osberend
Posts: 36
8/7/2017
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BillyCosmos! wrote:
Teaspoon wrote:
The peculiar thing about this is, I've never actually played Civilisation. Does anyone know how daft this would be as a mod?
While I try to wrap my head around the idea of never playing Civ, I can still muster the reserves to answer your question.
That could be awesome. I don't think it could work the way you envision it (though it might), something could be worked out.
It'd be a lot of work, and I don't know how to do it, but so cool.
My instinct would be to do it similarly to the Civ III scenario Escape From Zombie Island 2, which is loosely structured like a zombie horror film and uses tech advances for scenes, governments for a mixture of states of being (Zombification vs. the human governments) and mindsets (Survival as the starting government for all three human factions, with the Survivors (only) being able to switch to Sheer Determination once they learn The Horrible Truth, representing a transition from simply trying not to get eaten to trying to get someone, anyone, who knows the truth off the island before The Company can complete its coverup or The Military can carpet-bomb the place, so that the world can learn what truly happened here --- gives (among other things) 150% efficiency because "Whaddaya mean, you can only give 100%!?"), etc.
(Relatedly, the three human factions each different win conditions: The Company if it can complete its coverup, The Military if it can (having failed to contain the outbreak by less extreme measures) call in a massive airstrike to flatten the entire island, and The Survivors if they can capture The Airport and fly a helicopter to the mainland.)
Side note: Awesome scenario. One of my two favorites, along with (the much more serious) The Rood and the Dragon. Pulpy, hilarious fun.
edited by osberend on 8/7/2017
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osberend
Posts: 36
8/7/2017
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Unrelatedly, I'm going to post again here the question I asked on a previous week, that as far as I can tell got no official response (I'm assuming that everyone with authority has some sort of tag such as "Administrator" under their name; please let me know if I am wrong):
What is the rationale for forbidding automation? Getting late-game content requires a lot of grinding (whether for echoes or for qualities), so the rationale can hardly be "you're supposed to experience the story, not to just grind the mechanics" or anything like that. And unlike many fundamentally real-time games, there's no competitive advantage gained by perfect timing, nor any reason to constantly query the server in order to the most recent data.
Let me stress that last point a bit, since some other players responding in the previous weekly questions thread apparently failed to grasp the significance of what I'm saying: In most online games, there is a major strategic advantage to be gained by timing strikes perfectly, maintaining a perfect range when kiting an enemy with a slightly shorter reach, aiming perfectly to make a headshot at long range, etc. This gives a major advantage to anyone running a bot that can do those things perfectly every time. In many online games, the limiting factor on how fast you can perform a cycle of actions is how fast you can see what's on the screen, and then hit a button and/or move your mouse and click. Again, there's a major advantage to having a bot that can do those things at superhuman speed.
Fallen London is not like those games. The strategically-relevant time granularity (at least in the absence of Knife and Candle or other PVP) is *10 minutes*. Having a bot automatically click things for you doesn't let you do things better. It doesn't let you do things faster, either, unless you're willing to sink arbitrary amounts of money into buying Fate and spending it on Action Refreshes. And given that FBG doesn't limit the rate at which you can do that manually, I doubt limiting the ability of people to straight-up buy actions is the goal here.
When I grind Port Carnelian for echoes, I do it by (manually) executing an explicit algorithm, as often as the action clock allows. If I wrote a script to automate it, that script would be performing the exact same series of actions, at the exact same overall frequency, just without my having to spend a few minutes every several hours clicking things. Why would that be bad? I can't imagine that Failbetter Games is trying to literally impose a tax in boredom and minor wrist strain on efficient echo acquisition, but that's what ends up happening in practice.
Similarly with London grinds, using Unfinished Business repeatedly until a desired Airs is obtained for use on a card, etc.
I'd be fine with a "if your bot breaks things, we will suspend your account, without warning if necessary (e.g., to stop it breaking things)" policy (although a bot really shouldn't be able to break anything a human can't, in this sort of game), and of course I'm more than fine with forbidding cheating with bots, just as cheating through non-bot methods is already forbidden. But the blanket prohibition seems rather senseless to me.
ETA: This is, I suppose, at least as much of an argument as a question. But it does have a question at its core, i.e., "why does FBG have this policy?" The arguments are there primarily to indicate common replies that I feel don't make sense without more detail, e.g., "we don't want bot users to have an unfair advantage, same as all the MMORPGs that ban bots" strikes me as unconvincing in the absence of an explanation of what sort of advantage FBG is worried about people gaining, given that the usual advantages that bots give in MMORPGs and the like don't apply.
edited by osberend on 8/7/2017
edited by osberend on 8/7/2017
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osberend
Posts: 36
8/7/2017
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A smaller point, about these threads themselves: Is there any chance that the ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD) format could be used for dates? It's an international standard, it sorts correctly, and it fixes the ambiguity that exists for just over a third of all dates between MM/DD/YYYY and DD/MM/YYYY. It even has an extension to sub-day times that (within the same timezone) also sorts correctly: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS. (There's also a timezone notation, but it's got the wrong sign for a natural reading, ugh. But it's still better, taken as a whole, than most of the alternatives.)
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Dudebro Pyro
Posts: 756
8/7/2017
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Is there a list of all the truly important things one should do at Court before getting banished?
I've held off finishing that storyline for well over a year, but I've realised that I never actually go there, I'm just paranoid about permanently losing access to an area. I think it's high time I wrapped up my business there.
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Dudebro Pyro, eccentric scholar
Spare Starveling Kitties always welcome. I collect them.
For that matter, send me your unwanted cat boxes too.
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Reused NPC
Posts: 259
8/7/2017
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Dudebro Pyro wrote:
Is there a list of all the truly important things one should do at Court before getting banished?
I've held off finishing that storyline for well over a year, but I've realised that I never actually go there, I'm just paranoid about permanently losing access to an area. I think it's high time I wrapped up my business there.
I've heard rumours (only rumours, mind) that a storyline is in progress to restore one's access to The Court. Hopefully it restores it better than the access to the University was restored. But again, that's just rumours.
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ReusedNPC, a d__ned lunatic.
Edmund Viric, a rather dreamy sort.
"I won't stay long, I shan't stay long! Tell me a secret."
--the Baldomerian
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Siankan
Posts: 1048
8/7/2017
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Write any stories you might be interested in, catch up on Making Your Name, and that's basically it.
The FL Reworks have been hinted to include a return to Court, so you might regain access to some of those things anyway. However, it's probably best to be safe. They probably won't repeat the dud that is returning to the University, but we won't until we get there - and we don't even know *when* we'll get there, anyway.
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Prof. Sian Kan, at your service.
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Kaijyuu
Posts: 1047
8/7/2017
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Well right now it's good for dumping your society connection before the conversion. You might want to grab as many street signs as possible if you don't have sky high connections already.
Aside from that, there are the various unique items you can make (stories and poems), the easy way to get scholar of correspondence 10, and the Memento of Passion (another unique item).
Also the Society renown 40 item may be there, if it doesn't end up on the Polite Invitation card. Since society is likely being converted tomorrow, I'd stick around that long at least.
--
Be of good cheer. Our contacts have assured us that your sins are forgiven.
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Siankan
Posts: 1048
8/7/2017
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Kaijyuu wrote:
Also the Society renown 40 item may be there, if it doesn't end up on the Polite Invitation card. Since society is likely being converted tomorrow, I'd stick around that long at least.
I would say the Society 25 item is likelier there, except I don't know where outside London that the 40 would go. (But then, did anyone expect the 40 Church item on Corpsecage? I certainly didn't.) The Palace is more or less equivalent to the University and Mahogany Hall, both of which host level 25 items.
Still, I think Kaijyuu's advice is fairly sound. Wait until Society's done converting (which should be soon) before you get yourself expelled. Just in case.
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Prof. Sian Kan, at your service.
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Màiread
Posts: 385
8/7/2017
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Dudebro Pyro wrote:
Is there a list of all the truly important things one should do at Court before getting banished?
I've held off finishing that storyline for well over a year, but I've realised that I never actually go there, I'm just paranoid about permanently losing access to an area. I think it's high time I wrapped up my business there.
As far as I know, there's nothing truly important to do in court apart from collecting all of the six books you can make (allegorical satire, epic poetic cycle, etc), assuming you care about having them before they become unavailable, and also the memento of passion. I've never done it but I believe you can repeatedly romance both the Wit and the Beauty to raise your hedonist to 15. Oh, and obviously experience whichever romance paths you want to! You can use 'somewhat challenging music' to reach SotC 10, but again, there are other routes to do that.
-----
Two questions!
1). I want to drink Lethean tea leaves, will this also wipe my secret ambition?
2). Assuming there's nothing in particular one needs from Unfinished Business, what's the most profitable way to cycle airs?
--
Màiread - Correspondent, composer, lover of cats. Can probably bake you a d__n fine cake.
Useful Links: Traveller's Friend (Progress Tracker & Notability Calculator) | phryne's Guide to Favours & Renown |
Peggy the Nowoman lived to see the Feast. Thank you for the memories, Snow Lady.
I'm happy to accept most social actions except for lethal sparring and loitering suspiciously. Please challenge my plant! Currently not accepting calling cards.
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Kaijyuu
Posts: 1047
8/7/2017
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1. No.
2. Cryptic Clues have the profitable conversion to diamonds, so my bet is on those. "Eavesdropping" in spite is the storylet.
--
Be of good cheer. Our contacts have assured us that your sins are forgiven.
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osberend
Posts: 36
8/7/2017
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Kaijyuu wrote:
2. Cryptic Clues have the profitable conversion to diamonds, so my bet is on those. "Eavesdropping" in spite is the storylet.
There is another use for Cryptic Clues that may be more profitable yet, for a Shepherd who would Seek after a lost sheep even in the darkest of places . . .
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Tyrconnell
Posts: 271
8/7/2017
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And for spirifers (Fate-locked Trade in Souls) "The prince of..." for souls is one of the most profitable, and certainly the simplest, grinds available.
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Tyrconnell, a gentleman and doctor of diverse interests and multifarious proclivities
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Teaspoon
Posts: 866
8/8/2017
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Does anyone in the Khanate still use bows?
I'm torn between thinking the paucity of wood would make them priceless, and thinking that there's probably a market for a silent long-range weapon.
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Truth lies at the bottom of a well.
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Alt%20Ern
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Siankan
Posts: 1048
8/8/2017
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Teaspoon wrote:
Does anyone in the Khanate still use bows?
I'm torn between thinking the paucity of wood would make them priceless, and thinking that there's probably a market for a silent long-range weapon.
Much would depend on the compressive properties of traditional Neathy fungal 'wood'.
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Prof. Sian Kan, at your service.
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aegisaglow
Posts: 202
8/8/2017
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osberend wrote:
ETA: This is, I suppose, at least as much of an argument as a question. But it does have a question at its core, i.e., "why does FBG have this policy?" The arguments are there primarily to indicate common replies that I feel don't make sense without more detail, e.g., "we don't want bot users to have an unfair advantage, same as all the MMORPGs that ban bots" strikes me as unconvincing in the absence of an explanation of what sort of advantage FBG is worried about people gaining, given that the usual advantages that bots give in MMORPGs and the like don't apply.
You're forgetting elections, which would pretty much be ruined by bots. Likewise, it would shutter any hope of Knife and Candle returning in any form.
edited by aegisaglow on 8/8/2017
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Mx. Aglow. Glazier, hedonist, devil-teaser, Paramount Presence. Pursuing their Heart's Desire.
Ms. Lilian Leith. A lady of proper standing, which seems like an increasingly ludicrous thing to give a rat's ___ about. Known (to some) for her Light Fingers.
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Diptych
Administrator
Posts: 3493
8/8/2017
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osberend, these threads are for quick questions that can be easily answered by your fellow players - for feedback directed to Failbetter, look to the Feedback thread. Also, I'm only a community moderator and can't speak for Failbetter, but I will say that they're entitled to create the rules for playing their games - whether or not you find them convincing, please abide by them.
--
Sir Frederick, the Libertarian Esotericist. Lord Hubris, the Bloody Baron.
Juniper Brown, the Ill-Fated Orphan. Esther Ellis-Hall, the Fashionable Fabian.
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Optimatum
Posts: 3666
8/8/2017
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My general assumption for why bots are banned is that FBG doesn't want people to code a bot, leave for years, and come back to Cider and a Heptagoat. Long-term goals cease to be a difficult accomplishment when someone can complete them with a couple hours spent programming and some patience. It's unfair to anyone completing achievements as intended.
Also to answer your question osberend, administrators are labeled as such below their usernames. Failbetter employees also typically make their posts with colored text to stand out.
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Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome.
 Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi!
PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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Pumpkinhead
Posts: 516
8/8/2017
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Teaspoon wrote:
Does anyone in the Khanate still use bows?
I'm torn between thinking the paucity of wood would make them priceless, and thinking that there's probably a market for a silent long-range weapon.
Well, they're probably pretty short on the other half of their mounted archer combo anyway: I can't imagine horses are much use in a lot of the neath, since it's a lot of zee.
--
McGunn/Bsymstad is on the slow boat, waiting to see if he can find out what death is. (I'm done with London for now. Thanks for everything!)
Amanda Albright is a *spoiler* now, like she always wanted.
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Cthonius
Posts: 362
8/8/2017
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Tbh if to be directed at and discussed by players, a whole individual thread might be better? I feel like it's been discussed before though, and might be better to search for that and let sleeping dogs lie. It is a touchy topic no doubt.
Anyway I finally hit the 40s in Criminals Renown, and don't care too much about hitting 50 anytime soon. What're the best uses for these Favors now? I vaguely recall An Implausible Penance was on everyone's tongue, might've been the Pugilism option?
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Cthonius, gone North. Gone.
Oneiropompus, a Scarlet Saint, eager to help make your dreams realities. Accepting all social requests for now.
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Kaijyuu
Posts: 1047
8/8/2017
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Pugilism, beating up the minister, yeah.
Also Theif's Cache expeditions are good uses of them, assuming you use your docks favors for supplies.
--
Be of good cheer. Our contacts have assured us that your sins are forgiven.
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