[geek]nerd[/geek]

[rahvin]

3. For the love of god, get Firefox for browsing, Thunderbird for email, VLC Media Player for
videos (it has the advantage of not having to install 5000 different video codecs as well) and
WinAmp or Foobar for MP3s.

I felt like patting myself on the back for using all of the above, except: is there a problem with Windows Media Player Classic (the tiny little .exe file, of course, not the ancestral full install) and K-lite codec pack? As far as running video file is concerned, I can see everything that is remotely viewable without a problem. Are there security issues I should be aware of? Does VLC update codecs by itself somehow?

 

[Salamurhaaja]

I felt like patting myself on the back for using all of the above, except: is there a problem with Windows Media Player Classic (the tiny little .exe file, of course, not the ancestral full install) and K-lite codec pack? As far as running video file is concerned, I can see everything that is remotely viewable without a problem. Are there security issues I should be aware of? Does VLC update codecs by itself somehow?

As far as I'm concerned there is no issues with WMC, K-Lite has been known
to cause issues but this was in the past and mainly when the same people
installed other packs and/or codecs, so you might be fine with it.

I personally prefer VLC cos you don't need to install any codecs at all, I like
installing less things, less of a chance to fuck something up. VLC doesn't
update the codecs, except maybe when a new version comes out, it just
works with the ones it has. VLC also works as a DVD player and MP3 player
if one so wishes, I only use mine for DivX/XVid stuff, but sometimes it's nice
to have it as a backup if my PowerDVD decides that some file is corrupt or
whatever (happens sometimes with .bin files).

 

[Salamurhaaja]

6 DAYS!

 

[Malaclypse]

really looking forward to that one as well, just hope it isn't just a giant bubble o' hype like stalker and the likes.

 

[Salamurhaaja]

Hmm, I kinda like Stalker, haven't gone too far, but the atmosphere in that
game is just incredible and with a few mods it becomes even better.
The GUI is shit tho, but I guess that can't be helped much.

Anyway, BioShock is from the System Shock people, it can't be a failure

 

[Salamurhaaja]

BioShock still.

This game is a beacon. It's one of those monumental experiences you'll never
forget, and the benchmark against which games for years to come will, and
indeed must, be measured. This isn't merely an evolution of System Shock 2,
but a wake-up call to the industry at large.


-IGN review 97/100

So far, 99% average with 8 reviews on Game Rankings, 6 of those are a full 100%.

For some real good info, check this stage demo from E3.

 

[La Rocque]

I don't know if its a world wide thing?
But You can get a free AOL account that comes with the following
"AOL® Safety and Security Center get the most comprehensive set of *free*,
automatically updating security tools: protecting your whole PC, not just email with ...
Always-on virus protection
Defense from known phishing sites
Powerful and fast spyware protection
Avoid hackers with AOL® Firewall"

Of course You'll need a connection to the internet, AOL does not give You that for free -

 

[Salamurhaaja]

They used to offer a free virus scanner but it's now scrapped,
I guess they need the money or something.
Used to be a fairly good one since the technology was actually
from Kaspersky which is the leading anti-virus company.

 

[Hiljainen]

i'm about to try out Two Worlds, has anyone tried it yet?

 

[Matse]

No, but I would like to know how it is as well. It would be great if you could write how it is as soon as you have tried it out. I hope it is as great as the elder scrolls series and as the gothic series.
As far as I know it is necessary to install the patches in order to have some major bugs and some balancing problems solved.

 

[Hiljainen]

i'll write about it asap
i loved oblivion, especially for the freedom to do what you wanted when you wanted, so i hope it will be similar in that.
while i seriously hope it won't be a disappointment like dark messiah (of might and magic) was for me.

 

[Matse]

Since you didn't write about Gothic I'll assume you don't know it. It is a German RPG similar to The Elder Scrolls series. The Gothic games aren't as big as Oblivion and not as huge as Morrowind but they are pretty close to that and have more atmosphere. In the newest Gothic (which is Nr. 3) the atmosphere went down a little bit but the freedom increased. The 2nd one is probably the best. None of the games are playable without patches :zombie:

 

[Sunjammer]

On the subject of moving pictures and not ... you'll get it in a sec, or not ... here's my current contribution to the thread:

1) I game, therefore I am. Mostly Guild Wars, but a lil bit of Neverwinter Nights 2 manages to sneak in sometimes.
2) Quite recently bought a Nikon D40 d-SLR camera + 18-55 mm lens kit. Later bought another lens. A 55-200 mm zoom lens. I'm livin' the newbie photographer's life now.

 

[soulburner]

on subject of games:

i found Bioshock a little disappointing. I love the art style, atmosphere and whatnot, but as a shooter it's not really that awesome. it's a good game, not a failure by any means, and i enjoyed it... maybe it's all because of this hype, but still, i expected something as mindblowing as System Shock II and didn't quite get it.

The Darkness is still game of the year for me, even though it's not flawless either.

 

[rahvin]

i found Bioshock a little disappointing. I love the art style, atmosphere and whatnot, but as a shooter it's not really that awesome.

I'm trying it for the first time - and my experience with shooters is limited to begin with - but so far I find the "scare" and "confusion" factors to be high enough to make it interesting.

However, I hate it when programmers boast about the mobs' "intelligent AI": there's nothing particularly clever about the Splicers. If they were really smart they'd be camping the resurrection chambers.

 

[Hiljainen]

Since you didn't write about Gothic I'll assume you don't know it. It is a German RPG similar to The Elder Scrolls series. The Gothic games aren't as big as Oblivion and not as huge as Morrowind but they are pretty close to that and have more atmosphere. In the newest Gothic (which is Nr. 3) the atmosphere went down a little bit but the freedom increased. The 2nd one is probably the best. None of the games are playable without patches :zombie:

i never tried Gothic but it seems interesting

i just started two worlds and up to now it seems interesting, huge graphic details and apparently a lot of freedom, a complaint at the moment is that either there's some trouble with alchemy, or you need to do something in particular to make it work, because the potions you make don't turn out quite like they should. there's a lot of gear to pick up, monsters are tough, or better, many, but beatable. mounted combat is nice, but the horse is not easy to use, at least at a low skill.
my boyfriend complains that it's a bit easy compared to oblivion, since there is a sort of resurrection mechanism that allows you to split battles in more than one part.
the overall impression is good

 

[soulburner]

However, I hate it when programmers boast about the mobs' "intelligent AI": there's nothing particularly clever about the Splicers. If they were really smart they'd be camping the resurrection chambers.

personally, i don't mind splicers not being einsteins. after all, most of the greatest games haven't had really smart enemies.

my biggest problem with bioshock is that it doesn't require much skill, because no matter how much you suck, you always get resurrected. plus, it's way too linear and "closed": Rapture feels more like a set of rooms and corridors rather than a city.

 

[rahvin]

personally, i don't mind splicers not being einsteins. after all, most of the greatest games haven't had really smart enemies.

I agree. In fact, I wish programmers would just stop talking about intelligent AI because it's not that fascinating a prospect. Whenever I hear it mentioned I start imagining mobs who actually behave like other players in an MMOG, and I die a little inside.

 

[Salamurhaaja]

I have to say I agree with soulburner on this one, I was really expecting
to be blown away by BioShock but instead I got a very limited feeling game
that reminds me way too fucking much about Deus Ex: Invisible War which
was utter consolified shit compared to the original game.

Interestingly enough I got Call Of Duty 2 just recently from Steam and found
it to be a very interesting game, even if it's not as pretty and at least as
limited as BioShock. Maybe it's the fact that it's WWII and I tend to like all
things WWII currently (Thanks Discovery Civilization).

I even went so far that I got Company Of Heroes even tho I hate the RTS
genre with all my rotting heart and haven't played anything since maybe
WarCraft II.

 

[DisplayofCharacter]

I have to say I agree with soulburner on this one, I was really expecting
to be blown away by BioShock but instead I got a very limited feeling game
that reminds me way too fucking much about Deus Ex: Invisible War which
was utter consolified shit compared to the original game.

Interestingly enough I got Call Of Duty 2 just recently from Steam and found
it to be a very interesting game, even if it's not as pretty and at least as
limited as BioShock. Maybe it's the fact that it's WWII and I tend to like all
things WWII currently (Thanks Discovery Civilization).

I even went so far that I got Company Of Heroes even tho I hate the RTS
genre with all my rotting heart and haven't played anything since maybe
WarCraft II.

*Digs up old thread out of boredom*

Being the gamer-nerd I have, I have to agree that Deus Ex: Invisible War blew compared to the original, but the original, IMO, is one of the best games of all time, right next to Half-Life 2 for me. Bioshock was fun for me, but not as unlimited as it was marketed (and I do believe you touched upon that).

The Call of Duty series is good, and I love Steam now that I can't drive to the store at will any more (because my car isn't on campus and public transport doesn't run to any acceptable electronic stores - go figure).

Company of Heroes is one of the best RTS's I have ever played and I have played very many. RTS is one of my favorite genres in gaming, console or PC, and the quality and variety of missions for CoD are pretty much unsurpassed. I am excited for Star Craft 2, now that blizzard is rolling in (more) dough.

Sal, since you are running Bioshock I know it must be decent, what's your system?