Profile for Dastal
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Displayed name | Dastal |
| Member number | 3610 |
| Title | Warrior |
| Postcount | 129 |
| Homepage | |
| Registered | Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
Recent posts
Pages
| Author | Recent posts |
|---|---|
| Beta-Call for Bahssikava in Blades of Avernum | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Monday, January 17 2005 09:21
Profile
Hey Kelandon, your email no likey my email. Anywho, you can send to d@st@l @t str@tegy pl@net dot com. Standard drill with email for spam protection. Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| In the Spirit of fantasy... in General | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Thursday, January 13 2005 12:25
Profile
In terms of Western weapons, the finest blades came from India and Spain towards the beggining of the period, and more from England towards the end. The Damasque blades are actually fairly interesting, and the folding served both to distribute the high and low carbon steel evenly, and also to provide a stronger, more durrable core and a sharper blade. Any given metal can be forged on a continuum, with the tradeoff being that it is either more capable of being sharpened, but also more brittle, or more durable, but duller. The best swords struck a careful ballance. Incidentally, the Roman swords were thrusting weapons, not slashing weapons because a slash was more likely to be caught in flesh, while a thrust could be easily retrieved. Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| In the Spirit of fantasy... in General | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Tuesday, January 11 2005 12:46
Profile
Err, if you are really doing SCA, and unless they've changed significantly in the last, oh, five years or so, a genuine rapier won't work. They require specially made, padded swords to help prevent people from killing each other. Reallise a real rapier has two very real, very, very sharp edges, and that death of a participant is a very real possibility. If you are looking to fence, I'd suggest an Italian peccoraro. It's much closer to a real weapon then any modern fencing weapons. There is also a German sword, called the schlager, which is fairly popular. A short Google search produced the following site: http://user.netonecom.net/~swordman/SwordSources.htm Enjoy! (Note, I never actually joined the SCA, but I did look at it for a while.) Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Beta-Call for Bahssikava in Blades of Avernum | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Tuesday, January 11 2005 12:33
Profile
Humm, I think you're right. Hotmail doesn't like .zips. Is anyone else having this problem? Kel, can you send me the files unziped? Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Beta-Call for Bahssikava in Blades of Avernum | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Monday, January 10 2005 12:12
Profile
Kelandon, can you resend, Hotmail deffinitely says there's a virus. Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Beta-Call for Bahssikava in Blades of Avernum | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Monday, January 10 2005 05:33
Profile
Your email? I only recieved the two with the attached files. I'll let you know later today. I'm going to try transfering the file from a different computer. Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Did I just hear that?!? in General | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Saturday, January 8 2005 18:05
Profile
You've actually probably all seen the kh transliteration before, at least if you know anything about Soviet history. Khruschev uses that transliteration. =) The really cool one is the African tribe, I think its the Bushmen, that have a clicking sound in their name, translitterated by an exclamation point. Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Beta-Call for Bahssikava in Blades of Avernum | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Saturday, January 8 2005 13:08
Profile
Hotmail's virus scanner gives me an "unknown virus scanner error found" message for the file . Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Did I just hear that?!? in General | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Saturday, January 8 2005 12:53
Profile
Khymen was the god of marriage in the Hellenic pantheon. (The sound transliterated "kh" is pronounced as a stong Spanish "j" or, more acurately, the Hebrew letter khet or the Greek eta.) Khymenaois was Greek for a wedding paen. Hymn comes to us from the Greek khymnos, which was essentially a paen to the various members of the pantheon and the mythological heroes. It should be noted that uses of hymn date to the beggining of the Second Millenia in the Old French ymne and the Old English ymen, hymen comes from the French hymen and was first known to be used in 1615. While the two words may have had the same ultimate root, it should be recognized that they had certainly diverged by the end of the First Millenia since ymne and hymen, the two French roots, are very different. Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Is Plot Important? in Blades of Avernum | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Wednesday, January 5 2005 14:09
Profile
To quote Thuryl: "Does anybody play scenarios for plot anymore?" Or do you "play to be impressed by [the] fancy technical trickery..."? Why? Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Life Cycle of the Adventurer in General | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Saturday, January 1 2005 19:10
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What about Magellan? Also, remember that most of the "adventurers" life stories are as true as Odysseus's. Caesar's life is very different from the story you get from his Commentarium. Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Canopy: Manufactured Womb is Released! in Blades of Avernum | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Friday, December 31 2004 11:55
Profile
Actually, never mind. I thought I had the one in the SW guard tower and didn't. Chears. [ Friday, December 31, 2004 11:57: Message edited by: Dastal ] Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Canopy: Manufactured Womb is Released! in Blades of Avernum | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Friday, December 31 2004 07:13
Profile
I'm missing one of the suns. >SPOILER< I have gotten the one by the demon, the one from the southern guard tower, the one from the tiger-cage area, the one from the training area, the western guard tower, the surface temple, and two others. Anyone know where the one I'm missing is? Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Recommended Reading in General | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Thursday, December 30 2004 10:04
Profile
Oof, where to start: Anything written by Mercedes Lackey is bound to be amazing, especially those stories from the world of Velgarth. Start with Black Gryphon As Mr. Miller stated, Patrick O'Brian's Aubry and Maturin series is quite good, though the last few books leave something to be desired, and the "21st Book" is really a joke. Start from the begining with Master and Commander, though the story has nothing to do with the recent movie of the same name, which was also quite good. The movie was based on a real event that happened in the Anglo-American War of 1812, and is chronicaled in Far Side of the World, which comes later in the series. In the same type of setting, I would also read the Horatio Hornblower series by C.S. Forester, starting, of course, with Mr. Midshipman Hornblower. It's a bit lighter than O'Brian's work, and isn't nearly as hard a read. Interestingly, Hubert Horatio Humphry was once introduced as Hubert Horatio Hornblower. Next up on my list is the Wheel of Time series by Mr. Robert Jordan. The first book, The Eye of the World has been divided in two for younger children. If you are younger, you can start with To the Blight, otherwise, I'd just start with Eye, if only for financial reasons. I would also read the Swallows and Amazons series by that clasic English author, Arthur Ransom. It's really a well done series about some English teens durring various holdiays. It's possibly my favorite book and serries of all time. You should begin with Swallows and Amazons. I should note that the last four books, Great Northern, The Picts and the Martyrs, Missee Lee, and The Big Six, are not published in the US. Of those, The Picts and the Martyrs and The Big Six are really quite good, while the other two, especially Missee Lee are not quite as good as the rest of the series. Moving on to non-fiction. My first selection really bridges the gap. I highly recomend the works of C. Iulius Caesar. His Commentarium de Belo Gallica is especially impressive. You can read it in the original, if you know Latin, which is a bit better, or in translation, if you wish. Being a naval history buff (as you might have guessed), I would highly recomend anything by Admiral Samuel Elliot Morison, Ph.D. I especially liked his 15 vollume History of United States Naval Operations durring World War II. Adm. Dr. Morison was a professor of history at Harvard (though not yet and admiral) on December 7, 1941. On the 8th, he called up President Roosevelt suggesting that maybe, seeing as this would probably be a naval war, there should be a contemperary historian to portray it from inside the American Navy. The Presdent said somthing along the lines of, "Gee Sam, sounds great. Gimme a second here. Okay, I have just written orders making you a Commander in the United States Naval Reserve, orders moving you to active service, and orders telling you to write that history." Dr. Morison did so with aplomb. It is written to an intelligent person of that day, and is interspereced with lines from all the great poets and writers, but it does not require a post-doctorate degree in Naval history to read. I loved how he used a quote from Theuclydes on the Battle of Salamis to describe the aftermath of the Battle of Savo Island. It also has a wonderful personal touch. For istance, when describing Japanese torpedoes, the author notes that, "Japanese torpedoes were perfect. The author particularly is thankful to God, Fate, or the tired factory worker who caused the torpedo that struck the stern of a cruiser the author was serving on to be a dud." Lastly, I would like to suggest the work of Sir Winston Churchill. His seven volume set on World War II, starting with The Gathering Storm is almost as good and Morison's work, and does not stop fifty meters from the the shore. Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Beta-Call for Bahssikava in Blades of Avernum | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Thursday, December 30 2004 09:30
Profile
Name: Robert "Dastal" Dellsy Email Address: v dastal - at - hotmail - dot - com [Kill spaces and dashes, at is @ and dot is a period.] Beta Experience: Inter alia: Empire Earth, Neverwinter Nights, Infantry, CuteFTP, CuteFTP Pro, other programs and net applications, scenarios for Age of Empires, Age of Kings, Empire Earth, Neverwinter Nights, etc. Operating System: Windoows 98SE Party: Singleton-God (Artifacts Hall and Character Editor) for initial test, other parties depending on length. Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Bookshelf in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Wednesday, December 29 2004 09:50
Profile
In addition, bookcases make really good secret doors. You can back a bookcase (or any other wall design) against a secret door wall, and then players can get in. I use this more for either places like a private study that don't add to the plot, or places I want accessable, but not *too* accessable. I think Jeff used this trick in A2 in the library. Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Bookshelf in Blades of Avernum | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Wednesday, December 29 2004 09:50
Profile
In addition, bookcases make really good secret doors. You can back a bookcase (or any other wall design) against a secret door wall, and then players can get in. I use this more for either places like a private study that don't add to the plot, or places I want accessable, but not *too* accessable. I think Jeff used this trick in A2 in the library. Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Khoth's laser chamber in Blades of Avernum | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Saturday, December 4 2004 08:29
Profile
The beams all follow the same pattern, I believe that it's in a three piece cycle, with each cycle lasting approximately 5 turns. Just wait until the beams turn off, and then push the mirror through. Wait, push, etc. Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| The Scenario Shortage in Blades of Avernum | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Friday, December 3 2004 13:00
Profile
You can also find a very large number of scenarios here: http://avernum.com/blades/scen_workshop.html As a matter of fact, the only limit on the number of scenarios found there is your imagination and the ammount of time you have to implement it. Since you said you have plenty of time in the next month to fill with Blades, and you have imagination... Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Re: Avernites role in Empire vs Vahnatai in General | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Sunday, November 28 2004 10:52
Profile
I think you're assuming an awful lot in that argument. For instance, why can't the Empire build an augumented teleporter right off? In #2 we were told numerous times that, while killing Garzahd helped, if the augumented teleporter was ever completed, the Avernites/Exiles would be slaughtered to the man and woman. On the other hand, a mere three cities of Vahanatai helped turn the tables between #2 and #3 (cf. the introductory sequence to #3). Yet we are told that there is another whole tribe of Vahanatai who have never seen the humans (vz. the Vahanatai in Valley of Dying Things), and we know that the single tribe which helped turn the tide is barely half Opened. After all, the PC's in #2 Open one Resting Cell and clear another to be Opened, and in your journey, if you look around in the Vahanatai Lands, you can find at least 5 other Resting Cells waiting to be opened. There are 5 Vahanatai cities that are inhabited (including Fort Haledon, but excluding the bandit fort and Eglit). Of those, Avit is a small town, Fort Haledon is a small outpost, and Mancuso is barely half inhabited. Indeed the Mayor of Mancuso tells you that until all of the Resting Cells are Opened, Mancuso will have a hard time defending itself. Additionally, Eglit has but a single inhabitant (the hermit who teaches the PC's Vahanatai Lore). Further, I would suspect that that there are other ruined cities you know nothing about. Lastly, the Vahanatai manage to hold Kordaddis and hist infernal legions at bay, despite the fact that they are barely awoken. Looking at #3, we see many more Vahanatai in as much as you need to kill huge numbers of them to get to the keep of Rentar-Ihrno. In the final guantlet of #3, you pass through a number of large fortifications (2 in A3 and 3 in E3). The Great Walls are larger than any other fortification of the Vahanatai that we have yet seen, and the New Factory (A3) or the Keep of Rentar-Ihrno (E3) is much larger than any other settlement to date. That is, of course, ignoring the fact that they have also occupied the the Ghirka, and the area under Keep Tinyara, and, almost certainly, the known Vahanatai lands. That's a lot of people, and that's only one tribe. I'm sure that if the Empire attacked any tribe, without prior diplomatic contacts with other tribes, then many of the Vahanatai tribes would attack. This is doubly certain if the other tribes knew of the theft of the Crystal Souls, which they would certainly be told about. So, in that case, I think all would not go well for the Empire is they attacked the Vahanatai. Incidentally, what makes you think the Vahanatai could not survive on the surface? They certainly perfer the caves, but the sunlight killed Erica, not Rentar-Ihrno. Similar to the way that the Avernites survived in the caves but perfered the surface, I bet the Vahanatai could survive on the surface though they perfer subterrainious climes. Incidentally, why would not the Vahanatai ally themselves with the Dragons? The Dragons, especially Sulfuras are planning a great revenge against the Empire as well. Dragons + Vahanatai == Empire in serious trouble. Quite frankly, I can see a sort of World War III type scenario. If either side unleashes their "great weapons" I would be willing to bet that they have enough magical power to destroy the world. Will you play a sort of "special forces" group from the Humans attemting to sabotage the Draco-Vahanatai "ultra-magics" for the preservation of the world? Perhaps you will be a front line soldier in the war who fights against both sides for the good of the people (think the Communist resistance in World War II). Or maybe it will be nothing like that at all, and Jeff will suprise us once again... Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Who lives where in General | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Saturday, November 27 2004 08:57
Profile
I currently live and go to school (high school) in Chicago, IL, USA; on the campus of the University of Chicago. With any luck, I'll be spending the next four years in either Cambridge, MA, USA, next to the Harvard bridge (that's actually MIT, not Harvard) or Hanover, NH, USA. Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Creating New Editors for BoA in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Monday, November 22 2004 12:38
Profile
I am a BoA scenario designer. I also happen to be a senior in high school, and am applying to college. I also happen to be taking a bunch of ultra-advanced courses, some of which are a lot of work, and some of which are relatively less so. I also have a girlfriend, and a bunch of friends, and play sports, and do a bunch of other things which take up some of my time. I also try to get a little sleep here and there as well. (This is all, in fact true about me, but it could just as easily be a lawyer, or a nurse, or a trash collector, or, most relevantly, a college/grad student. Perhaps even more so for a college or grad student.) That gives me a total of, oh, five hours a week, or so, to work on my scenario. Now, I could spend that five hours writing an amazing story, creating cool graphics, thinking up puzzles, or otherwise doing stuff to make my scenario really cool. Alternately, I could spend hours and hours scripting the diaglogue. Incidentally, instead of writing expressive dialogue that immerses you into the story and really makes it good, since programming the dialogue is hard and tedious, I'm going to shorten the dialogue as much as I can since I not only have less time to write it, but I also want to be as sucinct as possible. Since dialogue is so tedius, how much time am I going to be willing to spend on cool puzzles? Yes, I could do all of those things, and not release anything for a year, but I'll be honest, I don't have the motivation for that. So what has just happened? The scenario that could have been amazing has just become a crap scenario. Why? Not because the tool has deprived me of the ability to learn to write code. Oh no! Actually, because I spent so much time cranking out the code since I didn't have the tool that I couldn't devote time to other elements of scenario creation. That, of course, means designing a good scenario requires that you have much more time on your hands than is normal. I find that those kinds of people have much less relevant things to say than bussier people. Oh, and if I did have that kind of time, why would I design a scenario for Blades of Avernum? Why not create my own game, talk with some shareware distribution company, like Ambrosia, and release my own game, and not only make money, but also not have my ideas confined to what is, ultimately, a relatively simplistic engine in the bargain? Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Creating New Editors for BoA in Blades of Avernum | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Monday, November 22 2004 12:38
Profile
I am a BoA scenario designer. I also happen to be a senior in high school, and am applying to college. I also happen to be taking a bunch of ultra-advanced courses, some of which are a lot of work, and some of which are relatively less so. I also have a girlfriend, and a bunch of friends, and play sports, and do a bunch of other things which take up some of my time. I also try to get a little sleep here and there as well. (This is all, in fact true about me, but it could just as easily be a lawyer, or a nurse, or a trash collector, or, most relevantly, a college/grad student. Perhaps even more so for a college or grad student.) That gives me a total of, oh, five hours a week, or so, to work on my scenario. Now, I could spend that five hours writing an amazing story, creating cool graphics, thinking up puzzles, or otherwise doing stuff to make my scenario really cool. Alternately, I could spend hours and hours scripting the diaglogue. Incidentally, instead of writing expressive dialogue that immerses you into the story and really makes it good, since programming the dialogue is hard and tedious, I'm going to shorten the dialogue as much as I can since I not only have less time to write it, but I also want to be as sucinct as possible. Since dialogue is so tedius, how much time am I going to be willing to spend on cool puzzles? Yes, I could do all of those things, and not release anything for a year, but I'll be honest, I don't have the motivation for that. So what has just happened? The scenario that could have been amazing has just become a crap scenario. Why? Not because the tool has deprived me of the ability to learn to write code. Oh no! Actually, because I spent so much time cranking out the code since I didn't have the tool that I couldn't devote time to other elements of scenario creation. That, of course, means designing a good scenario requires that you have much more time on your hands than is normal. I find that those kinds of people have much less relevant things to say than bussier people. Oh, and if I did have that kind of time, why would I design a scenario for Blades of Avernum? Why not create my own game, talk with some shareware distribution company, like Ambrosia, and release my own game, and not only make money, but also not have my ideas confined to what is, ultimately, a relatively simplistic engine in the bargain? Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Avernum 4 in General | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Sunday, November 21 2004 17:57
Profile
He hires an artist to do the graphics (the name escapes me at the moment). And as for why he doesn't ask the community, there's the whole issue of rights. I know if I were a member of the community, and also an artist, I'd want something back for my work. It's a lot simpler just to hire someone. Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
| Creating New Editors for BoA in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Sunday, November 21 2004 17:52
Profile
You want me to show you an amazing scenario written by someone who can't program? Pick your favorite commercial game. [All games in a series are included]: · Baldur's Gate · Neverwinter Nights · Ultima · Kings Quest · Diablo And that's just RPG's. All of them were written, designed, and produced by and large by people who had very little knowledge of programming. The coders were essentially just drones. In the broader world, why should you be able to eat if you can't grow your own grains, fruits, and vegies, and raise your own cows. Can you do all of the number crunching required to figure out how to display your commands? Heck, can you convery your programming commands into ons and offs? If your premise is "we should not have mechanisms to simplify coding into a more accessable interface," aren't you a bit of a hypocrite in using Blades of Avernum's editor instead of making your own game, or even using a computer instead of creating your own custom single-game console? [ Sunday, November 21, 2004 17:54: Message edited by: Dastal ] Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |