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It is only a few days before the release of the upcoming sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and the theaters are now being filled with trailers trying to hype us with a lot of computer-generated imagery from the best 3D animation studios of Hollywood. With director Michael Bay in the helm and a bigger budget there will be more robots for the viewers to see.

Central to the film is the antagonistic Megatron which will be revived as a tank this time around. Megatron was once an aircraft and his transformation into a tank qualifies him as a possible candidate as a Triple Changer - the highest level of Transformers which can transform into three types. Triple Changers are very interesting subjects for case study about the versatility of Transformers. Seeing how many people are adopting multi-tasking in their lives with the fast pace of urban living, it would be interesting how the concept of a Transformer or even a Triple Changer can be integrated into everyday life.

There are many things to be considered when integrating Transformers in society, seeing how in the actual films the Autobots are trying their best to hide from humans. When one comes to think about it, the reason Transformers adopt the forms of vehicles and aircrafts is for the robots to have a disguise in the first place. So there is a lot of suspension of disbelief to be had in order to entertain the thought. But the technology is very enticing and it tickles the imagination. What if humans can have possession of a Triple Changer which can transform into two modes of transportation? Then more than likely, the choices will be to cover the land and the air.

Though this may be practical for the owner of the Transformer, this may have significant ramifications to the state of traffic not only in the land and in the air. Can this form of transportation even be regulated by a government? To stick with the mythology of the cartoon animation series, one does not have to possess boatload amounts of money in order to have access to an Autobot. They come from their dying planet Cybertron and can become very friendly with people. What if a huge delegation of Autobots came here to Earth? Well that's fun and all but that can be very chaotic.

There may be worries about how governments can practice their sovereignty when Transformers come barging into societies. But mainly this thought is voided when the Autobots are engaged in a fierce struggle with Decepticons. Any notion of order and peace should be dialed down the drain in this scenario.

So increasing our suspension of disbelief further, we should consider the technology of a transforming automobile without the sentient consciousness of a Transformer. This one will definitely involve obscene amounts of money in order to accomplish and it is a long shot that it will take over public transport systems. More likely, this technology will only be enjoyed by a select few with the fame and fortune to waste away on such a lucrative opportunity. After all, how can the owners of such a technology park their transforming automobile? It is highly possible that there will be people out there intent on stealing this technology.

This is why we have science fiction. Apart from the stunning explosions and visual effects a viewer can witness in the movies, it leaves room to think about how such possibilities can affect our society. Imagination may be a good undertaking but as wise men say: be careful what we wish for.

Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?Transformers---The-Integration-of-Robots-Into-Our-Society&id=2487828

Funcom, a Norwegian based game developer company, sure know how to be different. Their first MMO project, "Anarchy Online", while had a bumpy start, grew a large fan base for being very deep and complex game. Their newest creation, Age of Conan (slated for March 2008 release) promises to have incredible storyline and insane amount of content, without being too complicated. Now, you won't need a PhD to play this game, but that doesn't mean it's your usual cookie cutter, click-and-execute-skill MMORPG.

Age of Conan is described by it's developers as "savage and sexy". It goes beyond the usual amount of that good stuff in MMORPGs, hence the game is rated "mature". You won't find cute elves, glowing swords, or flashy fireball spells here. What you will find is a cruel, real, lush world, based on Conan novels by Robert E. Howard. It's simply dirtier, bloodier, and just cooler than anything you have seen in any MMORPGs so far.

Age of Conan is the first MMORPG to use DirectX10; it runs on DreamWorld engine which makes the graphics look incredible. Most of the animation is done using motion capture technology - even that of the animals! The 7.1 sound is done by the best producers; all that is sure to immerse you into the game at once.

Combat system is one of the things that separates Age of Conan from other MMORPGs. There's no "targetting" - instead of selecting an enemy and choosing skills which your character would execute automatically, you actually have to aim your weapon or magic yourself. This is called "Real Combat", something one of the developers, G.G. named "Dance of Death". There's no limit to enemies you can hit at once, as long as they are in your range. You can really become a machine of death and cleave skulls in the middle of an enemy formation.

While magic in Age of Conan is not so flashy, it's no less powerful. In the "low fantasy" world Robert E. Howard created, the only way to get inhuman powers is to deal with demons - at the cost of your soul! Each spell will corrupt you a little, and if you cross the line, the demons will literally drag you to hell. Magic users will have to constantly walk a thin line between power and danger.

The PvP combat in Age of Conan is really promising. There will be massive siege battles of the scale yet unseen in MMOs. The players will be able to build siege engines in their own towns and raid the enemy's, break down their walls, kill them to the last man, and pillage their treasures. Guildless players need not fear - they will be able to participate in these guild wars and actually make some extra gold by becoming mercenaries.

Overall, this does sound very interesting - but just how successful will Age of Conan be? From the example of World of Warcraft, people love simplified, pretty MMOs. It's likely that Age of Conan won't get a player base that huge, however, it's likely to consist of more mature, grown up players.

Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?Age-of-Conan---A-Different-MMORPG-Experience&id=807152