ATotallyNewUsername

We can cast judgement on what made this person do what he did all we want, the fact is we don't know. As far as I see it that's a good thing; we don't think like that and so we don't all do what he did. No matter how much we probe and decry, not matter how much we point the finger and cast blame we won't get to the end of it. The fact is people do these things for reasons that we can't fathom. That's not a bad thing for it means we don't want to repeat those actions. The real thing I wish for, perhaps even more than finding a miracle cure so this never happens again (which is, realistically , is unlikely to happen) is for so much attention to stop being heaped on the man who did this; he did what he did and we gain nothing from constantly harping on about him unless the aim is to potentially give him what he wanted which may have been to be noticed. Instead we should forget about tearing about this man's life and trying to find the cause and instead focus on the victims. They, and their families, are the one's that are suffered and the ones that need to be helped, to remembered and to be always be in the minds of the people. The media should not throw out theories as to what caused it and why but instead remember the victims, about what was good in their lives and the happiness they brought in their short time on this Earth. Forget about the man that did it; he doesn't deserve the attention, regardless of the reasons, and make sure that this tragedy is remembered in the hope it never happens again.

You made that out of computer parts?! Top notch. I jest, look pretty good if I do say so myself.

I think that, for anyone that genuinely believes the world is to end this Friday, I should be given permission to bundle in a sack, drive them to the woods and then hunt them with my bow for sport. It would do society a favour. So... erm no, I don't think it is going to end.

You're happy about that

I think Doctor has the stick of it here. There's two advantages to doing something like this: 1) It gets everyone to know the team. If you're half way through the project and then find out your lead programmer has a perchance for not listening, doing everything his/her own way and crapping on ideas it is a bit late to find that out, especially if you have to go back and find someone else to do all that and fix it all over again. 2) It offers objective insight into where you've gone wrong. Creating a game in a format that enables putting it on websites where people can play is a great assest. When you're working on something one of two extremes tends to happen; you either think it is extremely good and there aren't any flaws or you hate what you're doing/believe it isn't as good as you think it could be. The opinions of people who aren't related to the project in anyway is a good way of ironing out things that need to be tightned up and improved. All in all a small test game (doesn't have to be too long or too hard, but more a small attempt to forge a team and produce something to the best of our abilities) would be a great way to help find the path in an attempt to make something bigger. Heck, do it as a prequel to the idea of the large project; not only could this lead to a developing fan-base, and thus people waiting for the start, but it ties it in with the whole thing. Above all else it helps stick the team together and hopefully leads to a point where we trust each other to let everyone do their jobs and their jobs only. Otherwise it gets complicated quickly As for myself I'd be happy to help write things; I'll send some links to things I've written when I get the chance to see if you approve of the style/writing ability. However a bit more direction in writing might be welcome. Sure we've got the overview but I can do all types of nasty with an overview and take it in the wrong direction. For many a writer planning is akin to the lubrication a doctor would put on their fingers before a prostate exam; it makes it much easier but it still doesn't mean you enjoy it. What I mean by this is an idea is a great thing but it falls down unless you have some framework to plan off. I get the aliens and time-travel but to what extent? Do you want purely just the humans and the aliens or a more fleshed-out background? How does the time-travel link into everything; i..e do you want it at the beginning, middle or the end of the story (with the latter being a way to link it on to further games)? Is it an intergeral theme, and if so how much, i.e. are they fighting for a way to time-travel back? The general questions can go on for a while. I don't mean to sound like a Dbag and I'm perfectly willing to help but I think the idea behind the game needs to be discussed in a bit more detail. It is one thing to purely say "I want THIS and THAT, now chop-chop" but it will eventually end in havoc, especially if two or more people are trying to make up ideas from an idea. Essentially a bit of organisation is key; get the writers together and let them discuss of you're basic idea and it should work a smoother in the long run.

It seems complicated to start off with and is a bit of a muddle in the first couple of turns but it pretty easy to pick up once it is put into practice. Glad for the interest.

Backstabbing, betrayal and poison. Whispering in every corner, everything you do being watched, reported on and fed back to some over-pampered Lord who doesn’t really know what the hell is going on. They here about some unrest here or some muttering there and think they can solve it with a bit of gold and a whole lot of crap spewing from their mouth. So what if the loins they were pushed out of had a better name attached to them. So what if you have six hundred years of heritage going back to Aldier the Brave or Paul the Really Mean Goat Puncher? Barely any of them know what it means to truly hold a sword. To stand shoulder to shoulder with men and women you know the name of. To be ready to die for them and know they would die for you. Barely any have felt the fear of near death for their home and the rush it brings to know your arms may just save your lands. You know what I think they should do? Take a spear and shove it up the arse of all those council-men, all those title loving fools who sit on their cushions thinking they know how to rule the realm. And people wonder why I’m not allowed at court. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Have you ever read a novel and wondered what it would be like to write one? Or even to contribute to a small part of a world created by imagination and made real by the paper it is printed on? I know I have and as a writer I do that often. However sometimes you just don’t feel like you can or you feel that your own input just doesn’t do it justice. And sometimes, like me, you might want to sit down, get a group together and see just how well your world might unfold. Well this is what I propose. Through the medium of imagination and bit of thought and some nice playing along we can propose a nice little writing challenge for myself, to spur me on to write my novel, but also a way for us all to be creative, friendly and design a world to our whim. Well sort of. The Vision So in summary – Each player will control a portion of an empire. Whether that is a great house, a member of the council, a leader of an army or even the King himself, each person will take a part. With that what each person wants to do with be submitted to me, events will play out partially through the game and partially through the forum, a story will be create and we’ll all have lots of fun. How will it work? The Medium Used Example Characters So there are the basics. If you’re interested, want to know more or want to propose some other ideas comment below. Hopefully, with some interest we can start this off and then I’ll create some spots for people to jump into and thus allow more chance to get started but involve others as we do. I have a basic History in my head which I will provide on the grounds of interest but, as I will stress, most of this world is dictated by you, the Players. So suggestions or ideas are encouraged and welcome, even if you don’t think they could work. It is better to try and get rejected then not try at all. I’ve run this on other forums and it can work out well. Plus it would be fun to play two against each other

Civilisation 3. Far too much time has been pumped into that bad boy.

A lot of games these days don't include an instruction manual, or at least a minimal one. Furthermore this is a community forum not 343 industries themselves. You're best to post such qualms here rather than on this forum if you want a better chance for someone from the respective companies to see it.

I'm just going to leave this here.

There are times when I look out onto the world and see all the greatness but for all the beauty this world we lay claim to possesses it can bring its own share of horror. Wars unnumbered, the fight against diseases and natural disaster so bad it seems as if the world itself is trying to shake us of its back. Now I read this article, the words engrained into my memory like so many terrible news reports that I have seen in my lifetime and I tremble at the thought. Where once lay a world of opportunity in a packet, a personification of goodness that one could devour with gusto now I see the ever declining amount. Every time I walk into a store and see bacon lining the shelves I shed a tear knowing that this may be the last time I can pick it up, place it in my basket and take it home, to love it as I would love my wife, or my children. Next time I pass through the automatic doors to fill my empty cupboards I fear that the two for £4 offer will be gone or, worse, there will be an empty space on the shelf and in my heart. All the good such a foodstuff has done may be cast back into the records of history. Some say it is a cure for hangovers, others that the smell could turn a vegetarian back to the ways of their ancestors. An wise man once told me that, in the treetops of the Amazon, a small tribe of people believe that it was cast from their God himself, at the beginning of the world, once they had tasted the sweet, crunchy nectar that is bacon. Lying at the feet of their statue is a mummified rasher, as tribute to their own God for the act he did and to the great man who brought such a substance to this tribe. Of course, as will all great substances, there are bad tales. It was once said a father would not rub the bacon on his own daughter, in order to employ its great healing properties, for he lusted after the food himself. But theses stories are a mere backdrop to the greatness that is Bacon and now I fear for the world more then ever. If this year is to be our last then I can see why; with Bacon gone the world may just tear itself apart, cast down the Governments and the ruling caste in anxiety at the loss of such a tasty food. The smell will no longer drift upstairs to stir a sleepy child, will not longer turn the heads of passer-bys to walk into a cafe, will no longer bring hope into the hearts of those lost to despair. Where once it inspiried good memories now it will only be a memory. Our children will no longer grow up to the taste, and to their children and their children's children Bacon will be just a myth. These are sad times. My friends, my brothers and sisters, fear not. While this terrible news may be true we must take heart, for while one of us yet lives the memory of Bacon lives on. The smell it creates, the feelings it stirs in our breast and the exquisite taste that hails us and we slide Bacon into our mouth. Fear not my friends, for Bacon will live on in us.

The thing is with time-travel is that if you go back in time to change something then you have changed the need to go back in time and change this thing, as it no longer exists therefore you do not go back in time in the future to change the thing so the thing is no longer changed therefore you will, of course, go back in time to change said thing and then there will be no need to change that thing and so you will not have gone back in time to change the thing so it will happen and you will have to go back in time to change the thing then it will not have exsisted in order to go back in time and change said thing and so.... PARADOX!

As I'm going into teaching and as personal experience from going up the steps to degree level science I can agree fully with this statement. But then again it helps build it up to the overall learning. Try teaching young kids quantum science and see how that goes

I'm a guy and I insult women all the time. Well just my girlfriend but she deserves it . The point is that say not to insult a girl is a bit pointless but I think we can both agree that insulting anyone for no reason other than the fact that they are female and play games is idiotic. As for the topic at large, stereotypes do come from somewhere and so there will be some people that fulfil it. For example, as I'm studying a Chemistry degree, there's a certain stereotype surrounding me and science students in general. And some of those on my course (well a fair few) actually fit it. But then again most, including myself, don't. The problem is the stereotypes arise as that is the one that is different from the average person and so that's the one that gets the most focus. Like most students I have friends, go out, work and all the normal stuff that someone at university does. And, because I fit into the background, I'm not noticed. Yet, all those who are loud, get drunk and throw up on old women at 2 in the afternoon are the ones the media focus on. As that's what gets the better focus. I agree about the uproar against developers, my favourite example is Mass Effect (sure the ending really wasn't that good, but give credit for them going out their way to try and fix it. Yet the loudmouths still call it crap and state how Bioware are awful and fail at everything.) Like everything those people that are noticed can ruin it for everybody. Like others have said, ignore it if you can. Go on Party chat so you don't have to listen to them or just mute them. I found that playing online with the average player was annoying to me so I looked around, found a group of people focused on mature gaming and joined them. Personally I think that's the best way; play with your friends, ignore the morons out there and just get on with it. Or find a cure for human stupidity. I wish you luck on this account, for I fear the task is doomed forever.

There's actually an independent project to put people on Mars by 2023. As a Chemist I wouldn't have a clue if it would be viable or what they say is truthful. I just set fire to things and make drugs. You know the legal, help people kind