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jayseven

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Posts posted by jayseven

  2. Posted

    I believe it's essentially a non-means tested form of welfare that anyone can apply to have, rather than something that will automatically just given.. I think?

     

    Singapore have an interesting model where there is forced savings. Everyone has to save something like 50% of their income.

     

    But both economic ideas are possible because the country/city is in a vastly different place to the uk. The city in holland (not sure if it applies to the whole of holland) has something like 40% of its workforce being part-time. Possible that this means a lot of people hold two part-time jobs rather than one full-time - or that the cost of living is lower or average income is higher so families can rely on one income... But I do personally think that in an ideal world you would indeed have both of these concepts. Force 25% savings, reduce tax, restructure pensions so that people's savings are responsible for pensions, and have a £500-monthly free income for anyone who wants it (paid out weekly to prevent vulnerable idiots from spending their money at the start of the month and having nothing for the rest of the month)...

     

    People who moan that they are working hard so that 'scrounger scum' get the easy life are missing the point. They are working hard so that they don't have ONLY £500 a month, and so that they can have a nicer life with access to nicer things. We should raise our acceptable minimum standard of life for everyone across the board because it's a nice thing as a human to do for their fellow humans, and not be so bitter about it.

     

    But realistically the argument is "but where does the money to pay for it come from?" and that is the £32.5bn/month question :P

  3. Posted

    re: games having online/multiplayer shoehorned in; goldeneye's multiplayer wasn't meant to have existed, and was a last-minute shoe-horn to placate somoneoneorother. The eventual success was pretty good, right? That's the sort of thing Daft is talking about.

     

    Counter to that; bioshock had a multiplayer that was pretty weak, and was (I'd say) part of a generation of games that pushed multiplayer, and suffered from using achievements as a way to get people to put more hours into the online mode because any latecomer to the game found that there was no residual community. Everyone just played the MP to get the achievements and left.

     

    It's kind of why I can understand the Federation Force angle Nintendo's gone. Ninty's been all about multiplayer for a long time. People are just pissed because they wanted something else, and because they feel a bit dirty because nintendo seem to be using the metroid brand to push this new game rather than invest more money in developing a wholly new universe to set the game in.

     

    I think Nintendo is, in a way, right to pursue their own business model of "the customer doesn't know what they want yet" but they will always be open to criticism because of this. They will never give gamers what they want because, frankly, they don't know how to create the game everyone wants. They can't tick all of the boxes all of the time. But they can focus on doing what they know best.

     

    Unfortunately this means alienating a lot of non-loyal gamers, who have been argued elsewhere in this forum as spoilt, or expectant gamers.

     

    Truth is you can't have everything. But just as nontendo gamers are missing out on the pure fun and joy of Ninty games (,my perception,) being a loyalist does mean missing out on the third party games, and how those studios do try to give gamers what they claim to want -- even if it means overshooting the mark or completely misunderstanding the gamers' desires. There are enough games, IPs and genres out there to be satisfied. The fickleness of loyalty for other consoles and PC is actually really good for competition -- which is really good for enjoyment.

     

    Mild semi-rant here, apologies. I've been lurking on these boards more than others for a fair while, so I'm sorry if my comment is misplaced.

  4. Posted

    Steam Sale (and a bit afterwards);

    I, Zombie

    BEEP

    Out There Somewhere

    Yet Another Zombie Defense

    Polarity

    Camera Obscura

    Castle Crashers

    Teleglitch: Die More Edition

    4 Elements

    Puzzle Agent 2

    Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee

    Oddword: Abe's Exoddus

    Miasmata

    This War of Mine

    Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek

    Tales of Maj-Eyal

    Small World 2

    Pixel Heroes: Byte & Magic

    MirrorMoon EP

    Nidhogg

    Gunpoint

    Octodad

    Magicka

    Rogue Legacy

    Tesla Effect

    Five Nights at Freddy's

    The Detail

     

    My receipts; 1.97, 2.24, 6.80, 1.74, 2.99, 0.99, 9.12, 24.43

     

    27 games, £50.28 -- only 13 hours played between them so far though!

     

    I bought a lot of roguelike games after having loved Risk of Rain and FTL to death. I have three friends and we tend to have 2-4 player sessions a few times a week, which is why I bought games like Castle Crashers (again).

     

    185 games in my library now, with around 700 hours clocked.

     

    So glad I switched to PC gaming!

  7. Posted

    Hey. Neutral here, who gave up on all consoles this gen.

     

    Nintendo did nothing to persuade me to pick up their console. The other two swayed me briefly - but ultimately I'll remain resolute and happy with my decision to switch to PC gaming.

     

    But from what I can see Nintendo has done a good job of allowing a section of their hardcore fans to feel dissuaded to continue with their loyalty, while the other two consoles seemed to have given their fans enough to keep going.

     

    From that perspective, I think it is logical to conclude that Nintendo did very little to sway non-Nintendo fans. The best 'Nintendo' related news was the Microsoft announcement of the Rare back-catalogue, which encapsulates many Nintendo-console classics.

     

    Based upon the three party showings, if I was forced to pick up a console again I'd be torn between the xbone (I looove Blast Corps) and PS4 (FF7!).

     

    However, instead I can pay £650 for a PC which will be able to play games for 5-7 years (and at a cost of £100-300 a further 3 years at least!) I can instead play a whole bunch of games that aren't available on consoles. Instead of relying on two 5 star games a year I can rely on getting 30+ 4 star games in the next year -- and I have ready access to games that were made over the last 30 years without worrying about backwards compatibility as well.

     

    As I said -- was a MASSIVE nintendo fan many years ago... but I considered why I was a fan, and also considered what it was I wanted from games, and then relinquished my 'loyalty' to nintendo. As a consequence I am able to fill my spare time with enjoyable moments.

     

    I understand that serebii has a personal investment in the success of nintendo, but I don't understand why any gamer feels the need to be loyal...?

  8. Posted

    Work is going well! Since my promotion I've kind of been defining my own job. I've had a finger in a lot of pies -- I get to go to a conference for a legal thing next week (which I'm sure will just be a drag), and I get to go to court on behalf of my company as well (people aren't paying bills)... and I should be put on a course that will be fantastic for my career too...!

     

    Ultimately it's a SME which is trying to be bigger but is very behind in a lot of ways, but I've reached the level where, I think, I'm on track to be a very responsible part of the company. I've just been asked to look into another part of the business - so yeah! It's going really well. I'm excited to see what I'll be doing in a year's time considering the amount of responsibility I'm currently given. The difficult thing is trying to concoct a scenario where I can say "hey, so I want to get paid more money to do this job" without having to play they "I'm looking for another job" card. I don't see how I can get a payrise (in the future) without threatening to leave. Anyone got any advice? @Charlie?

  9. Posted

    I hated Ticket To Ride the first time I played it. It's a game that rewards the wrong kind of skill for me. It's not a logical game, it's a calculating game.

     

    Forbidden Island and Forbidden Desert are better by default because they are team-based. My friends have kind of weaned off of Pandemic these days because they've figured out how to win it in most scenarios; the game became predictable. Once you start approaching it as if you all control all of the pieces, rather than one piece per player, then you can brute force a victory (save for a horrible series of cards!).

     

    King of Tokyo is also breakable -- just save up for power cubes/tokens and you'll win. King of New York adds some more dynamics which i think work well.

     

    Avalon (I think?) is awesome though. Love that game. Whatever it's called.

  10. Posted

    With the majority of the telltale games there's very little impact on the choices you make.

     

    With TWD I remember restarting the game very early on! When you choose whether to save the kid or save the teen at the farm (by the tractor)... I saved the kid which led to Hershel kicking us off the land... and I thought "hey now, I didn't realise his kid would die!" so I restarted. If you chose to save his son instead... you get a cutscene that basically means the little kid survived instead, so no actual story change occurs. The intention is that the little kids parents will treat you differently throughout the rest of the story... but anyone who has played through s1 and s2 of TWD knows that ultimately your choice here has very, very, very little implication.

     

    Really, your choices just mean that you see a different set of cutscenes throughout the game. While this is still fantastic in the sense that your playthrough is "unique" to you (to the extent that there are maybe, I dunno, 36 combinations or 250 combinations or whatever) -- but ultimately the only choice that tends to matter is the one that occurs at the end of the game(s)... but even this choice doesn't REALLY cross over any further.

     

    Fact is, it's not the exponential game paths that make telltale games good; the choices don't make as much of an ultimate impact as their opening statement of "your choices are sooo important" suggests. But if you put faith in the idea that they will impact your game then you will actively interact with the game in a way which gives the game more meaning. Once you see through this initial jedi mind trick then you're no longer in control - you understand that you're just hitting pause/play on one of a few different versions of the story... which can lead to you being unable to invest.

     

    With TWAU the main significant impact that you can have is that there are two distinct endings. Unfortunately because there's no 2nd game yet, it's hard to see how this will manifest in any key way. Some skeptics may argue that because of the way the game ended it's unlikely to have a sequel (it may be announced/in development -- I have literally no idea)...

     

    But essentially what I'm trying to say is that the way you felt about TWAU is actually the way you can feel about any telltale game if you allowed yourself. The whole "choose your own path"/"your choice matters" thing is really just a myth that doesn't work all that well. If you believe in it -- if you don't overanalyse -- then it will play out wonderfully. All that will matter is whether the narrative itself grips.

  12. Posted

    @Wii yes that was in 2012. The full extent of the infraction was your wording and 'flaming' of another person on these boards.

     

    What is morally right and fair, on these forums, is decided by the admins and moderators, and stated in the forum rules.

     

    Please note;

     

    12) Attacking, harassing or "flaming" of others is not tolerated. Remain friendly and civil at all times. Be helpful when possible. Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

     

    13) Swearing, and use of slurs about race or sexual orientation are prohibited. Slanderous, defamatory, obscene, indecent, lewd, pornographic, abusive, insulting, threatening, harassing or obnoxious comments and/or images are not tolerated, nor is making light of serious issues such as rape.

     

    Whilst these are not exhaustive lists, they do attempt to cover a range of potential instances of rule violations. Please note that we govern based upon the 'spirit of the law' - so arguing about semantics or other pedantry is irrelevant.

     

    Please take into account the following rules;

     

    1) Use of the forums is a privilege, not a right. Forum administrators reserve the right to remove those that we do not want to be part of our community.

     

    2) Instructions given by the moderator team are to be followed.

     

    You were given a temporary infraction after receiving a verbal warning for the way you were talking to others. As I said before, in the spirit of the forum rules (and coming from a mod) I believe you should swear properly because you look silly otherwise.

  13. Posted

    There are so many solutions to reading that it genuinely should be your last concern. What you said about feeling bad for me + things are easy for you = that's how you adapt. Seriously - if I could just ZAP my shit into someone else then BAM! They wouldn't know what do to. Whatever it is that you're going through is going to have been a consequence of whatever you have already been through. You may have already endured situations without realising it. But because it was de facto... you had no reason to challenge it! And that's the JOY of this shit. At some point you may (if it is what it is) come to accept terminologies such as disabled... and as 'out there' as it is right now; it's fucking empowering.

     

    The GP is trying to do it by-the-book. Opticians then referral to an eye hospital really isn't unusual. Most eye conditions are 'stable' in the sense that the condition is not going to drastically change. As a consequence the NHS will stockpile scenarios like yours. Which happened to me. And, ideally, you should be informed of Massive Shit like this ASAP.

     

    But in reality -- your day-to-day life won't change (if it's a thing, because it's going to continue as it has been; slow, subtle changes. But For you? You will change. You're already a decent beast of a human so I can only see positives for you - but you're a londonite so I imagine it's more severe for you. I don't know. I'm talking as if there's definitely something "wrong" and your life has to change as a consequence.

     

    I have guaranteed hallucinations as a consequences of my Eye Shit. So far it's all simple, silly stuff that is conflated because I have Ear Shit as well. I'm pretty sure anyone with Eye Shit will mis-see things. It's natural. But what is difficult is specific to each individual. Shit happened to me before I was an adult, so I changed my adult life to fit my shit. You will be in a position where there are tools and people to help you fit your shit into the life you have.

     

    Brighton/Sussex Eye hospital has an A&E dept. It is how I was initially diagnosed. Opticians/doctors were useless.

     

    Perhaps come down to brighton, have a drink with me, go to A&E for the lols. If the future is just PILLS then... fuck yeah!

     

    As for your other qs;

     

    My blindness is not what most people would consider 'blind' -- so I can read pretty much fine. My dad has a genetically unrelated eye condition (lol scientists) where he cannot really read. He uses Dragon Software which converts text to speech, and speech to text (and learns based on YOU!)[/url] to help.

     

    So this a a convoluted message. On the one hand I want to wish that shit isn't that bad, but on the other, BIGGER hand, I want to offer my sincerest advice in what I have learned whilst dealing with mad shit like this.

     

    I feel this is a potential conversation, and I genuinely, genuinely offer my sofa for you. Any time this weekend/next weekend/weekend after you want to come have a chill time and small talk then please do. It will simply involve sitting on my sofa, drinking, maybe playin ps3 or xbox, and ordering dominos pizza (i will pay). If you are up for this then PM me dude. Ultimately this may all be nothing but I'm here if you want to talk about any of the above AND/OR other shit (I can handle politics/news/religion shit).

     

    P.S. Yes drunk reply sorry.

     

    I just re-read your post and when you say "it isn't that bad for me" followed by "it's absolutely terrifying"... I want you to understand what you've just done.

     

    Guilt/shame. Every human is entitled to feel however they feel. Don't think like that, man.

     

    @The Bard

     

    COMMANDED

     

    VISIT

     

    RELAX HERE AND FUN

     

    DO IT.

  14. Posted

    I think that one man's silliness cannot be excused simply because other sillimen are allowed to continue in their own ways. Neither can I confirm or deny any activity relating to colour-coded user submissions. In any case, simply because a situation that falls under the remit has been overlooked does not therefore allow other similar situations to be equally overlooked.

     

    If a user wishes to align a specific colour to their messages then, while I believe it is futile, they are allowed to portray it as if it is part of their character, for it is an aesthetic and does not alter the message they portray.

     

    However, if they wish to spend their own time in self-censoring their messages, then they are breaching a different area of interest (for me).

     

    If you feel the need to censor your own message then you are falling into one of few finite categories. You may feel that swearing in public is bad, or you may be used to operating on forums where swearing is disallowed. I can't think of many more circumstances than that.

     

    If you feel that swearing is BAD then you shouldn't even allude to swearing, because the word 'fuck' alludes to a certain schema of intent/meaning, and the 'word' 'f**k' doesn't allude to anything OTHER than 'fuck', it merely relies on the recipient to have previously seen/heard the intended word.

     

    Which is a class of people formerly known as "adults".

     

    I believe that Wii is used to posting on forums where he has to censor his language. I believe that he has adjusted his general web behaviour to fit the strict parameters of this forum(s)(forii). I do not believe that he does it out of personal moral correctness.

     

    As such, I feel it is my duty to inform him that he has additional rights while posting within these forums. He can post freely without fear of retribution -- something that may have added to his behaviour in the first place; a fear that posting blatant swear words would lead to a banning.

     

    I also wish for him to understand that his opinion/beliefs are slightly diminished because the censoring is seen as childish, and that perhaps if he can find a way to write the cursewords in full or find a way to express his opinion without the need to swear at all his opinion may be taken more seriously. There are, as always, active contributors to all threads on n-e, but there are, also, threads that are read by external individuals who aren't members. They may take his opinion more seriously if they see that he is an adult who is able to swear without the permission of others.

     

    I also believe that the time taken to select a colour-response is far less than the time it takes to hold SHIFT and select the symbols required in self-censorship. In any case, I do believe that colour-messages are a different beast to censorship, and I would be happy to argue the difference elsewhere (we can pretend we're lords)

  16. Posted

    Much love, cube! I hope that you are content with the changes in your life; it's not easy to make these big steps. I've seen elsewhere the nightmare your previous landlord caused, so it's good that's all over. I have to admit that the expanse of your mancave now means that the UK may now have a large enough venue for the World Series of Geek-Spelunking to come to our shores... :P

     

    But seriously - congrats dude :)

  17. Posted

    I would recommend Terry Pratchett. His vocab is very diverse but the narrative is not obstructed in the instance you are not able to decipher the novel wording used.

     

    Plus it's funny-books.

     

    I would say that David Mitchell's stuff is more 'advanced' because the language used is more esoteric - and number9dream deals with futuristic anachronisms which is difficult. I would definitely advise to avoid genres where the books make up a lot of words (so rule out harry potter for its spells and Game of Thrones for its names and slightly archaic titles/naming systems... and theoretically discworld too...damn :P).

     

    I would recommend something like Michael Connolley's Bosch series but they also have their own lingo due to being procedural police/crime dramas. The main reason i recommend Discworld is because that's what I read when I couldn't understand words and I learnt to contextualise some 'big' words thanks to pratchett.

  18. Posted

    @The Bard what sumo said. What you have stated seems to potentially be linked to various forms of palsies and/or strokes.

     

    A referral to Moorfields can take a fair bit of time, but definitely get some ophthalmologist advice. Sussex Eye Hospital is located here in Brighton and I'd personally say it's a good 2nd-best to Moorfields (but I'm biased), so ensure you are getting a referral sorted out. Take it from me - eye shit is sad shit, but better to know what it is and whether it's temporary or not. Plus if you come to brighton I will drown some (in)visible sorrows with you too.

     

    (I am so blind now I just got one of those white sticks to part crowds of brightonians like the red sea. I get this.)

  20. Posted

    I think the main worry is irreparable damage. If the NHS is fucked up by privatisation then the only reset is to spend far more money in buying things back. The government never sells things at market price. That's my only worry.

  22. Posted

    So I went to the pub instead of voting.

     

    I was also supposed to proxy-vote for a housemate who is away. However that fell through, so she wanted me to forge her signature. Instead I'm going to tell her that I voted, but in actuality I have, instead, not even opened her letter.

     

    I've seen the exit polls suggestion that conservatives will be 10 seats short, and lib dems will have 10 seats, and SNP will have a buttload of seats... and it angers me again that the demographic 2nd majority of labour will be overlooked by this stupid arrangement. Surely if 40% votes one party and 30% votes a 2nd then they should together be the combined government. Rather than joining wiht an 11% party... I mean that's a flat-out snub of democracy.

     

    Bleh. In anycase I didn't vote so what does my opinion matter, eh!

  24. Posted

    Had my interview - got the job. Massive relief. Been waiting for so long! I'm getting paid more, which is nice, but I had to agree to the lowest end of what I wanted. Their argument was that I was going to be paid more than any existing manager, which I understand. Some of them have been there 5 years. So I am now going to work here under this role for 6-12 months and if I don't see a chance for a pay increase (progression will only happen if I invent another job!) I'll look elsewhere. From what I've seen I can earn 50% more with experience under my belt, so that's the best bet.

     

    So I no longer have to speak to anyone on the phone! No more clients. No more stupid shit. From now on I am responsible for ensuring our company is compliant. I have been given a wide remit for looking at all areas of business, and the first part of my job is to actually DEFINE my job! I get to set out my weekly/monthly reports. The great thing is that I can spend the next month saying that I'm researching what my reports should be. I also haggled an extra day's worth of holiday... based on how quickly they said that would be a possibility I wish I asked for more!

     

    Seriously pleased. I've worked my arse off for ages. I was first told about a promotion 12 months ago but that promotion wouldn't have been as good as this one. I'm a manager, yet I don't have to manage people. Other mangers have to report to me yet I only report to the general manager and MD... So. Much. Hard. Work. It has paid off! My employers have recognised and appreciated me and I am able to catch up with the other 28 year olds I know, now that I can afford it (in brighton!). The payrise means I can actually consider a mortgage next year...

     

    Oh man. yeah. Just.. woo! it worked! My 5 year plan is working!

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