@NautArch It did. I also like how just having the question reworded to focus on the problem instead of the solution instantly reversed it's voting spread
@doppelgreener There's a clip I need in order to react to this, but it's in the middle of a flash video and it doesn't look like anyone's extracted it for me.
I recently checked if this "link library" site I used when I was a kid is still online. Yes it is, and they have even updated their CSS to a more modern one.
Google pretty much killed them.
Oh, looking at the "about" page, it's actually maintained by the public libraries. Would explain its longevity despite the circumstances.
Apart from the link libraries and search engines, Bonsai Kitten is probably the oldest thing I remember online. It was in the late 1990's too, wasn't it?
If it was in 2000, I was in what, second or third grade back then. I only remember the cutest girl on our class asking me to sign some online petition against animal cruelty regarding it.
In the age of 4chan, of course Bonsai Kitten gets outcreeped on an hourly basis. But I think a part of BK's appeal is that it sort of hit the sweet spot in terms of believability vs creepiness.
going back to that warlock question quickly...it's also odd because the most likely in-combat spell for the warlock IS Hex. So he's still spamming EB, but now with an extra d6 damage. The more I think about that question, the more it's likely that the DM and other players don't really get the warlock.
@eimyr Well, I'd rather have that pretty much plaintext than a poorly-implemented (and/or designed) modern webpage. The simple HTML page is always viewable, scales to all sizes, and will always be compatible with any browser (regardless of javascript version, et al), and the down-the-wire data is minimal. A bad framework'd webpage can hide data (like, alot)
Actually, I might have to keep that link. It gives a half-decent rundown of "how to internet"
@NautArch I find the description of using Eldritch Blast in boss fights as being "boring and bland"... odd. Isn't that one of the most standard things to do in D&D5e (I hit the thing- whether it's a blast or a sword)?
@Delioth Yes, but for a caster to "just" be attacking i think is it the concern for that table. Why aren't they using their spell slots for control or other things is what they're asking/wanting.
that question cound entirelly be rewritten saying "fighter using his sword to attack the boss, and i dont like it, how do i fix this?" and still get the same answers.
@ShadowKras Yes, but fighters are expected to do that. I don't think they understand that a warlock is basically an arcane fighter that can do some other stuff (like a battlemaster)
@NautArch I guess I must concede; I don't know enough about 5e warlocks to know their spell list or how they could control (other than knowing EB is pretty effective and death is the best CC)
I had tried using Mark with my paladin, but then i realized my GWM giving me an extra ttack when i kill someone is a much etter use of my bonus action than moving the mark.
was about to use it when some chained angels came at us (who were angels of my god), but again I knew we were in a confined space and they'd come to me so didn't waste it.
There's one tidbit that might be lost to non-Poles. Tomasz Bagiński is on of the series directors and he is not only responsible for TW2 and TW3 cinematics but also an Oscar-nominated artist.
@Miniman with my paladin, there's a good chance i'm going to kill something in one round. If im fighting something bigger, i'll be using a buff concentration most likely.
some of the must annoying parts of the coverage of the witcher 3 release was people with zero knowledge about the setting comparing characters, factions, & places as "Like kings landing of the witcherverse" etc
In my head I sort of compare it to spartacus and at least in spartacus that sort of thing was heavily leveraged for character drama in a way I just havent felt in GoT
@NautArch I can dig that, I generally am not interested in the proposed tone of the world regardless so I havent checked the books out, but I refer to the show because that has the largest cultural influence
specifically in this case the popularization of fantasy on tv
@JoshuaAslanSmith I don't really know that much about GoT myself, and this is my perception of the books too. However, I think that might just be the part that people talk about. Pop-culture osmosis, you know.
@JoshuaAslanSmith I'd say give the books a try. They're much more interesting than the show. Although, caveat emptor: In my opinion, there's a very good chance the book series won't be finished.
Like if you ask a non-gamer parent about GTA, they'll probably tell you it's a murder spree and speeding simulator. They don't know of the less pronounced aspects of the series, like the more-or-less subtle social criticism of rampant capitalism, political corruption and racism issues.
Does GRRM have that common problem I've seen in fantasy writers where they spend way too long going over a really detailed description of something that is completely inane or inconsequential?
i found the rpg books a lot better to explain the setting than the series, the series are nice for a visual identifcation of people and locations, or on how certain characters behave and their personalities. The books... iv only read the first one and it was pretty damn boring. But again, LOTRO was also pretty boring for me.
@Delioth I think among gamers, that's such old news that if you ask someone what GTA V, for example, is like, they'll start somewhere else. Not sure though!
@JoshuaAslanSmith I do, and I think he's spread himself too thin and has chosen to focus less on finishing the series. In terms of his descriptions, they'r enot that bad. THe bigger issue with the writing is the massive amount of characters, stories, places and trying to juggle it all.
@ShadowKras Yeah, although I'd counter that the dialogue helps give insight in the characters and how they deal with others. Just because it isn't direclty relevant to the plot, doesn't mean it's not helping the world. Although the sheer page count of his books may say otherwise :)
@kviiri I haven't actually played (though I did observe my roommate doing so prolifically), I'd hazard that the game doesn't try to portray itself as a piece of art; the themes are defined and solid, but you can safely ignore them entirely and still play the gam just fine. (Feel free to tell me I have no worthwhile opinion, as I've not played, just my $0.02)
aping a cinematic style does not = art, again its not about the medium (games vs film or vs novels for me) its about intent and impact emotionally. GTA games have never made me think about life, my choices, caused me to feel a real emotion, etc. in the way that other games have.
to be fair some of my favorite childhood videogames would also exist in this entertainment-art not humanistic-art level. I love the original sonic games on the gensisis
@ShadowKras Now that's a pair of games I haven't picked up in a few years. Also, one of my most wanted reboots (creature stuff has to be more akin to the first one though, the second just felt bland, and you could teach the creature whatever, whenever- you didn't have to set up the circumstances. Also, teaching the creature to catch fireballs and throw them back was rather amusing)
Come to think of it, I've played rather few video games that even attempt a story of epic proportions. Some Final Fantasies, the first Kingdom Hearts, and the Metal Gear Solid series...
I mostly play strategy games these days, but every now and then something more action-focused pops up and grabs my attention. I wasn't disappointed with MGS:Phantom Pain, for example. Barring the usual base-building cruft and forced online, it's the best stealth action game I've seen.
From what i read, they fixed a lot of the RNG problems the first game had. Like being completely destroyed on the first 2 turns, loading the game, then waltzing through enemies with ease.
I'm gonna throw it out there: some of you may know that the main chat room from a popular hobbyist SE site was recently "nuked from orbit" for years of Not Nice behavior including, but not limited to bullying, insulting, harassment, repeated ignoring of warnings/kicks/suspensions.
invisible inc is probably way tighter in the level to level experience, but xcom 2 satisfies by having more of a narrative in the mechanics itself I feel
I love that we don't tolerate Not Nice-ness here, and it's thanks to every user-moderator. We all take ownership in a positive way, and that makes this place awesome.
@nitsua60 I've heard horror stories from The Place That Will Not Be Named and I don't think any other chat room comes close. I mean, we're a bit more free with cursing in the Bridge but it's still nowhere near close.
@kviiri its an interesting way to do the sequel, the 1st game ends in failure storyline, they do a lot with that narratively I feel that works and of course being a partisan force means that stealth makes its way into the gameplay and resource management becomes way mor eimportant
My favorite game where you get to play the resistance is probably Liberal Crime Squad. It's one of the weirdest games I've played, too. (Also, made by Tarn Adams of Dwarf Fortress fame, and continued by open source community since!)
@Miniman Thanks! The real challenge is that the physical action one takes to ring (pulling on a rope) precedes the sound of the strike by about 1 sec. But the ringing frequency of the bells is about 1.8 sec, so you're already into your next motion before you know if you struck the last one correctly!
(I tell people it's like putting the percussionists for an orchestra at the back of the hall with a bucket of softballs: they have to time their throws so they'll hit the instruments in time.)
> He's a Neutral Good Half-orc. He's a Bard that travels, entertaining with his homemade bongos, drumming it up like a pro. He believes it is the spirits that inspired him and seeks to find them so he can thank them personally. His name? Ba-dum T'ss
I've actually batted around an orcblooded bard idea myself -- big ol' dark-skinned teddy bear of a half-orc who plays one mean jazz trumpet. my "Orc from New Orleans" ;)
A coworked of mine is Ethiopian, this is his first year here. I told him jokingly on a sunny day in February or March, "this is like, the fifth and hopefully the last 'first day of Spring' this year".
@kviiri You know, I was thinking just the other day that it would be pretty cool to have weather be a part of my games too.
Usually I just end up being the guy who runs a one shot when not everyone in the group can make the main game. But I would love to have a more concrete world with elements like weather in it.
@kviiri haha. I wonder if it's possible to come up with some sort of simplified climate model that can give you first-order approximate weather movements (even if they aren't completely realistic) instead of having to rely on random weather everywhere (because that can really fall down on the job after a while)
@Shalvenay There's the traditional approach of just rolling a weather from the table. But a state machine would be even better because just rolling from a table can get you some very unrealistic transitions from beautiful sunshine to serious blizzards... <remembers current Spring> ...uh, except not really that unrealistic.
@Adam As long as it's an entertaining one, everything goes!
Or be the start of a neat plot point! - "Alright guys, it starts snowing" - "we're in a sand desert! It was 100 degrees yesterday; how is it snowing?!" - "That is a fantastic question. I wish I had an answer for you. Maybe you should go find a way to stop it? up to you guys really. What do you do?"
But seriously, do things with the weather. It is good for the atmosphere and can create fun circumstances eg. when in combat. A heavy rainstorm could obscure the battlefield, for example, and create nasty pits of mud.
@Shalvenay If you want a really simple solution, pick a real-world area appropriate to the setting and look up their weather history!
@kviiri It also provides you with ways to tie in with certain spells. Especially ones that can predict the weather, or ones that tie into natural weather occurrences. (I'm looking at you, Call Lightning!)
@kviiri yeah, I look for a simplified model partly because I'm interested in world-wide geographic rearrangements that would invalidate choosing real-world areas to model from
