tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post6519855980347990680..comments2024-03-28T13:59:51.408-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Sentinel Worlds: Magic?CRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-6747439190499655072017-05-04T02:51:00.795-04:002017-05-04T02:51:00.795-04:00It's no wonder that you were mulling about thi...It's no wonder that you were mulling about this "Future Magic" stuff, considering the devs apparently thought it was good UI practice to have the game title appear in every single screen in the game... <br /><br />So very 80s; I cannot think of an even remotely recent game doing that. Vincenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-43739421823619265582017-05-03T19:02:49.826-04:002017-05-03T19:02:49.826-04:00Since I wrote the above 5 years ago, I've grad...Since I wrote the above 5 years ago, I've graduated to "fill a glass with Ketel One and toss in a lime wedge and we'll call it a gimlet." But I'm more likely to order Moscow Mules.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-86401014330838472582017-05-03T19:00:55.988-04:002017-05-03T19:00:55.988-04:00I think I've heard that before. Noel Coward al...I think I've heard that before. Noel Coward also said that he preferred to make his martinis by "filling a glass of gin and waving it in the general direction of Italy."CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-69109904832499072212017-05-03T14:01:48.978-04:002017-05-03T14:01:48.978-04:00Your comment about your Gimlet made me chuckle, an...Your comment about your Gimlet made me chuckle, and remember the Martini (Gin+Vermouth) recipe according to Wiston Churcill, for which it was "drinking a glass full of gin while looking at a bottle of Vermouth<br /><br />Also, I learned what a gimlet was from "The Long Goodbye" :)Vincenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-2208916178950745182015-04-18T12:01:50.433-04:002015-04-18T12:01:50.433-04:00Aaaand, to reply to yet another years-old comment,...Aaaand, to reply to yet another years-old comment, because <i>why not</i>:<br />Incidentally, the absurdly long-running pulp novel space opera Perry Rhodan (issue #2800 released this week, with one each week since september '61!) that, sadly, hardly anyone outside of Germany knows about or will ever read, features spaceship weapons that send not mere bullets but fusion bombs with the power of several thousand gigatons of TNT through hyperspace and directly into the target (or, if sufficiently good, its shields).<br />Due to technical limitations in that universe, such weapons require enormous machinery and whole power plants worth of energy to operate, so unfortunately, people still have to shoot each other with old-fashioned thermo-beam guns and the like.<br />But then, given the tendency of the series to invent new tech and bend existing rules whenever it seems like a good idea, I wouldn't be surprised to see "hyperuzis" or something similar at some point...Atantuohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15853865245930951775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-79130038026357444792015-04-18T11:37:30.122-04:002015-04-18T11:37:30.122-04:00Haha, well, I immediately assumed the Warhaka lead...Haha, well, I immediately assumed the Warhaka leader was female (although after reading this and looking at the screenshot again, I'm not so sure anymore), but I certainly didn't think of Whoopi Goldberg. :)Atantuohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15853865245930951775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-82171756590505395302014-01-25T20:03:08.776-05:002014-01-25T20:03:08.776-05:00I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I haven't...I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I haven't done it very often. It's now late January 2014, and I haven't posted a narrated video since September. It's just too much of a pain in the neck. I have to have a good block of time, in some place with my headset, and the freedom to speak freely. Those things don't converge in my life as often as I'd like.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-65536205700031657302014-01-25T18:14:44.790-05:002014-01-25T18:14:44.790-05:00I'm certanly looking forward to more narrated ...I'm certanly looking forward to more narrated gameplay footage from you as I catch up. This video certainly was a good one.fireballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01094871771537115267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-91959498301266750822013-10-27T12:08:19.015-04:002013-10-27T12:08:19.015-04:00Right now, while I'm writing this comment, 3 o...Right now, while I'm writing this comment, 3 of the 13 best-rated games are sci-fi RPGs, so I don't even think that you discriminate against them. And there is the special case of the Might & Magic series, certainly Part II, if you have already experienced the twist of Part I, Part II basically counts as sci-fi in your mind. So with 4 to 4-and-a-half sci-fi RPGs among the top 13, these games are doing pretty well I think. I guess it reflects their share of CRPGs overall, maybe even a bit more than that.Alexander Sebastian Schulzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15135338616598357444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-13791370682771809632012-05-23T06:07:48.493-04:002012-05-23T06:07:48.493-04:00Okay, I've got issues with these points which ...Okay, I've got issues with these points which a totally plausible reason is given:<br />"Even in worlds full of magic, it requires a certain suspension of disbelief that your characters are able to navigate an unlit dungeon;" <br /><br />There are games that disallows it and games that have grues which will eat you up if you the dungeon is unlit. All others assume that you are smart enough to enter a dungeon with ample torches.<br /><br />"that the monsters sealed in there are somehow able to survive in plentiful bands despite the lack of any kind of ecosystem; "<br /><br />There IS an ecosystem. The food chain is as such: Overlord -> Henchmen -> Large Monsters -> Small Monsters -> Adventurers<br /><br />"that indeed a 10-story dungeon built into the earth exists in the first place."<br /><br />MAGIC!Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-26199243275570743442012-05-14T12:11:33.742-04:002012-05-14T12:11:33.742-04:00Well, that makes sense. Things in hard SF should a...Well, that makes sense. Things in hard SF should always be explained. (Reading this back, it kind of sounds sarcastic. Be assured, I am agreeing with you here.)Amy K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10892876651484617812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-81643874516191204102012-05-13T10:30:32.577-04:002012-05-13T10:30:32.577-04:00I know they're not actually explained as being...I know they're not actually explained as being magic. I'm just saying, there is no attempt to couch their technology or abilities in terms of the science we understand. They are arbitrary according to the needs of the plot, and thus may as well be magic as far as they fit into a hard SF framework.malkav11https://www.blogger.com/profile/06785046340353526574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-18040114038690680882012-05-12T18:56:53.999-04:002012-05-12T18:56:53.999-04:00The Vorlons and The Shadows aren't magical. Th...The Vorlons and The Shadows aren't magical. They're just so technologically advanced (even when we were still using horses and carriages) that the only easy way to explain their appearance and actions would be to just throw up our hands and go, "`Tis magic!"<br /><br />No, I wouldn't call it "Hard SF" either, but when you stop to consider that the Vorlons apparently showed up as angels on Earth, Droshalla on Drazi (or whatever they call their planet), and so forth... what's happening there is a de-mystifying almost all the religions in, potentially, an entire galaxy of beings that were less technologically advanced as the Vorlons. God? Buddha? G'Quon? Nope, Vorlons. (Or Chuck Testa!)<br /><br />As far as prophecy, it has appeared on some occasions that the Vorlons can glean information from the future to some extent. Somehow Kosh knew that he was going to die, and he would be gone during the time of B5's greatest need. "If you go to Z'Ha'Dum, you will die." And Sheridan did. Sort of.Amy K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10892876651484617812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-32590094360361098872012-05-12T00:05:21.611-04:002012-05-12T00:05:21.611-04:00No, I wouldn't have called it hard sci-fi at a...No, I wouldn't have called it hard sci-fi at all. There was all kinds of traditional fantasy stuff with deities and the afterlife and prophecies and such.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-26006973927727329132012-05-11T23:33:06.364-04:002012-05-11T23:33:06.364-04:00I'm not saying Babylon 5 is proper "hard&...I'm not saying Babylon 5 is proper "hard" sci-fi, because it isn't really, but it's about as close as American TV has gotten. They took pains to think through a lot of the technology, and made sure to include, for example, bathrooms. Something a lot of SF shows tended to neglect.<br /><br />Of course, then they had the essentially magical Vorlons and Shadows, so. Eh.malkav11https://www.blogger.com/profile/06785046340353526574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-75525806368958649432012-05-10T23:40:41.151-04:002012-05-10T23:40:41.151-04:00I've never heard of either drink, Steerpike, s...I've never heard of either drink, Steerpike, sorry.Amy K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10892876651484617812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-72799366597377320972012-05-10T21:31:21.885-04:002012-05-10T21:31:21.885-04:00I agree Amy, Tanquerey (thanks copy and paste!) gi...I agree Amy, Tanquerey (thanks copy and paste!) gin is great stuff, have you tried Tanquerey 10? Beautiful in a Negroni (the king of gin based drinks I'd say).Steerpikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-5027631614102235242012-05-10T21:27:59.649-04:002012-05-10T21:27:59.649-04:00I know what you mean, considering roses is basical...I know what you mean, considering roses is basically an undiluted cordial a 50/50 mix would be quite confronting. <br />I cant say I've ever had a properly mixed gimlet, I have some terrible memories of a very cheap premixed gimlet which was the only thing we could afford as teenagers. The closest drink I can think of is a caprioska which is generally a lime muddled with sugar and a couple of shots of vodka searved over roughly crushed ice (essentially the vodka equivalent of a caipirinha which is also beautiful). Looks like we've highjacked the CRPG discussion a little, maybe you could start a cocktail blog in your spare time? ;)Steerpikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-11479129541724502372012-05-10T11:50:16.104-04:002012-05-10T11:50:16.104-04:00Gin and lime juice? Wow, I'm more than halfway...Gin and lime juice? Wow, I'm more than halfway there. My favorite drink is Tanquerey gin and tonic. That brand of gin (don't make me type it twice!) already has some kind of lime flavoring to it. I'll have to give this Gimlet (gin version) a try.Amy K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10892876651484617812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-68721823160644855932012-05-10T11:45:40.229-04:002012-05-10T11:45:40.229-04:00Broken in that the skill is pretty much useless, a...Broken in that the skill is pretty much useless, and putting ranks in it won't make any difference.<br /><br />I would assume that if a race was sufficiently advanced to make an object go into hyperspace and back out again, that they could have a weapon target a lifeform that it was pointed at, and automatically make the necessary adjustments. It would be like scanning for lifeforms on Star Trek, but with the intent on making them former lifeforms. ;)<br /><br />Inverse tachyon pulse FTW!Amy K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10892876651484617812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-20053135164441788712012-05-10T03:25:47.666-04:002012-05-10T03:25:47.666-04:00Now you're speaking my language. Let me answer...Now you're speaking my language. Let me answer with a little story about how I first got into gimlets: they're mentioned in Raymond Chandler's <i>The Long Goodbye</i>. Terry Lennox tells Philip Marlowe that a proper gimlet is "half gin and half Rose's lime juice and nothing else."<br /><br />I hate to criticize Raymond Chandler, but have you ever tried drinking a gimlet that was HALF Rose's lime juice? You might as well drink grenadine straight from the bottle. But when I first started drinking them, I did favor around 3/4 gin or vodka and 1/4 lime juice. As the years passed, however, I've gradually decreased the proportion of lime juice until now it's pretty much just straight vodka with a little splash of lime--enough that I can pretend I'm drinking a cocktail instead of straight vodka like a full-blown alcoholic.<br /><br />Also, I'm favoring fresh lime juice rather than Rose's these days. Most bars don't carry it, but when you just need a splash, you can just squeeze a couple of wedges.<br /><br />Yes, on the rocks. Otherwise you get it in a fancy little martini glass. I like a lime wedge garnish on it but it's not a dealbreaker.<br /><br />On the video, I'll try to strike the right balance if I continue to narrate them.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-61066442916994079242012-05-10T02:58:31.471-04:002012-05-10T02:58:31.471-04:00Dont forget those of us who prefer to read rather ...Dont forget those of us who prefer to read rather than watch your blog! In fact that's one of the things I've always liked about your posts, if there is a video I don't get the feeling I'm missing out on something due to the detailed text that follows. Also just as an aside, I get the impression that you enjoy the odd Vodka Gimlet (I wonder how I got that idea), what proportion of vodka to roses do you generally go for? On the rocks? Garnish? Sorry for being so nosey, I'm a bit of a drink obsessive.Steerpikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-60930805927068540782012-05-10T02:53:19.797-04:002012-05-10T02:53:19.797-04:00That type of range-finding could occur even throug...That type of range-finding could occur even through solid matter with some form of advanced wave-echo technology. (I know that's an extremely vague answer, but this is science fiction. It's certainly less vague than reconfiguring the deflector array to emit an inverse tachyon pulse, which was invariably the way that problems were solved on Star Trek:TNG)Davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-13564492705319417022012-05-10T02:13:22.578-04:002012-05-10T02:13:22.578-04:00For some reason when I read this blog I imagine th...For some reason when I read this blog I imagine that you, Chet, are reading it in Billy Mays's voice. Well, you don't quite sound like him (or at all... whatever), but I just wanted to say keep up with the narrated videos if you like (my preference is for the highlights to let me know quickly if there is something I really want to see in the video). I'm happy to read that you are finally getting some enjoyment out of this long-awaited playthrough (though, you might have to force-suspend your disbelief for whater silly stuff you just found).<br /><br />Finally, I want to ask you where to send your DnD Anthology. I have toyed around with it (PS:T did intrigue me for a time), but nothing is biting. None of my younger siblings seem to take to it either I am disappointed to admit. If you still have one of my old e-mails, tell me where to have it delivered (otherwise I will just send you a new email if you so request) because I would feel better if it was safe in your possession (ready for when you get to them or 'SEGUE! into them-cough').<br /><br />Wish you the best,<br />GiauzAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-29016052386229730032012-05-09T18:43:56.749-04:002012-05-09T18:43:56.749-04:00ATV: broken in that I don't need to worry abou...ATV: broken in that I don't need to worry about it, or broken in that it doesn't actually work and I'll end up with no ATV?<br /><br />Your explanation did sound pretty cool. But the gun would have to have some kind of setting where you specified the range so the bullets would "know" when to come back into normal space.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.com