Star Trek Armada II: Fleet Operations

Halo3 is well out and well it got me peged. i havent done anything else fo over a weak. im wondering who else here hase halo3 and if anyone wants to be me friend on Xboxlive

gamertag=Cairo1  :D

Blaa Microsoft... Fleet ops 1000 x better in its wurst day.

I usually only play RTS games: can anone offer me an impartial view on Halo 3 (I kinda wanna get a dedicated fps for a change)?

Well, here's a partial viewpoint. Halo 3 is all about hype. When it's popular for something to be popular it usually turns out to be popular. It doesn't take much strength of character to go along with the crowd. I'm quite happy to admit that I prefer RTS to FPS games. I quickly get bored just blowing stuff up all the time.

The converse is also true, and perhaps more so. When it's popular for something to be unpopular it becomes a self-fulfiling prophecy. For example, it's popular to hate Tom Cruise, or it's popular to bash ST: Legacy, or it's popular to dislike 80s music, etc etc.

OK rant over.  :D

Yeah, I know the trend... unfortunately I must have missed the beat cuz I like 80's music :rolleyes:
I don't usually follow the trends though... at least I hope not :sweatdrop:


Still, I've seen the graphics on xbox for Halo 3, and I was wondering if the game play was any fun; are the bots any good.... yadaydadyady. If it's anything like CS, then, well... it doesn't seem the awe-ing

i've played CS, and the bots aint at all like it.  the AI's are pretty -blam- smart.  not as smart as all the hype, but pretty smart none the less.
gameplay is fun, it has a very well written story line. but some parts of it, only some though, are hard to understand unless you know some background of the halo universe.  back to the AI.  they are very adaptive.  if you are in cover, the AI will either wait for your shield to run out, then will blast you with an explosive gun.  or will have some of the lesser guys keep you suppressed (keeping the enemy under cover VIA shooting), while the bigger guys flank you.  or they will bombard you with grenades,  oh..the grenades...
they were everywhere...

the maps are large, and there are many ways to approach every combat situation. very open ended for a FPS.  not asmuch as halo 1 and 2, but still open ended none the less.

and I too have not taken the time to do things other than Halo 3.  it is very, very, very fun.

and my gamertag is    Lumpybob

Why is it not as open-ended as Halo 1 or 2? Shouldn't it be more so...?

it should, but they put in so many invisible walls and other blocks as to prevent people from traveling off the path they set.
in halo 1 and halo 2, both me and cairo would get lost in the maps, because there were so open ended, you could even skip parts of levels entirely.  in halo 3, we have never gotten lost once.  they force you to go one way, and to do a certain thing.  sure, you can pick what weapons you want to use, but not really.  so, the replayability factor is not there, and there is absolutely barely any open endedness.  it is probably to prevent any of those fun glitches like the exploring outside of the map, and many ohter discoveries.
the campaign has a great story line, its just way to closed off as to the options available.

don't get me wrong, its still a great game, and it recaptures the fast paced-ness of halo 1, and the multiplay-ability of halo 2.  short campaign though. the plasma pistol has been toned down so much, it is complete garbage.  useless crap.  halo 1 plasma pistol rocked. halo 2's not so much.  halo 3's is complete trash.  great game none the less.

Sounds ok... what about new weapons... any really new features (cuz otherwise I might just get Halo 1)?

definitely, there are loads of new gadgets and gizmo's.  there is the new fangled 'equipment' selection available, which is basically a bunch of deployable goodies ranging from the bubble shield all the way to a tripmine.  loads more goodies, but i don't want to spoil too much.  there is a couple new weapons, mostly for the brute sandbox.  an SMG like weapon, the brute grenade launcher was reworked, and 2 new grenades!  they finally got the flame thrower in, and its awesomely fun.  they added a couple new vehicles, and reworked the way some old ones worked. (added a gunners turret for the scorpion tank and the wraith tank, banshee can not point lower than 45 degrees)  the dual wield has been changed so you can reload each weapon individually, but beware, the X button no longer reloads, it is the deploy equipment button now.  almost all of the old weapons have been reworked in one way or another.  the needler is now basically a power weapon, the sword has been toned down, the assault rifle is back, and more accurate, and less ammo, and as i have covered before, they completely ruined the plasma pistol, its worthless garbage now.  one of the new grenades is kinda complicated to use effectively, (it explodes in a cone from the top, not a spherical explosion?!) so it might be kinda confusing when an enemy is right next to it when it blows, but doesn't die.

the final clincher, for any of you who have played the Marathon series.  i highly recommend Halo 3.  if just for that.  don't want to spoil too much about it, but if you have ever played anything from Marathon, play Halo 3.

the new features are pretty cool.  when you teabag something, it sticks to the players characters crotch!  as i mentioned, there is the new equipment class of...well...equipment.  a new class of weapon, and some new grenades. 

well, its 3:30 AM where i am, and i have to go to school tomorrow, so i will elaborate more then.  unless someone does it for me?  :whistling:

guten Nacht!

Halo 3 hurting box office take? - Video Game Feature - Yahoo! Video Games (http://us.i1.yimg.com/videogames.yahoo.com/feature/halo-3-hurting-box-office-take-/534234)

O Microcrap.... Lay's another ege.

i have never played halo before last saturday at a halo3 party if it was on pc I would buy it.

Yup, I just realized it isn't on pc yet... that sorta crashed my plans. Oh well, I'll just have to wait a few months :(

How is it not on PC thats like a bad joke with out a punch line just a punch.

I know... irritates me like no other. The old Halo's were also released late on PC.... AAARHG! :pinch:

So they make you spend more money then you need to just to play the bloody thing...... theirs only one thing more scary than bush and thats Microsoft with lots of money. Well maby not thare is nothing as scary as bush but microcrap gets 2ed prise!

Meh, I don't have too much against microglitch-errr...soft. I haven't had many problems yet, and despite it being a large corporation, I can't say they've done to much in the wrong. Correct me if you will :D

Vista back word compatibly removed making 90% of computer owners buy hole new computers to just upgrade o and soft ware adding to the landfills that help with global worming.

They riped of mac like theirs no tomorrow which is not wrong but very unethical the way they did it.

They do back dore meading with the goverment to chages laws.

There a mibber of the Talaliban was invited to a Microsoft exclusives members only parry I saw the pitchers of it.

they are a monopoly that is protected by law under doable jeapordy law.

They lie to their consumers by doing the least potable in development to sell their product at the consumers expense.

I don't see why they don't wont to release the win64API/win32api unless they are scared of competition.

If they would do a bitt more fixing thare holes they would not have to make the world spend so much on tech support.

well, being designed as a console game first, they have to reconfigure the way it works for a computer controls. and there are also some aspects of console games that can't work on PC's.

Yup, I got that Bob! :D

...but back to the other topic... what company hasn't done any of those things. Mac certaintly isn't innovative, nor novel (I mention it because you seem to be rather fond of their products). They use tons of nasty chemicals in their products (as recently surfaced about the iphone), and they are also a monopoly of sorts (have you not seen speakers exclusively for i products... but not made by mac n' toss?)

Again, mac also lies to consumers: i.e. ridiculous prices for mp3 players, phones, computers. Mac products are generally not compatible with other companies soft/hard ware (until very recently).

You literally could make the same argument for really any major company... but I grow tired and want to sleep  ^-^
-dom (g'night)

Umm they have do you think I am ling? 

Well if mac is not innovative why did vista rip them off so bad? I dowt it was to get antiquated tech... As for not naval um... I beg to differ their user base is growing wile PC is shrinking.

What have you ben smoking MAC IS THE Greenest on earth in the computer realm they started to sway away abit for a time bet they are fing thaat and geting back to thare green ethics.

As for the Iphone it is a sell and ALL cellls use bad cimacals but mac is a very ethical company I sheer they do what they can to keep it as clean as posable.

O and what kind of monopoly is that the bard game dose not count. Well Thats has Zero to do with apple you need to look at how makes those speakers most speekers aer made by3ed party manufacturers.

I give you that they do have their problems (Ipod to PC) but they to much more to keep those to a minim as posabule they aren't a huge company like microcrap.

When I have a problem with hard ware I have had 0 problems with getting stuff fixed fast with PC I will be glad if I don't go postal kill some one from frustration.

- g'night

Dude, all comps are pc's: pc= personal computer!
...but anywho, since when as novelity been a factor of user base. If this was so, then you just proved yourself wrong! This is the way your argument reads right now: Mac is novel, therefore there user base is expanding. This is countered by the fact that every other computer in the world is not a mac (a majority, you will agree) which thus means the other computer companies must be more novel! Do you see?

I disagree with your greenest on earth argument. They use lead. They use arsenic. They used unnecessary chemicals in the Iphone that no other company used (and was recently released in a news report if you had been paying attention, no offense meant). All cells do use "bad chemicals", but some worse than others, and the Iphone would be one that uses much worse chemicals. I do not believe that Apple is very ethical, as it is a company. The profit margin matters more than anything else, and that is why their products are assembled in other 3rd world countries at a huge profit, and why their products are grossly overpriced compared to their use.

With the speakers, my point is that these companies made deals with Apple to manufacture products that exclusively cater to the ipod, and do NOT accept any other products (they won't work with sansa, dell dj, zune... the list goes on). This is a form of monopolization, albeit more subtly.

So here (I give you that they do have their problems (Ipod to PC) but they to much more to keep those to a minim as posabule they aren't a huge company like microcrap.) you are saying that the reason Apple is good is because they are small, and the reason Microsoft is bad is because they are big? If this is the case, and Apple indeed surpasses Microsoft... then wouldn't the reverse occur? I also notice you haven't said anything about any other company... say Acer, Asus, HP... all the other competitors which are almost as big as Microsoft, or bigger.

... but no need to get mad at me for this, I just find it difficult to make such generalizations (although I do occasionally). I should in fact say that Mac is innovative at times and novel as well, but so are all the other companies too. :thumbsup:
-dom out!

The definition changed look it up awhile back PC is only use to describe windows computers! ...but anywho,

The bigger a novelty the more people will wont it.

Prove how wrong?

I see it as naval becose they came out with new innovative technology make it uneak their for naval. Lets not debate semantics I rather talk about PC/mac.

Mac echo policy Mac Rumors: Greenpeace Rates Apple 4th Worst Eco-Friendly Tech Business, Apple Responds (http://www.macrumors.com/2006/08/29/greenpeace-rates-apple-4th-worst-eco-friendly-tech-business-apple-responds/)
As I sad lately computers have not bean as eco frindly but they are changeling. The envierment had bean one of apples basic ideas They have admitted thare latested modales have not bean as clean but they wont to chage. I remiber a adicale apple hilted about their echo problem about a year ago.

Well PC files wont run on a mac I think its a small drop in the bucket compared to the Microsoft company keeping their format.. PLus if you have lisaned to steeve jobs he has said that the music industry is on him like a pack of bees to keep his music safe.

Hows mad I am a agreeive debater. I feel pashonitly/persanoly about this.

hi
ewm?
sup
(http://www.s-o-t.com/gallery/lumpy/thumbs/tn_lumpy114.jpg)

I just assumed you were mad (but that makes an arse out of you and me...) because of your statement "What have you ben smoking ". Guess I just misread you :D

Still don't know about that definition, since many sites and dictionaries agree with both of us :lol: (about the PC)
I don't quite understand this statement, could you clarify? "The bigger a novelty the more people will wont it. " I am not quite sure what you are trying to prove...

Files not running on the Mac is true... but the reverse is also correct. I believe there will be more compatibility when the newest version of Windows is released in a year(?) from now.

I would prefer not to debate symantics, but in actuality, the only major difference between computers now-a-days are the little things. Seeing that you ignored most of my points that were not based on semantics, what would you like to debate about between PC/Mac?

But I mac would be perfectly  happy to let PC run their apps but PC has more to loss. Pluse if it only gos one way that would not be fare it would give a advantage to the compaction. If it ran both ways it would be even and it would come down to the qulaty of the OS rung the  apps not vis-versa.

Most of your point where not a few in resent poster were tho. (Basted on semantics PC means mac and IMB compads or meads just IBMs compads.)

As for bob - Apple - Get a Mac - Watch The TV Ads (http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/)

Or you could just watch this one YouTube - South Park Mac vs. PC (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id_kGL3M5Cg&mode=related&search=)

...I'm really sorry about this Ewm, but I kind of didin't understand this "Most of your point where not a few in resent poster were tho. (Basted on semantics PC means mac and IMB compads or meads just IBMs compads.)"

Could you by any chance clarify the English and grammer (this is by no means meant to be offensive)?

I just heard that Microsoft ass just got kicked in the EU They have bean labeled a monopliy So that mean many things INCLUDING shearing  their technology with rivals Ya Mac.

My pont was lost under that devertion "semantics" I was stateing that mac cars about the interment. Mac is a compny I trust yes they have had bumps such as Ipod parts being made in swet shot as soon as it was pointed out mac took responsibility and fix the problem.
I am worried about the the cerint problem this echo sisativaty ut they have promested to fix it with the next gen of tech and I have no reson to thing they are not telling the truth.

Gotcha... but where's the debate: it seems we agree with eachother for the most part.  :ermm:
Although I am a bit less optimistic about whether Mac will fix environmental problems and other issues immediately... I think it is more reasonable to say that when it becomes unprofitable (or looks like it might), the company will change.

They have and if their is a problem mac tech support is grate not one complent about them.

One fetcher I love in mac is the ability to reinstall its self. You remove a cuppale files and you just watch as the OS rebuilds its self its amazing. The problem with the lack of games witch I am guessing you are talking about is lack of games.. Mac has fixed the problem on its end its time for the soft ware complains to step up. its a catch 22 if more people how play video games have macs they will make more mac games BUT "gamers" wont buy a product that dose not have a huge library to choice from. I for one took the dive for work and for as a protest/take one for the team.

Apple - A Greener Apple (http://www.apple.com/hotnews/agreenerapple/)

They are rethinking every thing you have to give them credit for a company fitting a company like microsoft and being the most environmentally friendly computer out thare is not easy.

As far as I can tell (with my limited experience with my own computers), other operating systems reinstall themselves as well... most have backup drives as well, or the ability to completely reinstall with partitioning.

I do not believe that Mac has fixed the problem on its end in regard to computer gaming... to play on a Mac one must design a game expresely for that system, and as the OS is in a minority, why would one do this. Mac must cater to the rest of the world, not the other way around in this regard. If "Mac" the company wanted games to be played on its operating systems, changes would have already been made to allow this: to in fact become more like other computers in this regard. However this is clearly not the case. After all, it is ultimately up to the computer programers to design a computer that will meet specs for a game... it is not feasible for the gaming companies to design a game to meet a wide range of specifications.

What you have shown me on "the greener Apple" is most intriguing and I look forward to it with a big smile. However... I will never be able to afford those products as they are priced now, and hence I cannot enjoy those environmental benefits (Apple makes "green" too much of a luxury thing at present). It is for this reason that I look down on the company (unfortunately). They may have fantastic computers/OS/you-name-it, but they are hugely overpriced and largely inexcessible. The company even promotes the image that their products are for an elite group.

Case in point: 5 years ago I bought a Dell Dj (20 gb mp3 player) for 130 USD. It was simple, but it was hardy and worked well. It was also less than half the price of the Ipod (including power cord, docking station, etc) at the time, while holding the same amount. It also had features the ipod did not have, although admitedly it did not have games on it. I know for a fact that the Dell Dj WAS overpriced, as even now, mp3 players that hold 80gb are 250 USD. Why was the Ipod so ridiculously expensive (and why is it still that way?).

On the note of tech support... I haven't had to much experience with any tech support related to Microsoft or to Apple... so I can't really make a comparison (I did have to call Apple and Microsoft once each... and both times it was a terrible experience though, many years ago). I have the feeling however, that this "good" tech support may also be due to the fact that there are few complaints because there are few people who use Apple computers. Do you understand the correlation perhaps? I can state that 20,000 SUVs blew up, and only 2 electric cars blew up... but this is meaningless if the number was 20,000/100,000 and 2/10 respectively. News spreads based on the effect of the product: (this isn't going to be very clear I'm afraid, so bear with me). The more people there are to enjoy a product, the more complaints there will be proportionally. However, the bad news associated with this product will be overhyped BECAUSE it is used so much. Hence less people using a product, even though the proportion of complainers may be the same, will make less of a smear.

No I am not talking about restoring backed up information I am talking rebuilding its self.

Well so far as I was aware the problem was lack of good video cards.

I see mack lisaning to mac owners how wont problems fixed more then they lisen to critics which makes cents to me owners are more likely to buy a another mac then cridics.

Most computer OS are dermaticley different from one a another do you mean PC? Mac like its independents and so dose Microsoft how rips off mac like its a Sunday coupon.

Mac have hire specs then PCs do most of the time.

The reason you cant afford them is because you wont to biggest and best their are other options that are grate choses.

Well sing that if you call Microsoft they would tell you to call your Hard ware manufacturer you hard ware manufacturer will tell you to call computer provider your computer provider will tell you to call your hard where manufacturer.

I was under the impression that Windows programs won't run on Macs because of things the Mac platform doesn't allow programs to do/modify? Mind you, this is a double edged sword, since that's also the reason Windows is notorious for buggy programs and viruses.
Anyways, I think it's mostly the Apple's doing that many programs don't run properly on iMacs: it's probably harder to code around (and coding is hard enough, thanks. Intro to C# = :blink: )
Anyways, back on sort of topic, I like Halo 3 a lot. here's the reasons:
1. Gameplay- It's got gameplay that I find generally entertaining. Whilst I prefer mod-able platforms for my games so I may change what I wish, the system is strong with Halo. Also there's the Forge and customization enough in multiplayer to make me happy.
2. Story- Mediocre over-story, amazing under-story. You've got to look for story elements and use your brain (ALA Metroid Prime, really), and it helps to understand some of the backstory behind the series (which I sort of do, after reading Wiki articles).
3. Semantics- Love the design choices and graphics and art style and music. Very pretty looking sometimes, not Oblivion (with mods, as goes without saying) pretty, but good-looking.
4. Not-overhyped-for-me-osity- I wasn't overhyped, having only listened to what Bungie said, and having taken even that with a grain of salt. Trust no one, right?

Points of contention:
1. Allied AI- The marines and elites on your side are retarded and I hate them with a passion. No joke, they've team-killed me before, and they attack enemies at the worst possible times. Also they back up into me after being stuck with grenades. I do like the voice-work, though. And you generally are alone (or are alone after the first fight, lol).
2. F#%&ing Annoyance Factor- One or two battles can get really annoying sometimes, especially when there really is only one way to approach it. This only really happens on legendary, mostly with skulls on, so it's really just an issue with my skills :sweatdrop:.
3. Crashes- My 360 is heading towards the rocky road of 3 Red Lights of Death, I know it. The game freezes during menu screens sometimes (only menu, so it's not too bad, actually). My friend had this happen, got the 3RLoD, sent his 360 in, got it back in a week, and it never froze again (yet). So this probably is an issue with the 360 itself.
4. Enemy AI- This isn't too annoying, since the game is an action title, after all, but the enemies have absurdly good stealth detection sometimes, and other times don't react to being shot at (funny!). I actually enjoy when the latter happens, because it's an easy kill on legendary mode.
5. The Lack of Sniper Rifles- Personal Gripe Alert! I want more sniper rifles, and I want to start with one.

That's basically it. There's really nothing wrong with it, and it's got good stuff everywhere.

yeah, contention point 1 is completely there, the UNSC Marines are just so bloody useless,  except for sniper Marines, they rarely miss, but the rest  probably have the cumulative smarts of a garden variety rock.