Gromnir

... there is clearly some kinda disconnect at work here, yes? does anybody argue that ad hoc xp award schemes is more simple than quest-based xp? no, right? after all, there is no need to add up every little award. there is no need to balance awards so that one style of gameplay is not given the lion's share of awards. no need to worry 'bout players exploiting monster spawns or re-locking chests to get credit for re-opening, or any number o' other exploits. sure, every game that has had quest awards has seemingly had infinite xp exploits, but it ain't like ad hoc schemes won't have quest-based awards as well. ps:t had some memorable infinite xp bugs from quest awards such as the coffin maker and the private sensory stones. nevertheless, bug hunting is much more simple if you not have all the ad hoc awards to be checking, right? am not certain why josh has been silent on this issue given that he has, in the past, been such a vocal advocate o' quest-based schemes. maybe we should just wait and let him chastise folks who continue with their unreasonable advocation o' a bassackwards approach to xp awards. after all, josh tends to be even less diplomatic than Gromnir... as hard as that is to believe. HA! Good Fun!

Some of us, including me, enjoy the borders and definitions classes endow us with, as a focus for our characters. I wouldn't call it a holdover from DnD either; there are many, many systems with classes & careers. so, playing a spellcaster that you build using customization features, a spellcaster that can hurl fireballs whilst wearing inexplicable dressing gowns/bath robes, is less enjoyable than playing one that is crafted by the developers? am baffled. am believing you, 'cause many people seem to be big fans o' classes, but am still baffled. opportunities to customize your character is a good thing, no? everybody likes customization ops, right? so why not maximize? if through customization features you can get your ideal spellcatser, how is that less satisfying to play than the hard-coded mage? am hopeful this is one feature that the obsinaties choose to ignore the fans regarding. HA! Good Fun!

Technically PS:T did have an antagonist, but your confrontation was not with him, but with the world and with yourself. you could say that just about any story wherein a protagonist must ultimately confront an antagonist. "you know, like the UBG is a metaphor for the hero's fear of death-- or maybe it is the hero's fear of turtles. regardless, it was brilliant how the author..." etc. *snort* the more you like, the more you will read-in pretentious stuff to give more depth. ps:t, like most interplayblackisleobsidian games, were not having a particularly well-crafted conclusion. sure, we liked where we is stuck walking into the blood war, but the fortress o' regrets felt incomplete and ultimately unsatisfying. ravel, and to a lesser extent trias, were far more interesting than the transcendent one. so we fight a bunch o' meaningless battles with shadow critters to get to a potential final confrontation with a rather underwhelming ubg. disappointing. regardless, ps:t did have a villain... metaphor and allegory nonsense notwithstanding. is just unfortunate that self-as-villain stuff were not near as well-crafted as ravel/ei-vene/mebbeth. eternity won't have a fixed protagonist such as ps:t, so it will be even more dependent on a villain to give story focus. ... again, this is a Game story we is talking about, so there will ultimately need be a gameplay resolution that the story must accommodate... is not the other way around, yes? you will confront the ubg at the end of game, and as many players will have built combat characters, you will necessarily have an opportunity to do some fighting at the end. such a confrontation will be climax. so, you gotta make villain compelling, or your climax is... anti-climactic.this is not movie, novel or short story. gameplay is unavoidable and should remain the focus. chrisA knows this... but he seems to have lapses when it comes to actual writing o' conclusions. HA! Good Fun!

So if my party happens to kill a mummy in a random isolated crypt that is 5 levels above us, but is not tied to any quest or "objective" ... we'd get no XP, even if we barely survived. But if my party talks a peasant (2 dialogue clicks, 2 skill distribution clicks) into saving a cat from a tree (talk skills!!) ... we'd get XP. That's neat... Not. ... if your argument was that ridiculous quests such as clearing rats from tavern basements or saving cats from trees should be avoided in eternity, we would agree, but apparently you chose to beat the stuffing out of a strawman to make some kinda point about quest-based xp awards. most puzzling. HA! Good Fun!

pants. is a pair o' pants too much to ask for? HA! Good Fun! ps we dont want a mage class. let any character choose spellcasting abilities... and pants

we won't discuss what makes a good game romance. wont discuss the level o' lasciviousness appropriate. wont discuss same-sex romance. we told somebody that we wouldn't be responding to the romance threads, but we will make one observation that we will no doubt needs repeat a few thousand times: romance is Not fodder for a tangential side-quest. we are not anti-romance. many o' the bestest stories is romances. we is not necessarily a romantic, but we likes a good romance. at the same time, we not want romance forced 'pon us. the thing is, we gets a bit queasy when we consider the notion o' an optional and tangential romantic side-quest. is invariably rushed as you gots very limited number o' dialog encounters to complete a full romance arc. am not seeing a way to reconcile our desire for romance to be optional with our recognition that romance is not viable in a tangential vignette. HA! Good Fun!

well, the antler helm don't look much more practical than a dunce cap, but am largely in agreement with mc. at the very least, we would like to have the option to be giving our spellcaster some freaking pants. HA! Good Fun!

if obsidian needs add the anachronism o' classes, then keep them as few and as simple as possible. Less class-specific abilities and More customization. HA! Good Fun!

Planescape: Torment begs to differ. So does Mask of the Betrayer. The story is the story. A villain may be a device serving to drive the story--to create motivation, but there are many, many potential motivations other than "kill that dude!" eh? you don't think that ps:t and motb had primary antagonists? regardless, one o' the big flaws o' motb were that most folks did not give a damn 'bout the antagonist. and please note that ps:t had a specific protagonist... which were a frequent complaint btw. "story is the story" is... meaningless. make observation that eternity is a game that will have a story is far more significant. as a game, you necessarily needs to accommodate gameplay, yes? this is why there is almost invariably a confrontation with the UBG (ultimate bad guy) that allows player to overcome via gameplay. ask chrisA... he has noted that story takes a backseat to gameplay on more than one occasion. doesnt matter if you talking donkey kong or ps:t 'cause you is still finding yourself leaping over barrels/obstacles to reach a final confrontation with the ubg. HA! Good Fun!

classes is unnecessary... and evil. HA! Good Fun!

the villain IS the story. eternity will not be "a clean, well-lighted place" or "the dead." there will be an obvious antagonist. the protagonist need be vague and general enough to support any number o' player choices and preferences, so it is the villain who will define the story... unless obsidian writers is complete nuts. HA! Good Fun!

1 obvious class o' antagonist obsidian needs to avoid: faceless/nameless evil. grendel. sauron, perfect storm... whatever. is scary and terrible 'cause is unfathomable. sauron is never seen. he is an Evil as imagined by the reader and not as illustrated by author. is kinda obvious why faceless opponents do not work in a visual game, but chrisA and company didnt seem to realize the hurdles in making such an antagonist when they tried to makes nihilus work in kotor2. we listened to a post mortem from chrisA in which he describes nihilus as a success. ... really? mush-mouth with the skull mask were laughable as an antagonist. no need for audience imagination = no dread. sooooo, avoid faceless. on the other hand, obsidian/bis best antagonist... wasn't. ravel/mebbeth/kreia/etc has all been variations of the same character, and all has been the player's protector and guide as much as an antagonist. bestest obsidian/bis character has appeared in all their games, and we hope this continues with eternity. doesn't need be main antagonist.... but it wouldn't be a bad idea neither. HA! Good Fun!

... didn't read thread, but "finishing moves" sounds like an anime trope. am thinking we ain't the target demographic for such a "feature." HA! Good Fun!

are you complete insane? silly question. look, combat is gonna be prevalent in the game. duh. in a moronic and bassackwards system o' xp awards, it will not be difficult to find occasions to be awarding xp for combat.... but what about sneaky or diplomacy or... whatever. instead of the complex job o' trying to give different players equivalent xp opportunities ('cause if you don't, people will reasonably feel as if playing non-combatant focused is an xp punishment,) the developers need only give uniform quest xp to be guaranteeing that nobody gets slighted. complex and easily broken calculus so that vol gets a warm-fuzzy every time he kills an ork or opens a lock, versus the simplicity and elegance o' quest-based rewards? really folks, this is a no-brainer. let the developers spend their efforts developing gameplay content instead of wasting a second on ad hoc models o' xp award/ HA! Good Fun!

the game will not be complete non-linear... and you complete miss the point. if you got loads of xp awards for combat, but less opportunities for other activities, then you gotta grind much longer and harder as a sneaky player or diplomatic player to get relative similar power. you create a whole new level o' frustration for players. you is being ridiculous, as usual. HA! Good Fun!

luckily the developers is a bit brighter. we asked for a solution that makes developer job easier, and you want harder 'cause with imbalanced ad hoc you now you gots key plot-point encounters that potentially is being faced by players with significantly different power levels. HA! Good Fun!

this is just getting silly. ... different tack. for those who object to quest xp rewards, offer us a similarly simple and intuitive system that will result in players getting equal xp regardless o' their play style. sure, "balance" is often ridiculed in these parts, but shouldn't the sneaky player or the diplomat get as much xp awarded to them as does the combat player? get halfway through game and the sneakers has 1/2 as much xp as the combat players would be bad, no? quest rewards ignores complexity o' trying to balance rewards for disparate activities. now some folks like vol needs a digital pat on the noggin for every action they is successfully completing, but is that really an efficient use of developer time and effort? quest xp is inherently balanced and simple to implement... which means developers can spend time actual developing game content 'stead of trying to achieve balanced xp awards in an action-based system. tell us your alternative. give us a simple way to implement. HA! Good Fun!

is another thread we didnt read, so am apologizing in advance, but it boggles the mind when we see folks advocating any system other than xp rewards for completion o' quests. is simple and elegant. potential for exploitation? sure, but it is EASY and intuitive. rather than coming up with a complex calculus to be allowing all characters to get equivalent xp for completing quests regardless o' their use o' combat or sneaky or diplomacy or whatever, the developers avoids the problem completely. doesnt matter How the player completes objectives 'cause the award is simply for completion. is absolute egalitarian and is brainless simple to implement. is it possible to come up with a system that is more fair or more... kewl? sure, but why bother. simple xp rewards means developers can devote time to actual freaking gameplay rather than minutiae that will inevitably be more susceptible to exploitation. is axiomatic that the more complex the system, the more ways it can be broken. HA! Good Fun!

have not read any of this thread, so am hopeful we ain't the only person to observe that this is The Worst Poll... Evar. serious. not joking. writers should do their bestest to makes compelling characters. let audience pigeonhole as archetypes, but am thinking it is pure jackassery to, for even a nanosecond, consider whether a given character fulfills some audience approved list o' archetypes. follows is what maybe should be prime corollary for any writing endeavor meant for popular consumption: never give people what they ask for. is no joke. you give people what they ask for and they will hate you. cliché. trite. hackneyed. derivative. DULL. what we as a group ask for is stupid and too terrible to endure. sure, meeting extreme general expectations is a safe bet for developers, but ultimately, to be good, you needs to surprise audience. list of archetypes? *snort* HA! Good Fun!

Which makes Gromnir and Drowsy Emperor look just plain childish and bigoted now. Here is a more detailed analysis of the story: http://www.thestar.c...assador-s-death ? how does this make Gromnir seem bigoted? we never doubted that especially in libya there is a strong pro-USA element (try to explain that to junai and de) but that not change at all how differently the rest o' the world views freedom o' expression compared to the USA. junai and de is doing the big red herring nonsense, but it not change fact that freedom o' expression gets very different treatment outside the boarders o' these United States... which don't make the US superior to the rest o' the world... save for in matters o' freedom o' expression. boggles the mind that you folks in other places thinks it is a good thing for governments to curb potentially offensive speech. really. HA! Good Fun!

No, but it's what actually happens, and it's being exploited for all it's worth. Some yutz puts a vid on Youtube and upsets some muslims. A diplomat is killed. Suddenly the US of A feel justified in sending another fleet of drones to the respective area to hunt down the aggressors. How many times must this scenario be repeated before ppl start to see the picture? J. ... so, because the rest of the world is peopled by immature nincompoops, Americans should have their free speech rights abridged? you, and those like you, is the problem. is Not the US that needs to change in this situation. "How many times must this scenario be repeated before ppl start to see the picture?" indeed. how many times before you and the rest o' the world, "grow up." if we were talking race issues, would you give the same advice? "Yes, it is a shame that as a (add racial minority of your choice here) you should be insulted and attacked simply because you chose to peacefully protest against your inequality, but after the fourth or fifth time your presence causes an incident, should not the government learn? The government cannot stop all the bigots of the world, so the obvious solution to your dilemma is to segregate you away from the rest of the population." see, in AMERICA we understands that the solution to combating hateful or ignorant speech is through education and more speech, not enforced silence. so, how many times does this sorta nonsense need to happen before you "ppl start to see the picture?" muslim extremists can react like this a thousand more times and still the solution will be more speech and education as opposed to enforced silence. they can kill 1000 more ambassadors. they can attack 1000 embassies. they can burn, loot, pillage and maim 1000 times 1000000 more times, and we will become only more certain that True freedom of speech and expression requires government protection. as is becoming the norm, you and the rest of the world has learned the wrong lesson from these tragedies. you should be learning just how important it is to protect speech and speakers, but you ain't learning that. HA! Good Fun!

for further reading on another bit o' nonsense, we includes a linky... we actual is gonna recommend Not watching the embedded video. http://www.theecologist.org/blogs_and_comments/commentators/other_comments/834271/hundreds_of_whales_face_slaughter_as_norways_killing_season_resumes.html ... don't watch video. seriously.

We've been through this a lot, especially after the Danish Muhammed caricatures in 2006. The norwegian officer Lt Col. Siri Skare was killed in Afghanistan last year, after the American Rev. Terry Jones decided to burn the Quran. This year, some Coptic halfwit from CA decided to insult the muslims - again - and as a result a US ambassador was killed. Do I think the muslim attacks are "legit"? Not at all. Should Americans know better? Yes! You're free to go up to a guy at the local pub and call him an arse. Does that mean he won't punch you in the face? Talk about being befuddled. As for whaling, according to Wikipedia, the Makha tribe in Washington State reinstated whaling in 1999, despite protests from animal rights groups. In Norway, the catch is made solely from one sustainable whale population. J. 1)indian tribes is domestic-dependent nations. you got a problem with makha? take up with the makha. is no legal basis for the US to tell makha to stop as the makha whaling rights is granted via treaties. 2) as we were saying before, the rest o' the world is apparently a bunch o' 8-year old nitwits when it comes to speech. you honestly think it is ok to punch a guy in the face 'cause he called you an "arse"? to determine if an utterance rises to the level of "fighting words" (a category o' speech not protected by the constitution) we must ask if the speech is likely to, "reasonably incite the average person to retaliate." the retaliation needs be Immediate... no reflective anger. norway is a strange freaking land of seal clubbers and berserkers who respond with violence to any perceived slight? and even if that is what you honestly believe, is you really analogizing the vandalism and murderous activities currently taking place in the muslim world to your bar scenario? do Americans now realize just how childish and backwards the rest of the world is insofar as free speech is concerned? has recent events taught us a lesson? yes. Hell Yes! that were our point. you is all screwy and immature, and this is one aspect o' American Culture that we has no difficulty in declaring unquestionably Superior. message to the world: Grow Up. HA! Good Fun!

the previous 999 explanations was just as pathetic. go from posting standardized americanized english to your current affectation, AND add a non-sig catchphrase to close every post? okie dokie. am guessing we should be flattered, but lack o' imagination should never be encouraged. HA! Good Fun!

so, massive server merger is in progress? all east coast pve servers is now jedi covenant, yes? okie dokie HA! Good Fun!