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Quick question.............. in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Tuesday, March 20 2007 18:38 Profile Homepage #22
I think anatomically correct stick figures in position definitely count as borderline nudity.

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Legends of Divinity OOC in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Tuesday, March 20 2007 07:58 Profile Homepage #15
Multi-portfolio deities exist, true, but it's fairly rare for them to have multiple top-tier portfolio items. Death in particular is a pretty huge portfolio item. I can't think of a single example of a deathly deity who was in charge of two other big things. Hades had wealth, but that's not big. Nergal had the noonday sun. Xochipilli had flowers. Osiris is the closest I can come up with, with death and fertility... pretty close to death and life. Izanami's death and the earth.

Love is also pretty huge. I suppose Inanna had both love and war.

I don't really know why I'm posting in this topic, but that's kind of ridiculous for a plupolytheistic RP.

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Question about demonslayer. in Avernum 4
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Tuesday, March 20 2007 06:52 Profile Homepage #16
Just to clarify, you certainly never need more than 16 Tool Use. And you don't *really* need that either -- there are very few traps you can't just survive your way through.

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Quick Avernum 5 Update, March '07 in Avernum 4
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Tuesday, March 20 2007 04:59 Profile Homepage #31
This all sounds great, but I'm particularly excited to hear:

quote:
Originally written by Spidweb:

ii. There is now a system of battle disciplines. People with high combat skills will be able to use special abilities. Some of them are cool enough that some mages will be tempted to train in pole weapons.
This is exactly what the character engine needed after A4. A4 was reasonably well balanced, but character progression was not terribly interesting. I'm not sure what exactly "battle disciplines" means -- whether it refers to the special abilities themselves, or -- be still my beating heart -- an open-ended, divergent specialization system like the one used in SAngband.

Hopefully this also means the character skills will be more differentiated. We don't need multiple sets of skills that do almost exactly the same thing (Spellcraft/Magery, and so on) and we don't need skills that are almost impossible to train in *and* are less useful than other skills (Anatomy, Lethal Blow, Riposte, and don't even talk to me about Magical Efficiency and Blademaster).

I do note that nothing has been written about more variety among the spells. That makes me sad, but you can't have everything.

Edit: Oh yeah. Solberg having a bigger role is interesting. He's already the only major character to appear in every game. Hopefully, he will also have something interesting to say -- he hasn't really done that since 1996.

[ Tuesday, March 20, 2007 05:03: Message edited by: 227 Chitrachballons ]

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Where You At Now? in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Tuesday, March 20 2007 03:11 Profile Homepage #47
quote:
Originally written by Synergy:

Hmmm....umm, Jewels—have a look at my post count and my starting date. Now note the same for any of our vocal noobs, perhaps making some mathematical extrapolations.
I'm not sure that even expiates you, Synergy, if you account for the rather long period of time during which you were absent from the boards. In your heyday you were usually in the top 10 posters list, no? Anyway, I had the same reaction Jewels did... it was a humorous comment coming from you.

quote:
Originally written by Protocols of the Elders of Zion:

I graduated with a 2.4. UNLV technically shouldn't have accepted me.

But I got a perfect verbal score and a fairly high math score on my SAT, so I got in automatically.
I don't actually remember what my high school GPA was anymore, but it wasn't good. My situation was almost identical to Alec's, right down to the SAT scores. I got into a top-rated school off of recs, scores, and good writing alone. I remember hearing a few bitter comments from pencil pusher classmates.

quote:
Originally written by Zeviz:

It seems average age here is increasing. I wonder if this reflects a change in the age of Jeff's audience, or simply hostility towards younger members.
Hostility towards newer members + the aging of the original populace. I'm always somewhat surprised when I realize how young many of the oldbies were back in 2001. Pre- and neoadolescents! I can only imagine how our septuagenarian eskimo felt then...

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Time Magazine: Shaper of the Year in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Sunday, March 18 2007 16:49 Profile Homepage #16
I still can't get over how much "Barzahl" sounds like "Garzahd".

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Are Drakons superior beings? in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Sunday, March 18 2007 13:03 Profile Homepage #112
The Barzites didn't stop making them. One of them says "we haven't made many YET."

[ Sunday, March 18, 2007 13:19: Message edited by: 227 Chitrachballons ]

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Are Drakons superior beings? in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Sunday, March 18 2007 12:11 Profile Homepage #109
Where are you getting that from, Nalyd?

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Problem with Rat Hunt in Avernum 4
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Sunday, March 18 2007 12:10 Profile Homepage #1
No worries - if you leave an area and then come back and revisit the sheds where you found rats, there is a chance they will reappear. Most people don't get enough rat kills from a single trip through the sheds anyway.

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Spiderweb Game of the Year and... in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Sunday, March 18 2007 11:46 Profile Homepage #1
Avernum 4 and Geneforge 4 didn't come out in the same year, unless you are talking about the PC version of the former and the Mac version of the latter. Regardless. And it's "Subterra".

But most egregiously, you've left off Blades entirely. Thank goodness you are taking a rest from making these.

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Are Drakons superior beings? in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Sunday, March 18 2007 08:30 Profile Homepage #105
Yes, but there are multiple sources who state that the Barzites simply didn't know how to make them. Clearly, that has changed by the time the PC is running around. But we still only meet Taker-made Gazers. At best you can suggest that the Takers and Barzites made them more or less at the same time, but it seems like a stretch to argue that the Barzites made them first.

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
National anthem for the rebels in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Sunday, March 18 2007 08:20 Profile Homepage #6
Compare to La Marseillaise.

Edit: Well, best compare SoT's version. I was wondering about "minette", though.

[ Sunday, March 18, 2007 08:21: Message edited by: 227 Chitrachballons ]

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Are Drakons superior beings? in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Sunday, March 18 2007 08:10 Profile Homepage #103
What in the world would suggest that, Invisible Retlaw?

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
National anthem for the rebels in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Sunday, March 18 2007 06:58 Profile Homepage #3
See, this is why I hold SoT in such high esteem. Bravo.

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Are Drakons superior beings? in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Sunday, March 18 2007 06:56 Profile Homepage #101
Oooh. Good point about that instructor ET!

It still seems likely to me that the Takers were the first ones to successfully make Gazers -- given that nobody claims the converse, and we meet plenty of Taker-made eyes but none crafted by Barzahl. But clearly, that knowledge spread or was duplicated.

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Controvers-A-Poll in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Sunday, March 18 2007 05:10 Profile Homepage #14
Whoa. Alec just made a reasonable post. Maybe they really have swapped brains.

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Time Magazine: Shaper of the Year in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Sunday, March 18 2007 05:05 Profile Homepage #12
quote:
Originally written by Waylander:

Mica,

I know that Tulduric discovered how to alter serviles. But I also thought that the Drakons made a similiar discovery independent of Tulduric and the Awakened (eg. Eass has the ability to Shape you without any required machinery).

Or was that only after you stole the Awakaned Research for the Takers? I'm not sure.
This point is unclear. However, everyone in the valley beyond Freegate -- the Takers, Barzites and Awakened -- originally worked together. It was only when Barzahl became megalomanaical that the Takers and Awakened left. We know that the designs for Drakons/Gazers/Rots all came from that collaborative period, with Barzahl's mind behind them. The simplest explanation for Tuldaric's augmentation would seem to be the parallel one.

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Wingbolts are over-rated in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Sunday, March 18 2007 04:58 Profile Homepage #7
Actually, it's proportional to half the square, since Endurance (and other stats) only go up 1 point every other level for creations.

Really, the only reason Wingbolts could ever be called fragile is the comparison with Kyshakks, who cost the same essence and have a lot more bonus HP, and an attack that's nearly as good (yes, it's still worse even factoring in the electrocution). However, Wingbolts *do* get better resistances. In a duel, a Wingbolt will beat a Kyshakk every time.

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Are Drakons superior beings? in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Saturday, March 17 2007 20:12 Profile Homepage #91
G2:

THOT-THA THE GAZER:
"My design was first created by Barzahl. I was perfected and created in the mountains of the Takers, and my eye's path led me back to here."
"Barzahl's eyes saw the spark, the idea. But it was the Takers who created me. They are mighty."
"The Takers have ones who can shape, and marvelously. But the one who made me was not a Shaper."
Thot-Tha flinches back. You can issue powerful commands too. Finally, it says, "I can not say the name. But I can tell you I was made by a drakon of the Takers."
("No gazers will be made here?")
"Not yet. Only the mighty Takers can make Gazers."

FENEN IN RADIANT COLLEGE:
("How have you improved vlish?")
"That was Barzahl's work. He developed the gazer and the eyebeast from the basic vlish template. We haven't made many yet. But soon."
("I let out the rotghroth. It attacked me.")
He sighs. "Of course. Control issues. As always. The Takers are so much ahead of us with that creation."

MELANCON EYE:
("Why do you hate Syros so much?")
"He made me."

LEARNED THANI:
"Before the war, Takers and Barzites worked together. They made new creations. Strong creations. They were concerned only for pure power, forgetting about wisdom, about control."
"Through this process, strong creations were made. The drakon. The gazer. The rotghroth."

ROGUE GAZER:
("Who created you?")
"The fool drakons. I was shaped under the claws of Akkat. I was sent here to be their guard. Their lackey. Their control was too weak when I got far away."

TESSERA EYE:
"We gazers are very new. Only a few of us exist. The drakons are the only ones who can make us now, and they have not fully explored our power."

AKKAT'S LAB NOTES:
"The book describes all of the failed experiments with drakons, gazers, and rotghroths. Thus, it is a very long book. Making creations of such power is a very unpredictable and dangerous process."

ZEZKAI EYE:
"I am an eyebeast. Rhakkus has created me."

Also, the chain of creators is as follows:
Barzahl / Rhakkus -> Sith -> Easss -> Ghaldring -> etc.
Barzahl didn't create Rhakkus, but he transformed him from a drayk into a drakon.

I have searched around a bit, and I can't find anything saying Barzahl or any Barzites came up with the plan for rotghroths. They might well have, or it might have been a collaboration between the Barzites and Takers.

Edit: It's also worth pointing out that two of the Taker researchers/leaders -- Rhakkus and Akkat -- had been working with Barzahl from the time they met on Sucia onwards. So it is tough to tease apart the contributions of one or the other faction. Barzahl was certainly ambitious and inventive, and the Takers seem to have had greater ability to actually Shape stuff, for some reason. But beyond that, it's hard to say.

[ Saturday, March 17, 2007 20:16: Message edited by: 227 Chitrachballons ]

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Time Magazine: Shaper of the Year in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Saturday, March 17 2007 16:07 Profile Homepage #1
Tuldaric's should read "Magical Capacity for Serviles and Humans." Or didn't you augment yourself in G2, ET? (Edit: And it's spelled Tuldaric.)

I'm a little confused at your continued use of the term "self-shaping". Isn't the distinction really between

(1) creating new life forms (traditional shaping)
(2) modifying existing creations
(3) modifying humans

Also, did Litalia actually invent the Warped Creators?

[ Saturday, March 17, 2007 16:08: Message edited by: 227 Chitrachballons ]

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Who's the Hottest? Male Edition in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Saturday, March 17 2007 14:40 Profile Homepage #31
Well, Easss modified himself so he could shape, and then made numerous augmentations to the Drakon design. Less colorful than Barzahl's achievements, but also actual new ground. It's not like the Shapers had never created new types of creations before. Barzahl did the same old things, just with (a lot) more power and (a lot) fewer rules.

As for Ghaldring, he reconstructed the Geneforge and came up with the Unbound. That's got to count for something.

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Controvers-A-Poll in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Saturday, March 17 2007 14:34 Profile Homepage #5
Lebanese?!?

Nalyd, I know you're young, but haven't you encountered typical racial categories on standardized tests? Or the internet? Or somewhere? Seriously, where do you live that "Lebanese" and "Chinese" would be called races?

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Polls? in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Saturday, March 17 2007 14:02 Profile Homepage #11
What were they? Heh.

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
The U.S. and Iraq in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Saturday, March 17 2007 14:00 Profile Homepage #8
That's "daçade", not dacade.

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Who's the Hottest? Male Edition in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Saturday, March 17 2007 09:43 Profile Homepage #29
Many of the advancements, sure, but I dunno about most. Easss and Ghaldring deserve some credit, and Tuldaric.

We also don't know that Danette wasn't responsible for other advances prior to the Geneforge. Sucia Island operated as a research facility for many years. Regardless, what did Barzahl do besides come up with three new creations (admittedly, astonishingly effective ones)?

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00

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