Nonek

With regards to Mr Schu's last post (I won't quote as it's a little long) i'd like to respond as such: For clarification I think the article presented in the OP is bogus, factually suspect and an example of the poor sensationalist journalism we have to endure since that medium began its steady decline. Good trolling is in my view fun, enlightening, and holds up a mirror to those who are too pompous and po-faced to realise they are being ridiculous, and perhaps even reminds them that they should not be so dependent on a virtual medium, that function is I believe reason enough to engage in a little good natured ribaldry. Those who place too much importance on the net could occassionally do with a gentle humorous reminder that it is a virtual construct and not reality, or that their actions and stances are absolutrely ridiculous and silly. The recent case of a poorly educated woman writing an "open letter" to her son about not wanting him to become a rapist springs to mind, not only was it painful to read but obviously she was too invested in the issue and could not approach it with any sense of perspective. To accuse ones own child of being a potential rapist is idiotic and a damning inditement of her parenting to begin with, to then ask him to not do so is even more harebrained, as if the young man had really been looking forward to a career of violent abuse of women. That woman could do with some gentle trolling to point out her idiocy and even better perhaps somebody stopping her before she writes down such verbal diarrhea, and questioning her motives and reasoning. The reaction to the Mass Effect 3 ending also springs to mind, it was a silly fun popamole shooter, why become so upset over it? What is contained in the article and the cases you mention is not trolling but straight forward abuse and bullying, why dress it up as trolling just because it contains an online element, this is just another part of the demonisation of the medium and mandate to censor the internet. With regards to Facebook personally I believe it's a vain site and makes a mockery of the privacy that should come with mourning and grief, however on the subject of a gay man being abused at his funeral I present the following example of satire and humour, which I hope makes my point far more vividly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkxCHybM6Ek Saarkesian's threats of rape are just that and should be dealt with by the authorities, personally I believe there's no point becoming upset by the woman from the one video I watched of hers, her points are weak, her presentation poor and her choice of subject matter devoid of relevance, there are far more modern examples of women being presented in extremely insulting fashions as idiots and slaves who can only be "fixed" by the protagonists sexual favours. Her points are easily invalidated and out argued, there is no need for such outrage and histrionics, a good troll might be able to bring those offended some perspective on this silly debate. Edit: Just as it is too easy to accuse a person of trolling if they do not agree with you so it is too easy for a rude or spiteful individual to hide behind the mask of a Troll, differing terminology is no excuse and far too easy to utilise, trolling is not abuse or bullying and to say it is excuses that behaviour.

Personally I believe as Al Murray would state: Your Gaff, your rules. For instance in my company I insist upon proper decorum and respect, and will not stand for anything less. What I enjoy about good trolling is explained in my previous post, it enlivens discussion, pricks pomposity and those who parrot the usual buzzwords, and makes a valid point usually while reminding us of the ridiculous nature of our topics. Personally I think Mr Parker does this extremely well, I enjoy his humour and hope the gentleman is not offended by my view of him. However I understand if others do not share my view, because I do not see a Troll as disrupting discussion but rather raising the bar on it, and providing an alternate view and argument. Causing anger and frustration is not something I think anyone can predict, certain people have certain responses and no one can predict them all.

I agree Walsingham and try to comport myself with dignity wherever I go, following the general rules of the locale and I do not see others trolling as particularly diminishing that, in fact I see it as quite a nice, lively method of interaction. I usually do not partake of it but think it is a valid form of satire and have observed some masterful uses of it, and as regards the wish to intrude upon the RPG Codex and excessively moderate them, I do not believe it is needed or wanted. They are boisterous and rude but hardly dangerous gentlemen, and occassionally seem to produce some fine content, with editorials and such that you will not see at mainstream sites due to the caustic honesty inherent in them. Mr Kaine Parker on this site for instance is I believe a fine representation of a Troll, and adds a great deal of fun and satire that pricks the pomposity we all occassionally happen to partake in. I like the gentleman, his posts and sometimes being the target of his jests. I try to play along with my much poorer sense of humour and give as good as I get, and really think it enlivens the environs. The image of the laughing fool making a mockery of everything is a constant in every culture, and personally I believe is to be cherished and protected, a society and individual that can laugh at itself is a confident one.

Ultima VII (both parts) with the latest version of Exult, apart from the combat this is probably the most ambitious of games ever created and represents a high watermark that in my opinion has not yet been equalled. It is a living, breathing world of depth and great narrative, all bound up in some really nice thematic struggles. The Ultima Underworld game are also very highly recommended, both Stygian Abyss and Labyrinth of Worlds, they take some getting used to but are remarkably reactive and interactive. You may wish to check out the earlier Ultima's which are very good games in their own right, numbers V & VI have both been recreated in the Dungeon Siege engine and are very, very competently made. All of these can be purchased quite cheaply at GOG.com, however I would add that difficulty is set set slightly higher than in most modern accessible games and you really do need to read the manual, for the Ultima's they are an intrinsic part of the experience.

It may also be a contributing factor that your life experiences lead you to assume all people are as equally capable of dealing with particular stimulus in identical ways? Is this a fair assessment (both of me of you, and you of the rest of humanity)? Is it possible that life has simply left others less equipped to deal with some situations as capably as you are, and as such less able to shrug some stuff off. I'd also challenge the notion that your generation is different. The principle difference between "today's generation" is that we can more easily see what people from all over are saying. It mostly just comes across as the "I'm better than kids these days" which I'm sure the generation before you thought of your delicate, whiny generation. If others are less able to deal with poor behaviour then that is their business, I simply make a case that one has control over ones own behaviour and nobody else's, and that is all that one may realistically accomplish in the wider world. To take away free speech on the web and enforce a certain code of conduct on everybody is as equally foolish and vain as trying to police the streets of all anti-social behaviour, it will always be there in some form and letting it affect one is a sign of ones own vulnerability. Hopefully better education and social reform may rid us of such a problem but in England that is a far off goal at the moment, especially under a government that wishes to downsize the state. Added to this society is often wrong and what is acceptable now is revealed as unacceptable in twenty years, and those who favour self righteous preaching are often guilty of the most flagrant abuses, distasteful attitudes and shocking actions. We need subversive elements to speak out against them when the established methods do not, especially when political correctness often means telling lies and massaging statistics to favour a political bias, or when journalists have established a symbiotic partnership with those they are supposed to criticise. Especially when a certain section of society has in effect retained and strengthened its old position of dominance and rulership over the majority. As for my generation, in England I certainly do believe there has been a certain societal change, my generation are somewhat repressed, private and conservative. The modern one is in general far more demonstrative, fame hungry and ambitious. Whether one of these is better I neither know nor particularly care, it all comes down to the individual in the end.

Racist abuse is racist abuse, the fact that I was on the streets and not being trolled on a computer would surely make my level of danger in that situation far more apparent than somebody abused on a computer? This seems blatantly obvious and shouldn't need explaining. Edit: Whether people percieve themselves as victims or not is their own business and self pity should not affect free speech.

In point of fact I have been on the end of racist abuse, just the other day I was verbally abused by a rather large gang of Indian or Pakistani youths near work, and referred to as a "White Bastard," which I promptly laughed at and shook my head while walking on. My nicknames arrives from a similar incident with a group of coloured youths using West Indian patois calling me a "No-necked Blood Clot." The amount of abuse i've recieved from Irish gentlemen has been even more virulent, but none of these have made me wish to restrict free speech or judge the majority by the actions of individuals. Edit: I assume I attract this attention due to my large size and rough appearance, due to many years of Rugby training, but for all I know this could be a common occurence for any white gentlemen who walks through rough areas, when commuting to and from work. I will aslo admit that I come from a different generation who are not so delicate or whiny, so that may be a contributing factor.

I did like this feature in Divine Divinity, it was a nice little touch of detail, however I would say that I don't particularly need a scabbard or sheath. If the weapon were placed on the belt or backpack when the character is in a relaxed situation that would be more than enough for me. That said I would like to be able to draw weapons at any time not just in combat, as I wish to be ready for ambushes and surprises, and venturing into a dungeon without weapons hefted and readied seems unwise. Edit: That said if this feature is not allready in the game then it would most likely be too much work to implement at this late stage I assume, unless it is less complex than I anticipate.

Strange, i've been insulted and verbally abused but have never once felt that those words infringed on my dignity, nor have I ever wanted to censor the people who spout such profanities. A small smile and a wink are the only acknowledgement I give them, and I prefer such open exchanges, rather than unspoken hate festering inside, suppressed by what one version of society deems appropriate. Speak as I speak, do as I do, think as I think has never been anything but a distasteful instruction to me, especially considering those who have used it previously. Edit: One has been perusing the Codex and the gentlemen there have some truly great news and editorial articles, the benefit of being largely unmoderated and not parroting popular tropes, as I see it there is always a need for a counter cultural voice and though raucous I believe there are gems hidden in that squalor. I do not obviously agree with much of what's said but I would defend their right to say it.

Slightly disappointing, however I understand that the gentlemen wish to attract more publishers and must accept a certain amount of compromise. I certainly hope that it is not the beginning of a slippery slope however, if so they lose their unique selling point and PR pitch, that of the "good guys."

More than fair and reasonable sir, I was wondering more on why Godlike have a dexterity bonus however, an otherwordly grace perhaps?

1. When I can see my protagonist constantly i'm far more connected to him, thus isometric and third person games are far more immersive to me than first person. 2. Games should never cater to the individuals who do not finish them, they should tell the story they wish without any constraints. 3. Accessibility is destroying the genre, constant pandering to the lowest common denominator destroys the game for anybody wishing for a challenge or cohesion. 4. On the whole games have devolved over the last twenty years, and the masses have cheered on this slide into mediocrity and championed degenerate design decisions, feature stripping and lack of content. 5. There can never be enough choice and consequence, my every playthrough should be different and unique. For instance Bioware's three different answers leading to the same result is truly degenerate design, easily discerned and making a mockery of interactivity, which should be the greatest strength of this medium. 6. The tyranny of loot collection is destroying good games, more need to have a viable and balanced economy. 7. Turn based combat is far more thrilling and involved than real time, the playing out of tactics, the wait for the results, the cruel fall of the dice and your enemies response, exhilirating. 8. Blank slate characters remain blank if the game does not acknowledge their actions, you may invent histories, habits and personalities for them but if the game does not acknowledge that then you may as well quit the game and use your imagination. 9. There is far too much combat in almost every game ever made, the thousands you kill on your quest do not empower the protagonist, they simply rob the foe of any potency and make them fodder. Ramp up the difficulty and make combat a gruelling deadly puzzle to be avoided at all costs, rather than a time sink and artificial barrier. 10. Apathy is death.

I partake of spectacles not the old monocle but as for pipe smoking, one is a great admirer of a good rough shag.

Personally i've never particularly gotten on with the childish simple caricatures that Bioware passes off as characters, they always seem to be there for one simple purpose, blunt and clumsy ego stroking of the protagonist. This is almost always at the expense of their own identity, take the guardswoman from Dragon Age 2, we're told that she is strong by all and sundry, but it is revealed in the game that she is incompetent at her job thus accounting for the bandits every ten feet in Kerkwall, willingly abandons that duty at the commands of the protagonist and cannot perform her most important assignments without the aid of the protagonist. The fact that she is a slave to the main character for years goes without saying, and has absolutely no reasoning or logical explanation behind it, it is just crude pandering. She even has to have her hand held when courting a man, as if she were some blushing virgin maid and not a widow, utterly preposterous. It is fairly much the same with all of Bioware's creations, they are barely sketched out archetypes, they evoke feelings of needy childishness, simplistic and disturbing in its clumsy attempts at empowerment. Whereas I will always remember Boone's tragic and shocking story, and the fate that you cannot change for him, merely alleviate in a number of ways through your actions. I have always felt that Obsidian create far more detailed, mature and realistic characters, rather than the Bioware staple of one liner spewing simpletons, whom are to be squee'd over and romanced by the strange people who frequent the BSN. Obviously Dragon Age 2 fairly aggresively ramped up the idiocy of its characters, with the upper, middle and lower right restriction on conversations, the fact that you could not get rid of the morons who followed you around, and yet ironically could not even talk to them even if they were supposed to be your family, but I think it's always been there. This emphasis on soundbites and style rather than substance and self respect, it echoes throughout Bioware's games for me, and though I can fairly much forgive many aspects of a game, such as hideously over elaborate art design and illogical renaissance fayre settings, poorly written and blatantly distasteful characters such as that moronic pirate stripper in Dragon Age 2 I cannot. If you want to make a wise cracking, cynical and veteran character I suggest you look at old Cassidy, a font of information in a changing world, a hardbitten and yet likeable companion who is useful, self motivated and uncompromising even though life has been less than kind to him. It was a pleasure to take a seat beside Rose and chat with her about the old man, and reminded me of how easily he spang off the screen. Really great characterisation. Or look at Arcade Gannon, a man on the run and in hiding, whose life has been hard even for the wasteland and yet he remains, a clever, hopeful and articulate spark of brightness and hope in a grim world. Yet this does not define him, he is also a realist and knows that sometimes the means to achieve an end are messy, though he wishes it were not so, and he is searching for a better way of conducting society than the barbaric way of Caesar or the increasingly fascist NCR. I really cannot compare these great, detailed and conflicted personalities to the simplistic caricatures of Bioware, who lets face it can be summed up with a few buzzwords.

Strangely enough this reminds me of the old RTS Warrior Kings, they share a certain ambience, and I was often a little disappointed when combat interrupted my civilisation crafting in that game. For the work of just one man this is a Herculean feat, I hope the gentleman finds success and thrives.

Be quite an interesting NPC (or perhaps even a protagonist) who has a weak sundered soul and yet is successful and driven, self motivated and ambitious with a keen mind and a strong will, who has none of the advantages of the spiritually potent and yet outperforms them through grit and cunning. Somewhat like the film Gatacca, a study in applying oneself versus natural gifts. Obviously Obsidian could make such a character far more interesting than my clumsy prose can.

Divine right again, I think that's a realistic approach that the mighty would seize upon. One thing that's always interested me is how a small warrior class may rule over the vast majority, say with the Norman warlords who rose to prominence in Britain, and how their culture basically comes to dominate the native race. Just as the Anglo-Saxons did before them I suppose, displacing, outbreeding and supressing the indigenous people who settled Britain by crossing the land bridge from Europe. I suppose the Britain's Celtic culture must have arisen from a warrior elite imposing that society upon them as well. Have similar small groups of conquerors had such an impact on Poe's world I wonder, and have they been born of one racial group or simply a collection of spiritually potent individuals?

When I was a lad we had it hard! We prayed on bended knee for ten hours in hot coals until our legs were burned to useless nubs, went to the workhouse for thirteen hours where we were beaten and tortured by Inquisitor Torquemada while assembling My Little Pony dolls, and finally got home to be crucified in cold blood by our own dear Mater, who sneared at our weakness, laughed and stabbed us in the side with a barbed spear. I'll say this though that childhood made us appreciate lifes little luxuries. Mind you Pater he was a hard man and didn't spare the whip like my mother, he decapitated my brother Bentley with a rusty claymore for chewing too loudly at table, and made my dear sister Ermintrude swim lengths in a pool of hydrachloric acid for leaving the tap running while she brushed her teeth.

Banished, very relaxing, yet detailed and satisfying. Edit: Thought i'd been playing for five minutes but an hour had passed, sign of a good game.

They do seem to cry a lot and show emotions in general, when I walk past Mrs Nonek's reality television programs i'm often amazed by the sheer amount of blubbering going on, usually men as well. Very strange, it seems the generation who handled their problems quietly and privately are fading away. I have also noticed youths seem to glory in uniformity, the same tattoo's, the same piercings, the same clothes, individuality seems to be very much on the decrease while fitting in with a social grioup is on the increase. And what is with the helmet hair, are these young slimey headed gentlemen trying to look as stupid as possible? I suppose i'm just an aged anachronism, who's not so emotional, nor so needy, and certainly doesn't dance which seems to be another craze that's appeared from nowhere. When did food become so important as well, you can't get away from cookery programs with tones of ridiculous gravitas. Also is there something wrong with the spines of modern children, they all seem to slouch, even in formal situations rather than sit up straight. Need their thighs slapping with a yardstick if you ask me!

1. Eye of the Beholder 3: One of the few games i've stopped playing, uninstalled and given away. That bad. 2. Ultima 8: The jumping, killing children, the waste of all the promise that was shown in the build up to revealing Pagan. Still finished and must admit there were some good parts to it, such as meeting the Demon in the Black Sword. 3. Ultima 9: No, just no, what the devil were you thinking Mr Garriot. Finished and wished i hadn't. 4. Dragon Age 2: almost finished, gave up when the glowing Templar woman shot into space, uninstalled and haven't touched since. Probably the worst narrative, plot, setting and characters i've ever seen in a game. A tremendous step back in the medium, but I got sixty hours worth of game out of it so it served its purpose. Did she show up in ME3? 5. Mass Effect 2: The usual illogical and nonsensical Bioware plotting and blatant protagonist empowerment, but at least unlike DA2 this was fun, even though everyone in the Galaxy is sickeningly stupid.

What I personally find interesting is that the Aedyrean's seem to have merged their culture with the Elven species, despite the fact that they cannot breed and so are not racially related they seem to be co-existing peacefully, that's very interesting and quite new to me. I assume that Dwraves have also been swallowed by their nearest dominant culture rather than keeping their own cultural identity, now is this a great opportunity to see a really dynamic mix of species and the various races of Humanity, or is there something lost in the Elves and Dwarves having been swallowed by the Human state. Or maybe that state is more of a conglomeration of different cultures and species, all sharing common ideals and goals. Can speciesism exist in such a far ranging and diverse culture, or are there other hatreds born of more subtle differences? Soul strength, religion obviously or cultural superiority by inhabitants of the old dominant Empires. It seems quite strange to see different species treated as brothers, how did this come to pass, when did the early tribes of men cast away the fear and hatred of the stranger, and instead embrace them as countrymen? I'm interested to see what manner of leadership has arisen in the Free Palatinate as well, because we all know that there's no such thing as freedom. What manner of government is used by the Glenfathan's, and how deep within their culture does the protection of the Engwithan ruins run? Are these societies still largely agrarian, with the vast majority of people working the land and being largely self sufficient, with luxuries available at exotic locales such as the nearest market towns? I look forward to finding the answer to these questions and more.

I'd be interested to hear the reasoning for the Godlike (of whatever parent species) to all have the same attribute bonuses, and why they have those bonuses, assuming there's a reason. I quite like the idea of the Godlike being of different body shapes, so that some equipment is not useable by them, personally i'm hoping for a Satyr race that has no shoes slots because of the cloven hoofs. All told i'm liking the fact that they're not simply Genasi, and add a little touch of the other into Poe's cauldron of species.

This can only be a good thing in my opinion, without the necessary background and the societal make-up we're left with a gameworld that will feel artificial, like Thedas or the Forgotten Realms. The fact that we're in a colony newly split from an ancient Empire obviously raises certain ideas of a "New World," and I for one welcome exploration of its varying strata. Obviously I will take advantage of any chance at power and ruthlessly subjugate at the first opportunity, but it would hardly behoove a citizen of the time to do anything less, power at that time meant simply winning or dying as history shows repeatedly. My character will live, prosper and exploit the stinking peasantry. And when and if a popular revolution arises back both sides in secret while proclaiming public neutrality, so that his ascent into the next order of power brokers is assured whatever the results, while ensuring he profits from the conflict.

Was it the Celt's who used to have a belt tax amongst their warriors? The more holes made in ones belt, the more tax one would have to pay, sounds a little mythological to me but you never know.