The longest part of my day is waking up to early to head into the Stardock office. I'm anxious to get back to work. What a great job.
I spent yesterday helping to make the spells more exciting, but so far my focus has been on process. We will create a consistent design, we will document that design, we will march toward implementing that design. Flexibility is important in creating games, if something isn't working it has to go, but we aren't going to simply "try things". There is a great game in Elemental, we have to bring it out.
It's worth saying that the great game in Elemental isn't Fall from Heaven (for those hoping or worried that I'm going to try to make Elemental into FfH). That doesn't mean there aren't ideas in FfH that are valuable here, such as faction differentiation, but this is a very different game. This is about exploring a shattered world, engaging in great tactical combat and building a fantasy empire. Master of Magic is the inspiration here, not FfH.
There is great background lore in Elemental, but we need to bring it into the game. There are great opportunities, but we need to make them more fun. There are some problematic mechanics that we need to get out of the way.
My main focus is really on the post 1.1 work, but I've been able to help on the 1.1 side. Tighten the feature list, make sure everything is moving toward the next steps, help with ideas and flavor. There is a great team here, I'm honored to be able to work with them.
We will be starting a community design contest soon. I appreciate all the great ideas everyone provides, and we are going to have some fun with it (we were just going to use my ideas but then we realized we wanted the game to be good). Watch the boards, the full details will be announced next week.
I knew Brad was either a Vampire and/or on Cocaïne !
Ahh yes! This! THIS!
Thank you,
V.
Maybe you are a bit slow in how things work, the engine took more time to develop and work things out, it is still evolving. This left less time to work on areas they wanted to adress...this should be self evident. I guess not.
Any estimate on when v1.1 will be released? How long has it been now?...about a month or so? I know they had hopes of getting it out by the end of Oct. but realistically Nov. I know it's early November, but what's it going to be? a week? 2 weeks?
I'm just getting a little tired of waiting, but clinging on to patience.
the community is being asked for suggestions and therefore are quite justified to ask about limitations of the current engine. in particular that would be valuable info for those folks who put a lot of effort into suggestions that were discarded prebeta & beta.
if it is even true that the engine is "still evolving" - a point which i don't think is "self evident" - then some information about development direction might be useful.
Since the beta version isn't even out yet, I'll go with Soon®.
(Seriously, people need to knock this nonsense off. It'll be done when it's done, and constant pestering about it will only serve to convince them to not give any kind of estimate in the future. )
When I heard that Kael had been hired by Stardock to do project management for Elemental that gave me my first real hope post release that Elemental would become the great game it could be.
That is exactly the role they need filled by someone and it is hard to have better credentials for the role than Kael.
However it will take time. I said back when Elemental was released that it needed a full revisit and re-imagining of the game and that would take at least 3 months. I still believe that is the case and I'm pretty sure several months are still required. Feb-March 2011 could be the time to start looking for results. I'm happy to wait if it means the finished product finally delivers.
Cheers.
^ This. It's not at all self-evident. I have seen many posts from dev's stating that feature X can't be done because the engine wouldn't allow it. But I have yet to see a post stating that the engine was being worked on for such and such feature. Right now it seems they're working on content (so a journal entry on how they're improving the engine wouldn't be a bad read, hint hint). If it's true it's still evolving, that's great, but right now we can just hope it is.
I'm sorry for getting on your nerves, but I don't make it my life to keep track of a silly game. I check on it here and there, and post rarely. So no need to be rude...I was asking a simple question.
Get a life.
LOL this great, I think Stardock should make characters/champions with this sort of personality trait. It would make for an interesting background story!
Lord Booshoo: Hey there stop pestering that cock!
Lord Kiki: I just want it to cockadoodledoo...
Lord Booshoo: *Sigh* You're going about it all wrong kid.
Lord Kiki: I'm sorry I don't mess around with cocks very often so I only do what I can think of..
Lord Booshoo: Well Lad this how it's done *Demonstrates how to properly train a rooster how to Cockadoodledoo*
Lord Kiki: Get a life.
Lord Booshoo: Wtf?
Which trait is that? The additional snide commentary after answering a question or the natural aggressive response of lashing back to a condescending response?
Let's have a little perspective. No need to pile on.
Well, Kael did ask for suggestions for sovereign traits / abilities.
I don't think sarcasm or thin skin have been listed, yet. =P
Hilarious use of picture. Good luck with the new gig!
It was also in Coming to America with Eddie Murphy. The guys at the barber shop were calling him Kunta as a joke as well. I thought it was funny man.
As for it being racist, that is a completely ridiculous suggestion, and I don't care who says otherwise. Racism refers to unjust discrimination against a person based on their race. If Kunta has been used as a racial slur in the past, that does not in any way necessitate that your use of the word was an act of racism.
You probably know very well that intention is the true measure of actions. It was abundantly clear that you did not mean to discriminate against any race with your reference to Kunta, even before you explained that you didn't know the word was even used in that way.
I know this was over and settled, but I don't care. I almost fell on the floor from laughing when I read that you were being reported for using the word **** on an internet forum. If there was any hint that you were being malicious in your use of it, I might understand. But otherwise it's bullshit, as you were really just making funnies.
This isn't even about people being over-sensitive. It's about people being stupid. In the same way I can use a knife to kill or maim someone or to chop vegetables, a word can be used with the intention of being offensive or with a more innocent or inoffensive intention. If a person insists on taking offense at the latter, then it's basically the same as them sticking their fingers under my knife while I'm trying to chop the vegetables. In other words, stupid.
Next thing you know they'll be campaigning against the use of knives.
Rant over.
Yea, I know I rub some people the wrong way. I do curse like a sailor and I can be reactionary, but most of the time, I am trying to just to make people laugh. If people mark my post, that's fine, I trust the mods here. I am on thin ice here anyway, I've been suspended once before, and I deserved it, so instead of continuing to argue on things, once I have made my point, I have just let it go. I don't want to turn threads into people fighting with me.
Rubbing people the wrong way falls under improper touching of staff!
I know, I'm bad...
You actually got your posting privileges suspended huh? I wonder why that never happens to me. I probably deserve it daily.
I was defending the game, and Stardock, but I went way too far and deserved the two day suspension from the boards.
Because you're such a sweetie-pie at heart?
C'mon, admit it. You've rescued stray puppies and collected Hello Kitty stickers.
It may have been collecting stray puppies and rescueing Hello Kitty stickers instead. Who would know?
BTW: I know a preacher who has offered to officially block you from an australian church website for your street cred... That has to count for more than just a temporary ban on the Stardock forum!
Istari, my apologies if you are that offended if other people are being offended by inappropriate language or don't find it appropriate for these message boards. Maybe you should petition Stardock to remove the "Inappropriate Language" report post option, as I cannot for the life of me figure out why they would ever include it. You may not respect other people in real life, but there is a CoC to adhere to here. This is a public forum for a computer game, which also means that there are children that browse these forums.
Obviously, this does not matter to you and you think that profanity on the message boards is some kind of badge of maturity. Don't look now, but that blade of your knife is upside-down. So you can laugh and call those that don't find it appropriate "stupid," but your post really does say way more about you than it ever could about anyone else that you are directing your rant at.
Enjoy.
I just want to say, I am refusing to take the blame for the derail of this thread.
Point one, I never expressed offense. I only pointed out the nonsense in taking offense at what wasn't meant to be offensive.
Point two, my rant was regarding the definition of inappropriate. If you know how, you can say some extremely offensive things in a very underhanded and subtle way, without ever using a 'curse word', and slip your comment in under the radar. So, the option to report should still be there, but we must trust in the moderators abilities to differentiate between light-hearted or good natured humour and malicious bile.
My issue with your perspective on this is that, judging by your responses, it seems that you take the word over the meaning, and the rule over its purpose. It is not profanity if it is not profane. Using the word fuck is not in all cases an attempt to be offensive. When you report someone for being offensive or profane, and they were not actually being offensive or profane, but speaking words that could be used offensively or profanely (see the knife analogy), then you are taking the word over its meaning. As language is used to convey meaning, you have made your report against inappropriate language that wasn't actually inappropriate, so you have taken the rule over its purpose.
As for children being within earshot of curse words, the unfortunate fact is that there is no place in the world that won't afford them that opportunity. Here we must trust to the moderation of their parents. Having said that, I don't think there are many (if any) really underage forum members here.
[EDIT] I wasn't actually calling you stupid, just the action of taking offense to unoffensive comments. Also, I don't appreciate being told that I don't respect other people by someone who has very little basis for saying it. And as far as I'm concerned, internet forums are just as much a part of real life as face-to-face interactions.
It's OK. I take full responsibility and gladly.
Yeah, that semanical justification clears it all up. Thanks. And "people being stupid" is a direct attack, and you can try to cover that up in semantics as well. Your intent was perfectly clear. Such as, I never said that you do not respect other people. I said that you "may not respesct other people." See, I can use semanics, too. But based upon your response, it was clear how you interpreted it. Funny how that it only applies when you are doing the interpreting, though, and that you don't "appreciate it." But other people's interpretations don't matter to you, and they are "being stupid."
If there is no intent behind the word, or in your words it is not "profane," then why use it to begin with if others may take offense to it? I don't recall you being the authority on what is considered profane or not, anyhow. So your opinion on what is inappropriate language or not really only applies to your perspective, and not necessarily others.
And there are moderators that can make that determination when something gets reported. Not you, not me. You are just as welcome to be upset about being moderated as I may be for reporting something and no moderator taking action on it. But to take issue with people moderating for whatever reason, then voicing your opinion negatively on those people, that is something altogether different.
We have differing opinions. You do your thing. I'll do my thing. I have nothing more to say on the subject. Enjoy your evening.
I stand by my words. You were being stupid. That doesn't necessarily make you a stupid person altogether, as a lot of smart people have done a lot of stupid things. That's not semantics, just reality.
You said that I may not respect other people, meaning to say that in your opinion it is a real possibility. I responded to that. I didn't appreciate it because it was quite baseless. If you had supported your statement, I might have understood your reasoning, and if it was fair to some degree, then that I can appreciate, even if it was a misunderstanding.
As to other peoples opinions, I don't think it's fair to say that they don't matter to me. You might have argued that your opinion doesn't matter to me, but even then you would be wrong, as I have argued on the basis of 'what' and not 'who'.
You ask why should someone express themself using words that could be used offensively. I have already mentioned that any words can be used offensively, and not just those that are commonly used for that purpose. So I say again, that the more accurate measure of actions is intention. Meaning that if you see that someone was not being malicious, then don't put too much stock in the words they used to convey their message if you feel that those words could otherwise be offensive. People express themselves in different ways. What matters more is what they mean, and less what they say.
I said that intention is the true measure of actions. Judging by a persons intentions, you can determine whether the meaning of their words was offensive or not. I'm not the authority on what is considered profane, as you and everyone else are free to consider things in any way you please. That doesn't change the fact that some considerations are stupid. I've been known to have many a stupid consideration myself, so don't get too offended.
I never did assume that I had any authority to make decisions regarding reports made against individuals, or that my opinion overrules the moderators. I never claimed or hinted at being upset by anything related to our discussion. I have no qualms about taking issue with things I see as nonsensical. Could I be wrong about some or all of those things? Certainly. But it helps when the person taking the other side can make substantiated arguments against each point.
If you have nothing more to say on the subject then that's fine. I really don't think you've said anything anyway.
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