Aran

You are awesome.

Can you safely assume independent probabilities even inside a single country? World-wide, of course, you get Muhammad Chang as the oft-cited counterexample - in this case, I'd guess at a positive correlation instead.

I

 

It's not like they make you an offer you can't refuse.

 

Edit: In theory, I mean. I don't remember anyone who refused.

I study computer science. Enough said...

I'm technically doing it too, but you only notice it when someone quotes me.

Gotham General is safe.

I like music in games if it's done right (that is, well-composed, high quality and augmenting the game's atmosphere). The best soundtracks are those that I also like listening to outside the game.

 

My favorites are Cyan's Myst series (

, (who also worked on Mass Effect) and for the ), Impressions' City Building Series (Robert Euvino, Keith Zizza, Henry Beckett) and Blue Byte's Settlers series (Haiko Ruttmann). A lot of Michael Shapiro's stuff for Empire Earth II also is great. (And I'd really wish to hear my all-time favorite film soundtrack composer Hans Zimmer do work for a video game, but he's in a whole different league.)

 

The common theme is that I like orchestral stuff. 8-bit synthesized tracks somewhat less, and without playing console games I also don't have nostalgic attachment to them. Though I like humming the Tetris theme when I need to annoy someone.

Congratulations. You're awesome and we're indeed lucky to have you here.

 

To 0x10^c more!

 

Edit: Ooh, I just noticed I have a milestone coming up too.

That seems over-simplified. The two parties only "represent" half each of the voting population in the sense that half the voting population can stomach voting for one and half the other. I see several problems with this.

First: It gives the parties much more leeway than they should have. Obama literally orders extra-judicial killings, supports incarcerating Manning, opposes meaningful copyright reform and he'll still have my vote because the other guy will do all that and worse. There are similar ideological differences on the other side, I'm sure.

Secondly: Convincing someone not to vote for your opponent is exactly as effective as convincing him to vote for you. This rewards a campaign strategy that casts the opposing party as the ultimate enemy, which makes it impossible to cooperate on any but the most empty or obvious policies.

Policies don't face the greatest opposition because they are considered bad, but because the issue doesn't interest most people enough to base their vote on it. A large party can't unify behind such an issue. A ten-percent party can focus on it, and gain momentum among its own voters. Then they form a coalition with the larger party, whose voters don't strongly support or oppose the issue, and agree on a compromise.

In a two-party system, both sides consider a compromise a pact with the devil, so that doesn't work.

Spiderweb games are characteristically non-linear. A movie is linear by definition.

 

That doesn't make this sort of franchise expansion impossible (it's the relative obscurity that does that, or at least makes it rather unlikely).

 

It just means that it doesn't work directly. The only way I could see it happening is a series of novels or something set in the game world (more or less loosely based on the games, or possibly exploring backgrounds like the Myst novels) which might then be adapted to a screenplay.

 

I don't see why someone would want to have Hollywood near this storyline.

 

Then it would become Exile: A story about a young male protagonist forced to grow up and rescue the large-breasted girl of his dreams from the evil clutches of the Emperor, in the process bringing the Empire to its knees, all with the help of an elderly sage with a dark past.

 

Also, Hawthorne shoots at Erika first.

Saturday night on the east coast, Sunday morning in Europe. Yeah, that was kind of vague.

 

Think I'll start idling around 22:00 UTC (18:00 East).

The community behind EE used to be pretty much Slarty and me for a long while, and now it's mostly dormant (though Milla worked on it extensively earlier this year). If you want to edit anything, I can give you an account - registration and anonymous editing is closed because only spammers were using it.

 

There are some pictures (slithzerikai and nephilim). If you mean a specific article that could be improved by a game graphic, see above re editing.

 

I don't remember the game saying anything about Athron's mate that isn't included in the article. If you've found something, see above.

I could be in over the weekend, Saturday night / Sunday morning?

*cough*that's the plural*cough*

Huh, that's interesting. Referring to Sauron as a "necromancer" kind of dates that quote, mind you. In an OOC perspective, this was before the Hobbit was even set in Middle-Earth; in an IC perspective we can probably reconcile it with Bilbo being an unreliable narrator at that point as he's repeating what he overheard without really knowing the background. This was before Bilbo spent half a century studying lore.

OMG you are both BANNED!

(Obligatory historical note: http://pied-piper.ermarian.net/topic/13/162/p2#38 )





Yup. In any case, there weren't any "white wizards" - only Saruman (and later Gandalf) went by that title. The other wizards were grey, brown, blue and blue.

Okay... dug out the Silmarillion again.

Ever most vigilant was Mithrandir, and he it was that most doubted the darkness in Mirkwood, for though many deemed that it was wrought by the Ringwraiths, he feared that it was indeed the first shadow of Sauron returning; and he went to Dol Guldur, and the Sorcerer fled from him, and there was a watchful peace for a long while. But at length the Shadow returned and its power increased; and in that time was first made the Council of the Wise that is called the White Council, and therein were Elrond and Galadriel and Cirdan, and other lords of the Eldar, and with them were Mithrandir and Curunir. And Curunir (that was Saruman the White) was chosen to be their chief, for he had most studied the devices of Sauron of old. Galadriel indeed had wished that Mithrandir should be the head of the Council, and Saruman begrudged them that, for his pride and desire of mastery was grown great; but Mithrandir refused the office, since he would have no ties and no allegiance, save to those who sent him, and he would abide in no place nor be subject to any summons.

Huh. This means that a) Radagast wasn't in there (didn't know that), no humans at all, c) there were other elves beside the three ring-bearers. Thranduil, possibly?

Considering H2G2 is the top Google result, and the first non-fictional use is number six, I'm guessing most people don't.

And OMFG that babelfish.

Back to the topic, there was a Hobbit text adventure as well.

When I first saw the movie, I was a recent fan of the books and nerdraged at every detail Jackson left out or changed. "It's pronounced Cuiva nwalca Carnirasse nai yarvaxea rasSELya, not RASselya, you hack!" (Okay, maybe exaggerated.) So leaving out the Scouring of the Shire was unforgiveable.

 

Eventually I realized what it would've done to the movie. Around half an hour of screentime would have been devoted to a plot that was completely separate from everything so far - Sauron, the Ring and all that stuff.

To grope for an analogy, it's like Harry defeating Voldemort two thirds in and then spending the rest of the story persuading McGonnagall to let him graduate despite missing the final year.

Off-topic: I haven't even used that avatar in years, but my first thought on seeing it was "WHA? Did I post this and forget about it?"

The willow and barrow-wight technically could have been included without Bombadil; I think they even might have been if not for length and distraction. Bombadil himself, though, is essentially a cartoon character.

I don't like popularity contests, but among my favorite posters are Alorael, Dikiyoba, Sylae, Lilith, Nikki and Tyran (write-in).

 

And take comfort, Tyran; I was also omitted. Instead there seems to be some impostor named Arcanaytar. Never heard of that guy, but he sounds kind of dangerous. I guess his mission is to arcanate John Connor? (Can't understand how "Arcanaytar" is supposed to shorten to "Aran", though. )

 

Next: Arctanayar, shortened to tan^-1.

I didn't like a lot of the changes either, but Tom Bombadil and the Scouring of the Shire are bad examples because the former would have ruined the mood and the latter would have ruined the ending.



Where do you get "Bag End to Rivendell" - linear estimate? I suspect that most of the extra stuff comes from showing the Gandalf side plot (Dol Guldur, Sauron, etc.) between the time they entered Mirkwood and the Battle of Five Armies.

If he's going to do that, then the plot structure starts to resemble LotR, and the Parting Of The Fellowship would be a natural end for the first part. (Actually, that would make part one similar to Fellowship Of The Ring: Leave the Shire, go to Rivendell, enter a cave in the Misty Mountains, get attacked by orcs goblins orcs (dammit), advance to next savepoint, get split up.)
The second part could then deal with the concurrent Gandalf/Dwarves/Bilbo plots in Mirkwood, possibly even up to the battle of Esgaroth. The third one would have the Battle of Five Armies (and stuff leading up to it).

I sort of prefer this system more. It's true that merely using a "sound" strategy still risks losing, but an even better strategy will anticipate the risks, include contingencies and backup tactics, and decrease that risk. A sufficiently relatively superior strategy (at least from fair starting conditions) can lead to a virtually certain victory.

 

As you mention:

 

 

Part of a sound strategy.

Got it in four!



Sure that no non-avian species remains? The elusive Dikiyora scribens comes to mind.

I confess, I am a spammer. I can't help it. *cries on Nikki's shoulder*