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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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BoA BUGS v6.0 in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Saturday, October 21 2006 14:33 Profile Homepage #51 Outlook not so good. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Spiderweb Music in General
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Saturday, October 21 2006 00:27 Profile Homepage #27 quote: Originally written by Emperor Tullegolar: I think we can begin to form a theory here. Nethergate is a community favorite, and its music seems to be the most popular. Avernnum 2 is generally a close second, and its music is very popular as well. Could it be that people base their opinion on which game is the best on the music? If anything, I'd say it's more likely to be the other way around. True story: market researchers find that cola tastes better if you're told it's Coca-Cola than if you're told it's a generic brand. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Why can't the net be chaotic evil? in General
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Saturday, October 21 2006 00:20 Profile Homepage #3 I'm currently taking bets on who will be the first poster to make a "series of tubes" joke in this thread. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
The Bad Get Polling! in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Friday, October 20 2006 16:42 Profile Homepage #74 quote: Originally written by Nemesis: In fact, that's pretty much how it is in war. Plenty of soldiers don't want to fight, but some country goals require it. So they act on orders from the powers that be, in order to expediate the process of achieving those goals. The orders are to go out and kill other soldiers, who, in turn, also don't really want to fight. I guess that I'm just defending the nameless soldiers who get blamed for attacks. I'm saying if you're going to call someone a villain for killing the innocent, make sure you're blaming the right people. On the other hand, unless they were conscripted, the soldiers made a choice to become soldiers in the first place, knowing that doing so might mean they were required to kill people. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Roman spell skills. in Nethergate
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Friday, October 20 2006 16:24 Profile Homepage #1 quote: Originally written by -X-: -X- can't find the location(s) where the Roman parties can learn the Craft and Beast Circle skills. -X- does own the hint book, but can't find the information, if it exists. Hagfen. If you do quests for the hags, you'll be rewarded with a few points in Craft Circle and Beast Circle skill; be warned that some of them are mutually exclusive with quests that other people will give you. Also, there's an NPC you can (and should) recruit in Vanarium who starts with 4 levels of Craft Circle. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
It began in New London in General
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Friday, October 20 2006 15:54 Profile Homepage #25 EDIT: Eh, disregard. [ Friday, October 20, 2006 15:57: Message edited by: Thuryl ] -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Episode 3: A New Game in General
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Friday, October 20 2006 04:12 Profile Homepage #16 EDIT: Disregard. [ Friday, October 20, 2006 04:16: Message edited by: Thuryl ] -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Praying for God's forgiveness even now... in General
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Thursday, October 19 2006 23:54 Profile Homepage #17 quote: Originally written by Thin Air: I wish I knew what Kudos was. (Were? Sigh.) http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kudos Is. It's a singular noun, derived from the Greek for "praise". -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
It began in New London in General
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Thursday, October 19 2006 23:23 Profile Homepage #15 Even from a hard-boiled neoclassical economist's perspective, compulsory acquisition of land is just not good for the economy. Forcing people to sell their property at a price set by the buyer creates an artificial oversupply of land. As supply increases, prices drop, other developers move in, prices start to go up again, speculators see prices going up and start buying, and wham, you have a housing bubble. If someone wants land in a particular area to start a business, they can buy it like anyone else. If they can't find enough people in the same area who will sell for a price they're willing to pay, then obviously the land is worth more to its owners than to the developers. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
The Bad Get Polling! in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Thursday, October 19 2006 23:09 Profile Homepage #69 quote: Originally written by Emperor Tullegolar: That aside, I'm glad you agree with me that Stalker is a weak character. Aren't you disapointed he won the best villain poll? I'm disappointed that BoA doesn't have better villains to choose from. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Cheer up in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Thursday, October 19 2006 22:21 Profile Homepage #21 quote: Originally written by Student of Trinity: A b might sting you. Only if it's a dragon bat. EDIT: checks Angband monster database Huh. I coulda sworn dragon bats had a sting attack. Now my joke isn't funny at all, if it was in the first place. [ Thursday, October 19, 2006 22:22: Message edited by: Thuryl ] -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
It began in New London in General
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Thursday, October 19 2006 22:19 Profile Homepage #13 Answering serious real-world political questions in-character is less fun than you think it is. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
The Bad Get Polling! in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Thursday, October 19 2006 21:30 Profile Homepage #67 quote: Originally written by Zorro: Someone on these boards pointed out that a good RPG should be like a good novel with crossword puzzles (tactical combat). That was me, but I was quoting a famous essay about interactive fiction. quote: Originally written by Emperor Tullegolar: You all forget the matter at hand, however. Why Stalker, what makes him so much better than the other choices? And you forget that not all of us voted for Stalker. Stalker is okay as a political figure representing his side, but as an actual character... eh. We only see him from one angle, which is that of the leader of the rebellion. Even as an ally, he exists basically to hand the party orders rather than to be a character in his own right. Overall I'd say Stalker's fairly weakly-characterised for a major figure, but the setting picks up enough of the slack to make the scenario's plot as a whole decent. (Decent, not great, mind you; it's basically a simple story about a rebellion with one or two not-all-that-surprising twists.) For an example of good characterisation in SW games, I'd direct you to Vibius, the commander of Shadow Valley Fort, from Nethergate. The party sees him in his capacity as commander, but they also get to see a human side to him, what with the gay sex and the stomach cancer and all. (Of course, you only get to see that side of him as the Romans, since the Celts only meet him in order to kill him off. This is one reason why former allies of the party make good antagonists -- apart from the fact that betrayal always helps to spice up a story, it lets you see what kind of person the character is from more than one angle.) [ Thursday, October 19, 2006 21:46: Message edited by: Thuryl ] -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Jimmy! If you keep playing with it you'll break it! in General
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Thursday, October 19 2006 21:25 Profile Homepage #9 quote: Originally written by Emperor Tullegolar: I am impressed with your Star Trek collection I must say, I had you picked as more of a Star Wars fan. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Quick newbie question in Avernum 4
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Thursday, October 19 2006 03:19 Profile Homepage #14 quote: Originally written by How: Oh?! That's a good one to know. How much does FA help with SP recovery? Having a little First Aid heals you to the tune of maybe 5 HP and 1-2 SP per monster you kill early on, and 2 or 3 times those amounts later on. Having more First Aid doesn't really increase the benefits by that much. Get 2 points or so on every character and then forget about it. Note that you have to end combat mode before First Aid takes effect, so it doesn't help with emergency healing in combat. quote: I've heard that a major difference between A and E is that the E games allow for 6 in your party and the A games only 4. This would appear to be a significant change, imo. I wonder why this was implemented? Anyone know? It's probably related to another change. In the Exile series, whenever you weren't in combat all your PCs occupied a single space; in the Avernum series, outside of combat your leader occupies one space and the rest of the party follows behind in single file. Having 6 PCs all walking in a line would get a little crowded -- the engine sometimes has enough trouble placing even 4 PCs correctly when entering a new town or ending combat. [ Thursday, October 19, 2006 03:21: Message edited by: Thuryl ] -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
The Bad Get Polling! in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Thursday, October 19 2006 00:21 Profile Homepage #46 quote: Originally written by Emperor Tullegolar: I think if you humanize the villain too much they lose their... villainyness, which was the problem with Stalker. It never hurts to have an air of mystery about them. People say the Darkside Loyalists are better than Rentar, but we know next to nothing about them. Why have a human villain if you're not going to humanise him? If your plot requires the party to face a threat that isn't a person, make it a natural disaster or, if you must, a mindless monster. Don't make it a person and then pretend it isn't. quote: I have given many examples over the course of the thread of my ideal villain, care to give me a few of yours? I mean examples that fit your description. Stalker certainly doesn't, unless I missed the part where he goes into great detail about his family background. I didn't vote in this poll because I don't think any of the villains on it are particularly good examples. If I may use a literary example, how about Ivan Karamazov? A villain doesn't absolutely need a family, but he ought to have some kind of life outside of villainy. He could at least have a hobby or something. quote: As for Rentar, you know the most important things about her, her reverence for her ancestors. That there is a "most important thing about her" is one of my problems with her as a character. Real people aren't defined by one quality. quote: Her ancestors were violated, her people didn't back her up, what more do you need to know? Why are those feelings so alien to you? Precisely. Her motives aren't alien -- so why make her non-human at all? Non-human civilisations are one of my pet peeves in fantasy; most of the time they seem to be included for no good narrative reason. If a character's motivations are human enough for it to be a human, make it human. If not, it's probably not a compelling character anyway, unless you're a brilliant enough writer to convincingly characterise an entire species and the individuals within it (hint: Jeff isn't). Y'know, a lot of my problems with Avernum 4 would be solved if Rentar had been the protagonist and her perspective had been used to properly flesh out the Vahnatai lifestyle and culture. Having a protagonist who's actually a character instead of a faceless cipher for the player also allows the creation of a better antagonist, since interaction between the protagonist and antagonist helps to characterise them both. Plus, then the story would have ended with the protagonist's defeat, and every story is better if you make it into a tragedy. (Besides, that way whether Rentar lives to stand trial for her actions or dies at the hands of the party is decided by Rentar herself -- isn't it infinitely more dignified for Rentar to choose her own fate rather than being shepherded into a particular decision by the whims of a random pack of nameless adventurers?) [ Thursday, October 19, 2006 02:14: Message edited by: Thuryl ] -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
The Bad Get Polling! in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Wednesday, October 18 2006 23:05 Profile Homepage #44 I think my main point still stands: the player should be able to relate to the villain as a person, not just as a villain. How did the villain feel about his or her parents, are they still alive, and if so what do they think of the villain's actions? Is the villain married? If so, does the villain have children, and how were they raised? If not, why not? Understanding a villain's acts and motivations requires understanding the villain as a whole person, and mundane concerns like these are what real people spend a great deal of their time on. This is one of my main problems not just with Rentar-Ihrno but with the Vahnatai in general: we never really learn anything about their system of family and community, apart from the fact that children are rare among them and that every so often they all go into a long hibernation at once. We don't really get to see how the social issues that their biology and lifestyle present shape their culture. If you're not going to use a non-human species to deal with issues like that, I don't see the point of including them at all instead of just making them another human culture. Most of the time, using non-human psychology to justify actions that would be unreasonable for a human is just an excuse for bad writing. [ Wednesday, October 18, 2006 23:06: Message edited by: Thuryl ] -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
The Bad Get Polling! in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Wednesday, October 18 2006 22:51 Profile Homepage #42 quote: Originally written by Emperor Tullegolar: I can't believe you both picked the Hitler point to disagree with, it was by far the least important point I was trying to make. If it pleases you, fill in the blank with any villain you desire, and my other points will remain intact. You asked for objections. We gave you objections. Next time, don't ask. [ Wednesday, October 18, 2006 23:00: Message edited by: Thuryl ] -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Notice: ermarian.net down for maintainance NOW in General
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Wednesday, October 18 2006 22:49 Profile Homepage #40 quote: Originally written by Robert Daniel Oliver: Yes, I'll take it down in a few days or so. With some luck, the spammers scrub their lists if they can't get to a board for a while, so maybe this gets them off our back. Not bloody likely. When Desp blocked guest posting, the spambots started registering accounts. Now we just have fun with them. Desp-style fun. [ Wednesday, October 18, 2006 22:50: Message edited by: Thuryl ] -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
The Bad Get Polling! in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Wednesday, October 18 2006 22:27 Profile Homepage #38 quote: Originally written by Emperor Tullegolar: Thuryl says villains should be like real people. This made me think: who is the greatest real-life villain ever to live? I say Hitler, any objections? Ehhhh. If you mean "greatness" in terms of the sheer scale of harm caused, maybe. But as a character in a story? Not so interesting. Hitler's story is the story of countless tyrants throughout history. The only reason he's such a big figure in pop culture (historical novels, war movies, etc.) is because he's a relatively recent part of history. There's a reason there are more popular novels and movies about Alexander the Great than about Genghis Khan; the former was just more interesting as a person. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
The Bad Get Polling! in Blades of Avernum
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Wednesday, October 18 2006 17:15 Profile Homepage #28 quote: Originally written by Emperor Tullegolar: quote: Originally written by i: "yeah in his/her situation, I might do the same thing" How can the person be called a villain if you think this? Are there any requirements for being a villain at all for you guys? I am begining to think the Silent Assasin is right... clearly Ghandi must be a villain as well. Characters ought to resemble real people. Real people act according to motivations which can be understood. (Even delusional people have motivations which can be understood, albeit only with knowledge of their delusions.) A person with motivations which can be understood is a person who can be sympathised with. As for Gandhi being a villain: Why not? Nathuram Godse obviously thought he was, and he had understandable reasons for thinking that. (Whether they were sufficiently good reasons to justify killing him is a matter of opinion -- Godse still has supporters today.) An antagonist isn't necessarily a bad person, just a person who opposes the goals of the protagonist (who is, in turn, not necessarily a good person). [ Wednesday, October 18, 2006 17:18: Message edited by: Thuryl ] -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973* \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Mac Users: Post Your Dashboard in General
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Monday, October 16 2006 20:39 Profile Homepage #41 quote: Originally written by Emperor Tullegolar: I have never ever in my history of owning macs (and I've had everything since those old tan boxes) never once did one crash on me for no reason. Somebody clearly never owned a Performa 5200. -_- -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Debug Doesn't Work in Blades of Avernum Editor
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Monday, October 16 2006 19:26 Profile Homepage #10 I just thought you might have preferred to keep your address private. Bit late now, I suppose. :P -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
No Harm Done: The Question of Morality in General
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Monday, October 16 2006 01:19 Profile Homepage #65 quote: Originally written by Robert Daniel Oliver: If we allow images (which are representations after all, like language), then I am so badly arachnophobic I have to close the browser when I see a picture of a spider. Is it harming me? I briefly considered replying to this post with a big picture of a spider, but then realised that in all probability the community would think me a tremendous heel for doing so. I think that answers the salient question, which is whether it's always okay to do things that offend people but cause no other harm. (Incidentally, it was a really impressive spider. And I think we can also agree that you have nobody but yourself to blame if you click that link.) -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
No Harm Done: The Question of Morality in General
Thuryl ...b10010b... Member # 869	written Sunday, October 15 2006 22:49 Profile Homepage #62 quote: Originally written by The Worst Man Ever: The flip side of that is whether you can accept the typical trial case for the boundaries of cultural relativism: female circumcision or something similarly horrible. That's the best part: you don't have to accept it, as long as one of your cultural values is that it's A-OK to force your values on another culture. Sure, objectively your values may not be any better than theirs, but cultural relativism means you don't have to care about that. :P -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 \| Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00

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