Recent content by ajbell

I'm pretty sure the medieval world didn't have warlocks, demons and floaty green names above everyone's heads either, though, so I wouldn't rely on it too much as a guide. ;) And all-the-time, all-the-where loot drops? Oh gods no! I have trouble with inventory space as it is! (Unless it...

Can I just chip in to say "Kirkwall"? Really? Really? You couldn't have named it after, say, a place that didn't exist? So I wouldn't be stuck adventuring here [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkwall]? Gah!

Just want to add my +1 to this being a great article.

I suspect that it's less a case of more officious censors going looking for it as it is that everyone must look for it. In the BBFC's case, there are some things which are simply not allowed at lower classification levels. (In films, the oft cited example is that a headbutt is not allowed at...

You're right! But even more awesome, I can spell fecks! Sort of. A bit. If you squint. And are British enough to get "feck" in its full Father Ted glory. EDIT: Although it hasn't taken yet. Damn. Watch this space.

Plus, minstrels are (one of) the primary healing class in LOTRO. They basically heal themselves while chipping away at their foes' health.

Nice video supplement, by the way. Felt like an actual addition tot he review, rather than someone reading out the main points over a demo of the game.

Aiiiiie, shame on me indeed. Now that you've pointed that out, you are obviously right. One of the queens I seem to recall. (But we've already established my memory is pretty ropey on this.) On your more substantive point, smarter AI would seem (to me) like a very good way of dealing with...

I think in this context game design and programming are two sides of the same coin. (The same is true of the DA:O example as well.) In fact, I would go further and say that high level game design (the overall look, feel and playstyle) has to incorporate programming as part of it, along with...

Forgist? You've lost me there. "Social contract" is an established social/philisophical/political term for agreed behaviours in a society. The impossible things are (at least as far as I know them) a Douglas Adams quote. ("Done seven impossible things before breakfast? Then why not visit...

To all those saying they liked the article, you're very kind. Now, if any of you happen to know the Escapist editors/work for Themis Media/have any incriminating photos of Escapist staff do let them know... ;) Onyx, I do agree that stealth logic is often pretty warped in games and does...

While Iain may be an old woman at times, he is NOT my mother! ;) You say "potato", I say "carbohydrate rich root crop of the genus Solanum"... Joking (and academic tendencies to use overly complex language) aside, I think there is a difference. In my opinion, it comes down to the degree...

Perhaps it was poorly explained in the article, but I wasn't actually arguing that the stuns were a bad thing in DA:O. What I objected to was that it seemed too random when it used them. Either fight me tooth and nail, or go easy. Don't do one then the other. That's not satisfying. That's...

Granted, by the end of Oblivion you are decked out and able to kill most anything just by thinking about it, but for the vast majority of the game (I would argue easily the whole main quest plus a good half of the rest of the content) the NPCs keep pace with you. It's frustrating to come back...

@Onyx: I guess it might depend on your definition of "detected" ("I've spotted him!" versus "There's something going on!"), but that's me being generous. Sounds pretty sucky to me. @elimekim: Oh gods, I had forgotten about Worms! You're right, it's appalling for that. The 3D versions are...