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When you're there don't forget to grab Jade's boob!

Watch out for the goddamn pandas. They're ferocious.

the cool part is a cocky, badass smuggler with a cobbled-together tin can of a spaceship living on the frontier.

Hence, the success of Firefly.

Joss Whedon is my master now.

This is dispicable behaviour from the BBC. I don't think people are realising the issue here. They are undermining the cost of design. To redesign something as popular as the BBC page requires an intricate knowledge of SO many web design and usabilty fundamentals. Simply coaxing a designer with £2k worth of product and a blue peter badge is not my idea of reward. ...

Brent Sienna does, but I think he's a Mac user...

Be careful... you might hurt yourself.
http://www.pvponline.com/archive.php3?archive=2006 0221

Reminds me of the first time Ultima was featured on Player vs. Player
http://www.pvponline.com/archive.php3?archive=1998 0520
Hail the Lord.

I'm just curious why people feel the need to bring any of this nonsense into the game.

Because MMOGs are as much a social phenomonon as they are a game. Guilds are made up of people you expect to be spending a lot of time with and getting to know during the course of the game. People naturally want to associate with others who have similar viewpoints, just like IRL. As an extreme example, there are thousands of people that play on the Dark Iron WoW server because they are fans of the Penny Arcade or PvP comic strips (who's guilds battle each other constantly and have so many members that they actually had to split into several sub-guilds each due to in-game guild size limitations). That's pretty irrelevant to anything inside WoW, but they certainly get a lot of enjoyment out of tying those out-of-game activites to their gameplay.

You will find that every guild in the end filters its members to some degree by social skills not just by game skills. For example, guilds kick people out for being jerks all the time. Many guilds have charters stating that they are made up of "friendly, family oriented players" or something similar. Some guilds are just more organized about certain traits or opinions that they desire.

The problem is that there are a ton of guilds formed due to outside groupings and such. One big example are all the WoW guilds formed over web comics, such as PvP online's Panda Attack guild or Penny Arcade's Knights of Arcadia. I know there are other guilds formed from workplaces and even church groups.

So to say that the GLBT guild is not allowed because it breaks the role-playing experience is bunk.

Must be a coincidence.

Word.

...that it's actually a mouse, and not a baby kangaroo. It's less painful that way.

So we have http://www.penny-arcade.com/, http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/, http://www.officialwdc.com/comic.php, http://www.pvponline.com/, http://ww.somethingpositive.net/ and http://www.megatokyo.com/. Any other favorites?

http://www.pvponline.com/rants_dd.php3

Years ago Scott Kurtz posted this on his website PVP.
I have since played DnD with my little brother and his friends. While they have not become gamers they really enjoyed it.

It seems like all of those people who say they can't play DnD or other table top RPGs because they have kids and families ought to be playing with thier kids and families. It gets them away from the video games and the TV.

It's a recent trend because it has been pushed to the forefront by people who are no longer willing to be stigmatized. The effort has been successful recently because the percentage of the population who cares what the Bible has to say about it, or those who hold the Old World, not-necessarily-Christian-in-origin views on what is "natural" or "civilized" is smaller than ever before. It has always been wrong, as far as "the church" was concerned, several now-condemned popes aside. (Though let me make it clear that I don't ascribe any authority to "the church", as I don't belong to any organized religion.)

You're not in court for following your urges.

Not directly, no. But that's partially my point. You wouldn't be tried for your urges, because they don't matter. I know what you were getting at and I know this isn't it. I'll address that later, but allow me this digression for a moment... As with the court, it's not the physical inclination that I believe is wrong. It's the act. The analogy breaks down at the point of considering the will/desire of the individual, though. Because I also believe it's wrong to earnestly desire to do those things. But that's different from a physical urge, and it's different in that I wouldn't argue we criminalize wanting to assault someone, because how do you prove it? "Only God knows." On a side note, this is what scripture means when it says that people are not saved by the law (meaning physical laws, such as don't lie, don't steal, etc.), only condemned by it. Obeying God's physical laws doesn't make you a good person by default, but breaking them settles any question of whether you might be.

Really, why would you care if two guys are into each other?

I don't really care. That was the gist of my post. People can do whatever they want. But I do believe I understand the Bible, and I do believe it's the word of God. And if someone is going to claim that the Christian God "is cool with people being gay", as Scott Kurtz (author of PvP) put it, I'm going to have to disagree with how they are reading scripture. That does not imply in any way, however, that I'm going to tell my congressman to write up legislature criminalizing homosexuality. I don't think it's something that's necessary to keep civilization rolling.

Which naturally brings us to the next statement of yours that I'm going to address...

I disagree with Christianity for demanding that I restrict my actions with no clear reason given.

There is reason given in scripture: It's not natural. It's not why we have sexual organs. They're for procreation, not recreation. If you're not using them for procreation in the manner intended, then you're misusing them, and that's wrong. This isn't going to mean anything, however, to someone who doesn't believe in the authority of God to make that statement. Which is precisely why I don't push it on anyone who isn't already serious about understanding scripture so they can "get saved".

Personally, I think that homosexuals raising children has the potential to cause some psychological issue for kids who don't grow up to be gay. But I'm not a psychologist, so I can't say for sure, or even find out. And even if I were I doubt I'd get grant money to do the research, because I bet that line of research would be "taboo" in a way similar to researching whether males and females on average have differences in certain types of intellectual capacity. So I don't worry about it too much.

And personally, I think accepting homosexuality as a normal part of society will encourage others to engage in it who wouldn't otherwise consider it. Do I think this is this wrong? Yes. Do I think it's any more wrong than other things that these unsaved people are already doing? No. Do I think it would entice people who would otherwise "get saved"? N

I think PVP said it best about the AVP movie - Half hour of greatness wrapped up in an hour of suck.

Scott Kurtz's idea of a scary gadget

Well, now it's done.

http://www.pvponline.com/archive/2005/pvp20050818. gif

A lot of "casual" gamers are concerned about end-game play. The game is brilliant up until 60, then quickly devolves into a social experience where you NEED other players to enjoy. I simply cannot adhere my real-life schedule to guilds' that require 40 players to be on at certain horus. The only fun I've had with my level 60 character is pvping, and that's only because I can do it alone at my own pace.

Up until 60, you have the option of playing solo or in a group. At 60 you really no longer have that option. Do you intend to change that?

Alternative question: how do you handle the issue of pvp rewarding those who spend inordinate amounts of time playing the game, instead of rewarding skill?

Case in point: a lot of players have been putting unheard-of hours (some as much as 12-14 a day) pvping. They, in-turn, end up with some high-quality gear (see the comic you linked on your site: http://www.pvponline.com/archive.php3?archive=2005 0803). As an avid "casual gamer" pvper, I find a number of these players are more skilled, but the vast majority are simply winning from better gear. Will a mechanic be introduced that actually rewards skill (giving more points to those who win games faster, having diminishing returns on bonus points, etc)?

how Blizzard is dealing with the problem of servers and user load?

Uh, they pseudo-officially "returned" the GotY award several weeks ago (see here), and the servers have been stable for months now -- or at least they were stable several months ago when I quit playing.

PA even has several official guilds on the Dark Iron server, specifically to battle the official PvP guild(s).

I like that you tried to post something pithy, and yet merely showed that you know absolutely nothing about either WoW or Penny Arcade. Grats!

http://www.pvponline.com/archive/2005/pvp20050628. gif

And I've been a bit confused, because until the slashdot comments, I had never heard of Firefly. I'm still awful lost, but everyone seems to take it for granted, as if it were Star Trek or something. Did I miss something huge? Am I the only one who didn't know about this movie?

If only there was a series of online comics that explained the interest in a humourous way...

I didn't pay much attention to it until I heard that there was a movie coming out and both comics comics put up strips about the trailers..

Joss Whedon is the creator of Firefly.

Comic on the previews..

Just watched the series a few weeks ago. Downloaded the series and now have the DVD set. Actually, I bought the DVD soon after being disappointed by Star wars...

What I like is:
Fun characters + The way the show wrenches with your expectations all the time + The weirdness of the western in space concept.

I suggest you watch the first 2 or 3 episodes. If you don't like it, then you probably won't end up liking it later.

I didn't pay much attention to it until I heard that there was a movie coming out and both comics comics put up strips about the trailers..

Joss Whedon is the creator of Firefly.

Comic on the previews..

Just watched the series a few weeks ago. Downloaded the series and now have the DVD set. Actually, I bought the DVD soon after being disappointed by Star wars...

What I like is:
Fun characters + The way the show wrenches with your expectations all the time + The weirdness of the western in space concept.

I suggest you watch the first 2 or 3 episodes. If you don't like it, then you probably won't end up liking it later.

http://www.pvponline.com/archive.php3?archive=2005 0408

Like many before, I also believe that game companies aren't pushing new ideas, just rehashing the same ol' games with better graphics. I remember a PvP comic in PC Gamer where one of the characters was saying that all the great games now were already 'made' back in the 80's.

The problem is, I believe most in the gaming industry are afraid of making games based on new ideas. These games will go either two ways: Be a huge success, or (most likely) flame out. Pushing these new innovations cost lots of money, and I doubt anyone wants to lose any cash flow.

PVP said it first

That's why I said "otherwise rightfully". It's like a two-person project at school where one person does 90% of the work and both get 50% of the credit. The understanding before the project starts is that they'll share credit equally, but the one who put more effort into the final result ends up feeling kind of bitter.

Keenspot makes money off of advertisement (and maybe other things, but I only know of the advertising part), but they need good webcomics to lure advertisers.

All I meant by that comment is that I recall that some of the webcartoonists have felt like the guy doing 90% of the work.

Beyond that, I wholly concede your point.

And the "ideally" comment was more a shot at people who start webcomics only because they've seen the success that a few have attained and want to achieve the same success. It happens a lot, and the general concensus amongst webcartoonists (based on various rants I've read and webcomic panels I've attended) seems to be that if you're doing it solely for the fame, you're doing it for the wrong reasons.

I usually fall on the side of "love of your craft," but I can certainly appreciate the other side too.

I've really got no problem with a webcartoonist who runs his webcomic like a business, because art supplies, bandwidth and hosting do cost a lot of money. And if you're making a living off of your strip it costs that much more.

A few artists who live off of their webcomics:

Penny Arcade
Sluggy Freelance
MegaTokyo
8-Bit Theatre
Player vs Player
Schlock Mercenary
Something Positive
Ctrl-Alt-Delete

And those are just some of the ones that I read and can remember.

I wonder how Wiley will mock them this time? He sure didn't seem to think much of Scott Kurtz when he offered his strips to newspapers for free.

So you're Scott Kurtz? 'Cause that's his joke.

Says it all, for me.

And of course PVP did a thing also. Odd that PA hasn't been heard from.

Today's PVP comic seems very appropriate.

Vader Geek: It's too late for me, son. Joss Whedon is my master now.

"I know, what's even worse are those first few movies. Just a few spaceships, Luke discovers the force, shoots a bunch of stormtroopers and blows up a Death Star or two. And Darth's his father. I mean seriosuly, what do people see in these things?"

You know, I must be one of the very few total nerds who nevertheless haven't even seen Episode 4 until a few months ago. You know what? I can't see what people saw in that either.

The acting isn't really any good. The story really does justice to the "Episode 3" title, because it's like waking into the middle of a movie with not much clue as to what's happened, why are they really fighting, and wth that's really solved. And the one lightsaber fight is not like between the most powerful Jedi alive and his Master, but like between people who've never used one before. Obi Wan holds it like he'd hold his... ahem, let's just say now I see why the "I see your schwartz is as big as mine" scene was there in the Spaceballs parody.

I guess the one that said it the best was one of Scott Kurtz's characters in his PvP Online comic: it's not Lucas that ruined your childhood memories, it's growing up that did it. The only way you could find the new episodes as entertaining as the old ones (or I'd add, the only way to find the old ones entertaining at all too) is if you could see them through the eyes of a 6 year old.

So while you were probably going for sarcasm, I find what you wrote there actually true: the old movies really _are_ even worse.

http://www.pvponline.com/archive/2005/pvp20050510. gif

The same reason we need cookie monster singing about cookies, see comic: http://www.pvponline.com/archive.php3?archive=2005 0408.

It's no coincidence that they're taking off four days before Episode III premieres. They don't want to risk being killed in the Nerd Riots of '05 should Lucas screw the pooch once again.

Scott Kurtz (creator of PVP comics) made a very funny comic in 2000 as a rebuttal to JTC's comic. His writeup is worth reading, but if you're in a hurry or just not in the mood just scroll down for the comic.

http://www.pvponline.com/rants_jesus.php3

I could have sworn that the day after Kurtz entered, he had a news post up on the site saying that he'd somehow missed his update due to having labeled it February 29th rather than March 1st. Then again, he could have just been saying that the update was late, not that it wasn't within the "update within the day." ^_^ And I loved the strip where Francis takes up the gauntlet.

This point has already been made.

With Scott Kurtz and others in the mix who haven't missed a daily strip in years, you would have to ask yourself: is it worth the time and trouble to draw a crappy, non-funny web comic five days a week for years and years, where the only motivation is to win a few hundred dollars? I can think of easier ways to make money.

Any other favorite bits of "metacommentary"?

To be honest, I've never heard of anyone playing Tomb Raider to see Lara's breasts bounce, despite a lot of journalistic innuendo to the contrary.

Schlock mercenary
Sluggy Freelance
Megatokyo
PvP online
8-bit theater
Red vs. Blue

A lot of content is produced that way. Some of it even good one. Just beacause it's not video doesn't mean it doesn't count.

And let's face it, most of us would rather read a comic with a pile of crap fighting psycho-bears than see some bald guy parading in front of a camerafor half an hour, no matter what he actually did.

You should wait for the Super-Tiger-Dragon Edition http://www.pvponline.com/archive.php3?archive=2002 1112

The media may be convinced that p2p is synonmous with illegal activity, but they love scaring viewers by "exposing" crimes that may be happening in your neighborhood! Right next door!

However, the "average user" is much more concerned with their pocketbook than with nebulous notions such as "intellectual property" and "digital rights management". When I bring up the subject to family members, friends and students, their eyes just sort of glaze over. I honestly don't think the average person gives a shit about copyright. The only people who care are those who make money by creating copyrighted works, and those who market/produce/protect those works.

At the high school where I teach and do tech support, the first RIAA lawsuits a few years ago sent a number of students and teachers scurrying to me to see if they might be in trouble for downloading music. My two favorites were the stoner kid who didn't realize he was sharing 4000+ songs on Kazaa, and the evangelical principal who subscribed to Roadrunner for the sole purpose of downloading Christian music (illegally).

The RIAA/MPAA fight is not one that they can ultimately win, because the rules have changed with the ease of copying. They should really look to the model that Scott Kurtz of PVP and Epitonic - give the content away as a means of promotion, then make your money selling related items such as t-shirts, books, concerts, etc. Sure, books and videos can also be pirated, but until they're as easily accessible as music is via an iPod or something similar, there's still money to be made. Hell, most bands make their money on tour from t-shirt sales.

Anyway, don't think for a second that the "average user" thinks p2p is "wrong" - most users I've encountered are just annoyed that it isn't easier to find things.

PVP Comic

Reminds me of the benefits of CST.

Penny Arcade and PvP have taken a few shots at each other over the years -- some playful jabs, some that seemed less than benign. Now be honest: what's really going on between you guys and Scott?

The first person who says that George Lucas stole their childhood will have the spleen stolen, forcibly.

For more clarification on how you should feel about this issue, please note this commentary by this popular game developer.