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Field	Value
Displayed name	Thuryl
Member number	869
Title	...b10010b...
Postcount	9973
Homepage	http://thuryl.desperance.net/blades.html
Registered	Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00

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Author	Recent posts
How about new BoA scenarios? in Blades of Avernum Editor
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Tuesday, December 12 2006 05:40 Profile Homepage #16 More importantly, artistic vision is precisely what the community isn't short of. Coding skills and (especially) time are what's lacking. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
8000: Pseudoscience Postravaganza in General
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Tuesday, December 12 2006 01:22 Profile Homepage #21 Today's name, Immanuel Velikovsky, is the wackiest pseudoastronomer ever. He calls for a radical revision of cosmology and history based on a comparison of the mythologies of different cultures. Reading his works, one gets the impression that the history of the solar system resembles nothing more than a cosmic game of billiards, with planets colliding all over the place. Among other things, he claims that the planet Venus flew out of the middle of Jupiter a few thousand years ago, and caused some or all of the Biblical ten plagues of Egypt when it passed close to Earth -- he suggests that the heat and gases from Venus caused frogs to breed at an unusually high rate, and massive numbers of locust larvae were carried to Earth in Venus's atmosphere. Also, people living in those days somehow failed to record the fact that a planet almost crashed into Earth because every culture in the world collectively repressed all memory of it. When someone makes claims like these, editorialising on them seems redundant. [ Tuesday, December 12, 2006 01:25: Message edited by: Immanuel Velikovsky ] -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Vahnatai won't get Crystal Souls in The Avernum Trilogy
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Tuesday, December 12 2006 00:13 Profile Homepage #1 Have you tried going to the Shrine of Crystals? -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Best Game Ever? in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Monday, December 11 2006 23:17 Profile Homepage #15 quote: Originally written by Synergy67: I was thinking more negatively of the older encumbrance system Encumbrance doesn't have to be a problem. Romans should pile on massive amounts of Armor Use, and Celts shouldn't wear armour. quote: having to unequip things to see stats or values, I'll grant that this can be a pain. quote: how you hand things between party members, I don't remember this annoying me. quote: how you sell things, the dialog system, I think keyword-based dialogue and response-based dialogue are difficult to compare to each other. Each is good at different things. My preference is for response-based dialogue, but I do see the advantages of a keyword system. quote: and the cramped screen layout. Eh. That's what you get when you design a game to run on 640x480 monitors. :P -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Stuck in Exodus in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Monday, December 11 2006 21:43 Profile Homepage #8 quote: Originally written by Kelandon: quote: Originally written by Alchemy: * run_town_script apparently can't be called from the SEARCH_STATE of a terrain script. This, I think, is not true. If it were, the basic specobj script would not work. I don't know what it is that you're seeing, though. When I checked those spots, they worked for me, so they do work sometimes. If I look at either of said boxes, I don't get any message about the spellbook inside. If I walk into one of the boxes, I do. I haven't dissected the scripts enough to be sure exactly why it's happening, so you may be right that I've misdiagnosed the source of the problem. quote: quote: * The BoA engine does not handle paralysis-by-script gracefully (for example, in the fight with Dalaganth's Haakai Lord lieutenant); if the entire party gets paralysed while already in combat mode, the PCs don't lose their turns but the game becomes unresponsive to player input. Try it and you'll see what I mean. Webbing, too, but what am I supposed to do about this? I suppose that I could put something in the START_STATE that checks for party paralysis and then, er, what? Randomly de-paralyses one PC, I suppose. Or kills off the entire party. The latter is a reasonable implementation of what's likely to happen anyway; the former is more singleton-friendly. :P Also, it'd have to be in the paralysis script itself; by the time the START_STATE of the next turn comes around, it's likely that the bug's already been triggered. (More accurately, since the bug's already been triggered, the START_STATE of the next turn never comes around.) Oh, and while I think of it, the Orb of Flight probably shouldn't be sellable, given how, y'know, utterly vital it is. In fact, my inclination would have been to make a Flight special spell rather than an Orb of Flight item, but perhaps you were expecting some loony to try and run through Exodus with a no-magic party. [ Monday, December 11, 2006 21:45: Message edited by: Alchemy ] -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Stuck in Exodus in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Monday, December 11 2006 21:16 Profile Homepage #4 While you're making 1.0.1, you might want to fix a few other bugs: (Minor spoilers follow) * run_town_script apparently can't be called from the SEARCH_STATE of a terrain script. Keep this in mind when putting spellbooks in boxes -- it means that searching the box won't give a message about the spellbook, although attempting to walk into the box will. Notable instances include the altar fight where you learn Bonechill and the box in Nakhtha that teaches you Major Haste. The least ugly solution is probably to have a 3x3 special rectangle surrounding each such box. * If you kill the barbarian archmage before getting the quest from Khalthanas to do so, you can't get his reward. * In Manikoss, you can only open one of the impenetrably-locked doors from the inside (the one you get to from the eastern half of Under Manikoss). With the other, you're forced to run all the way back through the underground area. Even if this is intentional, you'd better pretend it's a bug for your own safety. * The BoA engine does not handle paralysis-by-script gracefully (for example, in the fight with Dalaganth's Haakai Lord lieutenant); if the entire party gets paralysed while already in combat mode, the PCs don't lose their turns but the game becomes unresponsive to player input. Try it and you'll see what I mean. [ Monday, December 11, 2006 21:20: Message edited by: Alchemy ] -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
How about new BoA scenarios? in Blades of Avernum Editor
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Monday, December 11 2006 15:49 Profile Homepage #9 quote: Originally written by Kelandon: And eventually, someday, I intend to make the third part of the Slith Homeland trilogy. I hope you get around to this sooner rather than later, if only because I'm itching to see how in the flying blue hell you intend to make a scenario for level-120 parties. As for my own scenario... well, BoA isn't my highest priority right now. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Nether Arts in Nethergate
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Monday, December 11 2006 00:47 Profile Homepage #6 More like Divine Warrior, really, since you could cast it on PCs other than yourself. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Geneforge 1 carnisters? in Geneforge Series
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Sunday, December 10 2006 14:45 Profile Homepage #13 It's always a little sad when people can't tell that others are making fun of them. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
The Insidious Infiltrator in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Sunday, December 10 2006 14:37 Profile Homepage #16 quote: Originally written by Synergy67: So, what are you saying...you'd have put all the SP in question so far into magic? They'd all be nearly topped out at 9 instead of 7 right now. Then what would you invest in? There's no reason to go past 10 with magic levels, is there? Magic doesn't have a soft cap at 10 like shaping does, so pumping battle magic into the teens is a viable option. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
8000: Pseudoscience Postravaganza in General
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Sunday, December 10 2006 14:21 Profile Homepage #16 Today's name, Alchemy, is like chemistry only weird. The early, pre-scientific days of chemistry relied as much on metaphysics and philosophy as experiment, and the goals of turning base metals into gold and of creating an elixir of life were linked to each other on a philosophical level; the transmutation of base metals into gold was seen as a metaphor for perfecting oneself. Occasionally the alchemists got things right, and by dropping the philosophical baggage and repeating the stuff that worked to find out why it worked, alchemy was itself transmuted gradually into chemistry. Believe it or not, though, there are still people who practise alchemy. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Help with stairs... in Blades of Avernum Editor
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Sunday, December 10 2006 02:59 Profile Homepage #1 It doesn't look like there are any problems with the code fragment you posted. Please post the entire town script. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Suggestions for a nOOb? in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Sunday, December 10 2006 00:59 Profile Homepage #3 quote: Originally written by BrownieMix: What is the "best" class? Lifecrafters and Serviles are generally considered the best classes, and they play quite differently. A Lifecrafter relies heavily on having an army of powerful creations, while a Servile can actually manage quite well without any creations at all. quote: What skillz should I focus on? As a lifecrafter, Intelligence is always useful, because it gives you essence. Don't pump Fire, Battle or Magic Shaping too high, because you can get bonuses from items, and having a shaping skill over 10 (including bonuses) doesn't help much. Put points into blessing and mental magic every so often; 9 points in each is enough, and again there are item bonuses available. Battle magic is powerful, but can do more harm than good; attacking enemies will make them target you instead of your creations. Put a few points into Strength and Endurance if you must, but lifecrafters shouldn't be taking too many hits. quote: which creations I should be making. Battle shaping mostly sucks. A mix of the most powerful fire and magic creations available to you at any given point in the game will get you through most fights without too much trouble. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
The Future of Blades of Avernum in Blades of Avernum Editor
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Sunday, December 10 2006 00:47 Profile Homepage #30 quote: Originally written by Nemesis: Could it just be sent out to a few designers who've already bought the game, and who know what they're doing? Now I'm not saying that the members of this community aren't trustworthy, but if Jeff tried that, I predict the source would be leaked within days. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
8000: Pseudoscience Postravaganza in General
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Sunday, December 10 2006 00:43 Profile Homepage #15 quote: Originally written by Garrison: I also believe he did humors. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I even think phrenology was the first one from before. The first one last time was actually gastric freezing. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Complete Exile 2 outdoor map (massive spoilers) in The Exile Trilogy
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Saturday, December 9 2006 22:25 Profile Homepage #18 quote: Originally written by Duskwolf: (Apparently, the Nephilim always exist in town, but are hidden until the attack gets triggered. Interesting.) That's the standard method for creating monster encounters in BoE; I guess this confirms Jeff's always done it that way. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
I just remembered where I had seen glaahks before. in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Saturday, December 9 2006 22:22 Profile Homepage #3 Someone really, really needs to point Jeff to this topic so he can reply. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
where is sixus? in The Exile Trilogy
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Saturday, December 9 2006 19:09 Profile Homepage #4 I'm aware of the quest. But the fact remains that "Bevan" is the correct response when Sixus asks who sent you. Check the hintbook for yourself if you want. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Sie beissen auf Granit. in Richard White Games
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Saturday, December 9 2006 14:56 Profile Homepage #15 quote: Originally written by Nioca: Either he made a typo while typing the word 'depreciation' Deprecation, actually. Depreciation is something different. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Shock Trooper - Part II in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Saturday, December 9 2006 14:07 Profile Homepage #8 I suppose the ST's niche, if any, would be "missile shaper". But I'm not sure how useful that niche is, or even how good the ST is at it compared to a lifecrafter, especially since you'll still want blessing and mental magic. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Where is the Crystalline Fibers? in Geneforge Series
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Saturday, December 9 2006 14:00 Profile Homepage #7 Honestly, after the Monastery Caves you have no further need for artifacts anyway. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
where is sixus? in The Exile Trilogy
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Saturday, December 9 2006 13:43 Profile Homepage #2 The mayor's name is Bevan and he's not a lady. "Mayor" and "Bevan" are both acceptable responses to Sixus's question, I believe. You can successfully complete the quest even if he kills himself. [ Saturday, December 09, 2006 13:44: Message edited by: Dowsing ] -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
The Future of Blades of Avernum in Blades of Avernum Editor
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Saturday, December 9 2006 05:24 Profile Homepage #9 I think the reason for BoA's poor sales might have a lot to do with the nature of the registration barrier. In BoA, the barrier comes at the end of Valley of Dying Things: a single, self-contained scenario. A lot of people on these forums have said that Valley of Dying Things wasn't all that impressive and gave them no particular motivation to register and see the other scenarios -- but even the ones who like VoDT can already get closure on its story without needing to register. Sure, we can try and sell them BoA based on Jeff's other scenarios and on third-party scenarios, but those are scenarios they haven't played yet. On the other hand, with Jeff's other games, the registration barrier comes maybe 1/5 to 1/4 of the way through the game, by which time the player is already sufficiently invested in the game to want to play through to the finish, and hopefully to pay for the privilege of doing so. In hindsight, making the prepackaged scenarios more connected to each other and to the Exile/Avernum continuity would help to alleviate this problem, but it's a bit late to change them now. Still, I wonder how many more people would have registered BoA if VoDT had ended on a cliffhanger, and a sequel had been available to registered users. [ Saturday, December 09, 2006 05:27: Message edited by: Dowsing ] -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
8000: Pseudoscience Postravaganza in General
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Saturday, December 9 2006 05:00 Profile Homepage #8 quote: Originally written by Kelandon: quote: Originally written by N-Rays: the Nancy boys You're terrible. :P Contempt for idiots is what this topic is all about. :P Today's name, Dowsing, is a technique for finding water or minerals underground. Essentially, you walk around with a forked stick and when you suddenly feel a downward pull on the stick, that's where you start digging. In reality, it's likely that dowsers knew enough about geology to have a fair idea of where the best places to dig were without the assistance of a magic stick. Some dowsers may have hidden their knowledge behind a veil of mysticism to avoid giving away their trade secrets. Others, however, may have sincerely believed that dowsing was effective, and unconsciously provided evidence to support their own beliefs through an interesting psychological process called ideomotor action. Ideomotor action is a process by which people unconsciously alter their muscle movements to produce results consistent with their expectations. Ideomotor action isn't something that only happens to dowsers; for example, it's almost certainly the reason why people can spell out words on Ouija boards -- they're not really moving their hands around randomly, because it's very hard for a human being to produce genuine randomness or even a reasonable facsimile. Another example of the ideomotor effect is an educational technique called facilitated communication, which involves therapists "assisting" children with severe neurological defects to type words on a keyboard by holding their hands and moving them toward the keys that the children seemed to be gesturing toward. At first, this produced impressive results. When the experimental setup was altered so that the children could see the word that they needed to type but the assistants couldn't, the results went away. [ Saturday, December 09, 2006 05:16: Message edited by: Dowsing ] -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Geneforge 1 carnisters? in Geneforge Series
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Saturday, December 9 2006 03:47 Profile Homepage #7 quote: Originally written by Randomizer: I think it was ET that played the no canister game and finished at level 5. You think wrong. It was X, and it was quite some time ago -- before ET even joined. [ Saturday, December 09, 2006 03:48: Message edited by: N-Rays ] -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00

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