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[Chanda]

I thought Templar Hugh was cute, and I thought he had a knack for breaking the rules when he said "To the Void with that!" And told Hawke what she wanted to know.

[brushyourteeth]

Commander Kurt wrote...

Brushyourteeth; Are you still playing Dragon's Dogma? Did you like it?

Regarding female protags, it seems to be a vicious circle. Games are made for males, meaning that mostly males play them, meaning that games are made for males, and so on. I love what Bioware are doing, getting fresh blood into gaming, and I think the whole industry should thank them.

I haven't played it in a while because I've been distracted by other games (ME3 DLC's and Harvest Moon, mainly) but I did play it to completion and I'll pick it up again when their first DLC comes out (that should be this summer? Must check!). I LOVED it! The story element obviously doesn't compare with anything like Bioware's products, but there were so many elements of the game that were original and surprising that I was hooked right away. LOVED the combat (and I'm often a "yeah, yeah, get me to the next dialogue option" type of girl) and didn't mind at all that I literally spent most of the game killing things because it was such a joy to play around with all of the options and face all the challenges the world offered. And the ending blew me away.

You've played it, right? What do you think of it?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Re: the situation with guys playing as female protagonists -- I have a brother-in-law who always makes female protagonists when he can because he likes to watch their backsides and feels more awkward playing as a guy for that reason. When I point out to him that that naturally leads to him romancing a male (he's very loyal to Garrus) he pretends not to hear me.  So no idea what's going on there, except that it involves some kind of "I think a woman can kick butt but mostly just want to admire her body" attitude, which is still probably just a different flavor of sexism, but better than the "No to women. JUST NO." that you get in certain dark and seedy corners of the BSN.

[Commander Kurt]

I had to google Hugh, I thought he was the gentleman with the rather dashing moustache (speaking of which, I think I figured out where Cullen's fur stole came from).

And I only just started playing Dragon's Dogma, but it's great so far! The pawns make me feel a bit uneasy (like having tranquil children with you in a fight, and still most of the females are hardly dressed. WTF dudes??), the quests are laughable, but the combat makes up for all of it.

[neonmoth]

SamaraDraven wrote...
I'm just catching after a day of driving so pardon the randomness of this pages old quote... But to this end, I wrote a topic post. I'd... like some feedback on it before I publish it...

*snip of the awesome*

That's a well written post Samara. However, if you want my advice, I would not post it for a simple reason, that there has been almost a week of peace on boards with no sound of Cullen haters. Regardless of the intentions all his threads seem to change into flame wars. I am afraid that would be the case this time as well. Though you may hold on to it, cause it is imminent that someting will pop out sooner or later... Especially with E3 coming and people feeling more pressure than ever.

But this is just my opinion, feel free to ignore :happy:

[R2s Muse]

SamaraDraven wrote...

motomotogirl wrote...

SamaraDraven wrote...

motomotogirl wrote...

Y'all, isn't it crazy that Fenris was the ONLY new romance-able companion? Isabela, Merrill, Anders, all previous characters.

I wonder if the same thing will happen in DA3. It's looking like at least Cassandra, Cullen... but then perhaps two new characters. Sera and Dorian?

I thought Sebastian was also new? Or did he show up somewhere else and I'm forgetting? Still... that's something I hadn't considered.

Oh, pshaw, Sebastian doesn't count.

*hides from R2*

hahahahahaha! Oh, for R2, them's fightin' words!

LOL No, no, I was going to say the same thing. I'll admit: He's not a real romance... I've done the experiment.. boy howdy, did I do the experiment... and it failed. 

What's funny is if he shows up as a real, romanceable companion in DA3, he will no longer be new either.

[R2s Muse]

neonmoth wrote...

SamaraDraven wrote...
I'm just catching after a day of driving so pardon the randomness of this pages old quote... But to this end, I wrote a topic post. I'd... like some feedback on it before I publish it...

*snip of the awesome*

That's a well written post Samara. However, if you want my advice, I would not post it for a simple reason, that there has been almost a week of peace on boards with no sound of Cullen haters. Regardless of the intentions all his threads seem to change into flame wars. I am afraid that would be the case this time as well. Though you may hold on to it, cause it is imminent that someting will pop out sooner or later... Especially with E3 coming and people feeling more pressure than ever.

But this is just my opinion, feel free to ignore :happy:

Samara: Not that you need additional opinions, but FWIW, neonmoth nicely sums up my thoughts. I think it's well written, and represents an angle most folks wouldn't prescribe to a Cullen fan. But, I don't think the  post will really change anyone's mind about Cullen fans, and it will inevitably devolve into another platform for cullen-hate and cullen-fan-hate.

Also, given that it's a "cullen thread" started by a fan, it may encourage again all the voodoo math calculations we tried to quell about non-fans being bombarded by the cullen fans. I'd hate for Commander Kurt's "official warning" sacrifice to be in vain.

Modifié par R2s Muse, 27 mai 2013 - 11:49 .

[neonmoth]

R2s Muse wrote...
Also, given that it's a "cullen thread" started by a fan, it may encourage again all the voodoo math calculations we tried to quell about non-fans being bombarded by the cullen fans. I'd hate for Commander Kurt's "official warning" sacrifice to be in vain.

I completely forgot about that, good point! Have to love people who use this kind of data casually

[Chanda]

Regarding Templar Hugh: If I can't have Cullen, I'd happily do Hugh.

[R2s Muse]

neonmoth wrote...

R2s Muse wrote...
Also, given that it's a "cullen thread" started by a fan, it may encourage again all the voodoo math calculations we tried to quell about non-fans being bombarded by the cullen fans. I'd hate for Commander Kurt's "official warning" sacrifice to be in vain.

I completely forgot about that, good point! Have to love people who use this kind of data casually

LOL Indeed. It would be almost interesting to see what dubious category a thread like that would be put into... almost...

[Chanda]

I still think you should post it. Just give it a good title, because a lot of times, people read the title, they don't read the whole post, and they respond only to what the title says. I think a good title that would make people look twice would be "Go ahead and kill Cullen". That would make people go "Whaaa?" And even if you get the trollish title-poster that says nothing more than "I agree! " makes it easy to agree with you.

[Commander Kurt]

Yes, please take the statistical repercussions into account before posting!

Chanda, "Go ahead and kill Cullen" could be seen as directed at Bioware, resulting in another tragic case of feedback implementation going horribly wrong...

[meanieweenie]

R2s Muse wrote...

neonmoth wrote...

SamaraDraven wrote...
I'm just catching after a day of driving so pardon the randomness of this pages old quote... But to this end, I wrote a topic post. I'd... like some feedback on it before I publish it...

*snip of the awesome*

That's a well written post Samara. However, if you want my advice, I would not post it for a simple reason, that there has been almost a week of peace on boards with no sound of Cullen haters. Regardless of the intentions all his threads seem to change into flame wars. I am afraid that would be the case this time as well. Though you may hold on to it, cause it is imminent that someting will pop out sooner or later... Especially with E3 coming and people feeling more pressure than ever.

But this is just my opinion, feel free to ignore :happy:

Samara: Not that you need additional opinions, but FWIW, neonmoth nicely sums up my thoughts. I think it's well written, and represents an angle most folks wouldn't prescribe to a Cullen fan. But, I don't think the  post will really change anyone's mind about Cullen fans, and it will inevitably devolve into another platform for cullen-hate and cullen-fan-hate.

Also, given that it's a "cullen thread" started by a fan, it may encourage again all the voodoo math calculations we tried to quell about non-fans being bombarded by the cullen fans. I'd hate for Commander Kurt's "official warning" sacrifice to be in vain.

I concur. 

Chanda - I have to respectfully disagree. A good title won't do much good, as a large portion of folks will simply see the name 'Cullen' and run in with the immediate "RAWR! Nooooo!", regardless.

Modifié par meanieweenie, 27 mai 2013 - 12:40 .

[R2s Muse]

So, here's something on which I'd be interested in your perspectives, given that the Cullen fandom involves a lot of fanfiction.

I'm sure I'm not the only fanfic writer who's engaged in jokes about cashing in ala 50 Shades of Grey, which originally was Twilight fanfic. Well, enter Kindle Worlds, a new endeavor from Amazon who has obtained the license for certain properties, such as Vampire Diaries, to allow fanfic writers to post their stuff *and* be paid for it. With certain limitations on quality (fic must be 'good enough'), content (no pr0n), and intellectual property rights (they can do what they want with your fic/ideas, and never have to pay you again, it seems). John Scalzi, a noted scifi writer, has an interesting article on it. But there are also counterpoints out in the internets.

So... what do you guys think?  What if Dragon Age suddenly became part of Kindle Worlds? Would you post there? Is getting paid just a little okay, because it's more than you ever imagined getting anyway? Would you prefer not to be paid at all? Would it bother you to see your fanfic suddenly published elsewhere on amazon, with no royalities to you? I find it such an interesting new model, I'm personally still mulling it over.  Thoughts?

Modifié par R2s Muse, 27 mai 2013 - 01:10 .

[meanieweenie]

R2s Muse wrote...

So, here's something on which I'd be interested in your perspectives, given that the Cullen fandom involves a lot of fanfiction.

I'm sure I'm not the only fanfic writer who's engaged in jokes about cashing in ala 50 Shades of Grey, which originally was Twilight fanfic. Well, enter Kindle Worlds, a new endeavor from Amazon who has obtained the license for certain properties, such as Vampire Diaries, to allow fanfic writers to post their stuff *and* be paid for it. With certain limitations on quality (fic must be 'good enough'), content (no pr0n), and intellectual property rights (they can do what they want with your fic/ideas, and never have to pay you again, it seems). John Scalzi, a noted scifi writer, has an interesting article on it. But there are also counterpoints out in the internets.

So... what do you guys think?  What if Dragon Age suddenly became part of Kindle Worlds? Would you post there? Is getting paid just a little okay, because it's more than you ever imagined getting anyway? Would you prefer not to be paid at all? Would it bother you to see your fanfic suddenly published elsewhere on amazon, with no royalities to you? I find it such an interesting new model, I'm personally still mulling it over.  Thoughts?

Hmmm.... well on one hand it'd be a great way to put your fanfic out to a larger audience and potentially you (the collective 'you') as writers, there is a Debbie Downer side. Like you mentioned, once it's out there anyone can snag your ideas and there's not a whole lot you can do about it since you'd essentially be signing off any rights. Using Vampire Diaries as an example - let's say you write an amazing fic, then the show's writers see it and tweak it, then it's produced, wins an Emmy and you get squat.
Keep in mind, I'm a bit militant on protecting one's image and intellectual properties. The world and characters may not be yours, but the situations are created by you. I guess it would all depend on what the individual wishes to get out of the experience. My two cents.

[Newschmoo]

Chanda wrote...

Regarding Templar Hugh: If I can't have Cullen, I'd happily do Hugh.

Sorry this made me chuckle!  Hugh is quite cute but he is also spoke up against Meredith (had to check the wiki)

The Amazon Kindle Worlds does sound an interesting idea and I suppose the advantage is that the fanfic writers do get paid for their hard work. However, I have to agree with point 2 of John Scalzi's thoughts.  Looking at the behemoth that Amazon is, I feel writers will be exploited for their ideas. 

I know that some fanfic writers ended up writing the Doctor Who books for Virgin Books, because some writers were so good they recruited them.  And if this program became a launch pad for this creativity, then that would be great. 

Amazon Kindle World seems a good idea in theory.  It will only be publishing stories they think are good.  It would be better in my eyes if some of the ideas from the fanfic authors that were eventually used in either the TV series/game/book etc were at least recognised (and even better paid accordingly for it).

I have to admit that some of the fanfic I have read is so good, that if the writer published their own material I would buy it (I include you R2 as one of those).

Edit - I keep repeating words (doh)!

Modifié par Newschmoo, 27 mai 2013 - 02:01 .

[R2s Muse]

meanieweenie wrote...

R2s Muse wrote...

So, here's something on which I'd be interested in your perspectives, given that the Cullen fandom involves a lot of fanfiction.

I'm sure I'm not the only fanfic writer who's engaged in jokes about cashing in ala 50 Shades of Grey, which originally was Twilight fanfic. Well, enter Kindle Worlds, a new endeavor from Amazon who has obtained the license for certain properties, such as Vampire Diaries, to allow fanfic writers to post their stuff *and* be paid for it. With certain limitations on quality (fic must be 'good enough'), content (no pr0n), and intellectual property rights (they can do what they want with your fic/ideas, and never have to pay you again, it seems). John Scalzi, a noted scifi writer, has an interesting article on it. But there are also counterpoints out in the internets.

So... what do you guys think?  What if Dragon Age suddenly became part of Kindle Worlds? Would you post there? Is getting paid just a little okay, because it's more than you ever imagined getting anyway? Would you prefer not to be paid at all? Would it bother you to see your fanfic suddenly published elsewhere on amazon, with no royalities to you? I find it such an interesting new model, I'm personally still mulling it over.  Thoughts?

Hmmm.... well on one hand it'd be a great way to put your fanfic out to a larger audience and potentially you (the collective 'you') as writers, there is a Debbie Downer side. Like you mentioned, once it's out there anyone can snag your ideas and there's not a whole lot you can do about it since you'd essentially be signing off any rights. Using Vampire Diaries as an example - let's say you write an amazing fic, then the show's writers see it and tweak it, then it's produced, wins an Emmy and you get squat.
Keep in mind, I'm a bit militant on protecting one's image and intellectual properties. The world and characters may not be yours, but the situations are created by you. I guess it would all depend on what the individual wishes to get out of the experience. My two cents.

Yeah, this is an interesting notion. On one hand, with fanfic, if you publish it you're already putting out there, but I guess the difference is that in the amazon case your rights, and lack thereof, are all spelled out, whereas in the other it's murkier since you don't have permission from the creator anyway. /head hurts

Newschmoo wrote...

The Amazon Kindle Worlds does sound an interesting idea and I suppose the advantage is that the fanfic writers do get paid for their hard work. However, I have to agree with point 2 of John Scalzi's thoughts.  Looking at the behemoth that Amazon is, I feel writers will be exploitedfor their ideas. 

I know that some fanfic writers ended up writing the Doctor Who books for Virgin Books, because some writers wereso good they recruited them.  And if this program became a launch pad for this creativity, then that would be great. 

Amazon Kindle World seems a good idea in theory.  It will only be publishing stories they think are good.  It would be better in my eyes if some of the ideas from the fanfic authors that were eventually used in either the TV series/game/book etc were at least recognised (and even better paid accordingly for it).

Agree. There's something sort of comforting about giving blanket permission to write in that world and cultivating amateur writers. On the other hand, it sounds like a situation ripe for exploitation. Almost like a sweat shop for writers. Hmmm.

I have to admit that some of the fanfic I have read is so good, that if the writer published their own material I
would buy it (I include you R2 as one of those).

D'awww! Thanks! <3

Modifié par R2s Muse, 27 mai 2013 - 02:56 .

[LolaLei]

meanieweenie wrote...

R2s Muse wrote...

So, here's something on which I'd be interested in your perspectives, given that the Cullen fandom involves a lot of fanfiction.

I'm sure I'm not the only fanfic writer who's engaged in jokes about cashing in ala 50 Shades of Grey, which originally was Twilight fanfic. Well, enter Kindle Worlds, a new endeavor from Amazon who has obtained the license for certain properties, such as Vampire Diaries, to allow fanfic writers to post their stuff *and* be paid for it. With certain limitations on quality (fic must be 'good enough'), content (no pr0n), and intellectual property rights (they can do what they want with your fic/ideas, and never have to pay you again, it seems). John Scalzi, a noted scifi writer, has an interesting article on it. But there are also counterpoints out in the internets.

So... what do you guys think?  What if Dragon Age suddenly became part of Kindle Worlds? Would you post there? Is getting paid just a little okay, because it's more than you ever imagined getting anyway? Would you prefer not to be paid at all? Would it bother you to see your fanfic suddenly published elsewhere on amazon, with no royalities to you? I find it such an interesting new model, I'm personally still mulling it over.  Thoughts?

Hmmm.... well on one hand it'd be a great way to put your fanfic out to a larger audience and potentially you (the collective 'you') as writers, there is a Debbie Downer side. Like you mentioned, once it's out there anyone can snag your ideas and there's not a whole lot you can do about it since you'd essentially be signing off any rights. Using Vampire Diaries as an example - let's say you write an amazing fic, then the show's writers see it and tweak it, then it's produced, wins an Emmy and you get squat.
Keep in mind, I'm a bit militant on protecting one's image and intellectual properties. The world and characters may not be yours, but the situations are created by you. I guess it would all depend on what the individual wishes to get out of the experience. My two cents.

Agreed, it'll only turn into another flame thread and/or people attacking each other for listing a companion someone wants to murder who they consider to be their favourite. 

I just think we should let the dust settle for a while, soon enough there will be another wave of Cullen hate for you to post your thoughts in... and then we'll go in there, do the usual and get it closed down, LOL.

Modifié par LolaLei, 27 mai 2013 - 03:23 .

[LolaLei]

Newschmoo wrote...

Chanda wrote...

Regarding Templar Hugh: If I can't have Cullen, I'd happily do Hugh.

Sorry this made me chuckle!  Hugh is quite cute but he is also spoke up against Meredith (had to check the wiki)

The Amazon Kindle Worlds does sound an interesting idea and I suppose the advantage is that the fanfic writers do get paid for their hard work. However, I have to agree with point 2 of John Scalzi's thoughts.  Looking at the behemoth that Amazon is, I feel writers will be exploited for their ideas. 

I know that some fanfic writers ended up writing the Doctor Who books for Virgin Books, because some writers were so good they recruited them.  And if this program became a launch pad for this creativity, then that would be great. 

Amazon Kindle World seems a good idea in theory.  It will only be publishing stories they think are good.  It would be better in my eyes if some of the ideas from the fanfic authors that were eventually used in either the TV series/game/book etc were at least recognised (and even better paid accordingly for it).

I have to admit that some of the fanfic I have read is so good, that if the writer published their own material I would buy it (I include you R2 as one of those).

Edit - I keep repeating words (doh)!

I totally forgot about Hugh, he never died either so maybe he'll show up with Cullen in DA2?

[LolaLei]

Come to think of it, I'm fully expecting Cullen to show up (be it a cameo or just before recruiting) with a small bunch of his Kirkwall templar recruits with him.

[deuce985]

brushyourteeth wrote...

Commander Kurt wrote...

Brushyourteeth; Are you still playing Dragon's Dogma? Did you like it?

Regarding female protags, it seems to be a vicious circle. Games are made for males, meaning that mostly males play them, meaning that games are made for males, and so on. I love what Bioware are doing, getting fresh blood into gaming, and I think the whole industry should thank them.

I haven't played it in a while because I've been distracted by other games (ME3 DLC's and Harvest Moon, mainly) but I did play it to completion and I'll pick it up again when their first DLC comes out (that should be this summer? Must check!). I LOVED it! The story element obviously doesn't compare with anything like Bioware's products, but there were so many elements of the game that were original and surprising that I was hooked right away. LOVED the combat (and I'm often a "yeah, yeah, get me to the next dialogue option" type of girl) and didn't mind at all that I literally spent most of the game killing things because it was such a joy to play around with all of the options and face all the challenges the world offered. And the ending blew me away.

You've played it, right? What do you think of it?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Re: the situation with guys playing as female protagonists -- I have a brother-in-law who always makes female protagonists when he can because he likes to watch their backsides and feels more awkward playing as a guy for that reason. When I point out to him that that naturally leads to him romancing a male (he's very loyal to Garrus) he pretends not to hear me.  So no idea what's going on there, except that it involves some kind of "I think a woman can kick butt but mostly just want to admire her body" attitude, which is still probably just a different flavor of sexism, but better than the "No to women. JUST NO." that you get in certain dark and seedy corners of the BSN.

You have to buy Dragon's Dogma again for the Dark Arisen expansion. It's complete balogna I know but that's Capcom for you. It actually infuriated me to the point where I plan on getting a used copy just to stick it to Capcom. I've never heard of another company shafting their consumers who already own the game.

What I'm talking about is they do not sell Dark Arisen DLC separate like every other DLC ever made. They packaged it "Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen" and it's the entire DD game+expansion. Instead of me paying $20 for just the expansion, I have to pay another $20-$30 to own the same game I already have.

I hear the expansion is quite awesome though. My friend said it's very different from regular DD in that he said it reminded him of Dark Souls. Which means it's VERY hard.

Modifié par deuce985, 27 mai 2013 - 05:09 .

[littlenikki]

LolaLei wrote...

Come to think of it, I'm fully expecting Cullen to show up (be it a cameo or just before recruiting) with a small bunch of his Kirkwall templar recruits with him.

Cullen doesn't go anywhere without his harem of female templars 

[deuce985]

Newschmoo wrote...

 Deuce that was an interesting piece on female gamers. Brushyourteeth knows some good reports on this area. I do find the subject interesting. The industry needs to take account of female gamers more. Link here to ESA game data 

www.theesa.com/facts/gameplayer.asp

47% of all players are female. Also states that "adult females represent a greater portion of the gamer-playing population (30%) than boys aged 17 years or younger (18%). I don't know why guys have an issue playing a female character like Lara Croft. She's a tough character.

That is why I love Bioware games so much, because I can play a character that I want.

BTW I had totally forgotten about Templar Hugh. I did like Lia though, sweet and compassionate.

Edit - trying to do a link on a tablet is a pain!

That's very interesting. I would've thought that number would be much smaller the way some publishers think the woman population is insignificant. They should have more games that cater to women. Personally, in my own experience, I think females generally like the RPG genre. I realize that's probably a generalization but I'm only basing it on my experience in games and what I've seen. When I played MMOs, it seems like they always have a MASSIVE female population. I'm not sure why.

As for my personal opinion on playing as a female, I like it. I don't mind either gender if the character is interesting. I absolutely loved TR and liked how Lara felt human. She never felt like a god character to me. She was always vulnerable and that played into the gritty style of the game. Lara takes a major beating in that game and it's brutal at times(especially death animations) but she was very strong. I play females in Bioware games too. I like to see alternate content or the game through the eyes of the female gender.

Modifié par deuce985, 27 mai 2013 - 05:19 .

[LolaLei]

littlenikki wrote...

LolaLei wrote...

Come to think of it, I'm fully expecting Cullen to show up (be it a cameo or just before recruiting) with a small bunch of his Kirkwall templar recruits with him.

Cullen doesn't go anywhere without his harem of female templars 

I love that. Seriously, it's almost like an accidental Easter egg before his harem of fangirls were ever fully realised, LOL! 

[brushyourteeth]

deuce985 wrote...

brushyourteeth wrote...

Commander Kurt wrote...

Brushyourteeth; Are you still playing Dragon's Dogma? Did you like it?

Regarding female protags, it seems to be a vicious circle. Games are made for males, meaning that mostly males play them, meaning that games are made for males, and so on. I love what Bioware are doing, getting fresh blood into gaming, and I think the whole industry should thank them.

I haven't played it in a while because I've been distracted by other games (ME3 DLC's and Harvest Moon, mainly) but I did play it to completion and I'll pick it up again when their first DLC comes out (that should be this summer? Must check!). I LOVED it! The story element obviously doesn't compare with anything like Bioware's products, but there were so many elements of the game that were original and surprising that I was hooked right away. LOVED the combat (and I'm often a "yeah, yeah, get me to the next dialogue option" type of girl) and didn't mind at all that I literally spent most of the game killing things because it was such a joy to play around with all of the options and face all the challenges the world offered. And the ending blew me away.

You've played it, right? What do you think of it?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Re: the situation with guys playing as female protagonists -- I have a brother-in-law who always makes female protagonists when he can because he likes to watch their backsides and feels more awkward playing as a guy for that reason. When I point out to him that that naturally leads to him romancing a male (he's very loyal to Garrus) he pretends not to hear me.  So no idea what's going on there, except that it involves some kind of "I think a woman can kick butt but mostly just want to admire her body" attitude, which is still probably just a different flavor of sexism, but better than the "No to women. JUST NO." that you get in certain dark and seedy corners of the BSN.

You have to buy Dragon's Dogma again for the Dark Arisen expansion. It's complete balogna I know but that's Capcom for you. It actually infuriated me to the point where I plan on getting a used copy just to stick it to Capcom. I've never heard of another company shafting their consumers who already own the game.

What I'm talking about is they do not sell Dark Arisen DLC separate like every other DLC ever made. They packaged it "Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen" and it's the entire DD game+expansion. Instead of me paying $20 for just the expansion, I have to pay another $20-$30 to own the same game I already have.

I hear the expansion is quite awesome though. My friend said it's very different from regular DD in that he said it reminded him of Dark Souls. Which means it's VERY hard.

I don't even know what game developers are thinking any more. This news would have been more surprising before I read about the "innovations" on the Xbox One. Have these people forgotten that they make a living by serving their customers? Have they lost their way completely?

Commander Kurt wrote...

I had to google Hugh, I thought he was the gentleman with the rather dashing moustache (speaking of which, I think I figured out where Cullen's fur stole came from).

And I only just started playing Dragon's Dogma, but it's great so far! The pawns make me feel a bit uneasy (like having tranquil children with you in a fight, and still most of the females are hardly dressed. WTF dudes??), the quests are laughable, but the combat makes up for all of it.

1. Fur stole = total

2. They explain the pawns later, and they all get more clothing as you get ones with higher levels. One part that's not so realistic -- somehow when you're not a skill fighter you can only physically put a pair of underwear, a burlap cloak, and a funny hat on your body.  I really enjoy a lot of the male, overweight mages at that level for that reason!

They could totally build a deeper lore into that game (who made the pawns? where do they come from? How did the first Arisen come to be? Why do some succeed and some fail?) but unless they cover it in the expansion, I don't think they're going to.

That freaking quote playing in the opening cutscene still doesn't make any dang sense to me at all.

[CuriousArtemis]

R2s Muse wrote...

So, here's something on which I'd be interested in your perspectives, given that the Cullen fandom involves a lot of fanfiction.

I'm sure I'm not the only fanfic writer who's engaged in jokes about cashing in ala 50 Shades of Grey, which originally was Twilight fanfic. Well, enter Kindle Worlds, a new endeavor from Amazon who has obtained the license for certain properties, such as Vampire Diaries, to allow fanfic writers to post their stuff *and* be paid for it. With certain limitations on quality (fic must be 'good enough'), content (no pr0n), and intellectual property rights (they can do what they want with your fic/ideas, and never have to pay you again, it seems). John Scalzi, a noted scifi writer, has an interesting article on it. But there are also counterpoints out in the internets.

So... what do you guys think?  What if Dragon Age suddenly became part of Kindle Worlds? Would you post there? Is getting paid just a little okay, because it's more than you ever imagined getting anyway? Would you prefer not to be paid at all? Would it bother you to see your fanfic suddenly published elsewhere on amazon, with no royalities to you? I find it such an interesting new model, I'm personally still mulling it over.  Thoughts?

I would never want money for my fanfic. It feels deeply unethical. I'm very passionate about writing, and have my own works in progress, my own characters, etc. This is what I want to share with the world and someday perhaps earn something from it. This is a sick marketing ploy by amazon.