bugleyman's page

HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray? I don't think either one will "win."

I'd *prefer* HD-DVD win, because:
(1) No region codes
(2) Not championed by Sony (their constant attempts at pushing new formats wear thin).
(3) Cheaper hardware.
(4) Doesn't mis-spell a four-letter color in the name.

But I think the time of one format capturing the market the way DVD did is past. I expect we'll end up with a CD+/-R scenario (players do both), or some other third format (physical or not) will come to dominate.

For me, DVD is still "good enough."

Heathansson wrote:

Darth Vader could whup Elminster. You can't cast spells when you're getting choked out telekinetically. The power of the Death Star pales in comparison to the force.

Tell that to Alderaan wolfie.

LOL...thanks for the chuckle.

bugleyman wrote:

Wow, that is totally crass an inappropriate for a family-oriented...hey, Seoni IS totally f#@#ing hot...

...what were we talking about again?

seoni?!! This was about seoni?

Oh, i thought this whole excercise was an excuse to get a picture of senor logue's white rump for inspirational art for 'Elder Evils II'.

My lawyers will be in contact with you about the damage to my psyche. ;-)

I personally want to sex-f~!* Seoni so hard she won't remember her name when I'm through, much less any of her spells. I mean I really want to batter her cervix something fierce, Sir Urza...if that makes you feel any better. :-)

Wow, that is totally crass an inappropriate for a family-oriented...hey, Seoni IS totally f#@#ing hot...

...what were we talking about again?

Mr. Bugleyman, I did read your statement, and you stated, "I HOPE YOU GET WARNED, IF NOT BANNED." So while your disagreement with the poster in question is understood and respectable, you still called for the poster to be banned because of his statements. That's over the top. His statements were not such that even remotely merited action being taken against him.
This type of 'policing' is unfortunately what is reportedly going on over on the WoTC message boards, where those who voice disagreements are silenced, just as you have advocated for. I suspect you'd get a much more sympathetic and agreeable audience over on the WoTC boards. Why not try posting there? After all, most others who you'd disagree with, or would disagree with you, have already likely been banned, and thus aren't in the position to irritate you with their views.

Ok, last try: I didn't advocate action based on disagreement, I advocated action based on the thrust of the post being an insult rather than an argument. I don't know how to state this any more clearly: I have no problem with dissent, or disagreement; there is no "freedom of speech" issue here. Quite simply, basic civility must be enforced if we are to have a meaningful conversation.

I like these boards, but I think things have begun to spin out of control. One of the ways we can combat that is to call out posts which are thinly veiled insults. I've seen way too many good communities crash and burn because this sort of thing went unchecked. I sincerely hope that doesn't happen here.

Yeah, I know I need to do that Heathy. I've done that a few times before, when I was pretty sure that I was the one that was starting to get into the knee jerk auto response mode, and I really didn't want to become one of those guys that make you roll your eyes when he posts.

I probably should ratchet back again.

Everybody else, thanks for posting. I was hoping it wasn't just me getting overly sensitive. I mean I might be, but at least I know I'm not completely off base.

Nope, you aren't, and I've recently come to the same conclusion. It is unfortunate, but if a thread involves 4th edition, it is usually best to just keep on going. Kinda like a fender bender on the freeway; move along, nothing to see here. :)

bugleyman wrote:

No, here is the problem: Your post essentially boils down to "I think this way, and I must be right because a bunch of people I know agree with me. If you disagree, you are a fan boy and a sucker. Ad hominem attack, fallacy, blah, blah, blah."

Actually, skimming through, and without a solid product to judge from, this is really what about 80-90% of the posts on BOTH sides of the 4E debate seem to boil down to.

Agreed. Which is what I had hoped to change. :)

Furthermore, Mr. Bugleyman, although you and some others may disagree with the poster's statement, his remarks were not even remotely so inappropriate or off color that he should be banned for them. It is unfortunate that your quick rush to condemn others who express contrasting viewpoints; is apparently being applied to over on the WoTC boards; where posters who make unflattering remarks about WoTC products or policy are reportedly being "removed" from participation. That limiting of reasonable debate and discourse is rather limiting of an individuals free speech; which fortunately, is upheld here on Paizo's boards.

If you actually read my statement, I'm not condeming anyone for expressing a contrasting opinion (in fact, I didn't *express* an opinion), but rather for dancing rather close to calling other folks "suckers" and "fanboys." That isn't expressing a relevant opinion, it is insulting people.

I would love to have a reasonable debate, but "arguments" that amount to attacks on people you happen to disagree with make that impossible. Which was kinda my point...

I have low expectations for 4e and everyone I know shares my opinion. The vaunted playtest consists of running pre-generated characters through 10 combat encounters. That's sure to discover problems with the game rules, have 50 groups run through the same combats with the same PCs.

Here's the problem. It's a marketing ploy, not a playtest. The demise of the magazines and a number of other actions are aimed solely at marketing. The Clases and Races book came out less than two months after playtesting began. Do you actually think the playtests changed anything? And the classes and races book is a bid to get your $20 for a product that will be obsolete in six months when the PHB comes out and have you show it to your friends to generate buzz.

You are paying WotC for the privilege of advertising for them!

As P.T. Barnum said, there is a sucker born every minute and it looks like many of the WotC fanboys fall into that category.

Ed

*Warning: Troll detected*

No, here is the problem: Your post essentially boils down to "I think this way, and I must be right because a bunch of people I know agree with me. If you disagree, you are a fan boy and a sucker. Ad hominem attack, fallacy, blah, blah, blah."

This is a thinly veiled shot at anyone who happens to disagree with you. I hope you get warned if not banned. Shame on you.

bugleyman wrote:

As for some of the anti-WOTC hyperbole: no, WOTC isn't out to get you, ruin your game, or change things for the sake of change.

What about killing my dog? The h4ters insist that WotC is going to kill my dog too.

Shush! Fido has had it coming ever since he chewed up my Andy Gibb's Greatest Hits LP.

Thraxus wrote:

I also remember something about using squares so people did not have to count by fives when moving.

Yes, I can see that, because the only thing harder than counting by fives is counting be tens...not. My children could count by fives by the time they were four without difficulty. The argument about metric vs. english made more sense to me.

Seriously, is this an issue in people's games - counting by five slows things up? If I play with miniatures, I don't count by five, I divide standard movement by five and apply it to the board we use. And again, I am getting to where I don't want to use miniatures all the time - it is miniature movement that makes combat take twice as long as it needs to. So we're going to streamline the rules so play speeds up and then we are going to retain the single most time consuming aspect of a combat. Makes sense to me in a Bizarro way.

Again, I like the elf better than I thought I would but the change from thirty five feet to seven squares just irks me.

I don't mind the "feet to squares" change, because it really does make sense from the Metric/English POV. I just sincerely hope they don't pull a Star Wars Saga and make diagonals count as a single square. That is just so nonsensical as to ruin suspension of disbelief. Yes, I know it can be house-ruled, but that doesn't help at con games, etc.

Wow; I am really impressed by the direction WOTC is going with elves...this goes in the "plus" column for me. I must admit I am becoming more optimistic, especially over the last few days. It looks more and more like they are making a game I want to play.

As for some of the anti-WOTC hyperbole: no, WOTC isn't out to get you, ruin your game, or change things for the sake of change. The rabid, irrational 4E hate is actually starting to get annoying. If it is good (and it is starting t o look like it will be) then move. If it isn't, don't. But the idea that WOTC is *trying* to make people angry is just...paranoia.

Sorry, I usually try to be more understanding, live and let live you know, but the vehement hatred is getting old. Fast.

Agreed; I was largely underwhelmed. In fact, I didn't use all my votes. It seems like everyone had a rougher time of it.

Razz:

Wow, no, I don't think 3E was just a playtest for 4E. That is such an odd asseration I'm not quite sure how to respond. As far as I can tell, 3E was a well-designed, sincere effort by players who love the game. If it was a play-test, I think they forgot to tell Monte Cook, Skip Williams, and Jonathan Tweet. ;-)

As far as the ENWorld WOTC "under the table" thing...I didn't get the impression it was under the table at all, nor that anything nefarious was afoot. I mean, THEY TOLD US about it before it happened...if they wanted to keep a secret, surely they could have?

No offense, but I think you're off base here.

I thought it was darn funny, and didn't seem particularly mean-spirited toward gnome fans. I didn't find the (bleeped out) profanity offensive, either.

All-in-all much better than the last video. But what is up with all the silly accents in WOTC marketing material?

Well, I must be drinking the WOTC kool-aid, but I'm generally pleased with their behavior. I picked up races and classes, and after reading that I am somewhat more confident they will make a game I want to play. There are some announced changes that I like, some that I don't, but I *generally* trust that most of the people working on the game sincerely love it. For me, that means a lot.

I'm going to reserve judgement on 4E until I read the darn thing. I can say with certainty that I will buy the core three and go from there. The fact that my 3.5 game recently fell apart makes taking the "wait and see" attitude that much easier.

What they did to Dungeon and Dragon was a serious mistake though; they should have brought Paizo onboard and let them continue to handle the mags. But that of course is another story...

...the minis are now 50% more expensive... (going from $15 to $22 per pack)

Seriously? I hadn't seen that. That is nuts if it is correct.

I started buying with Harbinger ($10), bought multiple cases of Archfiends. I was only mildly perturbed when the price jumped to $13; I still bought at least one case of each release. When the price went to $15, case buying went out the window for me; some releases I've purchases as few as two boosters. I can say with no hyperbole and completely certainty that increase to $22 would absolutely end my purchases.

Anyway, to respond to the original poster, I've been hoping for a new edition for a while, so I'm cautiously excited, but I'm not confident that they'll make a game I want to play. So at this point I'm just waiting for them to release enough detail to actually form an opinion. So I guess I'm excited for the possibilities, but concerned at the same time.

bugleyman wrote:

As a point of fact, I *would* like to apply...am I missing where I may do so?

http://paizo.com/paizo/about/jobs

Thanks :)

The answer is that we just don't have the programming staff that we need to roll out all the features that we want. We have had a programming job open since last January and while we've had a number of interviews and almost had a hire last May (in the end, his wife wouldn't let them move to Seattle), we still don't have someone to help Gary. You wouldn't want to apply Robert, would you? :)

As a point of fact, I *would* like to apply...am I missing where I may do so?

Re: Razz and dmchuckle's comments.

i'm not familiar enough with EnWorld to comment, but I did just see where a moederator threatened to ban someone over the standard 'they make a cream for that' comment in the thread "Dragonborn, Tieflings, and Warlocks are starting to grow on me.' thread. Talk about touchy.

Agreed...I've not seen that thread, but what you describe is clearly excessive.

While it is true that there was a pre-gencon announcement meeting (which was openly announced on ENWorld), and one of the goals of said meeting was no doubt to get some folks in the community onboard with 4E as much as possible, I think suggesting coercion is silly. I've met both Rouse and Slasevick (sp?) a few times in passing, and they left me with a favorable impression. Sure, perhaps they cheerlead for 4E a bit much (welcome to the corporate world, sucks, eh?), but I think they genuinely love D&D and are trying to make the best game they can. Whether that game appeals to each of us is a different matter, but I don't think there is anything sinister going on here.

If you'll excuse me, I have to visit the WOTC office to get my programming updated. ;-)

Point noted. I think my usually reasonable English suffered a bit with the word count, since I was going through and trying to say what I wanted in the least number of words so as to be able to say more. As mentioned, naturally I tend to ramble on in long sentences (which I try to cull at the best of times) - it comes from the natural urge for Liches to monologue you know - rather like I'm doing now. Your points are noted, as having made it this far, I shall be getting some other minions to look over round two and try and avoid making more of the same mistakes.

Minions are always good. :)

Honestly your brief post above demonstrates an ability to write clearly. You obviously have the creativity part down, I'd just save a little time at the end for an editing pass. It often helps if you can let your work "sit" for a day or two and review it again, though that might be impossible with the short time table.

Anyway, I look forward to the next round. Good luck!

I was watching the special features for Final Fantasy a few years ago (different movie, I know, but stil...), and various scenes used different rendering processes depending on the needs of that scene. Sometimes motion capture was used, sometimes "hand" animation, etc.

I remember while watching Beowulf thinking the quality of the animation did seem very uneven...in places subtle facial nuances were visible, and in others faces looked very wooden. The worst offenders were the scenes which were clearly totally generated...physically impossible longs shots and such.

But some animation issues aside, I highly recommend the movie for fantasy fans...

I really, really liked it. Instant DVD purchase. The story was...well, classic, and one that many people probably know anyway. This is actually the first negative take on it that I've read...

Erik had asked in another thread for an example of an item that made it into the top 32 that we found surprising. For me, this is one.

Without editing, I'd call this item unpublishable, which given the sheer number of entries I thought would make it a sure pass. Several sentences have ambiguous subjects, run on, or are repetitive. For example: "This amulet is made of rune-carved bone with two inset rubies like eyes on a fine silver chain." What is on the fine silver chain? The amulet, or the hypothetical eyes? And what is "rune-carved?" Can I buy a comma, Pat? Wouldn't "This amulet, carved from bone and inset with two eye-like rubies, dangles on a fine silver chain." be more mechanically sound? In such a small passage, the intended meaning can be inferred and the prose is merely akward; but in a larger work, (like, say, the submission for the next round) such transgressions will likely spell disaster.

Just my $.02, and I hope I didn't hurt anyone's feelings. Congratulations to *all* 32 who got in, and good luck in future rounds. You definitely have my envy. :D

They're sitting in my cart, still "Preorder - Expected November 2007"

Stop the torture! Let me buy them! :D

I'll cut the suspense. Some of the comments on losing entries were brutal, and you don't want to read them.

Some, on the other hand, were really long threads (up to 14 or so posts in some cases) arguing arcane elements of rules balance or what have you. I suspect these comments would be very helpful, but no one is going to go through the 830+ losing entries to sort the helpful comments from the unhelpful ones.

The judges have been discussing putting together some sort of essay about our methodology with some anecdotes about what worked and what didn't, common themes, etc. That's probably the closest we'll get to revealing the commentary on items that didn't make the cut.

Erik:

As far as brutality goes, I personally think brutally honest feedback is some of the most useful, but I fully understand why you guys aren't going to go there.

I do hope you guys opt to do an essay; that would be really cool.

Either way, thanks for running the thing to begin with.

I would also like to view the comments on my item.

Of course, as has already been stated, some people will interpret this thread as nothing but "sour grapes." So be it...but I'd like to add that I also find some of the winners underwhelming. That isn't to say my entry was better; I wasn't overly impressed with mine, to be honest; but I"m not blown away by all of the winners like I thought I would be, especially in the grammar and editing departments. Of course, that is probably what the open voting on future rounds is for...

With the way WotC has been handling things regarding 4E, it wouldn't surprise me if the OGL/SRD didn't become available until after 4E has been released. That way, WotC can have a certain exclusivity for the first few months of the new edition while other publishers scramble to decide if they want to support it and, if so, get compatible products on the shelves.

I've got a kinda "not-so-fresh" feeling that you might be correct...

BAD WOTC!

Note: This product is not included in GameMastery Modules subscriptions, but subscribers who purchase this module will receive a free PDF when the module ships.

Once again, Paizo shows that they "get it." If only more IP owners were in the same boat, everyone would be a lot better off...but that is another rant.

Rest assured my $5 is on the way...just hurry and get the new flip map in so I can place my order, darn it! :D

Nothing yet...

Doh! And there is the official word. Thanks for letting us know what is up.

What difference does it make? this is just a proxy for the real question - will paizo switch to 4e.

I'm going to take a stab in the dark here, but it seems like the decision of which way to go will at least merit a blog post making the announcement rather than a reply buried in the 435th variation of a "will Paizo switch" thread.

Asking "are we there yet" every 5 minutes isn't going to get us there any faster. Paizo will make the announcement when they're good and ready, they're not going to be worn down through constantly pestering them until they give an answer.

I don't think your assertion that the OP's question is "just a proxy for the real question" is correct. I for one am interested whether WOTC is far along enough in the process to finally get the OGL ball rolling and getting stuff to tier 1 partners irrespective of my (admittedly keen) interest in Paizo's ultimate decision. Nor do I think your implication that the original post constitued "constantly pestering" was warranted or constructive. In fact, I think it was rather rude. I will abstain from further comment in case I have inferred too much...

Edit: Ok, I'm sorry if I came across as rude...if so, I"m sorry. Your post just seemed a little...harsh.

That said, I'm curious about one thing.

Let's say we decide to go with a different edition than the one you intend to play. If your subscription came with a downloadable "conversion guide" file for your preferred system, with all of the correct stat blocks and rules for the adventure, would that convince you to keep up your subscription?

Erik:

Probably not, as it appears that such a conversion guide would have to change so much as to render the original nigh useless...which makes me wonder about the viability of producing such a guide to being with.

I'm not too worried about this problem, because I'm fairly confident that I will reach the same conclusion about 4E that Paizo does, so the problem will "fix" itself. I'll be surprised if I'm not a Paizo subscriber this time next year...

--Aaron

Ahh....I was wondering about some of those titles...I thought I was just losing it in my old age. ;-)

Thanks for the kind words Clark.

P.S. did you get the check I sent? ;-)

Torture Porn? Nah, that is overblown imho. It is certainly what I'd call dark, but no worse than things that have appeared in Dungeon over the years. I actually have found some of it quite amusing..."THEM OGRES AIN"T RIGHT!" ;-)

In theory I'd probably buy a compliation of an entire adventure path in hardcover (ala SCAP), but:

(1) I'll already own them in softcover, and I don't need two hard copies;

(2) How would it be priced? Too low and you risk hurting subscription sales, too high and no one buys it anyway.

Too early to say here; I need to see 4E first. I'd prefer to buy my adventures from Paizo though, so I hope they go whatever direction I do. If I had to say one way or the other right now, I'm leaning slightly towards sticking with 3.5. But new books are shiny...

Corporate IT drone for a publishing company.

And there goes another one...

Oh, cool! Another Phoenix Metro person! I presume you know of the Game Depot, then? I live in east Mesa myself, but a couple of my regular players live in Tempe, around Price and Broadway.

Yup, I know Dave and Co...I've been shopping there since there were just north of ASU, though my purchases have slowed of late, with 4.0 on the horizon and Paizo sucking up the rest. :) I wouldn't be terribly surprised if we've seen each other before.

Well, I'm mostly a lurker, so I don't know most of you (at least, not from here), but I live in Tempe, AZ, which is the suburb of Phoenix in which one finds ASU.

Hi Eric:

You may remember me as the annoying non-industry guy who kept talking at the d20/OGL meeting at Gencon...just wanted to say you were very polite, despite clearly thinking I was off my rocker. ;-)

To answer to your original question: If the new rules are strong, then I'll probably move my groups to them a few months after they come out. If not, I'd have no problem sticking with 3.5, and would of course like Paizo to do the same. I'm selfish that way. ;-) In any case, if we do move, a few months lag while you guys get a handle on the new rules wouldn't be a big deal...I wouldn't cancel my subscriptions or anything unless you guys just flat out decided you wouldn't ever move. I the new rules don't do it for me, I would personally continue my subscriptions for the forseeable future, but I'm not sure I see that as a viable long term plan for you guys.

An OGL-derived "3.75" Pathfinder RPG is interesting, but then you would risk further reducing your potential audience...if you don't go 4, I'd stick with 3.5. It you're worried about 3.5 going out of print, put out a hardback print edition of your own, drawing upon your pool of (really good) art, and call that the Pathfinder RPG. But new rules? Then you lose people who make the 4.0 jump as well as the 3.5 "grognards."

For what it is worth, edition issues aside, I absolutely prefer Paizo's work to WOTC's. I've always been more apt to purchase adventures, setting materials, etc. over new rules, and I don't see that changing. If 4th is good, I will buy the core, but the bulk of my purchases after that will be with you guys barring some unforeseen dip in quality.

--Aaron

Hear, hear.

Exactly...keep it up and you'll keep getting my gaming dollar, come hell, high water, or *gasp* even 4th edition. :)

Just de-lurking to say "hi!"

I've been a subscriber to Dungeon since issue 82 (R.I.P.) and a lurker on these boards pretty much since they've existed. I rarely take the time to bother posting, but I just have to say that you guys have been doing an amazing job, especially with Pathfinder and the Gamemastery modules. The quality and value of the products are great, you guys "get" how to make paper and digital work together while the big fish in the pond is still holding meetings. In fact, I almost feel sorry for WOTC...you guys are just embarrasing them. I have been, and will continue to, put my money where my mouth is for as long as you guys keep up the great work.

This year will be my first trip to Gencon, and I will be making a beeline to the Paizo booth. Maybe I'll stop by the WOTC one on my way out Sunday. :)