Ashoka the Great

I am somewhat disappointed, RV. You don't need anyone to tell you this. You should be explaining 'why' to us. Here, let me give you a template to work with.

During my stint as Nordreich's Kaiser I attempted and largely succeeded in running our alliance in a way people hadn't seen before. This has been largely continued by my worthy successor. Because this style of leadership tends to bring much more praise than controversy, it probably doesn't belong on a list of this sort. With respect to Electron Sponge, he is around. If some cannot see him, that is their fault, not his.

[quote name='Tygaland' timestamp='1295751916' post='2592799'] Despite the game's political aspect heading south over the past year or so I hold out that it may improve. I also enjoy running an alliance and interacting with the various people from around the world that make it tick. My nation is not the reason I play, it is my ticket to a much bigger game that plays out outside the limitations of the game itself. [/quote] This pretty much sums it up for me, although I'm no longer running an alliance.

[quote name='Captain Flinders' timestamp='1295790022' post='2593847'] Looks like NoR passed RIA. Hooray and all that. [/quote] It would be more accurate to say RIA 'dropped below' NoR rather than NoR 'passed' RIA. That's true with most of the ranking changes we're seeing and will continue to see over the weeks ahead.

8.5/10 Thanks, Margrave.

This reminds me.... I've been meaning to ask NoR's government for permission to post a "We're Not At War" thread every few hours. I'm sure everyone would appreciate the update.

Depending on how long this goes on, I predict much re-ordering in the future. It's at time like these that I appreciate the folks who update this even more.

[quote name='thekrrah' timestamp='1295734185' post='2592421'] inferior is a complement to your bat !@#$ team [/quote] It would seem so. We're so terrible that I believe we only have one nation in your range. Pity.

[quote name='LegendoftheSkies' timestamp='1295733629' post='2592400'] We should have accepted this guy when we had the chance [/quote] I believe I said much the same thing to Marx last night when I met this charming fellow on IRC. He seems very nice, and not !@#$% insane at all.

I used to follow the AMD/Intel 'debate' quite closely. At one time AMD was ahead, now Intel is 'winning'. The only thing I really remember from all the arguments I witnessed is that AMD is cheaper and their CPUs tend to run hotter than comparable Intel versions, requiring a bit more cooling. I think now would be a good time to thank everyone for their input. I'm going to go ahead and buy this once tax time arrives in a couple of weeks. (I always file early and electronically; I typically have my return processed and my refund back in 10 business days or less.) I'm going to knock 'More RAM' way down my to-do list, and get a better power supply before anything else.

For some reason, I read the OP and immediately thought of [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4QKiYar9pI"]this[/url].

[quote name='Omniscient1' timestamp='1295664373' post='2590456']When NoR signed a treaty with Valhalla after Valhalla was one of the ones who helped them be whiped off the map after allegations of nazis in their ranks should NoR be rolled?[/quote] Well of course they should because....[b]HEY![/b] [quote name='Xiphosis' timestamp='1295664955' post='2590485'] By the by - I called NoR turning coat like 3 months ago. You have no idea how smug I've been. You guys are nothing if not predictable. [/quote] "Turning coat?" Please explain, since we haven't broken with anything. Actually, don't. Until not too long ago, I thought you had actually overcome your four-year grudge against NoR. At the very least I thought you would be civil with me, since you and I had never had a disagreement. Then I had the pleasure of sitting through one of your lie-filled tirades, in which you justified present actions by referring to things that happened long, long ago. Your great love for cryptic phrases is matched only by your ability to lie through your teeth. You and the PB&J crowd surely deserve each other.

VE tried this same stunt once before. Fool us once, shame on us. Fool us twice, and you're a liar leading an alliance of liars (or mindless dupes) in a coalition of liars (or mindless dupes). This war is not about a phony spying incident. It's about [i]revenge[/i]. I hope that within your secret back-channels you are at least honest with yourselves, since you're lying to everyone else.

Sorry to be late to the party. I see the PB&J crowd has already stopped by to deny everything. I believe in the power of positive thinking, guys, so keep it up. Eventually you might even believe it yourselves. [quote name='Choson' timestamp='1295663514' post='2590387']You still haven't proved that the screenshots are real.[/quote] /me checks the calendar Oh yay....we're back in 2007! [quote]And you still haven't proved [i]mens rea[/i].[/quote] A GOONS e-lawyer? Oh my, now I really have seen everything. Listen, Perry Mason, when someone pulls the same stunt more than once, judging their state of mind is remarkably easy.

With regard to RAM, I have a sneaking suspicion that Windows 7, like all Windows distributions before it, will gradually suck up more and more memory as it is upgraded through security tweaks, service packs and so on. Currently, Windows 7 64-bit requires at least 2GB of RAM. In my experience with Windows systems -- which goes back nearly 30 years (ugh) -- minimum requirements are only barely satisfactory.

And thus this thread heads in the inevitable direction of the other one, which included an exchange that went something like this: Me: RoK told Nordreich about their impending attack on PC more than 24 in advance. Rocky Horror: That would be game-changing if you could prove it, but I think you're fibbing. Me: Oh fine. Here's a highly-edited screencap from our government area, which shows the time it was first mentioned on our forum; about 40 hours before RoK's DoW. Rocky Horror: That doesn't change anything. Me: Errr....what? Keep on keeping on, kids.

Really? Only two years? For some reason I thought that when I first approached you guys to let you know about NoR's return you were more than three months old. /me goes and looks at the Wiki Well I'll be damned. Happy birthday, guys.

As CBs go, this one was terrible. "We don't like you" would have been preferable, plus it would have had the advantage of being completely honest.

Like I said, most of the games I play are older ones. And really, my interest in new ones is minimal. If can't run the newest Sims or the latest version of Tropico, I'm quite content to stick with Sims 2 and my older version of Tropico. (I should note that all games installed on my computer are from 2004 or earlier.) Oh, and nippy....we already have a brand new HP laptop and my Netbook with its SSD and Linux installed.. The main reason for getting a desktop PC over a laptop is that I have an insatiable desire to take things apart and put them back together again. Upgrading a desktop PC allows me to do that. Notebook upgrades are....well, apart from RAM....pretty much a no-go. Besides, you end up paying more than you would for a PC with comparable processing speed, and I'm cheap. My God....your system must even older than mine.

I should note that this is a build-it-yourself system. What the retailer has done is put together a package of components and knocked approximately 33% off the total price. Of course you save even more by not having someone else put it together. With all of that factored in, if I were to buy it pre-assembled at full price it would probably cost somewhere around $500, perhaps a bit more. To prioritize upgrades I would make: Short-Term Increase RAM to 8GB (~$170) Medium-Term Increase power supply to ~600W (~$50) Change HD to TWO 1TB/7200/64MB Drives - Implement RAID 1 ($100-$120) Long-Term or Not At All Wireless Network Adapter (PCI/USB) Sound Card (PCI)

I interrupt your current military broadcasting in order to ask for some input regarding a new computer. Right now, I'm sitting at my eight-year-old desktop PC, a P4 2.66 GHz with 1 GB of RAM and an ATI Radeon 9000 Video Card. OK, you can stop laughing now. When I bought this in 2003 it was pretty frickin' sweet, and it has performed admirably over the years. But now, alas, it is beginning to melt down before my eyes. Despite my very best efforts, my CPU regularly heats up far too much, compelling the computer to shut itself off in order to avoid frying. My poor little 150GB hard drive is nearly full, and I have about 100GB of saved data on other hard drives that aren't connected to the computer. (I admit....I currently use them as bookends.) Never mind that it is beginning to fail as well. Bad sectors and all that. So yes, it's time to get a new computer and toss this one. My needs with respect to a computer are surprisingly reasonable. Most of the games I plays are older, and the newer games I'd like to try out (like Sims 3 or Tropico 3/4) make relatively insignificant demands on systems when one considers what the most basic computer comes with these days. My problem is that I'm outside the loop right now. It has been several years since I completed all my computer certifications, and tbqh I haven't kept up with changes in technology very well. Neither have I been interested in the cost of systems that are out there right now. So, with this in mind, I present the system that I'm considering. It meets the most basic requirements I have, and can be 'upgraded' (by adding RAM, etc.) to make it work even better within my narrow set of needs. Proposed New Computer * Motherboard - AMD 760G, Socket AM2+, USB, LAN, PCIe, MicroATX * AMD Phenom X4 9600B Business Class Quad-Core Processor HD960BWCJ4BGH - 2.3GHz, Socket AM2+, 2MB L2, 2MB L3 Cache, Unlocked, OEM Cooler Master DK8-7G52B-A2-GP CPU Fan - 70mm, 2 Ball Bearing, 754, 939, 940, AM2, AM3, 3050 ~ 6000 RPM, 95W, Aluminum * 4GB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Dual Channel RAM * LP Hard Drive - 1TB, 5900rpm, 32MB, SATA-3G * 24x DVDRW Drive - 24x, S-ATA, Black, OEM * Radeon HD 5450 Video Card - 1024MB DDR3, PCI-Express 2.0, DVI, HDMI, VGA * ATX Black Mid-Tower Case with Clear Side, Front USB and Audio Ports and 450-Watt Power Supply COST: $299.99 (after $10 Rebate) With this I would eventually upgrade the RAM to 8GB, but that wouldn't be a priority. (It would mean ditching the current memory completely -- since there are only two slots -- and picking up two 4GB sticks at a cost of roughly $180.00.) More important would be adding a cooling fan to the back of the case. That will cost <$20 if I don't simply take the fan out of my current PC and 'transplant' it. All prices are in Canadian dollars. Obviously it doesn't come with either a monitor or an OS. My current monitor is fine, so no worries in that department. (I'll eventually drop the money to get a nice big LCD display, but it really isn't a priority for me.) As far as the OS goes, I'd probably get the 64-bit Windows 7 Home version, which is about $100. The Pro version is about $150; Ultimate is $200. Those are possibilities as well. Is it a good deal? I honestly have no idea.

Many of the submissions thus far are quite good, but my screen resolution is such that a lot of the sigs that include text simply can't be read by me. I mean....I put my reading glasses on and everything and I'm still squinting. Also, a word about color schemes. The use of complementary colors tends to create products that are more aesthetically pleasing.

And thus you are guaranteed a joyous victory and a crushing defeat, giving you the opportunity to both gloat and complain once this is all over. Lucky !@#$%^&*.

King Penchuk and I agree. Hell has frozen over. While I don't object to war [i]per se[/i], I do find the circumstances of this conflict to be regrettable. There were many real grievances that could have sparked a war. Manufacturing one was hardly necessary. But yes, send in the clowns, for it is my laughter at their expense that helps to keep me on Planet Bob after nearly half a decade.

[quote name='Rocky Horror' timestamp='1295550520' post='2586827'] Cool. I don't see how it is a game-changer though, unless RoK can confirm that Hoo is literally a child.[/quote] Interesting that you called this information both a 'game-changer' and 'not a game-changer' in the space of a few posts. You contend that RoK made a more or less last-minute, guilt-inspired decision to defend Polaris after Hoo departed. I actually heard much the same thing. In fact, I heard it [i]personally[/i] from Hoo himself when he and I last spoke. (Fun fact: It was Hoo and I who negotiated the treaty between Ragnarok and Nordreich.) After this, I spoke with RoK's Emperor (among other government members) who contradicted what Hoo was saying, although one of them did say that, in his opinion, there was some mis-communication that had gone on. And then, after a bit of looking on my own forum, I discovered that we had in fact been advised of Ragnarok's attack on PC approximately 40 hours before it occurred, and only a few hours after Hoo left Ragnarok for Polaris. You are welcome to argue with my interpretation. However, I do not believe you can deny that I heard information that would have cast an ally in a rather unfavorable light, and I continued to dig until I was satisfied that I arrived at the truth. It's called [i]due diligence[/i]. It's what people do when presented with conflicting accounts. I cannot speak to why Hoo said what he did, except that perhaps he misunderstood one government member saying "Let's stay out of this" as representing the opinion of the entire government. But this is all conjecture. I don't [i]know[/i] that this is what happened, but in light of the available evidence it makes much more sense than "Ragnarok felt guilty."