The Gamer's Quarter

[Scratchmonkey]

Awfully broad title, then again, this happens to me fairly regularly, so I'd like someplace to talk about it as this isn't really videogame-related links or something I'm playing, so I figure, why not a new thread. Why not indeed.

This is what got me started:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7097052.stm

Basically, it's a giant underground building on a remote Arctic island owned by Norway where scientists plan to store 4 million some seeds at a sub-freezing temperature, creating a kind of biological archive in the event of some sort of disaster that winds up wiping out vast swathes of vegetation or something along those lines.

Of course, this would be perfect for a post-apocalyptic RPG. I'm thinking an FPS that's a cross between S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Deus Ex, where you have to battle rival factions or what have you to get to and defend the precious seeds so that you can re-flower the Earth or what have you. It would fit well into the vague storyline of the conspiracy-based FPS that I've talked about with dhex now and again, which would of course start with the American government raiding your wilderness militia headquarters and would undoubtedly involve reptoids in some form or another.

[Harveyjames]

In Japan they've built a robot, just like in that game which features a robot.

There's probably more.

[sediment]

every conversation i have with a customer reminds me of an RPG or other game where you end up talking to people.
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[friedchicken]

When I was playing Jet Set Radio (and later JSRF) all the time I would drive around and find myself daydreaming about grinding on all the electric and telephone wires and railings.

[Harveyjames]

Uggghghhhhh JSRF is so crap.

- grinding now a primary means of getting about, not just a cool thing you can do :(

- cops don't follow you around level (with each graffiti you do increasing the number of cops), they just appear in special cordoned-off sections. I am fond of saying this is like taking Pacman and making the ghost chasing seperate from the dot-eating

- the game is half-finished (rushed for launch of Xbox?)

- it's not as nice looking as JSR, although the developers are to be commended for pulling offt some difficult colour schemes. I like skating around Shibuya and Grind street on a bright sunny day under a blue sky! It's an Outrun-like thrill that JSRF is sorely lacking!

[Lackey]

I wish I could remember JSR more clearly, but I do remember entire levels of JSRF that were grinding one is like a big spiral rail staircase with gaps in it right? That was kind of annoying.
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| Little bird fighting against a bat sect game |

[Harveyjames]

Dude there's a level set on a fucking ROLLERCOASTER

[friedchicken]

[Redeye]

The world makes me think of Risk, or Defcon, or lots of other games.

fancy that
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I felt sheer anarchic joy when I ran over my first pedestrian.

[Scratchmonkey]

Even though both of those are based on antiquated models of diplomacy/warfare?

Although there's room for a Defcon-style revival given certain developments. In general though I think the day of the nation-state as the dominating force in conflict is mainly behind us.

Actually, that brings up all sorts of thoughts for future game development.

[Harveyjames]

[Redeye]

[Cossix]

After playing a bunch of Mario 64, my dad used to look for good places to wall jump in the real world.

[Scratchmonkey]

[Harveyjames]

[Lackey]

When I watch squirrels jump from branch to branch it occurs to me that they're basically playing a 3d platform game all the time. This makes me think that too.
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| Little bird fighting against a bat sect game |

[extrabastardformula]

[Redeye]

[Scratchmonkey]

Yeah, basically as laid down in Diplomacy by Kissinger and largely backed up by most International Relations folks now, personal allegiances have shifted (or perhaps perception has shifted, nevermind that now though) from the nation-state to something more tribal. Basically the theory is that communication and globalism has increased to the point where enforced regionalism is no longer the status quo -- people can identify and communicate with people across borders and great distances, meaning that conflict is now primarily one between "cultures"* rather than between the traditional nation-state.

The current conflict between radical Islamists and the cultures that they consider to be decadent (who tend to be reasonably nationalistic) is a pretty good illustration of how this sort of thing works and how addressing it with the assumption that things are operating on a nation-state basis is pretty futile, i.e., if a group of people want to blow you up, you can't just invade countries that these people are in or are associated with as a preventative measure**.

* - For a given value of "culture".

** - And as somewhat alluded to above, I have to wonder if this has ever really been the case or whether we're dealing with something where historically, the victor states were allowed to engage in pretty heavy cultural repression with the added benefit of the repressed peoples being effectively cut off from the rest of the world or each other, which would mean the only thing that's really changed from then until now is communication technology***.

*** - And man, there could be a really awesome videogame made out of this.

[Toto]

whenever i see the keeper get ripped in real life i am reminded of how badly i smash my friends at pro evo sometimes

[kirkjerk]

Grand Theft Auto games certainly change how I think about traffic while I'm heavily involved in playing through one.

Re: JSRF; I think I've been involved in this debate before, but I still feel that the extra speed and kinetic feel they added, along with making the difficulty less inhumanely cruel, makes up for most any of the short comings. Returning to DC's rendition feels very slow and sluggish and I just remember how frickin' impossible it got later on, like the one Times Square w/ the copters and even some stuff before that. But I can redirect this to another thread if there is one.

I was mildly startled and -err...also mildly aroused... by some Rule34 stuff w/ Gum.
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=/ \(<D)_/
==/\/ >_ kirkjerk.com

[dessgeega]

school.
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[friedchicken]

[daphaknee]

sex
casio battery- powered keyboards
electric towers
smoke stacks
bright colored cars
blue skies
cats

[Swimmy]

Mountains. When you're on top of them and can see until the horizon fogs out, it always makes me think of flying around in Secret of Mana.
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"Ayn Rand fans are the old school version of Xenogears fanboys."
-seryogin

[daphaknee]

kago shintaro
cloudy days make me think of loading time
coconuts
palm trees
roman soldiers
basketball

[Harveyjames]

You really like videogames, don't you Daphny

[sediment]

lately i keep wishing i could back out to the planet view when i'm stuck at a stoplight, like in mass effect.

i'd probably back out to the solar system and then to the galaxy at that point, though.

and then i'd go and get myself killed by a giant worm.
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[daphaknee]

waiting in a restaurant
castles
doors that wont open
cigarettes
dogs
plastic
black hair
collars
shoes
disney

[Max Cola]

Whenever I play Earthbound a lot (liiiike... recently), I start thinking weird things. Like, I eat a burger and think "oh, just restored some health!" Also whenever I see a baseball bat pick it up and demand that my friends follow me around in straight lines.

Not really.

Well, maybe once.

Also, when I'm walking around town in the summer I whistle the Onett theme, and in the winter I whistle the Snowman theme.

Sometimes when I'm messing around with friends we throw up our fists in front of our faces and walk around like we're in an FPS. Or I'll point at a location and make a clicking sound and then walk over to it.

Yeah, I play waaaaaay too many video games.
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The only girl I've ever loved was born with roses in her eyes. But then they buried her alive, one evening 1945, with just her sister at her side, and only weeks before the guns all came and rained on everyone...

[extrabastardformula]

Breaking and entering
dumpster diving
driving
yo mama jokes
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[Ketch]

Rennes-Metro systrem, totally reminded me of the Half-Life tram systeim. I kept expecting to see vortigaunts.

[daphaknee]

bdsm
giant stone statues
cups of tea
lawyers
blue suits
spiky hair
octopi
sealife in general
penies
pre-chewed gum

[Swimmy]

[daphaknee]

remember AB C? already been chewed? that reminds me of videogames

[ilopan]

There's an intersection not far from my home, where the left and right lanes are for turning only, leaving only the center lane for going straight. A few times, I've driven straight in that center lane while two cars make turns in the surrounding lanes; seeing them peel away from me in my peripheral vision like that always reminds me of Star Fox.