Paul Ryan's page

I don't. I don't think the magazines alone are worth the current price, and since I'm not playing 4E the tools aren't useful for me. If I was in a 4E game, I'd probably sign up though.

Maybe if there's a next time, there could be a delay on the sales of the PDFs until the shipments are sorted out? I think at least part of the irritation is that non-subscribers have access to all the new stuff while subscribers are still waiting.

I'm probably in a minority about actually being slightly relieved by the delay, thanks to some necessary financial juggling due to paying for an unexpected root canal.

I always thought that it was:

"To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women."

I understand when people get older it ends up involving things like "Hot water, good dentishtry and shoft lavatory paper."

That's the thing: subscribers *to what line*? With the RotR hardcover, the answer is obvious; with this product, not so much.

If it wasn't a book, the least illogical might actually be the GameMastery Cards, given that they're providing art items for the buyer's use.

But saying that that's the least illogical subscription I can figure isn't the same as saying it's actually a good fit. And that's still leaving aside the fact it's a book, not individual art pieces on cards.

Personally I'd like a PDF with my pre-order if possible, but if it isn't for whatever reason, I'm fine with just the physical book which is all that was advertised/promised when I made that pre-order. Added: It'd be great IMO if you folks at Paizo decide to add value like a PDF version to the initial book-only pre-order, but it's not something I expect or demand.

As I understand it, the shipping discount is for an order shipping all at the same time. The pre-ordered item would be shipping at a different time, later than the rest of your order, so it doesn't count towards the US$100 value at which the discount kicks in.

I picked up a couple of copies of the Dragon art book, both the regular and the fancy one, so maybe I'm not a part of the 'normal' demographic of book buyers. I actually buy and enjoy art books.

So I've already pre-ordered. Lets hope this is one which proves that Vic isn't always right about art books. :-P

Spoiler:

...in order to preserve the anonymity of submissions, it is crucial to DELETE YOUR REAL NAME FROM YOUR PAIZO SITE ACCOUNT.

Good advice, but not possible for everyone, due to the lock in of the default posting alias after 10 posts. I'm posting under my real name for example. Not that I'm creative enough to compete, so it's an academic point for me, but maybe not for someone else.

Speaking for my own preferences, there can be all the PvP anyone wants, so long as it's consensual. But I'm just not interested in putting even time, much less money, into a game where I could be forced into PvP if I didn't want it.

So far what I've read of Mr Dancy's answers to questions about the game plans indicate that there isn't going to be any choice and PvP is going to be if anything actively encouraged, which pretty much eliminates me as a potential customer right at the start of development. It's not that there's something wrong with what Goblinworks seems to have in mind, it just doesn't look like it's supposed to be the kind of game I enjoy.

Paul Ryan wrote:

KitNyx wrote:

So if a game where to utilize a better AI it would not be enjoyable? And if a game did use AIs which could learn and/or plan and coordinate, then them trying to kill your character would equal trying to ruin your enjoyment?

I call strawman. You know perfectly well I'm specifically referring to the kind of griefers who try to spoil other people's fun for 'Lulz'. When you have an actual counterargument, please present it.

You know, you keep saying that my arguments are misrepresenting your position...as for a counterargument...

Well, if I do explicitly specify my problem is not with AI but with player behaviour, then suggesting that improved AI is an issue is ignoring what I'm saying to try to force me into agreeing with the strawman you constructed. If that wasn't your intent you could have read my post and responded to what I actually said.

Paul Ryan wrote:

But if I'm playing vs the environment I choose the terms of engagement to suit what I find enjoyable. In forced, and I do specify forced here, PvP someone else gets to make that choice, and they're deliberately doing it to ruin my enjoyment.

First, how do you know they are acting with the motive you suggest? I am forced to assume you are just making assumptions about their motives, and hence you are just lashing out at players acting in a way that inhibits your fun, by making pejorative accusations about their intent and identity; using over-generalization to place anyone who upsets you into "gankers" or "griefers".

I think the burden of proof is on your end. If someone forces me into a combat I don't want because they can do so, how do you conclude that they are NOT trying to ruin MY enjoyment? Please explain, because so far you're coming across as saying that if I'm allowed to play how I'd enjoy to, without forced PvP, it's going to spoil your fun.

Or more bluntly, it seems to me like you're saying that being unable to harass me would ruin your game.

Why is your enjoyment in having the ability to ruin my fun more important than my having the right not to be attacked by you if I don't want to be?

Second, your environment is everything outside your character. What is the difference between "forced" PvE via an AI mob that is smart enough to track you until you are alone and then attacks, or "forced" PvP via a PC who does the same? If you had a smart enough AI there would be no difference. Think this is unrealistic? Look at the features of an upcoming game called "Origins of Malu". In one play test, the tester had a predator mob track him for hours at a distance only to attack when the situation was more suitable to insure the mob would win.

Therefore, by your definition, I must assume that you would also place these "enhanced" AIs into the griefer and ganker category. I was trying to clarify if I was right and if you would be asking the devs to make their AIs more stupid...

Intent. That's what it boils down to. The AI is doing what it's programmed to if it tries to kill me, and it only does so if I put myself into a position that triggers its actions. If it's got great tactics, so be it.

Forcing someone into PvP has all the initiative on the part of the aggressor. The victim has no choice. It's kill or, much more likely, be killed. It's not a case of a player testing themselves against the AI voluntarily, it's someone else deliberately forcing them into a situation they didn't want. And yes, if they're being forced into it, I do think the most likely intent of the PvPer is to spoil another player's enjoyment of the game.

So if a game where to utilize a better AI it would not be enjoyable? And if a game did use AIs which could learn and/or plan and coordinate, then them trying to kill your character would equal trying to ruin your enjoyment?

I call strawman. You know perfectly well I'm specifically referring to the kind of griefers who try to spoil other people's fun for 'Lulz'. When you have an actual counterargument, please present it.

(Also, if your playing against the Environment you're still competing, whether there's a Player or an AI :P)

But if I'm playing vs the environment I choose the terms of engagement to suit what I find enjoyable. In forced, and I do specify forced here, PvP someone else gets to make that choice, and they're deliberately doing it to ruin my enjoyment.

I get that. But remember, I'm asking for an immersive world. What the hell did your level 1 character do to bring on a level 20 assassin? Probably not a damn thing, and that would break the immersion as much as playing in a danger-from-NPC-only world. And what kind of assassin's guild, or self-respecting assassin, would go after a level 1 as a level 20? A level 1 payout wouldn't be enough to get that level 20 out of bed, or pay for the harlots who spent the night there with him.

The problem isn't with the idea of roleplayed assassins acting IC so much as with the sort of people who will make a level 20 assassin just to hunt level 1 characters because it'll annoy their players.

Rathendar wrote:

The difference there is that your 'character' desire can and will ruin the game experience for other people if played that way. Like others, i'll take carebears over jerks any day.

Hold on a minute buddy!

How is his character a jerk? It's an immersive part of the world.

He's not 'griefing' you, he's not doing this to you for the sake of hurting you, he's doing it for payment.

He is what I would consider a griefer if he is forcing a player into PvP against their will. If there were an option to choose to play a PvP game or not, I wouldn't have a problem. But if it's wrong to force Runniteb to play a 'carebear' game because it impacts on his right to choose how to play his characters, then it is equally wrong to force Rathendar to play in Runniteb's style.

Paul Ryan wrote:

Sorry. No longer interested.

What about this, exactly, eliminated your interest?

As a casual gamer who doesn't have the time to dedicate to making my character a super combat monster, I'm primarily interested in roleplaying, and exploration to the limits of my character's abilities. If I overestimate myself and get nailed by the scripted hazards, that's my own fault and just the breaks. That's the kind of game I personally enjoy.

When you bring non-consenting PvP into it, instead of playing the game I'm interested in, I'm now forced to play the game which someone else wants, but I don't. They have the skills, time, and practice to get good at their game. Which isn't the same as mine.

So having to play a game where someone else can attack me on their terms if I go somewhere 'not safe' simply isn't what I'm interested in. Having unconsenting PvP is a no-go for me.

As you might guess, I generally stick to single player games. But until Mr Dancy's explanation I was prepared to look closer at this. Now I'm still likely to keep an eye on things on the forum out of general interest, but no more than that.

JoelF847 wrote:

Ryan, does that mean that if you're a player who doesn't want PvP (most notibly, doesn't want to deal with other players attacking them) and you head off to the deep wilderness, far from towns, laws, etc, then you're simply SOL if someone attacks you? If so, then that is unfortunate.

Yes, that is what it means. You need to think about other players as being a part of the world just like wandering monsters. They're predators, and if you venture out alone you're the prey.

Sorry. No longer interested.

When they had to endure the constant heat and humidity night and day, the novelty soon wore off.

The Tower and the Hive, by Anne McCaffrey. She will be missed.

I like Cover 1 more.

Since Mr Skarka seems to have stopped paying attention to this thread, I'd advise sending him your new address to be certain he has it.

The "Oathbound Seven no BG" file has no page background graphics. It's a bit ironic that it's a larger file, but it does still change pages significantly faster than the smaller file on my laptop.

I'm kind of embarrassed. The customer service is greatly appreciated, even if I do forget to reply and say thanks for the help for over a month. :-(

There may be a bug in the system somewhere. I'm also seeing a null month with no December shipping in my subscriptions. All the December releases are shown as being combined with my January shipment.

The last I heard (which was quite a while back I admit, since I'm not a subscriber), they didn't have Tiamat in the DDi specifically because she broke their own rules too badly to fit in. In your case I'd be more worried if I could make her work with the rest of the rules.

Maybe if there's a real demand (beyond internet humor ;-) ), someone with programming skills could write a random number generator for Paizo to include with the download or otherwise make available in lieu of physical dice?

I'd buy it too. I've already got the colour version of Seven.

Mt copy from Frog God arrived in New Zealand the day before yesterday. Despite the way packages often seem to arrive here beaten about, and are often delivered by throwing them onto the porch, the only corner bending was such that I actually had to look for it to see it and I'd anticipate worse if I just dropped the book - it was less than what I'd expect to do to it via simple usage.

I preordered the printed version of "The Breaking of Forstor Nagar (PFRPG) Print" in order #1675725, on April 22, 2011. At this point it has been listed in my sidecart as being "unavailable" since the book went on sale, despite the fact that the product page lists the Print/PDF bundle as being available and with the physical book shipping in 2 to 6 days. Could someone please look into this?

In addition, it seems that by pre-ordering, I missed out on the Print/PDF bundle option? Is there any way I could upgrade to that? It seems a little unfair that because I pre-ordered the physical book I end up looking to pay an additional US$9.99 for the PDF when anyone who comes along now that it's released can get both at the same time.

Many thanks. I received the new email this morning.

I asked about the Tome of Horrors because my sidecart listing in my account information is giving me the option to ship it ASAP, without waiting for my next subscription. Should it be doing that if the Tome isn't on hand yet? The other items I've preordered which aren't available yet are listed separately, with an explanation that they'll ship with a future subscription.

It is Order #1749322.
Like Gorbacz, I have not received a shipping notification for it.

In addition, when the order went to pending status, my copy of Tome of Horrors remained in the sidecart instead of being included in the order along with the other items waiting. Can someone please check into what's happening to see if there are any issues?

That might cause categorization issues when every gun on the planet is assigned the same rating of zero due to the Tome's coolness factor.

I think it's an issue with tablets. You can change the name displayed when you import the files into the reader programs I've tried, but by default it gives the internal file name if it exists. It's a pain to change each one manually if you're adding a whole batch of files in one go.

Still, if you really want a pain, one company selling PDFs has a whole lot of their older files all set with the same name and author. The reader I was using decided that any file with the same metadata as one already imported had to be the same file even when the actual file names were different, and refused to import the other files.

So, look all, and behold the terrible things I said that drove Mr. Ryan to forever be an exile of the community, lingering on the fringes, never to be included...

I'll simply note that there is a significant difference between being involuntarily forced into an outsider's postion and deciding that I don't care to be a member of a community that considers your type of behaviour to be acceptable.

I'm fairly disappointed by this thread. The OP made a reasonable request for a forum feature that is available on a number of other forums. In response he was ridiculed and mocked by a whole slew of posters. There's a whole bunch of people in this thread who are breaking the "don't be a dick" rule of the Paizo forums and it definitely does not reflect well on any of them or the forum as a whole when viewed by an outsider.

I also understand the OP's frustration with people joining a thread and deliberately attempting to kill or ongoing discussion. On some forums this is considered an anti-social form of behaviour and cause for infractions/thread bans. On Paizo forums it appears to be a valid tactic for killing threads you do not agree with.

The last time I commented on that sort of behaviour, one of the more well known posters here told me there were lots of other forums on the internet if I didn't like what's customary here on the Paizo forums.

I may still be a poster on these forums, but that pretty much concluded any illusions I had that I particularly wanted to be considered a part of the gaming community here.

When a subscription is suspended, you still get all the items that came out during the suspension period. You just get them all in one go when you end the suspension. That could be a big hit to your wallet if you've got a lot of subscriptions suspended.

If you cancel, you don't get anything more after your final shipment. You can subscribe again, but you don't get anything that comes out between when you cancel and you resubscribe.

Assuming my recollection isn't faulty, it was the episode where a woman did a bodyswap with Kirk to take over command.

I've been waiting like a madman...

The product page gives you the day and time of availability. If you've set your time preferences in your profile, the time is automatically adjusted to your local time. For me it's tomorrow at 2 am, or more generally, it's due to be available in PDF in about 13 hours from the time of my posting.

The original Paizo download did work properly. It's just that at half a gig in size, for me at least, it tends to choke PDF readers.

I still don't have this mysterious e-mail that contains the link to download. Does anyone have a direct link to it?

Thanks. :)

The link I have is https://www.aplusdownload.com/cgi-bin/apluspro/scripts/command.cgi?action=3 . Login details are up to you to provide. ;-)

I've got my Slumbering Tsar subscription files, but no Tome yet. :-(

The issue with the new download isn't just limited to Adobe. Foxit also has non-functional bookmarks and black squares for some monsters. In the first 25 pages, I had squares for the Aberrant (file page 13) and the Angel, Empyreal, (file page 26), in case examples help for problem checking.

Edit: Just as a note, this isn't an issue with the huge version I originally downloaded.

It's good to know your package finally arrived.

When I login, I get sent to a A+ download page with two links underneath. One is download files and one is ezine subscription. Under ezine subscription is the PF TOH file.

It's not there for everyone. I just checked.

Thanks for the update on what's going on. I was just trying to download the latest Pathfinder's Society Guide, so there's nothing urgent at my end. I'll wait for your post before trying again.

I'm currently unable to download anything. Clicking a download link just reloads the page without initiating the download, though it updates the "date last downloaded" field.

I poked something on our end. If you redownload, the file should be at its reduced size.

I just tried again. It's still the same huge size for me. No reduction.

Or even Githyanki, the name nabbed from a story by George R. R. Martin, according to what I've heard. It's in a collection called Tuf Voyaging.

Dawn R Fischer wrote:

This is a big one! It is over 200 megabytes in size.

Chris Lambertz was able to bring it down to about 68 MB on our end. (We'll be contacting somebody at Frog God to let them know how they can achieve the same efficiency.)

The file may be 68 MB at your end, but what downloads is about 480 MB from my end. It still opens fine though it really slows up my laptop. Maybe the personalizer needs a nudge.

(I picked up a second copy from Paizo.)

When it comes to reading an ebook on my computer, I've tried other formats, and find I prefer the PDFs. It's a matter of personal taste I guess.

I haven't tried out ePubs on my new tablet yet, so it's possible I'll find them a superior format there. If so, I'll probably buy the web fiction in that format eventually.

As for the cost/benefit aspects of whether it's worth your while to make PDF versions, Paizo is the company which is doing what seems to be a roaring trade and competing well against even WotC. I'm not going to doubt your analysis and business sense, even if I do wish it was worthwhile for you to do PDF versions.

As alternatives to the pure Dos versions, there's xu4 for Ultima 4, Exult for Ultima 7 and Serpent Isle, and Pentagram for Ultima 8. The last I heard all of those emulation programs allowed the games to be completed. You do still need the original game files in addition to the programs listed.

There are also a lot of patches and utilities collected together at Ultima Aiera, including graphics upgrades and patches to add the music from other versions of U3, U4, and U5 to the PC Dos versions.

Do you have to post links to cool stuff like that? I think my wallet's going to hate you when it's all ready to buy. :-(

It's been August here for over 15 hours... ;-)

I figure that there'll be a public announcement made when it's finally ready to download, in case of straying emails. Until then, there's no point in jumping up and down eagerly.

The answer in the past has been no.

I find it's simple to make a PDF version using Open Office and a bit of cutting and pasting from the blog, since Paizo has declined to provide the format I'd prefer. And yes, that means that I would purchase a PDF format version from Paizo if such was made available, rather than make my own. OTOH I'm definitely not going to purchase them in a format I don't like or use, such as ePub.