Tarquinus

MP4 - darrydabby

I was not attacking users who were offline or even idle.

I get this message when trying to attack somebody standing right next to me, who has not moved and is not moving. This is not the "user is not in your range" message - this is something new. Repeatedly getting a message that threatens to ban you is just a little discouraging.

Got this error when trying to attack - legally. Three times.

I am getting this error when I try to attack another player: [quote]Parse error: syntax error, unexpected '}' in /home/magicdue/public_html/dlg/dlg.liststrategies.php on line 122[/quote] KTHXBYE

The tree, whose true name is spoken only by the wind, has been known to bloom from time to time. I have never witnessed this, but I know many that have.

[quote name='Blackthorn' post='18948' date='Oct 27 2008, 04:36 AM']When we were first discussing the idea of having a university in Loreroot (the Arcanum), we realized it needed to be linked to the Dojo so that theory could be put into practice (like lab work in RL). We had intended to offer different schools of study, different degrees. The Idea was to offer classes in many subjects that were MD game related. (No offense, but I already have my degrees from RL universities, and I am not interested in studying more along those lines. I play this game to get away from RL, not to drag RL into the game). I would be very interested in earning an in-game degree in wizardry, or perhaps in combat tactics. The number of degrees and subjects that could be studied are as diverse as MD itself and could contain the classes for the creation of new quests, creatures, inner and outer magic spells, armor, weapons, magically imbued items, and even exploring (beyond current map borders) by the students in attendance. In order to be given a license to begin a new alliance or guild, a player would need a specific degree (i.e. for a religious order; a theology degree). For a player to be allowed to create magic spells (written on scrolls so that anyone with high enough principle stats could purchase from the MD shop and use a limited number of times), would also require a particular degree.[/quote] I agree completely, and would love to be a part of developing such a university. I once worked in academia and still have a number of friends who work as professors, and I think it would be very dangerous to the reputation of MagicDuel to have it address RL issues in any detail. I would far, far rather see an in-game school advancing the setting and game mechanics as BlackThorn describes.

Udgard - seriously - this is not a question that should be asked in an open forum. This is an in-game question and should be resolved in-game. My character might not have a tree next to his name - the Children of the Eclipse are still waiting on badges of our own - but he IS a part of the Guardians of the Root.

[quote name='GlorDamar' post='18769' date='Oct 22 2008, 11:11 AM']The Land weapons are not the property of ANY guild. They are the weapons of the lands.[/quote] With respect, you're splitting hairs. The Guilds swear to defend the lands, and many of them very much view the land weapons as their responsibility. I have no doubt whatsoever the MR Fraternity feels precisely the same way.

I believe you ascertain my meaning. I was merely curious to know why such secrets about someone else's Guild would be openly traded in forum. I would like that post to be edited, please, for a spoiler tag at the very least.

Will you be as forthcoming about the mechanism of Kelle'tha's Cannon, I wonder?

I'm interested in their fate.

heal in sanctuaries.

[quote name='stormrunner' post='18404' date='Oct 14 2008, 10:13 AM']ok I have said my point I'll shut up but if you want to know more look up norseman while your at it check the rest of my bloodline, p.s.franch, greman, italian, american indian[/quote] what's your point? Today is Tuesday: discuss the etymology and meaning of Tuesday, and contrast with the French, Spanish, and Italian words for Tuesday. [quote name='xPo' post='18436' date='Oct 14 2008, 02:47 PM']Wars cannot be justified only because of one thing... All things work as a whole... Religion, economy, culture (very connected to religion), country resources (connected to economy), ethnicity of people... (etc...)... The humans can always arrange an excuse to begin a war with another country...[/quote] I agree. And why is that? I offer this opinion: we are not only killers, but very probably the most highly evolved killers this planet has ever seen. That we kill is not remarkable; all animals kill. That we find reasons [u][b]not[/b][/u] to kill is highly remarkable.

Look, it's one thing to get pissy at moderators who have been putting up with something for months and have grown fatigued by the discussion. It's another to complain about spelling mistakes and bad grammar in the game when your own English is not exactly perfect. "ect" should be "etc". The word you want is "Principle", not "Principal" (huge difference). The subjunctive of the verb [i]to be[/i] is [b][i]were[/i][/b], not was. In general it is very bad form to use slang such as "real bad" when discussing bad form and "netiquette". The spelling, grammatical, and stylistic errors in the game do not ruin the game; I have come to be grateful, very grateful, that so many players make the effort to play a game in what is not their first language, that they are more intelligible than otherwise, and that so many aspects of the game are original enough to allow excuses for less-than-professional language content. Playing some of my favorite video games, I see dangling clauses constantly, and it drives me nuts. These dangling elements do not impact the sales of these games in any remotely meaningful way. Finally, it is not only perfectly valid for moderators to close topics started by people who haven't taken the time to research what has been said, but it is equally valid to say that professional-quality English is not a development priority for this game at this time. Writers are needed - for content and translation, not for English grammar.

Yes. It's Games Top 100. This should be moved to the Free Credits thread, I think.

See also Phil Plait, the bad astronomer, on this subject: [url="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/09/25/trans-cosmic-flow-broadens-our-horizon/"]http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastro...ns-our-horizon/[/url]

It's not a debate thread. That said, I am an [b][i]atheist[/i][/b] as well as a classicist, archeologist, historian, and mythologist, and all I can say is that the formula religion=wars=bad is absurd on its face. If you wish to continue this discussion, please 1) start a new thread and 2) draw on your knowledge of Paleontology to pinpoint the dates at which religion and organized conflict are, respectively, believed to have orginated.

But that is reason to encourage Kragel's thinking - he has much to contribute on this subject.

How would these things be handled in game mechanics - like spells?

For the in-game profile, [spoiler]find the Magic Duel Archives, which are north of the map. The librarian is there.[/spoiler]

Another trip around the star, old son. Celebrate, if such is your inclination.

[quote name='Burns' post='18212' date='Oct 10 2008, 04:04 PM']And second: there's a HUGE difference between agnostizism and atheism, one means believing in nothing and the other means believing that there is nothing, and i can tell you that really believing there is NOTHING is a tough job, only about 0,01% of mankind do that, while about 10% claim they are agnostics...[/quote] That is a fascinatingly garbled set of definitions. Agnosticism is the belief that ultimate reality, or spiritual truth, or whatever, is unknowable. Atheism is the belief that there is no god or gods. There are a lot of shades of meaning in both ranges of belief. Many self-labeled [url="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/agnostic"]agnostics[/url] simply don't care to think about such things as theology or "ultimate truth". I think the vast majority of self-described [url="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/atheist"]atheists[/url], I being one of them, would accept the statement that "the existence of an omnipotent being, godlike being, or creator of the universe is so exceedingly improbable as to be dismissible for all practical intents." The belief in nothing is nihilism, and as you point out, true [url="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nihilist"]nihilists[/url] are rare in the extreme. @ Morrggana - please note that Buddhism, in its strictest form, is an atheistic philosophy, and the (East, not Native American) Indian continuum of beliefs and philosophies includes other forms of atheism as well.

[quote name='Tremir' post='18128' date='Oct 9 2008, 07:25 AM']First of all, there's the whole "filter everything through the character's perception" thing. As much as that is admirable, from a role play point of view, I have to disagree with it. I'm not sure how committed to this you are, Tarquinus, but if a person asks you how to attack other players, and your answer is "concentrate, and your creatures will appear before you and attack", because that's how your characters sees it, then you are doing that (probably new) player an even bigger disservice then the mad asterisk wavers you are so derisive of.[/quote] I did not make that clear, and I apologize - staying "in character all the time" [b][u]must[/u][/b] (for me) follow the bounds of courtesy and common sense. When someone is asking me for "meta" advice, eg how the system works, how to heal creatures, etc., I speak plainly. Lucius Tarquinus can sometimes be seen hanging around the n00b zone offering advice and encouragement. I, Sebastian, the player, am speaking there, not Lucius. I, Sebastian, want people to enjoy this game as much as possible, because I love it so very much and want it to succeed. Whenever someone in need of advice stumbles across Lucius Tarquinus and his "apprentice" Penelope LightMoon, s/he will find that we are prepared to drop our roles immediately to answer questions plainly and be as helpful as we can, even if we are neck-deep in "serious" dramatic roleplay. A thoughtful and considerate player should understand how to prioritize. As humorous as your example is, it is not something I would ever say, even though that is almost precisely how Lucius perceives the in-game "reality". Similarly, I will drop my role if I find it is causing distress to other players. I take no joy from being obnoxious for the sake of obnoxiousness; rather, I try to provide an example of someone deeply in character reacting to the "game reality". I am no genius, but I am no idiot either, and I can tell when my role is getting in the way of communication in a harmful way. I try not to do that. Courtesy, common sense, and similar principles advance the fun of other players - and as you can see, I think fun ought to be the point of any game!

[quote name='Vaul' post='18012' date='Oct 7 2008, 07:36 AM']In one such occurrence, one person, who is a seasoned player to say in the least, has come to the sanctuary to clearly sacrifice some of his creatures... During that time he has used the chat to do some roleplaying, in form of invoking the gods to accept his sacrifice. I have recognized this as an opportunity to do some roleplaying of my own, and I have decided to cut in on his little sacrifice ritual I proceeded to explain that it's just a machine and that it performs its function without any touch of the divine... During this, I have emphasized that I am in fact playing my role, and had hoped to squeeze out some cooperation from a player that has clearly put some effort into his own role... Needless to say, I was disappointed. The player took only brief notice of my comments, and has explained that I have my own theory of the press, and that he has his. This was the last second he alone wasted on me, and has proceeded to talk with other old players who happened to be at the same place and talked about different beverages one might be able to buy in those "fictional pubs" that the old guard created seemingly for ALL the sanctuary areas, and in which only them seem to participate. And then they proceeded to ask each other where are the other players that are known to participate in this pub scene of theirs...[/quote] First, that's really depressing. Second, it's not the old guard, but the midgard (pardon the pun). My entire problem with the pubs is that they introduce an element of mundanity that seems starkly out of place in the MD setting. In most cases, I do not indulge other players in their "drinking" any more than they indulge my character's contempt ("Why do you pretend to hold glasses and drink air?"). See also SoulTear's posts above and elsewhere. [quote]So as you can see, despite the best of my efforts, MD is a very very bad place for even trying to cut in on any form of roleplay that already exists in it, let alone starting a trend of your own. Sorry new players, you just do battle and walk the Earth, and do what you will, but play your roles you shall not signed: the old guard[/quote] I understand why you feel that way, but I hope, before you go, you will try to find players who take the effort to have presence and engage the setting: Khalazdad, BlackThorn, and Renavoid, just to name a few. [quote]--- Tarquinus: I enjoyed your post very much, and you have said many interesting things, but your argument is basically this (pardon me if I misunderstood) - "have fun. the system is there. if it's not fun for you, what are you doing here?". Again, excuse me if I turned your message into some kind of a radical variant, but one can't help escape get this kind of message [/quote] That is the essence of what I said. I agree that the majority of the playing community is cliquish and self-indulgent in the extreme, but I wanted you to hear that not everybody is happy about that. Some of us are comfortable being on the fringe, if we must, and if that is what it takes to care who Helen Wasp was (for example). But SoulTear's character is a superb example of one who has achieved an astonishing level of power without really trying to RP in a way that the player doesn't enjoy. [quote]Also, you emphasize the depth of one's character, and that you alone have to immerse yourself into your role and this world and that that's the only thing you really have to worry about. I disagree completely. I'm not sure if you read all the post since my initial question, but I have taken great pains to portray the very atmosphere of the MD world, one that not only makes it hard to play one's role, but is downright overwhelmingly inhibitive to even think about being absorbed into the "system" of RP[/quote] Don't conflate the system and the setting. They do not in all ways complement each other. The setting doesn't make it hard to play your role; the player community does. It is a cavil, but it is still a distinction... and if you look for players who want to engage you, you will find them. Don't assume an MP6 is a good roleplayer or an MP3 is a bad one; if you stay with the game, keep an eye out for characters who have something to say about the parts of the game that interest you. You might be surprised to find that there are more than you think.