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House Unshaperlike Activities Committee in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Monday, December 18 2006 09:24 Profile Homepage #68
Ellhrah's dead. :P

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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
Elegance is a function. in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Monday, December 18 2006 08:18 Profile Homepage #2
Well, yeah. The whole point of a lot of semantic analysis is that anything can be a function, provided you have enough brackets and commas to define it with absurd rigor.

It would be less platitudinal if you said something about what it is a function of.

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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
House Unshaperlike Activities Committee in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Monday, December 18 2006 06:24 Profile Homepage #66
It's worth pointing out that, despite the absolute hostility of both Shapers and Rebels toward Trakovites, leaders of both sides regretfully acknowledge and sometimes even express Trakovite views over the course of the game.

Greta: "It can be victory over the Shapers. At a horrible, horrible cost." ... She is silent, the grim debate raging inside her.
Greta: "Are you mad? Of course it bothers me! My sleep is nothing but a constant cesspit of nightmares imagining it."

"Then why allow it to exist at all?"
Crowley: General Crowley is silent. You aren't sure whether he thinks your question is too foolish to notice or he truly doesn't have a good answer.

Litalia: "Our bodies were not meant to be changed so. Not meant to be filled with so much power, without wisdom."
Litalia: "The Trakovites may be right. They may be wise, and virtuous, and ahead of their time. But history teaches us that those blessed with that sort of madness tend to end up dead. Proven right, but dead."

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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
Rising in Richard White Games
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Sunday, December 17 2006 20:42 Profile Homepage #2
Rising was destroyed.

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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
Creation choice in Geneforge Series
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Sunday, December 17 2006 07:24 Profile Homepage #1
Depends on the game.

In G1, the cryodrayk is a lot better since it will have earned more levels from being shaped than XP, and those are better in G1.

In G2 and G3, the cryoa is probably better, as it will be significantly cheaper and only a little bit worse. You could pump its stats and get something similar or possibly better.

In G4, it is the same paradigm as G2/3, except that you are unlikely to get a cryoa to level 35 so easily, so it may lean towards the cryodrayk instead. Note that in G4 both creations are less useful, since ice breath no longer has a 70% chance of stunning.

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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
Uber-Long Census in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Saturday, December 16 2006 21:35 Profile Homepage #1
quote:
Originally written by Tyranimorian:

Your most-missed memory: Nightly Spiderweb chats
Please tell me that this is some kind of cruel joke, Tyra.

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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
Essence Orbs Q in Geneforge Series
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Saturday, December 16 2006 19:44 Profile Homepage #8
In G3 (and G4), Essence Orbs has a base damage of 1-20 and does 1-5 damage per level of spell strength.

I don't know how blessing affects damage output (I think it just adds some levels) but the setup you described (spell strength of 32) would do an average of 106 damage unblessed, in the range of 33-180. Because there are 33 rolls involved, the lowest and highest parts of that range will occur extremely rarely.

That's against an enemy with no magic resistance.

I suspect that whoever was talking about 300-400 damage output -- and it was probably Delicious Vlish -- was talking about damage per turn when hasted.

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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
Melee Guardian, with 100% Completion in Geneforge Series
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Saturday, December 16 2006 19:40 Profile Homepage #1
Melee is at times extremely difficult to do without assistance from Daze, or creations.

Parry is worthwhile, as it reduces damage greatly.

The regeneration enhancement, on a weapon, will be your best friend, draining large numbers of HP per attack.

However, if you are making creations that's all out the window. Vlish are so disgustingly overpowered in G3 (if you pump magic shaping, make em early and let em gain levels) that the game becomes a cake walk even on Torment. Artila are also good. And they are cheap enough for Guardian use. Even one or two Vlish companions will be a big help, as you get lots of stunning and slowing action each turn.

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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
I Have A Beef With You All in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Saturday, December 16 2006 13:41 Profile Homepage #68
Well, sure, I'd like people to be considerate online (and in real life too, for that matter) but the bottom line is most people won't be.

I do think there's a double standard here -- well, not so much a double standard as a sliding one. People are allowed more slack if they make contributions to Spidweb. That makes sense, except sometimes the contributions and, um, deficits, are in very different areas.

(I have somehow ended up as TM's friend, and talk to him on a regular basis, but frankly he should have been permabanned years before he was.)

What I think we need are not more bannings or editings, but more warnings. "Slarty: If you continue with the invective and personal attacks in this thread, you will be banned." Warnings with follow-through, I should say.

(Of course, I also set and enforce limits on people who don't want them set for a living, so go figure.)

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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
House Unshaperlike Activities Committee in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Saturday, December 16 2006 11:02 Profile Homepage #48
Can you be a skilled shaper without knowing anything about magic?

I don't think we've seen any examples of this in the game.

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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
House Unshaperlike Activities Committee in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Saturday, December 16 2006 05:50 Profile Homepage #45
*facetentacle*

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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
I Have A Beef With You All in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Saturday, December 16 2006 05:49 Profile Homepage #58
With all due respect, there is a difference between being an arrogant jerk who throws insults, and demanding in a candid and straightword way that you have intellectually rigorous standards in a debate.

There was at least one debate participant who lost track of the difference and veered into insults, but the so-called "pile-on" on Synergy was really just a pile-on on poorly explained arguments.

Complaining about member behavior here is kind of ridiculous. This is the Internet! There is no personal accountability, so people are jerks. Spidweb really has a much friendlier and more welcoming community in almost every respect than I would ever expect to find most places on the net, let alone in a gaming forum.

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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
House Unshaperlike Activities Committee in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Friday, December 15 2006 21:14 Profile Homepage #40
It's very simple. Healing is not shaping.

Presumably, proficiency in healing craft and shaping involves similar skills, which is why they are in the same category. But healing craft spells are spells, plain and simple; they behave exactly like every other spell, from casting to spellcraft strengthening and so on.

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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
House Unshaperlike Activities Committee in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Friday, December 15 2006 16:35 Profile Homepage #34
Magic spells != magic

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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
I Have A Beef With You All in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Friday, December 15 2006 15:45 Profile Homepage #42
Mmm.

Perhaps after this we'll replace the Game Rating threads and Scenario Rating threads with User Rating threads.

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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 Games Engine Preferences Poll in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Friday, December 15 2006 14:38 Profile Homepage #15
Not quite. IIRC, Exile 1 and 2 didn't have any slings. (I do remember 2 having a Returning Arrow that never ran out, but it was worse than a standard nonmagical arrow.)

Anyway, the slings were never common, and in general were significantly weaker than melee weapons and magic, so it's essentially the same paradigm.

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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 Games Engine Preferences Poll in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Friday, December 15 2006 12:33 Profile Homepage #12
quote:
Originally written by Emperor Tullegolar:

I still don't understand the missile attacks question. Firebolt and breath attacks still use up spell points, and they don't recharge in combat so it is possible to run out of them. That only really happens in the begining of the game, but still. I wouldn't have grouped it with Avernum 4 and the neverending supplies of arrows.
Spell points *do* recharge in combat. (I haven't paid attention to this in G4 but I assume it hasn't changed.) If I remember correctly, you get a recharge of something like half your level plus 2 every turn, which means that a level 4 PC can cast Firebolt every turn and not lose SP. I'm not sure I ever tested the recharge with creations, but even an out of combat recharge means for anything not a long drawn out battle, your will have all the shots you need. The contrast is with Exile and its ilk where you need to pack lots of arrows or energy potions if you want to attack from afar in every minor battle you face. This may not be a big difference in strategy, but it affects the gameplay experience greatly.

And, AUGH! I can't believe I forgot elevation.

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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 Games Engine Preferences Poll in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Friday, December 15 2006 10:41 Profile Homepage #6
E3 introduced junk items, but there wasn't really a flood of them until Nethergate.

ET, please read the entire sentence before objecting. The area of effect spell question deliberately said PRIMARILY. The ammo question, which perhaps I could have worded better, nonetheless did not say missile weapons, it said missile attacks. The comparison I'm making is between Geneforge/A4, where infinite use ranged attacks are both good and plentiful (creation breath attacks and Firebolt), and all the other games, where few to zero missile attacks are infinite use, and almost all missile attacks suck compared to melee.

I voted for white dots. Hee. They were actually one of the features of Exile that endeared it to me in the first place. I don't have a problem translating it to "you see something over there... is that a ____? Let's go investigate," and I definitely prefer that to having to cover every square inch of every map to find all the encounters.

Ooh, secret doors! That was a big omission.

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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 Games Engine Preferences Poll in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Friday, December 15 2006 09:26 Profile Homepage #2
Ack, you're right.

I have a feeling one or two other errors crept in as well, and I probably left out a few salient engine differences. Eh, publish or perish.

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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 Games Engine Preferences Poll in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Friday, December 15 2006 09:20 Profile Homepage #0
There have been plenty of Exile vs. Avernum polls, but I've never seen one that actual breaks down engine differences detail by detail to see what people prefer. That's the idea with this one.

I've put what games use which option in parentheses. Unless otherwise specified, "E" covers the whole Exile series, "A" covers Avernum 1-3 and BoA, and "G" covers Geneforge 1-3. "A4" and "G4" (and "N" for Nethergate) will always be mentioned individually since their engines are all fairly different.

Poll Information
This poll contains 23 question(s). 44 user(s) have voted.
You may not view the results of this poll without voting.

function launch_voter () { launch_window("http://www.ironycentral.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=poll;d=vote;pollid=mGoAfiOeoOWn"); return true; } // end launch_voter function launch_viewer () { launch_window("http://www.ironycentral.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=poll;d=view;pollid=mGoAfiOeoOWn"); return true; } // end launch_viewer function launch_window (url) { preview = window.open( url, "preview", "width=550,height=300,toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,status,menubar=no,scrollbars,resizable,copyhistory=no" ); window.preview.focus(); return preview; } // end launch_window IMAGE(votenow.gif)     IMAGE(voteresults.gif)

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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
House Unshaperlike Activities Committee in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Friday, December 15 2006 08:16 Profile Homepage #28
Um, essence exists without shaping. It's just something the shaping manipulates.

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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
Best Game Ever? in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Thursday, December 14 2006 20:47 Profile Homepage #23
You mean because you didn't think to check two words. Having read through the dumps, I can state that the vast majority of dialogue pieces in the whole Exile series are triggered by two different keywords.

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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
Serviles and Canisters...??? in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Thursday, December 14 2006 20:45 Profile Homepage #7
This is really not a continuity problem. The seviles on Sucia could not use the canisters on Sucia. The serviles in G4 are not from Sucia. While it's unlikely they were modified recently, in the course of two centuries the standard servile model might well have changed. And it's EXTREMELY likely that the new canisters produced by the Rebels are not the same as the ones lying around on Sucia for two centuries, especially given that the Rebels grew out of the Takers, who had servile leaders.

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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
House Unshaperlike Activities Committee in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Thursday, December 14 2006 20:42 Profile Homepage #24
quote:
Originally written by Emperor Tullegolar:

Slarty, I kind of agree with you. However, I think Jeff started ditching the whole power vs. moderation angle on pupose to show the desperate measures taken in times of total war. With all that power floating around, the Trakovite ideology seems very, very unrealistic, and only a walking deus ex machina like the PC would even be able to think about being able to follow it and accomplish something in its name.
*nod nod*
Yes, I agree completely. But there *are* always people spouting these ridiculous ideologies, and they are important. I am glad that the Trakovites were portrayed as a tiny, heavily persecuted number of individuals, and not as a full-blown sect with any power or adherents whatsoever.

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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
I Have A Beef With You All in General
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Thursday, December 14 2006 20:35 Profile Homepage #25
quote:
Originally written by -S-:

When you are 20, in or fresh out of college, you know everything, and typically in very black and white terms. Youth are full of knowledge, but lack wisdom and perspective only years can bring.
You are accusing the other side of arrogantly thinking they know more. Your reasoning is that you know more. Um, can you see the irony here?

Incidentally, your remark about "science majors" and "debate-team jocks" is pretty stupid. Not only is it needless invective, it's also clearly false. I took as few science classes as possible and hate public debate, and what's more, I work in the same field that you are studying.

quote:
Conversation typically becomes much more measured and thoughtful another decade or two into life.
Are you saying that your speech is "much more measured and thoughtful" than ours?

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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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