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[BanShunsaku]

Meh, when I saw Wicked and Jersey Boys I just wore jeans and a decent collared/button up shirt and some semi-fancy shoes. There were people less dressed up and more dressed up, I don't think it really matters these days.

I enjoyed Wicked, but Jersey Boys IMO was fucking fantastic. If anyone lives in Sydney I'd recommend it, especially if you have an appreciation for 60's music.

Also, Dragon Age II is rad. I'll post some spoiler-free (and positive!) impressions in a little bit, if anyone is interested.

 

[giri]

Meh, when I saw Wicked and Jersey Boys I just wore jeans and a decent collared/button up shirt and some semi-fancy shoes. There were people less dressed up and more dressed up, I don't think it really matters these days.

I enjoyed Wicked, but Jersey Boys IMO was fucking fantastic. If anyone lives in Sydney I'd recommend it, especially if you have an appreciation for 60's music.

Also, Dragon Age II is rad. I'll post some spoiler-free (and positive!) impressions in a little bit, if anyone is interested.

DA2 seems like an absolute blast. I usually play through all these things as a Warrior, just how i go, but after having played so much DA:O lately, i wanted to switch away from that, and so far, being a mage, has been a HELL of a lot of fun. Usually being a mage (particularly early) can be very tedious, but not so.

I'm not certain on the build trees and all that for DA2 yet, but so far the game looks like it will be mass fun. Probably not as strategic in battles as the original, but good none the less.

 

[giri]

So I'm sitting in QPAC during the intermission of Wicked. It's a pretty good show.

Typically, there's a huge line to get into the women's bathroom. My fiancé is still standing in line. I, on the other hand, walked straight into the bathroom, fulfilled my mission and walked straight out like a boss.

I've been tempted to try and get tickets for Dr. Zhivago recently...

 

[codswallop]

I usually play through all these things as a Warrior, just how i go, but after having played so much DA:O lately, i wanted to switch away from that, and so far, being a mage, has been a HELL of a lot of fun.

I'm exactly the same. I started playing as a mage in Neverwinter Nights 2 and enjoyed the hell out of that. I never really play as a rogue/thief type character so think I'll start switching things up and try as one of those. I find the warrior type classes generally are the easiest ones to use in RPGs.

Meh, when I saw Wicked and Jersey Boys I just wore jeans and a decent collared/button up shirt and some semi-fancy shoes. There were people less dressed up and more dressed up, I don't think it really matters these days.

Went to the opera in Hungary last year (private box right at the front). Wore jeans, a shirt and a jacket. I would've worn nice shoes but I'd twisted the crap out of my ankle that same day. There were people more and less dressed up when I went, too.

 

[BanShunsaku]

So I ended up playing about 3 hours of DAII (PC) last night. Had to cut my session short due to sleepiness but so far my impressions are very positive.

Things I like so far

- Game looks great - I'm playing with the High res texture pack, game doesn't run as smoothly as DAO but thats to be expected as it looks a lot better.
- Combat is great fun. I know it has been copping shit for being simplified etc but fuck it, it is fun. I ended up deciding on a male, two handed weapon wielding warrior for my first play through, and so far it has been great fun slicing shit up. It is definitely not as difficult as DAO but there have already been a couple of boss type fights where I have had to stop and manage strategy to avoid being completely annihilated. For me, it strikes a nice balance between being able to easily fuck shit up clickety click and then every now and then stop and think about what I'm doing a bit more.
- The skill trees, menus and codex etc are so different to DAO that at first it freaked me out and put me off a little. But after spending some time with it I'm convinced they are better, especially with the way the skill trees are set out.
- Story so far is interesting, I much prefer having a voiced character. The dialogue stuff is much better IMO, I prefer knowing before I choose an option whether or not it is going to be taken as snarky, charming or nasty.
- Some nice little call backs to DAO which made me smile (and laugh).
- The map and travel stuff is handled really well. Easy to navigate and find what you are looking for.

Things I'm not so sure about

- the framed narrative is interesting, but it is kinda weird (as the game skips time forward in chunks) when your character runs into someone and is like "hey i remember you from that thing that we did together, you know that thing when we killed the thing with the thing". But I guess its not a big deal, maybe I'm being picky.


Overall, I'm glad I've avoided the OT and reading too many reviews as I have gone into the game with an open mind and made my own judgements of it. I can totally get why some people would compare the game to ME2 in it's change of direction, but to be honest I enjoyed ME2 a lot more than ME1. I honestly do not understand the hate the game has been getting. Maybe I am more easily pleased than some, and I'm only a few hours in so my opinion may change, but so far I am having a great time with it and can't wait to get home tonight to get stuck in again.

Enchantment!

 

[giri]

I'm exactly the same. I started playing as a mage in Neverwinter Nights 2 and enjoyed the hell out of that. I never really play as a rogue/thief type character so think I'll start switching things up and try as one of those. I find the warrior type classes generally are the easiest ones to use in RPGs.


Went to the opera in Hungary last year (private box right at the front). Wore jeans, a shirt and a jacket. I would've worn nice shoes but I'd twisted the crap out of my ankle that same day. There were people more and less dressed up when I went, too.

I usually play as warrior as they play a fairly important roll, maintaining agro and all that. And yeah, they're usually the easiest way to play through the game, and they get lots of shiny thing to play with.

My one criticism is that the game (and combat) seemed to be uhh, lets say "streamlined" with no real reason other than to make it "console native". i.e. they've compromised parts of the game, just for that reason, and that's a little disapointing.

 

[Choc]

According to a post over on **********, Enterking said this could be the case when using illegal downloaded ROMs.

“Dear customers who resell Nintendo 3DS,” reads the site, “in case you use equipment which is illegal or unapproved by Nintendo or if you do customization which is unapproved by Nintendo, there is a possibility that Nintendo 3DS become non-bootable by a system update.

Because of an agreement with Nintendo, Enterking refuses to buy 3DS system with a record of illegal or unapproved equipment having been used on it.

When asked about the possibility of a system becoming virtually useless after a firmware update, Nintendo issued the following response to Eurogamer:

“We do not discuss product security details (for obvious reasons), nor can we discuss the details of countermeasures available in the Nintendo 3DS system. Nintendo 3DS has the most up-to-date technology. The security has been designed to protect both the creative works in the software and to protect the Nintendo 3DS hardware system itself.”


Good luck with that Nintendo. Illegal in Europe and Australia to be doing that. Can't wait till they try to pull that shit and get their arse handed to them on a platter by the EU courts.

 

[codswallop]

I can totally get why some people would compare the game to ME2 in it's change of direction, but to be honest I enjoyed ME2 a lot more than ME1. I honestly do not understand the hate the game has been getting.

Frankly, I applaud BioWare's efforts for trying to change up and improve their sequels. Not everything works but at least they're not churning out exactly the same game over and over (well, some might say that they're churning out the same story and quests over and over).

 

[legend166]

Working from home on a Friday.


Awwww yeah.

 

[Clipper]

According to a post over on **********, Enterking said this could be the case when using illegal downloaded ROMs.

“Dear customers who resell Nintendo 3DS,” reads the site, “in case you use equipment which is illegal or unapproved by Nintendo or if you do customization which is unapproved by Nintendo, there is a possibility that Nintendo 3DS become non-bootable by a system update.

Because of an agreement with Nintendo, Enterking refuses to buy 3DS system with a record of illegal or unapproved equipment having been used on it.

When asked about the possibility of a system becoming virtually useless after a firmware update, Nintendo issued the following response to Eurogamer:

“We do not discuss product security details (for obvious reasons), nor can we discuss the details of countermeasures available in the Nintendo 3DS system. Nintendo 3DS has the most up-to-date technology. The security has been designed to protect both the creative works in the software and to protect the Nintendo 3DS hardware system itself.”


Good luck with that Nintendo. Illegal in Europe and Australia to be doing that. Can't wait till they try to pull that shit and get their arse handed to them on a platter by the EU courts.

It's not illegal. They are just covering their asses. There are definitely ways to hack a Wii so that it will work fine, but brick the next time you update. Nintendo isn't saying they'll brick a 3DS if they detect it's hacked, they are just saying that if you hack it and then the update bricks it, it wasn't their problem as they can say, "How were we supposed to know that your device wasn't the way we intended it to be? We did warn you in the update notes that this might happen..."

 

[Choc]

It's not illegal. They are just covering their asses. There are definitely ways to hack a Wii so that it will work fine, but brick the next time you update. Nintendo isn't saying they'll brick a 3DS if they detect it's hacked, they are just saying that if you hack it and then the update bricks it, it wasn't their problem as they can say, "How were we supposed to know that your device wasn't the way we intended it to be? We did warn you in the update notes that this might happen..."

I would say its illegal to send a system update to a system with the specific purpose of disabling something you have paid for. It would be breaking trade practices act in many states in Australia

yes if htey just disable wifi etc then thats a different story but if it doesn't boot (just like what sony is exploring with PS3) at least in Europe they will get hammered.

and yes clipper that is a fair point but Nintendo needs to communicate it better. Not give the impression they are going to shit the box specifically for hacking, it might end up being an unidentified consequence of you hacking the box.

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

It's not illegal. They are just covering their asses. There are definitely ways to hack a Wii so that it will work fine, but brick the next time you update. Nintendo isn't saying they'll brick a 3DS if they detect it's hacked, they are just saying that if you hack it and then the update bricks it, it wasn't their problem as they can say, "How were we supposed to know that your device wasn't the way we intended it to be? We did warn you in the update notes that this might happen..."

Yep.

Nothing to see here people. It seems to stem from a combination of poor wording by Enterking, mistranslation and fearmongering among the gaming press. Also, not buying back consoles that have been modded is just common sense for a retailer. If Nintendo has security measures in place that log this kind of thing, they'd be stupid not to use it to determine whether or not a console has been modified.

I'm totally pro-hacking, by the way. My Wii is custom firmware'd out the wazoo and so was my PSP before I sold it. If there are tangible benefits to it (region-lock bypass, reduced loading times etc.) without actually engaging in piracy, I say go for it.

 

[evlcookie]

Oh god, I have to go to a branch meeting tonight. Why on earth, I have no idea but that means i won't get home until after 8 or so and that pisses me off. If it's just going to be sales talk then there will be raging, since warehouse has fuck all to do with sales.

I guess i might grab maccas for dinner since i finish at 5 and the meeting isn't until 5:30. Fucked if i'm waiting till after 8 to eat something.

It's friday and a long weekend, I guess that allows me to have bad food D:

 

[Deleted member 30609]

Working from home on a Friday.


Awwww yeah.

No uni on Friday.

Aww yeah.

 

[codswallop]

Working on Friday and no long weekend.

Awwww.

 

[BanShunsaku]

Work is reasonably busy, so hopefully the rest of today will go quickly.

Then it is home and then pretty much straight into a DAII marathon. The better half has heaps on uni work to do, so I'll be free to play as much as I'd like to this weekend without the partner neglect guilt

 

[Agyar]

I honestly do not understand the hate the game has been getting.

Bioware removed the isometric camera option and the PC defense force didn't like that.

 

[giri]

Bioware removed the isometric camera option and the PC defense force didn't like that.

OH, that was my other complaint. I already miss that. There have already been a few fights in wide areas, with enemies coming from multiple angles. I kept scrolling back on the mouse hoping for the iso camera to magically appear

 

[Fredescu]

Bioware removed the isometric camera option and the PC defense force didn't like that.

It's funny though, the 360 version has a lower metacritic than the PC version. PC Gamer in particular loved it. From reading the thread, it sounds like party banter has been improved by a lot, which is good to hear. Also the faces and facial expressions are much better, but you could tell that from the demo. Negatives seem to be that some of the dungeons are cut and pastes like a lot of ME1 was, and that the story lacks direction for the first third/half. It sounds like if you enjoy the strategic side of the gameplay, Hard presents a decent enough challenge. I'm pretty excited for my copy to arrive, and I've been following the GAF thread and reading all the reviews!

 

[Agyar]

I like Hawke's beard. If what I'm reading about the default beard not being an option for customised characters is true, I may just use the preset appearance.

 

[Gazunta]

I should mention I've been playing a lot of Dungeon Overlord at the moment. It's basically a new Dungeon Keeper

Spoiler

on Facebook

 

[Bernbaum]

No uni on Friday.

Aww yeah.

Yeah timetables like that were the best - a full day to catch up on readings and assignment work.

Spoiler

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[giri]

I like Hawke's beard. If what I'm reading about the default beard not being an option for customised characters is true, I may just use the preset appearance.

No idea about that, but it's a decent character in the first place. It doesn't for some reason, feel generic. I'm sure people would be able to past a million game characters that look just like that though. Thats what i ran with.

 

[BanShunsaku]

I like Hawke's beard. If what I'm reading about the default beard not being an option for customised characters is true, I may just use the preset appearance.

I'm using the default model for Hawke. I was the same with ME1 & 2, if there is a decent looking default I usually just use it.

Also, felt a bit weird since his sister in the game is kinda hot and I kept forgetting and tried to lay on the charm.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

Yeah timetables like that were the best - a full day to catch up on readings and assignment work.

Spoiler

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Yeah!

Spoiler

I'm catching up on my readings.

edit: I actually like most of my readings. CompSci is fairly interesting. Reading about Computer Organisation and Architecture is something I've always wanted to get a more thorough understand of, so having the excuse to spend hours flicking through a giant hardcover text-book is actually kind of nice. Same deal with my Java Foundations book, it's really well-written. It's a great intro to object-orientated programming in general.

My other two classes are Algorithmic Problem Solving (fairly straight-forward class, deals with writing algorithms for various problems in human-understandable pseudo-code) and Discrete Maths. I generally like both, but the way Maths is taught in general is kind of bogus. Contacting tutors out of session is pretty much required. I wish they'd just be a tad more thorough in the lectures themselves.

In all I'm happy with my first two weeks of this course. If I manage to keep a class ahead in my readings for the rest of the semester, life should be good.

 

[Agyar]

No idea about that, but it's a decent character in the first place. It doesn't for some reason, feel generic. I'm sure people would be able to past a million game characters that look just like that though. Thats what i ran with.

It's because he has a sweet beard. There's nothing generic about sweet beards.

 

[Choc]

pilotwings 3ds 14th april

 

[Clipper]

and yes clipper that is a fair point but Nintendo needs to communicate it better. Not give the impression they are going to shit the box specifically for hacking, it might end up being an unidentified consequence of you hacking the box.

They don't give any impression except your second example. The firmware updates on the Wii have stated for ages now that if you have modified the console in some way that the update may make the system fail to function properly. They have never said (and I'm betting they won't ever say it either) that they will disable systems with spurious stuff.

If systems do start failing due to an update, the onus of proof will be with others to prove that Nintendo is somehow deliberately targeting them and that the code serves no other purpose apart from to attack compromised systems. If the code which is bricking consoles also has some other legitimate purpose, such as preventing the console from being hacked by a previously unprotected security hole, then Nintendo is in the clear.

Thus, the only thing I'd take from this announcement is what people should already know about hacking any console. You do so at your own risk and you will need to accept any consequences that result from your actions.

 

[jambo]

pilotwings 3ds 14th april

For Japan

 

[Gazunta]

Does the new Pilotwings have Big Al? He is the greatest video game character of all time.

I am deadly serious about this by the way.

 

[Choc]

For Japan

for australia

 

[jambo]

Ooh finally a date! Source?

 

[MrSerrels]

Apparently we'll have the appeal decision for Mortal Kombat early next week.

 

[Choc]

Ooh finally a date! Source?

Nintendo

Soar over the tropical Wuhu Island and enjoy the fantastic sensation of 3D depth that puts you in the pilot seat, when Pilotwings Resort launches in Australia and New Zealand on 14 April 2011, exclusively for Nintendo 3DS.

This time, you can take control of the amazing 3D flying experience with your personal Mii character, using any of the Miis you create in Mii Maker to pilot the aircrafts. Jump into a plane, hang glider or rocket belt to explore the island at a leisurely pace or race against the clock to complete daring aerial manoeuvres in challenging missions.

 

[Choc]

Apparently we'll have the appeal decision for Mortal Kombat early next week.

Serrels be on your guard to get the scoop

they said the same about L4D when it was reviewed on a Friday and the decision leaked around 5pm even though it was not supposed to be officially out until the week after

i believe the COB is talking about when reports will be on the interwebs on their site when they mention dates

we should know this evening i reckon

 

[MrSerrels]

Serrels be on your guard to get the scoop

they said the same about L4D when it was reviewed on a Friday and the decision leaked around 5pm even though it was not supposed to be officially out until the week after

i believe the COB is talking about when reports will be on the interwebs on their site when they mention dates

we should know this evening i reckon

Great - now I'm going to be scared to go for a piss for the next six hours!

 

[jambo]

Nintendo

I must've Googled about 10 seconds before their press release went up, couldn't find anything

http://www.nintendo.com.au/index.php?pageID=6&action=news&sectionID=1

 

[VOOK]

I must've Googled about 10 seconds before their press release went up, couldn't find anything

http://www.nintendo.com.au/index.php?pageID=6&action=news&sectionID=1

Every local site has it up now Even some who just straight rip the Press Release.

 

[jambo]

Every local site has it up now Even some who just straight rip the Press Release.

I even edited the wiki page ^_^

 

[Shaneus]

So, long weekend for most of us. What's planned, AusGAF?

 

[Choc]

So, long weekend for most of us. What's planned, AusGAF?

fuckin bullshit


see i understand why you get melb cup off because of our october long weekend

but waht the fuck is this one instead of? or do you just get an extra one as your government are not incompetant fucks like in nsw

 

[Gazunta]

Where the hell is my long weekend you bastards

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

Who's getting a long weekend? Certainly not Queensland.

 

[Agyar]

Where the hell is my long weekend you bastards

I know right.

 

[user_nat]

Wait what? Long weekend?

What for..?

 

[Ydahs]

So... I was just contacted by someone claiming to be a 59 year old pensioner who wants the code of my website for his own footy stats website :/

He said he'll pay a reasonable price for it, but later says he has no money or programming experience.

... wat

 

[VOOK]

So... I was just contacted by someone claiming to be a 59 year old pensioner who wants the code of my website for his own footy stats website :/

He said he'll pay a reasonable price for it, but later says he has no money or programming experience.

... wat

Tell him to get stuffed, if you sell it out to anyone make sure they keep you on as a programmer. No point putting all that work in to just have it taken off you for a single sum.

 

[codswallop]

Labour Day for Victoria. WA had it recently, yes?

Beautiful sunny day in Melbourne, which means walking around the Uni campus is a lovely thing indeed. Also, I found two bucks. Score!

 

[giri]

Yeah!

Spoiler

I'm catching up on my readings.

edit: I actually like most of my readings. CompSci is fairly interesting. Reading about Computer Organisation and Architecture is something I've always wanted to get a more thorough understand of, so having the excuse to spend hours flicking through a giant hardcover text-book is actually kind of nice. Same deal with my Java Foundations book, it's really well-written. It's a great intro to object-orientated programming in general.

My other two classes are Algorithmic Problem Solving (fairly straight-forward class, deals with writing algorithms for various problems in human-understandable pseudo-code) and Discrete Maths. I generally like both, but the way Maths is taught in general is kind of bogus. Contacting tutors out of session is pretty much required. I wish they'd just be a tad more thorough in the lectures themselves.

In all I'm happy with my first two weeks of this course. If I manage to keep a class ahead in my readings for the rest of the semester, life should be good.

Discrete maths is easy, if you stay ontop of it. I enjoy maths though so

Which java book? (java is awesome don't listen to Mar).

 

[Clipper]

So thanks to Wikipedia, I discovered it's:

Adelaide Cup in South Australia,
Canberra Day in the ACT,
Eight Hours Day in Tassie and
Labour Day in Victoria

Hmm.. does that really cover "most of us"? BrisGaf+SydGaf is a pretty large contingent IIRC.

Edit: QLD and NSW NT instead get the Labour/May Day weekend in May, which nobody else seems to get.