tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829401646612727780.post462842997222917873..comments2024-02-07T08:32:53.306+00:00Comments on Stabbed Up: Children's stories?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829401646612727780.post-82410160900108487822011-11-07T19:23:49.432+00:002011-11-07T19:23:49.432+00:00@gamingsf Quite. I played through some of Warcraft...@gamingsf Quite. I played through some of Warcraft 3 recently and it's a completely coherent and serious narrative set in a consistent world.<br /><br />@Tremayne Actually, DC lays claim to Wodehouse, Chandler, Forester and Stabs.<br /><br />Small world.Stabshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08716211705647213383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829401646612727780.post-75984986810458045242011-10-27T10:11:09.505+01:002011-10-27T10:11:09.505+01:00When I was doing O-level English Literature (which...When I was doing O-level English Literature (which dates me a bit!) my teacher insisted that all SF and fantasy was "3... 2... 1... blast off type rubbish". Since we had to do a project as part of the O level, I wrote mine on good and evil in SF and fantasy, using The Lord of the Rings, Dune and the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant as my main texts. I got an A grade, and shortlisted for the school English Lit prize that year... not bad going given that it's a school that turned out P G Wodehouse, Raymond Chandler and C S Forester in earlier years!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829401646612727780.post-3810325294926413742011-10-26T16:47:05.878+01:002011-10-26T16:47:05.878+01:00The sad thing for me is that Warcraft, while not n...The sad thing for me is that Warcraft, while not necessarily on a level with Tolkien's art, really did feel like a consistent world with its own rules. <br /><br />Outlands was otherworldly so it didn't disrupt this too much (IMHO). Wrath was elsewhere as well and very tied into the core lore anyway.<br /><br />Cataclysm was a deal breaker for me though. The world was broken up deliberately but then the players experience was so railroaded and speed up that the world around you is just a blur. <br /><br />Pandaria will probably do nothing to make this already messy situation any worse, but it won't fix it either. I actually 'drew the line at Goblins', the Pandarans are no worse to me. WoW is now so 'in your face' with the pop-gags and constant vehicle quests that I don't feel much like an adventurer in a consistent world anymore. <br /><br />My Draenei shaman sits in a depopulated Darnassus doing his inscription research and the world feels literally lifeless...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829401646612727780.post-74876158137121230322011-10-26T09:11:25.723+01:002011-10-26T09:11:25.723+01:00@Yeebo I think the bile came from seeing Dragonlan...@Yeebo I think the bile came from seeing Dragonlance books top the bestseller lists while angsty novels about 2 gays living on the breadline in a bedsit sell less than 10 000 copies. Kind of annoying if you love the angsty stuff and think "everyone must read this!"<br /><br />Of course it goes back further to disdain for the cheaply published pulps of the 30s and disdain for sci fi. I'm afraid a lot of it is about the vested interests of professional "literary" writers, publishers and academics.<br /><br />@Marcko damn panda-fanciers get everywhere!Stabshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08716211705647213383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829401646612727780.post-42348728923925970752011-10-26T05:35:27.535+01:002011-10-26T05:35:27.535+01:00On a side note, some of the best writers I've ...On a side note, some of the best writers I've ever seen attempt to include literature, famous quotes, stories of their childhood, etc in their blog posts.<br /><br />They tend to make them a lot more enjoyable. Well written and I liked how you presented the information.<br /><br />Even though I've quit wow, I would have loved to run around as a panda sitting on alliance. About damn time my favorite race made it into the game :DMarkcohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13403848164475495092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829401646612727780.post-22376623037445211712011-10-25T21:38:06.162+01:002011-10-25T21:38:06.162+01:00I have noticed that English/ lit/ poetry majors th...I have noticed that English/ lit/ poetry majors that go on to grad school often seem to have a pretty strong dislike of fantasy, and the Lord of the Rings in particular. There seems to be a line of reasoning that goes "The Lord of the Rings is crap and is considered the best fantasy literature. Therefore all fantasy literature is crap." <br /><br />The fact that Paradise Lost, the Tempest, and the Greek myths are also fantasy literature does not seem to enter into the discussion. I suppose the argument would be that those are all examples of literature with fantastic elements, rather than fantasy literature. But then you could call most light fantasy either a romantic or adventure literature with fantastic elements, so it's a pretty meaningless distinction in my mind. And few lit majors seem to have a problem with other forms of escapist literature such as detective novels or westerns. I'm not sure why so much bile is reserved for books with wizards in them.<br /><br />Disclaimer: I know full well that this characterization does not apply to everyone that pursues an advanced degree in the liberal arts, and I apologize to anyone I may have offended by over generalizing.Yeebohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08028940396189544294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829401646612727780.post-6313212392047291222011-10-25T20:39:01.821+01:002011-10-25T20:39:01.821+01:00Actually I had a University professor who was even...Actually I had a University professor who was even worse. He disliked all modern literature, believing it was a poor descendant of Medieval and Old English literature. He defined "modern" as from 1550 onwards and included Shakespeare in his contempt for "modern rubbish".Stabshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08716211705647213383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829401646612727780.post-76410825438942596632011-10-25T13:28:06.371+01:002011-10-25T13:28:06.371+01:00Why didn't your teacher like modern fantasy li...Why didn't your teacher like modern fantasy like Song of Ice and Fire and Wheel of Time? What an elitist :PTahna Rouspelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10172054744138768498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829401646612727780.post-10907831638243019912011-10-25T10:59:54.455+01:002011-10-25T10:59:54.455+01:00@ Nils, good point, I think both the lack of consi...@ Nils, good point, I think both the lack of consistency and the fluffiness grate on me.<br /><br />@Straw Fellow the good way would have been to integrate them into the game before announcing them as a PC race. Murlocs for instance, if they had been the new race, they're at least undeniably a major element of WoW.<br /><br />I realise there were some hints at Pandarens before in the IP but using that to suddenly introduce panda characters is about as strong as using Haris Pilton to introduce Paris Hiltons as a playable race.Stabshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08716211705647213383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829401646612727780.post-87253059199805015712011-10-24T17:51:22.618+01:002011-10-24T17:51:22.618+01:00I really like this post. Gotta agree with Nils too...I really like this post. Gotta agree with Nils too, it articulates really well some of the reasons he's covered. <br /><br />I am curious, with all the people drawing lines in the sand like you said, does anyone think there was a good way to implement Pandarens into the game world? Nils mentioned in his post recently that, for example, goblins were silly but they had some serious themes on the inside. With Pandarens it is reversed. I find that true, and wonder if they could have done the same they did with goblins.Strawfellowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01575682856487531183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829401646612727780.post-17915925293060144452011-10-24T12:52:32.850+01:002011-10-24T12:52:32.850+01:00I think you should differentiate between "dar...I think you should differentiate between "dark" and "consistent". While I don't have a problem with dark or light style, I absolutely want my games to have a consistent style. Don't mistake this for consistent lore, which is great, too, but not as important as the style.<br /><br />Otherwise, this post could have been written by me. Thanks :)Nilshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06468755466492675831noreply@blogger.com