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The Hobbit in General
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #105
Yeah. Salmon is right, and I think this makes a good point: not every movie is the same type of work. It is hard to argue that manipulation of emotions and expectations is bad in a horror movie when that's the whole point of the genre. (Jaws is close enough to horror, really.) Movies are not created equal.

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Geneforge 5 - May Update in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #50
If the other creations are nerfed, then shaping as a whole becomes too weak for a game focused on it. With nerfed Magic & Fire creations, there would be no reason to play as any character other than a Servile, or an Infiltrator/Agent.

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
The Hobbit in General
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #101
Clavicle: Lord of the Rings was not written as an allegory for WW2. The passage Kelandon quoted is in fact, IIRC, Tolkien's frustrated rebuttal of just that assumption.

quote:
Originally written by Kelandon:

Tolkien himself wrote that he wanted it to serve the purposes that mythology served in the past... I imagine that glamorizing and emotionalizing all of the movie scenes made the movies rather more glorious in overall effect, which makes them resemble old-fashioned mythology more.
Old-fashioned mythology served many purposes, and most of them are not served by glorious Hollywood movies. I would argue the two most significant were (1) helping to stitch together a meaningful understanding of life, and (2) serving as a sort of cultural backbone. It was the second that Tolkien was clearly most interested in, particularly for the UK, and it was the first that he wrote about in his essays.

However, Tolkien told us explicitly what he thought of gloriously effected fairy-stories:

"Drama is naturally hostile to Fantasy. Fantasy, even of the simplest kind, hardly ever succeeds in Drama, when that is presented as it should be, visibly and audibly acted. Fantastic forms are not to be counterfeited. Men dressed up as talking animals may achieve buffoonery or mimicry, but they do not achieve Fantasy." (From "On Fairy-Stories"; my italics)

There is a big difference between "men dressed up as talking animals" and the presentation of the Ents or Orcs in PJ's LOTR. But it isn't the imperfection of costuming that Tolkien is maligning here; it's "counterfeited" forms. What does it mean to be counterfeited?

The answer elsewhere in Tolkien's essays, and also, I believe, the answer to SoT's waystation point, is that it depends on the presence of imagination. Stories told in words allow a lot of room for the audience to imagine things. They allow for a silent but dynamic exchange, a dialectic if you will, between what is said in the story, and what is thought in the mind of the audience. It is an enriching process for the audience. The best stories, and typically the most popular, are the ones that resonate most richly with their audience, and which allow for the richest and most intricate relationships between the story and the imagination.

Stories "visibly and audibly acted" allow less room for imagination. It's not that they limit imagination, which is boundless, but that they occupy more space themselves, so there is less room left in the mind of the audience for imagining.

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Saving Problem in Tech Support
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #1
Unless your hard disk is full or you have weird user permissions set up, it sounds like you might have file corruption. You might want to try the steps listed in the Tech Support forum header, especially step #2 (re-download and re-install).

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Geneforge 5 - May Update in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #42
Battle Creations: Plain old offensive damage is really what needs to be upgraded. Defense and HP are good, but not enough; just look at the degree to which the Wingbolt is preferred over the Kyshakk. Now picture a Kyshakk with no breath weapon, but even higher HP. Nobody would use it!

The lack of ranged attacks are a HUGE inherent disadvantage the Battle Creation line has. Ranged attacks provide flexibility, as you will never be unable to get at the enemy you want to hit, and you can always get two attacks in when hasted; plus you get access to different elements to attack with. The fact that they also -- all of them! -- do more damage is kind of ridiculous. (And, I suspect, it is an artifact of the fact that creation battle skills were not updated when all melee damage changed from 1-8 per level to 1-4 per level between G2 and G3.)

Being more survivable is a very poor substitute for a ranged attack. Quick Action is better, but it's inconsistent, which only compounds the disadvantages caused by reliance on a melee attack. Battle creations need to be better at battle -- not worse.

[ Sunday, May 11, 2008 14:28: Message edited by: Slarty ]

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
The Hobbit in General
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #73
The Star Wars soundtrack is -- obviously, I think -- a soundtrack that is well fitted to the film and enhances it. Clavicle, maybe it would help if you could give a few examples of cloying (good word) and manipulative soundtracks? I think we have all heard some...

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Deathmatch Tournament - Round Three in General
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #26
That one extra letter so that you can't tell if it was a mispelling or a limp exaggeration? :-D
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Geneforge 5 - May Update in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #31
Jeff -- more health is fine, but the Battle Creations really need better attacks. Right now, their melee attacks are CONSISTENTLY weaker than breath attacks from corresponding Magic & Fire Creations, even though breath attacks have a host of advantages over melee attacks! What's even worse, their melee attacks are usually weaker than Magic & Fire melee attacks, and are never significantly stronger.

For example: a Glaahk and a Drayk will BOTH do more MELEE damage than a Battle Alpha! And yes, this does take into account the Battle Alpha Strength bonus. Given that the Glaahk slows and the Drayk also has a missile attack, Alphas are useless. Similarly, Vlish outdamage Clawbugs IN MELEE (and both poison). The Vlish also have a missile attack; Clawbugs are useless. On average, Gazers outdamage Rotghroths IN MELEE... do I need to go on?

And War Tralls... hah! Battle Alphas outdamage War Tralls in melee!

You probably don't want to see the math, but it's all available here if you do:
Board post here

[ Friday, May 09, 2008 10:20: Message edited by: Slarty ]

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Deathmatch Tournament - Round Three in General
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #24
Well, Thralni, I agree that there have been a lot of ridiculous statements made, particularly concerning members who have been less active this year and who, therefore, are less well known to newer members. However, YOU don't get to dictate your own abilities or course of action, either. Just because you think you have mad evasion skills doesn't mean other people see it that way. Dintiradan autohitting with the Deth Ray is ridiculous, but so is claiming that a flying nephil can't be hit in the first place.

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Windowed Mode in Tech Support
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #2
Geneforge 5 will however have a windowed mode as well as variable display resolutions, according to the latest update.

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Geneforge 5 - May Update in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #27
And in pure statistics, War Tralls are horrendous. That problem really lies in the fact that the entire Battle Shaping line has been CATEGORICALLY worse than Fire and Magic Shaping from G3 onward. This is not good. The War Trall is a good place to start, but the others need attention too.

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
what should I focus on more, magic or melee in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #9
Yeah, Evasion is a very solid strategy on Normal in all of Jeff's games. Unfortunately (fortunately?) it's pretty useless on Torment and even on Hard.

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Deathmatch Tournament - Round Three in General
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #19
P.S. If you have already posted and want to go back and edit it to make it better (or, just so that your obliviousness to the basic tenets of deathmatch evaluation, like "don't narrate a random course of events, evaluate probability," is less obvious), feel free. We'll reread before we decide.

And yes, I suppose this kind of post does make me the Simon Cowell of Deathmatch.

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
What will scare the heck out of McCain in General
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #73
Most politicians do change their minds. That said, McCain has show an unusual number of complete about faces. Personally, I get the impression that he's a pragmatic free thinker who is willing to "fake it till he makes it," recognizing that the potential he would have as POTUS (or whatever) would do more towards advancing his ideals, than steadfastly insisting on them presently. I dunno that I agree with him, but I do think if he ends up as POTUS, he may turn out to be another Sandra Day O'Connor.

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Geneforge 5 - Possible Sects in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #10
I have an idle suspicion that the Awakened might show up again, in some form. Jeff has indicated that he wants the option of satisfying, happy endings. In earlier games, the Awakened provided this option for many people; they were probably the most popular sect in G1. Khyryk, similarly, was very popular in G3, at which point he had not yet adopted a Trakovite viewpoint.

I'm not actually sure that I expect the Shapers to split. Although there were some internal ideological differences in G4, there was nothing to the degree of the drakon-human tension among the rebels. Additionally, it seems unlikely that the Shapers would not put aside their differences in the face of Unbound-style aggression. If anything, I would expect the really purist Shapers to join the Trakovites. (And surely, after the destruction of G4's ending, the Trakovites will have greater numbers, even if they are still small and weak overall.)

A rebel split seems more likely -- particularly because such a split facilitates creating a situation where FIVE different sects all have a chance of coming out on top. The fewer huge powerful sects there are, the more plausible this seems.

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Geneforge 5 - May Update in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #17
What's the point of pack animals? They were originally suggested to deal with encumbrance, but G4 stopped counting items in your pack against you. No point in pack animals anymore.

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
What will scare the heck out of McCain in General
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #33
I heartily enjoy it when you do, Thuryl.

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Deathmatch Tournament - Round Three in General
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #7
Shadow Vale admin vs. Spiderweb UBB admin. FIGHT!

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Geneforge 5 - Possible Sects in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #0
Jeff has said that there will be five game-winning sects in Geneforge 5. What do you think they will be? Cast your votes and discuss in the thread.

This is a pre-emptive poll for the sake of legibility. :cool:

Poll Information
This poll contains 1 question(s). 23 user(s) have voted.
You may not view the results of this poll without voting.

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Geneforge 5 - May Update in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #1
SWEET. What a great update. Categorically.

Windowed mode, and customizable keyboard shortcuts -- very nice!
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Deathmatch Tournament -- Round Two, Part Two in General
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #95
I did that yesterday. Check your PMs.

(Oh, slower than Slarty... burn :)

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Slarty vs. DeskDesk vs. SlartyTimeline of ErmarianG4 Strategy Central
"Slartucker is going to have a cow when he hears about this," Synergy said.
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00

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