I wonder how many gens are required for them to develop circle-strafing . If a third dimension was added would they learn to bunny hop?

@BoneRemake, @packo. I think people often make the mistake of thinking that the universe started as a bunch of energy/matter suspended and then exploding into an existing, infinite 3D space; but that is not the theory. It seems to me like the video that @packo linked to is partially suffering from this error--especially when it shows the universe as floating and expanding into a sea of "outside" stars (but it gets many things right--I am still glad you posted it, thanks). As I understand it, the big bang is meant to have *created* the dimensions (including time) and it is the dimensions themselves that are expanding, possibly "into" a higher dimensional space that we are not equipped to perceive.

The usual metaphor (presented by Steven Hawking, among others) is to think of the 2-dimenstional surface of a balloon as it inflates. 2D beings trapped on the surface of the balloon would observe that all points on the expanding surface are moving away from each other, but such people would be incapable of imagining into what, since they have no intuitive understanding of a third dimensions. The balloon also illustrates the concept of "finite yet unbound." The 2D balloon-surface citizen could travel forever in one direction on the surface and never find the boundary; instead he just goes eternally round and round on the balloon which, never the less, still has a finite area even though the border remains imperceptible to the 2d resident. It is possible that the universe is a 3d version of this.

Because it is space itself that is expanding (not matter expanding into existing space), the speed at which two objects "move" away from each other increases in relation to how much expanding space their is between the two objects. In reality, the objects are not moving apart as we normally think of it--space itself is just getting bigger in between them. This means that regardless of where you are in the universe, it will look like you are at the center of a huge explosion with everything else rushing away.

All points (and all space) in the universe were once at exactly the same place, a single point, which means that all points in the universe began in the center and, in a sense, still are at the center from their own perspective. At large distances, this speed adds up until it exceeds that of light, which means we will never see or visit objects that are currently more than X light years away; and the value of X is shrinking so that, in fact, the entire universe will eventually fall behind a relativistic curtain until all the galaxies and even stars disappear eternally from each others' view, with space filling in faster than light can catch up. This does not violate relativity, again because the objects are not actually moving faster than light, there is just a huge area of space growing between them.

I am less sure about this, but I think even the space between the atoms and subatomic particles might take on properties (such as an expanded Plank length) that eventually prevent such particles from getting close enough together for the electromagnetic/strong/weak/gravitational forces to function and that's the end of chemistry.

>> ^packo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV33t8U6w28&feature=related
about 3:35 is where it gives answers
sorry about the long intro before anything starts

Well, the guys at Bethesda are also huge Fallout fans, and judging by all the effort they made in putting fan-service into the cinematic, I think they're really devoted into making this a good game.

I enjoyed both Morrowind and Oblivion, though not as much as Fallout, obviously, and I think the main thing that will differentiate Fallout is the leveling and character customization. I think a lot of people have issues with the way you level in Morrowind/Oblivion because it requires you to repeat actions over and over to level, whereas with Fallout, you are rewarded for doing significant things and can use that reward (experience/leveling) to improve your character. Essentially, Fallout is a system of rewards, whereas Morrowind/Oblivion are more work-based. As long as Bethesda keeps this in mind, I think the game will do fine. (Though I'd like to see Fallout's traditional GURPS system in play.)

Plus when you go to a 3d perspective, you get a lot more options to explore around the area, and you can add that third dimension of height to your exploration. So it will be interesting to see where Bethesda goes with that.

He's responsible for the following voices, amongst others...

"Oblongs, The" (2001) TV Series .... George Climer, James, Anita Bidet, others
Wacky Races (2000) (VG) .... Muttley/L'il Gruesome
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000) .... Sumo Singer
Dinosaur (2000) .... Additional Voice
"Detention" (1999) TV Series .... Emmitt Roswell
Olive, the Other Reindeer (1999) (TV) .... Mr. Eskimo
Gabriel Knight: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned (1999) (VG) .... Emilio Baza
"Futurama" (1999) TV Series .... Philip J. Fry/Professor Hubert Farnsworth/Doctor Zoidberg/Captain Zapp Brannigan
"Histeria!" (1998) TV Series .... Confucious/Benjamin Franklin/Others
"Magician, The" (1998) TV Series .... Cosmo Cooper
"Toonsylvania" (1998) TV Series
"CatDog" (1998) TV Series .... Rancid Rabitt/Mr Sunshine/Randolph
Scooby Doo on Zombie Island (1998) (V) .... Norville "Shaggy" Rogers
"Voltron: The Third Dimension" (1998) TV Series .... Pidge
"Extreme Ghostbusters" (1997) TV Series .... Slimer/Mayor McShane
Escape From Atlantis (1997) (TV) .... Voice Characterizations
"Weird Al Show, The" (1997) TV Series .... Announcer/Various characters
"Jumanji" (1996) TV Series .... Monkey #1
"Project G.e.e.K.e.R." (1996) TV Series .... Geeker
Space Jam (1996) .... Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd
Joe's Apartment (1996) .... Ralph Roach
Phobophilia: The Love of Fear (1995) (TV)
"Doug" (1991) TV Series .... Doug Funnie, Roger Klotz, Boomer Bledsoe, Joe Valentine
"Ren and Stimpy Show, The" (1991) TV Series .... Ren Hoek (1993-1996)/Stimpson J. Cat