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Why I Will Not Play Avernum V in Avernum 4
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, September 12 2007 05:48 Profile Homepage #6
How exactly is A4 like Geneforge? Graphics? Sure. That's unavoidable. Combat? Well, the AP system is Geneforge's. But that's it. What else screams non-Avernum to you? There's plenty of dissatisfaction with A4's plot, but it's not at all Geneforge-esque. The lack of outdoors isn't Avernum, but it isn't Geneforge either.

Maybe Uncle Av is gone (well, you can still play old games...), but uncle Worth (short for Aversworth) is doing fine in A4 and A5. Your problem isn't that A4 is Geneforge-like, it's that it's not identical to A1-3. That's fine, but that's also different.

A4 wasn't my favorite game, but I don't think that's reason to write off all sequels. A5 is better. A5 is good. It's not A1-3, but it's not trying to be. It's A5, and it does A5 very well. But if you choose not to even touch the demo, it's your loss.

—Alorael, who recommends not remaking A4 as a scenario. That would make Jeff cranky, probably. It's also just not quite enough of a plot to stand up among better scenarios. The fun is all in the engine, and remaking that in BoA would be more pain than it's worth. Make the BoA equivalent of At the Gallows instead.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Man or God in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, September 12 2007 05:48 Profile Homepage #70
quote:
Originally written by Stillness:

Omnipotent doesn't require that everything goes your way... Whether God allows it is up to him, but the deciding rests on the creation.

By "better" I mean more logical and harmonious with obeserved reality. An evil creator would fail to explain a lot, like why we can derive so much enjoyment from life.
Maybe God the way you envision him isn't evil, but he's not good. He either actively or passively permits evil. The fact that we can make choices isn't wrong; the fact that we are quite easily able to make terrible choices is. Proximate cause lies with us, but ultimate cause lies with God.

In other words, a good creator fails to explain a lot, like we we can derive so much enjoyment from evil.

—Alorael, whose view is somewhat similar to Synergy's. God is ineffable. Trying to describe him as good or evil is fruitless. He may be benevolent, but if so he's benevolent in a way that only makes sense over an infinite span of time and even then quite possibly not from a human perspective. Trying to explain anything in a human perspective with recourse to God is going to get you nowhere because nobody understands God.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Man or God in General
Or else o'erleap.
Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, September 11 2007 19:23 Profile Homepage #61
God isn't humanity's father. God is humanity's programmer and engineer and builder. A father is not directly responsibility for his children's actions as long as he corrects them when he can. A programmer is responsible for his program's problems.

—Alorael, who concludes like many before him that either God screwed up or God has some reason for wanting humans to sometimes act evilly.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
noob info in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, September 11 2007 17:21 Profile Homepage #106
There are many countries that write three thousand, four hundred and five tenths as 3.400,5 rather than the US-standard 3,400.5, actually.

—Alorael, who feels obligated to point out that he neither confirmed nor denied rumors of being Korean, a tranvestite, or of indeterminate gender. And the moral emphasis was definitely on the not confirming!
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
noob info in General
Or else o'erleap.
Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, September 11 2007 07:22 Profile Homepage #99
quote:
Originally written by Drakefyre:

Zeviz, the Korean businessman came way before any 50-something Alaskan pedophile bit.
Untrue! My signature gimmick started from post one, or rather it predates Spiderweb. My skribbane-swilling, sniping persona came about soon after my arrival (or re-arrival). My middle age, Alaskan location, and unsavory predilections were all my own early fabrications in order to dodge some questions and raise others. The Korean businessman came somewhat later, from Desperance.

—Alorael, who must admit that being a transvestite is actually news to him. And, for completeness, his daily name change has been undertaken since he hit 10,000 posts as a form of protest for his lack of a custom title despite his numerous and scintillating contributions to the Spiderweb community, such as... well... he probably did something at some point.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
noob info in General
Or else o'erleap.
Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, September 10 2007 16:26 Profile Homepage #83
We have the same rule against solicitation and sales here, but we don't call that spam. Okay, actually we do, but it's a different definition of spam. Maybe some disambiguation would be nice, but there's the stuff we get rid of like you do and then an additional category, also called spam, that we get rid of if we're irritated by it.

—Alorael, who likes subjectivity. It gives him room to execute his unchecked will and whimsy on a helpless forum.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Avernum II Character Editor Question in The Avernum Trilogy
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, September 10 2007 06:03 Profile Homepage #1
There's no way to give experience with the character editor. You can use several third party tools (are you on Mac or WIndows?), or you can just accept a lower level.

—Alorael, who happens to love the term priage as well as the character type. He thinks he'll adopt your word from now on.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
I'm not sure if anyone has noticed but... in Avernum 4
Or else o'erleap.
Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Sunday, September 9 2007 13:03 Profile Homepage #10
quote:
Originally written by DanielJacksonMPC:

the lack of an outer world map you travel upon, the AP restrictions, lack of free-roaming as much, and so on and so forth.
The lack of a world map isn't a Geneforge thing. It's an Avernum 4+ thing, and it feels more natural in A5 than it did in A4. AP restrictions have been improved as in G4. I can't talk specifically about limitations on movement in A5 without going into detail, but I never felt like I really wanted to go somewhere and was arbitrarily blocked.

—Alorael, who thinks the initial analysis of A4 as the shiny new engine and A5 as the great story to go with it was flawed. A5, as it turns out, makes the engine shinier. And yes, there's a nice story too.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Wandering characters??? in The Avernum Trilogy
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Saturday, September 8 2007 11:51 Profile Homepage #1
Her location depends on the day. If you can visit all three towns in one day, you'll find her somewhere. Entering repeatedly won't change where she is.

—Alorael, who can't remember what she looks like or even any other details of her existence. Sorry!
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Celtic Lock pick - Spoiler Warning in Nethergate
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Friday, September 7 2007 21:49 Profile Homepage #1
Dexterity helps, but mostly you'll be using the Unlock spell in the Craft Circle and hoping for the best.

—Alorael, who could point out some Tool Use in the mid to late game if you really want. It's not terribly useful, though.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
You Choice, Your Music.. in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Friday, September 7 2007 11:23 Profile Homepage #11
The White Stripes aren't all that famous, I don't think, and I'm not sure those Fillipino bands are known much outside of the Phillipines (or even inside, for all I know). You've definitely heard Queen even if you don't know it was their music.

—Alorael, who supposes you're probably the one who can speak for the widespread appeal of Urbandub and Slapshock. Or not, if you so choose.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
You Choice, Your Music.. in General
Or else o'erleap.
Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Friday, September 7 2007 06:44 Profile Homepage #8
I'm mostly a classical kind of guy, although I've been talked into a few other things. My tastes lean towards the Baroque (and the baroque, generally). Bach, Vivaldi, and Handel, and Telemann are great guys.

—Alorael, who should be more specific. They were probably mostly insufferable (although besides Bach they actually have reputations for relative geniality), but they made some fine music and that's what's important.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Exile Editor Automation in The Exile Trilogy
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Thursday, September 6 2007 20:21 Profile Homepage #3
Mac is not an acronym. It doesn't need to be capitalized.

—Alorael, who has noticed this more and more and who has decided that it cannot stand. Having someone confuse MAC address and the IP address of a Mac was the last straw.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Spiderweb Archives? in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Thursday, September 6 2007 15:38 Profile Homepage #14
Jeff doesn't want spam. We don't want spam. We don't want Misc. except for the nostalgia. Honestly, General works just as well, but the mods have a good excuse to lock and edit if they feel like it. It sounds good to me!

—Alorael, believes Misc. went down either at the end of August or the beginning of September in 2002 (so five years ago!). He thinks he can remember complaints about its end among complaints about school starting.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
New Spiderweb product idea in General
Or else o'erleap.
Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Thursday, September 6 2007 12:15 Profile Homepage #42
"It's not a wand."

[beat]

"It's a baton. A reaper baton"

—Alorael, who thought casual Fridays were canceled due to the decrease in morale among serviles who could see one another's hideous visages. They're happier in the hoods, really.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Help! Avernum IV corrupted save game problem. in Avernum 4
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Thursday, September 6 2007 12:12 Profile Homepage #1
Sounds to me like your game has been corrupted and you'll have to restart. I'd reinstall A4 for good measure in case the same problem will crop up again.

—Alorael, who is sorry he has no more helfpul advice. Losing a saved game is no fun.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Music for Avernum V in Avernum 4
Or else o'erleap.
Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, September 5 2007 18:47 Profile Homepage #13
It's Nethergate, and the ambient sounds are based on the area type, not the chapter or party. Caves get drippy cave noises, towns get town noises, and horrible magical sites get magical noises.

—Alorael, who gets noises of scorn and derision regularly. It's not him, it's the area. Really!
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Help! Save games in The Avernum Trilogy
Or else o'erleap.
Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, September 5 2007 12:44 Profile Homepage #1
You'll need to give your OS, too. Mac and Windows versions of Avernum do not produce cross-compatibile save files.

—Alorael, who doesn't have any available files anyway.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
To whom it may concern. in General
Or else o'erleap.
Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, September 5 2007 10:59 Profile Homepage #1
1. Ask Aran. Actually, you did already. Wait for Aran to answer.

2. You'll have to be a little more forthcoming about reasons before *i starts handing over emails, I think. Doubly so for hacking attempts.

3. Any resemblance to real events, living or dead is purley coincidental. Well, mostly. Persons are another matter entirely.

4. No.

—Alorael, who saved his sanity from the turtles by arriving before they existed. His is safely ensconced in the lockbox by the door.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
What have you been reading lately? in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, September 5 2007 08:24 Profile Homepage #479
Children of Húrin is more in the vein of the Silmarillion than LotR. It's not scripture or an epic (not quite), but it evokes a sense of oral tradition more than it resembles any novel. Don't expect characterization. Do expect doom in the original and new senses of the word.

Jordan is terrifying all fans by having an engaging race between the last book and a deadly disease. And he still seems to get mostly flak on the internet despite his popularity.

—Alorael, who has picked up The Yiddish Policemen's Union and just started. It's quite odd, but it's still good.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Best in-game Spiderweb Art? in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, September 4 2007 13:02 Profile Homepage #3
All the Foglio skill pictures are genius.

—Alorael, who thinks they're probably the biggest thing he misses in A4+. A5 fixes many things, but it still has no pretty, hilarious pictures.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Music for Avernum V in Avernum 4
Or else o'erleap.
Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, September 4 2007 13:00 Profile Homepage #5
I find NWN music insufferable. Your mileage may really, really vary with game music. I don't hate music in games as much as Jeff says he does, but I absolutely understand why he wouldn't want to put anything less than perfect in his games.

—Alorael, who is happy with the ambient sounds of Averforge games and his own iTunes soundtrack.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
New Spiderweb product idea in General
Or else o'erleap.
Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, September 4 2007 12:55 Profile Homepage #12
A stuffed GIFTS. Seriously. I'd buy a whole family.

—Alorael, who can't say the same for GIFTR. Their names are more original, but their cuteness is lacking.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Rational Mind Won't allow Torches, Candles to be used in Nethergate
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, September 3 2007 07:38 Profile Homepage #1
Actually, Rational Mind doesn't let you use any items. Light sources are just the only truly mundane ones. We've discussed it before.

—Alorael, who thinks the shipping problem should be emailed to Jeff in case he doesn't read this.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00

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