posted 12-18-09 11:56 AM
EDT (US)
101 / 238
1)i'm sorry you aren't working on the next RE's project.
A)I am very happy with my current job of training future game developers – seriously, it’s like I’m creating a whole crew of little Sandy Petersens to go out into the industry and wreak havoc. At least I inculcate a modicum of my beliefs into the poor guys. And the team Robot has working on their next game is an excellent one. I have great faith in them.
2)I've played Warcraft 3 (again) recently, and noticed how much I'd love AoE3 to have a similar hero system. Do you think this would have been a good addition?
A)NO. Warcraft gets away with it, and the significant micro-management it adds, because their army size is very small. Our armies are much bigger. We do have a sort of hero anyway in the explorer/warchief, but I’m sure you’ve noticed that as the army size grows in Age, you stop worrying about him, and just focus on the army. Leaving your poor wounded explorer in agony on the field for the rest of the game, you cad.
3)Was the AI neglected intentionally to encourage people to play online?
A)Of course not.
4)Global warming. Yes/no?
A)Over the last century, global temperatures have increased about a degree Celsius (though we’re now entering a cooling spell). So there is a degree of warming. However, Mars’ icecaps are melting, indicating that Mars has been undergoing a warming period as well. Since there are no Republicans on Mars, the obvious conclusion is that whatever degree of warming we are undergoing is, in fact, NOT caused by human action. So perhaps we should not destroy our economies in order to “fix” something we’re not causing.
In other news, the United States has been reforesting over the last century. This means that, if you give credence to carbon credits, the USA’s forests absorb about 2/3 of the carbon dioxide that our industries produce, which means that the USA, on a net basis, is one of the lowest emitters of CO2 of any industrial nation on the planet. Why don’t we hear about this? Well – Europe and Japan can’t reforest, so they don’t want to draw attention to this fact. And US environmentalists (whom I sympathize with on many matters) have their own agenda to drive.
5)Just curious, do Mormons recognize Catholic saints, or those of other branches of Christianity?
A)Mormons use the term “saint” the way it was used in the early Christian church (and the way it was used in Paul’s writings) – it simply was a term to refer to individual Christians. So when Mormons talk about “the saints”, we are just talking about the members of our faith. That said, Mormons believe that God speaks to humanity in any way He can in every age, and I personally have no reason to doubt Joan’s miraculous visions. We do not, however, believe in the doctrine of supererogation.
6)in the former ask sandyman at the Age of Kings Heaven you once listed what you believed were the best tank commanders (or possibly any sort of commanders) of WWII.
A)Here is a partial listing: USA: Abrams, Patton; France: DeGaulle, LeClerc; Germany: Guderian, Kurt “Panzer” Meyer, Rommel; Russia: Konev, Rokossovsky; Britain: Horrocks. None of these names are particularly controversial. Note by the way that I am NOT defending “Panzer” Meyer’s personality or war crimes. The man was a monster. But he was a good tank commander.
7)What is this god you speak of?
a)The one who made you and I, and resides in His heaven watching over your life every second even today.
8)how do you feel about using games, especially computer games, to introduce ideas about religion? Should religious groups embrace high-end, mainstream blockbuster level games as a way to increase awareness of their beliefs and model ethical and moral application of these beliefs?
a)I don’t see why they, among all facets of society, should be prevented from exploring their beliefs in this way. That said I have not seen it done successfully yet.
9)How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
A)He’d chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could, if a woodchuck could chuck wood.
10)I think it would have been much more interesting if every religion grants a bonus and a penalty.
A)I STRONGLY agree. However, it’s tough to portray modern religions in games.
11)part of my job as scenario designer and developer is to test storylines for campaign or RPG potential. The Joseph Smith story has all the makings of a great RPG adventure
A)And in fact was turned into a pretty good series of fantasy novels by Orson Scott Card (Seventh Son, etc.”
12)Boxers or Briefs?
A)Commando
13)In our school, to get your semester grade, 1st quarter grade is 40%, 2nd quarter grade is 40%, and semester exam is 20%. If I got a 91% 1st quarter and a 93% 2nd quarter, what percentage do I need to get in my semester exam to get at least a 90% for the semester?
A)Go to your professor and offer him a percentage of 10% of your salary at McDonalds for the next month, and he will give you a 90% grade for the semester.
14)there certainly are a lot of Sandys in the world today
A)BOW BEFORE OUR MIGHT!