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The end of the stupidity. in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #18
With the help of my best friend/roomate who is a computer science major, I am working to find a way to make my pages harder to rip off. And yes, it IS a personal site, but that doesn't mean that my (quite clearly placed and understood) notice that my work is copyrighted and not to be reproduced without permission is not valid.

quote:
Originally written by Imban:

The condescending attitude you seem to be showing him seems a particularly poor way to smooth things over, Cavanoskus.
Considering everyone is telling me that he won't understand a word of what I've said anyway, I think the bit of condescension that has, admittedly, sneaked into my tone, would go right over his head. And besides, I'm offering him free help with his web page.

quote:
Further, I'm slightly saddened that you think the administration staff here could possibly suck that badly.
1. I apologized for being suspicious, but previous experience on forums has conditioned me to be terrified of mods.

2. Please don't take this as argumentative, but you don't seem to see where I'm coming from...I mean, it seems like you just want to cover this up ASAP and leave me without closure. I don't think it's entirely unreasonable to fear that talking about an issue considered "closed" (whether fairly or not) by a moderator would result in some unforseen consequence.

I want to resolve this issue just as much as you do, but considering I was the one wronged here, I should be allowed to seek such a resolution on my own terms. As far as I am concerned, I have done so, and all I'm looking for now is a bit of understanding from the community that:
1. he appropriated my artwork without permission.
2. he called me a liar when I denied that I had given permission.
3. he may, possibly, continue with some form of harassment or flaming, and if so, he might post defamatory things in this community that I would like to notify others, ahead of time, are not true.
4. everything I create is a part of myself, and a reflection of myself; my every work (regardless of quality) is a piece of my soul. I don't like finding pieces of my soul in places I didn't leave them. This does not feel good; not at all. I would even say it's a bit violating.

Art theft cuts the artist the most deeply, and I seek your understanding of its importance. If a similar thing has happened to anyone here, if they read this, they would sympathize. The last thing in the WORLD one likes to hear in this situation is "just get over it," especially when untruths about you are still posted in a public place.

[ Tuesday, February 22, 2005 22:30: Message edited by: Cavanoskus ]

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
The end of the stupidity. in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #12
His "libelous" action was to claim he had been given permission after I denied having ever given him such permission; in other words, he called me a liar, and that is something I am not.

I didn't actually help him yet, I just redid his page to see how long it took, although I WILL be amused if he decides to, without asking, "appropriate" the code I re-wrote. If he takes up my offer, yes, I will help him...why not? He took the art down, and I mean, he IS a kid; I'm trying to smooth things over here as best I can, and if placating a 12-year-old will add to my integrity (as well as provide more exposure), I'll do it. I can show him that us grownups aren't all bad, even if we say "no."

None of this would have been necessary had the other thread not been closed before I had a chance to see this to its conclusion. I don't know how many of you are artists, but I am not going to stand for the theft of my intellectual property, and it is my duty as a self-respecting artist to make an attempt to see that such an infraction does not occur again, and to protect my reputation by proving that the other party was indeed a thief and completely in the wrong.

Also, I am trying to set the record straight because I like this community and, foolish as this may be, I actually care what you all think. I know it's not incredibly likely that the illiterate ramblings of some kid will harm others' perceptions of me, but it HAS happened to me before, and worse. I was in a similar situation a couple of years ago, on another forum -- some kid (14 or so, with the screen name of TanNerX) downloaded my Azelstrad picture, threw colors and textures all over it with photoshop, erased my signature and replaced it with his own, and then posted it on his own web page (which he was brilliant enough to link to in his signature). I found out about this because some other member posted about how much they liked "his" picture, and during the course of the discussion, my stolen, altered art was posted, where I finally saw it.

Now, that was CLEARLY a more blatant case of theft, but when I complained, a bunch of solicitous forum posters told me I was being "mean" and I should "just let him play with your drawing" and "it's doing no harm, don't make him take it down," "you should be glad he liked it enough to take it," and other such remarks. Naturally, I wasn't going to be robbed just because a bunch of people with no concept of copyright law told me I should be "flattered." So, after much ado, I FINALLY got the kid to take the picture down, and by the next day, he proceeded to flame me in every way possible, all over the board and his own page, and enough people actually took this kid's side that I got banned for a week.

So, this whole incident just looked too familiar, and this thread was my attempt to let everyone know what was going on in case the flames started pouring in (which, of course, I would have done in the original thread, had it not been locked before I could assure that my rights were no longer being violated).

I do not want to get banned from another forum because of another kid like TanNerX and a bunch of people all taking his side because he's a kid. (He, or she, actually...I remember that was never made clear.)

Please at least give me some sort of hint that you might understand, before arbitrarily locking this topic just because you don't get where I'm coming from or why I would post this (which I did think was somewhat clear in the original post, which I am not entirely sure you read). The discussion may be over for you, but for me, it isn't over until I can be sure no harm has been done.

Everybody: I'm sorry a past event led me to worry that you would take the side of an art-thieving kid just because he's a kid and "didn't know it was wrong" or somesuch. Thanks to everyone who stood up for me.

[ Tuesday, February 22, 2005 22:37: Message edited by: Cavanoskus ]

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
The end of the stupidity. in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #0
:o Ok, mods, fellow members, and everyone, please be forgiving, keep my prior good behavior in mind, and bear with me for just a moment. I really don't want to start any trouble, or get involved in a flame war of any sort. In a way I feel that my personal integrity is being challenged (however ineptly), and I simply want to put some issues to rest, and move on.

What happened was this: the member "genoforge" posted a link to his website, on which I found a piece of my own artwork, posted without my permission and without any credit given to me. He also used the same picture in his profile on this forum. My discovery of this, and my immediate aggravated reaction, is in this thread.

Now, for the record, he has taken down both copies of the image, but has added the following to his web page:
quote:

ALL OF YOU AT SPIDWEB FORUMS(1) Cavanoskus I DID ASK FOR YOUR PERMISHON IN YOUR FORUMS BUT I MUST ALSO SAY THAT WHEN I PUT IT UP I DIDNT KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM I FOUND IT ON MY CONPUTER WICH IS A LITTLE MESSY RIGHT NOW (2) I CAN ONLY WORK ON THIS SITE ABOUT TEN MINUTS A WEEK SO IT ISNT AS GOOD AS IT COULD BE (3) ON THE HISTORY OF DRAGONS PAGE I SAY I DID NOT WRITE THIS SO AND I THINK I EVEN GIVE A LINK IM NOT SURE THERE (4) THE THING IN MY YOUTH PASTORS MOUTH IS A CUP AND YES HE IS BEING SILLY HE IS VERY FUNNY (5) ON MY PAGES THAT I KNOW OR A LITTLE MESSED UP *SNIFF* I ALWAYS SAY THAT I DID NOT WRITE THIS IF I DIDNT WRITE IT AND IM 12 AND I STARTED THIS SITE BECOUSE I WAS BORED THAT IS ALL NOW ILL GO TO BED THE MONSTERS JAWS THE MONSTERS JAWS THE MONSTERS JAWS THE MONSTERS JAWS THE MONSTERS JAWS THE MONSTERS JAWS THE MONSTERS JAWS THE MONSTERS JAWS THE MONSTERS JAWS THE MONSTERS JAWS THE MONSTERS JAWS THE MONSTERS JAWS THERE HAPPY

(Each repetition of "THE MONSTERS JAWS" is, on his site, a link to my web page, because I had complained that he had taken an image from my site and not even linked to it, despite obviously liking it so much.)

I am going to respond to this in the case that anyone actually sees what this kid wrote and believes him; not for the purpose of arguing with him, but to protect my reputation on these boards as a truthful person.

1. He did not ask for my permission, ever, and certainly not on my forums, as he claims. The only posts he has made on my forums are the following:

quote:

(Original thread here)
why did you wast all that time doing that it was pathetic ( oh yippee i can type lets show the hole world you are an idiot ) so instead of wasting all our time making stupid topics do something useful for the first time in your entire life or do us a favor and kill yourself

quote:

(Original thread here)
Subject: all of you or idiots
you people or pathetic if you are going to just stare at the monitor and drool go somewhere else and drool but i think that this is a place to write or complain or tell some @#%$ gay thing about you girlfriend for all i care but at least write or leave idiot
(oh ya hi my name at spiderweb software boards is UR-DRAKON and i like the art

All I see is "i like the art" and that does not constitute "may I please use this picture on my web page?" I also see a heck of a lot of unnecessary hostility toward my other visitors. The fact that my drawing just happened to be on his computer certainly does not excuse him, because in order for it to get there he had to download it despite my rather blatant warnings against such action.

2. Ten minutes a week? Just because I was curious, I timed myself while fixing his main page. Time: six minutes, 42 seconds. Good God Almighty, looking at his code made a little part of me die.

"genoforge," "UR-DRAKON," whatever your name is, I am hereby offering to code your web page for you, for free. This is a one-time-only offer which I am making due to the fact that most 12-year-olds cannot afford my regular rate, and because I would really like to lance this festering boil on the buttocks of the internet. My offer includes a custom background and graphics that I will make for your use. The only price is that you give me acknowledgement for my help and not use any images of mine that I do not expressly give to you.

3. He did not say, on the "History of Dragons" page, that he did not write it. No such clarification was given. I would link to it now, but it has mysteriously (and with rather guilty timing) disappeared from his site.

That is all I have to say about this. I must address one more topic, and that is the blind defense provided by the aptly-named "loser3."

quote:

you all stop :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: picking on genoforge he might not have known not to put it on or something the copy right it is small you all get lost b3952002@yahoo.com if you have any problems :P

(And another post, found here, that does actually hold a single fact: barley does, indeed, have a better grasp of HTML than does genoforge.)

My single response to this post is to illustrate that my copyright notice is not at all hard to find. At the top of my artwork page reads, in normal-sized text, the following:
quote:

Here's some artwork of mine. Some of it is a few years old, and some is more recent. Links that say NEW next to them mean they have been added recently, but not necessarily that it is a recent picture. By the way, thank you for NOT reproducing any of this elsewhere. Of course, if you ask really nicely, I might let you. However, if you reproduce it without my permission, and I find out, you will be forbidden from using any of my work anywhere, period, no matter how nicely you ask me. I don't take kindly to plagiarists. Ask FIRST, not when you get caught.

Additionally, every one of my pictures is presented with a text copyright notice at the bottom.

That sums it up. Once again, please forgive me for posting something which might seem like a waste of time to everyone but me. Note that this would not have been necessary, but the original post was locked before I could even talk to genoforge about this, thus prompting him to post an all-caps rant of lies on his own web site, followed by spamming links to my page, and I fear the reactions of anyone who comes across me in that way.

Libel from a 12-year-old...it's sad, but in the days of the internet, it could happen. *shudders*

Mods: PLEASE give me a chance to reply to you at least ONCE before you decide to lock this. I only started this thread because there was no chance for resolution in the other one, and now some kid is smearing my name on the web. :(

Thank you, one and all, for your time.

(Translation for loser3 and genoforge, in their own language: "rofl pwned u n00b, omgwtflolbbq d00d lololololol!!!!1")

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
my website in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #36
quote:
Originally written by Thuryl:

There seems to be a mentality in some circles that if it's on the Internet, it's free. I doubt the misappropriation in this case was malicious.
"Malicious?" As if he purposefully stole my artwork to defame me in some way? No. Not a chance. This rarely happens, so it can rarely be said that theft of artwork is "malicious." I never claimed he had anything against me, or anyone else.

What he is doing, however, is posting a drawing of mine in two different places, and crediting me in neither. He doesn't even link to my site where the artwork came from, and that piece has only been up for a couple months, so I KNOW that's where he got it from; he's not stealing from someone else who stole, in other words. He ignored obvious copyright warnings, and a message which strictly forbids others from using my work without permission.

So, no, not "malicious." Just ignorant, childish, and too stupid to read the text on the page he steals from. Such shortcomings are no excuse to ignore obvious directions.

Maybe he found my site through the Spiderweb boards...in which case, didn't it ever occur to him that I might see it? Did he even think I'd mind, considering the fact that he seems too idiotic to have even read the words next to the pictures?

I am starting to think that no one under the age of 10 should be allowed on the internet...and this kid isn't helping.

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
my website in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #29
No, I haven't talked to him yet, I just now came back here after something like 4 months of absence, and stumbled across this whole mess.

I'm thinking he'll come in here and read this thread, and then I will have a few choice words to say.

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
my website in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #26
quote:
Originally written by Millicent, Dear Millicent:

Hey! Another art thief! There's too many of them these days.

The picture (and what I've seen of your other work) is quite good, by the way.

Thank you. You would ask, right? Wouldn't most people with two brain cells to rub together follow the directions that say, "if you ask nicely, I'll let you reproduce my art?"

And not even a link to my page, where he obviously found that image.

I am rather infuriated.

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
my website in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #22
Oh, my God. Yes, this is a double-post. But I think you will forgive me.

This little twerp is ripping off my artwork, by posting it, uncredited, and in pretty darn horrible shape, I might add. Check it out here.

The original: Handaxe Dragon

Do you see my name on there anywhere? Do you? No? Well, then, that's theft, isn't it? Especially since every bloody image on my site is accompanied by a copyright notice, and the main pages bear the words "ask permission first."

And I'm willing to bet your "History of Dragons" is plagiarized as well, considering the fact that it seems to have been written by someone who is actually literate.

Edit: JESUS CHRIST! It's in his profile, too!

[ Sunday, February 20, 2005 16:52: Message edited by: Cavanoskus ]

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
my website in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #20
Just out of curiosity, how old are you?

And, BSC, that guy is apparently his "youth paster," which I have interpreted to mean "youth pastor" rather than "one who pastes youths."

[ Sunday, February 20, 2005 16:32: Message edited by: Cavanoskus ]

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
Exile tabletop RPG! in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #34
Titles cannot be copyrighted. Names can.

The word "nephilim" is not original, but its usage as "the name of a species of humanoid felines" could be.

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
stupid question... in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #4
quote:
Originally written by Mickey:

Ok... But wouldn't people find it kinda odd, that their players are over 100 years old at some point and everyone of them look the same as they did when they started and didn't die from old age? Is this all just ignored?
Yeah, that's kinda odd. But so are slimes, giant hostile fungi, and many other elements of RPGs.

Aging is annoying. It more or less imposes a time limit on your characters. While it can add to realism, realism has never been necessary in RPGs. If aging is implememted, it should be an option that can be turned off at the player's discretion.

Realmz had PCs that aged. It bugged me. I just wanted to explore, but the game treated me as if my characters had just wasted their lives wandering around. Why bring one of the most obnoxious aspects of reality into a game meant to suspend reality?

Don't get me wrong, aging can add interesting mechanics to the game world, but it can also seem like an arbitrary fiddling with stats that annoys the player.

I guess it could be fun to draw multiple age variations of character portraits. And it might be interesting to create a world that changes with generations. But in most RPGs, it would be an annoyance.

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
Avatars in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #5
Sometimes, avatars are neat. But more often, they're horribly annoying, because they just serve as another way for board members to try to prove how much more awesomely cool they are than other board members. We have enough of a venue for arrogance already.

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
Exile tabletop RPG! in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #22
quote:
Originally written by Occam's Guillotine:

I must retract the third website. Someone grabbed Avernum and took off running. The creator also has atrocious spelling (by choice or by nature) and a problem with at least two counts of intellectual property violation.

—Alorael, who has nothing more to say on the subject. It's all fun and games until someone writes Vahnatari.

Actually, the more I look at the page, the more disgusted I get, though mostly because of the festering tons of arrogance displayed by the "author," who obviously believes that "his" system is better than all other RPGs ever created, ever, in the history of the universe. :rolleyes:

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
TaskMaker in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #6
I was wondering if anyone else had ever played TaskMaker. I thought it was a lot of fun, though I never played the sequel.

StormImpact is dead? Does that mean the games are freeware now? What happens if someone wants to register? :confused:

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
Avernum 4 in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #209
quote:
Originally written by Kreshweed:

That's why you should play Exile. Avernum is for the mob.

I don't disagree with you. I agree with you so completely, that it's unlikely such unison has ever existed in the history of men. That's what I've been saying all the time!

:D I do play Exile. I only play Avernum when I feel lighthearted enough to not mind the silliness.

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
Avernum 4 in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #207
quote:
Originally written by Kreshweed:

Look, the drawings are clichés. A quick look at the women's physique and clothing should remove all doubt. But they are clichés and proud of it! That's why I like them!

That makes them worse. Yay, cartoons! Avernum: Exile for kids! No, seriously...I understand a certain amount of cliché is expected in RPGs and in a great deal of fantasy in general; the genre has become VERY populated. My argument is that they negatively change the atmosphere of the games, injecting enough silliness to destroy any illusions of drama the moment I click on "Train Character." Imagine reading an addictive fantasy novel that incorporates a few elements of suspense, mystery, conspiracy, and even terror. Now imagine, scattered throughout the book, there are exaggerated, simplistic doodles that make a conscious attempt to be silly and clichéd. And worse yet, these cartoons are interspersed throughout the entire book, always silly, regardless of the mood of the surrounding text.

The result: Mood is broken. Suspension of disbelief ceases. You are thrown out of the story with a cartoony reminder that it's not real. Enjoyment is hampered. This is how I feel when I play Avernum. I still enjoy the game, but to a lesser extent than I enjoyed Exile, because Avernum keeps reminding me that none of these things are actually happening, and even the most frightening moments are still only as serious as a Saturday morning cartoon.

quote:

Doh, have you ever heard of humour? :P
Yes, I have. In many cases, I find it enjoyable. In fact, I would go far enough to say that it's a big part of my life. But in the case of Avernum, it destroys the mood, as well as the moods of BoA scenarios, which is very unfortunate for the designers, who must sit back and watch their efforts at mood be derailed by a guy with a pen and a hankering for comedy.

PS. You are entitled to your opinion, as am I. I'm not trying to argue or fight with you, only trying to make sure my point of view is as clearly stated as possible. I'm sorry if I run anyone over in the process. ;)

[ Tuesday, December 07, 2004 21:43: Message edited by: Cavanoskus ]

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
Exile tabletop RPG! in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #17
quote:
Originally written by Occam's Guillotine:

I must retract the third website. Someone grabbed Avernum and took off running. The creator also has atrocious spelling (by choice or by nature) and a problem with at least two counts of intellectual property violation.

—Alorael, who has nothing more to say on the subject. It's all fun and games until someone writes Vahnatari.

I looked. It's just as bad as you say. I did enjoy the flushed feeling of superiority I received when I realized my stats were better written. :P

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
Exile tabletop RPG! in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #5
"Pen and Paper" RPGs become "Tabletop" RPGs with the inclusion of miniatures.

I actually adapted some aspects of Exile/Avernum for D&D. I have complete monster stats for slithzerikai, nephilim, and nepharim around somewhere. If you want them, I'll look around and see if I can dig them up. In the meantime, you can use lizardfolk for sliths, although the transition isn't perfect.

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
Avernum 4 in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #190
I think I want to clarify my stance on the Foglio art. I don't hate it (although I admit I'm not particularly fond of his style). I just think it undermines any attempt at seriousness. It would be perfect for an Avernum/Exile comic strip, but not for any game with a primary purpose besides comedy.

And yes, the statistics screens DO come into your gaming experience, unless you never train your characters.

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
Avernum 4 in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #175
Before I even consider the possibilities regarding the plot, engine, or anything else in A4, I am first going to be afraid of the player character art. In all Avernum games, my party creation has revolved around choosing the least hideous portraits and icons. The humans are the worst; the men look like they were copied from Disney cartoons and the women look like rejects from bad fantasy anime. Between these, and the retarded dashed-off-in-ten-minutes Foglio cartoons infesting the statistics screens, the Avernum world has lost much of its dramatic potential. No matter how serious or scary the current happenings in the plot are supposed to be, there is always a slight comedic undertone provided by the doe-eyed idiots representing your characters. And as if that wasn't enough, with only a click or two on your stats/training screens, you can see a whole gallery of noseless, four-fingered, disproportionate clowns with bulbous eyeballs, cutesy felines that reduce the nephilim to fuzzy Looney Tunes kitties, and zig-zag-toothed cartoon dinosaurs serving only to castrate the slithzerikai.

The world of Exile seemed like it might have some grit to it...and apart from a few smatterings of humor, was serious in atmosphere. The Avernum universe has turned it into a Saturday morning cartoon.

And remember in Exile, when the character icons actually looked different beyond the changing of a few pixels or a color? Remember when your parties could actually look kind of different from one another?

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
Rank in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #12
quote:
Originally written by Imban:

quote:
Originally written by Apollyon:

Another reason the whole world should convert to Mac...
If the whole world converted to Mac, there'd be plenty of virii and spyware for Macs.

That and I hate them. How do you work without a scroll mouse?! ._.

You can get a scroll mouse for Macs.

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
Ocean Bound in Richard White Games
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #7
1. Since when do puzzle games require a plot? You might as well complain about the lack of realism in Tetris. It is simply not necessary for the purposes of the game.

2. The levels in Ocean Bound were not meant to represent sequential chapters in an ongoing story. The "plot" is purely episodic and specific to the individual islands. The entire purpose of reaching a new level is to experience the same challenges again with different variables (island size and features, number of people, etc). This is a classic feature of puzzle games. It is ridiculous to complain about continuity in such a situation.

Since I seem to be the only person here who even moderately liked this game, I thought I'd point these things out. Don't hold non-RPGs to RPG standards. ;)

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
Halloween, High School and, of course, REVOLUTION!!! HUZZAH!!! in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #10
If you really want to be a shocking cross-dresser, I think you should tattoo a face on the back of your head and get breast implants on your back.

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
Poetry in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #26
quote:
Originally written by I love you for your inner beauty:

Cav: There's a poem on your site which I saved on my computer, I liked it so much.

The one beginning "Humankind has built a dam..."

That one.

Ah, that would be "Delusions For the Common Good." I'm glad you liked it. It won me a small prize once. :)

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
Poetry in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #16
I wrote a lot of poetry back in the days when I rather stank at it, such as high school. So, most of my poetry is bad, fit only for being screeched into a microphone at a crowd of pale teenagers and accompanied with heavy downtuned guitar. But now that I'm no longer an angst-ridden idiot (and I've grown to despise my former target audience), I'm trying to rediscover my abilities and put them toward something better.

This is one of my favorite poems out of all I ever wrote. Surprisingly, I wrote it in high school. I present it here so you don't have to dig through the copious garbage of my web page, which at the moment, since I am busily preparing a massive update, I'd rather you didn't.

GALLOWS
At the closing of my final year
I'll show you no trace of fear
Remember that I'd not be here
Had you not caught me unawares.
Jailer, as you turn that key
From the look in your eyes, I can see
The time has come, apparently
For me to climb those one-way stairs.

Lock rusty irons on my wrists
Behind my back, my fighting fists
Held harmless now and motionless--
I hope now you're feeling brave.
Forgive me, please, for smiling
Your fear of me is flattering.
I thank you all for everything,
Now I'll walk freely to my grave.

The men I killed--what were their names?
Adam? David? Justin? James?
They proved pathetic at my games;
I can't help laughing at the thought.
Of all that still amuses us
What I like best is scandalous:
That, mostly, I'm notorious
Not for what I am--for what I'm not.

I once felt love, and pain, and hate
Despairing as I denied fate
Futile, yes--but now too late
I've done it all; I guess I'm through.
Remember this last song I've sung
As I am from the gibbet strung;
To all who watch me dying young
May my last words torment you:

Three hundred pairs of hungry eyes;
Throats that swell with vengeance cries
From Hell, I'll still laugh at your lies--
Once this rope loses its slack.
Curse me, scorn me, shout and pray,
Cry "Monster!" and fling stones my way;
But from this scaffold I survey
A mob of myself staring back.

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00
What are the names of the people in your parties? in General
Warrior
Member # 4414
Profile Homepage #20
quote:
Originally written by ButteredToast:

Here goes:

Idi Amin, Caligula, Nero, Countess Bathory.

Wow...you must have a reputation of like -250. :eek:

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AIM/Yahoo IM: Cavanoskus

Scary artwork and Bad Poetry
The Wildlife Research Team
SnakeNetMetalRadio

"We, who are about to die, salute you."
Posts: 86 | Registered: Friday, May 21 2004 07:00

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