archimage_a

I'll take Germany. Kaiser Wilhelm III

Ah, wasn't sure if people wanted to start earlier or later, since it is in the holidays.

/join space25 tavern Log: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12603519/Space/Logs/%23space25.Tip.It.log Starting in about half an hour, feel free to get online though.

As I have said before I don't really care how other people play the game, as long as it is vaguely fair. For instance multi magic currently has an advantage since repetative casting decreases the XP you gain...So the way to overcome that is to ignore XP and generate GP instead, since cutting down trees with water magic and then welding them together with ice magic won't generate much in the way of sellable products, while making glass generates goodly amount of GP.

Mmmm, trying to redesign the game after people have grown acustomed to the system involved is just gonna rock the boat. So I think we should just roll with it...since Ross acknowledges that there are flaws in the system, but that solving them could just create more of a problem than the original flaw caused...If it occurs that Retech becomes super-uber mage in 5 sessions time then, either, people will have an incentive to catch up, or give up. The former means the problems were not that serious, so solving them was pointless, the latter means that the problems were that serious and we know for next time. The worst thing we can really do is try to nerf anyone who ever gets ahead...that was what really destroyed every hegemony thus far.

Today, 4 pm GMT (3 hours from now). Some of the time it is entirely tangenic, other times totally focused :thumbup:

Falcon Punch Level 1? Melee Level 5? Offensive Level 10? Crush Level 15? Fists Level 20? Falcon Punch Or Falcon Punch Level 1? Melee Level 5? Close Quarters Combat Level 10? Offensive Level 15? High Powered Level 20? Fists Level 25? Falcon Punch Arrow on Fire Level 1- Crafting/Fletching/Firelighting/Archery Level 5- A division of one of them. It would probably depend what mood the moderator was in...or if you had a particularly high level in one of those already. @Retech I agree. The moderator could note down that person X is better at Skill Y...I just find, from experiance, that after three or four sessions Person X and Z look relatively similar and Person A has notes for nine different things where I thought they were gonna focus on this, but instead did that. Levels are simply an easier way to keep track of most everything. And notes tend to be secret, which can make things seem unfair...especially if they are negative effects. There aren't really any fractions...Well, there are, but they have no practical impact on the game. For instance, if I pured Fireballs till level 20, then tried to light a candle it would just go into domestic, with the associated chance of success. You can, if you want, go 'I worked it out as fire magic level 7.333251234789234' but the practical implication is you have a lot of skills at different levels. Is it flight to be blown along in an air current? You could use thermal convection and fire magic to achieve the same effect...Or ride a water/ice stream...Levitate with Soul Magic or summon a path of light with Light magic. By my understand of flight, the use of Warp or Nature magic would be best...since you can grow wings for flight. But all of those ways are just ways of getting airborne...So wouldn't 'Flight' itself be a better skill? In this scenario? @Mask: I like the idea and it would work really well for Melee, or as seperate skills (Offense and Defence). @Ross: =P Well, if you ever go insane, the system is there if you want it.

Well, originally the leveling tree was split very wide to prevent leveling by vaguely related ways...Like going to a beach and turning it into glass for fire magic XP with no discernable goal...instead you would've got glassmaking or whatever. But subdividing into aggressive and domestic magic subgroups seems like a bad idea...While power leveling by turning a whole beach into glass should be frowned upon, it would kinda suck to be able to conjure flame to melt steel, but be totally powerless to defend yourself from a man with a pointed stick(or a banana, for MP fans). I suppose...If I were to somehow gain the reins of power I would construct a hierachy of skills... You could get to level 5 fire magic with any type of fire magic, then the branches would split into Offensive and Domestic. Offensive would then split into Hellfire(Short range) and FireBall(Long range), while Domestic would split into Smelting and Burning. Though training the sub skills would still boost up the major skill, but to a lesser extent...So as the game progressed it would be harder to level up fire magic itself. So...Say a person was Level 3.2 Smelting, Level 1.2 Hellfire and 3.7 FireBall, that would equate to 6.6 Domestic and 7.5 Offensive, and that would then equate to level 7 Fire magic. Which looks difficult to keep track of, but, realistically, there isn't a whole great deal of point keeping track of the basic levels, but the final subset.(And people seem pretty adept at keeping track of their own skills) It would also mean that a person summoning a fireball at level 90 magic could still get .3-.4 or however much XP they would normally get...But that XP would be worth 1/262,144th in the fire magic skill itself. It would mean that someone who pured Fire-Domestic-Smelting-Small Forge-Glass-Free Blown-Ect would have levelled up basic fire magic as well, without being an expert at all arts of fire magic. It would also bring actual currency to the idea of Specialisms...Since they would be a lower general level, but much higher in individual skills, while generalists would have the reverse. As long as no one ran away with the idea that you could only use skills at a certain level...In the above example Free Blown Glass would be possible from level 1 fire magic, it is just after 30 levels of only ever free blowing glass you would no longer be able to level up lots of other skills just by doing that one skill. The system could be applied to practically any skill. Soul magic could divide into Selfish and Selfless, then Betterment or Greed and Charity or Sale, and so on and so forth. Illusion could divide into Deception and Revelation, then Concealment or Projection and Discovery(hidden doors and such) or Observation(codes in text)...and so on and so forth. Melee into Offensive and Defensive, then Crush or Slash and Block or Parry. Ultimately, though, it would just be that, when the player reached level 5, the mod would look at what they have done recently and then sub-divide into 2 categories. There are two draw backs(that I can see anyway): First, the moderator would need to keep a running record of skills, or face having to guess from 30 or 40 skills which to award points for any given action. (I didn't find this terribly hard when I was pencil and papering the original dungeoneering, but I believe Ross is using a more complicated system, more suited for storytelling (Which I avoided like the plague)...so it may not be compatible.) Second, some people have over level 5, so would either be forced to redistribute, which brings up its own problems...or given points in all the sub skills equal to that level, which is mildly unbalancing.

Gavril was hunting if memory serves. I know Jeremiah was Fire since I suggested it to Ross originally, which sparked the 'Space Characters = Gods'...If he changed it since then I don't know. On the magic/personality thing...I don't think magic has a defined personality. Ice, which is harsh and cold, can make igloos and snow, which are warm and soft. Fire, which is destructive, can forge steel and iron, and cooks food. Nature, which is creation, but nature is a destructive cycle of feed or become feed. Water, which is the lifeblood, but can also drown and swell. Magic is a tool.

@Nex "The god of the cannibals will be a cannibal, of the crusaders a crusader, and of the merchants a merchant." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson "There are three truths: my truth, your truth, and the truth. ~Chinese Proverb "[belief], comprises a system of wishful illusions together with a disavowal of reality, such as we find in an isolated form nowhere else but in amentia, in a state of blissful hallucinatory confusion." ~ Sigmund Freud Also the God of Fire is Jeremiah, so I would assume that the Elemental Magics have the personalities of their deity.

Mind, Science or Rock&Roll would be my three guesses.

Silly ancients...No forward planning, if I was gonna create some kind of magic defensive shield to protect extreme power, I would want to know that in 40,000 years it would be as good against five adventurers as a 15 meter deep hole. =P Ritualism, the bane of rationality since time immemorial. Still, we make the same mistakes today....Look at the UN...Quietly burying diplomacy would be far saner than building a large mausoleum to house its remains.

What I always find strange about ancient-sealed-magic tombs...is that they are always far easier to break into than if you just dug a relatively deep hole and stuck whatever it was at the bottom of it...I mean 15 meters down and it is likely never gonna be found again. The other thing I find strange about that kind of thing...which I find strange in most games...is that the amount of effort required to build the place seem to far outweigh any kind of useful purpose...Since surely a deep 3-stone-wide hole, with a rope, would hide it far better than a massive chamber with vaunted celing and what not. Anywho, I plan to just try to be a fixed point, rather than getting involved in a deep deep plotline.

Sometimes they ask you (Ross and Nex), some times there is a recruitment drive and you are invited to apply (Me) ...and sometimes it just happens that you are in conversation X and were vocal about one thing or another (Hawkxs). Trying to 'become' a mod shouldn't be your goal, though, your goal should be the welfare of others...Not as a law unto yourself, on a mission to remove everything you disagree with, but as part of a community, be that the Moderator Community, the Admin Community or the Thread or Forum Community. And it is always best to wait until you are invited into that community before you act on their behalf, so start in an open community, like Falador Tavern, show yourself to be a good community member by giving well balanced and rational opinions, though knowing when your opinions matter, and when they only serve to annoy. Then wait for your opening. There is no single route to your destination, so you should not act as though there is one. =)

Broke into a room with an unlocked door, translated the writing on some cans...wished me happy birthday...The usual.

Nah, if I made glass or glasswares my XP would be something like 1XP per two hours, maybe 1XP per hour if I am lucky...And wasting my and Ross' time in a convoluted XP grubbing exercise* seems...well...wasteful. And I sure Ross will balance the money I get from sessions of pure glass-smithing-non-presence...50 teapots/other items per hour seems fairly reasonable(If it is pure glass-smithing, not collecting resources)...With the lack of XP and lack of significant risk. In any event, I have 2 more sessions of non-presence before I reach the point mentioned above. *I make a teapot, then I go outside and stoke the fire, then I boil some salt, then I do this, that and the other...now give me XP, since there was no repetition.

Its not worth that much...Considering that I gain no XP, and making 30 Tonnes of Glass involves collecting 4 Tonnes of Seaweed, 1 Tonne of Lime and 28 Tonnes of Sand... And given that is a theoretical amount, not a practical amount, and given that could create 30 tonnes of ice statues in 20 minutes... I am just following the addage: 'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.' ...If I am gonna get XP nerfed then I might as well get as much money as possible.

/join #space24 tavern http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12603519/Space/Logs/%23space24.Tip.It.log

For yesterday/whenever/intersession(Just say how long):* Xarax continues constructing the Smithy until she has a reasonable forge, and lights it with the Charcoal, having it on a slow burn to warm up the room and to make sure nothing explodes. She fills a container with sand and leaves it in the corner, just in case the fire needs extinguishing. Travelling to Ryhdall in the interim, with cart, where she buys a decently sized Cauldron for 15 GP, she also consider throwing in the Emerald Skull if it makes a reasonable difference in the quality of the Cauldron she can acquire. She also get the Obsiden Sword with the Glyphs valued by the City Guard, saying that they know their swords. Then heads to Arborsing Forest and collects a cartload of wood.(This is kept as wood and not turned into charcoal) She then returns to Kaol, setting up the Cauldron above the Forge, staking up some additonal charcoal** to boost the flame sufficently. Then adds a goodly amount of seaweed to burn down into soda ash. While this occurs, gets enough clay to make six large (1,000 litre) containers(Which I name Amphos). I set 5 in the kiln, and then build a frame for the sixth out of the wood previously aquired, so I retains its shape when stuff is put in. Once a goodly amount of soda ash has been made and seaweed collected, she sets another set on to reduce(storing the current lot in the 6th Amphos), then, keeping track of the time, takes the cart to Arborsing Forest, collects more wood. Returns to Kaol, waits for the seaweed to finish reducing, adds that stock to the amphora, sets another lot on, stacks the wood into a bonfire, then covers it with earth, creating charcoal pile, a good distance from the Smithy. Then lights it. She then checks the seaweed/soda ash, once it is completed she empties that load into the amphos***. Then, using containers(so the Cauldron doesn't fill and drown/sink her) fills the cauldron with sea water, and sets it to boil. She then travels off to collect more clay, using the cart, collecting enough to make enough bricks for a house, in more than one trip if required, checking the sea water levels each time, topping it up when required. The clay is then mixed with sand to make brick clay, then made into bricks using the set block made awhile ago. The bricks are added to the kiln to cook. Once the clay has been collected she takes the cauldron off the heat, pours the remaining water away, and deposits the salt in the corner of the Smithy. She then rinses the cauldron out, using containers again, refilling it with sea water and then setting it to boil yet again. She then makes three more trips to collect Coal, Iron and Copper, checking the sea water and filling it up when required. She then returns to the Smithy and puts some of the Coal around the forge, allowing it to bake into coke. She then pours away the water from the cauldron and deposits the salt in the corner. Then she goes out to collect a goodly amount of lime, approximately 2.8 cubic meters worth. The Heavy Leather Gloves are used to prevent the lime burning the skin. She then sets about making glass trinkets(Christmas Tree Decorations, teapots, wine glasses, ect) to sell, using the soda ash and sand. (Around 550 Gold Pieces worth****.) Collecting sand as required from the beach outside. Once the few hundred kilograms of glass has been produced, she loads up the cart with the trinkets and heads into Rhydall to sell the trinkets for around 500 Gold Pieces. (or 400 Gold Pieces selling whole sale to shop keepers) While there she attempts to set up a good rapport with townsfolk, shop keepers, travellers who are passing through...everyone really. Between/after sales she buys four sheets of paper with ink and quill, and a series of thumbtacks(If Thumbtacks do not exist then she buys whatever is used already on the noticeboard).(5 GP assumedly, willing to go to 10 GP overal) On the first she writes: 'Master Guardsman required for new settlement on the southern coast. Settlement is small and would most suit an inexperianced by brave Guardsman. No armour provided as of present, wages start at 5 Gold Pieces per day.' On the second she draws five sketches of the local area with Kaol's Location on and uses the quill to perforate the spaces between the sketches to allow for easy tearing. Above each of the maps the words 'Kaol, Industrial Town' are written. On the third she writes: Size 36, Bold: 'Animal organs wants!' Underneath, size 18: 'Stomachs, intestines, hooves, bones, muscles and lungs prefered, but all welcome!' Underneath, size 12: 'Payment requires animal to be, at most, two days old.' Underneath, size 8: 'Payment relative to size of animal, payments shall not exceed 100 Gold Pieces, except for rare animals.' Underneath, size 16: 'Repeat Suppliers will be given an additional payments!' On the forth: 'Are you tired of having to buy glass, pottery, wood or metal works? Do you have a lazy child who has yet to find a job? Then an exciting apprenticeships in Tradesmithing could await them! 500 Gold Pieces for the first year, if they are are progressing well another 250 Gold pieces will be required per year. Those interested should apply to the Master Tradesmith Xarax, when she is selling her wares here.' She then posts these four papers on the noticeboard. Taking a quick detor to the Quarry to collect a couple of handfuls of clay, along with more copper, before departing for Kaol. Once there she checks the forge fires, the coke, the charcoal pile and the bricks. Assuming none of them will be ready for 8-12 hours, she then sits down and rests, otherwise she attends to them and goes to sleep when and where is is safe to do so. When fully rested she checks everything, attending as neccessary, then sets about making some tool steel, using the coke and iron. Using the tool steel, and clay for moulds, she then sets about making a full set of blacksmithing equipment, along with a hand operated drawing die. Once completed with that she makes a dozen or so casks(Barrels) from the wood that was collected somewhile ago. *It is very repetative and since XP will reduce dramatically with repetative, it is not worth taking up my, or Ross', time to garner the measely amount of XP (Elsewise I will be cooking and eating large amounts of pizza waiting for actions to complete :thumbsup: )...Presently I think 3-4 sessions worth of actions are here. **In the interests of brevity, charcoal is added whenever is required, and coal replaces the coke when completed. ***Once the 5 in the kiln have completed hardening she transfers the soda ash, then puts the remaining one into the kiln(minus wooden frame, which is kept on the wood pile) ****Assuming an average cauldron with dimentions of 6" high by 6"3/4 diameter, thus equating just over 3 cubic meters, reduced to 2.5 cubic meters for the rim...and that soda ash reduces on a scale of 1 in 4...thus giving just under 2 cubic meters of soda ash. Since Lime, Soda and Sand are mixed in proportions 13, 12, 70, this should mean I am capable of making 15 cubic meters of glass. Glass has a minimal density of 2,000 kilograms per cubic meter, thus meaning I should have, at least 30 Tonnes of POTENTIAL(not made) Glass. The average glass teapot weighs 48 ounces, or 1.3 kilograms, baubles weigh less, as do wine glasses...***** ***** Since I don't actually improve in my glass making skill I am gonna be stuck making basic quality stuff, so I may as well make a lot. (Capitalism 101)

Semantics...You can't mean with it and you can't mean without it.

You could try throwing it like a dart also...Or dropping it from above while holding a camera sideways so it appeared to be going forward...Lot of options(None of them terribly good).

AI Quips: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_tour AI Reminds: There was no factory floor on the lift panel, and the military...or indeed Alieness, of the base has yet to be confirmed. AI Explains(Arboretum, such a terrible word): It is common, in space theory, that where colonies/long term residential ships will be formed, the requirements of air and recreation be met in some manner. While opinion is largely undecided, and uninterested, in the application of trees are oxygen recyclers, there is almost universal agreement that a cool breeze, a forest and waterfall are a good way to relax...especially in a world dominated by fast communication by phone and computer. It has, however, been noted that forested areas tend to carry with them alot of frustrating upkeep requirements, and when people go off for walks they can't be contacted easily, thus, while people agree in principle, in practicality most colonies have a number of T-Bit Transceiver links and a computer in every room. Exemplified by the Unity. In addition, wooden doors and door knobs tend to inspire a connected and lively organisation, as opposed to a funcional system. Databank Infomation: 'Husks' were extensively used by the Japanese as primative AIs. Samples of various chemicals were injected, the small amount of organic tissue reacted and this was recorded by the 'Husks' memory unit, then it could be examined. Speculation: 'Husks' escaped the destroyed Japanese Ganymede Base, wandered the planet, found the entrance, wandered about, since they are not 'aggressive by nature...Though many consider Humans the bringers of pain. But given their number it is probably they have been replicating, introducing copy errors, potentially turning them into homicidal maniacs. (The husks are one of those times when the game designer hand waved (Since this one is more railroaded than the last, and having a shuttle sitting outside seemed to go against that) and it was so, though I couldn't sleep, so invented the above backstory...They don't come up again for the duration...and before anyone blamed Faust it was planned in advance, Faust being bored just meant instead of seeing them climb over the top of the thing/feeling them grab someone from behind or looking down to see them climbing the metal pole, you got 2 minutes warning) Also, I have been reminded it is my Birthday on Monday...So I won't be running a session that day... So Sunday, Wednesday and then break for Christmas, returning to normal on the 27th(Monday)? Or Tuesday, Thursday, Monday? If anyone has any preferences please say.

Nice design. Transporters, lvl 2, are 330 kT Drone launchers are 10 kT each Destroyer hull is 400 kT Dual cloaks would only be effective if one of the cloaks failed. Tachyon Projection Cannon would only effect Weapons...I assume your plan is to disable weapons and then board? The only issue here is that with shields up transporting onto the enemy ship won't be possible. @Ross I think the ship is more purposed towards find a Russian ship, disabling its weapons, boarding, killing the crew and then taking the ship back to the Station(of which I forget the name).

That was my fault, the program I was used has a decode/encode button...I left it on decode. It should read: Welcome*to*Vetran,*home*of*the*Quelnut*Whip*Ice-cream*and*Aquavita,*the*drink*of*the*Stars. Please*consult*the*reverse*for*a*map*of*the*facility*and*we*hope*your*enjoy*your*stay*with*us. I am happy if you just type out the message and send it to me, rather than translating it yourself. Its still mildly tedious but it is an alien language and translating it should take some portion of time. Or you can TB for each one you want instantly translated. Good spot, have a technobabble token.

The puzzle seems a little harder than I intended...so as a hint I would suggest you look at the ones I have given answers for, paying attention to the second and last letters in the decoded version. Also, a reminder that I won't be around Saturday, so I need to talk to Ross about trading Sunday for Saturday or Sunday for Monday....Or just putting it off till monday. I would like a Drake/Chi/Theros/Jen character online though, since solving puzzles is more integrated with this quest...Combat still features, but isn't played up as much as before.