Profile for Djur Revolutions

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Field	Value
Displayed name	Djur Revolutions
Member number	3149
Title	Babelicious
Postcount	999
Homepage	http://desperance.net
Registered	Friday, June 27 2003 07:00

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Jeff's rep and the Perils of Creating a Scenario Editor in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Tuesday, September 28 2004 17:37 Profile Homepage #9 Basically, it's an issue of perspective. The perspective of the pure game designer is "I am going to make this work, and people will either like it or they won't. That will be that," barring any major showstopping bugs. On the other hand, the application designer's perspective is "I am developing this program to the specification of the community; I am going to continue to upgrade it and improve it for those customers." Obviously, there's a conflict here. Jeff Vogel has the former view, and that's fine for a game developer! Even if people, say, didn't like Fallout's barter system, unless it was seriously broken to the point of destroying the game, would they expect it to be changed in a future version? Most game developers fix only showstopper bugs, unless there's some online component to their game. Most games are patched one or two times for really heinous bugs, and that's that. This doesn't usually cut it for applications. You're expected to regularly update, improve, and fix your product, while adding new features. The problem is that Blades of Exile/Avernum, like all user content-driven games, is sort of a mix of game and application. To the player, it's a game; to the designer, it's an application. It seems that Vogel takes the game developer's approach to both sides -- he'll fix the big stuff, but other than that he's moving on. This is reasonable from that viewpoint -- Microsoft makes continual money from selling upgrades to Office and Windows, but game developers can't simply sell improvements to their previous games. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Homosexuality... in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Monday, September 27 2004 21:43 Profile Homepage #6 I like to rub the tabs all over my body and have unspeakable thoughts. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
An idea, and hear me out on this... in Blades of Avernum Editor
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Monday, September 27 2004 16:28 Profile Homepage #1 Specifics are always the least important part of scenarios. A vague sense of the plot and a laundry list of different "neat things" included doesn't exactly engender faith in the coherence and plot. Why are you asking, anyway? If you like the idea, go ahead with it. If you feel you must put "neat things" in it, then plan it out -- don't hinge your scenario on such a thing until you know you're able to do it. The best way to find out whether something is feasible is just to do it. This is a young medium -- if someone had asked in '99 whether movies could be made with Blades of Exile, they probably would have received a categorical no. Blades of Avernum is new enough that even the supposed "experts" are just ahead of the curve -- there's a lot of stuff nobody's explored yet. Just go ahead and do it, and let us know if you pull it off. By releasing it, of course. Oh, and there seems to be a negative correlation between the amount of talking the designer does about a scenario and the likelihood of it being completed. Just letting you know. [ Monday, September 27, 2004 16:29: Message edited by: Andrea ] -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
An idea, and hear me out on this... in Blades of Avernum
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Monday, September 27 2004 16:28 Profile Homepage #1 Specifics are always the least important part of scenarios. A vague sense of the plot and a laundry list of different "neat things" included doesn't exactly engender faith in the coherence and plot. Why are you asking, anyway? If you like the idea, go ahead with it. If you feel you must put "neat things" in it, then plan it out -- don't hinge your scenario on such a thing until you know you're able to do it. The best way to find out whether something is feasible is just to do it. This is a young medium -- if someone had asked in '99 whether movies could be made with Blades of Exile, they probably would have received a categorical no. Blades of Avernum is new enough that even the supposed "experts" are just ahead of the curve -- there's a lot of stuff nobody's explored yet. Just go ahead and do it, and let us know if you pull it off. By releasing it, of course. Oh, and there seems to be a negative correlation between the amount of talking the designer does about a scenario and the likelihood of it being completed. Just letting you know. [ Monday, September 27, 2004 16:29: Message edited by: Andrea ] -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Avernum 4 in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Monday, September 27 2004 16:19 Profile Homepage #9 quote: Originally written by Ephesos: Well, who knows... he may just mean putting out a scenario of epic proportions, one that puts the four that came with BoA to shame. Just like Bandit Busywork! No, seriously, if he's talking about the Avernum 4 engine, it's going to be a new game. Why he can't just come up with a new world is a mystery to me. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Why does Jeff have a bad rep? in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Saturday, September 25 2004 17:40 Profile Homepage #37 You know, nobody's really been flaming you. You, on the other hand, have chosen to take advantage of our political beliefs in order to avoid responding to the points we have made, using both circumstantial and abusive ad hominem. You refusing to acknowledge my points because I "don't understand liberty" is about as valid as me refusing to debate with you because you can't spell 'capitalism'. Or 'ultimately', or 'ingenious'. I have spent the last two years working on a project called Pygmalion, which addresses a similar concept as BoX. It is a scripted, cross-platform adventure game system. It is a Free software project; the source code and the game itself are both freely distributable and may be used in derivative works. I am going to make $0 on this project, but I am doing everything I can to make it a piece of software worth using. When it is released, I am going to continue to support it as long as necessary. I am not making Pygmalion because I want to make money. I am making it because I love it, I love this community, and I love the work and art of programming. I have less than no respect for the hired guns of the programming world who make applications and games they don't even care about. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Why does Jeff have a bad rep? in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Saturday, September 25 2004 17:10 Profile Homepage #32 SGT> Oh good, an ad hominem... don't you go attacking mine now! TM's comment was not ad hominem. Rather, he was saying that "Homey Maigre" should be vasectomized. SGT> Never heard of [Firaxis]... Civilization. Alpha Centauri. Sid Meier in general. Not exactly small. SGT> Nobody in their right mind agrees to infinite free product support (which is apparently what he said he'd give)... you're basically signing yourself into slavery [Razz] . If one is unwilling to continue supporting a product, they should stop profiting off it. If Vogel isn't going to support BoE, he should release it freely -- preferably with source. SGT> Once more you pull this 'Spiderweb is doing fine' card out of nowhere. How in the world would you know? Well, you have a point. Moral men don't have children when they're in financial peril, but Jeff Vogel is not a moral man. SGT> I'm sorry but I find that incredibly insulting. You're basically attacking the entire concept of the free market there. As a communist, I couldn't care less. The greatest works are fed with love, not money. SGT> But they didn't make the game, did they? My point about hobbyists was referring to the work he put into creating the game system and engine, not the plot and storyline. Apparently I didn't phrase that very well as nobody has understood it. I understand. You're just wrong. Plot and storyline are the hard parts. I doubt you're Vogel, because he frankly doesn't care enough to address criticism to that extent. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Non-SW game recommendations in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Saturday, September 25 2004 09:43 Profile Homepage #23 On the PCJ, maybe. But the Freeway and the Angel are both really nice in terms of stability, and they're still fast. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Non-SW game recommendations in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Saturday, September 25 2004 08:49 Profile Homepage #20 If I recall, you can't shoot on bikes in GTA3. In Vice City, not only can you drive-by from bikes, but you can also shoot forward. This has been really, really useful to me in the past (it's a lot easier to blow up cars like that) and is also incredibly fun (On a PCJ, trail another one until you come up on a bridge. Start firing so you hit it in the back. About half the time, the biker won't notice you've set his bike on fire; he'll drive on and then explode. If you're really lucky, he'll realize he's on fire and start getting off just when the bike explodes -- then he'll go flying backwards.) -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Europe car-free day in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Saturday, September 25 2004 07:02 Profile Homepage #36 Eh, I'd describe neoconservatism as Fascism Lite. I mean, they're in favor of centralizing authority, they're making astonishing headway towards suppressing real opposition, they're unquestionably belligerent and nationalist, and the racism is there. True, they aren't fascists yet, but they're obviously going that way. Only thing missing is a command economy. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Why does Jeff have a bad rep? in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Saturday, September 25 2004 06:56 Profile Homepage #16 quote: Originally written by Mind: Spiderwebsoftware is working extremely hard for such a small company, in my insight. I can understand that Jeff Vogel has little time to listen to his customers and fullfill their wishes. Then what the hell is he doing running a business? -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Screenshots from the Game in Blades of Avernum Editor
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Saturday, September 25 2004 06:05 Profile Homepage #5 On Windows, Print Screen dumps the screenshot into the clipboard as a bitmap. No file is made until you paste and save it. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Screenshots from the Game in Blades of Avernum
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Saturday, September 25 2004 06:05 Profile Homepage #5 On Windows, Print Screen dumps the screenshot into the clipboard as a bitmap. No file is made until you paste and save it. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Non-SW game recommendations in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Saturday, September 25 2004 06:03 Profile Homepage #15 quote: Originally written by FatBatMonkey: Ah, I can only really recommend GTA and GTA 3, in the series. Vice City always seemed pants to me and 2 was just too convoluted. Mind you this man is an idiot. Vice City is excellent. Er, the only video games I ever play at home anymore are SNES ROMs and XEvil. Both providing hours of entertainment. Free Lunch Design makes free Windows games that are extremely addictive; they were the scourge of my high school in 2003. Icy Tower is an instant classic. Er, other than that, I don't know. Quake 2, I suppose. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Binge Drinking in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Wednesday, September 22 2004 19:50 Profile Homepage #55 quote: Originally written by Seaweed: HUAUGUAUUAUGAUGUUABLGHL You're missing the part where Demonslayer is a pompous, self-aggrandizing jerk. Now I find that not only is he the same person who was whinging about his neurotic fiancee a while back, but he's also claiming to be a member of a "gang." I haven't seen hilarity like this since the days of Lady J, another self-aggrandizing jerk. EDIT: I'm not saying he isn't a member of a "gang." What I'm saying is that if he is, it's hilarious. Oh, and: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=self-aggrandizing&btnG=Google+Search [ Wednesday, September 22, 2004 20:35: Message edited by: Andrea ] -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Binge Drinking in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Wednesday, September 22 2004 16:48 Profile Homepage #50 quote: Originally written by -DemonslayeR-: ben, that's assuming belonging to a gang is a bad thing. Which, it most cases, it's not. I'm in a gang. I don't do bad stuff. Neither do any of the other members. Actually, we helped the neighborhood in our younger years, now we talk to kids about doing the same thing. It's about the fellowship. You shouldn't stereotype the term "gang" to mean "a band of misanthropes". Nyahahaha. Wow, you really are the fattest man alive. It's amazing that you don't have to get around via forklift. Holy god. And you're getting married? What kind of deranged, desperate harridan would touch you, much less marry you? -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Paralympics in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Wednesday, September 22 2004 11:36 Profile Homepage #12 http://www.cis.upenn.edu/proj/plclub/contest/ Haskellites won this year. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Binge Drinking in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Wednesday, September 22 2004 07:57 Profile Homepage #33 Hey, I'm not criticizing High Life. It makes an excellent industrial cleaner, and it's better than PBR. And some winos will pee on you for free. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Binge Drinking in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Wednesday, September 22 2004 06:18 Profile Homepage #31 quote: Originally written by Andrew Miller: There is more to drinking than just getting drunk. I genuinely enjoy the taste of beer - even crappy American beer. My favorite beer right now actually is Miller High Life - the Champagne of Beers. :D Why don't you just pay a wino to piss in your mouth? Tastes better and it's cheaper. DS> "Luckily, my Scottish blood allows many drinks before getting drunk." You know, that's not "lucky." Resistance to alcohol is a major risk factor towards alcoholism. Frankly, I'd love to be able to get at least mildly intoxicated more quickly, but as it is, coming from a strongly alcoholic French/Irish background, I can drink three or four times in an hour and not feel tipsy. It sucks, because if I ever go out drinking with my friends in the future, I'll have two choices: 1) Be sober while everyone else is drunk (not fun) 2) Drink an insanely dangerous (and expensive) amount of alcohol to get to the point my friends did after a few shots. [ Wednesday, September 22, 2004 06:26: Message edited by: Andrea ] -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
A problem with pants in Blades of Avernum Editor
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Monday, September 20 2004 15:46 Profile Homepage #3 Well, it's common RPG fodder. I know in NWN OC, people freak out if you wander around naked. "You must have the PLAGUE!!! HUAUGUAUGUAUGUAUBUAUHALBHGL" It's cute. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
A problem with pants in Blades of Avernum
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Monday, September 20 2004 15:46 Profile Homepage #3 Well, it's common RPG fodder. I know in NWN OC, people freak out if you wander around naked. "You must have the PLAGUE!!! HUAUGUAUGUAUGUAUBUAUHALBHGL" It's cute. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
POV Ray Graphics in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Sunday, September 19 2004 06:10 Profile Homepage #7 quote: Originally written by Milk,Juice,andToast: Hmm. There is a technical point of diminishing returns. Recent reviews have trashed the engine PC Gamer -- 50% is not good. Apparently the rest of the gaming industry is run on bells and whistles. The way they get you to buy the next best thing is to force you to buy faster and faster computing powered game with poor plot and simplistic combat. 3D and loud. I think Blades of Avernum is close to technical death in terms of graphics and game engine. Hopefully the next project Spiderweb is putting out will address this. 3D is not a feature, and it is not an enhancement. It is a choice, and is no less or more valid than 2D. I find many sorts of games suffer from 3D graphics, especially RPGs. They're busy and they use pixelspace on perspective that should be used on detail. On the other hand, GTA3 is awesome, and definitely got better with 3D. 3D is fantastic for platformers, action games, first-person shooters, etc. However, in no case is it a requirement. Note that nobody with half a ball cares anything for what PC Gamer says. Or what any professional game reviewer says. They're all drooling imbeciles, in my experience, and have no more business reviewing games than my 8-year-old cousin. The pinnacle of RPG graphics was Fallout. NWN is at most satisfactory. [ Sunday, September 19, 2004 06:14: Message edited by: Andrea ] -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Sketching interest? in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Saturday, September 18 2004 13:16 Profile Homepage #8 searches frantically Here we are. Amusingly, this is the only non-sketchy SM there is. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Peaches and Ice Cream in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Saturday, September 18 2004 13:09 Profile Homepage #14 quote: Originally written by Thuryl: Tim Tams are the best chocolate biscuit in the world. I believe they're available in America now, although possibly under a different name. Of course, they probably have corn syrup in them over there instead of real sugar, so it sucks to be you anyway. Cookies usually have sugar in them. Corn syrup is for beverages and cheap candy. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00
Sigh. in General
Djur Revolutions Babelicious Member # 3149	written Friday, September 17 2004 06:32 Profile Homepage #1 > Is this forum really infested by swearing idiots and ruled by mindless tyrants? Yes. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 \| Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00

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