Elken Krimm's page

Seems to me that we're more than a little overdue for a video update, especially for the progress made in Q4 2014.

The blog updates tell us a little, but the reassurance of familiar faces telling us about the behind-the-scenes action gives us a much better sense of where we are, and it keeps us emotionally invested in the activities of our friends working busily away in Goblinworks.
If a Q1 2015 EE release is likely then I'd rather you just kept plugging away. But if we may not see EE before Q2 2015 I think we all really need to hear from you in a video as soon as possible.

I am 42 - The Answer to Life, The Universe and Everything.

My first concert was Edgar Winters - in utero.
I suspect there was marijuana present.

Welcome to the Video Blogs Bob!

Looking back through the first two V-Blogs the energy and eye contact was better than I remembered, so I must apologize for my previous criticisms - you guys are doing great!

That 2nd camera angle is still driving me nuts, though I can appreciate the need for it with regard to editing. But I have an idea you're really gonna hate:

Just use video clips from the game! Conversationally relevant screenshots, clip art, hell, I'd be happy to watch rendering bloopers! This would almost certainly create a much bigger editorial workload for the poor V-Blog team. But the Goblin Squad will really, really like it!

Don't get me wrong - Steve, Bob and Lee are Adorable. (And who doesn't love Ryan's mild lisp? Truly endearing!) But you simply cannot give us too much game footage. And V-Blog #3 had . . . no game footage!

And that's the gripe I really want to make. Yes, the conversational content is excellent and well delivered, but . . . we're gamers! We wanna see what your making too!

Some friendly constructive criticism for the Video Blogs:

Lee - Keep your hands away from your face.
Steven - Speak up and enunciate.

I think using two camera angles is awkward. You might try keeping both cameras together and use one for wide-angle and the second for close-ups as each speaker talks. Steven and Lee would be able to look directly at the cameras which I believe would be more engaging for the viewer.

Both of you, smile, loosen up and have fun with it! We are very interested in your subject material! Try to match our enthusiasm with your own love of your craft. We want to see how much you enjoy building this game!

Just my two coins worth!

Pickpocketing is for children.
No, I'm not just being a smartass, pickpocketing is generally perpetrated by children, isn't it? Artful Dodger, Oliver Twist type stuff. And pickpocketing generally only happens in crowds, bustling throngs, shoulder-to shoulder public situations, right? I want this game as Real as possible. Let's think about this:

If there's no crowd, and you're not a child, you are wasting time and effort pickpocketing. Mug Them.

If there's no crowd and you Are a child, you are at much greater risk of being caught and grabbed in the act with little by way of obstacles to stop a powerful adult from doing so.

If there Is a crowd and you're not a child, you are more at risk of being caught in the act by others - you're size makes you more noticable and you have little chance of slipping away unobserved.

If there Is a crowd and you Are a child, no one is paying any attention to you - you are beneath everyone's gaze (They are all watching the execution, listening to the speaker, or trying to determine which way the dragon is coming from). Pouches, purses and wallets are at eye level. And if you get caught, you are small, you are fast, and you have a much better chance of twisting free and dashing through the forest of legs to freedom in the alleyways that you probably live in and know like the back of your hand.

In conclusion I think pickpocketing should be in the game, and performed by child NPCs in crowds. Players beware!

There are really only 2 factors that make a video game of any interest to me: Character Customization and Game World Immersion. I'll play PFO till the end of my gaming days, to the exclusion of all others, if the Character Customization matches or surpasses Eve Online and if the game world becomes everything I know Ryan wants it to be.
I see, understand and empathize completely with his vision. I know my lofty expectations will not be fullfilled on EE, or even at OE. But by the end of the first year or two I will have been a starting participant in what I believe will be the greatest MMO for many years.

Simply put, a good rogue is Always behind his target. :)

Now, we certainly cannot have rogues running around one-shotting us from behind, but with a strong and enthusiastic eye towards realism, being able to just warp behind a target is totally cheap and cheesy and draws forth painful memories from World of Warcraft. On the flip-side of the coin, spinning throught the air over the head of an armed opponent is precisely the Worst place to be. Even with lightsabers.

Anakin Skywalker: You underestimate my power!
Obi-wan Kenobi: Don't try it!
And Anakin got both his legs chopped off.

In the unenviable position of a rogue watching his now wounded and pissed off opponent turning around and drawing weapons, I would expect to see him doing a lot of rolling/tumbling to the side for 90 degree lateral dagger thrusts, or openly retreating for a more inventive maneuver i.e. - scrolls, potions, flash power, throwing sand in the eyes, luring opponents into pre-set traps, that sort of thing.

A Thief that can stand toe-to-toe with a Fighter is . . . a Fighter! Or, more practically . . . a dead man.

Short of magic, ranged weapons or actually being a warrior yourself, the only way to defeat a warrior in single combat is with trickery. And acrobatics is just not good enough in a game where so many more creative options could exist.