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Drakel and Eraserhead in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, June 28 2005 18:20 Profile Homepage #32
There's an expression: "The straw that broke the camel's back." I believe it applies here.

—Alorael, who would guess that it's more significant that TM ignored an explicit warning than that he acted up. As others have remarked, TM has never not acted up.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Avernum or Exile. A question, not a poll. in The Avernum Trilogy
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, June 28 2005 18:13 Profile Homepage #10
While I've had some archery fun in Avernum, I've never found the skill or weapons to be useful in Exile. Just a warning.

—Alorael, who isn't sure if this experience is general or just his own Exile quirk. He's experienced plenty of those.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
TM Banned? in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, June 28 2005 18:11 Profile Homepage #2
See latter part of this thread. It's only for ten days.

—Alorael, who will not lock the topic but who will suggest that further queries be directed there.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Supreme Court Ruling on Restraining Order & Ten Commandments in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, June 28 2005 14:06 Profile Homepage #30
You're right, Ben. I won't accept using the Bible as an example of nations falling because they lost faith in God, but in this case it isn't simply because I don't find the Bible authoritative. You can't justify the need for the Bible by citing the Bible; that's circular. I know it's similar, but it's a slight difference in why I reject it. In case you were wondering...

The fallacy of tradition has nothing to do with the founding fathers. I don't deny that the Ten Commandments are part of our cultural history; they are. I deny that that gives them a special claim to relevance now. If you want to dig back farther, you could make a case for trial by combat being part of our cultural history. Neither one is valid on the merit of history.

I know that you believe that being more religious (at least as a Christian of the proper denomination) makes you a better person, but I still find statements to that effect repugnant. Call it a knee-jerk reaction to the many repulsive people who have proclaimed that it's all for Jesus (or Allah, or Adonai, or whatever).

quote:
[b]But really, why can't we put these things to a vote? If the majority of the American people don't care if the Ten Commandments is displayed in our federal buildings, well, then, majority rules. Part of democracy.
[/b]

Because that First Ammendment was written expressly to protect minorities! Why not just repeal the Bill of Rights altogether? If you're not with the majority, you don't deserve rights.

—Alorael, who finds the Ten Commandments especially offensive in a judiciary building because half of the commandments have absolutely no application in a secular st ate. Note how many are related only to God and His orders, not human interaction.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
The best thing about the Internet is... in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, June 28 2005 13:52 Profile Homepage #33
Since libraries are supposed to give out free books I don't see why they'd object. It's not as though they can't give out more copies if you don't return your ebook. Pocket libraries are already technologically possible.

Commercial publishers would object to having their works available as free ebooks, though. Watermarks and DRM on PDFs provides enough security for many publishers to feel secure with ebooks in that form, though. Just go on Amazon and browse around. You'll find many ebooks.

—Alorael, who doesn't think the commercial ebooks and ebooks libraries will merge a moment before the world becomes one great money-free socialist utopia.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Worst Spiderweb Game in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, June 28 2005 13:46 Profile Homepage #15
Homeland wins by a mile.

Although GC is the cool game to hate, I actually think Ocean Bound is less entertaining. It's just less spectacularly unenthralling.

—Alorael, who has to put E1 at the bottom of Jeff's games. It's spectacular for a first effort, but the engine improvements clearly show that it was a first effort. Second worst is much less obvious. He might even vote for a Geneforge purely on the basis of having no urge to register them.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Anyone else notice the jokes here? in The Avernum Trilogy
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, June 28 2005 13:01 Profile Homepage #15
I think it's probably a coincidence. Most character references are all characters and all in one town. Fort Saffron matches better with Fort Emerald. Both are named after substances that are also colors.

—Alorael, who will now have to go poking around with a resource editor again to find more hidden goodies. And baddies.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Drakel and Eraserhead in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, June 28 2005 13:01 Profile Homepage #29
Between spam and spam that also contains profanity and insults, guess which one gets punished?

TM was warned that he would be banned if he continued to treat RWG as he did. He continued anyway. He was banned. He really has no cause for complaint, although that has never stopped anyone from complaining before.

—Alorael, who would like to point out that by precedent, this makes a whole lot more sense than banning someone for citing the dictionary definition of an inoffensive word. Granted, that's not a precedent worth having, but it exists.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Just say no in Richard White Games
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, June 27 2005 18:12 Profile Homepage #7
You're breaking the CoC yet again, TM, and you're spamming. Stop.

—Alorael, who is not amused and hasn't been for a while. At least this time it's in a mostly useless and unentertaining topic.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Supreme Court Ruling on Restraining Order & Ten Commandments in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, June 27 2005 18:04 Profile Homepage #8
quote:
Originally written by ben III:

Well, some people are so eager to take all religion out of government, and it's just not good. They declare to be promoting freedom of religion, yet they press to prevent Christians from displaying a part of their religion. Freedom of religion does not mean removal of religion. Especially since Christianity in the dominant religion in the United States.
Did you know that federal employees are banned from displaying partisan tendencies in the workplace to the point where wearing pins supporting one party's candidate is grounds for disciplinary action and possibly termination? I feel much the same way about religion. What you believe is your own business, but where the state is represented, religion must not be present and must not appear to be present.

quote:
As soon as we take God out of the country, that'll be our downfall. It's happened every time. And it's actually a good sign that the endtimes are near.
How many times has it happened? This is not a rhetorical question. I want to see examples. Keep in mind that many founding fathers were deists, not Christians. That didn't seem to damn the birth of the United States.

quote:
[b]Not only that, but the Ten Commandments are part of our cultural history. The United States has always embraced Christianity as a religion while still allowing other religions to exist freely. Until now.
[/b]

Argumentum ad antiquitatem is a logical fallacy, my friend. Tradition does not make right. Slavery has also been part of our cultural history, as have oppression of immigrants and the betrayal and murder of Native Americans. I don't think we have a sterling record in the cultural department.

[Edit: The "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is a Cold War addition to show how different we were from the godless commies, and swearing with "so help me God" is not in the Constitution. In fact, historically several people, notably Quakers, have been permitted to refrain from swearing an oath at all. An "affirmation" that one will uphold one's duties in office is all that is mandated. So if anything, religion and God are metastasizing in American society.]

—Alorael, who can think of many documents far more important to the culture of American law than the Ten Commandments. The Bill of Rights, for one. Maybe then people would notice that pesky First Amendment.

[ Monday, June 27, 2005 18:09: Message edited by: A punchline in the gut ]
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
The International Baccalaureate Program in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, June 27 2005 17:39 Profile Homepage #21
quote:
Originally written by Thuryl:

quote:
Originally written by A punchline in the gut:

I don't think anyone tries to defend standardized testing with anyting but the rhetorical query, "What else do we have?" anymore. Sooner or later, someone will come up with an answer and the tests of this year will go the way of the tests of yesteryear. I hope.
While we can't do much better than standardised testing as a general marker of ability, it is possible to make a standardised test where teaching to the test isn't possible. In Victoria, the General Achievement Test is given to all students in the final year of secondary school. Only the people compiling the test know what's going to be on it before the day of the test, and questions aren't reused from year to year.

(Of course, even if it were possible to teach for the test, there wouldn't be much point, since GAT results are given only minor consideration as regards university admission; individual subject results are much more important.)
There is a test that is a general achievement/aptitude test on which the tests from consecutive years have no resemblance? I find that hard to believe. How many ways can you keep reinventing the test? SATs in the USA don't reuse questions and nobody knows exactly what will be on them, but the same types of "aptitude" are tested every time.

Standardized subject tests are part of the problem. They ensure that each subject is taught according to what will appear on the test. Nothing less, but often nothing more.

—Alorael, who edited his signature in before anyone caught his mistake. Ha!

[ Monday, June 27, 2005 17:39: Message edited by: A punchline in the gut ]
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Specific, beginner questions. Av 1. in The Avernum Trilogy
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, June 27 2005 17:29 Profile Homepage #1
1. It decreases, or so I believe. The effect is less dramatic, though. I don't think I ever found myself getting absolutely negligible amounts of experience from anything that I was fighting.

2a I believe it can be spread out. The manual can tell you more definitively.

2b. Aside from wandering encounters, there are some special enounters that are affected. You can avoid some traps, for instance, and some alchemical ingredients can only be harvested with enough Cave Lore.

3. It's worth buying points of barter from the trainer, but don't train it. Five points for four characters is more than enough, because you can't ever sell items for more than you buy them for. The actual effect does vary somewhat by shop, as do selling prices in general. Yes, you can make a lot of money by selling stuff, but only as much as what you sell is worth. (Money tends not to be a problem at all by mid to late game.)

4. If you use the Unlock Doors spell, not a huge amount. You can survive most traps anyway. Some late game traps and doors can require quite a lot of Tool Use. I can't remember exact numbers, but I had 15+ by the end of the game, I think.

—Alorael, who has couched his responses in so many careful maybes that he hasn't actually said anything, probably.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
What do you believe.... in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, June 27 2005 17:22 Profile Homepage #10
What it takes to be a leader has already been outlined. A strong enough personality and enough charisma to sway others to your point of view, a good idea of who to appoint to do what, good rapport with the public, and so on. A successful leader is simply one who has enough of these qualities.

Being a successful leader is necessary but not sufficient if you aspire to the title of good leader. A good leader is one who uses his talents for good ends. Unfortunately, good is so subjective and almost always polarizing that good leaders, or more accurately great leaders, are almost always as reviled as they are beloved. Often more, at least during their careers.

—Alorael, who can more briefly summarize by saying that a successful leader is one who can make others follow, and a good leader is someone who leads those followers in the right direction.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
The International Baccalaureate Program in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, June 27 2005 13:36 Profile Homepage #13
I think the quality of education varies more by teacher than by subject or by label attached to the class. A non-honors class by a superior teacher can easily leave you knowing more about the material in question than an AP class taught by a mediocre teacher, even if the latter allows you to earn a pretty AP score.

I don't think anyone tries to defend standardized testing with anyting but the rhetorical query, "What else do we have?" anymore. Sooner or later, someone will come up with an answer and the tests of this year will go the way of the tests of yesteryear. I hope.

—Alorael, who will qualify that with two additions. Smaller classes tend to be better than larger classes, so if the honors, IB, or AP classes are smaller, they have a higher chance of being better. Secondly, a class with more motivated students will tend to be better, and while not all honors/AP/IB classes have motivated students (see: TM), many will. The teaching quality, unfortunately, seems to be a mixed bag.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
How did you first see or hear about spiderweb games? in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, June 27 2005 13:26 Profile Homepage #19
I heard about E1 from a friend (who was actually talking about telling Dexter "tools," as I recall) and thought nothing of it. Then, a month or two later, I encountered it on a CD with many demos and shoddy freeware games on it, remembered it, and was hooked. The CD wasn't a total waste, I guess.

—Alorael, who never registered E1 due to some mail mixup. He tried registering by mail and then envelope was returned with a message stating that Spiderweb Software was gone. He assumed that "gone" meant "out of business," and by the time he learned otherwise he was more interested in registering Exile 3.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
I want to frolic in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, June 27 2005 13:22 Profile Homepage #62
"Deserve" and "get" seem to be entirely divorced in Drakey's warped mind. Honestly! The Great Potato got a title and he hardly even posts!

—Alorael, who can't help being a superlative topic of conversation. He can, however, provide a distraction. So... how 'bout them plural name of regional athletic team of reader's preference?
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Homeland: the Stone of Night in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, June 27 2005 13:07 Profile Homepage #7
In answer to the original question, Jeff Vogel didn't write Homeland. He only distributes it. You'd have to contact the actual coder about a port, and I'm not sure if he's still reachable.

—Alorael, who really, really advises against that. OS X is still relatively virus free. Don't start an epidemic of pain.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Avernum 4 Complete Wish List in The Avernum Trilogy
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, June 27 2005 13:05 Profile Homepage #125
If the Finnish element of the population can learn English, we can learn Finnish. It's only fair.

—Alorael, who agrees that Esperanto is probably the fairest to everyone, although it gives the romance language speakers a slight advantage. Nobody speaks it.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
The Ultimate "Favourite Game" Poll in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Sunday, June 26 2005 16:47 Profile Homepage #25
Realmz also doesn't use an earlier version of any Exile engine. It's entirely separate system. Spiderweb and Fantasoft were related more like Chromite and Spiderweb are now, except E1 was stable and relatively fun while Realmz has always been a buggy, shoddy, and typo-ridden piece of junk.

—Alorael, who isn't a huge Fantasoft fan (in case you couldn't tell).
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
The best thing about the Internet is... in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Sunday, June 26 2005 16:43 Profile Homepage #24
Until everything is available in text online, libraries have a place. Articles are now just as easy to get online as in hard copy most of the time, but online books are still relatively rare.

—Alorael, who can't read massive amounts of text for prolonged periods of time on a computer monitor. ("Ha!" you say. Well, forum browsing is different.) And it's much easier to curl up on the couch with a book than with a computer, even a laptop.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Anyone else notice the jokes here? in The Avernum Trilogy
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Sunday, June 26 2005 16:40 Profile Homepage #2
There are a number of rainbows in Upper Avernum. I believe either Elspeth or Nancy also has one somewhere.

Malloc and Calloc are functions as well as towns.

Four characters from Trainspotting appear somewhere in Bigail. Shayder, I believe.

One town has characters from Babylon 5. Again, I'm not sure exactly which, but I think it's Golddale.

Krizsan Province and Lt. Mariann Krizsan in A2 are both named after Jeff's wife, of course, and there are rumors that all provinces in A3 are named after women who have been involved in Jeff's life.

The GIFTS (Giant, Intelligent, Friendly, Talking Spiders) are loosely based on Spider, the company mascot tarantula.

The Monastery of Madness and the Generic Dungeon are both obvious jokes.

—Alorael, who is sure there are more. Probably a lot more.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Avernum 4 Complete Wish List in The Avernum Trilogy
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Sunday, June 26 2005 12:52 Profile Homepage #115
quote:
Originally written by Verelor:

And let me stress the importance of the next Avernum game having good graphics.
Oh, good. I missed it the first few times it came up! And as I already said, while graphics are nice, there is definitely such a thing as too much of them (not that Spiderweb is at risk of that!).

The level cap simply isn't there in A3/BoA. Really. I don't expect it to come back.

—Alorael, who risks exposing his inner evil dictator as he suggests that you edit posts to add more text instead of double posting.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
I want to frolic in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Sunday, June 26 2005 10:05 Profile Homepage #52
IMAGE(http://cheston.com/pbf/PBF004BCMountainFather.jpg)

—Alorael, who is not elitist. Not at all.

[ Sunday, June 26, 2005 10:07: Message edited by: Last One Out ]
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
The best thing about the Internet is... in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Sunday, June 26 2005 09:58 Profile Homepage #14
evrythign lol

—Alorael, who supposes it may be a forward-thinking linguists dream. And it keeps the cyber-sociologists employed. But really, how could anyone imagine life before goatse?
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Avernum I: The Movie in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Sunday, June 26 2005 09:52 Profile Homepage #57
It was? And I missed it or don't remember? Did it get caught by a PPP?

—Alorael, who isn't letting anyone off the hook that easy. Now only a title can atone for RiB!
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00

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