Gromnir

am a fosse fan, and all that jazz is frequent our favorite fosse. is autobiographical in kinda a twisted way. fosse actually had his real life mistress play the lead character's mistress. richard dreyfuss, who were initially tabbed to play the lead, were disgusted by the script and fosse and dropped outta the project. "uh oh. i think we just lost the family audience." ha. primary female dancer in the scene above may be recognizable to fans o' the 1982 conan movie. HA! Good Fun!

in one sense, this sounds like a good thing. nevertheless, one does wonder what is the point of classes if you can customize outta class roles. also, 'cause is becoming a theme for Gromnir, we feel compelled to mention that we has been told by obsidian via interviews and such that we know everything about poe other than story spoilers. and yet we find it more than a little perplexing that we know so little detail 'bout how we will be able to customize characters. weird. HA! Good Fun!

we were gonna make some kinda snarky comment about preoccupation with material crap that don't in anyway improve the game, but about a week ago we spent $2900 (we ended up saving some dough... they wanted to charge us $3400) to get an alternator replaced on our bmw x5 4.4l. were in the shop so we had to drive our "other" car... http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/59764-cars/?p=1178738 is funny 'cause buick is releasing a new grand national gnx, so am gonna probably buy one. have actual seen a commercial where they describe as darth vader's car. so, any comments we could possibly make 'bout stupid materialism is clearly nothing more than hypocritical blather. HA! Good Fun!

"Takei pointed out what many have noted, that Hobby Lobby has invested in multiple companies that manufacture abortion drugs and birth control." this is bs btw. the 401(k) that employees o' hobby is able to take advantage of allows those employees to choose mutual funds that include Evil Corporate Entities. bah. is not worth going further into this point as is so darn ridiculous. nevertheless, some idiot who clearly don't know anything 'bout 401(k)s did some ninja research and somehow twisted that into hobby hypocrisy. personally, we think hobby does themselves a disservice with their stance on birth control and health insurance pays, but for now, it is their right to do so. but the 401(k) crap is... nonsense. HA! Good Fun!

is always surprising to us, as a literary snob, just how much difference good voice acting can make when storytelling is involved. chrisA, as much as we like him as a crpg writer, can indulge in the kinda tedious exposition that makes us wonder why nobody at obsidian is willing to do an intervention. we bet if he were ridiculous drunk, his coworkers would prevent him from driving himself home, but they didn't stop him when he were doing some o' kaelyn's dialogues? as a friend you gotta duty to stop a guy before he causes a car wreck. that being said, there is voice actors that is capable o' making the most tedious dialogues... sing. get good vo and chrisA can indulge himself without hurting nobody. that being said, significant vo puts limitations on a development. vo is not done near completion o' the project, and once vo is complete, changes to the game that would otherwise require new vo becomes largely impossible. the developmental flexibility sacrificed to make considerable vo possible is not negligible. the expenses related to vo is also a bit shocking as far as Gromnir is concerned. HA! Good Fun!

*grumble* the bioware-style, tangential and insular sex-'em-up side-quests/mini-games is not romances as Gromnir would define. am always a bit perturbed that romance in crpgs has become inexplicably linked with the bioware companion mini-game. whenever we sees folks lamenting the absence o' romance in a game when what they is actual requesting is the sex-'em up side-quests, we feels the need to jump in like king kong-- start throwing buses and biplanes in animal rage at tiny villains. ... in retrospect, our reaction is particular appropriate given that king kong were a far better romance story than we has ever seen via the mini-game approach. HA! Good Fun!

am honestly not knowing how important abilities is compared to skills and... whatever else is the per-level customization options. is actual kinda bizarre how little we specific know given the late date. you can make a system in which skills is extreme important and abilities ain't. hell, you can craft a system that has abilities and skills and neither is particular important. if abilities raise is "rare," am gonna guess that abilities is important, otherwise there ain't much reason to limit the pool o' ability points. even so, that is only a guess based on an assumption o' developer rationality. ... *shrug* is so little to say 'cause is so little we know. "Gromnir, I approve of the way you type. "Tis most amusing." an innocuous seeming admission that will make you few friends. the three folks who share your amusement meet every other leap year, in secret. we will send you details o' the 2020 meeting if you so desire. HA! Good Fun!

that part don't bother us. am not so much concerned with getting a new torment soon. if wasteland 2 becomes a long warm-up for torment, then so much the better. am admitting that we have more confidence in the obsidian developers ability to deliver a competent product in a timely fashion. we expect obsidian execution to be better. we will need to wait and see which game is more creative. 'course it ain't like there is an actual competition 'tween torment and poe. am expecting that is largely the same folks backing both titles. we would be overjoyed with two good games that is enjoyable for much different reasons. HA! Good Fun!

But she cannot appear in Torment. (at least not officially. ) They haven't the rights to use any Planescape:Torment characters, and it's an awful shame that she will never be able to admit it in the game. we can hope that the developers o' the new torment game come up with something unique and profound that will be forcing Gromnir to reevaluate what we thought were possible in a crpg. ravel were that kinda character. sure, we feel nostalgic whenever we see ravel in a new obsidian game, but we would be even more thrilled if inXile complete surprises with something beautifully unexpected. HA! Good Fun!

personally, we do not mind attribute point boosting after the initial character generation. poe is a game, so for us we is thinking that giving players adequate customization leveling rewards is more important than any concerns we can imagine. there should be real rewards at every level, and player should also be having customization options 'pon leveling... or so we believe. poe appears to have fewer skills than a game such as wasteland 2, so opportunities to improve via skills will be similarly limited. but again, we don't specific know what is the other leveling rewards. distributing ability points is one way for Gromnir to feel as if we is building Our character to suit Our needs. am guessing there will be other ways to improve and customize, but that is based mostly on conjecture 'cause obsidian ain't telling us specifics. HA! Good Fun!

Care to elaborate why? I am genuinely curious. if you do not gain attributes past character generation, each o' those points is all the more precious. if you will never get more points, you needs be more careful in spending. in theory this should lead to more balanced characters being built, but it typical works out the opposite way with extreme min/max. there is also the issue with some systems (particularly class-based systems) where a character will eventually have one or two stats improved to relative superhero levels through ability inflation. hypothetical: a rhino has a str o' 20. the absolute best strength a starting human character may have is 18. ok, so maybe the rhino is a bit weak, but is not so outrageous that it makes folks fall over laughing. the thing is, by level 20, our human is likely to have a strength that far surpasses the rhino, and that ain't even talking 'bout magical boosting. as is a Fantasy Game, such stuff doesn't actual bother us, but the aforementioned is typical answers given for avoiding inflation o' abilities... and such notions does have merit. HA! Good Fun!

you know, that is what cheeses us off 'bout poe development. we saw interview where we got developers saying that 'cause this is kickstarter, the fans know everything 'cept story. not true. we don't know genuine how combat works and we ain't seen character generation and leveling. we don't know functional advantages o' different races. sure, we has been told the special powers o' each class, but guess what, if you tell us that d&d rogues get uncanny dodge and backstab and more skill points without giving context o' d20 system, such stuff is largely meaningless. this game is near to being released as beta (a kinda faux beta if obsidian is serious 'bout a 2014 release) and we still don't know how poe works. ... is not so much that we don't know how poe mechanics will function so much as is bothersome when developers pretend like we know everything. guess what, we don't. am still guessing if we get attributes boost or how all those derived stats is generated on the one freaking screenie o' a character sheet we has seen. for a game we know everything about but story, we is feeling left much in the dark 'bout how poe actual plays. HA! Good Fun!

Now I'm curious - what do you mean by that? Which characters are modeled after Ravel, and what makes them tick? I must confess that I never played PS:T long enough to encounter her. I've been meaning to give it a try but all this talk about how characters with high Wisdom and Intelligence are the only way to go kind of made me lose interest. (If someone tells you that there's so much to explore if you follow a very specific way of playing a game, you can become downright paranoid about missing vital information and find yourself stop playing. It's really a curse.) kreia is most obvious example as she were a main character. gulk'aush in motb, gann's mom, is another ravel "hag." the blind seer with all the cats from iwd2 is one example that is easy to miss but were mentioned by chrisA in an interview. the ultimate "villain" from HoW also is 'posed to be a kinda homage/incarnation of/to ravel. etc. chrisA has done some blogs and interviews wherein he admits that ravel is kinda like an obsidian stan lee in marvel films... though that is not how chrisA describes o' course. HA! Good Fun!

That is the issue. Well written romances can be great, but most of the ones you find these days in any form of media are passable at best. It's hardly a video game only problem. You see it in novels, in movies, in TV shows, in comic books, and pretty much any and every storytelling medium... ...and personally I believe this is one of the main reasons why. Love is awfully overrated. Or maybe it is better to say it is so often given strange definitions that come stuffed with cheese. Victorians weren't satisfied just with ruining fairies and fairy tales, no, they had to come up with this "romantic love" nonsense and curse their descendants to a hell of terrible storytelling. Oh, well. oh, there really ain't a question that ravel were romantic in love with tno. she tells you so when you meet here in the maze. becoming immortal were tno's idea, but as in the case o' fairytales, something went terribly wrong. ravel didn't want to, or could not bear keeping your immortality bound, and so the transcendent one and all those shadows is out making things miserable for tno. nevertheless, ravel is clear doing everything for love. she is ei-vene, and marta and mebbeth. when you return to sigil from your plane hopping, you may speak to mebbeth one last time. is one o' the few true poignant game encounters we can recollect. *shrug* like or dislike romantic love. however you look at it, ravel were deep in love with tno, and she suffered much 'cause o' that love. is no wonder chrisA has managed to work her into every obsidian game since... though am not knowing about ap, ds3 or south park as we did not play those games. chrisA, for all the criticism we direct at him, did something wonderful with ravel, and is no surprise he has brought her along with him as he ha matured as a game developer. HA! Good Fun!

complete miss the point o' ravel, but you can read as you wish. is a game, so your interpretation, no matter how wrong, is complete valid for you. HA! Good Fun!

best game romance for us don't even have a close second: ravel puzzelwell & the nameless one. is not having cheesey and awkward sex scenes, and it is critical path, but ravel love for tno is the single most moving romance we can care to name from a crpg. in spite of the game's many flaws, ps:t is our favorite crpg and ravel is our favorite character. ultimately everything ravel did to and for the nameless one were done outta love. folks who suggest that Gromnir don't appreciate game romance is complete and entire wrong. our issue with bio romances is that they don't come anywhere close to matching ps:t efforts. is comic bad by comparison. HA! Good Fun!

as has no doubt become apparent to many, Gromnir will tenaciously argue most any issue. we saw qistina trying to peddle the All Games Belong to Kotor bit to a new group o' marks and we chose to abstain. can making sweeping generalizations and absurd comparisons to be finding similarities 'tween any Light v. Dark story. for example, episode iv of star wars had a dragon: the death star. give qistina a link to joseph campbell and call it a day. as for hot chicks in dragon age: inquisition, we ain't paid much attention. cassandra (am hoping she ain't prophetic) reminds us a bit o' maggie o'connel (jannine turner) from old northern exposure tv series. http://mixnmojo.com/galleries/full/full20110830194919.jpg we got no interest in bio romances, but am admitting that we thought maggie o'connel were quite fetching. on the other hand, giving the mage companion the same fashion sense as a disney villain strikes us as odd. http://hype.my/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/maleficent1.jpg can bio maleficent turn into a dragon too? am gonna admit that the maleficent dragon transformation were pretty darn kewl when we first saw it. HA! Good Fun!

strictly speaking, am not knowing of any me 3 romance potential character that is bisexual. some romance characters has their sexuality determined by the player's sexuality-- is not same as bi-sexual. jack is likely an exception. we didn't romance her, but am expecting that she tried to shock your character by telling him/her about her exploits. the blue squid woman were not strictly bisexual neither as she could procreate with even non-sexual creatures, but am admitting that such is a game-specific distinction. regardless, much like the other party npcs we don't recall liara (sp?) speaking or sharing the details o' any o' her other partners with you. the squid women is portrayed as libidinous, but the me 1 liara were purposeful written as kinda innocent and naive. were she a "virgin"? we don't recall. even if you think that it is okie dokie to dismiss a potential romance interest in real life or games because o' their bisexuality, there were, as far as we know (and again, am actual just guessing)only one such example in me3, and jack were only a romance option in me3 if you romanced her in me2, so it would be extreme hypocritical to complain 'bout her bisexuality in me3, yes? the bisexuality o' character in me 3 were, for the most part, a function of game mechanics. we know that ashley were willing to have sexual relations with a woman if shep were a woman-- is not the same as bisexual. dismissing a romance option because o' a game mechanic that makes it possible for other players to do homosexual romance strikes us as homophobic... and in the alternative, sorta silly. HA! Good Fun!

figures chil would like *eye roll* actual issue is not as you suggest. we addressed earlier and noted that preferring a specific aggregate o' physical features is not, in and of itself, racist. regardless, the hypothetical girl o' bester's genesis post claimed it were misogynistic that bioware did not offer her an alternative to a black male romance partner. ... all on the same page now? HA! Good Fun!

we went and used the tedious search engine and discovered that the last time you asked, we gave an answer. is not a secret or anything, but we don't think it matters... or at least we don't believe it should matter. and as we did already tell you last time you asked, you can now go digging with the horrible arsed search function and Feel our Pain. see, now that is whiny. not bester level o' whiny, but we don't quite have the knack for martyrdom. HA! Good Fun!

again, not black and about as far away from upper class as is possible. how many times we gotta let you know we ain't black before it sinks in? you is so dogged on this and we can't explain the origin. oh well, poor white kid growing up in the ghetto and suffering more racism than we can imagine sounds far more whiny than anything we has posted. am trying to decide if that is counting more as hypocrisy, irony or just plain stupidity on your part to not recognize that your complaint 'bout Gromnir followed right after your little hard knocks for bester tale. you need a tissue and a chance to compose self? btw, we thinks we kinda made clear that we ain't suffering oppression in the office. some o' our colleagues don't even think o' us as a minority and others clear forget that we is til after they say something stoopid. is like our euro friends who didn't seem to see us as American. Gromnir ain't poor educated. we don't talk funny, quote che guevera, or think oj were innocent. sure, we look different, but is amazing how folks can kinda ignore that kinda stuff. bester is in his own little world now... is probably his way to try and get himself out o' the horrible hole he dug with his hypothetical racist and homophobic girlfriend. and we got absolutely no idea how the tale o' woe o' how you suffered at the hands o' blacks and arabs is 'posed to make us think your girlfriend is less racist or that bioware is more misogynist. is it 'posed to makes us think that you is a racist but that you got reasons for it? am suspecting you think you made some kinda relevant point, but am not seeing it. HA! Good Fun!

the fact that she had (you is the one who used past tense, so that makes it even better) black friends is not an issue. you and her thinking it is meaningful that she had black friends is what is funny. Well she did have them, so what? Grow up. am recalling when we were teaching in europe we would frequent find our euro friends talking 'bout the shortcoming o' Americans. apparently we were stupid and fat and uncultured and a laundry list o' other shortcomings. we would remind folks that Gromnir were American and they would actually seem surprised. they were comfortable 'nuff 'round us that they didn't even think o' us as an American. "oh, we don't me you." that made it better? Gromnir has white friends who is racist. we can even like the racists. is often good folks and if they saw you were in need, they would give you the shirt off their back, regardless o' your color or creed. nevertheless, put them in charge o' hiring new employees and ask 'em why they didn't hire Mr. A, a seeming superior qualified minority candidate. response is,"our more conservative clients won't react well to his accent, and and if it wasn't for affirmative action..." is quote from a smart and funny guy who we would happily introduce our sister to if not for the fact that the guy don't even realize that he is racist. "oh, i don't blame them--it's not their fault that they didn't have the same educational and social advantages that we did." he can say such stuff with Gromnir in the room. we is the guy who didn't have the same social and educational advantages that he did. we like the guy. it pisses us off more than a little that we like the guy. we has largely given up trying to get him to understand that he is a racist 'cause he just acts hurt when we point out when he is being racist. the other kinda racist "friends" is no better--the ones who say or do something racist, then need necessarily check to see if Gromnir caught 'em in the act. *eye roll* honestly we don't give a rat's fart worth o' concern when such happens. Gromnir acting indignant is not gonna make the guy with white guilt any less racist. when they clumsily try and retract racism or bend over backwards to avoid appearance o' racism, we can't help but feel some small amount o' pity. regardless, we is certain that we has been held up as an example o' the minority friend that proves that a racist... isn't. y'know, 'cause we is educated and don't like rap music and 'cause we don't constantly make everything 'bout race. HA! Good Fun! ps thanks to bruce and bester... and now Gromnir, we is getting way off topic. is about bioware writers being misogynistic, yes? not anymore.

"No. I actually showed her this thread and she said some people on this forum are incredibly dumb because she's had black friends when she lived abroad and she's always made fun of people with prejudices." this might be better than the percentages shtick. the, "i have friends who are black," bit is so freaking rich. bwahhahhhaahh! lordy, we didn't think you would go there, but you did. classic. hey, go ahead and google "i have black friends." see what kinda funny stuff your search turns up. no, really. HA! Good Fun!

it is not racist to acknowledge that you prefer a certain aggregate o' physical features in a prospective romantic partner. some may consider that shallow, but is not racist. perhaps you prefer gabrielle union to halle berry? if bester's hypothetical girl had made the observation that the one nwn male romance option for women were ugly, we would chuckled but that woulda' been the end o' it. all the nwn companions looked a bit comical to us. their aesthetic were the result o' a single portrait and a blocky 3d avatar, so they all looked silly. on the other hand, to dismiss the nwn option because he were black is racism. is a kinda and stoopid variety, but is clear racist. "In fact in South Africa certain people won't even date outside there religious group. So would this make them racist ?" am thinking the proper term is "bigot" not racist. values is acquired and is not a matter o' birth. dismiss the possibility o' dating a crpg gamer or a santerian priest is not making a judgement 'pon a person simple for aspects they got no control over. it is different than racism or misogyny. nevertheless, we believe that mindless discrimination 'gainst persons simple because o' their religious beliefs is bigoted and bad. Gromnir is a bit less touchy 'bout discrimination based on acquired values. discriminate 'gainst willful ignorant individual is ok by us. discriminate 'gainst a person who can't distinguish their/there/they're is also striking us as fair. so if somebody wanna discriminate 'gainst an individual who has not taken Jesus or Odin or Ganesha into their heart, perhaps they got just as much o' a basis to do so as does Gromnir to discriminate against people who didn't get at least 1350 on their sat (old score). that makes us an elitist snob and we is ok with that. keep in mind that English is weird and "discrimination" is having complex nuances o' meaning. discrimination that is bad is requiring us to treat unfairly 'cause o' categorical labeling. we discriminate 'gainst you personally based on personal qualities and not 'cause o' broad categories and it ain't evil and prejudicial discrimination. regardless all this is beside the point-- not make hypo-girl less racist if you happen to know some religious bigots in south africa. and whether hypo girl is racist or shallow or whatever not make gaider any more misogynistic. HA! Good Fun!

... in the history o' this board, we has never taken oby, or his her dopples, seriously. as harsh as we is 'bout vol, the canadian is ten times more likely to get some measure o' our consideration. that is all we need say on the matter. HA! Good Fun!