Balmon

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Liaran Ikor could barely contain his excitement. ?I could kiss the person who filled out the paperwork for this baby?? he said to no one in particular. Engineers had been pouring in and out of the Armaments Engineering Bay of Starbase 959 all day, and most had been kind enough to ignore Ikor as he inspected the new toy. He had spent the last 14 hours poring over every inch of the Advanced Weapons Pod ? a gigantic monstrosity of artful design, sleek metallic sheen, and sheer destructive power - destined for the Brightstar. Even the thought of roasted Gwork with a side of Keklash couldn?t draw him away from the bright, shiny gleen coming off of a quantum torpedo unit. However, despite his fascination, he constantly had this nagging feeling that there was someplace he was supposed to be just then? he remembered someone coming over the comm. Badge a few hours ago? something about a meeting? not wanting to be disturbed any further, he removed the badge and had placed it somewhere in the bay. It had only been a month since his leave of duty from the Bellerophon, an assignment that left many memories: some good, some not so good at all. He had been issued an order to make his way to Starbase 959, where a vacation awaited him, but once he got there, he saw that he had serious work to do: the majority of the security personnel there barely understood the basic mechanics of the weapons they were using, let alone how to use them efficiently (or accurately), and the most simple of scans on the weapons systems revealed a dozen or so problems linked to half of the aft phasers and two-thirds of the starboard shields projectors? this was one station badly in need of his help. However, after a month of his ?vacation?, he was issued another order, this time from his acquaintance, Admiral Locke, from Starfleet HQ. Apparently there was a new ship, the U.S.S. Brightstar, in need of a Chief of Security/Tactical. Despite the innumerable officers and Lieutenant Commanders with years of experience above his, all available for (and dying for) transfers to a new Insignia class ship such as this, Locke almost insisted that Ikor be given the position. Frankly, given his pull in the ranks of Starfleet, Locke?s ?recommendation? was more of an order. Also not one to question too many orders, Ikor began re-packing his belongings and meticulously reviewing the available personnel files for the crew currently aboard the Brightstar, as well as all the technical specs sheets. It was in one of the files on the technical bits that he found the issued order for the Advanced Weapons Pod. He had been viewing the files on his screen as his latest romantic entanglement, Sarah McInnis, sat on his lap and fed him his dinner, when the image of the A.W.P. appeared. Her head barely missed the corner of a desk as he suddenly burst out of his chair, practically launching her to the floor, and ran to the door of their quarters. He paused momentarily at the door, looked back at Sarah and saw her sprawled ass-backwards on the floor, and was suddenly caught in a moment of indecision: help her up, or rush to the magnificent piece of design waiting?. Referring to his tactical training, he decided on the following: For fear of future retribution from this suddenly hostile creature, he called for an immediate ceasefire and helped her up. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and pulled back slightly from her face so that she had ample room to slap him. As he ran towards the nearest turbo lift, he made sure to only nurse the red welt when there wasn?t anyone nearby. Many hours later, as he touched his hand to the red cheek, it all suddenly raced back into his mind. ?SHIT. A meeting? something important? of the Senior Officers? ahhhh crap!? He pulled his head out of a phaser unit, smashing his head on the top side in the process, and made a mad dash for the bay doors. With any luck, the Captain? what was his name? Andrus! With any luck, that Cap? Andrus hadn?t filed an official request for a court martial yet?[/COLOR]

Hey all, I apologize for my lateness - between performing Student Council duties for my school, moving into a new apartment, and working, I haven't had much time to even write my intro post. I'm in the process of doing that right now, and it should be up before the night's end. Just a quick request - unless it's ABSOLUTELY necessary, could we hold off on the OOC comments? I used to use those liberally, but since they've introduced the Underground, I've found that this is the place to make ANY comments on anything you've posted. Just a request... any thoughts? Phil

I don't care about the Gmail account so much as answering questions about music: "I'm an A-hole"

My apologies. I think I often DO come off sounding too sarcastic and slightly mean - I didn't mean to make you feel bad or anything... I'm just here to help if you want it! Cheers Phil

Frankly, if you've given The Arena a glance or two, you'd have noticed that there are about a hundred .hack RPGs in progress. Also, if you've been following any of the other discussions in the underground, you'll have read comments from people on OB regarding relatively unsuccessful RPGs. Things such as your paragraph-long story, which is not only tiresome on the eyes but for the mind as well, fail to create a world in a which your participants would inhabit. While I believe (I don't know anything about this .hack business, but I assume it is all based on an anime show or manga) many people assume there is plenty of backstory to this .hack thing, just throwing down a paragraph and hoping for the best is perhaps not the best way to go about it. I would check out some of the other discussion in The Arena Undeground, especially ones where the moderators have given their input on the matter, and give your RPG some thought. Cheers, Phil

Misenki, First of all, why are you posting a million threads regarding these two RPGs? I think keeping this discussion in your original thread would probably be best. Secondly, telling people that you are unwilling to look to others' RPGs for help is a sign of an immature writer. Learning through example is one of the best ways of learning - try sucking in that urge to just ignore such a comment, and give it a shot! On that note - go read [URL=http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=40801]Hero[/URL]. While Shy obviously goes into a LOT of depth regarding this RPG, it is an example of a particularly high calibre sign-up thread. It is also an RPG that distinguishes itself from other RPGs, which is sometimes necessary in The Arena. I would suggest just basically going through The Adventure Inn yourself and seeing what's out there. I think with a little bit of searching you will be able to see what needs work in your ideas... Phil

If you really would like to, then I'll post something probably tomorrow. At this time, I am somewhat otherwise occupied. However, what I will say is, your story in Metallicon is summed up in one paragraph. At first glance, it bores the senses (I don't mean that sarcastically), and just looks like a lot of sentences jumbled together. Your sign-up looks very much like any other sign-up, and when that accompanies a story, it leaves WAY TOO MUCH to the imagination; you have a general lack of interest. I hope that sorta' makes sense. I'll be happy to help you out further if you want. Though, before you decide that, you should probably check on MY posts to see if you even want my opinion. Cheers, Phil

How honest an opinion would you like? I'm in a bit of a rush right now, but I'd like to start off the replies in this thread by mentioning what is perhaps the most obvious problem. Your title states: The Dark Tournament (I couldn't think of anything else...) If your TITLE already announces shortcomings, why will people go ANY further into exploring your RPG? Also, what you've written isn't actually an RPG... at least not really an RPG as per the standards of OB. It's more of a battle thread, with vague references to a story line. If you don't want bios from people, what kind of RPG is this? You've basically told people to choose a sex, choose a name, choose one or two weapons, and start fighting. I would suggest that you read the Stickies posted in The Arena forum, and try to incorporate more story elements into this RPG Good luck! Phil

I do agree with Siren - and I've already told him as much through our PMs - that it really is just for fun anyway. And of course it's not in my jurisdiction, but what's the harm in promoting a discussion, Wingnut? Phil _________________________

I totally agree with both of you guys. I tossed out the idea just to hear some thoughts on it, but I knew from the outset that it was logistically unsound idea.

Perhaps Defender of the Boards was a little overboard... sorry. I didn't mean to imply that they should be punished - really, how could you punish someone short of banning (and that's not what I'm implying at all). The only solution I could think of, albeit a simplistic one, was to make the Arena Underground a forum for allowing RPGs into the Adventure Inn. If a moderator deems their thread below-standards for the Inn, they can go and work on it, and return with another proposal. That's all. And I agree regarding your last statement. Of course I do. If I don't expect it of myself (i.e. Crime and Punishment), how can I expect others younger than myself... let alone older? Thanks for your input. Cheers, Phil

Whoa whoa, Siren. Ease up. I admitted a while ago to my stinker of a posting - and others before it. I'm not claiming to be a genius. The paragraph you so intelligently quoted, for example, doesn't exclude me... but for some reason, you chose to assume as much. So before you feel the need to act as the Defender of the OtakuBoards, give it a little more thought, eh?

Classical pianist in the Toronto area. I can basically sight-read anything, but don't ask me to jam with you by ear. That's asking for trouble. Phil

Perhaps I should reply to a couple of those, because I don't want anyone misinterpreting what I said in the very first post. [QUOTE=(Someone three posts back)]What I completely disagree on is that quality in the Arena is falling. I don't need to go there, because "there" seems to have been filled in, up and outwards by terra, Arcadia, Shinmaru, DW and James.What I completely disagree on is that quality in the Arena is falling. I don't need to go there, because "there" seems to have been filled in, up and outwards by terra, Arcadia, Shinmaru, DW and James.[/QUOTE] I did not mean to imply that the general quality of the arena is failing... quite the opposite. My only point of contention was that there were STILL an inordinate amount of poorly contrived and executed stories, chock full of enough grammar, spelling, syntax, and punctuation errors to embarass a preschool student. As I said during the discussion with James, I totally agreed that the general level of the Square is rising - LIKE with Kill Adam 2 (that's one example that won't go away :)). Also, regarding the other poster a couple of posts back who was making a point regarding newer members and their posts in the Adventure Inn: While many of the lower-quality posts do come first from newer members, a fair share problems still arise from current members. There are plenty of new members who come to OB with a lot of experience in writing, and RPG writing. So I think just blaming new members is an unfair statement to make. Phil

[quote name='Drizzt][COLOR=DarkSlateGray'] I'm in any band I can get my hands on, Marching, Jazz, Concert, County, etc. . . I play the Trumpet and damn good at it ^_^ [/COLOR][/quote] Whoa, whoa. We're very strict about modest people here, Drizzt. Could you really just tell us how good you are? No need to downplay it... ;) There seems to be a lot of you who are about to pee your pants with excitement at the thought of getting a driver's license. It's not that amazing. Just find another friend who has a car and a license, and let them drive you around everywhere - a much more efficient mode of travel! There seem to be so many people introducing themselves who I've never even seen before on OB. So, to make anudda' request: Please mention where we would most likely find you on OB (i.e. Adventure Arena, Art Studio, Anime Lounge, etc., etc.) in addition to the rest of your details. Thanks all! Phil

I agree with everyone one of you that has posted - strange no? Basically, I understand the need for viewing overall trends rather than specific incidences. However, I was trying to make a point. There are still those rushed-simple-one-lined-RPGs being ushered out, and often carried out, without much in the way of intervention - THAT's the sort of thing I'm talking about. EDIT: There also seem to be a number of people who just don't seem to be getting the message - we have people who are creating RPG threads that are obviously far below OB standards, and then people who are JOINING these threads not realizing that there is anything wrong at all. [URL=http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=42130]Here is an example[/URL] Worst of all: in this situation, this person obviously has no clue what they could possibly have done wrong. They're more frustrated that they had people interested in their idea, and that it was ragged on by a moderator (and rightly so). While I understand the subjective nature of RPGs, or any sort of creative art, I feel as though there must be SOME form of guidelines or parameters which must be followed before RPGs can be allowed to start. What I'm proposing, obviously, is a board consisting of Moderators that determine the acceptability of an RPG in the Adventure Inn/Adventure Arena. While this idea will quickly find enemies, I ask that you consider it briefly: In the current system, any ol' person can post an RPG in the Adventure Inn and ask for recruits. The lifespan of this RPG is determined by its quality, the interest generated by readers, etc., etc... but essentially, if it's obviously not up to OB standards, a Moderator will eventually close it. There seems to be a lot of that going on. Like many Moderators have mentioned already, every case needs to be judged by its own merits. I'm asking that the Arena Underground be used as a forum for proposals for RPGs. I understand that this may be substantially more work for the Mods, namely Terra and Arcadia, but they have to read these things in the end anyway. While I'm not asking them to decide if the RPG is to their taste or not, I AM asking that they judge it based on certain criteria; namely, grammar, spelling, punctuation, appropriate coverage, etc., etc. Whether they like the story or not is irrelevant. I feel that with this sort of system in place, the Adventure Inn would be elevated even higher. They would simply have to O.K. RPGs based on these certain standards, and nothing more. It would certainly prevent situations like the one mentioned above. OK.... NOW you can yell at me. (END EDIT) I'm consistently amazed by such RPGs as Kill Adam, etc., etc., and could only hope to make something as tight as those, but it's the constant re-appearances of those Inuyasha-type RPGs that drives me nuts. That's all I'm getting at. I've done a LOT of research in terms of looking at old RPGs, from years ago - or even months - and I AM constantly surprised what a leap RPGs have taken here. Still, though, my negative feelings lie towards those RPGs that seem to have been plucked out of an assembly line and forced down our throats... over and over. AND OVER. Phil

[quote name='terra]Phil, I really wish you'd express your views just slightly more politely. This isn't speaking as a moderator at all, just as a member. I find it rude to say that anybody's writing "sucks"; you could say that they need work, or even a lot of work if you'd really want to stress it, or that they didn't put much effort into it, or [i]something[/i']. ... That was just a personal note.[/quote] I apologize, and I've changed it. [quote name='terra']I suppose what I'm trying to say is that people simply have different meanings for "high-quality." Along the same lines, some members would hate to join the more complicated and involved RPGs, and would simply prefer those simpler ones closer to the posts you pointed out.[/quote] That's one of the points I'm trying to get at. What is OB's idea of high quality? If I write poorly, but I try really really really really hard, is my writing then good? And, I'm not even talking about the difference between simple storylines and complex storylines. When does the amount of effort, plus the level/ability of the writer, NOT outweigh the standards of the site?

Here are selected introductions from a number of RPGs currently active in the Adventure Inn: [FONT=Arial]---------------- Well the sign-ups for this are the same as the megaman RPGs. I'll take about 6-8 then we'll start. ---------------- Yep guys this is the first rpg which is based on Megaman. I have just became a fan of it so dont blame me if i do something wrong. But this is introducing a whole load of new characters. Well here is the story. Its now been about 4 years since the final defeat of the evil World 3. Lan and the rest of his pals are all older and they are busy studying harder then ever. Now a new evil organisation by the name of Dark hole. And they are planning to delete all the net navi's who protect all our computer networks with their own evil bunch of warriors. Not only that the leader of the organisation has kidnapped Lan and his buddies. And our characters have to defeat all the evil net navi's in order to let the pals go. There are at least 10 evil net navis to defeat and all of them are all really though. Even one of them can make a net navi's speed go down very low and drain their energy. So guys do you think you and your net navis have what it takes to save the friends and the world? Let me tell you that one of you has to be the cousin to me and one of you can be my childhood friend[girl or boy. And my bro or sister and only two of us is allowed net navis that look like animals. Oh yeah i almost forgot. We need a few people to be members of Dark Hole.Dont worry people Megaman is gonna be there to give us help . Since Lan jacked him in before he got caught. Heres different types of net navies you can choose ------------------ Welcome to the Inuyahsa Rp. Sign up and we can begin.If you wanna join but all characters are taken but the rp hasnt started yet ask me and maybe you can make-up a character but if we have already started the rp sorry your on youre own.Well sign up b4 its 2 l8! ------------------ The stone, a new facility that allows hard cases a second chance in the real world. Koti Hamasaki is one of these, she and 5 others have been selected for a experimant trail to see if they can make it in the real world. They must live with a probation officer and go to school AND pass every class. They must get jobs and pay rent. Living together they must also tolerate each other for they share rooms. Living at The Stone turned them all hard to kindness, getting a second chance was what they used to wish for but, can they really make it in the real word after being trapped in The Stone for so slong? ------------------ once in the future there was a girl that loved to dance but when she was sent back in time to set things right she couldn't anyone that wants to join the story just state: -------------------[/FONT] Correct me if I?m wrong, but I thought that high quality was stressed here on OB. Frankly, these RPG intros need a LOT of work; I can think of no word more polite than that. These posts are the sorts of things I tried to avoid by coming here to OB. I understand that the inimitable Moderators on OB have their hands full with other matters, but somehow, too many of these poor-quality RPGs are allowed to proceed without any repercussions or reprimands. The Adventure Inn and Adventure Square are inundated with these ?stories?, and it?s starting to sicken me slightly. The Stickies and Rules posted everywhere on this site are designed to educate everyone on the importance of proper punctuation, and the standards on OB with regards to detail, substance, spelling, etc., etc. Are all those there for decoration? I take those standards relatively seriously (although I?ve done my share of minor offences), but I don?t feel that this level of consideration is held by everyone on OB. Does anybody have any thoughts on this? Am I simply being unreasonable? Phil

[QUOTE=PNK]I also think Ghost in the Shell would be a great game and it might be similar to Deus Ex. Deus Ex had a cyborg and he had different implants that were used for a variety of things(hacking/thermal vision stuff like that). And that combined with a Metal Gear Solid approach to stealth, and a Shinobi/Ninja Gaiden approach to combat it would be great. Also now that Gungrave is an anime there is a PS2 game....But which came first?[/QUOTE] Good call on the Deus Ex similarity... that WOULD be awesome. If they could combine those awesome storyline elements of Deux Ex (It really seemed like you travelled a million miles around the world in that game...), and those other elements you mentioned, we'd have one kickass game. KICKASS. Of course, I wouldn't particularly mind some anime cutscenes :) And thanks to Hittokiri Zero for giving all of that juicy information. Phil

[QUOTE=Lalaith Ril][COLOR=DarkGreen]Hey, Well I figured this was as good of a place to ask this question as anywhere else so I put it here. Lol Anyways I was wondering if anyone knows if poetry.com is really a trustworthy place or if its just one giant scam. I sent a poem in there for the heck of it and I just recieved something saying I'm entered into the Semi-finals and that I can be published in a collection entitled [i]Eternity[/i] I find this highly doubtful because I don't really think my work is good enough for publication and this sounds too good to be true. I think you'll agree [i]Silence Where have I gone, where have I been? What do I show, what do I need? How do I break the silence within. I've faught the pain, faught the storm, beat the sadness, beat the rain. But how do I tear this silence? We've tested the limits, found the happiness, followed the road, followed our hearts> You are how I destroy the silence.[/i] Now I think you agree with me, its not publication worthy, so am I just being scammed here? [/COLOR][/QUOTE] The poem is nice - however - it's basically just a publishing service for amateurs. My roommate - who's not an experienced poet - did it as a joke. He won some poetry competition on there. Sorry to burst a possibly growing bubble... it's definitely a semi-lie.

Long story short - and as much as I hate to say it - the ban is not constitutionally fair. Basically, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, unless his hate speeches, if they are that, are inciting violence or similar actionable offenses, he is free to speak his mind... or enter a country (I'm speaking with reference to Canada, anyway).

I'm sure there's already been a discussion about this somewhere, but frankly, I always prefer subtitles over dubbing. I feel that with any art form, language is an essential part of the artistry. The way the dialogue sounds, etc., etc., is all part of the overall design. I would much rather take the split second required to read the subtitles, than hear some (usually) poorly down dubbing that looks like a grade school project. But, to answer your question, I have no idea.

I would do two things: 1) [URL=http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=40829]Go here and read the posts.[/URL] 2) Learn to spell greasy. Phil

[B]Name[/B]: Liaran Ikor [B]Name at Birth[/B]: Liaran Mandoren [B]Age [/B] [Terran Years]: 29 [B]Date of Birth[/B]: 2358 [B]Marital Status[/B]: Single [IMG]http://otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=20643&stc=1[/IMG] [B]Appearance[/B]: The only addition to this picture is a series of brown spots down both sides of his neck ? a characteristic of the existence of a Trill symbiont. [B]Height[/B]: 5?11 [B]Weight[/B]: 155 lbs. [B]Hair Colour[/B]: Dark brown [B]Eye Colour[/B]: Green [B]Species[/B]: Trill [B]Sex[/B]: Male [B]Place of Birth[/B]: Trill (Sappora system) [B]Languages[/B]: Cardassian, Klingon, and Vulcan (learned through symbiont integration) [B]Interests[/B]: Bartending & Cooking ? Liaran is widely known throughout the Federation as an expert chef and drink connoisseur. Specialties include Bloodworm Tartar and Deviled Wood Throk. Tri-dimensional chess. [B]Position Applied For[/B]: Second Officer and Chief of Security/Tactical [B]Education[/B]: 2365-2370 Primary Education, Trill 2370-2375 Secondary Education, Trill 2377-2380 Trill Hosting Program, Trill 2375-2379 Starfleet Academy, Trill Academic Specialty Degrees in Trans-Phasic Armaments and Starship Defense Tactics [B]Service Record[/B]: 2375-2376 1st Year Cadet 2376-2377 2nd Year Cadet 2377-2378 3rd Year Cadet 2378-2379 4th Year Cadet 2380-2382 Jupiter Station, Security Officer & Junior Tactical 2382-2386 U.S.S. Bellerophon, [COLOR=DarkRed]CLASSIFIED[/COLOR] 2387 (Pres) U.S.S. Brightstar, Second Officer and Chief of Security/Tactical [B]Background[/B]: The second host of the symbiont, Ikor, Liaran has already lived one life through another Trill. Yumen Ikor was a celebrated explorer in the annals of Starfleet history ? and the first host for the symbiont. The Chief Science Officer for a Nova-class starship, the U.S.S. Equinox, Yumen was a master diplomatist and scientist. A lover of languages and cultures, Yumen absorbed the knowledge of countless races and species. However, old age eventually caught up with Yumen, who passed away peacefully upon having returned to Trill. An accomplished graduate of the Trill hosting program, Liaran was an ideal candidate for the bonding process. Yumen passed away as Liaran had just completed his training - the Trill High Council immediately gave its permission for the combination. Before he ever entered the Trill hosting program, Liaran was an eager cadet in Starfleet Academy. Having watched both his two older brothers enter the Academy and continue on to stellar careers in Starfleet, he felt the same draw to life as an officer. His parents, however, were strongly opposed to the idea. For one, Liaran was the first member of their family to be accepted into the Trill initiate program. As far back as they could recall in both lines of the family, no member had ever been considered for the training. Secondly, he was their youngest, and they wanted their family to continue their roots on Trill. Despite their protests, Liaran was determined to follow his own path. He disregarded an invitation to enter the training and instead enrolled at Starfleet Academy. Determined to show his family that he had made the right decision, he went on to win academic honours and accolades in all aspects of cadet education ? in particular, flight training, combat training, and tactical operations. Although they were against the idea of Liaran entering Starfleet, they eventually decided to be supportive, rather than alienate him entirely. Perhaps because of their decision to compromise, Liaran relented and entered the Trill hosting training simultaneous to his time at Starfleet Academy. He began the training expecting the worst, but soon realized the full import of his role in Trill: a host, a carrier, an integral member of this miraculous process. His parents were extremely pleased at the progress he was making, and they were especially encouraged by news that a symbiont had been found for him. They hoped, though they never said it aloud, that the integration of memories and experiences might deter Liaran from leaving Trill. However, contrary to their hopes, the integration actually furthered Liaran?s desire to explore. At the first opportunity after the integration, Liaran was accepted aboard the Jupiter Station. His short-lived service there saw major improvements all around ? including ship armaments, as well as personal equipment. His instinctive understanding of small-scale combat was unprecedented. Liaran was also widely recognized as a tactical genius ? three papers of his writings on ship-to-ship combat and planetary assaults/defense were published and widely distributed throughout the Alpha quadrant. Although he was flourishing at Jupiter, he was suddenly transferred to the U.S.S. Bellerophon. While little known about his time on the Bellerophon, there is some speculation that it included involvement in Special Covert Operations. He was released from the Bellerophon after two years of service ? and immediately found a placement aboard the U.S.S. Brightstar. Despite his relatively small service record, he was given a recommendation of the highest order from Admiral Locke of Starfleet HQ. The captain of the Brightstar reluctantly took the officer on. [B]Personality Profile[/B]: Liaran is a very personable individual, a trait common through both his Liaran Mandoren and Yumen. His integration with Ikor severely dampened Liaran?s aggressive tendencies, and the diplomacy of Yumen is now what comes through. Other than that, however, there are no clear distinctions between the two... except that Yumen was a female Trill. This fact, as one may expect, has certainly helped in balancing Liaran?s personality, as well as given him an interesting perspective on women. Liaran has an extremely sarcastic sense of humour, and is not above playing the occasional practical joke. He is also a very empathetic individual. Special Notes: Liaran is currently in a relationship with a medical officer aboard the Brightstar, Sarah McInnis.

[quote name='madredemundo']I WAS SERIOUS ABOUT THE HEART SURGERY.........[/quote] Sorry about that - the rest of your original post didn't seem all that serious - my apologies. Phil