DeadRoach

Heh, that's what I love about BF2, we're all newbies laughing at each other right now

That's probably because I am a dad myself... of 2 boys and another baby on the way

Your just unlucky to have non-gaming parents Arab. I'm a gaming parent, and as long as the kids aren't messin' up in life, I don't have a problem with them playing as much as they want. As long as their responsibilities are taken care of, they can play all they want. Here is how I would approach things.... First off, do your research and make sure you are getting the best bang for your buck on the computer of your choice. Maybe with a bit of research about what you want vs what you can get by with, you can lower the amount of money you are spending to an amount your parents can tolerate you spending better. As for the gaming more part... well, you can't argue that away. It's true you'll want bigger and better games, and you can't deny that. They think it's a waste of time... that's an unfortunate fact of life we gamers face is the stigma attached to those who don't game. What you have to do, is isolate exactly WHY do they think it's a waste of time? What is it exactly they have against gaming vs any other hobby you might have? I mean, when you get down to it, it's no different than some peaple spending so much money on their hobbies. Way some peaple sit in front of the TV and turn into couch potatoes is quite simular to how some peaple game... but at least the gamers are interacting with the game and using their imagination to beat it. Once you idenify what part exactly about the gaming bothers them, you can come up with a better arguement to counter their concern. I say concern because deep down, I'm sure they're doing what they think is right... and we can't fault them for that. If their afraid it keeps you from socialising, it's because they don't realise how deeply social gaming itself is... even if it's just online. Have they actually sat and watched you play, and shoot the bull and play with your buds? And most gamers aren't just computer gamers, they spread it into the more face to face persuits like D&D and other various dice/paper games. When we play, you'll notice we don't just talk about the game, we sometimes talk about life, and the things that concern us. Our shooters are like some more aged peaple's weekly game of bridge or poker. Are they afraid you'll become a sociopath and start shooting your classmates? After the Columbine shootings, there was a mess of paranoia vs the violent games we sometimes play. My only answer to that is incidents like that are rare and far between... and I doubt that somebody that unstable would of just been set of by a game... as their is plenty of other media like movies and music that can be pointed out as the trigger for such behavior. Are you isolating yourself from your family when you play? Perhaps they are just afraid you will become a stranger to them... something that tends to happen anyway when young adults like yourself reach the age you are. They may be confusing what is normal behavior for someone such yourself (who is probably just trying to find his idenity as a person outside the family) as something that the games are influencing instead. Do they think it's not good for your head? Maybe they don't understand the creativity and strategy behind alot of these games. Especially if your playing Guild Wars.... I myself have alot of fun trying to find a way to have the various classes abilities play off and compliment each other which is the reason I myself love the game so much. Point out the good things when all else fails... I'm sure they've heard the hand-eye coordination arguement (and jeez, my 5 year old who has been playing games 2 years now has incredibly good coordination), and you've heard enough of the arguement "You know I'm not leaving the house, and I could be doing worse things". That's a pretty lame arguement, and sounds more like a threat and I would not use that. Try things like the fact you are learning the importance of teamwork, problem solving, and creative thinking... all things that will be needed in the workforce. That's all I can think of. Parents can be stubbern... mostly out of love. Whatever you do, stay calm, and accept their final decision with a calm "I understand, I don't agree, but I understand". The more maturity you display, the more respect you'll gain and make it easier for you in other arguements down the road you may face. Good luck!

.... it runs smoothly on my system... the graphic settings are very low but it's pretty enough for me to tolerate. Game controls nicely... They added features I've been pining for in many shooters... Omg, the C4 power is where I want it! The roach planting traps and hiding in corners is BACK! I'm getting it.

Yah, next time I log in I'll seek you out and get things straightened out Nadril. Tank heavy eigh? Well, I do fairly well with W/Mo combos.

Perhaps I overreacted. And ghads, I miss the PvP so bad I can't stand it. I played around with some PvP with a Geomancer combo I'm playing around with and liking (must play R/E char to unlock more Earth spells, I'm starting to like it) I led 2 tanks on a merry chase using Ward Foes, Magnetic Aura, and Eruption to keep them from hurting me. I had them cursing.. imagine what I could do if I had Melee Ward or some of the other bread and butter spells I'm missing. I think this char could shape up to be a decent rear guard.

.... I've been to 3 guilds since I left GoL... none of them PvP. Grrr.....

I was torn in this vote, but voted Guild Wars because it shouldn't require a computer upgrade to play it. My computer will probably need a new video card and maybe a faster processer to play BF2 effectivly. Don't get me wrong tho, I am definatly planning on picking up BF2 soon after release and joining Gator and the rest of the crew in the fray. :o I have the money for upgrades, but I'm not sure how much of this 5 grand tax check I can use toward computer upgrades quite yet as I've got a few things around the house I need to buy like bunk beds and such since my family seems to be growing. :o

I got a nice pic of my Necro/Mezmer build as well as my Monk/Warrior build I should upload sometime when I'm feeling less tired and lazy :o At any rate, was truly a pleasure rolling up my healer "Mr Roach" and kicking a little tail side by side with ya all. We'll do it again sometime soon.

And if somebody thinks your weapon is "cheap", ignore them and keep using it. *loads his Saiga and runs off for a few more "Cheap" kills*

I was getting frustrated at first, as I am trying to solo one of my chars and it's proving impossible. After I broke down and picked up some NPC henchmen, it started getting easier I like how you have to "unlock" skills now in order to access them for your PvP char

I'll wait till I see the system specs set in stone before I buy my upgrades and BF2 itself

Here's your answer $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ and more $$$$$

Next time you guys do that, hollar at me. I've been practicing with a couple of pure monk combos and getting decent at it.

I'll look for you Nadril My monk/warrior got totally destroyed today. Seems spellcaster killing mezmers were very popular tonight and this is devestating as my favorite Arena fighter is very dependent on her smites and heals to stay in the thick of it. Tried one for myself tonight.. got it's fun popping the enchantments off a Paladin and interupting their long casting rez :o But still.... made a custom Paladin of my own that used Symbol of Wrath as one of her spells. In the heat of the fight, alot of enemies don't notice the 5 ticks of 22 damage they are taking when they bunch up around me. I was in a group of THREE Paladins and one newbie Elementalist..... The elementalist died alot but learned the ins and out by fire. Meanwhile, us 3 paladins have been at it awhile. I recognised both guys from previous nights. We DESTROYED TWENTY ONE TEAMS IN A ROW!!! We were beating even other Pally heavy teams. Poor Blighters, I was actually starting to feel a bit cheap in the end there.

Been playing the PvP for as much as 3 hours at a time for the past 2 nights and I can offer the following observations.... The Warrior/Monk combo is being severely overused. As a result, it get's very hard to completely destroy even a mediocre team with 2 or 3 of these, nearly impossible with 4. Reason being as everybody can take hits and everybody can heal halfway decent. And usually, everybody can resurect. You may want to consider some way of interupting spells such as the necro "Shivers" spell combined with another cold spell follow up. Also, alot of these freaks like to run and regen to full HP to attempt a rez (they can usually take the abuse long enough to pull the rez off), so you may also consider taking some "Knockdown on the run" abilities such as Elementalist "Water Trident", Rangers "Hunter's Strike" (may have the name wrong), or even some slow abilities like Elementalist "Deep Freeze" or that slow that even newbie Mezmer's get. Swords seem to be the weapon of choice for most meleers as the basic "Sever Artery" causes bleed damage which can keep runners from regening for a bit. My specialized PvP char "Keddera" killed a handful of fleeing chars on bleed damage alone. Keep an eye out for Keddera, she's my Monk/Warrior combo that likes to get up in the front of the fight and slug it out with the Warrior primaries.... funny how many of them actually run when they realise it's nearly impossible to kill her one on one Non Arena chars... Ravenwulf Stormmoon - Ranger/Elementalist reserved for partnering with wife's Monk/Mezmer Krecian Ironheart - Monk/Warrior combo used to unlock and tinker with various Monk and Warrior abilities for use with my Arena character Sir Bidamis - Warrior/Mezmer experiment. I have a theory this combo might be good for running down fleeing PvPers. Look me up and say hi sometime.

I've managed to solo my monk/warrior pretty well. I die quite a bit because I'm alone, but the death penalty in this game is a joke compared to what I'm used to so it don't upset me. So far, other than some lag in the newbie area as everybody was playing it today, I've been very happy with it's performance. Hehe, I made a PvP character named "Slighty Mad" who's team went 14 rounds straight flawless victories before getting totally trounced by what appeared to be a team of Paladins. I was getting pretty good with this Ice Elementalist, using his slows to keep meleers off my healer and off me. Swords are going to be the PvP weapon of choice, I can tell already.

I got Guild Wars now, and it appears my Beta weekend characters still exist. I'll be going in at 12:01 tonight. You might see me as RavenWulf Stormmoon (pure ranger) or a Krecian Ironheart (monk/warrior)

I don't use plastic toys, I use a bamboo instrument known as a "Shenai" and I don't pull my blows So to me, that stuff you are making fun of looked fun to me. That makes me a nerd or geek? Hell yes!! I used to write stories for Elfquest and Star Trek writing clubs. I used to go to SF/F conventions and be one of the tards who'd dress up in a robe chanting and hitting myself in the face with a board for a laugh (Watch Monty Python's "Quest For The Holy Grail" if you don't get that subreference) My hero as a kid was Luke Skywalker. I used to live for the classic "Battlestar Galactica" for the space dogfights. I've read Lord Of The Rings over 10 times. Just to name a few things. So I'm a tard for being a Geeky Nerd? Fine, then I'm a tard. I find that hard to take seriously from a bunch of gamers who the world looks at in the same light. "Hey Kettle, your black!" And this from my fellow clanmates. Again, you guys disappoint me.

Overall I'm very pleased with the game. My only real irritation is the fact that it likes to crash for me on Sandblast (and I LOVE that map). The crashes seem to be random, I haven't figured out what is crashing me quite yet. For the time being, I'm watching maps and seeing where it happens most. Well, that the the sticking on prone bodies is still in there and pissing me off. However, since I tend to play IN YOUR FACE WITH A SHOTTY BASTARD type of player, this version has been very good to me with the increased speed. At one time I held the second highest score with the Saiga 12k and it feels like those days to me again. I used to kick total ass with a Sterling. However, this version I can't seem to find the old groove. I'm having better luck with a silenced MP5 than I am with my old Sterling for some strange reason. I guess I just need to get used to the new bullet spread. I was overjoyed to find the M60's stuttering seems to have stopped. I set myself up on a round of Sandblast and was overjoyed to find the thing firing smooth as silk and starting raking in a few kills before I crashed off the map. Then of course, the SVD.... man, this weapon has never been deadlier in my hands. I get set up, and anybody who seeks to countersnipe in my field of fire get's dropped in one shot. I can't drop runners, but I will usually hit them 2 out of 3 shots. Since it seems to have been kind to me, I'm happy with this version. Just a pity it's on an old engine that needs to be retired and a few bugs that will never get fixed are still in it.

I will definatly be playing, as will my wife. Also, Lord Orion has it on preorder and he and his wife will also be playing.

Apparently you haven't visited the FA forums much :peace: I still go there when I need a good laugh. For some reason, I find their infantile elitism and flames entertaining.

I crash at least two times every half hour, and it was a clean install as I haven't played FA in months. I'm starting to get very annoyed as I'm finding I really enjoy this version despite a couple bugs.

First one was okay..... the second one had me laughing so hard, I had tears streaming down my face. OMG, I love it!

Elitism kills the community. It was just that attitude that killed my einthusiasm to play both FA and NS for awhile.