JUDE'S PROFILE

The different varieties of Maruchan Ramen noodles and the pluses and minuses to each.

author=Feldschlacht IV link=topic=3964.msg79634#msg79634 date=1244699590
I'd like to ask how all of you independent trailblazers afford to eat, and what kind of food you buy, and if you don't mind, how much you spend on food.

This is very important.

When money is tight I make a lot of pasta, because it's inexpensive. I spend around $40 a week on groceries, sometimes more or less depending on what I want. Bags of frozen chicken breasts are relatively cheap, and seasoning/marinating packs are only like 25 cents. If you're that poor I would avoid eating out too much, because while Taco Bell is cheap and easy, it can add up.

Since the proliferation of retro compilations and virtual console, I don't really emulate console games on the PC anymore. I did use a PSX emulator on my laptop while deployed last year, because I was craving some 32-bit era RPGs. Also, I use DOSbox for old games that XP doesn't like. I am strongly opposed to piracy, and have only used emulation as a means to play fan-translations, games I own but don't have the hardware accessible to play, or games that are very difficult to acquire. I used to have lots of oldschool ROMs, but my virtual console and numerous Midway, Sega, etc. compilations I have on Wii, 360, and PSP are good enough evidence that I'm willing to pay money if the option is available to me.

author=Feldschlacht IV link=topic=3950.msg78959#msg78959 date=1244427625
What's the fundamental difference between spending 200 bucks on a pair of jeans and spending 200 bucks on a graphics card or an imported action figure?

Because one of those things you're doing for yourself, and the other you're doing for the way people perceive you. Not that you can't buy action figures to look cool, I guess...

author=slashphoenix link=topic=3933.msg78825#msg78825 date=1244320933
I preferred Earthbound's system as well. Each character had a limited amount of space in their inventory, (like, 20 items?) and could only use their items in battle. It added a little strategy (give Paula some food so she can heal people in a pinch, give Jeff just enough items and then stock him up with Big Bottle Rockets).

It also helps discourage farming, because if some idiot can plow through the game by repeatedly killing Hydracondas for Megalixers, making Lavos a joke... *ahem* It just removes part of the game's strategy. Why heal when you can spam your 99 full heal pots?

Of course, you could make items great, but never the best... or make truly life-saving items extremely rare. Basically, if a person ALWAYS wants to potion instead of Cure, and he can carry x99 potions, you might as well not have even made the spell.


Modify: Wow, this is a old topic. My bad. I was just thinking about this today, though.

Wondering why you care how somebody else plays the game...