Profile for Ash Lael

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The Worst Game Ever in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Tuesday, December 13 2005 13:19 Profile Homepage #47
I have played Half-Life and Opposing Force, and they're fun, but the story does not even come close to thinking of approaching the depth and quality of Riven.

And hard puzzles are cool... I hate it when games dumb themselves down so morons don't get stuck. I like a challenge. But the thing that makes the puzzles in Riven so good is that they're all perfectly integrated into the world... unlike Myst. They aren't artificial things like "Solve this riddle!", they're organic things like piecing together enough of the D'ni language to figure out how to work some machine. That's what makes the puzzles so good, in my opinion.

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
What games? in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Tuesday, December 13 2005 13:03 Profile Homepage #22
Ooh, I only played the demo! Thanks heaps, I absolutely will check that baby out! :)

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
What games? in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Tuesday, December 13 2005 01:21 Profile Homepage #20
Instead of saying what I've played recently, I'll post my favourites.

System Shock 2, The Last Express, Traffic Department 2192, Riven.

Edit: Ooh, how could I have forgotten Sam and Max Hit the Road and Day of the Tentacle?

[ Tuesday, December 13, 2005 01:24: Message edited by: Ash Lael ]

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
The Worst Game Ever in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Tuesday, December 13 2005 01:19 Profile Homepage #40
Well, yeah, forgot about that bit.

The writing for those parts is pretty darn good, I have to say. It's not easy to have two characters meet, have a "dialogue" scene where one of them stays completely silent, and for it to feel natural. The games don't always do it perfectly, but geez, they make a good fist of it.

Riven is one of my top 5 games ever. :) I have realism gripes with the first and the third felt a bit tacked on, but Riven is close to perfect.

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
Our Anthem in Richard White Games
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Monday, December 12 2005 23:02 Profile Homepage #2
Sadly, most popular songs I can think of at the moment make less sense than that.

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
Some Simple Suggestions for not Sucking at A4 in Avernum 4
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Monday, December 12 2005 22:19 Profile Homepage #33
quote:
Originally written by Synergy67:

PARTY SIZES: Forget playing as a SINGLETON. I doubt it's possible to win a game with one unless you are a serious glutton for punishment, mind-numbing tedium, multiple reloads, and crippled leveling up early on leaving your singleton way behind the level-up curve. Jeff designed A4 for a party of four in particular. Jeff’s word on this matter was that playing A4 as a singleton should be like playing Civilization campaigns with nothing but phalanxes. This challenge of course will only prompt someone to prove that it can be done. More power to you. Let’s hear how you did it when you pull it off......you deranged lunatic.
Bring on the windows version! :D

Seriously, I can't imagine it would be that hard. Jeff's combat is really easy.

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
The Worst Game Ever in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Monday, December 12 2005 21:09 Profile Homepage #35
Throughout the first 3, the only speech is in monologue form.

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
The Worst Game Ever in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Monday, December 12 2005 20:41 Profile Homepage #33
EDIT: That point now moot...

So it would appear that you agree that the Myst games have better graphics than most adventure games, better puzzles than most adventure games, and better stories than most adventure games... so wouldn't it make more sense to say that they're really good adventure games but you just don't like adventure games?

And I cringe to think there are people who think the Half-Life games have better stories than the Myst series.

[ Monday, December 12, 2005 20:47: Message edited by: Ash Lael ]

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
Short Political Quiz in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Monday, December 12 2005 20:24 Profile Homepage #32
I really ought to have seen that reaction to my post coming.

No, SNM, my example was not terrible. It was excellent. TM did not say that financial inequality while people starve is a bad thing. He said financial inequality is a bad thing. I presented a hypothetical situation where a huge disparity existed - 990 million bucks worth - yet there was no suffering (aside from a bit of envy, maybe) caused by it. I did this to make the point that INEQUALITY is not a moral problem - INSUFFICIENCY is. If everyone has enough, it doesn't matter if some have more than others.

And the accusation that I am "contributing to the worship of Lucre" is, really, pretty stupid. Read my post in context. I never claimed that all wealth is rightfully gained, or that the distribution of wealth that exists in the world now is completely OK. If I claimed that, I would be a moron. What I was doing was (again) presenting a hypothetical example of a situation where one person having a substantial amount more than another person (again, with neither of them being in destitute circumstances that they cannot change) without it being a moral problem - at least in my view.

To clarify once more, because some of you are really good at missing the point, I said this only to rebut TM's claim that any disparity in wealth is an inherently immoral thing. Bringing up Paris Hilton and Africa is completely irrelevant. YES, there are definitely situations where X having more than Y is bad. I do not disagree with that and never have. All I was doing was arguing that there are ALSO situations where X having more than Y is just fine and dandy.

/rant

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
The Worst Game Ever in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Monday, December 12 2005 19:55 Profile Homepage #27
...good grief. The Myst series is all kinds of awesome. Just because they aren't twitch-based shooters for kids with ADD doesn't mean they aren't good. They're games for people who want to be immersed in a deep, detailed world, and they are the best games of their kind by a long way.

Some of you seriously need to learn the difference between "Not fun for me" and "Badly made".

Edit: Beat.

[ Monday, December 12, 2005 19:56: Message edited by: Ash Lael ]

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
The Worst Game Ever in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Monday, December 12 2005 17:29 Profile Homepage #16
quote:
Originally written by Eldibs:


Myst
Riven
...if you hated Myst so much, why did you play the sequel? :confused:

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
Avernum, Avernum, 1, 2, 3.... in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Monday, December 12 2005 11:25 Profile Homepage #7
Basically, if scenarios get made, there will be a contest. Next June will probably be the deadline.

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
Short Political Quiz in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Sunday, December 11 2005 21:36 Profile Homepage #22
quote:
Originally written by Kasumetoru Sai:

But ultimately, any sort of argument that either argues for the existence of an upper-class or addresses its existence "pragmatically" purposefully ignores the notion inherent in the idea of an upper-class that it is somehow morally feasible to allow some people to have much larger sums of wealth than others.
Let's say bloke A has ten million dollars, and bloke B down the road has a billion. Bloke A can whine that his mansion isn't as big as Bloke B's, but I don't really see any moral problems here with allowing this situation to continue.

Similarily, if you work your backside off and contribute a lot to society while I kind of bum around and just work enough to scrape by and feed my 2 minute noodle addiction, I figure it's fair enough that you get rewarded better.

[ Sunday, December 11, 2005 21:40: Message edited by: Ash Lael ]

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
Christmas Music in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Sunday, December 11 2005 13:36 Profile Homepage #15
I hate most Christmas music. A lot.

There are a few exceptions, though. Relient K did an excellent Christmas album... Santa Claus Is Thumbing To Town and I Celebrate The Day are the highlight tracks for me.

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
Short Political Quiz in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Friday, December 9 2005 17:27 Profile Homepage #4
quote:
Originally written by *i:

By higher taxes, I mean more than the status quo.
Oh. In that case, my Agree should be a Disagree.

EDIT: And I suspect I'm not the only one who got the wrong end of that stick.

[ Friday, December 09, 2005 17:29: Message edited by: Ash Lael ]

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
Short Political Quiz in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Friday, December 9 2005 17:12 Profile Homepage #1
10 is pretty much going to get nothing but agree votes. A more interesting question would be whether the wealthy should be taxed at a higher rate, rather than if they should pay more in absolute terms.

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
The Political Compass Reloaded in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Friday, December 9 2005 16:29 Profile Homepage #22
I consider myself to be fairly centrist.

Edit: Yup. Economic Left/Right: 1.00
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 0.41

Of course, that makes me a rabid right winger here.

[ Friday, December 09, 2005 17:04: Message edited by: Ash Lael ]

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
Problem in Blades of Exile
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Thursday, December 8 2005 10:56 Profile Homepage #18
What's the matter, Kel? Can't you respect other people's internets, just because they're different? It's not like they have a choice, that's just the way they're connected. Why must you discriminate so?

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
Harry Potter 4 in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Tuesday, December 6 2005 11:36 Profile Homepage #30
Just saw it. It highlighted one of the things that bothered me about the book - aside from the dragon thing, the tasks didn't really seem like spectator events. And the movies never seem to get normal human interaction right. And it seemed like Hermione was always aggro. But pretty good overall. I appreciate the tight cutting and sticking to the main storyline.

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
Avernum IV, goog... what next? in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Saturday, December 3 2005 21:15 Profile Homepage #19
That hasn't stopped Jeff yet...

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
Musicnames in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Saturday, December 3 2005 20:15 Profile Homepage #9
I would be a massive iguana.

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
New Custom Art: Take a peek inside in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Saturday, December 3 2005 19:32 Profile Homepage #85
*opens mouth*

*thinks twice*

*closes mouth*

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
New Custom Art: Take a peek inside in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Saturday, December 3 2005 16:20 Profile Homepage #69
quote:
Originally written by Eldibs:

I try not to insult people, but some people just need it.
Oh, I agree utterly and completely.

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
Presto Change-o Disappear-o in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Saturday, December 3 2005 16:13 Profile Homepage #47
quote:
Originally written by Eldibs:

I would like to point out that acting like a 6 year-old isn't necessarily a bad thing. I always hear people saying "find your inner child."
Good point. I suppose that's also your excuse for still wetting the bed?

...yep, I think I'd better invest in a pair of baby-kicking boots.

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
Presto Change-o Disappear-o in General
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Saturday, December 3 2005 02:31 Profile Homepage #37
quote:
Originally written by Thralni, emperor of Riverrod:

Hmmm... Interesting. A duel-of-words on the forums. Nice. Just keep in mind that the almighty chicken gods will always win.
While I'm in a chastising-for-lame-gimmick mood, please drop the almighty chicken god thing. I, and I suspect many others, would appreciate it.

I can't help feeling that I've become a lot meaner lately. Am I imagining it, or am I going to be kicking babies in another week or two?

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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00

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