Tcheedchee

Concerning the original topic of spiderweb products being offered on the app store: Spiderweb games are being offered on apple's download recommendation site for quite some time already. I'd say that's quite adequate, wouldn't you. I can't get, why someone should want to play a real RPG as an app on the iphone. Even though the spiderweb graphics are still very simple. I think better wait till apple is able to provide a smart phone or pad with virtual vision, so that we can see the game really really big. Although thinking about being in a virtual version of Avernum makes me a bit queasy right away. It'll feel a bit bumpy too… If you wanna know about the apple recommendations, here you can find one. It's marked as a staff pick' too… http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/games/role_strategy/avernum5.html Also as an afterthought: Originally Posted By: The Mystic Originally Posted By: Ociporus Personally, I intend to keep buying them directly from SpiderWeb so they get all the money. Same here, though for me the main reason is that buying direct is easier, and I don't know if anyone other than Spiderweb sells the games on CD. I really think one should see to giving Spiderweb all the money directly. They deserve all the credits for their work on developping really good fun-games, – for having stayed 'indie'. They provide games of a slightly different making, which I'd really like them to keep on doing. Therefore the support for their efforts should go to them as straightly as possible. Certainly it's fine, if other people find out about this wonderful little gameforge as well, so they can contribute to further success of spiderweb in spiderweb-style by buying the games directly of spiderweb and talking about the fun they had playing the games…

Wow, thanks for the tip.

Originally Posted By: Alorael You assume that it wasn't designed just like that from the beginning. True… shouldn't have… But if we are lucky Jeff as made them up a bit more like the mine fields in Geneforge. There you could really try to find a way through. Tricky, but fun. The A4- pylon fields are a bit too exacting to still succeed. As I had gotten the hint in the game as well, that one should be able to sneak past the pylons without taking them down, I meanwhile picked up all my courage again, and gave it a try once more. I have to say, that I'm not surprised, that many players went for smashing instead of sneaking, because sneaking will get you stuck somewhere within the pylon fields without any ressources to rescue yourself. A warrior-tank will get through with the healing and buffing help of the magic-users, but how will the magic-users follow the warrior? I had to device rescue-acts by jumping onto the fields of frozen/dazed PCs, kind of dragging them out of the force fields of the pylons. All the magic power gets drained by the healing needed then. And there are not enough basins to replenish one's energy further north, so that one could refrain from returning to Fort Remote. So then you'll have the same story again. One get's fed up with this very soon. And then it's bashing and smashing instead of sneaking. I'm really looking forward to the release of Avadon and I'm hoping for Geneforge-style mine/pylon/lava/something-fields, which give you a bit of thinking and sneaking to do. Specially given all the new releases of main-stream RPG-games, which are graphically very sophisticated, but which do have very boring stories, IF at all. Most of the time they only provide excuses to bash some artificial monsters with the help of some nifty weapons and spells in swanky armor. Very boring… I'm really looking forward to new stories out of the spiderweb forge, even with pylon fields. Pylon fields are much better than bewhiskered swash-buckling.

Hope Avadon is beyond the point of redesigning it…

Could it be a matter of distance then? That would explain, why my mage "always" misses, if it's not his dexterity. Naturally I keep him a good distance away from the melee. And how do I have to interpret the stats that state: "Mage misses." (26%) e.g. ?

Hi, I know Jeff's just recently stated in his blog, that he doesn't like unjust critisicm of his games. I don't either. So I hope it doesn't count as such when I say, that I find the pylon fields guarding the way to Rentar-Inrho's Keep a bit fatiguing. I admittedly got a bit winded, when I entered the pylon fields for the first time, and my party got the hell beaten out of them, although my warrior has good constitution and thick skin and owns a lot of goodies including demonslayer, the oozing blade, the infernal shroud, a lot of blademaster items, as well as lethal blow, etc. My mage is a natural mage and can cast all spells up to Arcane summon (included), my slith priest is a pure spirit and can cast all spells including return life, and my nephil archer has got nimble fingers and is a dead eye and got the bow of decay. They also share some special skills like magery, magical efficiency, blademaster, sharpshooter, gymnastics, anatomy, parry and such, each more or less as fits his/her class. So I was quite impressed, when I got a beating there. But after a few returns I've figured out a strategy with which to take out pylons, vanathai warriors and sentinels one by one, and by now the pylon fields are just a question of HP and ME. Unfortunately I can only take out three or four foes at once. It's tedious… So that's what inspired me, to post "Py-hy-lon fieeee-heeee-lds forever." (At least that's what the guys have taken to singing, when they return from Fort Remote for another raid for an uncounted time…)

Is there a connection between the dexterity of a char. and it's ability to hit with a wand? I think I have recognized, that my mage, who doesn't have a lot of dexterity, misses a lot when I let him use wands (e.g. to improve his number of moves in one turn). Also I'd like to know, if you would confirm my observation that there is a connection between Spell craft and the effectivity of wandwielding. Passing time till the release of Avadon by playing A4, Theedchee

As there's been a break in the conversation, I think I might just say a little praise: Jeff says in his DD#4: Originally Posted By: Jeff Vogel in Bottom Feeder… I've always enjoyed writing games that mix the high-minded and the silly. Yeah!Right! That's why I've always liked Spiderweb Games and why I can't wait till Avadon will be released. Looking forward to more high-minded, silly game-playing!

And except for the fact, that one had get used to some changes in A6, I'd say A6 was a lot of fun, too. I still remember several Slith Generals, masterly fighters, whom you couldn't get down easily by just hacking at them. Or the way through the chitrach hive, that would give you a chance of passing through without having to fight their whole force at once, which was kind of overwhelming, the ruin with the skeletons, the spider queen, the addicts, some demons, etc. There really were a lot of places and opponents, where one needed specific solutions for better results, if you didn't like HP-hacking - or weren't able to do it. (I wasn't.) What really got me mad and a bit unnerved where the many ends of the grid which weren't distinguishable from just difficult barriers. Several Forts, some place near or in the vahnathai colony… (Sorry for the foggy non-name-dropping. It's been a while since I've played.)

Originally Posted By: VCH Yeah it's too bad about the whole patenting life thing. That was a bad move by the US government. Yeah! That was really the stupidest, stupidest, stupidest *mm…Move* really, really very stupid anyway…

Originally Posted By: Lilith http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Langdell for example, consider this dude. he makes a living out of filing nuisance trademark lawsuits against video game companies and hoping it's easier for them to settle than to fight him in court Well, yeah, there are these people. They spoil everything. Fortunately they are still a minority. There'll always be some kid who spoils it all… But that's not the level, we should use as measurement for our attitude towards creative work or life in general. If we do, they win.

It's true, that trademarks and copyright are not the same. It's a bit hard for me to find the precise terms in English here. Anyway, it's a fact, that in all arts, that are concerned with ideas, you can't go and sue someone for an infringement of copyright as long as you don't have any proof, that you DID have the idea first. Common practise in this case is, to ask bodily proof of that.(How else could it be proven?) I'm not talking about something I came up with by common sense, but by a topic I'm concerned with day by day, as I work in the graphic trade. Should Europe and the US differ so much in this regard? Can't imagine it.

Originally Posted By: blackwight Quote: His example was a cool sword sound effect donated by a player that was taken from another company's game. The cease and desist letter from that company wasn't the thing he ever wants to repeat. From a commercial game?? How can you compare this and that? That's a very good example for the traps waiting for you, if you rely on extraneous ideas. You can end up with a lot if trouble for nothing. Originally Posted By: blackwight Quote: Listening to fans is the start of a slippery slope towards pandering to fans, and a dropbox for ideas would be a step too far down that slope for my liking. I can't agree with that. Certainly there would be a lot of crap, but that's the way it goes. The central plot is easy, it's the gritty details that kick it up a notch; and junk piles are a good place to look for them. Speaking of constipation, that's just the way how to get it. Certainly there are a lot of good ideas and inspirations floating around all the time. Never mind if it's in a forum or 'just' your friends, some weird off-the-side-inspiration of your own, that you pick up during a walk, or wherever. If you're creative, you pick up ideas from everywhere and anywhere. You don't need a dropbox. Archives always need an archivist. And IF there is a group of people who are NOT regarded as the figureheads of creativity it's librarians and tax collectors - the librarian of UU exempt. I don't have to elaborate further. Also: Ideas as such are not trademarked to begin with. You have to make them a trademark first. Only the bodily output of an idea is regarded as a product to be put under copyrightlaw. A piece of music, that is recorded or written down, falls under copyright law. Same with pictures, puppets, merchandise, games, cars, you name it. The idea as such can not be protected. (There are so many examples in the history of invention which are proof of this.) To apply for a trademark you also have to present a physical representation of it.

…now I get it. Thanks Dikiyoba.

Originally Posted By: The Ratt Originally Posted By: Tcheedchee Hamsubstantiate Self! MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! FYT What does FYT mean? Did I offend anyone? Didn't mean to… I was just imagining how the nineheaded cosmic calf facepalmed the world into oblivion ninetyfold…

Or you become servile. No memory. Stay with Mehken, fight rogues. Thoughts go slowly, time goes fast. Also helps.

Hamsubstantiate Self! OMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

I share the common concern that the reason for involving the hero into the plot of the story at the start of the game is a bit disappointing. Otherwise I'm looking forward to finding out how Jeff's gonna give the psychosexual twist to Avadon. I'm also curious to find out, if/how Jeff is going to build the psychological aspects of Bluebeard into the game. I'd wish some of it echoed in Avadon. I'd also expect the abduction-theme to be considered as a strong plot of the story. In my phantasies it really seems to have a high potential to give the story a dark and magical twist. Mind you, I'd never expect a 1:1-translation. But imagine all the strange Dungeons you could explore after being abducted yourself or following the kidnappee into the dark realms of the SEVENTH DOOR! And then the twisted vengeful reasons for which you where kidnapped for in the first place! Originally Posted By: AaronC I despised the Avernum games because of the open world, world map seamless whatever you want to call it. It just felt insular and closed off... That's what made me feel that the game had a really good design. Especially A4. You always had this uneasy Avernum-feeling while playing – corresponding to the story that you really hadn't planned to be in Avernum in the first place, if I recall correctly. Another way to start the storyline of a rpg, by the way… P.S.: This is totally off-topic, but something I've always wanted to ask: What's a Facepalming Hecatombchire? Whacking the Wizards of the Coast?

More good news… That's fine, thx!

Wow, yeah thanks! Didn't find time to read the whole Avadon Develpoer Diary yet, after having spent too much time reading this one during working hours. I was quite surprised to find such an active forum concerning the new game at this point of time already. Well, given the variety of topics actually discussed… I like Randomizer's Diary of a Player Character. That leads me to the question if beta testing will be officially announced and offered in the forum again?

Obliged. (Very much indeed - although off-topicness is a typical and very likeable feature of many spiderweb-threads…) 1. Originally Posted By: E-Rose this champ looks like Napoleon: http://spidweb.com/images/avadon/AvInventory.jpg I say he rather looks like Mister Bean… 2. Is there any more information on Avadon except for what is found on the official Spiderweb Page?

They'd hate absorption. Oh, what a wathte of all the good thpare partth!

Wow, an Igor! I've alwayth thought Igorth wouldn't like Thaping very much. I thought they'd prefer good handcraft to Thaping. Igorth would have to play Trakovite…

Ah, yes… 1. finally found it. Didn't realize that Learned Dominic's instructions were to be taken so literally. 2. good to know… You saved my day. Thanks!

Hi, I read something about a secret passage or door, which one is supposed to pass in Nodye Pass, but I can't find it. I've sneaked through the whole area and seem to miss it, if it's there. I've seen the office and the lab in the walled area, but no secret passage/door, whatsoever. Nor were there any secret passages in the area in front of the walled area. The doors in the back wall there can't be passed – I get slaughtered anyway, as there is no place to slip into. So what am I supposed to be looking for? How about the anvil in Helft? I've cleared the whole area, including the drayks lair, but there is no anvil to be found… no second entrance to the forge. The blocked trapdoor in the Western ruin 'says' to look "on the other side", but where is that supposed to be? The ajacent areas do not seem to provide any entrances. I wouldn't wonder, if an appropriate dialogue would show up, when talking to Dorgum at Mera. But it doesn't, so the quest isn't solved… So: Is there a passage to the anvil? Can the anvil be found?