Profile for Or else o'erleap.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Displayed name | Or else o'erleap. |
| Member number | 335 |
| Title | Law Bringer |
| Postcount | 14579 |
| Homepage | http://www.polarisboard.net |
| Registered | Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
Recent posts
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| Author | Recent posts |
|---|---|
| Happy Easter in General | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Friday, April 9 2004 11:36
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Happy Easter, and happy Passover too! ?Alorael, who celebrates Passover semi-religiously with Jewish family and Easter secularly with nominally Christian family. Twice the food! Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Article - Choices and Linearity in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, April 8 2004 14:16
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The difference is that plot can carry a scenario. There isn't really any cap, either. Design the plot well enough and you can make it as intricate as you'd like. It's a question of implementation, not feasibility. Loot, on the other hand, has a hard cap. Enough is enough. Too much and you suck the fun out of it. The same with straight combat. The same with almost anything. The key is that plot is, or should be, unique. It doesn't get old or it's a bad plot, which is no better than no plot at all. You can only give a party so many swords and have them face down so many horrible monsters, but you can always through another fork in the plot road or hit them with yet another curveball surprise. —Alorael, who also has no credentials to back up this statement. He would like to add that open-ended and multiple path scenarios really shouldn't be lumped together as non-linear. Branching scenarios still have lines, they just have a few places where lines diverge. Open-ended scenarios have no neat diagram. The former can be made into essentially several similar linear scenarios in one, while the latter is an open-ended romp through one scenario. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Article - Choices and Linearity in Blades of Avernum | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, April 8 2004 14:16
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Homepage
The difference is that plot can carry a scenario. There isn't really any cap, either. Design the plot well enough and you can make it as intricate as you'd like. It's a question of implementation, not feasibility. Loot, on the other hand, has a hard cap. Enough is enough. Too much and you suck the fun out of it. The same with straight combat. The same with almost anything. The key is that plot is, or should be, unique. It doesn't get old or it's a bad plot, which is no better than no plot at all. You can only give a party so many swords and have them face down so many horrible monsters, but you can always through another fork in the plot road or hit them with yet another curveball surprise. —Alorael, who also has no credentials to back up this statement. He would like to add that open-ended and multiple path scenarios really shouldn't be lumped together as non-linear. Branching scenarios still have lines, they just have a few places where lines diverge. Open-ended scenarios have no neat diagram. The former can be made into essentially several similar linear scenarios in one, while the latter is an open-ended romp through one scenario. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Poetry in General | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, April 8 2004 13:57
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Lives Evil by Mike Maguire Evil am I. Evil, as so to die not sane. Menace I lay. A stab mocks. I revolt. No din is still. I kidnap and I kill. It?s sin I don?t love. Risk combat. Say a lie. Cane men. A stone I do toss! Alive, I?m alive. ?Alorael, who cannot miss an opportunity to post this stunning poem, even if it isn't his. Just examine it closely. It gets better when you take a hard look at it. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Ranks in General | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Wednesday, April 7 2004 14:59
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Karma is often used as a weapon instead of a description. For example, someone starts flaming, someone tells them to stop, and then a mod locks the topic. It's not unusual for the one who points out that flaming is against the CoC and the moderator to get ratings of one. That makes no sense. Even when karma is used properly, many people rate before they really know people. Alec, for example. Sure, he debates and gets people angry, but dig deeper and you'll find the sunny, bubbly man waiting to break free. Either that or you'll lose your sanity. ?Alorael, who doesn't like karma at all. He likes it even less for being impossible to avoid. You can rate people even if they turn karma off, although it doesn't do much. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Roses of Reckoning (BoA) is Released! in Blades of Avernum | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Wednesday, April 7 2004 14:34
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I have it on highest authority that the scenario contains gambling, and I have witnessed firsthand the inclusion of more than one BoE scenario. You'd better believe it. —Alorael, who has never seen a third party BoA scenario that can match RoR for deep, intricate plot, dazzling combat, and brilliant technical innovation. It's true in a perfectly literal sense! Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Article - Basic but Vital Tips in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Tuesday, April 6 2004 15:59
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Limits should be the number one priority for first time scenario designers. I embark on the creation of huge epics, and I never get anything done. Start small and finish scenarios. It can become a habit. —Alorael, who has certainly noticed that finishing scenarios has become a habit for TM. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Article - Basic but Vital Tips in Blades of Avernum | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Tuesday, April 6 2004 15:59
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Limits should be the number one priority for first time scenario designers. I embark on the creation of huge epics, and I never get anything done. Start small and finish scenarios. It can become a habit. —Alorael, who has certainly noticed that finishing scenarios has become a habit for TM. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| stinking spiders...(school of magery) in Blades of Avernum | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Tuesday, April 6 2004 15:50
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You need to head farther into the school first. Somewhere deeper there is someone who can tell you to ask the chief Spider about getting into their secret chitrach chambers. —Alorael, who is proud of having reported this with minimal spoiler content. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Favourite Smells in General | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Tuesday, April 6 2004 14:55
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Somehow, due to cosmic weirdness, the shirt is always Arctic's. Chew on that! ?Alorael, who does not like the smell of blood very much, probably for much the same reasons that he objects to the scent of iron railings and such. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| BoA will be out for pc during Summer.. when is summer? in General | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Tuesday, April 6 2004 14:41
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Except in the southern hemisphere, where Jeff's version of summer may be accompanied by snow flurries and temperatures well below zero. ?Alorael, who believes Jeff operates on programmer time. That's like northern hemisphere Pacific Standard Time, only a few weeks later. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Ranks in General | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Tuesday, April 6 2004 13:25
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Karma is meaningless, and post count even more so. Some of the highest post counts are from pure spam, while many of the lowest (like Morgan) are actually new accounts for old and respected members. If you spam to get a better title, you'll get a very special title indeed: Canned. Persist in your spamming ways, and you'll move a letter up and become Banned! ?Alorael, who still has no intention of becoming the first Your Postliness. The deadline approaches quickly, though. This could be the end...! Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Article - Why? in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Monday, April 5 2004 17:56
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I think the arguments here are missing something. Nobody sets out to create a boring scenario. Everyone wants it to be fun so that others will enjoy the story they have to tell, whether it's combat-intensive or combat-free. The differences come from what constitutes fun. There is something exciting about finding new phat lewt. If there weren't, games like Diablo would not rake in money. At the same time, BoE/A doesn't lend itself to long, mindless combat sequences. The medium is great for telling a story, though, and consequently the best BoE scenarios are story-driven. Some use combat well, especially complicated combat with special spells, added handicaps and oddities, and the like. Some use combat where it is appropriate to the story. But the story is the point. It doesn't necessarily need to be an elaborate plot. Look at books and movies. The best book plots are often not action-packed thrillers. Movies thrive much better with that genre. The media are different, and they work best with different material. BoA is no exception; it's not so much the story you tell, but how your plot meshes with the engine. A great scenario should have combat, but it should have well-planned combat that adds instead of just existing. Phat lewt is good, but only when phat lewt is called for. So maybe that's what you should add to Drakey's "Why?" Why would a player want to do this? How is this fun? Does the plot hinder or help the scenario at this point? How about the combat? The treasure? Designers want to design scenarios that they envision, but they should keep in mind the medium through which they are expressing their ideas and the audience they're aiming for. There's nothing sadder than a scenario with no audience. —Alorael, who has just rambled somewhat incoherently. Apologies for that. To all who are too lazy to read the above, the gist of it is "Combat is good. Plot is good. Understanding BoA so you can blend both seamlessly and entertainingly is best." Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Article - Why? in Blades of Avernum | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
|
written Monday, April 5 2004 17:56
Profile
Homepage
I think the arguments here are missing something. Nobody sets out to create a boring scenario. Everyone wants it to be fun so that others will enjoy the story they have to tell, whether it's combat-intensive or combat-free. The differences come from what constitutes fun. There is something exciting about finding new phat lewt. If there weren't, games like Diablo would not rake in money. At the same time, BoE/A doesn't lend itself to long, mindless combat sequences. The medium is great for telling a story, though, and consequently the best BoE scenarios are story-driven. Some use combat well, especially complicated combat with special spells, added handicaps and oddities, and the like. Some use combat where it is appropriate to the story. But the story is the point. It doesn't necessarily need to be an elaborate plot. Look at books and movies. The best book plots are often not action-packed thrillers. Movies thrive much better with that genre. The media are different, and they work best with different material. BoA is no exception; it's not so much the story you tell, but how your plot meshes with the engine. A great scenario should have combat, but it should have well-planned combat that adds instead of just existing. Phat lewt is good, but only when phat lewt is called for. So maybe that's what you should add to Drakey's "Why?" Why would a player want to do this? How is this fun? Does the plot hinder or help the scenario at this point? How about the combat? The treasure? Designers want to design scenarios that they envision, but they should keep in mind the medium through which they are expressing their ideas and the audience they're aiming for. There's nothing sadder than a scenario with no audience. —Alorael, who has just rambled somewhat incoherently. Apologies for that. To all who are too lazy to read the above, the gist of it is "Combat is good. Plot is good. Understanding BoA so you can blend both seamlessly and entertainingly is best." Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Goblins in Blades of Avernum | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Monday, April 5 2004 17:28
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Martha is friendly. She's not effusive about it, and she's not too bright, but she doesn't even try once to eat you. For an ogre, that's positively worshipful. —Alorael, who wouldn't feel right with ogres of the GIFT variety. For one thing, they're already giant. For another, antics that are cute in a spider could be quite agonizingly painful in a huge brutish humanoid. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Website Overhaul and Reorganization in General | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Monday, April 5 2004 17:22
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I've heard this "frequent updating" story before. I'll believe it when I have RiB up and running before my own eyes. Until then, no matter how many times you update, I refuse to believe that it is truly updating. ?Alorael, who has a one track mind when it comes to abusing Drakefyre. In a purely healthy, platonic way, of course. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| scenario criticism in Blades of Avernum | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Monday, April 5 2004 11:48
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If you liked the system and graphics of E3, you'll love BoE. If you can't stand E3, you probably won't tolerate BoE too well. —Alorael, who definitely gives BoE thigh marks for plot and for sheer volume of time you can spend playing the many, many scenarios. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Beta-Call for Roses of Reckoning in Blades of Avernum | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Monday, April 5 2004 11:44
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The file is 4.8 megs. That's not going to work for anyone on hotmail or some other free email services. —Alorael, who is also a tester, in case TM suffered amnesia and forgot. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| VoDT question: opening portculli in Experiment Halls? in Blades of Avernum | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Monday, April 5 2004 11:37
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I can't remember which of the many portculli this is. There are many that are operated by lever, of course, but there's also at least one that you have to open through buttons on a control panel, and I believe there is one portcullis that can never be opened at all. Look for secret doors both nearby and anywhere there is a gap in your automap. —Alorael, who doesn't think this sounds like the way to the Waste Disposal Area anyway. Make sure you've explored the outdoors fully. It's easy to get distracted with one pile of towns and miss another. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Poetry in General | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Monday, April 5 2004 11:08
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He was only Custer for a brief, misleading period of time before his underlying Alecness was revealed. ?Alorael, who will thank Djur for ceasing his spate of typo correction. Actual thanking is contingent on Djur's actual cessation of aforementioned activity. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Poetry in General | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Sunday, April 4 2004 10:09
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If you want to write pretentious poetry, make sure you can back it up. If you want to write self-mocking poetry, go ahead. The criticism is praise, in a twisted sort of way. Never take your work too seriously. Parsley is gharsley --Ogden Nash ?Alorael, who is not a poet in any way, shape, or form. He'd have to strain himself to come up with something as good as that. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Goblins in Blades of Avernum | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Sunday, April 4 2004 09:48
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The friendly goblins were the peach kind from Nethergate. Apparently willingness to chat died out when the species evolved into the later pink variety. —Alorael, who would like to have a moment of silent prayer for poor Gobo's people. Alas, a harsh new world had no place for their pale kind. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Cleric/Sorcerer Combination in Blades of Avernum | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Saturday, April 3 2004 08:29
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I make parties of two fighters, one with tool use, and two characters with their lessons split evenly between mage and priest skills. In the beginning it means they're not so great, as they have no intelligence to speak of, but they have plenty of spell points and they can almost always cast all the spells they can find of both the mage and priest varieties. —Alorael, who would say that the limit on the spell skills is the amount required to cast the highest spell. In BoA, that's 17 of each. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| BoA and Realmz what link?? in Blades of Avernum | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Friday, April 2 2004 18:33
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Lizardmen and Cathoons also play little to no role in Realmz, while they're integral to the plot of the Avernum games. Which reminds me that Reamz tends to have no plot in most of the scenarios... Lizardmen and catmen are both common features of fantasy, second only to elves and dwarves. At least Avernum has the decency to have a few races with some details instead of hordes of poorly balanced and even more poorly explained races. —Alorael, who is no Realmz fan. Or hadn't you guessed that? Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Using a party form VoDT to ASR in Blades of Avernum | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Friday, April 2 2004 11:06
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Just take your level 14 party into ASR. It shouldn't be terribly unbalanced once you're past the very beginning, and you can always tweak the difficulty setting if you want to. —Alorael, who wouldn't worry about having exactly the right levels. As long as you don't take a level 20 party into a first level scenario, it should work out. If it doesn't, you'll notice and you can correct it then. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |