jaguars4ever

Damn, I've been wanting The Edge (no, not the bloke from U2) but it's only available for those who bought DA before November 30.

I try to avoid games that have the word "dungeon", "hack", "siege", or "quest" in the title, if possible. It's like flirting with a fat chick. Nothing good can come from it.

TAB is awesome. It's served me well on many an RPG.

The problem with this, is that by labeling her as a "blood mage who killed her fellow mages that she lived and worked with, tried to kill you...[who] has done too much [where] there must be a reckoning", you're presupposing she's evil beyond redemption. Never mind that latter qualifier of redemption for the time being. I don't believe we have enough information to even label her as evil. Practicing blood magic isn't inherently evil. Opponents of blood magic in the DA universe primarily believe it be because the Chantry says so. Well, the Chantry isn't exactly the paragon of spiritual purity. They're fanatical religious zealots enamored with ritual whose express purpose is expansionism in order to spread the Chant to the four corners of the globe. Just look how the ousted the Elves from the Dales via their crusade to vanquish the heathens. True, blood magic can also be used to entry another dreams within the Fade and mind-control them. But practice of blood magic doesn't necessitate this any more than driving a car necessitates running down pedestrians. Just like any tool, it's a means to end; thus, using that tool for an evil purpose doesn't automatically make that tool a malum in se. The Templars would have you believe is evil, but that's only a malum prohibitum because they say it is so. Which brings us to our next point. Not all the blood mages in the tower were aligned/stayed aligned with Uldred (and his plan to turn the mages into abominations). Indeed, most of the rebel mages were motivated by escape. Look at it from the mages perspective. The Circle is but a glorified gilded cage, their home and prison both. Virtually, all the mages were drafted to the circle against their wishes. Is not freedom a fundamental right? Does not everyone have a right to personal liberty until they it has been forfeited? I don't believe that it is evil at all to for one of those mages to try and escape. And excluding the blood mages aligned with Uldred, the rebels only crimes were revolting against their Templar captors. It's not unreasonable to believe that the Templars are the ones with the lower moral standing, as they're the one's keeping the mages imprisoned against their wishes. On top of that, the Templars were poised to invoke their Right of Annulment. If this doesn't qualify as evil, I'm not sure what does. It essentially a blanket sentence of genocide - no due process, no fundamental safeguards for individual rights. And given that the Circle was locked up by the Templars, it would not be unreasonable for an ordinary prudent mage in her position to presume your presence in the tower was on behalf of the Templars. So I don't blame her one bit for attacking you on sight. If anything, your vehemence in belief of her alleged irredeemable evil is tantamount to the fantastic job Bio has done in weaving a setting of morals shades of grey, rather than black & white. What you call "moral cowardice and stupidity", I call redressing injustice. She was part of a surprise attack on the mages that she lived and worked with in the Tower, killing some and enabling Uldred's plan to go forward. If you converse with her, she denies any real regret for the choices she made (change must be violent, I believe is what she says), only regret for how it turned out to be something she did not want (though only one specific conversation path leads to this dialog). She made evil choices before you arrived, and rather than, upon seeing armed people who were not templars, attempt to surrender beforehand, she attacks your party on sight and only begs for a chance for redemption when her death seems eminent. I don't need to look at it from the mage's perspective. All that matters to me is that they killed their colleagues without warning because they disagreed with them. Their colleagues weren't event the ones oppressing them! The treatment of the mages by the Chantry? Immaterial to the blood mages' actions, insofar as the blood mages were not forced into the path that they took. There were other options, but the blood mages chose the easy route. Didn't turn out the way they wanted? Perhaps they should have tried not turning to the one thing that would give them an instant death sentence from every Thedasian government save the Tevinter Imperium. EDIT: Let me put it in other terms: Should you let an office worker who, after being pressured by his bosses, joins in a violent conspiracy at his big company to kill everyone who makes the same money as the office worker, is no higher in position than the office worker, has family barbeques with the office worker, and labors under the same oppressive restrictions as the office worker, live and go free just because he says he's sorry? Even though he struck out against fellow sufferers and not the oppressors? No, of course not! That way lies folly! The treatment of the mages by the Chantry not only isn't irrelevant, but it's the sine qua non of the mages plight. That is, if they weren't imprisoned by the Chantry, then they wouldn't need to escape. And that's the important thing here: these mages were imprisoned against their wishes, without any trial, with their only "crime" being possessing the gift of arcane ability. What you call coworkers, were instead just another arm of their of their tormentors. The mages had different factions even within the Circle (Loyalists, aequaterians, etc), and the mages in league with the Chantry actually perpetuated their imprisonment. EDIT: Also, the office analogy isn't very suitable because even if you're working under an oppressive boss, you still possess the element of choice: you can continue working or you can quit. For these mages they had no choice. Their freedom to choose whether to stay or leave was stripped from them the moment they were incarcerated. It would be better to compare it to Guantanamo Bay: where one is being imprisoned indefinitely without being charged or tried simply on the whim that they might be dangerous.

The problem with this, is that by labeling her as a "blood mage who killed her fellow mages that she lived and worked with, tried to kill you...[who] has done too much [where] there must be a reckoning", you're presupposing she's evil beyond redemption. Never mind that latter qualifier of redemption for the time being. I don't believe we have enough information to even label her as evil. Practicing blood magic isn't inherently evil. Opponents of blood magic in the DA universe primarily believe it be because the Chantry says so. Well, the Chantry isn't exactly the paragon of spiritual purity. They're fanatical religious zealots enamored with ritual whose express purpose is expansionism in order to spread the Chant to the four corners of the globe. Just look how the ousted the Elves from the Dales via their crusade to vanquish the heathens. True, blood magic can also be used to entry another dreams within the Fade and mind-control them. But practice of blood magic doesn't necessitate this any more than driving a car necessitates running down pedestrians. Just like any tool, it's a means to end; thus, using that tool for an evil purpose doesn't automatically make that tool a malum in se. The Templars would have you believe is evil, but that's only a malum prohibitum because they say it is so. Which brings us to our next point. Not all the blood mages in the tower were aligned/stayed aligned with Uldred (and his plan to turn the mages into abominations). Indeed, most of the rebel mages were motivated by escape. Look at it from the mages perspective. The Circle is but a glorified gilded cage, their home and prison both. Virtually, all the mages were drafted to the circle against their wishes. Is not freedom a fundamental right? Does not everyone have a right to personal liberty until they it has been forfeited? I don't believe that it is evil at all to for one of those mages to try and escape. And excluding the blood mages aligned with Uldred, the rebels only crimes were revolting against their Templar captors. It's not unreasonable to believe that the Templars are the ones with the lower moral standing, as they're the one's keeping the mages imprisoned against their wishes. On top of that, the Templars were poised to invoke their Right of Annulment. If this doesn't qualify as evil, I'm not sure what does. It essentially a blanket sentence of genocide - no due process, no fundamental safeguards for individual rights. And given that the Circle was locked up by the Templars, it would not be unreasonable for an ordinary prudent mage in her position to presume your presence in the tower was on behalf of the Templars. So I don't blame her one bit for attacking you on sight. If anything, your vehemence in belief of her alleged irredeemable evil is tantamount to the fantastic job Bio has done in weaving a setting of morals shades of grey, rather than black & white. What you call "moral cowardice and stupidity", I call redressing injustice.

Try using WinAce instead, Archie. That, or try whacking it with a stick. That normally does the trick.

Nothing good about Oblivion? Guess again! http://www.somethingawful.com/d/feature-ar...-two.php?page=4

Of course pirates are more socially progressive. Have you never heard of the Pirate Code?

Divorcee? I thought they stoned women instead in those parts. Yes, and they run around naked, yelling "Oogabooga" too. Of course she woudn't. Don't be an idiot. Only African men shout "Oogabooga!"

I'm putting off revisiting the Dread Roads until Wynne has her 4th level spirit healing power that turns her into a walking Bacta Tank. That way, I won't have to worry about my party members having like 15 different wounds with no injury kits to treat them.

Giant Drakensang Rat cheated bigtime with its army of rat adds. It was like PS:T's Many-As-One's infinite rat fight all over again.

Damn straight! Just like Gaxkang the Unbound was just another ancient evil that didn't even give me a ring. Kangax > Gaxkang (Nb - holy crap, that might just be another BG2 easter egg!)

New Reno > Old Reno > New Vegas > Old Vegas > New Laughlin > Old Laughlin Why? Booty, booty, boo-tay! Come on in, booty lovers! Here at the Cat's Paw we're slashing prices in half! Give us an offer on our prime selection of booty! It's a booty blowout! We got white booty, black booty, southern booty, northern booty... We got hot booty, cold booty, we got fresh booty, we got-::snfff:: *smelly* booty We got tribal booty, we got mutant booty, radscorpion booty, robot booty. We even got brahmin booty, ghoul booty, deathclaw booty. Come on, you want booty? Come on in, booty lovers! If we don't got it, you don't want it! Come on in, booty lovers! Attention booty shoppers! Take advantage of this booty sale! Buy one piece of booty at the regular price, n' you'll get another piece of booty of equal or lesser value for only a chip! Try and beat booty for a chip! If you can find cheaper booty anywhere-PUMP IT!

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I thought lyrium was spice from the very beginning. Raw lyrium being deadly and otherwise turning people insane, and all that. For some reason that pic reminds me of Uthnasta (sp?) from BG2. You know, where you have that psychic, big, blob creature in the glass cage in the Underdark.

Those are some fine looking portraits, Baracuda. So any idea when this thing will be playable?

A pressing question indeed. But the more important issue here is whether Tali is romanceable? Hey, don't look at me like that! She was one of the few characters that genuinely seemed to care about Commander Shepherd. Plus, she had the curviest hips and plumpest boobies out of all the female party members - believe me, I checked by panning the camera at every angle during the elevator rides, many, many times.

I'll have to check it out. Find this ASAP. Not only is the reference cool, but the best weapon in the game!

That's disgusting Morgoth. Why would anyone, Norwegian or not, do such a thing?

^The only purpose summoned pets serve are blood sacrifices for my Blood Mage.

Wait - you can get 2 cheap backpacks in Ostagar?! -- BTW, has anyone stumbled over any easter eggs? I've found quite a few BG2 references: -Leliana essentially being Imoen-Chick; -Edwina the barmaid; -"Hey sexy, do you want to take a look at my diddies?" sayeth the harlot; -"Gather your party before venturing forth"; Also: -The random encounter Superman reference; -A Mass Effect wink-wink-nudge-nudge codex entry;

^You know, another way to automate back-stabs (or back-stab equivalents) that's guaranteed to get the job done is by using 2 tactics: 1) Enemy-->Nearest Visible-->Stealth 2) Enemy-->Nearest Visible-->Attack (or any special attack) Of course, you'll have to have at least level 3 stealth in order to cloak in combat.

The closest I've got is "enemy-->attacking player-->attacking main character-->attack. I also like to throw in a coat-weapon-with-poison instruction for added effectiveness...but this can be pricey. BTW virumor, are mage gloves that add % elemental damage of any use to my Arcane Warrior? I'm curious as to how they work: would they add elemental damage to all my spells, just the complimentary elemental spells, my staff attacks, or my sword attacks?

What's Ego Draconis like on the scale (pun intended) of Drakensang to Dragon Age?

I always play on Normal. As for Arcane Warrior, in the end it is faster & cooler to simply "shake & bake" all enemies. Sure a frail Elven chick running around in Juggernaut armour with Spellweaver is fun at first, but it also turns the game into a round of whack-a-mole. You're invulnerable against anything that isn't orange marked, but without melee combat abilities just auto-attacking everything gets really boring. So what's your current balance between "Shake & Bake" bomb dropping vs Whack-a-mole sustainables?