[QUOTE="--Kayla--"]

May I ask how you make them?

cobrax75

they require special software handed out by the developers of the game...Usually....

They can also be made without the software sometimes, but these tend to be much more limited.

Maps, though, arent hard to make with the proper tools, their hard to learn, but once to get it, you will be making them easy.

As you can see; typically, doing any extensive mod usually requires a decent to detailed level of programming. However, as was already said, some mods simply add new textures for a gun or bad guy, wall textures, etc. Most PC games have tools availabel for the community to make mods, as these mods can help extend the life of many games well beyond their normal shelf-life.

What do you think of yourself?henri1960

"I'm smart enough, I'm good enough, and, gosh darnit, people like me." Even if it's not true, I'd like to think it is. ;) 

Like a few other people, knowing how much work it is to code something like Oblivion, or work with Maya or 3DSMAX as well as some Adobe applications for textures and such, I think I really appreciate games more. I'm more apt to notice someone who does good texture design work or marvel at a designer's ability to design realistic human models. It also allows me to feel some sympathy for the games that aren't as polished as Gears of War in the graphics department. This isn't easy stuff, after all.

Insofar as recognizing scripted events and so forth? I see it as more of an advantage, really. Plus, people who haven't studied any sort of game design disciplines can notice things like this to. If you walk over the same area and the same monster pops out, or if you hear the same noise every time you go into the walk-in freezer, you learn. Y'know?

Generic_Dude

It really doesn't bother me unless its blatantly obvious. Also, game designers tend to trick the player so that he cannot guess wether its ambiance or actual npc doing stuff.FragMonkey09

I agree that many typically do this, but if you dabble in game design, scripting, etc, you can often spot the "choke points" where a trigger is, or can quickly realize how the designers use their trigger points. I have found that, over the years, it is increasingly harder for game developers to trick me.

Anyone else, perhaps heavy modders, that may relate?

Basically knowing the amount of effort needed to make them look and play the way they do makes me appreciate gaming so much more. concord9

I concur. Often times, knowing how much work must go into a level's detail or how well and how complexly scripted some events are make me respect some games more. It is kind of weird. It's like typography. For everyone else it's just a bunch of letters. To me they are an art style that must be carefully weighed and evaulauated on their usefulennes and visual conitation for the task at hand.

"1) Marijuana is not legal in any country in the entire world, except for Antartica, which is considered a neutral zone and unclaimable. The EU, the UN, and all nearly every country forbid the production of marijuana. the only reason you can smoke MJ in Amsterdam is because the local police do not enforce such laws."

Seems like there is quite a few places where it is legal, and even more where it is decriminlized.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:World-cannabis-laws.png

dnuggs40

There are other developing nations where there are no marijuana laws, or the laws are unclear. That wiki map is VERY misleading and horribly inaccurate. For example, it lists Peru as being legal, yet according to erowid; "PERU: Possession of small amounts legal; judges decide what constitutes ``personal'' amount."  

QFT... Either you follow these possible solutions or you can just go the way of Ottis Redding "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay"

Alkpaz

Dude, Otis is the man. :) 

[QUOTE="Infernal246"][QUOTE="dnuggs40"]

It's amazing how bad of a rap marijuana has...must of been all those "refer madness" movies back in the 30's :P Alcohol actually kills many many people every year (overdose), causes millions of cases of stomach, throat, and liver cancer a year. Causes many deaths from drunk driving. Is involved in MANY spouse abuse cases. Is attributted to many acts of violence. And yet...marijuana...which has none of these negative effects, can be grown in your own backyard, and is 100% natural is the one that is illegal? not to mention marijuana also has many medical applications. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense...

 

mrbojangles25

Were Marijuana legalized (being a Libertarian, I'm all for it, despite never trying it), it would be comparable to alcohol in terms of death rates caused. Its hard to judge it currently since it is an illegal substance that is not as accessible as alcohol.

I am sorry, but I gotta disagree with you here. I admit I have no stats to back me up at the moment, but I am sure if I looked them up I would see that in countries where marijuana was legal, their car accident ratio is not any higher than the United State's ratio of car accidents. Not only that, but if it were a legal product, it would be many states' #1 cash crop.

Also, Dnuggs made a good point: you cant OD off of marijuana. Actually, I take that back, yes you can; its called falling asleep or eating so much you feel sick.

Listen, I truly want to sit here and reassure everyone that marijuana is something that is justifiably illegal, but the fact is that it remains an illegal substance for absurd reasons, most of them dating back to the early 1900s. The fact is that marijuana might have only one bad side effect, and that is lung problems over a long period of time. Yet even that is preventable by using tools such as a vaporizer, or consuming the marijuana in alternate forms. Sure, there might be the occasional skitzo but what medication doesnt have the 1-in-10000 adverse reaction? And beleive me, I have seen plenty of skitzos in my time and they have all been cured by a cold glass of water to their face and a little verbal reassurance.

Sorry, didnt want this topic to go awry but....well, I like to argue :)

1) Marijuana is not legal in any country in the entire world, except for Antartica, which is considered a neutral zone and unclaimable. The EU, the UN, and all nearly every country forbid the production of marijuana. The only reason you can smoke MJ in Amsterdam is because the local police do not enforce such laws.

2) Mr Bojangles is right. Countries where MJ use is tolerated do enjoy a lower car acciedent ratio. However, this cannot be directly attributed to MJ use, as Amsterdam has a MUCH lower percentage of their populace that drive automobiles. It is statistaclly shown that in the USA that the number of marijuan ONLY attributed accidents are far lower than any other attribibutable accidents. (even cell phone attributed accidents)

3)You CAN overdose on marijuana, however, you would die due to lose of oxygenation before you would OD. And if injected, it would take an ungodly amount of marijuana to OD. (It is suggested that the rate is some 20-50 lbs for a 150-180 lbs individual, and even then most scientists are not sure)

4) Mr Bojangles' last paragraph is dead on. Cannabis production could provide thousands of jobs in the hemp production market for, not only fabrics, but also papers at a lower rate of resource use than that of paper and cotton combined. (it take roughly 1/5 the amount of space and 1/20 th amount of time for hemp to produce the same material load for paper production as it does for traditional timber methods)(many "fine" papers include cotton to help with ink absorption) As to why cannabis is illegal.... I highly suggest you see the movie "Grass", narrated by Woody Harrelson. Unlike many other "pro marijuana" movies, Grass actually reasonably and factually discusses nearly all the issues of marijuana's illegality.

Furthermore... big thumbs up to Mr. Bojangles. :)

I noticed whilst plowing through Doom 3 again that my understanding of how games are made (script triggers, ambient sounds, script oriented sounds, creature oriented sounds, so on...) seriously detract from the gameplay experience. For example; there are moments where I know that the sound effects of monsters in Doom 3 are an ambient area sound, whereas the intent of the effect is to keep players on their toes because they think it is a sound coming from a nearby creature. This epidemic is also encountered in FEAR where I know the ambient music is directly related to various triggers and not to creature location specifications. Also, within a few encounters, I am able to recognize the tactics that each and every squad will essentially adhere to. Which allows me to easily bait-and-switch, or lure them to their deaths by undertsanding their AI script priority sequences.

I know I'm not alone in this. Many reviews I've read about Doom3, FarCry, Half Life 2, etc. often make references to game production methods and how they are implemented. Does YOUR knowledge of game design and its functionality detract from the enjoyment of some games?

"mods" are modifications. Usually player created and FREE. Sometimes Mods will only add simple weapons or new maps, while some mods will completely re-make a new game using the original engine.

 

Hope that clears it up:) i still remember when i first learned about mods.. :lol:

zero9167

Yeah but alienware has the looks too dell is old and boring looking lol !!!hawt_skater

Alienware is OWNED by Dell. Yep. Alienware is, nowadays, a Dell subsiduary. 

Also, I agree with th HypnoToad, Death Masta187... Falcon Northwest is WAY overpriced (more so than Alienware) and thei comps aren't even that good. Don't believe me? Go to PCmag.com and read for yourself.