Evnissyen

That's where a strong memory comes in handy. Lay off the grass!

I think that mapping out the 'hidden' or 'extra' areas would take a little of the fun out of exploration.

Well, since I guess I'm the one who sort of started it: Maybe I should explain that I was 1. joking (I thought this would be obvious exactly because of the lack of any discernible connection between jewelry and homosexuality) and 2. responding to a phrase ("man-jewelery") that sounds annoyingly like the kind of homophobic macho insinuation that I remember being rather common back in high school.

Even before G4: With fewer than 5 AP you can attack with a crystal.

With crystals you can attack multiple times per turn.

I want to be allowed to grow paranoid and set up my own little cave castle, like Shaila. Not that it's every likely to happen. Speaking of the Faery Tale Adventure... last night I went looking for a downloadable copy again and this time I had no trouble at all finding it, or the sequel. The only problem: The DOS graphics and music are really pathetic. I miss the refined graphics and the refined music and the refined gameplay of the Macintosh version. The sequel looks notably better.

Remind me how action points are being altered? I hope it's not to reduce the our ability to make multiple missile attacks? I prefer the ability to use throwing crystals more than once per turn, and the ability to drink a potion and then attack in the same round. Granted it doesn't make much sense, but it makes potions and crystals more attractive as last-resort tools.

My point with the U.S. & U.S.S.R. was that they fought on the same side in WW2 to defeat Germany, and then settled into a cold war which could very well have led our poor, innocent parents into WW3. In other words: Convenient partnerships don't make friends. I suppose there could be a civil war among the Shapers that could overthrow the current regime, but... at a time when the Shapers are fighting desperately to reinstate control over extremely dangerous powers? If you and I were in that situation and wanted to overthrow the shapers: I think you'd agree we'd both wait until the war ended, because we'd have the same concern in mind: bottling up the chaos that has been unleashed by the Drakons and the rebels. Also, there's not really any indication at all in G4 of any sort of nascent schism among the Shapers. There're the Trakovites, but they're not Shapers.

Thuryl, that is some expertly dreadful music. Now I'll know whom to contact when I feel the need to be tortured by some really obnoxious earworm. EDIT: Hydro: Wait, it's in Swedish? Now I won't be satisfied until I know what the song is. ...That is, assuming it's not as bad as Pac-Man Fever. If it is: Don't tell me. I don't need another earworm. Come to think of it, the Swedes never have seemed up to the task when it comes to music. They might take some lessons from their kin over in Iceland.

I would guess that in order for the Shaper regime and thought patterns to change, some sort of external force would need to intervene. Simply joining forces with the human & servile Rebels to fight a common enemy -- the Drakons -- isn't quite enough. After all, that sort of convenient partnership didn't exactly foster great relations between the U.S. & the Soviet Union. So... enter the Sholai?

Hydromedia: Do you mean just a wiki page or a full wiki database involving alterable information and opinions on Geneforge and its infinitely divisible elements as well as infinitely expandable associative externals ranging everywhere from direct to very tenuous relevance? If it's the latter: I prefer the forums, personally.

Javelins make nice damage in the beginning but, as time goes on, I don't quite remember if the thorn batons aren't better. (At any rate: easier to supply.) I tried playing with a thorn baton character, once, and soon dropped it.

I have no love for the War Trall, sorry. They're too dumb. Plus, what is that tumor all about?

Argh! And I hated that part of the game, too, it was such a pain. And jumping off the platform... yes, it's no wonder that never occurred to me since half the point of the area was trying not to jump off into the void. I suppose in a fit of suicidal hopelessness and frustration one might've stumbled onto that 'solution'... but... well, maybe it's because I was using a hacked version of the game and sort of expected the occasional bug that suicide hadn't occurred to me. I really wish I could find that game again. O, the nostalgia... . Sleeping: Methings an ending in itself, in G5's case, can reasonably be considered a problem in itself.

Oh. I'm embarrassed now. But in my defense: I missed that.

Shapers/lifecrafters are helped by their ability to create powerful creations to help them out, but on their own they're a little outmatched by the agent/infiltrator, whose magic skills are superior. But after all this time I'm still not sure, actually, which is 'easier': a shaper with powerful assistants or a lone agent with more powerful magic who gains level more quickly because their XP isn't reduced by her creations. You might be right: the Shaper-with-assistants might, in the end, be easier. I suppose I haven't paid enough attention to analyzing and comparing the two.

In G5, personally, I'm looking forward to playing something other than an agent/lifecrafter. I always gravitate toward them because in practice they're the most powerful (or, perhaps, the easiest?) character in the game, and I like magic too much... it's so much more satisfying than beating your foes with sharp objects.

Well, the problem is that this is the fifth installment of a series that describes ongoing problems between bitter factions, all revolving around the Shapers. If this is the final installment, then adding another "the war wages on" sort of ending demands another sequel. G5 is expected to deliver some sort of closure. What better way of turning Closure on its head than throwing the player into Geneforge Limbo?

I suppose I'm a little tired of the same old "You win!" ending. Notwithstanding that, in Geneforge, often times you lose, or end up someplace in between. The point is that the SW games always end in words, explaining everything to us, which is nice in itself I guess, but something different for the final installment might be interesting, especially if, in the G5 scenario, the only acceptable ending is either total peace or global destruction: that kind of ending is, well, somewhat of a downer.

Hmm... . Perhaps Jeff meant the Gazer to be a sarcastic commentary on the typical player? "The Eyes are almighty! We see everything! Displease us at your peril! Ouch, you hurt the eyes!"

But... all you need to do to unring a bell is put your finger on it, correct? It is sad that once one begins to gain great power, all too quickly the game ends and you cannot use that power. Maybe if there was some sort of epilogue to the game. Perhaps if there's no ending at all, thus allowing the player to wander about aimlessly, annoying people? Maybe people should be allowed to write their own post-game games, and then we can all play them, Blades-Of style. I'm just throwing out dumb ideas, here. With the game the Fairie Tale Adventure, there was a point at which I'd pretty much accomplished everything and all I could do was wander around the globe, because I couldn't find anything else to do. I think it was a bug. The space-platform region didn't lead to anything, either. If I remember right: I reached the final platform and found nothing. Doesn't anybody remember the Faerie Tale Adventure? I think it came out pretty late for the Mac. I can't find a downloadable copy of it anymore.

Gandalf, wearing jewelry does not make you gay.

It's only that Gazers/Eyebeasts are, by nature, insular creatures, whereas Drakons are social. Gazers are also, obviously, highly intelligent and conniving, not to mention just a little bit conceited. Neurotically so, I suppose. Maybe even psychotically? Well, at least sociopathically. Maybe the biggest difference is that, while the Drakons strive to dominate the world collectively, the Gazers are content to selfishly horde power and wealth. So... which is more intelligent? I'd say the Gazer. They're also more proud... and more delusional. Which is more powerful? I'm not sure. Gazers can fend for themselves and then some, while the Drakons prefer to rely on other Drakons.

GeneBASH! ...available at GameTap... GeneArrange? GeneLegislate? GeneUrge? GeneSuggest? GeneAskNicely.

Hmm... It might be really interesting if there were a 'hints' option that affected the dialogue and dialogue boxes... you could set it to high, medium, or low... but I'd hate for that to be tied to the gameplay difficulty. Yes, I think I like that idea. On a similar note (well, I was reminded), I think I posted a suggestion a while ago that there should be an option to turn off the tutorial, so that when players who are familiar with the game system start a new game, they don't have to endure all those dialogue boxes popping up to explain to you how to do things you already know how to do. That should be pretty simple to program in.