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Spoiler Warning S4E27: CHALLENGE THE SUN TO A STARING CONTEST
By Shamus Posted Thursday Jan 20, 2011
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I'd have to say that a room full of freshly murdered people is an odd place to have a job interview. Also, "how long can you stare at the sun" is a pretty unconventional interview question.
Thankfully, the writers showed us that we can just dismiss Nasana's (I'm sure you'll let me know if I spelled that wrong) entire personal guard as animals worthy of butchering. Shepard gets to her office and admits she gunned down everyone just so she could get here and talk to Thane. This had to be an awkward moment, being told that the person who just killed your entire workforce isn't even here to talk to you. Imagine how the conversation would have gone if Thane hadn't dropped in at that moment. What do you do in that situation? Talk about the weather?
"So… did you try that new Elcor seafood place downtown?"
"No actually we just got here. Haven't had time to… you know how it is."
"Oh. Tried it last night. Good bread."
"Yeah. Elcor always have good bread."
"Although, they do that just so you'll fill up."
"So… you said this guy was coming to kill you? Do know when he'll… no, I guess you wouldn't. I wonder if we should go, and come back later, or? Are you going to be here all night? I mean, assuming you don't die horribly?"
This is one of those situations where it's fun to look at a quest setup in an RPG and play "what did this place look like yesterday?" You know, before the player character marched in and began their aggressive headcount reduction: There would have been fifty dudes with automatic weapons and rocket launchers, all clanking around a posh office tower comprised entirely of corridors and warehouses. Nasana had a headache from trying to do office work in a dark room, again. Maybe installing the red lights in here was a bad idea. Sure, it gave the place that certain… severity that she liked to project, but it was murder trying to read the daily reports about the new and dangerous enemies she'd acquired. And the sun! Every time she looked away from her amber monochrome monitors she wound up staring directly into the sun. Sometimes it made her so angry she thought about hiring a council spectre to assassinate one of her close relatives. Downstairs, her Salarian minions sat around the unfurnished warehouse, talking about how much they loved their job. Sure, the hours were crap and there was nothing to do but stare at the sun all night (?!?) but they never had any responsibilities and nobody ever tried to kill them.
And yes: We're doing the Shadowbroker DLC. We actually did the entire DLC in one long session, and the episodes will run to the end of next week. We usually only do one week at a time, but we were compelled to keep going and unravel the mystery. That, and we were in the middle of a firefight at the end of every episode and couldn't stop to save the game.
Quakecon 2012 Annotated
An interesting but technically dense talk about gaming technology. I translate it for the non-coders.
Stolen Pixels
A screencap comic that poked fun at videogames and the industry. The comic has ended, but there's plenty of archives for you to binge on.
Marvel's Civil War
Team Cap or Team Iron Man? More importantly, what basis would you use for making that decision?
Quakecon Keynote 2013 Annotated
The Biggest Game Ever
Just how big IS No Man's Sky? What if you made a map of all of its landmass? How big would it be?
121 thoughts on "Spoiler Warning S4E27: CHALLENGE THE SUN TO A STARING CONTEST"
Thursday Jan 20, 2011 at 10:03 am
The DLC features one moment that directly insults us, pretty much. (Where Liara talks about omni-gel.) It is, otherwise, quite lovely. It'll be nice to see Josh wiggle because all the Liara interrupts are Paragon. :D
My favorite thing about the omnigel conversation is, Liara says omnigel-proofing stuff was a new security development. So why do the "ancient safes" in Tali's mission have it?
Then again, why do they contain modern credit chits. I suppose the quarians installed that feature.
Thursday Jan 20, 2011 at 2:23 pm
Well, you could reduce pretty much everything into omnigel in ME1, and ME2 mentions that cerberus pays you for "recovering tech", so when you pick up money you may may actually pick up ancient artifacts or something.
I thought that scene was kinda funny actually.
There's a part earlier though that is way worse when an assassin or whatever reminds us how stupid the main quest is and essentially goes "na na na na na you can't make sense in this game".
Thursday Jan 20, 2011 at 12:03 pm
Right, yes.
Spoiler Warning Cast Folks: Is Shepard a Sole Survivor in this run? That conversation's even better if she is, because [redacted] brings up the whole Cerberus Akuze thing.
Better? You call that better?! I wanted to scream back "I KNOW! I AGREE! LET'S TEAM UP AND KILL THEM INSTEAD!"
And listening to Shamus and Rutskarn scream that will be better than missing out on it ;-)
Sleeping Dragon says:
I'm going to get this off of my chest right now that I found the Lair somewhat disappointing (though I'll probably repeat it once we get deeper into it and the comments start seething with this sentiment thorough). It pretty much reflected what I found wrong with the game as a whole: somewhat too much combat, too little actual choice, the main plotline that was just clichés in their mediocrity often without any real justification and just forced on the player by the writers (not as bad as the initial Cerberus thing, which is called by the DLC, but still). It also didn't help that it was released way after I had removed ME2 from my drive and it suddenly brought in all the stuff I was expecting to only appear in ME3 (the resolution of my romance with Liara, the Broker's identity) as a direct result I only really got around to it during this season of SW. On the other hand it had the same good stuff that the game had as a whole: a few nice scenes, a few nice lines in the dialogues here and there and some fun background/secondary info that was simply enjoyable to read or watch.
What I really disliked about it was, enter the spoiler tags the Shadow Broker himself. Since the first game the Broker was built up as one of the galaxy's greatest mysteries. Someone who knows about everyone but about whom very little is known. A hidden power with unknown agenda. I was expecting that this is going to be one of the big reveals, something like the Broker turning out to be one of the councillors, or perhaps an organization represented by some surprising character like Anderson, or the consort. Turning him into a huge berserking alien, your average shooter boss (with an indestructible shield no less), was strongly on the disappointing side, even if we are told this is not the original SB. All that time when Liara was standing in front of that console I was waiting for something like the real Broker tuning in, saying something along the lines how she may be his representative in place of the Yagh or something. I still half expect that that little floating VI in the Lair is gonna turn out to be the real deal in part 3 (if it'll even call on the events of a DLC) which I guess shows how much of a let down this has been for me.
Seeing as it took this season for me to get ME2 off the shelf to get through the Lair I can only regret that you're not going to do Dragon Age as maybe then I'd finally get around to Witch Hunt…
Taellosse says:
Friday Jan 21, 2011 at 12:05 am
If you didn't like Lair of the Shadow Broker, you're going to hate Witch Hunt. Lair is a complex maze of interactive choice by comparison. Not to mention they actually took the trouble to do things like create new locations. Witch Hunt takes place entirely in recycled areas from Origins and Awakening, sometimes for no good reason at all. And the ending is singularly unsatisfying, because it fails to meaningfully resolve ANYTHING. Just about the only good thing about it is the companions–you get 2 new companions that are pretty well done, and your Mabari hound returns after his inexplicable absence from Awakening.
Friday Jan 21, 2011 at 6:29 am
Oookaaaay… I think I am going to give this a pass after this description. I was assuming this would give some sort of resolution to that plotline. Thanks for the warning.
Friday Jan 21, 2011 at 11:18 pm
Yeah, it was probably the single most unsatisfying and annoying DLC for any recent Bioware game. I was pretty upset with the ending.
Didn't help that I bought it 2 days after release, and fell victim to a (very common) bug that caused the ending to be WRONG for my Origins playthrough (it behaved as though I had refused Morrigan's deal when I hadn't). Fortunately, they've since patched it so it works properly with all the various permutations of Origins and Awakening endings. It's still unsatisfying, though.
What pissed me off about Shadow Broker was the following:
NOTE: In case I mess up the spoiler tags, the following contains Shadow Broker spoilers.
So you get the the Broker, an entity who's built up as basically having all the knowledge in the galaxy. A meet-up that I thought would be on the same level as when you first meet Sovereign, or Vigil. A meeting where you could ask questions about various things, probably even cover some plot holes in the main game.
We meet the one character in the galaxy that has more knowledge then anything, and anyone else in the galaxy. And what do we do on this momentous occasion?
We listen to Liara talk a lot, then we PUNCH IT IN THE FACE! RAWR!!
Thats what disappointed me the most. A scene that could have had the same impact as Sovereign and Vigil, a scene that could have covered plenty of plot-holes, a scene that could have been memorable. Instead we get you punching some space-ogre.
Dammit.
End Spoilers
Jarenth says:
Saturday Jan 22, 2011 at 9:56 am
This is very true. Though it did strike me as an amusing revelation that there is really no 'Shadow Broker' at all. If the Space Ogre was able to take over from the previous 'Broker', and Liara takes over from him, without anyone noticing, you could make a point that the 'real' Shadow Broker is the information network itself. The person who carries the official Broker title is just a figurehead, really.
Sucal says:
I'm not sure a comic book based off a ride counts. Anyway, lets go see how much more Liara's character has been derailed over the two years since we have died, as go and fight the Giant Space Flea from nowhere.
Ever had a close friend / significant other die violently? Changes you a bit. Just saying.
Deadly Kwob says:
Maybe it changes humans, but Asari are supposed to have a different perspective on lovers dying. Since it happens so often to them.
We're not to that point yet, but the scene with Liara on the Normandy really pissed me off. She came across as a weepy human teenager with her first crush, not a 1000-year-lifespan alien that goes through lovers like we go through pet hamsters.
Danel says:
Isn't Liara essentially a weepy 1000-year-lifespan alien teenager with her first crush?
Pretty much, which is why I thought that scene was one of the better in ME2. It's way worse when she goes around being the "action girl" of the moment who can flay you with her mind and her only character trait is how much ass she's kicking.
It's too bad really because I thought that she was one of the more interesting characters of the first game, it's a shame that they had to make her so "badass" in such a forced way.
Isn't that the point?
It's telling that her first line (about few humans having faced asari commando units) is just something her mother said in passing before you started fighting her – or am I still the only one who recognizes that? Liara's sort of ad-lib faking her way through being "tough" now, and it shows.
I read Liara as being sort of lost, not sure who she is. Until the end of LotSB, where she finds a place where she "feels like she belongs". Which is what made LotSB so satisfying for me.
I spent all of yesterday beating on BioWare for the contrivance and lunacy that is Thane's recruitment, but they do know how to develop a character. It isn't unrealistic to imagine a person changing this much over two years, especially since the "changes" are obviously superficial and ill-fitting. New role, new demands, same personality underwriting it all.
You are definitely not the only one who notices that. I think that's pretty much the first thing anyone notices when they see Liara. "WTH, her mom said that!"
That single line is one of the best examples of showing a little and telling a lot. "Liara is now in a power role, and has to play her part if she's going to succeed – but she's an archaeologist, self-admittedly bad at dealing with people. She's making do." Expressed in three seconds.
Very elegant, very nice. I'll forgive BioWare a lot for the occasional moment like that.
I never got that, probably because by the time I got to Ilium I was already really annoyed with the game and not really paying attention. Thanks for pointing that out – that is a good thing.
I'm not saying that the character development doesn't make sense, it does I think. My problem is that I don't find the direction they take the character to be especially interesting. In the first game she was really interesting because she didn't really fit in. She was awkward and uncomfortable around people and had spent most of her life at dig sites, sure she could handle herself but she wasn't a soldier, cop or mercenary she was an archaeologist. This made her interesting and unique.
In this game she went from that into an information agent who's trying to get revenge on the people who betrayed her. which is a lot less interesting and I feel like it was only done to make her more "badass" because everything in ME2 needs to be more badass. Sure the change makes some sense considering what she went through in ME1 and the beginning of ME2 (I think it's a little weird how someone with her social skills becomes an information agent but whatever) but it doesn't amount to a very interesting character IMO.
I'll drink to that.
Desgardes says:
You are a liar. She so belonged in mass effect 1. You even gave the justification yourself. She is an archaeologist I don't know how many of them you know, but the ones I know shoot nazis and commies. And are total badasses.
As far as the not feeling it's an interesting direction, I can see where the seeming homogenization would maybe leave you dry. But being an information agent isn't that far a stretch from her wheelhouse. She is a nexus, not the person on the ground needing to deal with people. The skills she needs are to be organized, be secretive, and be careful, all skills she had from her archaeology days. Information services, especially clandestine ones, aren't about making friends, they're about utilizing resources.
Indiana Jones was an archaeologist…
Sekundaari says:
Some archaeologists shoot aliens instead. And some prefer sabers and kill demons and stuff.
Don't Archeologists in WoW also get bone-raptor mounts?
Simon Buchan says:
Also, it's immediately followed by a D&D reference. I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse :)
Dying, yes. Which is why I included the word "violently".
Also, I like how off-screen events don't actually happen and the plots of the two games together take place over the events of two and a half days. Two years. Two years, and the life-altering experience of participating in the Saren war (including helping kill your mother*), and the trauma of watching your first close friend/lover get blown up. And a new social role entirely. It would be ridiculous if Liara hadn't changed.
* I'm calling Liara being present for the Benezia fight canon. As evidence, I hold up Liara's threat/warning when you first encounter her: "Have you faced an asari commando unit before? Few humans have." That line came from Benezia. I doubt Shepard would have bothered relaying that word for word.
olivaw says:
a 1000-year-lifespan alien that goes through lovers like we go through pet hamsters.
I don't buy that. I believe the phrasing was that he asari are 'philosophical' about their lovers' short lifespans, not that they dont' give a damn and will just go find another one. Sure, we see Benezia, but we also see Nelyna. They're not space-praying-mantises.
Well, some of them are. Like, three of them.
Audacity says:
About that, how the hell would such a trait even develop? What purpose could it possibly serve for survival, and how the hell would it be passed from one generation to the next, if the only way of passing it on results in death? Of all the head-desk moments I've heard of in ME2 this seems one of the worst.
Electron Blue says:
It's called a recessive gene. The…space-vampires, forgot their name, are actually sterile. There are plenty of diseases in humans that work this way – hemophilia is the most famous. As for how it developed, likely a mutation in the gene that governs how they mate that sends it into overdrive.
It's called a recessive allele, not a recessive gene. Genes are not recessive or dominant, it is the individual variations of those genes (the alleles) that are recessive or dominant (or co-dominant, or partially dominant or… You get my point).
Sorry, pet peeve of mine.
Sunday Jan 23, 2011 at 7:05 pm
And now all I can see is Psycho Mantis ranting.
poiumty says:
It's made pretty obvious that it's not an inheritable trait, and it isn't evolutionary baggage either. Looks to me more like a disease than anything else.
AMRIV says:
Actually, I think they state the opposite.
When you talk to Samara you can ask her about her other children and she will say she has three children, there are three Ardat Yakshi, and that "It is as it sounds".
In addition to AMRIV's spoiler, Ardat Yakshi are stated to be the reason behind the Asari prejudice against the "purebloods".
@Krellen – So… What did the Asari do before they had space travel, or before they encountered other races*? How come they didn't all just turn into crazed-sex-vampire things if they all carry the (utterly useless) genes to be such? I understand how recessive genes and such work, and can be passed through several generations without manifesting. However, if every member of the breeding pool carries them then exponentially higher numbers of children will be born with those characteristics, like the Irish and red hair for example.
*And why do they just happen to be able to breed fertile offspring with almost every other race in the galaxy? Let's not even consider why all these races have physically compatible "equipment."
@Audacity
You can explain it in various ways.One would be that mixing their genes with other species resulted in a mutation that made ardat yakshi easier to get than it was before.
Also,asari breed through skin,or something like that,which is why they can breed with anyone.
Because even when two Asari breed, the odds of an Ardat-Yakshi are still pretty low. Obviously Samara has some form of genetic defect which when passed down to her offspring result in Ardat-Yakshi but does not affect her. Which does make it sound a lot like a disease, which it could be for all we know considering there's no reason to assume Asari biology mimics Human biology, especially in light of their apparant flexible morphology.
But if an Asari breeds with another species entirely, there's zero chance of Ardat-Yakshi, a non-chance is always better than a small chance. It's also why 'purebloods' are looked down upon and not banned outright.
Avilan says:
This is my personal fridge brillance regarding Liara's power level:
Both her parents are asari Matriarchs at the top of their power. This might have had the upside of giving her stronger powers.
As for Ardat Yakshi: My personal belief it is that pre-space flight, the mutation was VERY rare, and almost all children with it was simply killed. When the asari noticed that mating outside their species avoided this completely, the modern mindset came into play. EDIT: @Will… as he said.
RTBones says:
Having not played this DLC, looking forward to seeing it. If all the interrupts are indeed Paragon, it should generate some lively discussion amoungst the SW cast – in addition to building up a little frustration in Josh so that he goes Reginald on something in the next mission. :D
Ouchies81 says:
I have to admit you guys, this new season shows a lot of polish and professionalism.
Nyctef says:
I AM NOT A FREAKY FISH GUY!
.. Shut up, Thane.
Toasty Virus says:
This just made my day, I'm away to watch it.
Kibbin says:
At least the ocean still loves him.
Isn't that right ocean?
xXDarkWolfXx says:
OCEAN WHY HAVE YOU BETRAYED ME
I love the awkward silence when Josh tells the cast that Thane's homeworld is a desert. You can almost hear the Aquaman jokes drowning in quicksand.
He should still call every other team member old chum and label each episode with his own title "I call this the tale of when I and some others saved a space station by pointing our guns and shooting a lot"
Deadpool says:
I think it's hillarious which of the two guesses is closest to the truth.
Btw, the Doom comic was AMAZING for all the wrong reasons…
Groboclown says:
I was going to say the same thing. Personally, I prefer the dramatic readings on YouTube of the Doom comic.
NOW I'M RADIOACTIVE! THAT CAN'T BE GOOD!
Why can't we find a way to safely dispose of radioactive waste and protect the environment? Even if I personally stop this alien invasion, what kind of planet will we be leaving to our children? And our children's children. And… … oh, the humanity!
To be fair, I think the comic perfectly portrays the inner monologue of an actual gamer playing DOOM.
I honestly thought Mumbles in the beginning of the episode was just calling shotgun for something. And it took me way too long to remember GTA 2, too.
Also, Rutskarn and Shamus: I know you guys are trying to mentally prepared for being disappointed by the Shadow Broker, but that's not going to work. BioWare has disappointing nerds down to an art now.
Ooooh yes. I was never interested in any of ME1-2 DLCs until I stumbled upon several glowing reviews of this one – and not by one of them kneepadly big review sites, mind you, but random gamers. Well, more a fool I was to trust so easily…the question is, if this Cinematic Experience (no airquotes, because this DLC is exactly that) is the pinnacle of quality, how awful must the others be?
I liked Bring Down the Sky from ME1, at least. I haven't played any of the ME2 DLC, sadly, except the free ones that came with the Cerberus Network.
Bring Down the Sky just felt like more of the same to me. "Here are some prefab buildings. Go in them, shoot the guys. Here is a binary moral choice; both options are stupid."
The fight for the main facility was a barrel of fun, though – loved that =D
So would you prefer the arena that is Pinnacle Station? All it is is more "Oh look, go shoot stuff. Yay!"
At least the moral choice was properly Paragon/Renegade.
Hush says:
I actually liked the choice at the end-it really felt like a Paragon/Renegade dilemma while the rest of the game's choices might as well have been ripped off of KoTOR's "Light vs. Dark side" system. Let the hostages live and let a real bastard of a terrorist live to cause more shit later, or take him down for good but sacrifice the hostages to stop Balak from harming more innocents later. Neither is really right or wrong, it's just a distinction between putting the present, and thus the individual, first, or putting the future, and thus the multitudes, first.
I'm not going to contest the lack of a third choice, though. It seems to me I could've just said "Okay, fine, go walk," and when he starts walking away, I put one between his four eyes. It probably wouldn't have changed the outcome at all and you might get even more Renegade points for that(by blatantly breaking your word in an otherwise straightforward deal), but I'd like to have given it a shot.
But it's a small complaint. I liked the choice as it was, I just wonder what you makes you think the choice was stupid.
Both options hinge on Shepard behaving stupidly.
"Okay, blow them up." And then he stands there goggle-eyed while Balak does it? Not to rip off DMotR, but "parlay means the other guy is flat-footed". While he's inputting the command to detonate the bomb, blow his brain out.
"Fine, leave." And then he stands there goggle-eyed while Balak sets the timer? Not to rip off DMotR…you get the picture. Plus, there's a warship in orbit with the best damn pilot in the Alliance at the helm. Wait for Balak to take off, then get Joker to shoot him down.
Or snipe him before he even starts talking. Why, exactly, does Shepard refuse to fire on a known terrorist until they've paused to chat?
I don't mind railroading. But railroad me into intelligent choices, don't force me to fail.
he'd already set the bomb, that was the whole point. And I don't think Shepard knew that he was the main baddy until he started talking.
Still. Batarian. Shepard himself says "two eyes good, four eyes bad". And he has a sniper rifle.
I agree.Not to mention that you couldve just opened the door to the prisoners before you spoke to balak.
But it was a funn dlc.Especially with the radio station."I never heard it,but I spoke to someone who did",hilarious.
Wait, what? How was Lair of the Shadow Broker bad? It's certainly better than Overlord or any other companion DLC, it features a pretty fun (and short) vehicle section and the rest is just more of the same ME2 combat in action. At the end, you get a special reward in the form of a second base with extra text and video logs of primary and secondary characters in the Mass Effect universe (some of them being really awesome).
So again… why is Shadow Broker awful?
Just as I said – it's one bloody Cinematic Experience. You just ride Illium-Broker Lair Express comfortably, admiring loooooooong detailed pretty cutscenes that pop up every ten minutes…oh, and sometimes stopping to mow some mooks too. Since I hate racing games, the chase sequence, which I got the hang of after twenty or so restarts left me cold, speaking mildly. And then you get to show how Oh-So-Intergalactical-Superduper-Badass you are in that ridiculously over the top (and cinematic!) boss fight. Sure, the dossiers were fun to read, but were they worthy all that chorus of oohs and awws? Not for me, no.
But – just as I mentioned – this was the only ME DLC I ever played. I've no problems believing others were worse.
So… you didn't like the DLC because it had cutscenes and showed Shepard being just as badass as he is throughout the whole game?
Did you even like ME2 in the first place? You sound like one of my friends who couldn't play Mass Effect 1 because the main character sounded unbearably badass and cliche no matter what line you picked.
Chiming in here: the problem with Lair of the Shadow Broker is that the reveal is poorly designed. The whole draw of entering the Lair of the Shadow Broker is so that you can find out just who the Shadow Broker is, and without wishing to spoil anything (even though it's probably been spoiled well and good in earlier Spoiler Warning comment threads) the final outcome is kind of a letdown.
A little correction: I didn't like because it had too many cutscenes for my taste. It's a DLC of a shooter game, is it really odd of me to expect things to shoot at instead of endless cutscenes to watch? In fact, it felt like one big cutscene with short shooty bits to me. Also, things like "Oh lookie, we get to meet the infamous Shadow Broker now, who might it be? Why, but some dude of the race we've never heard about before and likely will never hear again, but who cares when he's sooo badass!" didn't really help.
I…sort of like ME2 for what it is, i.e. semi-mindless shooter, although I still prefer Diablo 2 when I want a "KILLKILLKILL!!!!" type of relaxation. I did love most of NPCs though and Mordin's right at the top of my best liked companions of all games (fighting for that spot with P:T's Morte), but in ME2 case the good bits weren't able to counterbalance the bad bits enough for the game to feel great. It's just goodish.
Regarding Shepard – got no problem with him in 1. It was established from the beginning s/he was a v. capable soldier who was about to get the promotion of his life, but then shit happened and off he went to save the world because he felt it was right. Badass, but not over-exaggerated one. Now, Our Zombie Saviour Shepard of 2…yeah. That guy irks me.
It's a DLC of a shooter game, is it really odd of me to expect things to shoot at instead of endless cutscenes to watch?
Well, it wouldn't be odd of you, except that's not what ME2 is. It is an action-RPG. So, you know, cut scenes that develop a plot and advance characterization are kind of to be expected. I realize many of the mainstays of the RPG genre are lacking (customizable statistics, choices between different powers to purchase and improve with level ups, extensive inventories, collecting loot and selling it, etc.), but it is still plot and character focused, has some character customization, and things like dialogue trees, exposition, and moral choices (even if some of them are stupid and irritatingly binary). As DLCs for an RPG go, LotSB is pretty good, actually, if only because it resolves Liara's character development in a (to me, at least) satisfying way. Bioware's certainly put out plenty recently that are much worse.
Dude. Static cutscenes, no matter how pretty, does not make a RPG. Nor a shooter. And again, it's not a mere presence of cutscenes that annoy me, it's overabundance of them. LotSB has way too big a concentration of them for such a tiny shorty adventure.
@Lurkey: I'll grant that there's not a lot of interactive dialogue in LotSB, and an overabundance of static cutscenes (though some of them are still pretty good) but that doesn't change the fact that the game as a whole is NOT a shooter.
Kavonde says:
You know, it sounds like you're angry at a game billed and hyped as a cinematic action-RPG for being a cinematic action-RPG. That way lies madness.
Also, one man's "ridiculously over the top (and cinematic!) boss fight" is another's "actual boss fight with special mechanics and everything, and not just shooting at someone with more shields and armor than an average mook."
Also, one man's "ridiculously over the top (and cinematic!) boss fight" is another's "actual boss fight with special mechanics and everything, and not just shooting at someone with more shields and armor than an average mook."
Not arguing with that.
For ME2 there are three must haves and one pretty good:
Firepower Pack (the guns are just awesome)
The pretty good one is the Kessel armor one.
I was thinking Metal Slug, especially with the notorious RAWKET LAWNCHAIR!
Mumbles says:
If that's what you were going for… your Ahnuld impression sucks, Mumbles.
And of course, if Josh chooses the Ravager, I'm expecting "HEAVY MACHINEGUN" will pop up.
bit says:
I haven't played Shadow Broker, though I do intend to and keep procrastinating on it. Honestly, I'd rather NOT have it spoiled, so before I watch this episode, can anybody tell me if they start it?
They start it. You're safe if you close the video once they get to the end of Thane's recruitment, they don't spoil anything until then.
Cool. I don't really want to cut it off half way, so I'll just watch this after I play it.
Fede says:
In this episode Josh briefly mentioned one mechanic that i really disliked: paragon\renegade points used as a charm\intimidate skill. I hated it because everytime you choose the middle options in a conversation, you are in fact losing an opportunity to gain skill points. I would have preferred to have one or two skills dedicated to that(charm and intimidate, like in ME1, or maybe a single, more general one, e.g. Persuasion).
You know that in ME1 middle options robbed you of skill points too, yes? If you didn't have enough Paragon or Renegade, you couldn't upgrade your Charm/Intimidate further. And after certain threshold amounts of Paragon/Renegade points, you'd get more Charm/Intimidate capacity and a free bonus rank.
You can just grind through the main story four times on NG+ and max out both skills without ever spending a skill point.
I mentioned this in my giant long rant yesterday…
I think the justification is that Charm/Intimidate aren't "powers", they're just social skills.
Go take a genuinely friendly, polite Ned Flanders type and tell him to act intimidating. Hilarious failure ensues. Now get Mr. Burns sweet-talking. Humiliating failure ensues.
Taking the middle road – which I suppose would map onto Marge – just leaves you no good at either.
@Sydney: I don't really agree with this justification (my criticism is toward Bioware, not toward you). However, even assuming that it works from a "game world" point of view, I still thinks that it is a bad design from a game mechanic standpoint. Conversations already have little consequence, and a system like this really increases the level of metagaming.
@Aldowyn: I didn't read yesterday's comments. After reading what you wrote, yes we are basically saying the same thing.
Edit: fixed a typo.
I wanted to edit, but i clicked on reply… sorry for the double post.
I think it only increases the metagaming if you go in with a metagamer's attitude. If you treat Charm/Intimidate just as things that might come up – if you don't worry about min-maxing so you can always pass a Persuade check when it's available – I think it works fine.
Yahtzee said it well, though – if you really do want to see the end of every conversation tree, you'll have to go all one way. But if you already have that goal in mind, you're metagaming already.
Nidokoenig says:
The problem is, the system isn't complex enough for acting naturally to come across as believable, your character just ends up like Captains Janeway and Archer, flip-flopping from one set of guiding principles to another based on what the voice inside their head is telling them to do today. You never get mixed Paragon/Renegade checks that would encourage mixed gameplay. Nobody likes a psycho, and almost nobody likes a total boy scout, but the system is actively designed to boost and encourage all-red or all-blue paths and gimp purple characters.
That, and the fact that most Renegade checks are effectively Intimidation checks, which made sense in Jade Empire because you were deliberately laying low and had no reputation, but in Mass Effect, where you're a galaxy famous bad-ass, possibly with a Krogan, psychotic biotic, assassin and/or The Motherfucking Archangel in tow, people should shit themselves if you so much as look at them funny. You shouldn't have to run around flipping the bird at randoms just to make quota.
It's all very well saying I should just roleplay naturally and forget the consequences, but the fact remains that I'm then choosing which part of the game I'm prepared to ignore completely. When one of those things is my character's behaviour making sense in a story-driven RPG, that means somebody screwed up. I'm perfectly happy with having to do multiple playthroughs to use different skill sets or experiment with meaningful decisions, but having to do multiple runs with my character as a psycho with in-game benefits, a boy scout with other in-game benefits, or a caricature that vaguely resembles a sane-ish human but gets diddly just boils my piss.
The only way around this is to cheat, and a long cheat at that.
Mass Effect 1 had a glitch that allowed you to max both Paragon and Renegade in a single playthrough. Do that, then import your character into Mass Effect 2 and quickly max out your passive… You should have 99% of paragon and intimidate options open to you…
I almost always get "mixed" characters based on the character I'm playing. Pro-human will get you mixed. Pro-military will get you mixed.
If you align yourself not with "Paragon" or "Renegade", but with ideas instead, you'll end up stiffing some people and supporting others.
I'm currently in the middle of a run as an Infiltrator who's perfectly willing to break the civilian law, but is fiercely loyal to the Alliance Navy. He's almost evenly-split between Paragon and Renegade; strictly adhering to military protocol, pro-human, law-breaker, generally kind to people.
You can get six points (out of twelve) in either with no score at all. A 25% score (relatively easy to hit) lets you get to 10 in either. You only need a high score (over 75%) to get to 12, and only a tiny handful of checks (Feros and Saren) require skill that high.
I dont see what the problem is.I played it leisurely myself in both games,and I ended up with renegade bar overflowing both times.If I min/maxed,I guess Id get both bars full by the end.
Not to mention that in 2 your class skill also doubles your points in addition to improving your combat skills,so you end up having to only half fill the meter.And if you transfer a character from 1,youll already have it 1/3 full.
Exasperation says:
The important lesson to take away from this episode is that saluting is a renegade conversation option. So all those times he salutes you for no apparent reason? He's just farming renegade points.
Now that she's saluting back, I think we know who's coming to her quarters know what I mean, nudge nudge, know what I mean, say no more, know what I mean?
somebodys_kid says:
"I'm afraid I don't quite follow you"
I think Miranda is the aquaman of mass effect 2
filling the role of Ashley from mass effect 1
Miranda's passive power is probably the best single power in the game. Makes Insanity runs much easier having that constant DPS boost.
Also, her possession of both Overload and Warp means she can hit any baddie at any time and not have to wait for one or more health bars to be removed.
The only problem is she dies fairly easily, but if you keep the enemies thoroughly distracted that doesn't matter.
Which makes it extra-strange how nigh-invulnerable she is during the endgame.
Thane's philosophy is really interesting. I've heard of that kind of thing before, but the drell in general and Thane in specific are really interesting. Also, Hanar are apparently a lot cooler than anyone thought.
Shamus, there's only ONE drell in the rest of the game, and he's a special case.
Also, I am sad because I am NOT going to watch you guys do the Shadow Broker DLC… sad :(
I can think of two others that you meet. One in a loyalty mission, one in a DLC. I'll say no more, except that I met the DLC one first, which took a lot of the edge off meeting Thane.
total? I haven't played any of the DLC, so I dunno about that one, but I'm assuming the one in the loyalty mission is the one I'm talking about…
Remember that only a few thousand drell were saved from their homeworld, and most of those stay with the hanar.
What, an alien minority that we don't see very often for a reasonable reason? Preposterous!
Kolobus says:
I've really enjoyed this series, you guys prompted me to replay both ME1 and ME2. I haven't done Shadow Broker yet (just finished Firewalker) but I've already had the conclusion spoiled by a well-meaning but over-excited friend. Can't wait to see what you all think.
On a side note, was I the only one who wondered why Josh was so forgiving (relatively speaking) to this part of the game in the text of this post before realizing it was Shamus?
Integer Man says:
Love your comments on the conversation that would have happened without Thane and the idea of picturing the place yesterday. That kind of stuff is why I watch. Well, that and I like Reginald's bonnet.
You can actually see Liara's secretary quietly leaving in the background, at around 11:06 .
For the question "have there ever been any good Comic Book spinoffs" I can say that Avatar: The Last Airbender had at least one that I liked (can't remember much, but it was the story of Sokka being Wang Fire and being a Martyr in the Fire Nation)
Futurama comics are also nice.
Wang Fire has an entire mythology dedicated to him if you know where to look, many fans consider him to be the most powerful and badass character in the Avatar universe. (Effectively the Avatar universe's Chuck Norris)
Ironically, a lot of it is actually pretty amazing, and then you get Wang Fire\Berserk crossovers and it all goes horrifyingly right.
Ruts did the porno music like seconds after I started doing it…that's awesome.
Thank you Rutskarn for reminding me that mako wasnt completely removed from mass effect,it was only converted to its original form.
Awwww,you didnt go to the bachelor party and you didnt shoot the fan in the leg:(
Zaxares says:
Belly shots: Hey, we don't know asari physiology. Maybe their hearts or another vital organ is located in their bellies?
Also, something that's always bugged me. WHY DOES LIARA HAVE EYEBROWS? No other asari you ever meet has them! :P
Velkrin says:
It's a disguise.
Sunday Jan 23, 2011 at 3:26 am
I liked how, if you switch out the details very slightly, Shamus's description of the shadow broker is almost exactly correct.


VW just created the car of the future and it looks great. Their new electric car will be revealed at the upcoming 2017 Detroit Auto Show, but the also offered the world a preview of it at a show in Paris. Their new concept is an I.D. hatchback and merges the original looks of the VW with a more modern and futuristic one. This new car will have the same platform as the hatchback, namely the Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB), but will also have 2 electric motors. Since all that we know so far are a few technical specs and some intriguing images, we'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Head to the next link to see how the VW of the future will look like.


I became a disciple of His Divine Grace Yoga Jnana Sitthar Om Sri Rajayoga Guru in Johore Bahru in August 2006. My life has been blessed with many miracles ever since. My family has been richly blessed too. Let me recount my experience of His Divine Grace.
I have always been strong believers in astrology. On a trip to India, I consulted the Olai Suvadi readers at the Vaitheesvaran Temple in Tamil Nadu.
I found that everything that was read out to me was very accurate, including my childhood, marriage, kids, kids' life, etc. Being a very hardworking person, I wished not to agree when the leaf reader said that I shall only work until the age of around 58. I was 55 then. Retirement age in Singapore was 62.
I immediately resolved to work very hard to try and overcome that.
I am experienced in the aerospace industry as a planner and had worked for this company for more than 27 years. But soon after I got transferred to some department where I did not know and could not learn the work at all. I struggled there for one and a half years before I gave up and resigned. I was 58 then.
I tried without success to apply for other jobs. An aviation company with 3K starting pay selected me for a job but due to the fate I had to be hospitalised even before I started work!!Soon I resigned myself to fate. I realised that I was draining my savings.I took the Yogashakti course in August 2006 and immediately started using the methods taught to try and look for alternative sources of income.
Within a couple of months, I got some good news. My ex-employer was hiring for a posting to France. I have always loved the idea of overseas postings, and have been stationed in Australia and Turkey before. So I jumped at the opportunity and applied for the post.
The HR personnel who had tried to bargain down my asking salary called me a few days later to inform me that my appointment and asking salary had both been approved by management!!! (Of course I had made it a point to use the methods every day)By the grace of His Divine Grace, 'the Fate became lenient' to me. I joined for work in January 2007 and I went over to France on 23.02.07, the day after His Divine Grace's Divine Birthday!!!Do you know how old I was then?I turned 60 in September 2007.Now I'm driving a BMW320 and my total earning is more than SGDxxK a month.
How can I ever thank His Divine Grace.


The Racer Rowing Society: Spring 2013 Racer Rowing Travel Schedule; Support The Crew!
Spring 2013 Racer Rowing Travel Schedule; Support The Crew!
Attention friends, family, and alumni! In just a few weeks, Racer Rowing will embark on its Spring 2013 season. Check your calendars and make plans to show up in support of varsity and novice crews as they compete against intercollegiate and club programs from universities all across the United States. If you are an alumnus looking to get back in touch with friends, there's nothing like meeting up at a regatta to cheer on your team! If any alumni plans emerge based around this year's race schedule, please pass them along to The Racer Rowing Society.


text:
Ысыа́х (, по-русски читается как Ысэх) — якутский праздник лета. Представляет собой весенне-летний праздник в честь богов Айыы и возрождения природы, сопровождаемый обрядом молений, обильным угощением и кумысопитием, танцами, народными играми, конными скачками, соревнованиями сильных и ловких парней.

Празднование
Якутский ысыах — самый главный праздник в Якутии. Слово ысыах дословно можно перевести как «изобилие», связан с культом солнечных божеств, с религиозным культом плодородия. Традиционно ысыах празднуется в день летнего солнцестояния — 21 июня.

Также, в последнее время ысыах стал проводиться в период между 10 июня и 25 июня, в зависимости от улуса, графика выходных дней, местных предпочтений и т. д.

История

Элементы якутского праздника имеют сходные черты с летними праздниками тюркских народов: тувинцев, алтайцев, татар, башкир и др. У якутов сохранилась древняя традиция, характерная для скотоводческих народов — делить год на две половины, а сам ысыах являлся своеобразной границей между старым и новым, прошлым и будущим.

Первые письменные свидетельства западных исследователей можно встретить в дневниковых записях голландского путешественника И. Идеса, проезжавшего через Сибирь в Китай в конце XVII века. Он отмечал, что этот праздник справляется с большой торжественностью: якуты разводят костры и поддерживают их на протяжении всего праздника.

Во время торжеств, олицетворяющих начало лета и пробуждение природы, здесь принято вспоминать предков и их обычаи. Этнограф Екатерина Романова считает, что для якутов подобный праздник не просто повод повеселиться. «В Якутии очень длинная зима, — говорит она. — И единственная возможность встретиться всем родом — это здесь».

Осуохай

Всеобщее единение людей символизирует хоровод осуохай, означающий жизненный круг. Во время него танцующие, двигаясь в неторопливом темпе по направлению движения солнца, как бы совершают круговорот во времени и пространстве и отдают дань благодарности светилу за свет и тепло, подаренные людям. В хороводе присутствует ведущий (осуохайдьыт), в чьи обязанности входит исполнение песен, посвящённых окружающей реальности и возводящих хвалы происходящему вокруг. Этот танец непрерывно продолжался до утра, иногда большие роды устраивали осуохай в течение трёх дней и ночей. Конечно, участники меняются, считается, что каждый, кто входит в круг, заряжается энергией на целый год. Кульминация праздника — обряд окропления огня, травы и деревьев традиционным напитком, приготовленным из кобыльего молока — кумысом. Ритуал символизирует рождение Вселенной и человека.

Места и центры проведения
 Проводится во всех населённых пунктах РС(Я), в специально отведённых местах. В других городах страны и за её пределами, где существует якутская диаспора.

См. также
 Цаган Сар
 Шагаа
 Чыл Пазы

Примечания

Ссылки
 Ысыах — якутский национальный праздник
 Список литературы о празднике Ысыах на сайте «Орто Дойду»
 Журнал «ИЛИН», № 3 (50), 2006 [/*http://ilin-yakutsk.narod.ru/2006-3/2006-3.htm*/ http://ilin-yakutsk.narod.ru/2006-3/04.htm] Содержит посвящённые Ысыаху статьи Е. Н. Романовой и других авторов.

Использованная литература
 Людям о людях. Лица Якутии. Республиканская газета, № 1, 23 июня 2007 г.

Праздники
Якутские обычаи
Праздники Якутии

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The primary goal of In Our Hands is to amplify the perspectives of people affected by poor access to HIV testing services. The filmmaking process included a video workshop for 13 participants that explored issues relating to HIV self-testing, whilst also training the group in camera and storytelling techniques so they could express their ideas fully and confidently. The workshop, and the subsequent filming, also created a space for collaboration and the sharing of experiences among community members on the issues surrounding HIV and AIDS.
The workshop was facilitated by Rodrick Sambakunsi (community engagement), Wezzie Lora (HIV self-testing researcher) and Millie Harvey (filmmaker). Following on, the film was written and edited in London, UK and there was a private participant screening in Malawi (April 2017), where the group approved accuracy and provided feedback.
In Our Hands is funded by Wellcome Trust and is a collaboration between Global Health Film initiative, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), and Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Research Programme (MLW) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). The project portrayed in the film, HIV Self-Testing AfRica (STAR), is funded by Unitaid.


text:
Jack's Back: Pirates Of The Caribbean On Stranger Tides NEW TRAILER Official Disney HD
"It's a pity they died in the end, cause they could have gone on forever."
So said Robert Redford in reference to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, their iconic characters in the movie of the same name.
The producers of this storied franchise (which, word has it, was meant to be filmed in the renowned pirate haven in Port Royal) have long since skipped over that little hurdle and, with the global box office continuing to reward them, they have thus continued to spin out this "sprightly" mix of pirate legend and "macabre-lite"
In the midst of the swashbuckling and mast-trimming is Johnny Depp as Capt Jack Sparrow . In the opening 10 minutes alone, he jumps, swoops, slashes, butts and skulks his way through loads of the King's soldiers and other adversaries, including his old foe, Barbossa.
Not long after, they head off on separate ships in search of the fabled Fountain of Youth intimated by Ponce de Leon. Sparrow ends up with a flame from his past (Penelope Cruz) who purports to be the daughter of "pirate of all pirates" Edward "Black Beard" Teach. Teach is, of course anxious to get hold of the eternal youth elixir as his years are fading. And, of course there are complications. Chief among them, mermaids, whose tears are required for elixir. The ladies of the sea (which include Jamaican beauty queen Sanya Hughes) have their own intentions: lure the men with their beauty and song and then drag them to the bottom for lunch...or supper.
Rob Marshall ("Nine", "Chicago") steps in at the helm for Gore Verbinski (who collaborated with Depp to such great effect on the previous Pirate movies as well as this year's "Rango") brings his Ziegfeldian sense of production numbers to this outing - especially in the mermaid scenes - but fortunately retains much of the sense of fun that hallmarks the franchise.
Ultimately though, as 2 hours +, this instalment, while still fun, is simply too long. Sure the characters could go on forever - just not in one movie.
Labels: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Johnny Depp, mermaids, pirates, Port Royal, Sanya Hughes

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Pan chair designed by Alp Nuhoğlu inspired by frying pan. The seating area and the back part combine to create a single-body product. With the option of a wire base, it easily finds space in waiting or break rooms or public spaces. The office base option allows Pan to be used in meeting rooms. Pan, with a modern design approach, offers a comfortable seating session. The used space takes up a little space. The Pan seat has a steel structure molded together with polyurethane foam. Which makes very robust chair to use for high traffic. All colors in the B&T Design graded in fabric swatches are approved to be used on Pan Seats. Sled base can be ordered in different paint colors. Office base is cast aluminum.


text:
\section{Introduction}
\label{sec:Introduction}
One of the greatest uncertainties in the interpretation of the
microlensing events detected towards the Large and the Small
Magellanic Clouds by the {\sc macho}\xspace
(Alcock et al. 1997a, \cite{MachoSMC})
and the {\sc eros}\xspace experiments
(Renault et al. 1997, Palanque-Delabrouille et al. 1998)
resides in the determination of the location and consequently of the
nature of the lenses.

The {\sc macho}\xspace results can be converted into an optical depth of
$2.9_{-0.9}^{+1.4} \times 10^{-7}$, while the two candidate events of
{\sc eros}\xspace would account for $\sim 0.8 \times 10^{-7}$.  Combining both
results leads to an average optical depth of $2.1_{-0.8}^{+1.3} \times
10^{-7}$ (\cite{BennettReport}).

While this observed optical depth towards the
{\sc lmc}\xspace is too small to account for a full dark halo of compact objects
(expected $\tau = 5 \times 10^{-7}$), it
is much too large to be explained by the contribution from known
populations of low-mass stars in the disks of the Milky Way and the
{\sc lmc}\xspace: based on star counts, the contribution from the disk of our
Galaxy is found to be $\tau_{\rm MW} \sim 8 \times 10^{-9}$
(\cite{Gould97}), and the global rate from known stars in both
galaxies has been estimated by several authors to be $\lesssim20\%$
(\cite{wu94}, \cite{sahu94}, \cite{derujula95}) of that
observed.

Moreover, the location of a few lenses has been determined, either
through the non-detection of parallax effect for 97-SMC-1
(\cite{ErosSMC1}), or through the observation of the caustic crossing
in the case of binary lenses, for 98-SMC-1 (Afonso et al. 1998,
\cite{PlanCaus}, \cite{MachoCaus},
Rhie et al. 1999, Udalski et al. 1999) or
MACHO-LMC-9  (Bennett et al. 1996).
The case for the latter is still unclear
however, since the measured lens velocity, incompatible with a
Galactic halo lens unless
the source happens to be a binary star with the appropriate
separation, seems too low for a {\sc lmc}\xspace disk star.

It has been pointed out by several authors
(Kerins \& Evans 1999,
\cite{DiSt99}) that the fact that the observed binary lenses are all
located in the Clouds might indicate that {\em all} observed events
arise from Clouds deflectors.  Indeed, if the two observed binary
lenses with caustic crossings are in the Clouds, then the expected
number of self-lensing caustic crossing events has to be greater than
.53 at 90\% C.L. A very conservative estimate of the fraction of
caustic crossing events (\cite{MaPa91}, \cite{DiSt99})
implies that we expect more than 5 background self-lensing events,
which is far from negligible as compared to the total number of
observed events.

The case for self-lensing in the {\sc lmc}\xspace and {\sc smc}\xspace is thus still open,
despite the ``proof'' (\cite{Gould95}) that its contribution to the
optical depth is too low.  As shown in (Palanque-Delabrouille et al
1998), the {\sc smc}\xspace could be thick enough to yield an expected optical
depth as large as $\sim 2 \times 10^{-7}$, compatible with the current
observations towards this line-of-sight.  A more thorough exploration
of possible {\sc lmc}\xspace models therefore appears worthwhile.

Gould (1995) noticed that the optical depth associated to the
self-lensing of a stellar disk, a good approximation for the bulk of
the {\sc lmc}\xspace matter, depends only on the vertical velocity dispersion
$\sigma_{W}$ of the stars:
\begin{equation}
\tau_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}} \; = \; 2 \, \frac{\sigma_{W}^{2}}{c^{2}} \, {\rm sec}^{2} i \;\; ,
\label{GOULD}
\end{equation}
where $i$ is the inclination of the disk.
Measurements of stellar velocities in the {\sc lmc}\xspace are difficult because
of its distance. Only the brightest stars are resolved. Gould based his
analysis on the CH objects studied by Cowley \& Hartwick (1991). These carbon
stars belong to the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) of the HR diagram. With an
apparent magnitude $m_{\rm bol} \sim 14-15$ and assuming a distance
modulus of 18.6, their bolometric luminosities are in the range
$2-5 \times 10^{3} \; L_\odot$. A velocity dispersion of $\sim$ 20 km/s
led Gould to the conclusion that the optical depth for {\sc lmc}\xspace
self-lensing could not exceed $1.1 \times 10^{-8}$, well below the measured
value of $1-3 \times 10^{-7}$. However, carbon stars are a peculiar
population. They have left the main sequence ({\sc ms}\xspace) on which they have spent
at most $\sim 10-12$ Gyr, the age of the {\sc lmc}\xspace. The average lifetime
of a star on the {\sc ms}\xspace decreases with the initial stellar mass $m$ as
\begin{equation}
t_{\rm \mathsc{ms}} \simeq
\left( 1.2 \times 10^{10} \; {\rm yr} \right) \,
\left( m \; [M_\odot] \right)^{-3} \;\;,
\end{equation}
so that the oldest carbon stars observed today had an initial mass
larger than $\sim$ 1 $M_\odot$. Assuming a Salpeter {\sc imf} for the {\sc lmc}\xspace
(Geha et al. 1998) and adopting the star formation history derived
by the same authors lead to the conclusion that approximatively 75 \%
of the sample analyzed by  Cowley \& Hartwick (1991) has formed
less than 2 Gyr ago, during a recent stellar burst. The velocity
dispersion of 20 km/s refers therefore to young objects whereas
the bulk of the {\sc lmc}\xspace population is not dominated by young stars
(Geha et al. 1998) and could be associated to much larger velocity
dispersions. As a matter of fact, Hughes et al. (1991) have
measured the radial velocities of long period variables (LPV) in
the {\sc lmc}\xspace and showed that while young and intermediate LPV's had a
dispersion velocity in the range between 12 and 25 km/s, the old LPV's
had a significantly larger dispersion velocity ranging from 31 to 45 km/s.

The increase of the velocity dispersion with the age of stars is a
well-known fact. Bienaym{\'e} et al. (1987) have modeled stellar populations
in the Milky Way disk and showed that while $\sigma_{W} \sim 6$ km/s at birth,
it increases up to 25 km/s for an age of $7-10$ Gyr. That is why the
characteristic thickness for O and B stars which formed very recently is
$\sim$ 200 pc whereas it reaches $\sim$ 700 pc for solar type objects.
Wielen (1977) has shown that the velocity dispersion $\sigma$ and the
age $\tau$ of a stellar population are related by
\begin{equation}
\sigma^{2} \; = \; \sigma_{0}^{2} + C_{\sigma} \tau \;\;.
\label{WIELEN}
\end{equation}
where $\sigma_{0}$ is the initial velocity dispersion.
As time goes on, disk stars undergo dynamical shocks with, for
instance, molecular clouds. The diffusion of stellar orbits caused
by such gravitational inhomogeneities results in older populations
being associated with larger velocity dispersions. Stars diffuse in velocity
space. For the
Milky Way, Wielen obtained a global diffusion coefficient
\begin{equation}
C_{\sigma} \simeq 6. \times 10^{-7} \; {\rm km^{2} \, s^{-2} \, yr^{-1}}
\end{equation}
whereas he got a value 6 times smaller for vertical motions.

We estimate therefore that the quoted value $\sigma_{W} \sim$ 20 km/s
is only representative of the youngest stars and that the bulk of
the {\sc lmc}\xspace populations are older, hence with larger velocity dispersions.
The favored star formation history (model e of Geha et al. 1998) has a
star formation rate which remains constant for 10 Gyr and then
increases by a factor of three for the past 2 Gyr. The average stellar
age is $\sim$ 5 Gyr, quite similar to the age of the Milky Way disk
populations. For the latter, $\sigma_{W}$ increases from 6
to 25 km/s as stars grow old. Scaling these results to the {\sc lmc}\xspace
implies that the oldest populations should reach there a dispersion
velocity $\sigma_{W} \sim$ 80 km/s. The resulting optical depth
would be therefore an order of magnitude larger than Gould's estimate,
in fairly good agreement now with the observations.

At this point, a detailed investigation of the effect of an increased
velocity dispersion on the optical depth for {\sc lmc}\xspace self-lensing is
mandatory. To start with, we have refined in section~2 Gould's
description by introducing several isothermal stellar components.
Depending on the stellar species, the velocity dispersion $\sigma_{W}$
varies from 20 up to, at most, 80 km/s. This corresponds to a
diffusion coefficient $C_{\sigma}$ lying in the range from 0 to $5
\times 10^{-7} \; {\rm km^{2} \, s^{-2} \, yr^{-1}}$. The
gravitational potential satisfies a Poisson equation. From the
determination of the vertical distribution of stars, the self-lensing
optical depth and the event rate are calculated, along with the
distribution of event durations.  For our extreme model, the optical
depth is $\sim 0.7-1 \times 10^{-7}$ in the inner $3^{\circ}$. As a
first approach, the variation of the surface mass density $\Sigma$
with radius $R$ is assumed to follow a Mestel profile (see section
\ref{sec:disk}). We have also investigated the tidal effects that our
Galaxy generates on the stellar populations of the {\sc lmc}\xspace.
Notice that in this thin-disk model, the vertical and radial directions are
somewhat disconnected. At radius $R$, the stellar distribution is derived as
if the {\sc lmc}\xspace disk looked infinite. We have therefore considered in
section~3 the case of a multi-component model where each stellar
population is distributed according to an oblate spheroid, with significant
flattening along the disk. The velocity dispersion $\sigma_{W}$ and the
flattening depend on the stellar species. In the extreme model,
$\sigma_{W}^{\rm max}$ reaches 45 km/s, hence a diffusion coefficient $C_{\sigma}
\sim 1.4 \times 10^{-7} \; {\rm km^{2} \, s^{-2} \, yr^{-1}}$,
not too far from the Milky Way value. Finally, in section~4,
we show that adopting a larger value for the {\sc lmc}\xspace rotation velocity
results into an enhanced self-lensing rate. We suggest further strategies to
test our models and we conclude in section~\ref{sec_conclusion}.

\section{The Large Magellanic Cloud as a Thin Mestel Disk}
\label{sec:disk}
\subsection{Description of the model}
\label{ssec:descript_dsk}

The bulk of the
mass of the {\sc lmc}\xspace lies in a nearly face-on disk, with an inclination of
27$^{\circ}$. The Cloud exhibit a bar structure emitting about 10 to 15~\%
of the total luminosity, but which is not included in the models presented here.
This disk extends at least to $8^{\circ}$ from the center but may
conceivably be larger. The mass in the inner $\sim 4-5$ kpc
($1^{\circ}$ = 0.92 kpc for a distance modulus of 18.6) is estimated
by Hughes et al. (1991) to be
$\leq 6.2 \pm 1.5 \times 10^{9} \; M_\odot$ from the
dispersion of the radial velocities of Long Period Variables (LPV) stars.
The virial mass is smaller: $4.4 \times 10^{9} \; M_\odot$.

Measurements of the velocity dispersion of planetary nebulae and star
clusters up to $\sim 8^{\circ}$ radius as well as HI observations indicate
that the {\sc lmc}\xspace disk rotates. The rotation curve appears flat out to about
$8^{\circ}$ radius, and may remain constant out to $15^{\circ}$. As
the rotation curve of the {\sc lmc}\xspace does not show signs of a Keplerian
falloff, the mass in the inner $8^{\circ}$ radius is inferred
(Schommer et al. 1992) to be $\leq 1.5 \pm 2.5 \times 10^{10} \; M_\odot$.
Because the {\sc lmc}\xspace disk is nearly face-on, the rotation velocity is hard
to determine accurately. It lies in the range between 50 and 80 km/s.
From now on, we adopt the median value of $V_{C} = 65$ km/s, slightly
smaller than the value of 77 km/s favored by Schommer et al. (1992).
Our {\sc lmc}\xspace mass is therefore on the low side. Note that our approach
is meant to be conservative. Should the {\sc lmc}\xspace be more massive, our
conclusions would be strengthened. As shown in section~4, a larger
rotation velocity would actually result into an enhanced rate for
gravitational self-lensing.

The surface mass density at radius $R$ follows a Mestel profile
\begin{equation}
\Sigma(R) \; = \; 156 \, [M_\odot \, {\rm  pc}^{-2}] \;
\left( \frac{V_{C}}{65 \, {\rm km \, s^{-1}}} \right)^{2} \;
\left( \frac{1 \, {\rm kpc}}{R} \right) \;\;.
\label{SIGMA_MESTEL}
\end{equation}
This implies a {\sc lmc}\xspace mass of
\begin{equation}
M(R) \; = \; 4.9 \times 10^{9} \, M_\odot \;
\left( \frac{V_{C}}{65 \, {\rm km \, s^{-1}}} \right)^{2} \;
\left( \frac{R}{5 \, {\rm kpc}} \right) \;\;.
\end{equation}
Increasing the rotation velocity from 65 to 80 km/s results in an
increase of the mass in the inner 5 kpc from $4.9$ to $7.4 \times
10^{9} \, M_\odot$.  Both values are in fair agreement with the value
$4.7-7.7 \times 10^{9} \, M_\odot$ of Hughes et al.  (1991).

We have modeled the disk to contain several stellar populations.
We assumed that a Salpeter distribution holds for the surface mass
densities:
\begin{equation}
\frac{d\Sigma}{dm} \propto m^{-\alpha} \;\; ,  \label{eq:Salpeter}
\end{equation}
where $\alpha = 1.35$. Above 0.5 $M_\odot$, this is consistent
with HST stellar counts in the {\sc lmc}\xspace as discussed by
Geha et al. (1998). The normalization factor is obtained
from the requirement that the global surface mass density
$\Sigma(R)$ is recovered once the contributions $d\Sigma$
of the various stellar components are added together.
The luminosity of a {\sc ms}\xspace star is related to its mass
through $L [L_\odot] = (m [M_\odot])^\beta$, with
$\beta \approx 4$ (Henry \& McCarthy 1993). The stars of the
{\sc lmc}\xspace that are monitored by the microlensing experiments {\sc eros}\xspace
and {\sc macho}\xspace have an absolute magnitude smaller than $M_{V} \sim 1$.
This corresponds to stellar masses $\sim 2.2-2.4 \; M_\odot$.
We have therefore extended our stellar distribution up to
$m_{\rm max} = 2 \, M_\odot$. In our simple model, this massive component
mimics the brightest members of the {\sc lmc}\xspace populations, such as
the CH stars. It also stands for the sources which may be
potentially amplified by other {\sc lmc}\xspace members. Notice that our results
are not sensitive to the exact value of $m_{\rm max}$. The lightest stars of
our model have a mass $m_{\rm min} = 0.1 \, M_\odot$. They correspond to the
faintest objects on the {\sc ms}\xspace, the red-dwarves. The mass-to-light ratio
of our stellar distribution is readily derived
\begin{equation}
\frac{M}{L} \; = \; \frac{\beta - \alpha}{\alpha -1} \times
{\displaystyle \frac
{\displaystyle m_{\rm min}^{1-\alpha} - m_{\rm max}^{1-\alpha}}
{\displaystyle m_{\rm max}^{\beta-\alpha} - m_{\rm min}^{\beta-\alpha}}} \;\; .
\end{equation}
With the values $\alpha = 1.35$ and $\beta = 4$, this implies
$M/L = 1.75$ in solar units.
At a radius of 1 kpc, the surface brightness is
$\sim 90 \, L_\odot \, {\rm pc}^{-2}$. Relation \ref{SIGMA_MESTEL}
gives a surface mass density of $156 \, M_\odot \, {\rm pc}^{-2}$,
hence a mass-to-light ratio of 1.71, in good agreement with
our model (the effect of extinction is neglected). Note
that in the case of the oblate spheroids of
section~3, the surface mass density
$\Sigma(1 \, {\rm kpc}) \sim 220 M_\odot \, {\rm pc}^{-2}$ and
the mass-to-light ratio becomes 2.4. Those values may be compared
to the mass-to-light ratio of our galactic disk where $M/L \sim 2$.
As regards the {\sc lmc}\xspace, the general trend is an increase of $M/L$ with
the radius $R$. At 4 and 5 kpc, the thin Mestel disk model respectively
gives $M/L$ = 4.3 and 5.3 whereas, for the flattened spheroids,
we get 5 and 6. This is in agreement with Schommer et al. (1992)
who conclude that the integrated mass-to-light ratio of the {\sc lmc}\xspace
is $\sim$ 10. That increase of $M/L$ with $R$ might be due to an
evolution of the stellar composition along the disk. The farther
away from the center a stellar field lies, the fewer bright stars
it contains. This should lead to different HR diagrams at different
locations in the {\sc lmc}\xspace disk. For simplicity, we have not dealt
here with such refinements and we have kept our stellar distributions
independent of the position $R$. We leave to section~4 the discussion
of the influence of $M/L$ on our results.

The vertical velocity dispersion $\sigma_{W}$ depends on the
stellar population. The only relevant dynamical parameter is
actually the relationship between the surface mass density
and $\sigma_{W}$. Stars of different masses may well have the
same velocity dispersions. If so, their vertical distributions
are similar, with identical disk thickness. Relation
\ref{WIELEN} implies that stars with the same age should have
the same velocity dispersion. As the {\sc lmc}\xspace formed $\sim$ 12 Gyr
ago, stars whose mass $m < 1 \, M_\odot$ have not yet left the {\sc ms}\xspace.
They have the same average age of 6 Gyr. Their velocity
dispersion had ample time to diffuse and increase. That is why our
first stellar bin comprises stars with masses between 0.1 $M_\odot$
(red-dwarves) and 1 $M_\odot$ (solar type objects). Their velocity
dispersion $\sigma_{W}^{\rm max}$ is the largest of all species.
Between 1 and 2 $M_\odot$ (our most massive bin), the dispersion
$\sigma_{W}$ is obtained from the diffusion equation (\ref{WIELEN})
and from noticing that the {\sc ms}\xspace lifetime decreases as $m^{-3}$.
This leads to the relation
\begin{equation}
\sigma_{W}^2 \; \simeq \; A \, + \, \frac{B}{m^{3}} \;\; .
\label{sigma_mass_relation}
\end{equation}
The coefficients $A$ and $B$ are determined by requiring that
the dispersion velocity increases from $\sigma_{0} = 20$ km/s
for the brightest and heaviest objects up to
$\sigma_{W}^{\rm max}$ for the light stars.
Table~1 features the velocity dispersions of the various stellar
components in the case of model~A where the radius $R$ = 1 kpc
and $\sigma_{W}^{\rm max} = 80$ km/s. In the sequel, we will assume
an horizontal velocity dispersion equal to the vertical velocity
dispersion.

\begin{table}
\caption[]{Model A corresponds to the radius $R$ = 1 kpc,
a rotation velocity of 65 km/s and
$\sigma_{W}^{\rm max} = 80$ km/s.
}
\label{model_A}
\[
\begin{array}{|c|c|c|c|} \hline \hline
m [M_\odot] &
\sigma_{W} \mbox{[km/s]} &
10^{4} \times \rho_{c} [M_\odot \mbox{pc}^{-3}] &
\Sigma [M_\odot \mbox{pc}^{-2}] \\ \hline \hline
0.1-1 & 80   & 226    & 134.4 \\
1.1      & 68.5 &   6.73 &   3.3 \\
1.2      & 59.2 &   7.13 &   2.9 \\
1.3      & 51.6 &   7.52 &   2.6 \\
1.4      & 45.2 &   7.91 &   2.4 \\
1.5      & 39.7 &   8.33 &   2.2 \\
1.6      & 34.9 &   8.78 &   2.0 \\
1.7      & 30.6 &   9.31 &   1.8 \\
1.8      & 26.8 &   9.93 &   1.7 \\
1.9      & 23.3 &  10.7  &   1.6 \\
2        & 20   &  11.7  &   1.5 \\ \hline \hline
\end{array} \]
\end{table}

Each model is specified by the radius $R$ that has been varied
from 1 to 5 kpc. The regions surveyed by {\sc eros}\xspace and {\sc macho}\xspace are actually
in the inner $5^{\circ}$ from the {\sc lmc}\xspace center. The value
of $\sigma_{W}^{\rm max}$ has been varied from 20 to 80 km/s
and the rotation velocity has been set equal to $V_{C} = 65$ km/s.
Once a model is specified, the distribution of surface mass
densities and vertical velocity dispersions ensues from
the arguments discussed above. Each stellar component $i$ is
assumed to be isothermal, with vertical velocity dispersion
$\sigma_{W,i}$. It is distributed according to
\begin{equation}
\rho_{i}(z) \; = \; \rho_{i,c} \;
\exp \left\{ - \frac{\Phi(z)}{\sigma_{W,i}^{2}} \right\} \;\; .
\end{equation}
We have solved the Poisson equation along the vertical direction $z$
\begin{equation}
{\displaystyle \frac{d^{2} \Phi}{dz^{2}}} \; = \; 4 \pi G \, \rho(z) \;\; ,
\end{equation}
where the total mass density $\rho(z)$ comprises the various
stellar species. The gravitational potential $\Phi(z)$ and
its derivative $\Phi'(z)$ are set equal to 0 at the origin.
The Poisson equation is integrated up to $z_{\rm max} = \pm 10$ kpc.
Stars located beyond that limit cannot really be considered
as members of the {\sc lmc}\xspace system. For each stellar population $i$,
we compute the surface mass density $\Sigma_{i}$ for
$|z| \leq 10 \, {\rm kpc}$ and modify its
central mass density $\rho_{i,c}$ in such a way that, after a
dozen iterations, the proper distribution of surface mass
densities is recovered. The convergence is found to be excellent.

Should the {\sc lmc}\xspace disk contain a single stellar species and
extend vertically to infinity, we would have obtained a
surface mass density of
\begin{equation}
\Sigma = 2 \sqrt{2} \rho_{c} a \;\; ,
\end{equation}
where the typical thickness $a$ is defined as
\begin{equation}
a \; = \; \frac{\sigma_{W}}{\sqrt{4 \pi G \rho_{c}}} \;\; .
\end{equation}
Assuming a Mestel profile to accommodate the flat rotation
curve of the {\sc lmc}\xspace would have led to the conclusion that the
thickness at radius $R$ is
\begin{eqnarray}
a & = & 1.34 \times 10^{2} \, {\rm pc}
\left( \frac{\sigma_{W}}{20 \, {\rm km/s}} \right)^{2}
\left( \frac{V_{C}}{65 \, {\rm km/s}} \right)^{-2} \nonumber \\
& \times &
\left( \frac{R}{1 \, {\rm kpc}} \right) \;\; .
\end{eqnarray}
This simple picture is complicated by the presence of several
stellar populations with different velocity dispersions
and also by the presence of a cut-off at $\pm$ 10 kpc.
As is clear from table~\ref{model_A}, the low-mass stars
with $m = 0.1 - 1 \, M_\odot$ dominate the disk dynamics.
The optical depth $\tau_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}}$ for self-lensing ensues
from relation~(\ref{GOULD}) where $\sigma_{W}^{\rm max}$ stands
for the velocity dispersion.
However, Gould's limit is only recovered in the {\sc lmc}\xspace regions where the
disk thickness $a$ is much smaller than the vertical boundary $z_{\rm
max} = \pm 10$ kpc.  This is the case for $R = 1$ kpc and for
$\sigma_{W}^{\rm max} = 20$ km/s where $a = 130$ pc.  When the
velocity dispersion of low-mass stars is increased up to 80 km/s or
when the radius $R$ is large, the {\sc lmc}\xspace disk is no longer thin with
respect to the boundary $z_{\rm max}$.  The actual value of $\tau_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}}$
is smaller than what would naively be inferred from a mere scaling
from an infinite disk. This will be further discussed in section~4.

\subsection{Microlensing parameters}
\label{ssec:miclens_dsk}

For each of the models, one can compute the total optical depth $\tau$
and the event rate $\Gamma$.  The contribution of sources of mass $m_s$ located at
$z_s$ and deflectors of mass $m_d$ to these microlensing parameters is
given by:
\begin{multline}
  \delta\tau(m_d, z_s) =  \\
    \int_{-z_{\rm max}}^{z_s} \!\! dz_d \,
    \frac{\rho_d(z_d \cos\theta,m_{d})}{m_d}\, \pi R_E(m_d,z_d,z_s)^2
\label{eq_dtau1}
\end{multline}
\begin{multline}
  \delta\Gamma(m_d, m_s, z_s) =  \\
    \int_{-z_{\rm max}}^{z_s} \!\! dz_d \,
    \frac{\rho_d(z_d \cos\theta,m_{d})}{m_d} \, 2 R_E(m_d,z_d,z_s)
    <\!\!\left|v_{\rm rel}\right|\!\!>
\label{eq_dgamma1}
\end{multline}
where $\theta$ is the inclination angle of the {\sc lmc}\xspace (taken equal to
27 degrees), $z$ is measured along the line-of-sight, and $\rho_d$
is the mass density of the deflectors.

The velocities $v_s$ and $v_d$ of the objects are supposed to be
Gaussian-distributed with a mass-dependent velocity dispersion, as
explained in section \ref{ssec:descript_dsk}.  The term
$<\!|v_{\rm rel}|\!>$ in equation (\ref{eq_dgamma1}) represents the average
of the relative velocity between the deflector and the source over all
possible velocities of these two objects:
\begin{equation}
<\!|v_{\rm rel}|\!> = \!\int\!\!\!\int\! f_s(v_s,m_{s}) \, f_d(v_d,m_{d}) \, |v_s - v_d|\, dv_s\, dv_d
\end{equation}
where $f_s$ (resp. $f_d$) is the source (resp. deflector) velocity distribution
function --- projection effects are neglected since $z \ll D_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}}$.

Let $\rho_s$ be the mass density of the sources. The mass density at a
given coordinate only depends on the mass of the object.
Integrating equations (\ref{eq_dtau1}) and (\ref{eq_dgamma1}) over
all source positions yields:
\begin{equation}
\tau(m_d, m_s) =
  \frac{\int_{-z_{\rm max}}^{z_{\rm max}} dz_s
    \frac{\rho_s(z_s \cos\theta, m_{s})}{m_s} \, \delta\tau(m_d, z_s)
       }
       {\int_{-z_{\rm max}}^{z_{\rm max}} dz_s \;\frac{\rho_s(z_s \cos\theta,m_{s})}{m_s}
       }\label{eq_dtau}
\end{equation}
\begin{equation}
\Gamma(m_d, m_s) =
  \frac{\int_{-z_{\rm max}}^{z_{\rm max}} dz_s
    \frac{\rho_s(z_s \cos\theta,m_{s})}{m_s} \;\delta\Gamma(m_d, z_s)
       }
       {\int_{-z_{\rm max}}^{z_{\rm max}} dz_s \;
       \frac{\rho_s(z_s \cos\theta,m_{s})}{m_s}
       } \label{eq_dgamma}
\end{equation}

The values obtained with the equations (\ref{eq_dtau}) and
(\ref{eq_dgamma}) must then be summed on all the deflector species, and
averaged on all the source species. Only the uppermost mass bin will be
considered as possible sources (i.e. $m_s \in [1.9--2.0]\, M_\odot$)
in agreement with the mass of the faintest stars that are
reconstructed in microlensing surveys, whereas all the mass bins are
of course taken into account when summing for all possible
deflectors. The global optical depth and event rate due to the entire
stellar population are therefore given by:
\begin{align}
\tau &= \sum_{i_d=1}^{i_d=i_{\rm max}} \tau(m_d(i_d),m_s(i_{\rm max})) \\
\Gamma &= \sum_{i_d=1}^{i_d=i_{\rm max}} \Gamma(m_d(i_d),m_s(i_{\rm max}))
\end{align}
The first mass bin has in practice to be treated specially,
since it is not thin. The deflector masses in this bin follow the
Salpeter law given in Eq.~(\ref{eq:Salpeter}).

These results depend on the maximum dispersion velocity of the stars
(i.e. on the dispersion velocity of the lightest population), as
illustrated in figures \ref{fig1} and \ref{fig2}.
\begin{figure}[h] \begin{center}
  \epsfig{file=8507.f1,width=7.8cm} \caption{Evolution of the optical
  depth $\tau$ with the maximum velocity dispersion of the various
  populations for the disk model, at two different distances from the
  center of the {\sc lmc}\xspace: 1~kpc and 5~kpc.}  \label{fig1}\end{center}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[h] \begin{center}
  \epsfig{file=8507.f2,width=7.8cm} \caption{Evolution of the event
  rate $\Gamma$ with the maximum velocity dispersion of the various
  populations for the disk model, at two different distances from the
  center of the {\sc lmc}\xspace: 1~kpc and 5~kpc.}  \label{fig2}\end{center}
\end{figure}
The configuration where all the stellar populations have the same
velocity dispersion (i.e. when $v_{\rm max} = 20$~km/s) yields the
same results as the calculations done by Gould (Gould 1995).  The
slower increase in the optical depth with the maximum velocity for a
radial distance of 5~kpc as compared to that observed at a distance of
1~kpc is due to the 10~kpc vertical cut-off we have imposed on the
stars to be considered as {\sc lmc}\xspace objects (see comment at the end of
section \ref{ssec:descript_dsk}), since the disk gets wider on the
edges. As expected, the optical depth and event rate decrease as one
goes to larger and larger radii from the galactic center. For $v_{\rm
max} = 80$~km/s, there is a factor of two in optical depths and three
in event rates between a distance of 1 and 5~kpc.

An interesting comparison to the microlensing data can be done through
the predicted distribution of event durations, $P(\Delta t)$ which can
be calculated directly from the event rate: $P(\Delta t) \propto
d\Gamma/d\Delta t$.  In a similar manner as what was done for the
calculation of the optical depth and the event rate, we have:
\begin{equation}
\begin{split}
    \frac{d\Gamma}{d\Delta t}(\Delta t, m_d, m_s, &z_s) =   \\
    \int_{-z_{\rm max}}^{z_s} \!\!\!  &dz_d
     \frac{\rho_d(z_d \cos\theta,m_{d})}{m_d} \times \\
    \,\int\!\!\!\int\   &dv_{d} \, dv_{s} \,
     f_{d}(v_{d},m_{d}) \,   f_{s}(v_{s},m_{s}) \times \\
    & \delta\left(\frac{R_E}{|v_s - v_d|}-\Delta t\right)
    \, 2 R_E |v_s - v_d|
\end{split}
\end{equation}
Integrating over the source positions yields:
\begin{equation}
\begin{split}
  \frac{d\Gamma}{d\Delta t}&(\Delta t,m_d,m_s) =  \\
  &\frac{\int_{-z_{\rm max}}^{z_{\rm max}} dz_s \,
    \frac{\rho_s(z_s \cos\theta,m_{s})}{m_s} \;\frac{d\Gamma}{d\Delta t}(\Delta t,m_d,m_s,z_s)
       }
       {\int_{-z_{\rm max}}^{z_{\rm max}} dz_s \; \frac{\rho_s(z_s \cos\theta,m_{s})}{m_s}
       } \label{eq_ptau}
\end{split}
\end{equation}
and therefore
\begin{equation}
\frac{d\Gamma}{d\Delta t}(\Delta t) = \sum_{i_d=1}^{i_d=i_{\rm max}}
\frac{d\Gamma}{d\Delta t}(\Delta t,m_d(i_d),m_s(i_{\rm max}))
\end{equation}
Figures \ref{fig3a} and \ref{fig3b} show the distribution of the event
duration obtained in this multi-mass disk model of the {\sc lmc}\xspace
normalized to a maximum value of 1, for two different values of the
maximum velocity dispersion and at two different distances from the
galactic center.
\begin{figure}[h] \begin{center}
  \epsfig{file=8507.f3,width=7.8cm} \caption{Predicted distribution
  of event durations for the multi-mass disk model at a distance of
  1~kpc from the center of the {\sc lmc}\xspace. Plain curve is for a maximum
  velocity dispersion of 80~km/s, dashed curve for a maximum velocity
  dispersion of 20~km/s.}  \label{fig3a}\end{center}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[h] \begin{center}
  \epsfig{file=8507.f4,width=7.8cm} \caption{Predicted distribution
  of event durations for the multi-mass disk model at a distance of
  5~kpc from the center of the {\sc lmc}\xspace. Plain curve is for a maximum
  velocity dispersion of 80~km/s, dashed curve for a maximum velocity
  dispersion of 20~km/s.}  \label{fig3b}\end{center}
\end{figure}

At 1~kpc from the center, the duration distribution is nearly
independent of the maximum velocity dispersion, because the velocity
cancels out in $R_{E}/v$ when $z \propto v^{2}$. At 5~kpc from the
center, the truncation at $z = 10\; {\rm kpc}$ prevents this
cancellation.

\subsection{Tidal effects}
We have finally modeled the tidal effects which the Milky
Way potentially induces on the optical depth $\tau_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}}$. Because
the {\sc lmc}\xspace rotates in the potential well of our Galaxy, the interplay
between the gravitational attraction and the centrifugal force
results into an effective tidal potential
\begin{equation}
\Phi_{\rm tide} (z) \simeq - \frac{3}{2} \,
\frac{G M_{\rm gal}}{D_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}}^{3}}\;\cos^{2}i \; z^{2} \;\; ,
\end{equation}
in the vicinity of the disk, for small $z$. The associated
repulsion tends to stretch the stellar populations apart
from the disk as if they were no longer pressure supported.
The Poisson equation now becomes
\begin{equation}
{\displaystyle \frac{d^{2} \Phi}{dz^{2}}} \; = \; 4 \pi G \,
\left\{ \rho(z) - \bar{\rho}_{\rm gal} \right\} \;\; ,
\end{equation}
where $\bar{\rho}_{\rm gal}$ denotes the average density of
our Galaxy as seen by the {\sc lmc}\xspace at a distance of
$D_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}}$ = 52 kpc. With a galactic mass of
$M_{\rm gal} = 6 \times 10^{11} \, M_\odot$, we get
$\bar{\rho}_{\rm gal} \simeq 10^{-3} \, M_\odot \, {\rm pc}^{-3}$.
The tidal forces make the potential well of the  {\sc lmc}\xspace  disk flatter.

In figure \ref{fig4}, the optical depth $\tau_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}}$ is plotted as a function
of the velocity dispersion $\sigma_{W}^{\rm max}$, for various radii
$R$. The trend is an increase of $\tau_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}}$ when tidal
effects are included. Near the {\sc lmc}\xspace center, the disk is thin with
a strong cohesion. Tidal effects are negligible. Far from
the {\sc lmc}\xspace center, the vertical scale length of the disk increases,
translating into an enhanced sensitivity of the stellar populations
to the Milky Way tide. The increase of the optical depth is noticeable.
Finally, for $R \geq 5$ kpc, the disk scale length $a$ compares with
the cut-off $z_{\rm max} = \pm 10$ kpc as the dispersion velocity
$\sigma_{W}^{\rm max}$ increases towards 80 km/s. In that case, low-mass
stars tend to be uniformly distributed, even in the absence of tidal
forces.

\begin{figure}[h]
 \begin{center}
  \epsfig{file=8507.f5,width=7.8cm}
  \caption{Optical depth $\tau_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}}$ as a function
of the velocity dispersion $\sigma_{W}^{\rm max}$, for various radii
$R$, with and without the inclusion of tidal effects in the model.}
  \label{fig4}
 \end{center}
\end{figure}

\section{Ellipsoidal models}
\label{sec:ellipsoid}

\subsection{Description of the model}
\label{sec_descript_ellipso}

In the previous disk model, the $z$ and $R$ dependences of the
potential were decoupled, which is not true for the exact potential of
the {\sc lmc}\xspace.  In this section, we therefore investigate another model,
more realistic as far as the co-dependence on $z$ and $R$ is
concerned.

The {\sc lmc}\xspace is described with the same mass bins as in the previous
section. The density of each population is assumed to be of the form
\begin{equation}
\rho_i(R,z) = \frac{\Lambda_i}{\displaystyle R^2 + \frac{z^2}{1-e_i^2}}
\end{equation}
so that the iso-density surfaces are oblate ellipsoids with
ellipticity $e_i$.
This distribution is truncated at the ellipsoid passing through the
cut-off radius $R_{\rm max} = 15\, \mbox{kpc}$, beyond which the mass density
is zero. Note that the cut-off ellipsoids are not the same for the
different mass species. They are illustrated in figure~\ref{fig5}.
\begin{figure}[h]
 \begin{center}
  \epsfig{file=8507.f6,width=7.8cm}
  \caption{Truncation ellipsoids, each corresponding to a different
    species.
Outer ellipsoid corresponds to the 0.1 $M_\odot$ - 1 $M_\odot$ mass bin, and
then inwards to the species from 1.1 to 2~$M_\odot$, by 0.1 $M_\odot$ increments.}
  \label{fig5}
 \end{center}
\end{figure}

The corresponding rotation curve is flat, with a circular velocity
\begin{equation}
v_{\rm rot}^2 (R) = 4 \pi G \sum_i \Lambda_i \sqrt{1-e_i^2} \times
\frac{\arcsin e_i}{e_i}
\end{equation}
The surface mass density of species $i$ is
\begin{equation}
\Sigma_i(R) = \frac{2 \Lambda_i \sqrt{1-e_i^2}}{R}
\arctan \left( \frac{\sqrt{R_{\rm max}^2-R^2}}{R} \right)
\label{surf_dens_ellipsoids}
\end{equation}
With a given set of parameters $(\Lambda_i,e_i)$, the local vertical
velocity dispersion is defined as
\begin{equation}
\sigma_{W,i}^2 = \frac{\Phi(R,z)-\Phi(R,0)}{\log \{
  \rho(R,0)/\rho(R,z) \}}
\end{equation}
We define $v_{W,i}$ as the vertical velocity dispersions
averaged along $z$, which are more closely related to observable quantities.
\begin{equation}
v_{W,i}(R) = \frac{\int_{-\infty}^{\infty} \rho_i(R,z)
  \sigma_{W,i}(R,z) dz}{\int_{-\infty}^{\infty} \rho_i(R,z) dz}
\end{equation}

We computed the parameters $\Lambda_i$ and $e_i$ that realize the
following properties:
\begin{itemize}
\item[$\bullet$] The circular velocity is 65 km/s.
\item[$\bullet$] The surface density mass function is given by a
Salpeter law (see section~2). As can be seen in
(\ref{surf_dens_ellipsoids}), this condition can be consistently
fulfilled for every radius.
\item[$\bullet$] as in section~2, the average vertical velocity
  dispersions $v_{W,i}$ vary according to the mass $m_i$ as given in
  (\ref{sigma_mass_relation}), from $v_{\rm min}$ to $v_{\rm max}$.
\end{itemize}

Unlike the disk model, there is an upper limit to the
vertical velocity dispersion we can impose.
For a one-species model, this limit would be $\sigma_W^{\rm max} =
V_c/\sqrt{2}$, numerically $46 \, \mbox{km/s}$, given the chosen
rotation velocity.
This limit is slightly different for a multi-mass model, but still present.
Accordingly, we impose velocity dispersions ranging from $v_{\rm min}=20
\, \mbox{km/s}$ for the heavy stars to $v_{\rm max}=45 \, \mbox{km/s}$
for the light stars. This is model B-1.
For comparison, we also present the results for model B-0 in
which all species have a velocity dispersion of 20 km/s.
The parameters for model B-1 are shown in table~\ref{model_B_1}.

\begin{table}[h]
\caption{Parameters obtained after convergence for model B-1,
i.e. with $v_{\rm max} = 45$~km/s.}
\label{model_B_1}
\[
\begin{array}{|c|c|c|c|} \hline \hline
m [M_\odot] & e_i& 10^{3} \times  \Lambda_i [M_\odot \mbox{pc}^{-1}] &
\mbox{v}_{W,i} \mbox{[km/s]}\\
\hline \hline
0.1-1 & 0.438 & 70.5 & 45   \\
1.1   & 0.663 & 2.08 & 39.5 \\
1.2   & 0.768 & 2.16 & 35.2 \\
1.3   & 0.830 & 2.22 & 31.8 \\
1.4   & 0.869 & 2.27 & 29.1 \\
1.5   & 0.895 & 2.29 & 26.8 \\
1.6   & 0.913 & 2.30 & 24.9 \\
1.7   & 0.927 & 2.30 & 23.4 \\
1.8   & 0.937 & 2.29 & 22.1 \\
1.9   & 0.945 & 2.26 & 20.9 \\
2     & 0.951 & 2.23 & 20 \\ \hline \hline
\end{array} \]
\end{table}

\subsection{Microlensing parameters}

In a similar way as that explained in section \ref{ssec:miclens_dsk},
it is possible to compute the optical depth and event rate for an
ellipsoidal model of the {\sc lmc}\xspace. They are shown in figures \ref{fig6}
and \ref{fig7} as a function of the distance to the center of the
{\sc lmc}\xspace.
\begin{figure}[h] \begin{center}
  \epsfig{file=8507.f7,width=7.8cm} \caption{Evolution of the optical
  depth $\tau$ with the distance to the center of the {\sc lmc}\xspace, for the
  ellipsoidal model and two values of the maximum velocity dispersion:
  20 km/s (model B-0) and 45 km/s (model B-1).}  \label{fig6}\end{center}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[h] \begin{center}
  \epsfig{file=8507.f8,width=7.8cm} \caption{Evolution of the event
  rate $\Gamma$ with the distance to the center of the {\sc lmc}\xspace, for the
  ellipsoidal model and two values of the maximum velocity dispersion:
  20 km/s (model B-0) and 45 km/s (model B-1).}  \label{fig7}\end{center}
\end{figure}
There is a strong decrease of both quantities with the radius, which
can be used to test statistically the location of the lenses detected
in microlensing experiments.  Note that the effect is even more
drastic in the ellipsoidal model than in the disk model of the {\sc lmc}\xspace:
in the latter, the increased thickness at large radius was
compensating the decrease in surface density.

The predicted distributions of event durations, normalized to a
maximum value of 1, are shown in figures \ref{fig8} and \ref{fig9} at
two different distances from the center of the {\sc lmc}\xspace.
Since there
is no cut-off in the ellipsoidal model, the duration distribution is
nearly independent of the maximum velocity dispersion at all radii.

\begin{figure}[h] \begin{center}
  \epsfig{file=8507.f9,width=7.8cm} \caption{Predicted distribution
  of event durations for the multi-mass ellipsoidal model at a
  distance of 1~kpc from the center of the {\sc lmc}\xspace. Plain curve is for
  model B-1, dashed curve for model B-0.}  \label{fig8}\end{center}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[h] \begin{center}
  \epsfig{file=8507.f10,width=7.8cm} \caption{Predicted distribution
  of event durations for the multi-mass ellipsoidal model at a
  distance of 5~kpc from the center of the {\sc lmc}\xspace. Plain curve is for
  model B-1, dashed curve for model B-0.}  \label{fig9}\end{center}
\end{figure}

\section{Discussion and conclusion}
\label{sec_conclusion}

We have presented here two models for the {\sc lmc}\xspace, both consistent with
the known properties of the Cloud (rotation velocity, surface light
density), allowing for a multi-mass stellar population, each
associated with a specific velocity dispersion. This correlation
between mass and velocity dispersion is justified by the fact
that lighter stars are on the average older and had the time to
diffuse in velocity space.

These models of the {\sc lmc}\xspace predict an optical depth in agreement with
that observed by the {\sc macho}\xspace and the {\sc eros}\xspace collaborations: at a
distance of 1~kpc from the {\sc lmc}\xspace center, the disk model yields
$\tau_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}}({\rm disk}) \sim 1\times 10^{-7}$ for a velocity dispersion of the
lightest and therefore oldest objects of 80~km/s, and the ellipsoidal
model yields $\tau_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}}({\rm ellipsoids}) \sim 1.3\times 10^{-7}$ for $v_{\rm
max} = 45$~km/s.

The optical depth which we have derived results from the interplay of
various effects.  In the case of the disk model, for instance, Gould's
estimate is only recovered in the thin disk limit.  Setting the
various stellar velocities at the same value of 80~km/s and pushing
the {\sc lmc}\xspace at infinite distance from the Milky Way, we get $\tau_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}} =
1.80 \times 10^{-7}$, in agreement with relation (\ref{GOULD}).  If
now we assume the same distribution of stellar velocities as in
Table~\ref{model_A}, {\em i.e.}\xspace with velocities ranging from 20 to 80~km/s,
the optical depth becomes $1.14 \times 10^{-7}$.  Because the sources
have small velocity dispersions, they are fairly concentrated towards
the disk, hence a decrease of $\tau_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}}$ by a factor of $\sim \log 2$.
The proeminent effect is actually the presence of the cut-off $z_{\rm
max}= \pm 10\;{\rm kpc}$ which we have enforced.  At 3~kpc from the
center, the optical depth decreases from $1.14 \times 10^{-7}$ to
$7.57 \times 10^{-8}$.  At small radii, the surface mass density is
large and the disk thickness $a$ is small as compared to $z_{\rm
max}$.  There, the decrease of $\tau_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}}$ is less sensitive than
towards the outer fringes of the {\sc lmc}\xspace disk, where the cutoff
suppression is quite noticeable.  Taking furthermore into account the
finite distance of 52~kpc to the {\sc lmc}\xspace implies a minor decrease of the
optical depth which becomes now $\tau_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}}(3\;{\rm kpc}) = 6.63 \times
10^{-8}$.  Finally, tidal forces tend to stretch the disk, hence a
final value of $\tau_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}}(3\;{\rm kpc}) = 7.15 \times 10^{-8}$.

If the rotation velocity of the {\sc lmc}\xspace $V_{C}$ is set equal to 80~km/s
instead of 65, the main impact on our disk model is an increased
surface mass density. As the disk becomes thinner, the suppression
of the optical depth resulting from the above mentioned cut-off is
less sensitive, hence an increased optical depth at large radii. At
3~kpc, the optical depth becomes $9.08 \times 10^{-8}$.

In order to model various M/L ratios, we have simply modified the
relative contribution of our first stellar bin.  That population
corresponds to faint stars.  Still with $V_{C}=80\;{\rm km/s}$ and at
$R =$ 3~kpc, an increase of the M/L ratio by a factor of 2 and 5 respectively
leads to 9.43 and $9.67 \times 10^{-8}$. The optical depth is thus not
sensitive to the precise value of the M/L ratio, insofar as the disk
dynamics is dominated by the faint and low-mass species.

Ellipsoids have a lenticular shape.  As the radius $R$ increases,
their surface mass density drops, and the system becomes thinner
towards the edges.  Increasing the {\sc lmc}\xspace rotation velocity without
changing the velocity dispersion of the various stellar species does
not change much the optical depth.  Two opposite effects
are actually at stake: the first is that the mass densities are larger,
the second that the stellar populations are flattened towards the
disk.  If now the dispersion velocities $\sigma_{W}$ are scaled to the
rotation velocity, in order to maintain the shape of the ellipsoids
--- which depends to first order on the ratio $\sigma_{W}/V_{C}$ ---
increasing the rotation speed from 65 to 80~km/s results into a
significantly larger optical depth.  If we set $\sigma_{W}^{\rm
max}=55\;{\rm km/s}$ and $V_{C}$ = 80~km/s, the optical depth at 1 and
3~kpc becomes respectively 2.19 and $1.26 \times 10^{-7}$.  That set
of values actually correspond to an {\sc lmc}\xspace mass at 5~kpc of $7 \times
10^{9} M_\odot$ (Hughes et al.  1991) that increases up to $1.4 \times
10^{10} M_\odot$ at 10~kpc (Schommer et al.  1992).

Reexamining the status of event MACHO-LMC-9 appears worthwhile. As
pointed out in (Bennett, 1996), its measured projected relative
velocity was too low both for a Galactic halo event and for
self-lensing with a standard {\sc lmc}\xspace disk model.  Figure \ref{fig10}
shows the distribution of the expected projected relative velocity for
the 80 km/s disk and the 45 km/s ellipsoidal models, along with the
measured velocity, for two values of the horizontal velocity
dispersion, null or equal to the vertical one -- the reality being
probably inbetween. The measured value is compatible with an
ellipsoidal model, but only compatible with a disk model if the
horizontal velocity dispersion is not too high.

\begin{figure}[h]
  \begin{center} \epsfig{file=8507.f11,width=7.8cm}
   \caption{Predicted distribution of relative velocity between source
   and lens, for the ellipsoidal and the disk models, along with the
   measured value for MACHO-LMC-9 (Bennett et al. 1996). Thin curves:
   null horizontal velocity dispersion; thick curves: horizontal
   velocity dispersion equal to the vertical one.} \label{fig10}
   \end{center}
\end{figure}

Reconsidering the shape of the {\sc lmc}\xspace and the velocity distributions of
its stellar components thus appears to be quite valuable. Two
observational projects could yield interesting results in regards to
this new perspective, and would help to check the validity of the
assumptions made here. Both would be of great consequence for
microlensing experiments.

The first of these is the measure of dispersion velocities for
RR-Lyrae in the {\sc lmc}\xspace.  They indeed form a well-defined sample of very
old stars (more than 10 Gyr old).  If our model is correct, they
should be found to have a higher velocity dispersion than previously
measured stars.

The second project is actually a pure extension to the present
microlensing experiments. As evidenced in this paper, self-lensing in
the {\sc lmc}\xspace can be tested quite accurately with the spatial evolution of
the microlensing parameters such as optical depth and event
rate. Searching for microlensing events on as large an area as
possible over the {\sc lmc}\xspace would be a very powerful tool to discriminate
between halo and {\sc lmc}\xspace deflectors, because of the strong decrease of
$\tau_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}}$ and $\Gamma_{\mathrm{\mathsc{lmc}}}$ with the distance to
the center of the {\sc lmc}\xspace in the case of self-lensing. In addition to the
implications such observations would have on the galactic dark matter
issue, they would be of great use for a better understanding of the
structure of the {\sc lmc}\xspace, the nearest galaxy to the Milky Way.
Furthermore, as shown in (Gould 1998), monitoring as large an area
as possible on the {\sc lmc}\xspace, using the same exposure time on inner and
outer fields, optimizes the total number of expected events, even for
Galactic halo lensing. Such a strategy would be even more productive
if associated with a real-time trigger and a high precision follow-up strategy,
yielding high quality microlensing light-curves on which testing for parallax
effect would provide information on the location of the lenses.

\begin{acknowledgements}
We wish to thank D. Bennett, M.O. Menessier and N. Mowlavi for useful
discussions, and the members of the EROS collaboration for their comments.
\end{acknowledgements}

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