deanb

JSA = £45 a week. When I was on minimum wage 5 years ago (I think minimum wage is now almost a pound more), I raked in £200 a week, plus overtime and shift allowance making about £220-£250 a week. So yeah, it's considerably lower than minimum wage.

Yeah. And expenses. Which will probably be whatever a bus fair is. @Gerbil: I dunno. It seems to be the previously mentioned work scheme, can't see it being much else. Maybe a Temp job is only a month or so by Job Centre standards (the work scheme is up to 8 weeks iirc)

So I've been playing this yesterday. I do get the "this could be FFXV" comments. It really is rather different apart from a couple of the characters and the battle system. Just change the characters and you'd have a different game. And that's just the supporting characters. Serah n Noel are pretty new. It'd just require a bit more set-up on the people you meet. The Paradigm shifts are much snappier now, I kinda like the creature collecting thing, dunno if you can end up with more than two beasts though, not had any yet. Cos I wouldn't want to "fusion" two beasts if I'm only going to get one. It makes me long for SMT: Lucifer's Call again actually. Money drops free n fast, the CP fills up quick and they're not really holding back on big beasties early on. The loading times in the Historia Crux are fucking loooooonnnng though. I like being able to hop back to earlier areas though, neat system. Yet to reverse time though. They're missing a trick in not having quests involve getting things from other time zones. Like the guy wants a retro PC, it'd be cool to be able to get one from the past. Though as of yet the different time periods are in different locations too. Missed a trick with that one.

http://jobcentreplus...FT-id-BSD-27442 Stay Classy Tesco/Job Centre. For the non-UK folks at home Tesco = Wal-Mart. JSA = Job Seekers Allowance. It's a gov't paid amount for those..well seeking work. Basically Tesco just advertised for a job for which the pay is a gov't benefit scheme. Bonus points to the gov't cos they're actually encouraging this. Why offer tax breaks to huge companies when you can offer a free work force? Oh and given what was ever so briefly mentioned last week, I may soon be able to give you some info on what it's like to be part of this scheme. Woot. It'll be the first time the Job Centre will have lifted a finger in getting me into work. Oh yeah this scheme has been brought up before on here, just this is (afaik) the first time it has been posted up on the Job Centre site alongside all the other jobs, not just some semi-hush hush scheme the JC bump you onto after a while.

Yeah I do feel I've been able to get into Civ V much easier. But I don't see Religion as been a pain in that, just a much improved UI and grid system. The combat is the main refined part and that's where I always cocked up on before. I always had enough to defend myself, but I could never wage war. I had to win over folks with massive amounts of culture and just gobble up cities through revolution. Of which Religion also helped. Now I take out huge chunks of the board with my army, but taking someone in through culture is much harder.

I don't think that's really a good thing. You're not helping the kids by refusing to treat them, even if their parents are making bad decisions. You've also got a bunch of unvaccinated kids in your clinic. Refusing vaccinations is bad parenting, you want to be a bad parent to your kids fine, but to other parents kids too? Out the door. A doctors obligation is to his patients, if you're not wanting to be treated you're not a patient. The other kids he's treating are, and now his has an obligation to protect them from your kid.

I'd register the key once you hit cap.

Yeah, as I said it seems you can now make your own religion and it spreads a bit like Culture does. I might boot up some Civ V again actually.

I don't think I've ever bought third party, at least myself that is. We've had a few random controllers over time. atm I have three Sixaxis remotes cos I had one with the system, then a multi-pack was on cheap when the DS3 was coming out. As for charging cables on PS3, I couldn't say. I lost mine ages ago. Bonus though: standard mini-USB cables so I just picked up a bunch more to replace them (And all my others). No requirement to get a hugely expensive play n charge pack to replace a lost cable. (My 360 pad is wired partly for that reason. Also cos it's much simpler, I hate the tumour on the wireless pad, and cos a wired pad was only a few quid more than the play n charge kit itself) @Cowboy: You can get adapters.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-16-peter-moore-on-eas-origin-i-would-ask-give-us-18-months-to-two-years They want 18-24months. To add "social layers". Also note on how Steam was rocky start, with folks acknowledge. Problem is this isn't their start (First article I've seen that notes Origin is re-branded EADM/EA Store) First comment: I will say, their marketing of Origin sure is pretty good. Rare is the marketing that re-writes history in peoples minds.

No thread on this yet? Anyway there's an expansion coming: http://www.2kgames.com/blog/civilization-v-expansion-pack-announced "Gods & Kings". Somewhat of a bummer as it adds religion, something they'd trimmed out from previous games. Though the idea of making our own religion up sounds cool. Spies are also an old thing brought back in. I guess there's only so much you can do as far as world sims go, but kinda bummed they'd trimmed it down and are now re-adding stuff back in (Though all the DLC leaders probably was a sign of the new DLC heavy path they were taking) I'll still probably end up buying it if the price is right mind.

As I said on Twitter: I'm game

http://www.edge-online.com/news/lego-minecraft-unveiled

http://www.bafta.org/games/awards/nominees-winners-2012,2892,BA.html - here's this years nominations. Once again they fucked up Strategy http://www.baftagameaward.com/awards/index.html - Public vote. UK n ROI residents can always win a Star Wars 360 and kinect.

Yeah that was a missed opportunity in the demo considering it did let you make a custom character. Would help get folks more into it if they could see their Shepard in action.

Yeah everything I've heard of it makes it sound stupidly short. But I've a feeling they'll manage to get a bunch of good critical reviews and it'll sell well based on that.

What specifically are Catholics not allowed to do that is part of their doctrine? I'm a Methodist so I can't speak for Catholics. I'd like some facts to back this statement up as its claims are dubious at best. I'm talking religion in general here. I'd say the numero uno change between most holy books and modern law is the equality of women. Can't stone folks to death either for blasphemy, being gay, not being a virgin, etc. Actually the bible really enjoys the stoning stuff. (And yet marujina is outlawed, who'd have figured?) Which part of being pregnant is being healthy? The vomiting certainly ain't good for you. Leaking blood isn't that good either yet you guys seem fine with disallowing blood transfusions. It's the employers responsibility to provide this coverage if they're offering health insurance. Why offer health insurance if it's going to come with a shit ton of small print that's "well we don't do this, or this, or that, etc"? If health insurance is required why should a small group of people get to dictate just how healthy folks are allowed to be based on what their holy book tells them. Also the alcohol argument is hugely silly since you know full well nothing like that is going to happen. p.s: I'm not american and therefore don't follow your lots political leanings. So "Liberal" and "Left" "Right" "Hockey-Cokey" mean jack shit. And as far as health care goes, and reason I was popping in here anyway: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203315804577209230884246636.html Doctors are turning away parents that refuse to vaccinate their children.

I don't think it's a case of "people hate on ME2, therefore they must think ME is the shit". People are well aware of the flaws of ME. The issue was ME2 did little to rectify the flaws. Shitty inventory system in ME? At least it had an inventory system. As I noted in my demo impressions, seems folks must have disliked the hacking mini-games of ME n ME2 cos they're now seemingly gone from ME3 (just hold space and it just "hacks" the doors for you). I'm hoping it's a case of old version not with the hacking in. I'm playing XIII-2, and it's much better "here's the flaws of previous game, here's the fixes in the sequel" than ME2 was.

My understanding of the bible and all other holy books etc was as a "how to live a nice life, do nice things, and maybe get into heaven/chosen after-life". Not a "World History 101". Which made sense. It'd be rather stupid to think men were made from clay/maize/tears etc. Then I found out some people actually do think it's fact. :/ Surely if one creation story is fact, then there's an equal chance they'd all be right, or all wrong. At least with evolution there's a single pillar to latch on to with mountains of evidence to back it up as fact, unlike the creation myths. btw it's worth noting that many of the early scientific endeavours in explaining the workings of the world were driven by religious institutions like the catholic church. It was essentially work on understanding the wonders of gods creation. addendum: Yes understanding of the atom changed. As did understanding of how life worked too. Once upon a time we used to think all animals were made at once ready and waiting. Then we observed, and went "wait, these animals are changing" and the theory of evolution was written to explain these changes. Kinda like how we used to think there were only 4 elements and everything was made of these in balance. Then we found out through trial n error this was bunkum, and we can up with new models. In fact Mendeleev got a model so awesome that it's still predicting elements to this day. Some more Dara p.s. Awesome for linking to books in this day n age

What nature programs are you watching that called it "intelligent". Sure you're not watching something on "intelligent design"? Evolution is that the most useful aspects in breeding propagate as these aspects raise survival, and thus allow the animal with that mutation to reproduce, spreading the mutation. For example many animals of about 4 foot in height eat all the leaves. But one animal is born with a 2foot tall neck, it can therefore eat from the top of the tree while the others starve. It then bones a lass and the children are born with long necks and are able to eat the higher leaves and not starve and get to fuck and so on so forth. Then we have the Giraffe. Evolution clearly takes place, we see it in action constantly as already mentioned with the dogs and viruses. Oh you're not someone that follows the theory of gravity are you?

Wait wut? Dude do you or any of your family take the yearly flu-vaccines? You do know what you just said right? Not like a typo or something? I shall refer you to one of my favourite quotes from Dara O'Brien: http://www.youtube.c...3R6vjIoE#t=143s You guys are pretty much proof of the indoctrination if you believe that evolution is a proven fact. Who is believing what they're told now? @6264: I'm not saying we should be preaching creationism in school. I'm saying we present things as facts that are anything but as evidenced in this here thread. But it is fact. We have millions of years of fossil records. And on the micro scale, the already mentioned Flu Virus. Of which evolves at such a relatively rapid rate it requires constant inoculation to protect from. Humans ourselves are growing taller each generation (Though US might not notice so much, but yeah, gotta say the older buildings around here sure are a pain to traverse now we're like 6ft+) I honestly don't understand how anyone could just stare evolution in the eye and flatly deny that it exists, it happens, and is happening right now.

Wait wut? Dude do you or any of your family take the yearly flu-vaccines? You do know what you just said right? Not like a typo or something? I shall refer you to one of my favourite quotes from Dara O'Brien: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=0123R6vjIoE#t=143s

I really think people don't understand those of us are religious. When someone asks me about my religion and I explain what Christians believe it comes from the joy that we as believers have every day in knowing God. I don't get where Atheists can post this sort of stuff and be genuinely befuddled that people think they are jerks. As the image says, it's fine to follow a religion, and fine to find meaning and purpose in it. The problem comes when religious people start using their religion to push others about(see opposition to gay marriage, abortion, etc), or "shove it down kids throats". i.e teaching creationism in schools.

We're pretty much all noobs, most of us only got it when it was free from the breach and just played it a ton for like two weeks then stopped. Add me on PSN if you've not already.