Profile for Student of Trinity
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Displayed name | Student of Trinity |
| Member number | 3431 |
| Title | Electric Sheep One |
| Postcount | 3335 |
| Homepage | |
| Registered | Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
Recent posts
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| Author | Recent posts |
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| Forum tweaking in General | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Friday, December 8 2006 01:38
Profile
Wait, does that mean the next eager young newb who joins up will actually be getting a used account, whose brief-tenured previous owner was a spambot? I hope you at least hose their user numbers down a few times after deleting them. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| A good idea in General | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Thursday, December 7 2006 12:21
Profile
For the uninitiated, it's a long-running inside joke here to refer to the enormous transnational corporation, whose ubiquitous products range the gamut from shareware games under the label 'Spiderweb' through cotton swabs under the label 'Q-Tips' all the way to heavy lift helicopters under the label 'Sikorsky' and thermonuclear warheads under the label 'Strategic Air Command', as 'Jeff'. Apparently we can get away with it because they haven't yet trademarked the name. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| A good idea in General | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Thursday, December 7 2006 07:57
Profile
Thing is, writing a story he said he'd never write is still basically sticking to his last as a shareware CRPG maker. Creating a multiplayer game brings a whole lot of technical and designing difficulties with which Jeff has little experience. If I were him, I'd have to be doing very well indeed in sales of previous games, before risked half a year's income (at least) on such a novel venture. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| tinker gloves question in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Thursday, December 7 2006 05:21
Profile
The number of tools it takes to do something usually seems to change only in bigger steps of Mechanics skill than two. So the gloves may put you over the line to do it with one less tool, or may not, depending on how close to the line you were without the gloves. It's always worth a try. Some tasks don't use varying numbers of tools; you just either do it, or don't (mines, mainly). Some give you a possibility to succeed safely, succeed with an explosion, or fail (power crystals). In all cases, tinker's gloves are worth bringing along and putting on just before you try whatever it is. In fact by the end of the game I'm usually carrying around a small wardrobe of special Mech-boosting gear in my backpack, which all together raises my Mech by about 5. I walk up to a door or something feeling like the old animated Hercules. "I will just put on my ring." And my gloves, and my cloak, and my shield, and my tunic. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| how i get in the shapers crypt? And what is in there? in Geneforge Series | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Thursday, December 7 2006 00:23
Profile
If you stay in combat mode the whole time, the Inner Crypt is totally doable on Torment with an Agent, without using the Geneforge. A good challenge, but it shouldn't even take multiple tries. Whether you can do it without unacceptable engine abuse, I can't recall. I did it long ago, and my conscience about such things was under-developed then. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| GF 3 Tier 4 Creations Overview in Geneforge Series | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Thursday, December 7 2006 00:19
Profile
In G2, Drakons were not as good as Gazers. The ones you built would each hurt three enemies a bit, but your Gazers would kill things. I never tried Drakons in G3, so it would be interesting to know if they have been beefed up. But how tough an enemy Drakon is says nothing about how good your own would be. Shape some and see! -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| What have you been reading lately? in General | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Wednesday, December 6 2006 23:59
Profile
Atlas Shrugged: huh. A great title, which I seem to recall her writing somewhere that her husband contributed. One of the few times in real life where a rich industrialist invents something. AS kind of sticks in your mind forever, like that really garish comic book you read as a kid. In that sense, it's some kind of achievement. But man, as a novel, and as a philosophy, it's just goofy. Jack Vance wrote things set in less kooky universes. But AS is apparently dead serious. Well, unless you just don't read it that way, I suppose. If you simply ignore Rand, and pretend AS was written by Vance, it could be a masterpiece. -------------------- Listen carefully because some of your options may have changed. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| All good things must come to an end... in General | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Wednesday, December 6 2006 14:26
Profile
Now, now; it's a serious question, and it deserves a serious answer. You know how a Gatling gun works, right? Many barrels, you turn a crank, they go round quickly and fire one after another, BA-BA-BA-BA-BANG? Well, Alorael has developed an exactly similar device, only for posting on electronic forums. No-one else has dared to use it, for fear of accidentally getting a hand blown off, but Alorael has been using a .50 calibre sniper rifle while buzzed out on skribbane for so long, that he laughs in the face of such fears. Well, it's more a sort of cackle, what he does. But anyway. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Avernum 5 Ideas in Avernum 4 | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Wednesday, December 6 2006 08:20
Profile
Huh; I think I remember this, and I think it grew on me. A4 was my first real exposure to Avernum, but now I'm looking forward to A5. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| how i get in the shapers crypt? And what is in there? in Geneforge Series | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Wednesday, December 6 2006 00:24
Profile
It's not so bad, really. Well, yes, it's bad. But staying in combat mode the whole darn time makes it much less horrendous, simply because it cuts down dramatically on the number of freshly spawned monsters you have to face. And if you know where to go, so you don't have to flop back and forth across the burning pads too many times, this also helps a lot. Strolling through the Inner Crypt in normal mode is a death march even after using the Geneforge. Except perhaps for a Shaper; a large force of high-level Cryodrayks might be able to fry the random monsters easily. Funny, I guess I never tried that. I tried it with a Geneforged Agent and got pwned. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Avernum 5 Ideas in Avernum 4 | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Wednesday, December 6 2006 00:19
Profile
Everyone hates chitrachs, but we need something to hate. Elevation would be cool, and so would the G4 AP system; but making sure that melee doesn't languish too badly. Not doing enough damage, or having too many monsters that give you unavoidable major badness when you hit them, tilts the game too much toward casters. Starting somewhere in established Avernum, but exploring a totally new region of the underworld, would be coolest. The old, relatively small patch of subterranean real estate has had so many bad things happen to it, that letting it rest in peace for a while would make it much more plausible that anyone is still left down there at all. Exploring a new area would be great. With elevation, better lighting rules, and some new weird stuff. How about a large Vahnatai city, for instance? Or an open-ended plot in the sense that there are a number of quite different alternative goals to achieve. And maybe not have everything so urgent, all the time. Some casual exploring, without having to save the world, would be fun, at least for much of the game. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Statistics:Topics Derailed in General | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Tuesday, December 5 2006 21:45
Profile
quote:That's it! The problem is that when this topic gets derailed, it's staying on topic. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Shock Trooper in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Tuesday, December 5 2006 21:43
Profile
You'll want to get up to Mass Energize and Spin Shield in Blessing Magic, but you can probably skip the rest. You'll have good healing. So otherwise, pump Missile and Dexterity, I would say. Missiles are good now simply because thorns ramp up their damage over the course of the game so much faster than melee weapons; the fact that crystals are more precious than ever also helps a lot. Hoard crystals and use them only when needed! And forge every one you can! -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Agent Mouawad in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Tuesday, December 5 2006 21:38
Profile
quote:But if you were explaining human government to aliens, you might well say, 'a group of 100 of us has to approve all our laws'. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Monarch is YOU! in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Tuesday, December 5 2006 21:30
Profile
I had the idea that Monarch might be the PC from G3, but decided it wasn't so. I suppose G1 is possible. But I'm pretty sure Jeff's attitude is that the Shaper world is not short on maniacs. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Agent Mouawad in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Tuesday, December 5 2006 15:55
Profile
Perhaps any loyal member of the Shaper hierarchy might identify enough with hierarchy to use 'we' and 'us' in these contexts. That is, 'there are nine of us' could just mean 'nine of us shapers'. After all, if Mouawad were a Council member she would presumably outrank Alwan, and not have to put up with his decisions about trusting rebel freaks. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| The Melee Warrior in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Tuesday, December 5 2006 05:01
Profile
quote:Wait, doesn't Eliza let you have the DFO as a reward for helping her out? I'm pretty sure she does, or at least she did. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Statistics:Topics Derailed in General | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Monday, December 4 2006 23:14
Profile
Such as this one, for crying out loud. I tried to derail it immediately, an attempt at irony so obvious that I was hoping it might nudge over the line into ironical obviousness. It was ignored. And now we're on page two, still about topics getting derailed. This obviously and ironically goes to show something, but I'm too piqued to think what. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Nethergate 2.0 development "announced"! in General | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Monday, December 4 2006 23:06
Profile
People who objected that A4 was a hackfest usually cited Nethergate along with A2 as examples of what they wished Spiderweb would get back to. Now we have G4, which has all the sorts of things these people were wanting, and soon Nethergate 2.0. Even though Nethergate 2.0 is just a remake, not a new game, I think Jeff has said it will have some new content. So everyone should be happy. But it isn't the sophisticated criticisms on these boards that have made this new turn happen. It's the throngs of people buying A4 that have made Jeff feel safe enough for the moment about his mortgage payments to be able to indulge his Aahht. So people who want more sophisticated Spiderweb games ought to do their best to give Jeff's latest products free publicity. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Did you use the Geneforge? (spoilers for GF 1) in Geneforge Series | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Monday, December 4 2006 22:31
Profile
quote:Saved from pyschopathy by munchkinism. [ Monday, December 04, 2006 22:35: Message edited by: Student of Trinity ] -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| The Melee Warrior in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Monday, December 4 2006 16:10
Profile
Sure, there are lots of ways to survive. Our complaint is that chopping stuff becomes a less and less significant part of that package, though, as the game goes on. This is a drag for a build that's supposed to be about melee. All the boosting items are naturally to be used, but they still only go so far. Just think: picking up a weapon in chapter 4 that did 1-8 would be like getting a shaped blade that raised Melee Weapons by about 10. For comparison, Kill does 1-12. Of course, Kill drains energy and chopping doesn't. But I'm not sure that entirely compensates. [ Monday, December 04, 2006 16:12: Message edited by: Student of Trinity ] -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| A Tribute to Geneforge 4 and Jeff's Great Game Creating Skills in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Monday, December 4 2006 14:47
Profile
Those of us who feel even somewhat this way should try to spread the word as much as possible, so Jeff sells lots of copies and is encouraged to make more games like this. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| The Melee Warrior in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Monday, December 4 2006 14:36
Profile
Hmm, my melee servile had to pump strength pretty high too, for the same reason. He's got it at 12 now. But he isn't wearing all the heaviest stuff he has found, just some decent stuff he can carry. He has good buffing magic, but it's true that his melee attacks haven't really been impressive for some time. He gradually hacks things to death, but he hasn't had really impressive chopping ability since Chapter 2. It's just hard to get excited about spending so many skill points to get an average +3 damage per strike, against enemies with health in the hundreds. It sounds as though the strength versus weight thing may indeed be a bit off. And I'm beginning to think there may be a systematic problem with the way these games handle melee damage. It's directly proportional to your relevant ability scores. Over the course of the game, these grow ever more slowly, from levels gained, as their cost in skill points rises. Your rate of picking up boosting items accelerates somewhat over the course of the game, and this partly compensates. And high Quick Action, with more frequent second swings, does provide some nonlinear growth, I guess, inasmuch as it amplifies your other boosts. But I think the result is still not much better than linear growth overall as the game progresses, if it is even quite that. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong (and let's face it, by 'someone' I mean Slarty), but I don't think you get any items that boost your melee damage die size past the 1-5 you first hit with the broadswords you can get in Chapter 1. In contrast, battle mages and shapers are getting higher die sizes for their damage steadily throughout the game. So I think melee inevitably stagnates. Chopping power relative to monster toughness seems to decline after a high point somewhere in early chapter 2, or even chapter 1 (that steel broadsword was great). Somehow I never really thought about this while beta-testing. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Episode 3: A New Game in General | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Monday, December 4 2006 14:17
Profile
This is evidently the OOC thread for Dikiyoba's one-person RP. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
| Light in Geneforge 4: Rebellion | |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Monday, December 4 2006 12:33
Profile
Now, if only there could be one special lamp, lying around somewhere inconspicuous, which summons up a semi-phenomenal, nearly cosmic Eyebeast for you when you polish it up. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |