Moments when a piece of entertainment annoys you no end

erik · Post by **erik** » Wed May 19, 2010 12:02 pm

I started watching SG-U on Hulu last week based on some positive endorsement I read here (was probably Frank, I don't remember), and because I'm suffering from Sci-Fi withdrawl. I sadly am starting about a dozen episodes in (Hulu only has the last 5 aired), but I am still enjoying it. I never really minded reading or viewing things out of sequence so I'll be happy when I do get my grubby mitts on the first dozen episodes even if I have seen some spoiler items.

I've never seen nor heard of this Alpha Centauri y'all speak of. I guess I'll have to look into that.

p.s. on NCIS, apparently in Season 2 they do the McGee and Abbey typing on the same keyboard again. It is even one of the images they briefly repeatedly play on the season DVD menu screen, ferjesusfuckinsake.

Count Arioch the 28th · Wed May 19, 2010 4:39 pm

I'd like to state that in Goblins, if the author tries to shove a romance between Kin and Minmax, I walk.

endersdouble · Post by **endersdouble** » Wed May 19, 2010 4:41 pm

It depresses me that in Glee, I just saw the one time Artie will ever dance in that show. He's too good to be stuck in a fuckin' chair.

RandomCasualty2 · Post by **RandomCasualty2** » Wed May 19, 2010 5:47 pm

erik wrote:I started watching SG-U on Hulu last week based on some positive endorsement I read here (was probably Frank, I don't remember), and because I'm suffering from Sci-Fi withdrawl. I sadly am starting about a dozen episodes in (Hulu only has the last 5 aired), but I am still enjoying it. I never really minded reading or viewing things out of sequence so I'll be happy when I do get my grubby mitts on the first dozen episodes even if I have seen some spoiler items.

The later episodes are really the better ones.

The first half of the season honestly was quite shitty if you ask me. It was only after the half season break that they started to pick up and get good.

Jilocasin · Post by **Jilocasin** » Wed May 19, 2010 7:59 pm

erik wrote:I've never seen nor heard of this Alpha Centauri y'all speak of. I guess I'll have to look into that.

Alpha Centauri (what we're referring to anyway) was a Sid Meier game. Essentially Civilization, except on a another planet, with an actual story, various factions with wildly different socio-political agendas, and mind worms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Meier% ... a_Centauri

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Wed May 19, 2010 8:28 pm

Each of the Faction Heads gives tirades about stuff when major achievements have been reached. They are awesome.

For example, this is what Santiago is all about. She's basically represented in the show by Greer, which means that I think that the people who wrote that show didn't give Conquer strategies a fair shake.

Other characters are much more in-your-face about their similarities. I mean, this is Provost Zakharov:

The guy they got to play the Zakharov role even looks like Zakharov.

-Username17

Gelare · Post by **Gelare** » Wed May 19, 2010 10:11 pm

endersdouble wrote:It depresses me that in Glee, I just saw the one time Artie will ever dance in that show. He's too good to be stuck in a fuckin' chair.

True fact. It was a good number, though.

Count Arioch the 28th · Thu May 20, 2010 2:38 am

D&D counts, right?

Well, I'm working on my own campaign setting lately (tome-based roughly).

My inspiration comes in fits and bursts. If I get a good idea, I need to drop everything and write it down quick. Doesn't matter if I'm in class, or if I'm asleep, if I don't write it down I will forget.

Well, I'm in the last bit where I'm collecting all my notes into a file that someone who isn't me will find coherent and I'm missing a lot. I am searching every binder, every scrap of scratch paper, and every book for things I have written down to collect for the game to start beginning of next month as planned.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu May 20, 2010 10:08 am

Count made me think of a D&D thing for myself.

My friend and some of his stupid character ideas...

I started a game, with just two friends. One's playing a Troll martial character (can't remember class), the other's playing a whisper gnome rog/shadow dancer.

... who is intent on making the troll believe he's just a voice in his head.

*face desk* god damn fucking idiot.

...at least he's not the player whose main investigatory tactic in D&D is licking things.
(though I just got a great idea for how to discourage that little stupid habit...)

Lago PARANOIA · Post by **Lago PARANOIA** » Thu May 20, 2010 11:12 pm

Count Arioch the 28th wrote:I'd like to state that in Goblins, if the author tries to shove a romance between Kin and Minmax, I walk.

I haven't read Goblins in a month or so (the slow pacing becomes more bearable when you string several comics together), but if this is what the comic is going for I am going to be very upset.

I thought that the current plot was for a way for Minmax to meet up with THAC0 and friends again without their reunion immediately devolving into violence what with Kin being an advocate. That would have been extremely interesting.

But if this is what the webcomic is going for...

Count Arioch the 28th · Fri May 21, 2010 1:06 am

I am completely rooting for Minmax growing as a character and fighting his bigotry. I would like that to happen. I'd like to see Minmax and co. meet with Thaco and co. to take out the invincible terminator dwarf.

But here's the thing: Kin has spent a very long time (months? years?) being brutally abused both physically and sexually. I don't think it'd be realistic that she'd be 100% normal after rolling around in some flowers, regardless of how heartwarming that scene was.

I have known people that were sexually abused that weren't "okay" decades later. It's not something that seems to leave easily.

Crissa · Post by **Crissa** » Fri May 21, 2010 1:49 am

Her escape earlier may have helped break her out of it. Also, her method of killing the ranger was seriously messed up.

-Crissa

Count Arioch the 28th · Fri May 21, 2010 2:09 am

Well, I can agree that the escape helped. And the way she killed Dellyn was both justified and most likely cathartic.

I still submit that making her and Minmax a couple wouldn't make sense in context of the story.

Crissa · Post by **Crissa** » Fri May 21, 2010 2:13 am

I won't argue that!

-Crissa

Lago PARANOIA · Post by **Lago PARANOIA** » Fri May 21, 2010 2:16 am

You know what's amazing?

In Order of the Stick, the best story arc in the webcomic so far (O'Chul's and Varsuuvius' escape) segued directly from the most excruciating one, which was everything from Cecilia's sudden characterization as a dopey damsel in distress to that one.

That said, that sudden whiplash from crap to awesome may be why I'm giving Burlew a chance with the current arc. Like many other people here I groaned at the reveal of Nale's name, but the current storyline has the potential to be rather interesting. Not saying that it is, but definitely has the potential.

Like I've said before, Rich Burlew is a very talented writer and Order of the Stick has mostly been a thumbs-up experience (it'd get fanboyish glee from me but the Thieves' Guild / Therkla / Kill All Dragons stretch of time hurt so fucking bad that I'm still a bit jaded), so I do have high hopes.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Fri May 21, 2010 10:49 am

you know what would make me like OotS more? a professional update schedule. Less gag-a-day style writing. Slightly more serious tone (you can have all the fun in the world, especially the characters, I'm not saying Elan needs to suddenly become a grimdark spess mahrine... but the story itself could be a bit more serious).

I mean, seriously. I've read webcomics of fucking COLLEGE students who had a more professional relationship with the words Schedule and Deadline(1). I've read comics that are satirical as hell, and with kinda goofy characters that still manage to have serious story lines that don't contain two scoops of wall bangers(2).

1- MacHall.
2- Nodwick.

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Fri May 21, 2010 4:19 pm

Prak_Anima wrote:you know what would make me like OotS more? a professional update schedule. Less gag-a-day style writing. Slightly more serious tone (you can have all the fun in the world, especially the characters, I'm not saying Elan needs to suddenly become a grimdark spess mahrine... but the story itself could be a bit more serious).

I mean, seriously. I've read webcomics of fucking COLLEGE students who had a more professional relationship with the words Schedule and Deadline(1). I've read comics that are satirical as hell, and with kinda goofy characters that still manage to have serious story lines that don't contain two scoops of wall bangers(2).

1- MacHall.
2- Nodwick.

I started reading OotS in 2005, when Rich Burlew updated Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, religiously.

But I also...well, honestly, I've never liked any of the 'serious' story arcs near as much as I did when Rich is trying to have fun.

The hotel with Haley mocking a gender-bent Roy? That was beautiful.

One of the reason I don't read it now is because what I liked about the comic--a comic storyline that didn't take itself too seriously but was good at the same time, with characters I liked--went away.

Maj · Post by **Maj** » Sat May 22, 2010 1:00 am

Sharon Stone has joined the cast of Law & Order: SVU.

She can't act for shit.

I am constantly amazed at how lousy of a job she does, and I keep trying to figure out if her acting career has been that bad all along, or just recently.

Crissa · Post by **Crissa** » Sat May 22, 2010 1:10 am

Yeah, I don't much like her career, either.

However, she doesn't do a bad job on SVU. I won't drop spoilers, but her acting looks worse if you watch the promos than if you just watch the episodes she's in.

-Crissa

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Wed May 26, 2010 2:15 am

rereading Erfworld withan intent of looking strictly at the mechanics of the in-game.

In the end, it seems like it goes off the RNG because we keep piling bonus upon bonus upon bonus.

Aside from the RNG, it also messes that the game would be seriously bookkeeping intensive.

FUCK that. I'll just read the comic now..

violence in the media · Wed May 26, 2010 11:54 am

Cynic wrote:rereading Erfworld withan intent of looking strictly at the mechanics of the in-game.

In the end, it seems like it goes off the RNG because we keep piling bonus upon bonus upon bonus.

Aside from the RNG, it also messes that the game would be seriously bookkeeping intensive.

FUCK that. I'll just read the comic now..

It also seems to have some sort of Gygaxian "Ah ha! Surprise!" mechanic built into it. Like, "Surprise! Ansom can dance-fight better than you!" or, "Surprise! There are Turnamancers that can end your turn early!" or, "Surprise! Here's a new method of raising the dead!"

If this were a boardgame, can you imagine the number of distinct units among the -mancers alone? And that there's apparently a way to cross-train different -mancys as well.

That said, I'd play an Erfworld turn-based strategy game, if one existed. On the computer though, real world turns and tracking would be a nightmare.

virgil · Post by **virgil** » Wed May 26, 2010 12:19 pm

Yeah, I wish I knew now the numbers worked. The near fight between Wanda/Ansom and Jillian is seriously wonky; Wanda had an artifact bonus, one of the best chief warlord bonuses, warlords and a dozen-plus powerful archons with a large croakamancer bonus, an equal number of casters, and twice the number of dwagons as Jillian had units. Jillian had whatever bonus the capital gives defenders and that was enough to virtually be on par unless Wanda focus-fired Slately in the face. Either gwiffons (normal and plus-sized) are the most powerful units you could imagine, or Spacerock's defense bonus is apocalyptic.

Jillian gets on my last nerves, because while I can understand and enjoy a character as selfish and violent as her, the number of other characters that let her get away with it (or even reward her) is frustrating.

violence in the media · Wed May 26, 2010 12:55 pm

virgileso wrote:Yeah, I wish I knew now the numbers worked. The near fight between Wanda/Ansom and Jillian is seriously wonky; Wanda had an artifact bonus, one of the best chief warlord bonuses, warlords and a dozen-plus powerful archons with a large croakamancer bonus, an equal number of casters, and twice the number of dwagons as Jillian had units. Jillian had whatever bonus the capital gives defenders and that was enough to virtually be on par unless Wanda focus-fired Slately in the face. Either gwiffons (normal and plus-sized) are the most powerful units you could imagine, or Spacerock's defense bonus is apocalyptic.

Yeah, that's kind of what I was wondering too. Especially since the original Gobwin Knob was reported as being (one of?) the hardest cities to assault in the world, and it got more hardcore after the volcano.

It's like the "game" has levels and level limits; until it needs more and just expands the level-cap and retconns the world.

Jillian gets on my last nerves, because while I can understand and enjoy a character as selfish and violent as her, the number of other characters that let her get away with it (or even reward her) is frustrating.

Yeah, that's been annoying me lately too.

RobbyPants · Post by **RobbyPants** » Wed May 26, 2010 2:43 pm

I never put that much thought into the mechanics of the game of Erfworld.

One thing I like about the comic is it seems to mock (intentionally or not) poorly designed and badly balanced games with clear exploits in them. So many of those strategy games have One True Strategy that is nearly unbeatable if you figure it out.

erik · Post by **erik** » Wed May 26, 2010 10:27 pm

Re: Erfworld

I think in the game most of the inhabitants of Erfworld never really put their mind to discovering what all can really be done nor what is most efficient. Some warlords and casters might think about their specialties and specific match-ups but don't hard-core analyze the world and test out theories like Parson does.

It's like starting a complex game like that without a manual. There will be a lot of "Surprise!" moments. And some unbalancing moments when you discover that the game is unfair because the designer never expected you to stack such and such bonuses.