User information for Horace Pankin

Real Name
Horace Pankin
Nickname
Hpankin
Email
Concealed by request - Send Mail
Description
Homepage
None given.

Supporter

Signed On
May 15, 2004
Total Posts
90 (Suspect)
User ID
20905
Search For:
Sort Results:
Ascending
Descending
Limit Results:
 
90 Comments. 5 pages. Viewing page 1.
Newer [  1  2  3  4  5  ] Older
4.
 
Re: Take-Two Suing 3D Realms
May 15, 2009, 09:23
4.
Re: Take-Two Suing 3D Realms May 15, 2009, 09:23
May 15, 2009, 09:23
 
A game in which the player “shoots” enemies?

Hmm, sounds good. I may have to check this one out.
11.
 
Re: Utah's Game Bill Rolls On
Mar 13, 2009, 17:17
11.
Re: Utah's Game Bill Rolls On Mar 13, 2009, 17:17
Mar 13, 2009, 17:17
 
Yeah, Coolone, what was it about AnarKane's post that made you believe he was making a gross generalization about everyone in Utah? I swear, you guys gotta learn not to read so much of your own foibles into others' posts.
23.
 
Re: Microsoft Stores
Feb 14, 2009, 14:59
23.
Re: Microsoft Stores Feb 14, 2009, 14:59
Feb 14, 2009, 14:59
 
Mac's OS and GUI was derivative too... just sayin'

Even AppleII was derivative of the "build a computer" hobby kit.

iPod wasn't the first MP3 player.

In fact, Apple has always prided themselves on *not* being the first to do something, but being the ones who put a slick shine on it.

Once again...not the point. Does Apple have a long long history of copying the direction of other companies? Does Sun? Does Texas Instruments? Does Intel? Does IBM?

Sure, some of the above companies' product releases are derivative of other stuff, of course. But they do not have long long histories of it.

Capice?
12.
 
Re: Microsoft Stores
Feb 13, 2009, 12:49
12.
Re: Microsoft Stores Feb 13, 2009, 12:49
Feb 13, 2009, 12:49
 
To be fair (I know it's cool to bash big bad evil MS, but bear with me), several of the source products you mention are derivative products themselves.

Yes, I know. But that's not the point. The point is that Microsoft's entire history is embarrassingly replete with examples of follow-the-leader.
1.
 
Re: New Fortress Forever
Feb 13, 2009, 12:15
1.
Re: New Fortress Forever Feb 13, 2009, 12:15
Feb 13, 2009, 12:15
 
Upon visiting the FF site, I noticed that the model for their Demoman sports an eye patch.

I don't know that much about FF, other than it (together with TF2) emerged from the original Quake Mod but I'd love to know whether the original mod's Demoman model featured that eye patch.
7.
 
Re: Microsoft Stores
Feb 13, 2009, 11:57
7.
Re: Microsoft Stores Feb 13, 2009, 11:57
Feb 13, 2009, 11:57
 
  • Apple's GUI (courtesy of Xerox) and OS/2 begat Windows
  • Playstation begat X-Box
  • Wordstar/Word Perfect begat Word
  • Lotus 1-2-3 begat Excel
  • iPod begat Zune
  • Google search begat Live Search
  • Mac OSX begat Vista
  • Sun Javascript begat MS Javashit
  • Netscape Navigator begat Internet Explorer
  • Prodigy and AOL begat MSN
  • iTunes begat MSN Music

How many purely non-derivative (<--this is the key part) innovations by Microsoft can you name?

This comment was edited on Feb 13, 2009, 12:01.
2.
 
Re: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. commemorative coin…
Oct 2, 2008, 08:14
2.
Re: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. commemorative coin… Oct 2, 2008, 08:14
Oct 2, 2008, 08:14
 
^ LOL!!

35.
 
Re: No subject
Sep 24, 2008, 08:29
35.
Re: No subject Sep 24, 2008, 08:29
Sep 24, 2008, 08:29
 
No problemo, although I quoted the part I responded to.

Still, I'm all for supporting the developer and I like the genre of the Stalker series very much. But at some point there has to be some culpability on the part of those developers who charge good money for a beta. I've never understood those people who cry bloody murder when a game is delayed (Duke Nukem Forever notwithstanding). I far prefer they take an extra three months before going gold to playtest and bug-stomp. That didn't seem to have happened here.

33.
 
Re: No subject
Sep 24, 2008, 06:38
33.
Re: No subject Sep 24, 2008, 06:38
Sep 24, 2008, 06:38
 
If you like it so much why did you pirate it? That is hardly supporting them to make the game you want to play.

Sorry, who said I pirated the game? That was my quote you used, Kosumo, so I just want to understand your thinking.

This comment was edited on Sep 24, 06:40.
23.
 
Re: No subject
Sep 23, 2008, 18:36
23.
Re: No subject Sep 23, 2008, 18:36
Sep 23, 2008, 18:36
 
^ Yes, methinks you're right. And SHoC, patched to 1.0004 with Oblivion Lost 2.2 is an amazing gaming experience. Highly recommended!

21.
 
Re: No subject
Sep 23, 2008, 18:27
21.
Re: No subject Sep 23, 2008, 18:27
Sep 23, 2008, 18:27
 
I've been reading that this game has limited activation DRM system called "tags", if that's true I wonder why this game hasn't been targeted for termination by Amazon reviewers.

That would be Tages and it's a DRM scheme in addition to Steam's existing DRM. SecureROM is used on North American retail CDs and StarForce is used on CDs sold everywhere else. Hooray for PC gaming in the 21st Century! Woot woot!

20.
 
Re: No subject
Sep 23, 2008, 18:22
20.
Re: No subject Sep 23, 2008, 18:22
Sep 23, 2008, 18:22
 
Don't worry, I'm sure there is at least one person among the prior posters who didn't actually buy the game.

That would be me. I heeded the warnings and didn't get burned. Yay for me.

I hang around the GSC and Steam forums to check up on the progress of Clear Sky and it appears the bug/crash situation is far, far, far worse this time around. I always thought you were supposed to get better each time you do something. It's damned unfortunate because I like what GSC is trying to do: make a post-apocalyptic game dripping with atmosphere.

Fallout 3, anyone?

15.
 
Re: No subject
Sep 11, 2008, 17:27
15.
Re: No subject Sep 11, 2008, 17:27
Sep 11, 2008, 17:27
 
Well, in Stalker, shitty aim is the product of a shitty gun. So if you change guns, you likely improve your aim. I know of no mod that will improve the aim on all guns in the game but I think you can alter a couple .ltx files and accomplish the same result.

12.
 
Re: Well maybe...
Sep 11, 2008, 16:56
12.
Re: Well maybe... Sep 11, 2008, 16:56
Sep 11, 2008, 16:56
 
Wallofshadows, it's my pleasure: I've played Stalker a few times through with various mods and each time was a unique experience.

Firstly, patch your vanilla game with 1.0005. There's a 1.0006 patch but do not install it unless you play multi-player. Most of the good mods are not written for 1.0006 so 1.0005 is the one to have for single-player. Any game saved under prior versions will not work. Yes, it's a shitty situation but the good news is that there's not likely to be another single-player patch to come & run roughshod over everything, not with Clear Sky in the state it's in. So...version 1.0005:

http://dlh.net/cgi-bin/dp.cgi?lang=eng&ref=ps&sys=pc&cap=s

Secondly, you can choose from small mods (new weapons, armor, weapon textures, clothing, realism, etc.) that make use of the existing plot & story all the way up to a full conversion (Priobi) featuring a whole new story.

You can combine some of the smaller mods with the bigger ones but you've got to be real careful. There's a app called the Smart Mod Manager that does a fairly good job of installing mods & overseeing merges:

http://stalker.filefront.com/news/STALKER_Smart_Mod_Manager;36576

Two Mods I Love:

The Jin-Roh mod because it addressed three common complaints (weak armor, weak gun, weight limit) in one mod. You can install this and still experience what the game designers intended.

http://stalker.filefront.com/file/JinRoh_MOD;77730

Once you solve the game in vanilla and again with Jin-Roh, you could move onto the most popular mod: Kanyhalo's Oblivion Lost. It's not a real total conversion (despite how it's categorized) because you can still play the original story and experience all the various outcomes. Instead, Oblivion Lost adds some new twists like random blowouts, random weather, adds new monsters, vehicles, dark nights, sleeping bag, NPC behavior is also greatly improved.

In version 2.2, for instance, NPCs are not just there to converse with, they're your competition for food, supplies, weapons, artifacts. I'm playing this version through for the first time and I noticed NPCs scavenging dead bodies before I got to them! I'm like, "hey, I need that med kit!!" Plus, once you solve the game, OL switches into "freeplay" mode allowing you to fully explore the entire map. Oblivion Lost is HIGHLY recommended.

http://stalker.filefront.com/file/;89584

For Stalker nirvana, I combine Oblivion Lost and Jin-Roh using the Smart Mod Manager. hehe

Other notable mods:

Trojanuch's Stalker Weather Overhauled
. What a breathtakingly-beautiful mod. You'll want to see the sun setting & rising with this one!

http://forums.filefront.com/s-t-l-k-e-r-soc-modding-editing/348264-s-w-o-s-t-l-k-e-r-weather-ovlerhauled.html

Realism Mod 0.9.9.2
http://www.moddb.com/games/stalker/downloads/realism-mod-0992

Stalker Rebalanced is an accumulation of several dozen texture mods, weapon mods, and the like to provide a...well...rebalance.
http://stalker.filefront.com/file/STALKER_Rebalanced;86763
...plus the cumulative patch:
http://stalker.filefront.com/file/Stalker_Rebalanced_v104_Proper_Cumlative_Patch;89556

Priobi Story is a total conversion set a number of years after the events in SoC. You play as a soldier in the Russian military.

http://www.moddb.com/games/stalker/downloads/priboi-story-v11

There are dozens of other mods. Check out the GSC message board for info on all of them and to ask the authors questions & comments.

http://www.gsc-game.com/index.php?t=community&s=forums&s_game_type=xr2&#9001;=en

This comment was edited on Sep 11, 17:14.
40.
 
Re: Please
Sep 11, 2008, 14:34
40.
Re: Please Sep 11, 2008, 14:34
Sep 11, 2008, 14:34
 
Surf is clearly a jerk but he's not entirely wrong about Israel.

For decades, the party line (for both Dems and GOP) has been, "Muslim extremists hate us for our freedom."

No. This is not true. They, in fact, hate us because of our indefatigable support for Israel, all of whom they hate. Think about it, what makes more sense? Muslim extremists sitting in the sand over there seething about how much freedom we have? Or is it that their sworn enemy has been receiving aid from a superpower since 1967, thus making it impossible to kick them out?

It also doesn't help that, in our culture, bringing this fact up in public forums brands you an antisemite. Hey, I'm probably just as liberal as a jewish dude: I'm no antisemite. So let's not confuse antisemitism with having an understanding of the facts.

I won't try to suggest what the best solution is, as I'm not qualified to do that. But can we please be open to the possibility that what the Dems and the GOP have been telling us with regard to why they hate us...might just be bullshit.

This comment was edited on Sep 11, 14:35.
5.
 
Re: Well maybe...
Sep 11, 2008, 14:11
5.
Re: Well maybe... Sep 11, 2008, 14:11
Sep 11, 2008, 14:11
 
Well sure, given enough time, they can patch it until it's perfect. Between the patches and the mod community, Shadow of Chernobyl is a phenomenal game.

But if I agreed to give them my $39.99 now, that's the same as saying, "it's perfectly OK with me for lazy developers to release a game that's not only buggy (after all, what game doesn't have the odd bug here & there) but also unstable to the point that it crashes to desktop."

By withholding my purchase (and being nice & verbal about it on this and other sites), it is my hope that GSC will finally get the message. I mean, they already screwed the pooch once with SoC. The seemed to have screwed the poor pooch again with Clear Sky.

They'll have to spend someone else's money on the pooch's KY jelly supply for number three.

2.
 
Re: Patch #2 ?
Sep 11, 2008, 13:54
2.
Re: Patch #2 ? Sep 11, 2008, 13:54
Sep 11, 2008, 13:54
 
Dagok, I agree, it's not a good sign, and so I've canceled my preorder.

Did you see I replied to the earlier Stalker thread with info about a simple gun & armor mod? I arrived sort of late to that earlier thread. Anyway, here's the link.

http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=viewthread&threadid=91172&boardid=1&id=&view=flatold&start=20

29.
 
Re: ...
Sep 10, 2008, 04:03
29.
Re: ... Sep 10, 2008, 04:03
Sep 10, 2008, 04:03
 
Dagok, I've used quite a few mods for SoC so I might be able to help you get a better experience out of the game. The only time SoC crashed to desktop for me was when I altered some ltx files without knowing exactly how they affected others.

If you want to get decent armor without altering game files:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEhP_cqC-w0

If all you want is a fair encumbrance limit, a good gun, and great armor...then look no further than the Jin-roh mod (the one I use to "run & gun" while still enjoying the stock storyline). It says the mod is only for version 1.001 of the game but that's hogwash. I run it very well on 1.005. After it's installed, you've got to buy both the gun and the armor from the trader. Plus, you'll notice the trader's got everything in the game for sale. hehe:
http://stalker.filefront.com/file/JinRoh_MOD;77730

And here's another link that may be helpful to ya:
http://www.webalice.it/requena/game/stalker/stalker.htm

Good luck, Stalker!

This comment was edited on Sep 10, 04:13.
25.
 
Re: No subject
Sep 9, 2008, 12:12
25.
Re: No subject Sep 9, 2008, 12:12
Sep 9, 2008, 12:12
 
After reading the many criticisms on the GSC message board (which is suspiciously down for "maintenance"), I've canceled my Amazon preorder. Apparently, there were many crashes to desktop, some BSODs, and many many bugs (like the unmanned fixed gun bug).

It breaks my heart too because I've always said Shadow of Chernobyl was the greatest single-player PC gaming experience I'd ever had, a claim I still make.

13.
 
Re: No subject
Sep 8, 2008, 11:53
13.
Re: No subject Sep 8, 2008, 11:53
Sep 8, 2008, 11:53
 
Jesus, sour grapes in here much?

You all know very well that if it was available on the PC, many of you would buy it. Or at least, you'd torrent it.

90 Comments. 5 pages. Viewing page 1.
Newer [  1  2  3  4  5  ] Older