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16
General Discussion / World Peace is Bullshit
« on: September 08, 2009, 05:12:35 pm »I know that some of us would love world peace. It's a great ideal to look forward to, but what if an ideal is finally achieved? The activists would be out of a job. How many activists have a personality that could, like the old Roman General, settle down back in his farm after winning the battle? Most activists revel in the continual struggle against adversity, shining as a beacon of light. That makes life worth living.
I try to create a model of world peace in my mind, and all I see is that once a certain situation may stablize, there are bound to be dissenting factors:
1. Rebels of any sort ('cause let's face it; world peace would get pretty boring after a while)
2. Rebels to oppose the above rebels (Oops, there goes the farm)
3. Tolerance (Which is in such short supply amongst the socially savvy)
4. Diversity (It's what makes us all unique)
5. Disparity (Which stems from different levels of tolerance)
By nature, people like to be respect, to be better than others. In some cases, that creates grounds for inequality. I often wonder that in many people's hearts of that there isn't actually a desire for some form of wrongness in society.
There was a little boy in Anne of Green Gables series who declared that he didn't want to go to heaven. When asked why, he said that his sunday school teacher claimed that in heaven, they would all float in the clouds playing musical instruments for eternity. It sounded horribly boring to him. Not that I would have a problem with that, but how many people are going to cozy up to such a proposal?
Here’s a little thought experiment: Suppose all the problems in the world were solved. What then? Perhaps people will panic. Most likely, there would be nothing worthwhile to participate in. Must we all go back to a life of living, of enjoying our family and friends? I do not think everyone will agree to this.
Fortunately, World peace will never happen. Why? Because if we humans ever solve all main issues concerning inequality, the environmental and energy crisis, intolerance, disease, etc... there will always be minor issues to wrinkle out. The industry of activism will be able to as sustainable as solar power.
World peace? Not gonna happen. I blame the activists advocating it, including all the Miss Americas throughout the 20th century and beyond.
There is hope, however. The closest we can get to world peace is through free trade. If we can get the nations to respect each other enough to allow free trade through their respective markets, then at least we could reduce if not eliminate the factors of marketing that would lead us to another war, including cartels and embargos. Granted, it’s not a panaccea, but it’s magnitudes better than what we have to work with now.
17
General Discussion / Your Favorite Limmerick
« on: September 01, 2009, 12:08:11 pm »I've seen haikus, free verse poems, and pentamic ones, too. However, when it comes to sheer potential for comic amusement, there's nothing (well, nothing I can think of, anyway) that tops the tried and true poetry form called... the limmerick.
Hey, if you got something good, put it up. It doesn't even have to be Chrono related.
Every wildfire needs a good ignition source. If this one won't do it, maybe someone else's will.
A bather whose clothing was strewed,
By winds that left her quite nude,
Saw a man come along,
And unless we are wrong,
You expected this line to be lewd.
Like the bulls of Barcelona, let's open the gates and let hilarity ensue.
18
Chrono Trigger DS Analysis / Just a Lazy Port?
« on: August 20, 2009, 11:25:28 pm »Recently, I happened upon this article about Chrono Trigger DS:
http://www.pressthebuttons.com/2008/07/chrono-trigger.html
I don't know about you, but I very much enjoyed the new and semi-challenging Dimensional Vortexes and the Singing Mountain dungeon.
Still, how does this port of a past (and still amazing) Square-Enix game speak for the company's PR image?
19
Polling / Worst RPG Ever
« on: August 14, 2009, 04:26:25 pm »There's always a talk about the greatest RPGs every made for our generation, but you never hear about RPGs that you would do well to steer away from. The poll just lists the most widely known examples of terrible RPG production. If you've had a terrible RPG experience that didn't make the list, more power to you for posting your two cents worth on it.
I personally think it's Quest 64, mostly because at the time, the Nintendo 64 had no RPGs in its library. So much for that ray of light. The game itself has no cut-scenes or even any puzzles to solve.
One would know better than to toss aside these two important elements that are present in almost any RPG you pick up and play.
20
Polling / Character Sitcom Poll
« on: August 10, 2009, 08:37:35 pm »Please remember that this is a satire; i.e. no intention of treating character histories lightly or with indifference.
I'd personally go with Schala & Queen Zeal. Here's one reason:
* * * * *
Queen Zeal: Schala, go cheer your moody little brother up.
Schala: Why, did his pet cat die or something?
Queen Zeal: No.
Schala: Then what's wrong with him?
Queen Zeal: He just bought a big screen TV.
21
Submissions / Chrono Trigger™ Pinball Game
« on: August 02, 2009, 02:41:18 am »
I've played my share of awe inspiring pinball games (lots of them based off of summer blockbusters). So I figured, why aren't there more pinball games based of highly praised video games like Chrono Trigger?
For the past several weeks, I've been working out different details of a potential Chrono Trigger pinball game. This includes elements of the playfield (ramps, orbits, out-lanes, and so on), element-triggered sound-bites featuring lines from the CT game, and different playing modes and end-ball bonuses. I will gladly post a list of those details for those who wish to comment on or add to it.
Yeah, lots of lingo from the pinball enthusiast. Moving on...
I haven't gotten to the more difficult elements such as playfield and backboard art, DMD (Dot Matrix Display) sequences, and so on. There are online programs out there (Visual PinMAME) where experts can code different sequences and triggers for gameplay. This, however, has proven to be too difficult for me to do since the coding itself is complicated.
The question, however, stands: if you were on the Game Design Team at Stern Pinball (currently the last operating pinball manufacturing company in the world) for the upcoming Chrono Trigger™ Pinball Game, what game-play elements would you add?
For the past several weeks, I've been working out different details of a potential Chrono Trigger pinball game. This includes elements of the playfield (ramps, orbits, out-lanes, and so on), element-triggered sound-bites featuring lines from the CT game, and different playing modes and end-ball bonuses. I will gladly post a list of those details for those who wish to comment on or add to it.
Yeah, lots of lingo from the pinball enthusiast. Moving on...
I haven't gotten to the more difficult elements such as playfield and backboard art, DMD (Dot Matrix Display) sequences, and so on. There are online programs out there (Visual PinMAME) where experts can code different sequences and triggers for gameplay. This, however, has proven to be too difficult for me to do since the coding itself is complicated.
The question, however, stands: if you were on the Game Design Team at Stern Pinball (currently the last operating pinball manufacturing company in the world) for the upcoming Chrono Trigger™ Pinball Game, what game-play elements would you add?
22
Fan Fiction / The Real World - Chrono Trigger
« on: July 23, 2009, 06:18:39 pm »
CRONO: It’s the same show with a new twist.
MARLE: Seven people living under one roof.
LUCCA: Getting to know each other better.
FROG: Privy to their flaws and faults.
ROBO: Tolerating their illogical actions.
MAGUS: Wishing they could get a moment’s peace.
AYLA: This "Real World – Chrono Trigger."
EPISODE ONE: Ayla’s Underwear, Frog’s Speech, and Lucca’s New Invention
MARLE (Interview): Ugh! You’d think that since we’re considered adults by Guardia law, we’d act like adults. Not with these guys.
INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY
Ayla and Lucca stand before the others.
AYLA: Ayla spare buck skin gone. Ayla leave skin in magic water cave last night, take long sleep, skin gone next morning.
LUCCA: Okay, which one of you perverts took it?
All the male characters look at Crono.
CRONO: What? You think I did it?
FROG: Thou drawest a most hasty judgment.
MARLE: She does have a thing for you, Crono… are you hinting at her?
CRONO: I’m not a pervert!
ROBO: Perhaps your carnal male instincts were stimulated by your testosterone levels, thereby causing you to—
CRONO: Shut it, Robo! You’re not helping!
AYLA: Crono take Ayla spare skin with no ask? Ayla give Crono payment!
Ayla picks up an end desk with one hand and chucks it at Crono. He ducks in the nick of time.
He stands up and draws his katana. Ayla puts up her fists and prepares to fight. The others protest ad-lib.
MAGUS (Interview): …I took her spare skin. Just to see how she’d react. Girls are so uptight.
* * * * * *
INT. KITCHEN – DAY
Frog is wiping off the counter-tops after a lunch. Robo enters.
ROBO: Good afternoon, Glenn.
FROG: (Throws his rag down) Refrain thy tongue from mine true moniker! ‘Tis a past of pain and suffering that it invokes in my mind.
ROBO: My apologies, Frog, but robots do not have tongues, so it’s illogical to say—
FROG: And for that matter, what acts of labor dost thou pursue ‘round these quarters? You sit at your desk and pen away with your calculating devices for hours whilst we toil ourselves to the bone bettering this place—
ROBO: I do the taxes and balance the checkbooks so that money-ignorant flesh bags such as you and the others don’t end up with the IRS giving us an audit and losing hundreds of dollars in hard-earned cash. It’s the least I can do seeing how I’m the token robot in this blasted house!
ROBO pushes some steam out of his exhaust pipe. FROG is scared speechless.
FROG: …what be an audit?
Robo heaves a sigh and exits the room.
FROG: …and what be the I-R-S?
FROG (Interview): *Sigh* I long desire for my original talking style in the Japanese version of Chrono Trigger. Twas better to speak like a bastard than a dead playwright.
* * * * * *
CRONO (Interview): The girls hate me…which could mean they love me. But then again, I don’t know the first thing about women. Hey, it’s not too late to learn.
Crono picks up a copy of Men Are from Porre, Women Are from Medina and reads it.
INT. HALLWAY - DAY
Crono is walking along. Lucca comes up behind him and taps him on the shoulder.
CRONO: (Spins around) What, Lucca?
LUCCA: I need your help with something.
CRONO: Can’t it wait? I’m busy right now.
A series of low beeps and boops come from behind Crono. Crono whips around.
Lucca is holding what looks like a spin-off of the poltergeist scanner from Ghostbusters.
CRONO: What the—!?
LUCCA: It’s a portable lie detector. It can read heart rates, skin moisture, core temperatures, and can detect fidgety movement. Oh, you’re lying, by the way.
CRONO: …is this what you spent our money on? Building this dumb thing?
Low beeps and boops emanate from the machine.
LUCCA: This dumb thing says that you don’t mean that. Did you steal Ayla's underwear?
CRONO: No! Go bug Robo or something.(Walks away from Lucca)
High beeps and boops emanate from the machine.
LUCCA: Good idea.
INT. LIVING ROOM - LATER
Lucca is holding the lie detector up to Robo.
LUCCA: Did you steal Ayla’s underwear?
ROBO: No, I did not.
High beeps and boops emanate from the machine. Lucca sighs and walks away.
ROBO (Interview): I told her the truth, but she should know that us robot’s are immune to lie detectors. I just projected the artificial biorhythms to convey “truth” on her illogical machine. This is how I stay above the humans.
* * * * * *
End of Episode One. To be continued…(I hope)
MARLE: Seven people living under one roof.
LUCCA: Getting to know each other better.
FROG: Privy to their flaws and faults.
ROBO: Tolerating their illogical actions.
MAGUS: Wishing they could get a moment’s peace.
AYLA: This "Real World – Chrono Trigger."
EPISODE ONE: Ayla’s Underwear, Frog’s Speech, and Lucca’s New Invention
MARLE (Interview): Ugh! You’d think that since we’re considered adults by Guardia law, we’d act like adults. Not with these guys.
INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY
Ayla and Lucca stand before the others.
AYLA: Ayla spare buck skin gone. Ayla leave skin in magic water cave last night, take long sleep, skin gone next morning.
LUCCA: Okay, which one of you perverts took it?
All the male characters look at Crono.
CRONO: What? You think I did it?
FROG: Thou drawest a most hasty judgment.
MARLE: She does have a thing for you, Crono… are you hinting at her?
CRONO: I’m not a pervert!
ROBO: Perhaps your carnal male instincts were stimulated by your testosterone levels, thereby causing you to—
CRONO: Shut it, Robo! You’re not helping!
AYLA: Crono take Ayla spare skin with no ask? Ayla give Crono payment!
Ayla picks up an end desk with one hand and chucks it at Crono. He ducks in the nick of time.
He stands up and draws his katana. Ayla puts up her fists and prepares to fight. The others protest ad-lib.
MAGUS (Interview): …I took her spare skin. Just to see how she’d react. Girls are so uptight.
* * * * * *
INT. KITCHEN – DAY
Frog is wiping off the counter-tops after a lunch. Robo enters.
ROBO: Good afternoon, Glenn.
FROG: (Throws his rag down) Refrain thy tongue from mine true moniker! ‘Tis a past of pain and suffering that it invokes in my mind.
ROBO: My apologies, Frog, but robots do not have tongues, so it’s illogical to say—
FROG: And for that matter, what acts of labor dost thou pursue ‘round these quarters? You sit at your desk and pen away with your calculating devices for hours whilst we toil ourselves to the bone bettering this place—
ROBO: I do the taxes and balance the checkbooks so that money-ignorant flesh bags such as you and the others don’t end up with the IRS giving us an audit and losing hundreds of dollars in hard-earned cash. It’s the least I can do seeing how I’m the token robot in this blasted house!
ROBO pushes some steam out of his exhaust pipe. FROG is scared speechless.
FROG: …what be an audit?
Robo heaves a sigh and exits the room.
FROG: …and what be the I-R-S?
FROG (Interview): *Sigh* I long desire for my original talking style in the Japanese version of Chrono Trigger. Twas better to speak like a bastard than a dead playwright.
* * * * * *
CRONO (Interview): The girls hate me…which could mean they love me. But then again, I don’t know the first thing about women. Hey, it’s not too late to learn.
Crono picks up a copy of Men Are from Porre, Women Are from Medina and reads it.
INT. HALLWAY - DAY
Crono is walking along. Lucca comes up behind him and taps him on the shoulder.
CRONO: (Spins around) What, Lucca?
LUCCA: I need your help with something.
CRONO: Can’t it wait? I’m busy right now.
A series of low beeps and boops come from behind Crono. Crono whips around.
Lucca is holding what looks like a spin-off of the poltergeist scanner from Ghostbusters.
CRONO: What the—!?
LUCCA: It’s a portable lie detector. It can read heart rates, skin moisture, core temperatures, and can detect fidgety movement. Oh, you’re lying, by the way.
CRONO: …is this what you spent our money on? Building this dumb thing?
Low beeps and boops emanate from the machine.
LUCCA: This dumb thing says that you don’t mean that. Did you steal Ayla's underwear?
CRONO: No! Go bug Robo or something.(Walks away from Lucca)
High beeps and boops emanate from the machine.
LUCCA: Good idea.
INT. LIVING ROOM - LATER
Lucca is holding the lie detector up to Robo.
LUCCA: Did you steal Ayla’s underwear?
ROBO: No, I did not.
High beeps and boops emanate from the machine. Lucca sighs and walks away.
ROBO (Interview): I told her the truth, but she should know that us robot’s are immune to lie detectors. I just projected the artificial biorhythms to convey “truth” on her illogical machine. This is how I stay above the humans.
* * * * * *
End of Episode One. To be continued…(I hope)
23
Polling / Which CT song would you make into a musical number with lyrics and all?
« on: July 16, 2009, 07:01:08 pm »
Some time ago in a post over a comedic idea for a "Chrono" sequel, I happened upon a retarded brainchild called "Chrono Trigger: The Musical". I included some stupid musical numbers, potential cast members, and left it at that. Now, I come back with that same idea for other CT fans to lampoon.
For those in the know; there's already a YouTube video of Frog singing his theme song with lyrics and all. That's where I got the idea from, but I wanted to take it a step further.
I am already halfway done with lyrics for one of the songs I chose to poke fun at: "The Trial."
Singers: Crono, Marle, The Chancellor, Pierre, The Judge, and Jury Ensemble. No choreography yet. Heck, if I can convince some theater majors to create a video based on my idea and post it online, I would get right on it. Have fun.
For those in the know; there's already a YouTube video of Frog singing his theme song with lyrics and all. That's where I got the idea from, but I wanted to take it a step further.
I am already halfway done with lyrics for one of the songs I chose to poke fun at: "The Trial."
Singers: Crono, Marle, The Chancellor, Pierre, The Judge, and Jury Ensemble. No choreography yet. Heck, if I can convince some theater majors to create a video based on my idea and post it online, I would get right on it. Have fun.
24
Submissions / Kingdom of Zeal = 802,701 A.D.?
« on: July 02, 2009, 09:25:45 pm »
This is the title of my first CT theory article submission. Its purpose is to draw parallels (that I believe exist) between the two civilizations that exists in H.G. Wells' The Time Machine (The Eloi and the Morlocks) and the Kingdom of Zeal in CT (the Enlightened Ones and the Earthbound). Hope that it's a good enough read to the board to make the Index.
25
Chrono / Gameplay Casual Discussion / Why the Chrono Cross Hate?
« on: June 29, 2009, 05:27:53 pm »
Recently, I have happened upon a dated website (founded in 2000) that apparently has a beef with Chrono Cross in a variety of areas. Whether the author is well-founded in his arguments of Chrono Cross' shortcomings is entirely up to the readers.
Here is the webpage in question: http://www.yamoslair.com/ccsucks.html
Yes, the url clearly uses the word "sucks" to describe its viewpoint of Chrono Cross. Anyway, somewhere on the page is a numeric list which, according to the author, is just a short list. You be the judge of how short it is.
1. No recurring playable characters.
2. Small game world is bland, cramped, and monotonous.
3. Element system removes almost all character individuality in combat and contributes to a Pokemon-like classification of characters by "color."
4. Character design is far inferior to Akira Toriyama's work in Chrono Trigger.
5. Huge portions of the game consist entirely of empty filler in the form of dull fetch quests and monster hunting exercises.
6. Characters limited to three or less unique tech skills.
7. Virtually no double and triple techs.
8. Development for the majority of character is severely lacking or completely nonexistant.
9. Most characters are silly and pointless.
10. Some plot "revelations" (like Lynx being Serge's father) make little sense and seem like pointless afterthoughts designed to cover for poor scenario writing.
11. Much less varied, interesting, and memorable musical score.
12. Numerous hints that Chrono Trigger characters were killed off in inappropriate, unsatisfying, and difficult to believe fashions.
13. Schala's appearence in Chrono Cross (wrong hair color, clothing, facial structure, etc) is a blatent continuity error.
14. Supposed creation of humans by Lavos is another glaring continuity error.
15. No interesting flying vehicle (like the Epoch) for players to explore the world in.
16. Magus character completely invalidated and insulted through implication the he wasn't the one to find his long-lost sister.
17. No strong villian. Lynx's motives are about as clear as mud and the threat posed by the final bosses is far too vague to be tension-building.
18. Final boss posesses no unique attacks at all, despite the perfect opportunity to make use of the classic Lavos attacks from Chrono Trigger.
19. "Good" ending is pseudo-mystical nonsense followed by a brief movie that makes no sense whatsoever. Schala in modern Japan? What were they thinking?
20. Fewer alternate endings, none of which as as clever or interesting as the Chrono Trigger alternate endings.
21. Character have to physically hit enemies in combat before they can cast spells and use tech skills, which makes little sense and slows combat considerably.
22. Fixed rate level advancement removes all the fun and challenge of "building up" favorite characters.
23. Loading times before and after combats are ridiculously long. Unlike Chrono Trigger, which had none.
24. Characters behave illogically. Those that joined your party when you were Serge will not help you when you are Lynx, even though they often know that you are the same person.
25. Boring "weapon-forging" system largely eliminates fun of hunting down interesting weapons, armor, etc.
Pick a number, any number, and feel free to discuss, aanalyze, refute, whatever with it. From my standpoint, these are nothing more than slight inconveniences that shouldn't detract from the game play experience.
Here is the webpage in question: http://www.yamoslair.com/ccsucks.html
Yes, the url clearly uses the word "sucks" to describe its viewpoint of Chrono Cross. Anyway, somewhere on the page is a numeric list which, according to the author, is just a short list. You be the judge of how short it is.
1. No recurring playable characters.
2. Small game world is bland, cramped, and monotonous.
3. Element system removes almost all character individuality in combat and contributes to a Pokemon-like classification of characters by "color."
4. Character design is far inferior to Akira Toriyama's work in Chrono Trigger.
5. Huge portions of the game consist entirely of empty filler in the form of dull fetch quests and monster hunting exercises.
6. Characters limited to three or less unique tech skills.
7. Virtually no double and triple techs.
8. Development for the majority of character is severely lacking or completely nonexistant.
9. Most characters are silly and pointless.
10. Some plot "revelations" (like Lynx being Serge's father) make little sense and seem like pointless afterthoughts designed to cover for poor scenario writing.
11. Much less varied, interesting, and memorable musical score.
12. Numerous hints that Chrono Trigger characters were killed off in inappropriate, unsatisfying, and difficult to believe fashions.
13. Schala's appearence in Chrono Cross (wrong hair color, clothing, facial structure, etc) is a blatent continuity error.
14. Supposed creation of humans by Lavos is another glaring continuity error.
15. No interesting flying vehicle (like the Epoch) for players to explore the world in.
16. Magus character completely invalidated and insulted through implication the he wasn't the one to find his long-lost sister.
17. No strong villian. Lynx's motives are about as clear as mud and the threat posed by the final bosses is far too vague to be tension-building.
18. Final boss posesses no unique attacks at all, despite the perfect opportunity to make use of the classic Lavos attacks from Chrono Trigger.
19. "Good" ending is pseudo-mystical nonsense followed by a brief movie that makes no sense whatsoever. Schala in modern Japan? What were they thinking?
20. Fewer alternate endings, none of which as as clever or interesting as the Chrono Trigger alternate endings.
21. Character have to physically hit enemies in combat before they can cast spells and use tech skills, which makes little sense and slows combat considerably.
22. Fixed rate level advancement removes all the fun and challenge of "building up" favorite characters.
23. Loading times before and after combats are ridiculously long. Unlike Chrono Trigger, which had none.
24. Characters behave illogically. Those that joined your party when you were Serge will not help you when you are Lynx, even though they often know that you are the same person.
25. Boring "weapon-forging" system largely eliminates fun of hunting down interesting weapons, armor, etc.
Pick a number, any number, and feel free to discuss, aanalyze, refute, whatever with it. From my standpoint, these are nothing more than slight inconveniences that shouldn't detract from the game play experience.
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