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Everything posted by nikki.
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Ahhh, so many huge images!! Welcome back, Marlenny! I watch neither show, so I won't bother taking either of the quizzes.
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My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Naming Planets! It's good because it's about planets, so you don't need to remember which one it's for. For the rainbow I use 'Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain'. I guess because I'm English?
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A:EftP - Accessing Hidden Doorways/Areas
nikki. replied to jadedone's topic in Avernum Trilogy (2011-2018 remake versions)
tablets tend not to have a 'u' key. if you want to offer help, that's awesome, but please read the OP to make sure you're offering advice that is actually relevant. -
Okay, you guys. Quiet down - the supply of these jokes has clearly overtaken demanned.
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A:EftP - Accessing Hidden Doorways/Areas
nikki. replied to jadedone's topic in Avernum Trilogy (2011-2018 remake versions)
Secret doors operate a bit different in later SW games (and Avernum: Escape from the Pit falls into this category). Rather than "pushing" in to the wall where you think the secret passage may be, you need to look around for a small brownish button on a nearby wall. Tapping that should open up the passage. Also, welcome to the boards! -
I know the section of 'February' (by Boris Pasternak) that appears in Regina Spektor's song 'Apres Moi' by heart. But otherwise, no.
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Over-rated. But, seriously. What's up with your posts? They're even more Harehunter-y than usual.
- 30 replies
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- Do people even notice tags?
- English
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Question about a bird... (spoilers!)
nikki. replied to chinook's topic in Nethergate and Nethergate: Resurrection
This kind of stuff is really what makes Nethergate, for my, SW's best game. Lots of stuff is packed away in here, and quite a lot of it goes unexplained. -
I'd just like to note, for the second time in as many days, 'Jera "Commander" Keen' is perfect. Good work, D.
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...and this is probably your best post of all time. Stop slacking and start posting more.
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i came to this thread expecting little, was pleasantly surprised, and then had all my hopes dashed by the end. 2/10
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How do Gamers Seriously Roleplay Evil Characters
nikki. replied to Valdain the King's topic in General
Don't you have tomatoes to can, or something? -
Yeah, we all still play occasionally, as far as I'm aware. Certainly not as much as before, though.
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Why can you get a degree in fiction appreciation?
nikki. replied to Student of Trinity's topic in General
Hmm. I don't know that 'relevant' is the right word here. Absolutely some of the classics require more thought than The Hunger Games, but I wouldn't argue that's necessarily the case all the time. And certainly, they're 'relevant' to a wide array of people, even if they're not as accessible as the Harry Potter series. I mean, I agree with your general point, but yeah. 'Relevant' and 'accessible', and even 'of interest to' are all different things. -
Why can you get a degree in fiction appreciation?
nikki. replied to Student of Trinity's topic in General
And yet I (and Kelandon) would argue that you'd enjoy them more for studying them. Your post addresses a point that I've seen raised elsewhere though. Why is appreciation of art/literature considered accessible only to people with excess disposable funds? Reading essays and lectures when I was younger (Tolkien's 'On Fairy Tales' is a great example!) was something I not only enjoyed, but, after a while, something I craved to do; I began to actively hunt out this kind of material in order to really get a good grip on the world I was inhabiting, and the kinds of worlds the people of my world could create. The very best way to escape material poverty is to read, in my opinion - literature is a great leveller (assuming one is literate, which is unfortunately not always the case), and yes, sometimes survival comes first, but after that, I'd imagine stories and literature comes next, not a science. Anecdotally, I've read voraciously for as long as I can remember, and I'd say that throughout my life my economic background has progressed only slightly from lower working-class to working-class. Of course, yeah, comparatively I'm well off, but if I could find these books, and grow as a result (and hopefully I'll end up contributing something that benefits others), then so could other people. Libraries and book-schemes exist everywhere (heck, I posted on reddit just yesterday about an old telephone box I found in a poorer neighbouring town that somebody had converted into a book-exchange). Literature, and the appreciation of it, is something EVERYBODY can enjoy. Now, whether or not studying English contributes to society is another question, but I guess I inadvertently gave a half answer in the above post. In addition to the points I raised in a post way, way above, criticism of literature, and essays, and articles in the back of books (and heck, even the cheapest editions of books seem to have introductory notes by some professor or another) can absolutely reach the poorest of people in ways that certain sciences can't. Not that no science can, but as has been pointed out elsewhere, there exists certain jargon in some science fields that makes physics et. al unapproachable. I'm not so sure English, or a lot of it, has that problem. (edit: Disclaimer. It is late, and I am tired. I fully expect somebody to roll their eyes, or poke right through this.) -
you magnificent lizard, you. congratulations. i only wish i had pearl jammed for my anniversary.
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Why can you get a degree in fiction appreciation?
nikki. replied to Student of Trinity's topic in General
Actually, I believe you began this thread by stating that yeah, getting a degree in English is exactly 'like getting a degree in gourmet dining', which 'takes a highly educated palate to savor', but is 'not a useful trade, to anyone'. Maybe you didn't say it was like wine appreciation, but I'm struggling to see any meaningful difference between fancy wines and fancy foods here. So I can defend my field, but in doing so I have to phrase it in such a way that I don't reject the notion that it is useless, or mere 'fiction appreciation'? And finally, since I have all but given up with this thread: An 'ideal' market would hopefully have room for criticism of literature, and studies of historical fiction, and, goddamit, appreciation of beautiful prose, rather than just churning out $$$ and weapons and machinery. -
i want to make scenario but im bad writer
nikki. replied to Enraged Slith's topic in Blades of Avernum Editor
YES. Good job, old boy. -
i want to make scenario but im bad writer
nikki. replied to Enraged Slith's topic in Blades of Avernum Editor
Yeah, same. Sorry, OP. No advice from us two. Oh, they're plenty funny. -
Avernum remake #2
nikki. replied to peteralexanderjex's topic in Avernum Trilogy (2011-2018 remake versions)
Because the cost of the thousands of typewriter ribbons this would need is prohibitively high? -
Wait, you're Canadian?!
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Well, this is a post in the First Avernum Trilogy, so it's not really relevant to discuss 'later games' such as Avernum 5 or Avadon. OP, drinking alcohol in the original trilogy has more or less the effect you might imagine. It becomes harder to hit, and easier to be hit.
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Hey, peteralexanderjex, I've edited your post to remove some of your more choice language. In future, can you try to be a bit more family friendly, please?
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Why can you get a degree in fiction appreciation?
nikki. replied to Student of Trinity's topic in General
I actually have a BA in English, and achieving it was a lot harder than simply sitting around discussing 'good' literature for three years. I actually feel mildly insulted that all of the time and effort I poured into my degree is being waved aside because 'consuming tasty morsels of prose and having a natter about them' is all anybody thinks students of English do. I'm also insulted that courses like History and Philosophy seem to get a pass, whilst English does not, but that's by-the-by. SoT, I recall that you once asked me the point of studying English by suggesting that I could get the same amount of knowledge, and the same academic experience, from joining a book club. As such, I don't imagine you'll be particularly receptive to my post. For everybody else though, here's why English is an important subject - equally as important as any other academic field in which one can attain a Bachelor's degree. First, I don't think anybody has accurately described what precisely is required in order to get an English BA - a fact which is bewildering considering the only reason we're here is to discuss how valuable a field/subject it is. The consensus seems to be that English students read a lot of 'useless' stories and plays, and then talk about them, and write about them in order to understand them better. The skills we learn and use in order to do this talking, writing, and understanding are the only valuable parts of an English degree, and the sad fact is that these skills can be learned from any course, including the ever-popular Physics. Nothing tangible is ever really learned, and the knowledge that is gained from literature exists purely to benefit the individual. In short, the impression I'm getting from a large majority of this thread's responses seems to be that an English undergrad learns to argue, and to defend against counter-arguments, and to read texts that are essential fine cuisine - consume them and move on to the next course, boys! In reality, English, I'd argue, is actually an amalgamation of several disciplines. It is a study of people, and places, and events. It is a study of deeply complicated and important philosophical questions. It is a study of myths and beliefs, of cultures and contexts. And, of course, it is a study of language, and form. Taking a class on Shakespeare will, as Kel says, help you to understand Shakespeare's writing all the better, but it'll also give you an insight into what life was like in the 16th Century in the same way that a piece of non-fiction will help a History student do the same. Reading Dickens (if you can stomach it!) will offer an insight into Victorian Britain, whilst other texts, including science fiction and SOME post-modern fiction will offer glimpses of the future (as an aside, Modernist and Post-Modern fiction can, of course, offer 'nebulous guides' to the future, but so could a Realist text, or even a limerick. Modern and Post-modern literature are defined by their formal features, rather than simply being 'about' modern or post-modern issues, as I'm sure Slarty knows). Furthermore, we don't just learn about solid events, or fictional characters, by studying literature - we also learn about the human condition more widely. Issues including depression, insanity, gender, sexuality, parenthood, fear, love, and religion are all woven into the fabric of the novel - sometimes explicitly, and sometimes tucked away, hidden upstairs in the attic (Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, for example, both deal with colonialism and the treatment of black characters in 19th Century Britain, even though neither texts are really 'about' this issue). English, then, is a study of people rather than a study of literature - it just so happens that our source materials are novels and plays, poems and essays. English, at a degree level (though I'd argue it begins even earlier) is an exploration of our world and our lives through the eyes of characters that may have existed centuries in the past, or future. Literature attempts to answer questions including 'who we are', and 'why we're here', questions that are very much relevant today. In addition to the vast amounts of reading I managed to cram into my three years, I also analysed a wide range of texts, applied critical and literary theory to them, extracted minute passages and applied them to contemporary culture, researched science, history, politics, and religion, and learnt about language, methods of communication, and ideology. Yes, studying English is enjoyable. Yes, a lot of the skills I've learnt from my course could've been acquired form other undergrad courses (though I'd like to think I can write, and construct an argument better than a graduate of a Maths or science course), but English offers a unique view of humanity and our past that other subjects might touch upon, but never quite capture. -
Yeah, this is pretty much why I think Jeff is reluctant/unwilling to release another Blades game. These things BREAK. Even after a super-long development time, BoA is still stuffed with bugs. Bugs that aren't ever going to be fixed. Jeff has his editors, sure, but he knows how to use them in order to not end up with a buggy, broken mess. If he were to release his tools, they'd be broken in a matter of hours.
