It is freeroam and all that, but there are still soooo many structures/buildings that you can't enter. And yeah, I know some are boarded up because they are too dangerous to enter and whatnot, but some don't even have doors to begin with. *shrug*

Oh well, the game itself is an absolute gem, so I guess I can't complain too much.

Yeah there are quite a few buildings you can't enter but there's no denying the fact that it does feel like you're actually walking through a wasteland. Raiders and mutants everywhere, people struggling to survive, they did a good job of making sure it felt like the fallout universe. You can definately tell they used the same engine as they did for Oblivion...though most of the problems have been corrected or reduced.

My laptop can't handle Fallout 3. I'm gonna wait to buy it until it gets cheaper, and then I'm going to play it on my brother's super-special-awesome future computer from space.

Got my lunchbox today, with the Vault Boy bobblehead, etc. Early Christmas for the Treydoggie!



(For those who don't know, the FO3 Collector's Edition comes in a lunchbox.)

On the happy news front, I have many friends playing Sunday morning in the national title game for club co-ed ultimate frisbee. The team is called the Mental Toss Flycoons (from a Frank Zappa song) and hails out of my adopted home of Missoula, Montana. They'll be playing against the defending champion from Seattle, Shazam Remains.

(I should also humbly report that I'm also playing in a much more modest ultimate frisbee tournament this weekend, in celebration of Halloween. Today (Saturday) my squad went 4-0 and earned the top seed going into Sunday's action. As this is a Halloween tournament, we are playing in costume--with Robin Hood: Men in Tights as our theme. Good times.)

What did you think? I loved it, the open environments, dialogue options, unique settlements, and many other things really drew me in...more than Oblivion ever did. I think Beth did a good job with this one, I dare say that in my opinion it makes up for the disappointment that was Oblivion.

Afraid my rig can't run it. P4 2.8 GHz w/ 1Gb RAM, Radeon 9800 Pro. Click "Play" and watch an hourglass for a looong time. Would upgrade the RAM, but it is RAMBus and most vendors don't even carry it anymore. May be time to build a new computer when I get my longevity bonus next year.

My friends with the Mental Toss Flycoons won the national title for co-ed ultimate frisbee! I'm thrilled--just thrilled.

My team took 2nd in the Halloween tournament. Played kind of snotty in the finals against a squad filled with young fast folks--young fast folks with a good strategy to beat my older, more experienced team.

So I almost had a heart attack in college today. Found out this morning that about a month ago people in Biology 2 (one of the modules I'm doing) were told to go to the lab and buy a lab manual, and there was a couple of projects to do that were due today. I, of course, was sick on the day we were told this, and so missed hearing about it. Because none of my friends are in the same thing, I didn't hear about it off any of them either. If there were any emails sent about it, I also received none of those.

I was understandably upset and distressed, therefore, when I found out about 5 minutes before the things were due to be handed up that they even existed. Thankfully I was able to go to the faculty office, and not only secure a lab manual for myself, but also an extension till friday. Hopefully I can get the work done in the next two days, otherwise I'm going to have to bail on a bunch of lectures to get it done.

Oh no Wolfie! I hope you get that project done soon, I've had that happen to me before. Not fun. Apparently 8th grade is much tougher on projects...

I just finished a whole chapter for my story I'm writing with a friend. I'm on the 3rd chapter and I started 4 freakin' moths ago! (This is a very big accomplishment. I just have way too much going on.) Yay!

Two projects for friday - thats a bit rough. I've never had anything like that happen. Good luck with them.

Still people work best under pressure (its a fantastic excuse for not bothering to do anything until the last minute, though its nice to have the choice...).

I'm trying to bring myself to write an essay I've got to hand in in a couple of weeks, the snag is they didn't really give us a question. Still so long as they get lots of long words and longer sentences I'm sure I'll get something for it.

The projects aren't overly difficult, just somewhat time consuming. Got most of the first project done in about 3 hours today, gonna do all of the second one tomorrow, and then the last bit of the first one on thursday. So barring unforseen and therefore wholly likely circumstances, I'll have the stuff done by friday.

Yay! All is happy in the rather messy land of my room. Got an order in today with a truely massive lightbulb to make it light (I like light) and even better an even more massive cable to get the lan into my room so I won't be spending hours everyday trying to connect wirelessly.

Even better I've just finished a horrible essay.

All is not so happy in my world... I've got a project due next week along with a paper and a major test coming up. I spent four hours studying today already. Thought I'd take a break though. At least my Internet works again!

On one hand, this Friday is Grandparent's Day at my school My grandparents (mother's side) are coming from Tennessee for Thanksgiving, and so are most of my mother's family.

Then there's the fact Pre-AP English has finally started giving homework. It's not so much having homework in a class that hasn't given us any for over half a semester as it is I have a terrible time NOT summarizing during literary criticism.

Oh, well it's just as well there's no school next week....... *sigh*

I love mismatch day at the local grade school, I believe it is on Tuesdays. All the kids and teachers come in with garish mis-matched clothing ... sock or shoes of two different colors, wearing polkadots, plaid and stripes all in one outfit, etc. They look so cute when they come into our store.

I was reading that a new elderscrolls game is in the works. What I was wondering, is if the site will change its name once again (aka waiting4whateveritscalled) to bring new forum members waiting on the game or if the name will remain chorrol?

Which ever happens I just hope that when the new elderscrolls game is announced and information becomes available, old members that have gone silent will think back and remember this old site once again so they can stop by for a visit.

After a long period of wandering in the wilderness of work and other terrible ordeals, I pass through this familiar and comforting place. In other words, " 'ey, I'm back."

It has gotten colder here in the last few weeks, feeling more like December should. I built a fire in the wood stove last weekend, much to the delight of the elderly dachshund (and his elderly companion)- old bones feel the cold more.... Fortunately, because we had no fires last winter, I have a good stock of wood- including some from an apple and a maple that were drought-stricken. I also burned a fair bit of willow which was lying around. It's fairly poor stuff, but it saves my hardwood- so....

Visited the grandsons over Thanksgiving. We had good weather for the drive there and back, just missing the major rains that fell on Saturday. I had made a "command decision" before leaving, and picked up a nicely-boxed Stratego game for the older boy. It was a real shot in the dark- I wasn't sure if he would find it exciting or boring.... Turned out to be a big hit- and (more to the point) allowed me to re-establish some rapport with him. And that was really the point of the exercise... We also took a walk through the historic district of Savannah one afternoon. Lots of Georgian and Victorian houses, nicely restored- parks and courtyards with fountains and flowers still in bloom. A good visit, although I don't sleep well in hotel beds (see previous comment about old bones).

Back home in Tennessee, it snowed off and one for most of Monday. Fortunately, I had taken a vacation day, and so I simply put more wood on the fire and watched the swirling white conceal the mountains. It reminded me that there is something I have been neglecting, a young man I have left stranded in unpleasant circumstances on Solstheim....

Here's wishing a happy December and pleasant days to you all. My fondest wish for each of us is that we get to have the equivalent of a faithful dog, a good book, and a cheery fire.

To be honest I'm less thrilled with December, its thawed for the first time if five days today - great news as I cycle everywhere and the gritters don't do their jobs well here - so at least there isn't sheet ice over everything. But I don't like the cold, and trying to heat the 200 odd year old and uninsulated flat I live in is a fairly futile endevour.

Still it gives me an excuse to find a nice warm pub somewhere to defrost between bouts of revision.

While I've known Oblivion wouldn't be the final Elder Scrolls game, I haven't heard anything certain or confirmed yet about the what, when and where of a new game.

As to this site and the amount of coverage it will provide, I'm guessing it has much to do with what we hear about the game in the early to middle stages. I know some of the staff members on this site were very disappointed with Oblivion, while others liked it to some degree. Like was the last time, I'd say it all hangs in what the new game brings.



I'm glad to hear you're enjoying yourself Trey. I always like December as well, especially things like snow, when it falls, however, for some reason during the past years, most of my major cases of flu have arrived during the december month, and now is not an exception. So I'm at home right now, trying not to get bored to death, snivelling away like I've just heard there would be no more additions to blood on the moon



hehe, that's the spirit, make the most of everything eh

It is even a cold December and November before it down here in Florida; so it must be frightfully cold for all you Northerners. Last year I did not get to wear my old rag-jacket once. But this past November I ordered a black quilted winter jacket to wear alone or serve as a lining under my black,grey & maroon rag jacket (fleece to you people up North) because yes, we floridians are still 'layer-dressers' when it comes to cold. Since we don't really own any awesomely warm clothing - we just throw on every warmish item we own, layer upon layer, when it is cold here. teehee



Trey, your fireplace sounds delightful and reminds me of growing up in Jersey. Do these exotic woods you've got smell fragrant? I imagine apple and maple would .. trying to imagine the scent of willow. Stratego is one of Cullen & mine favorite board games to play. I am so happy you & your grandson bonded so well.



Alexander, for my two cents from someone not here that often (regretably .. but Forum Momming keeps me busy at TESFU lol) I believe that you should keep this website's name forevermore as Chorrol.com. I love saying at other sites "well my friend Minque from Chorrol says ...." and someone invariably says "You know NPCs in Oblivion?" or something along those lines .. hahahaha! And then I get to introduce them to www.chorrol.com and I bet some of our visitors arrive here that way. So leave it, I say.

Yes..I agree with Ibis here, the site's name should remain Chorrol! Absolutely!

Here in the Nord's country it's cold, rainy and awful weather at the moment. In my house it's also darn cold, out heat-pump has died, out stove is half-dead and this evening my washing-machine went to his ancestors as well...gah, now I have to go out looking for a w-machine, that means no x-mas presents for me and hubby! Ah well that's life, right?

I thank the divines for being a jacket-addict, I have a truckload of warm and cozy jackets to put on...

It's been really cold here of late, not fun when you gotta cycle half an hour to college at 8:30 in the morning, with no jacket, just my normal clothes and a pair of gloves. I have apparently picked up a cold, I just figured my nose was being a bit runnier than normal and I had a cough. Ah well, such is life. Tomorrow is my last day of college till January, anyway, so I shall survive.

In other news, I did a karate grading on Tuesday, and got my 3rd brown belt.... my next belt is black, which will probably be in about a year. That's gonna be pretty sweet

It's cold where I live, too. It dipped below 0° Farenheit tonight. And it won't be the last time it happens this month, either. Some random thoughts, given in no particular order:


A couple more weeks of college and then I'm done for the semester. I get about a month off. Maybe I'll get to writing a new story then.

I've been trying to lose the weight I put on my last year in college when I didn't have the time to exercise. I put on about 35-40 pounds. So far, I've lost about nine. A pretty good start, I'd say.

Pat and Kevin Williams got suspended. Crap. That is not good news for my Vikings. The NFL is probably going to wave that lone memo in the court's face when they try to file the injunction. They'll claim it as proof that they did everything they could (even though they didn't). In the end, I think it'll be enough to cause the motion against the league to be dismissed. (Note: If you don't follow football, just ignore this part of my post).

It was my younger brother's birthday yesterday. I don't have any money, so I didn't get him anything. I did send him an email, though (he goes to a different school than I do).


Well, off to bed I go. Hopefully, I'll be able to get "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" out of my head. God, I hate that song.

Hey I like the name Chorrol as well but it is the name of a city in oblivion, which isn't likely to be the location for the next game.

All I'm saying is that the original site was created to serve as a place for people to come and wait for Oblivion, why not let it be a place to come and wait for the next game?

Alex: Personally I was disappointed by the last game, though I'll admit I do play it on occasion it wasn't anything like I'd hoped. Hopefully Bethsoft will work a little magic and make the next game worthy to be called part of the Elderscrolls series. (see wizard) ---->>>

BTW Fallout 3 is awesome, hats off to Bethsoft for a great (while also incredibly buggy) game.

As far as I'm aware there's no information regarding when TES V will be released, and given their record, I'd guess it'll be at least a couple of years off - so plenty of time to think about it I am curious as to where they'll set the next one though, here's hoping I can take my Altmer back home to Summerset Isle....

p.s. Starge might disown me if he reads this, but I agree about Fallout 3 - it was considerably better than I anticipated - a very good action game with RPG elements. I just hope with TES that they go back to making an actual RPG, rather than something that incorporates traditional role playing elements as a bonus - a la both Oblivion and Fallout 3. I doubt it though, it seems this is the future of the modern role playing game. At least with FO3 it was just so entertaining an experience that I didn't notice until afterwards how little role playing there actually was... Sorry Starge!

My guess would be that they will continue their trend toward action gaming, with even fewer RPG elements than before, mostly because this will seem more "accessible" and facilitates more rapid "immersion." These seems to be the buzzwords today, and buzzwords sell games. Sad for those of us who would really prefer an RPG with a few action elements.

I'm going to have to agree with the past few posts. I believe I've mentioned this in the past, I really feel it is our expectations that determine how we perceive a game. With Oblivion we expected, and hoped for, a great RPG in the spirit of Morrowind, and Daggerfall and Arena before it. Most everyone who expected that, was let down.

On the other hand, when it came to Fallout 3, I hadn't played any of the previous games, so I really wasn't sure what to expect, and after having played the game for quite a few hours now and having finished many of the quests including the main quest, I must say that while there were a few things I would have liked to have seen different, overall I find it a fun game to play.

I do add my hopes to seeing the next Elder Scrolls game return to the RPG genre with less focus on the action genre.

If nothing else, I hope to God they hire better writers for the fifth game.

You know, I'm having the strangest feeling right now. There's this old DOS game I remember playing as a kid - it was called Gateway II: Homeworld. It was one of those text-parser adventure games. It was a really good sci-fi story. The problem was, I never finished it. So I don't know how it ends!

I can't find the disc for it (otherwise I'd use a DOS emulator to play the damn thing and find out), but I can't just let it go, either! Dear God, this is a sucky feeling.

I also agree with the posts hoping for more RPG elements in the next TES game and the closer to the magic of Morrowind the better to my way of thinking. And I echo BSD-IES's wish for Summerset.

I think Beth's biggest mistake was trying too hard to make something "Revolutionary" rather than something entertaining. Honestly I think that they should've just stuck to creating their own world and new animals rather than stealing age old creatures used countless times in RPGs and dumping them into the elderscrolls universe.

Or they could just make sure the ones they already have aren't writing plain crap. Quality checks anyone?

Agreed, Summerset isle would be a nice location to go to. And far better then the wild rumors that have been circulating so far about Skyrim.

I was the same way with Hexen, released back in 1996...fighter, cleric, or mage...sweet simplicity and violence at a young age.

BTW if you're really interested in getting Gateway 2 its pretty cheap on Amazon, I couldn't even find it on ebay though.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00...8281&sr=1-1

Try googling it. You'd find this:

<snip>

I think it's free but I CAN'T vouch for the site, it might have nasties in it. Have a look and decide for yourself.

For those of you even more old school:

http://www.ffproject.com/

They haven't got any real classics but some are better than ok.

I'm struggling to keep myself off them but computer games (and writing/ much reading) are a no no until I've done my exams. Back to differential equations and relitivistic mechanics for me... fun fun fun.


Unfortunately, the trouble with abandonware is that it's often not entirely clear if it's really free to use, or if it's still copyrighted and therefore clearance from the owner/creator would be required. I think I'd prefer to avoid the issue entirely by simply not linking to abandonware sites.

Sorry for the inconvenience,

Alex.

Abandonware is a bit of a sticky wicket. Take Microsoft for example. I can guarantee there isn't any place in North America where Microsoft distributes brand new diskettes of Windows 3.1, but they're still willing to raise a stink about unlicensed use of it. Personally, I find it a bit crazy. If you don't sell a software product in the stores anymore, it really should be abandonware, and thus legally free for copying, as there is no longer any way to acquire a new version, or even any way that the company makes money even if you do buy a "used" version. But companies sometimes take their copyrights very seriously, even to this sort of ridiculous conclusion. Sadly, it does mean that most websites are better off avoiding links to abandonware sites, as often at least one piece of software posted on the site is not considered abandonware by the company that made it.

My classes are wrapping up for the semester right now. I just had two finals today, and I've submitted my last newspaper article. Just one more final left for me - it's next Wednesday.

I was in a pretty good mood when I got home tonight, and for whatever reason, I looked up at the sky. It's a full moon tonight, and I saw a bunch of patchy, dark gray clouds passing beneath it. You could see a couple of stars peeking through the gaps. The moon seemed to have an aura that shined right through them and gave light to them. I don't recall ever seeing the moon look as bright or as lovely as it does tonight. And as I looked at it, I got this warm, reaffirming feeling - that life is beautiful, and that all of mankind's flaws can be redeemed. I'm not sure why I felt this way. Maybe it has been that bright before - but I don't remember noticing it. I suppose it just goes to show you the things you can see if you just...look up.

The night sky is absolutely full of wonders.

That it is.

My dad was always interested in astronomy. He can probably point out all the major constellations in the night sky. That's not really my thing, but the night sky is always marvelous to look at (when the sky is clear, anyway).

Ahhh, nice piture Canis! It's a bit like some skies you find in MW! Yes! I played MW today...it was ages since I actually played. I was fun, really fun.

Another thing...I'm currently writing again! So those few of you who read my story....behold, an update is rather soon on its way!

Canis that is beautiful. Are those the Northern Lights? I am thinking that you don't live in Alaska though, do you? It is just lovely.

I've photographed northern lights before (in Minnesota) but the color in this photo is really an artifact of a time-lapse photography. I shot it at about 10 or 11 PM in the mountains outside of Bozeman, Montana, and held open the shutter for probably 5 minutes or something. Thus you have the movement of the clouds (however slight). The sky ends up purple because there was enough light left (sun sets very, very late during summers in western Montana) in the sky to make it so. I believe I was also facing west, so there would have (even at that hour) been some effect from the long-set sun. If I had been facing east the sky would have looked much darker, even with time-lapse.

I can post northern lights for comparison. It'll take me a bit--none of those shots are really great so I've neglected to throw them onto my Flickr page.

Edit: Here we go.

I just finished the last of my final exams. Now I can relax until January 12th. Right now I'm unwinding and playing Battlefield 2. It had been such a long time since I'd played that game. God, that game is fun.

Wow both skies are beautiful Canis. Minnesota is awesome!

Yeah, YOU say that. Try telling that to the guy shoveling a foot of snow out of his driveway twice a month. In fact, why don't you just tell that to me, because I'M that guy.

Uhhhh, you are lucky! YOu have SNOW!!! I live in Nord country and no sign whatsoever of that nice white stuff!

I'd love a lot of snow, but then again I'm NOT the one who shovels it off my driveway!!

My driveway is long. It's also on a fairly steep incline. I detest shoveling it more than any other task in the world.

Also, snow can kill you if you're driving. That's why Minnesota has a huge plow fleet paid by the government to plow and salt the roads. This is also why schoolchildren in the Twin Cities metro area almost never have snow days. School is almost always able to continue as planned unless you live outstate, far from the cities. This caused me no small amount of irritation as a child. I'm pretty sure the last snow day I ever had was when I was eight years old. After that, nothing.

So yeah, snow is pretty and nice to have on Christmas, but I won't be sad to see it go in the spring. Which comes about three weeks later here than it does everywhere else in the continental United States. Groundhog Day is a win-win for us, because even if the groundhog DOES see his shadow, we're like "Yay! Only six more weeks of winter!"

It's December, I live in the Netherlands, and I haven't seen a single bit of snow. I used to be able to ice-skate on the little body of water in the park not far from my house, but it hasn't been frozen yet.
Seems Al Gore was right.

Well, it's been frickin' freezing where I live. Snow seems to be falling almost daily, and the windchill has regularly dipped below zero degrees Fahrenheit. It was 15 below yesterday (that's -25 degrees Celsius for you Europeans out there). You guys all wish you had snow - I wouldn't mind the snow if it were just warm enough for me to go outside for more than five minutes.


(Complaining about the weather is an integral part of being Minnesotan. You are not truly a Minnesota native if you don't).

Complaining about the weather is also typically Dutch- we get way too much rain, when it's hot it's also always way too moist, we don't get enough snow, our winters aren't cold enough, our summers aren't hot enough, but if it's cold we don't go outside and if it's really hot we wish it wasn't.