasn't even displayed. I figure this would be a good place to emulate it, and months ago tried my hand at it. It failed. But I'm giving it one last try.

The premise is this:

1) After this post, I will make another post that contains one simple sentence.
2) Someone else is to quote that post WITHOUT ADDING ANYTHING ELSE. No pictures, no extra text. Just quote the thing.
3) Someone else quotes that quote, once again WITHOUT ADDING ANYTHING ELSE.
4) The process of 2 to 3 repeats itself until the Überquote achieves a total number of quotes of infinity+1. What is infinity+1? It's when the forum can take no more.
5) There shall be no step five.
6) Get to it.  

UPDATE
We had a shaky start, but now the Überquote is alive and kicking. All of you who contributed have my thanks for aiding me in this glorious undertaking, but the job is not yet done. To victory!

UPDATE 2/5/07
We are besieged on all sides by enemies who create mockeries of the Überquote to throw us off, and our own soldiers have grown weary. It takes only a second to aid us, we have come too close to fail now!

39

NWR Forums Discord / The case against Stabby

« on: October 22, 2006, 10:56:30 AM »

Every topic he makes is ignored. Mark my words, this will never get beyond five posts.

40

General Gaming / Oblivion for PS3

« on: October 02, 2006, 01:14:13 PM »

Link

Honestly I'm not surprised. Olbivion was built mostly for the console market. Us PC users got screwed a bit.

Yes, I'm complaining about Oblivion. I may have come off as a fanboy last thread, but that's only because the problems I have with Oblivion were completly different then the ones you guys were blabbing about (seriously, if you can't sit through the tutorial dungeon, you're ADD). I still think it's a good game, but I was very dissapointed with may aspects. Here is my long list of complaints:

1) Mainstreaming. Oblivion abandoned the true RPG element and moved onto the action-style. No longer did I spend hours trying to find the locaton of Keening or Sunder, slowly but surely making a map of the region as I went, as I did in Morrowind. The location of the Mythic Dawn base is shown on your map by a green marker. Hell, I didn't have to walk. I could fast travel. Mods can't fix this.

2) Monsters leveling with you. Everything in fact. The Champion of the Arena can be a level one warrior, and the feared leader of the Necromancers, the King of Worms, is a weak High-Elf with no abnormal or eerie lines or undead monstrocities besides a few zombies. I can take on anything with no fear of losing. There is no challenge. Some mods can fix this, but dungeons still feel generic.

3) Radiant AI. Can you say overhyped? I was hoping to see a living wolrd, what I found were merchants that went to their shop, stood there all day, went home for the night and came back the next day to start the loop again. The others wander mindlessly, stopping to have conversations with no theme at all. Example:

NPC 1: "I saw a mudcrab today. Horrible creatures."
NPC 2: "I see."
NPC 1: Goodbye.

4) Roleplaying. Or the lack of. I rarely get to choose what path I want to take. What if I want to fall for the bandit's trap and be forced to take them out in hand-to-hand combat? What if I want to sacrefice the girl to the Deep Ones? What if I want to get the scales for that old fisherman then beat him down and steal his money?

5) Bethesda's official mods. They suck. $2 for some horse armor that doesn't do anything. $2 to actually make that locked door that was in the normal Oblivion actually have somethng behind it. $3 to add in a weapon whos art files were already in the game. Not to mention that there are free user-made mods 100 times better. They have the source code and could add in mounted combat (horses without mounted combat is like guns without bullets), but no. They milk it for as much money as they can.

Bethesda, fire Todd Howard's sorry ass. I hope you don't go the same route for TES V.  

41

Nintendo Gaming / Potential idea for a new Star Wars game?

« on: July 23, 2006, 03:07:50 AM »

YouTube link

Article on Gamespot

Now, most of the article is talking about a new system that makes AI come up with animations on its own (or something along those lines), but I''m going to be focusing on the trailer. First off, it is a pre-rendered movie, not in-game and there's no details on if it will even be used in a game anytime soon. But just look at what that Jedi can do and imagine it on the Wii.

If LucasArts can't see how awesome this would be on the Wii, they're a bunch of idiots.  

42

General Gaming / Yeah, Halo 3's been announced.

« on: May 09, 2006, 12:38:38 PM »

The announcement in Frankie's words.

We all knew it was announced. I just wanted to make a topic about it. With it announced, all Microsoft needs to do is say it comes out before the PS3 and that's the last nail in Sony's coffin.

43

General Gaming / Battlefield 2142?!?

« on: April 14, 2006, 05:58:51 PM »

Well, looks like EA's officially milking the series now... So far, we've gotten:

Battlefield 1942 (Lived a long time, had two expansions)
Battlefield Vietnam (Really was just 1942 in Vietnam with helicopters, killed off after a few months by sequel)
Battlefield 2 (Still young, don't know how many expansions, there Special Forces, Euro Force and I think another one coming out)
Battlefield 2142 (Looks ready to kill off Battlefield 2 once all payers buy the expansions)

Link

44

NWR Forums Discord / New Batman/Wario Ware crossover for DS revealed!!!

« on: February 22, 2006, 04:08:46 PM »

Best viewed in Interweb Explorer.

45

NWR Forums Discord / Stupid lawsuits aren't limited to the US anymore...

« on: January 28, 2006, 02:43:46 AM »

Click.

Oy. Now, let's not start a debate about religion here. But think about this: How dumb can this guy be?

EDIT: To clarify, I was talking about the plaintiff being the dumb one.

46

NWR Forums Discord / The Überquote Project

« on: January 12, 2006, 12:46:42 PM »

This is simple. On another forum, I saw with my own eyes the mighty Überquote! It was a message quoted so much, it was beyond belief. Let's try it, quote this message whitout adding anything, then everyone else quote that quote, and so on...

Let the Überquote reign once again!  

47

General Gaming / Article on video game media's shortcomings.

« on: January 11, 2006, 10:28:33 AM »

Clicky.

I've got to agree with this guy. Video game journalist in the mainstream seem afraid to be negative in fear of losing their privlages (such as getting reviewable copies early). I've found that smaller fan-run ones (such as PCG) aren't afraid to speak out.

48

NWR Forums Discord / Behold! the Wabbajack!

« on: December 22, 2005, 02:11:37 PM »

Produces large metal pole from thin air.

Yes, yes! Here is the mighty Wabbajack! One whack will turn any living creature into a random animal! Let me demonstrate...

Whacks self and turns into a rabbit, dropping the Wabbajack.

Ah hell. I wanted to be something at least with opposable thumbs, but whatever. Give it a try and see what you turn into!

Runs off to find a carrot.  

49

General Gaming / EA sends out Warnings!

« on: December 20, 2005, 12:35:06 PM »

...About its financial status. No, unfortunately the behemoth isn't dying, but it didn't make anywhere near the profits it wanted to. Serves them right! I'll nevcer forgive them for closing Westwood Studios...

Clicky

50

NWR Forums Discord / This thread is my territory now!

« on: November 12, 2005, 05:11:21 AM »

You heard me...

Loads shotgun