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Favorite game in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Sunday, May 9 2004 11:08 Profile Homepage #16
How many third party scenarios BoE scenarios did you play? If you didn't try out any of the greats (and those are NOT made by Spiderweb!), you have no basis for judgement. You know you should have tried Alcritas, or Stareye, or the Creator, or others. Za-Khazi Run isn't a good representative, nor are a number of the solid adventures that really aren't solid.

?Alorael, who could understand disliking BoE and E3. But if you like the latter, the former is the same thing, only with many, many new stories.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Will there be scenarios as good as A1 and A2? in Blades of Avernum
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Sunday, May 9 2004 10:59 Profile Homepage #4
There have been good scenarios set in Exile. Spears and Truffle Days spring to mind, although neither use any familiar part of Exile because copying maps is tedious and ultimately not a huge plus in the eyes of most players. There are more surface scenarios simply because any scenario not set in the world of the Exile games has no good reason for a subterranean society.

At the Gallows has been called E4. It certainly has the size and complexity to back up the claim. No, wait. Complexity was not a mark of any of the Exile games.

—Alorael, who expects that BoA scenarios will eventually surpass BoE scenarios because of greater technical freedom given to designers. If BoE could produce scenarios better than Exile, BoA will certainly produce scenarios better than Avernum.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Undead Topics Need Loving Too (aka "Give Me Your First-Born") in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Saturday, May 8 2004 17:02 Profile Homepage #126
I'm catching up, TM!

—Alorael, whose current moniker actually makes sense, for once.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Unending horizan in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Saturday, May 8 2004 06:33 Profile Homepage #3
It would be somewhere in the numbers I don't know the name for. Saying only a finite number of scenarios can be created is like saying there are a finite number of stories that can be written in books of 1000 pages or fewer.

?Alorael, who would like to invite everyone to go to a library and look at how many books there are, with special attention paid to the ones that aren't enormously bloated reference books.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Koala Cull in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Saturday, May 8 2004 06:28 Profile Homepage #82
I happen to agree with Alec's rather overlooked point. We have technology to produce energy that is cheap and clean, waste storage aside, with nuclear power plants. We already have cars adapted to run on electric engines. Nuclear energy solves almost all the problems without requiring any drastically new techniques.

Paranoia aside, the chance of a meltdown is infinitesimal. Security, both through human oversight and computer monitoring, is far better than it was at the time of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. Disaster isn't a credible threat.

Radioactive waste storage is a problem, but it still beats losing clean air, water, and/or the ability to produce electricity. It really is a shame that power companies can play so well on public fear of meltdowns. The chance of getting nuclear power seems slimmer than the chance that all our energy needs will be provided by coconuts by the year 2050.

?Alorael, who always supposes one could drop lead boxes of depleted radioactive material into oil fields, as long as nobody needs to use them.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Happy Beltane! in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Friday, May 7 2004 16:28 Profile Homepage #68
Your proposed anarchy leaves far too much room for tyranny by majority. If the majority doesn't like those who worship the Great Sandwich, well, they're dead. How do you protect minority rights in a society like that?

?Alorael, who agrees that humans don't need trust. The "goal" that has acted as glue for centuries is the continuation of the goverment. Remove that, and what holds people together? You ascribe far too much superego to humans and far too little ego.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
I love the Power Glove! in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Thursday, May 6 2004 16:33 Profile Homepage #1
I recall the last days of Misc. with a shudder. If you're going to post irrelevant things, at least make an attempt to create an interesting discussion out of them.

?Alorael, who delivers this topic sniping free of charge. The flaming protests start in five minutes. Reserve your ticket now!
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Pssst... it's a secret in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, May 5 2004 11:40 Profile Homepage #49
I don't think the boards accept extra spaces at the beginning or end of a name. That's also impersonation, which is against the CoC since I expressly do not give permission for people to try to be me. I'm just too cool for Alorael poseurs.

?Alorael, who is not himself. That doesn't mean he isn't good enough with his rifle to where the vest is not. Have some respect for his skill!
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
I see a pattern emerging... in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, May 4 2004 16:22 Profile Homepage #2
Invisible newbies are Arctic chow. No more explanation is necessary.

?Alorael, who thinks it would explain a lot if Arctic was actually consuming bits of faux Jeff for all these years.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Koala Cull in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, May 4 2004 12:37 Profile Homepage #53
Do you eat humans? If not, you are wasting a bullet and a pile of meat.

?Alorael, who understands that that is a cop-out answer. After much soul-searching, he has decided that he does, in fact, view animals as inferior. Incidentally, however, very few mammalian predators are willing to hunt and eat their own species. That's not what Darwinism is about.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Pssst... it's a secret in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, May 4 2004 12:31 Profile Homepage #42
I'm not sure if that's worse than being a brand of shampoo. It's humiliating either way...

?Alorael, who doesn't know the story either. SMoE, if you're around and you feel like coming clean... Well, whatever it was, the account only made a few posts. The horror.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Divinedly touched in Blades of Avernum
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, May 4 2004 12:28 Profile Homepage #2
You get three abilities. The first lets you summon a shade once per day, and the higher your level, the stronger the shade. The second lets you heal yourself once per day, again with more healing as you gain levels. The third ability gives the character an extremely poweful blessing, haste, and shielding buff.

In addition to all that, Divinely Touched makes a character slightly better at just about everything. It's a nice trait, although the experience penalty is hefty.

—Alorael, who thinks the penalty is slightly too hefty. The abilities aren't THAT good, and the bonus to all your skills doesn't make up the difference.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Exile Fan Games in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, May 4 2004 12:23 Profile Homepage #20
I'm not completely clear on copyright law, but I think using the Exile storyline would constitute violation of intellectual property rights, even if nothing else is similar to Exile.

Jeff isn't likely to do much unless this thing is wildly popular. In fact, I personally would regard it as good publicity. But giving him notification is the friendly thing to do.

?Alorael, who would rather see an original story anyway. If you're really set on continuing Exile, then the piles of advice that have already been given are good.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Happy Beltane! in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, May 3 2004 17:58 Profile Homepage #31
I have only one complaint with Andrew Miller's style, and that's the double post. It's polite to use edit to add more information to a post instead of creating two back to back.

"Let alone" is acceptable everyday English, but I think FBM needs to get off his high horse and fix his own posts before complaining about others' perfectly acceptable use of language.

The U.S. government has its flaws, most egregiously the lack of direct representation, but it's not an unworkable system. The problem is that far too many Americans lap up Bush's propaganda. Voting only works when the population is able to think and has access to accurate information. We seem to willfully avoid both.

And I'd like to see an argument that favors anarchy, because I haven't come across any good ones on Spiderweb in a very long time. Anarchy does not work on a large scale, period. I firmly believe this and will continue to do so until I see a coherent, persuading argument to change my stance.

?Alorael, who would like to clarify that he is TNLIV above. At last, people are giving him strange abbreviated names! He has dreamed of this day!
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Pssst... it's a secret in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, May 3 2004 17:42 Profile Homepage #39
Mock my glory and I will whine piteously at you!

?Alorael, who doesn't need another Aloreal, thank you very much. He still holds a grudge against SMoE over the first one.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Exile/Avernum in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, May 3 2004 17:34 Profile Homepage #2
quote:
Lifted from the Avernum website:
Why did we decide to rework Exile? Well, we love that old game, but, the truth is, it's not so popular anymore. It's just too crude and old, especially compared to our newer work. The sad thing about that is that the game contains a lot of really good design. That's why we decided to do Avernum. We felt, simply, that Exile deserved a lot better.
?Alorael, who couldn't have said it better himself. Whether Jeff's assessment is accurate or not is a personal opinion, but that was his motivation.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
What is your alls problem (I'm not mad anymore) in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, May 3 2004 17:26 Profile Homepage #34
A review here would be fine, although there is a fine line between criticism and flaming. I'd place that line at the constructive preceding criticism, myself.

?Alorael, who doesn't quite see what part of Saunders' plea was so hard to grasp. Whatever it was, The Red Book missed it completely.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Favorite game in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, May 3 2004 11:14 Profile Homepage #4
A2 wins the Exile/Avernum category. BoE/BoA should really be considered a separate category. You get more hours, great plots, etc. ad infinitum, but they're not exactly Spiderweb games. Nethergate is the least generic of the games, and if it weren't so short I think it would be my favorite.

?Alorael, who thinks Nethergate also deserves recognition for being the first Spiderweb game with an end that really is final.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Happy Beltane! in General
Or else o'erleap.
Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, May 3 2004 10:51 Profile Homepage #26
I'm not sure that unity is good no matter what Truth it espouses. Lynch mobs are also a form of unity, but I'd rather have a loose association of people with no common cause.

Some degree of cohesion is necessary, or we go back to that lovely state of nature and short, violent, brutish lives, but religion usually provides order with excess ideological baggage. Government comes closer, although setting up a good government is an extremely tricky task.

I'll go with government because it's better than the alternatives. Religion doesn't cut it, and a mix of the two is theocracy, which combines the worst parts of its components.

?Alorael, who was under the impression that "Under God" was inserted to stick it to those godless Soviet commies. If you don't believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins, you obviously have to die for your sins!
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Age in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Monday, May 3 2004 10:36 Profile Homepage #100
It is, however, exposed by talking.

?Alorael, who supposes one, er, unique person deserves another. Or two others. At least the conversations will never be boring!
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
*bangs head on desk* in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Sunday, May 2 2004 16:53 Profile Homepage #31
Alec, I think you got that backwards. When your signature is longer than your posts, you are committing posting crimes of moderate height.

Dancing Slith, you are a creepy person.

?Alorael, who has no intention of returning to his name anytime soon. He used his 7500th post to liberate himself from the bonds of his moniker, and he might as well enjoy it. It's not as though he is suddenly difficult to recognize. If all else fails, look for the signature and/or post count. And speaking of signatures, it looks like this one meets the conditions that Alec most likely meant to imply wanglessness. Although... does that mean that males and females ought to have invert post to signature length ratios?
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Age in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Sunday, May 2 2004 16:47 Profile Homepage #85
That's a very negative view. Certain people could put a brighter face on it. Probably not Khoth, but surely some others.

There is one very important question that remains, however. When do the tentacles enter the picture, if they do?

?Alorael, who doesn't want to know too specifically. But on the theory that forewarned is forearmed, Khoth deserves that much of a glimpse into his probable future sufferings.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Exile Fan Games in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Sunday, May 2 2004 16:43 Profile Homepage #4
Jeff has taken a hard-line stance against fanfiction. I imagine his view towards fangames will be equally negative, if not more so.

That doesn't mean you can't make your game, of course. It does mean that it will have to be non-commercial and not based on Exile in anything but storyline. Graphics, sounds, and engine are out of the question unless you pay the appropriate parties for the rights.

?Alorael, who would like to add his voice in favor of using BoE/BoA. There's no better medium for reaching the fans of Jeff's games, and you get to use his engine as well.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
What is your alls problem (I'm not mad anymore) in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Sunday, May 2 2004 16:39 Profile Homepage #27
You could have checked the old list of interested parties. That would have been one large, easy batch to send out. But whatever floats your boat...

?Alorael, who is also still interested, and whose email address is still in his profile and still rather obvious.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
*bangs head on desk* in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Sunday, May 2 2004 08:48 Profile Homepage #24
Now, now. That post is significantly longer than some. "tl, dr" springs to mind. Of course "tl, dr" has much more meaning, but... Okay, I don't know where I'm going with this.

That was abjectly miserable spam, Voldermort. Stop it.

?Alorael, who feels somehow less authoritative without his name displayed to the left of his posts. Alas... Do not reply.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00

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