I got a filesystem crash/corruption so this year just turned a little worse for me. Oh well, if decompiling Source maps gives as reliable results as I've heard, then I'll only loose a few days of work. :smile:

@Natus: to play CSS in dark maps of course! :razz:

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Create-ivity - a game development blog

Oh well, if decompiling Source maps gives as reliable results as I've heard, then I'll only loose a few days of work.

Source maps contain the original brush data in the BSP, so the decompiled VMFs are actually usable.

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o

And how about displacements? I heard those might mess up now and then?

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Create-ivity - a game development blog

I didn't want night vision goggles but my mother found these at a local coffee-shop/supermarket and bought them because she knows I like gadgets like this. That's nothing military/high tech really, it's for watching animals or something I suppose.

I guess giving money every christmas/brithday is getting boring with time :biggrin: I was as surprised as anyone.

But it's pretty fun.

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Why snark works.

Natus said:
Why did you want night vision goggles?

The question is, why wouldnt you want them?

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"If you talk at all during this lesson, you have detention. Do you understand?"

• My yr11 Economics teacher

wil5on said:
<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Natus</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>Why did you want night vision goggles?

The question is, why wouldnt you want them?</div></div>
Sadly, they are illegal for private use in the USA.. You lucky dogs. :eek:

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Really? I knew a guy in California with them...

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"If you talk at all during this lesson, you have detention. Do you understand?"

• My yr11 Economics teacher

I thought they were in common use by hunters?

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http://maze5.net

Anyone can own a fully automatic AK47 too... With a license.

But to my knowledge, which is admittedly spotty, no civilian can own night vision goggles. There is no legal purpose for owning a pair. Its against the law to hunt most animals in the dark anyway, and the ones you can hunt in the dark? It would take all the fun out of hunting them.

But seriously, last time I checked, (in the 80's and I was in the military and wanted a set badly) no one could have them.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Anyone can own a fully automatic AK47 too... With a license.

Same here too, plus you get a discount for supporting the local economy. :biggrin:
TBH i'm actually thinking of getting a nonfunctional one myself, it would make an awesome ornament.

As for nvgoggles, I think I saw a pair for sale at a local gunstore.

I can think of a lot of legit civilian uses for NV goggles.
Hiking in the dark

Driving in the dark (this would stop a lot of accidents hitting deer and such)

Working in the dark (for example, after a big storm people could be hired to fix power/phone/etc lines during the night and get it done 2x as fast)

Anti-crime (see burglars, vandals, etc)

Just having fun with them

...

Plus, the burden lies on anti-nv people to show that NV goggles constitute a significant public threat. Just showing that they have "no" valid uses is not enough.

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http://maze5.net

Better to have x-ray glasses so you can see through girls dresses and stuff!



Oh yah! thats what I'm talking about!.

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Quote from Nietzsche....God is dead
Quote from God....Nietzsche is dead

uhh, Mazeman... I take it that you've never worn a pair of them there goggles?

Now, I am sure that they have improved upon them over the last two decades but, they aren't very fun to wear at all. They are meant for near pitch dark, not just dim and there is no transition between glare and dark. So, if you stumble upon a candle or some other bright light source, you will be nearly blinded.

Anywho, as I said, they were illegal. I dunno if they still are.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

uhh, Mazeman... I take it that you've never worn a pair of them there goggles?Now, I am sure that they have improved upon them over the last two decades but, they aren't very fun to wear at all. They are meant for near pitch dark, not just dim and there is no transition between glare and dark. So, if you stumble upon a candle or some other bright light source, you will be nearly blinded.Anyhow, as I said, they were illegal. I dunno if they still are.

The ones I used in the army were crappy as hell. The lack of contrast in snowy environment was one of the annoying things along with the size and weight of those things. You're better off using a flashlight while fixing something that trying to make out small details from that green noise. :biggrin:

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''Everyone wades in s**t until they're competent enough to walk on it. Jesus style.''
Dystopia - Empires

Hiking in the dark - flashlight

Driving in the dark (this would stop a lot of accidents hitting deer and such) - headlights?

Working in the dark (for example, after a big storm people could be hired to fix power/phone/etc lines during the night and get it done 2x as fast) - flashlight/floodlight

Anti-crime (see burglars, vandals, etc) - 30mm heatsensor-guided autocannon

Haha, no civilian can have NV goggles in the USA? That's wonderful irony since I think every 6-year old can wear a gun there. :biggrin:

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Why snark works.

reaper47 said:
Haha, no civilian can have NV goggles in the USA? That's wonderful irony since I think every 6-year old can wear a gun there. :biggrin:

I know you meant that facetiously, but its also a common belief that the USA still lives in the 1800's and everyone sports a six shooter on their hip. :sad:

Although it is quite common to have a sporting weapon in most every household, there are very few people actually toting them around on their person. I mean, actually carrying a gun is very rare... At least among the law abiding portion of the population.

Arkansas prolly has more than its fair share of guns, and to actually see a person wearing one is absurdly rare. I cannot speak for all 50 states, but I travel most of them and have yet to see my first cowboy and his six shooter. :biggrin:

In the end though, I get a bit tired of the misconception that the States are a bunch of gun toting renegades. :rolleyes:

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Stereotypes are stereotypes, facts are facts. Mostly the first is an exaggeration of the second. Compared to most European states America's gun laws are very, very liberal. But I think even those making fun of this (including me, 2 posts earlier) usually know you won't likely see people running around with a pistol on the streets. :biggrin:

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Why snark works.

reaper47 said:
you won't likely see people running around with a pistol on the streets. :biggrin:

Especially those killed by said gun. (Sarcasm tag)

Seriously though, the two things that I have had to battle most frequently since my advent unto the internet are:

Every American owns/shoots/has a gun.
Every American by default, is an asshole.

Although, both topics have a percentage of truth, its hardly "Every"

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The best things in life, aren't things.

I can imagine how you feel about this, but I think you have that with every country/community in some way or another. Like all German(-speaking people) are Nazis. This always gives me shivers. :sad:

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Why snark works.

I have noticed that most community members go through a stretching of the wings stage. Some go through it when they first join and some go through it after they have more/less established themselves.

Sadly, the wing stretching part usually coincides with some inflammatory subject matter, that on the whole has absolutely no baring on the site at all.

Stereotypically, its either politically,religiously, or controversially based subject matter. None of which, a gaming site is based upon.

In the end, the wing stretching usually works itself out and each person ends up with their place, but as with people like me, that place is subject to the whimsy of the next new member who wants to establish themselves.

In some cases, the ordeal leaves me with a valued friendship and tis about the only reason I tolerate the transaction. I know with past experiences that I will have someone I can trust after its all finished. I can say with all honesty, I have had many enemies, but I have very few lasting ones.

There are people that I can talk to about anything imaginable, that once upon a time were bitter adversaries.

The funny thing is, although I have had American troublemakers, the vast majority of the people I have had to cross swords with, have never been to America at all. They have been brought up to envision certain thoughts with regards to how Americans are.... And cannot easily see past that concept.

/off topic tangent for the time being.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

My experience with Euros has been better in general than with Americans. The Action Half-Life community is spread all over, but a lot of community and team members were from Europe. It generally felt like a more mature community to me.

When I started getting into the Fortress Forever community and forums, which were more predominantly American, the maturity level seemed to go down a bit. I also detected a bit of racism, machoism, etc., things for which the AHL community had 0 tolerance.

That's just been my experience, though. And we're talking about two distinct online communities, so I don't know that it's fair to generalize from these experiences. Might just be that the AHL community had an older fanbase, too- a larger percentage of that community was involved in modeling, mapping, etc. and those are usually done by people a little older and more experienced.

In general, I think Americans get a bad wrap due to our current leadership, who have been total assholes to the world community. That reflects poorly on us as a nation and as a people, and I'm generally ashamed of the Bush administration and the mess they have made of international relations.

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Action Half-Life - <A HREF="http://distraction-mod.com" TARGET="_blank">Distrac

Jinx said:
That's just been my experience, though. And we're talking about two distinct online communities, so I don't know that it's fair to generalize from these experiences.

I think its a fair assessment, as long as you remember that there are exceptions to every rule.

Look at Snarkpit. We have a fairly even distribution of mentalities. The very even tempers are about matched with the more volatile ones. With a great smattering of the in between types.

I consider ourselves lucky that we have such TBH since there are websites completely stifled with the extremes being in the majority. I have visited some sites where the stuffed shirts have stifled all the creativity and imagination out of existence, and I have visited sites where the children rule the roost, thereby reducing the site into chaos... And stifling any creativity for fears of retaliatory first strikes.

I truly have no idea how much of an impact I have been over the last few years, but I am ever so glad that I have been a part of it. Snarkpit will never replace PFL as my favorite site, but since PFL is now defunct... There is no real reason why it cannot be my active favorite. :biggrin:

LONG LIVE SNARKPIT, into 2007 and beyond.

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The best things in life, aren't things.