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"Never pay more than 20 dollars for a computer game."

Back then, it made me laugh.

Now, it makes me laugh because of This Little Thing Called Irony.

Maybe it's alarming because you're not very gay for a homosexual?  I mean, I was at 63%, I am so much gayer than you are!  

So?! Huh!

63% is just *SO* camp.

I would think so. Pity that there aren't any other competitors... now, what happens next?

Minimi, could you mail me on that bug? Where did it occur, btw? I heard about this one before, but was unable to reproduce it...

And Alexis, thanks! I had a lot of fun coming up with the dialogs, and I think they're the reason people like this game. So, I've kinda made up my mind. In Buccaneer 2, you can expect more drama, more melodrama and more complications.

Woohoo.

umg 50% for hobbes??? yike :o

Errr... yeah. And that is alarming, how? As I am a homo, as Captain Mostly puts it, I think it's good for the test to reveal this.

Why?

Because it also means the other results are true too. Mwahaha!

Yeah, ok.

You're prolly in a state of denial, if the test is any judge. Not sure if I'm up to helping someone out of said closet, but... ok.

Ah, pity Noed! Those pictures and the plot look really interesting. But real life has this annoying tendency to vacuum-suck your free time away...

...but well, you've got a few more days and the weekend's coming up. Maybe you can shorten is here and there and release it? Would be fun to play Shakespeare!

Mwahahaaaa!

I scored a whopping 50%. I'm a well-adjusted and happy homo guy.

Innit sweet!

Bigotry's a sin!

You'll die!

Erm.

Oh.

It was a joke?

Somehow this thread is reminding me of a song by Joe Jackson called "Real Men". It describes this topic really well, I think.

However, I also hate those stereotypical TV programmes. I'm gay, don't know a thing about fashion, abhor any kind of make-up (ok... deodorant and aftershave is a concession). I also happen to like Tori Amos, but I don't like Madonna.

So wahey, I kinda don't fit the stereotype pattern. And for that I'm glad, because I think 90% of the gay people don't fit this pattern. Else, I think we would see a lot more of gay people on the street.

Come on. Sexuality can be such a barrier for some people (homophobia being but one small example). But, aren't we all just people? I don't think the stereotypical prancing gay guy is something that should cause such violence in people. I mean, sure, people may find it annoying, but if that person decides to look and act like that, so what?

You won't find me straight-bashing. Even though those typical straight guys who talk about "women" as if they're objects and drinks loads 'a beer *do* annoy me. But then again, I also find them a bit humourous.

Woohoo! Thanks Necro!

Spoiler

I couldn't agree more. So I just updated the game.

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Ok, to stop the ratings on the MAGS page from plummeting any further (and because I feel taryuu has a very valid point), I've updated Buccaneer for (I think) the last time.

I've added a certain verb-command to a certain puzzle near the beginning of the game.

Spoiler

So, yes "PICK UP" now also works on the notes.

[close]

Hope it improves the playability and lessens the frustration for new people coming to this small game.

From an online PBeM I ran for two and a half years before people lost interest. Nowadays it survives as a small writing group of old members.

And the domain is still registered, so I might as well honour the game by naming the stuff after it.

To reply to what Gonzo said earlier on stuff being "based on Tolkien", I beg to differ. Not that I am a Tolkien-freak (his long-windedness is particularly bothering to me... as is his lack of characterbuilding), but I feel I must point out the following:

Lots of authors claim to write "high fantasy". When, in fact what they write is akin to the lightest fiction around (we call them Bouquet-books here in Holland). The only thing is, they simply duplicate the setting of man, elves and dwarves, give 'em weird-sounding names and call it "high fantasy".

High Fantasy is a trend started by Tolkien, I believe. It means a thoroughly thought-out setting, blending existing myth and legends into an original piece of work. It also builds on grand themes such as "sacrifice" and heroes, not unalike the popular medieval works of Beowulf.

It seems to me that popular fantasy author (insert Feist and Jordan here) have no concept of such a setting. Feist openly admits to using his D&D playground to write his novels in! True, Midkemia is a fun world, but it clearly shows it somewhat sloppy "architecture".

Now, as a counter to these so-called "good" writers, I would once again like to name Guy Gavriel Kay. And even, to a lesser degree, Robin Hobb. Kay in particular showed the world what High Fantasy truly means when he wrote The Fionavar Tapestry back in the '80ies. Those three books still inspire me a great deal. His wonderful prose and carefully constructed characters, worlds and plots have moved me on many occasions.

Robin Hobb, too, dares to be creative. Her Liveship-trilogy shows that she is willing to go into the unknown as by the end of the second book, I really had *no* idea how it was going to continue. And then by the end of the third, she proved all my theories about the ending completely *wrong*.

That's what fantasy writing should be about. Exploring psychological and sociological themes in an alien setting. Kay gives a very profound insight into the human psyche, and I even dare to call his writing literature. There. It *is* really that good.

And Jordan and Feist and all the others who are the so-called bestsellers? No thank you.

Er.

Because he's so.... imaginative in coming up with the same plot over and over again.

I'll admit, the first one was really good. But after that?

Huh.

Kinda like reading Feist. First books: Good. After that: Repetive stuff.

It almost seems as if these so-called "best-seller" authors are afraid if trying something new. Read Faery Tale by Feist, for example. It's (I think) the only novel where he tries something different. It's prolly one of his best books.

Did he ever do that again? Nope. Prolly didn't make enough money.

I'm suave, charming and deadly sexy.

Er.

Did I mention I'm a compulsive liar as well?

But anyway... I'm a bit of the quiet type myself. Friendly, I'd say. I'm somewhat of the "clown" character when around my friends. But I'm actually quite capable of sane conversations as well.

All I can say is: Read Tigana from Guy Gaviel Kay. Or, even better, read The Lions of Al-Rassan. It shows you how archetypes *should* be handled. He paints the most vivid worlds I've ever read. Many, many miles better than that disgusting Robert Jordan.

Ok.. Overdone Stuff.

In no particular order.

1. Wizard: "Whee! I'm a wizard! Here goes Fireball # 2030! Tiring? Me? No, sirree! Mwahaha!"

2. Author: "Hmm... Let's whip up a fantasy world populated by men, Elves, Dwarves oh... and Orcs too! Orcs are cool! They're my friends!"

3. Hero: "I'm really smart. I am, really. Look, I manage to overcome the most stupefying odds! It comes with the job... read here: H-E-R-U. Errr. Something like that!"

4. Author: "Huh? You mean it doesn't neccessarily have to be a trilogy?"

5. Evil bad guy: "I'm EVIL! MWAHAHAHA... Get me? I'm EVIL!!! Why? How? What do you mean? I just AM!!! MWAHAHAHAA!!! etc. etc. etc."

6. Author: "Motivation of Bad Dark Bad Guys? What do you mean? It's in the name, right?"

7. Secret Society: "We didn't ask for it either... we seem to be in every novel..."

etc.

The game had it as Schattenjäger... so, that's true.

And in Holland it means treasurehunter, which is something else entirely... would make for a nice MI/GK crossbreed game, though.

What's that in the grey picture on the wall, in the second screenshot? Or rather, who's that?
I love the painting of two curvy lines near the door in the first screen .

Great, great, great!

It's actually a pretty crappy render I did in Poser of a man's face. It was for a school project, so I saved it on my harddisk for that reason. And then I needed some painting, fast, so I decided to use that one and add loads 'a noise.

For the tutorial... I'm basically doing what Eric and Pessi have been describing in a similar 256-colour thread by Farlander, which is also somewhere in this lounge:

Paint the basic layout. Use gradients, convert the gradiented areas to around 15 colours (export them to a new image), then import them back, then add some noise to it (monochromatic noise works best for me, although the coloured noise adds some nice details to the wood). That's basically it.