The only "rational" I see here is "rationalization" for your screed.
Of course, I never slap someone for no reason. If I slap someone, it's because I want to take control and partially submit the other person to my will.
"Submit... to my will?" Are you intentionally trying to sound psychopathic?
But this new violence I will initiate won't be the results of a feeling of injustice, it won't be the result of a desire for revenge
So, in the seconds after being slapped, your brain goes through a decision tree of options to arrive at your intended outcome... not "WTF?" You don't have adrenaline? You don't have dopamine? You don't have cortisol? You're in complete command of your thinking at all times.
Translation... you're an AI?
Second, initiating violence is generally a rational action.
Whoa, gimme a break. What infinite wisdom allowed you to come up with this pearl? Your assumption that everyone is a robot like yourself?
Really? So, you would prefer it that if you mistakenly hurt someone, they should just hurt you back in some manner? "Oops, sorry I hurt your toe, here's mine to crush?"
Man, I hope you're not in any position of authority...
I've enjoyed my ZaReason Verix 547. http://http//zareason.com/shop/Verix-547.html Slightly more expensive, but they have great customer service and you can customize every aspect of the box, even removing stock components and getting a refund on them. I'm pleased with the result.
Another major selling point for DeVry (my alma mater) is the format of the program - you're placed into a cohort, and everyone in your cohort attends the same classes all taught in a compressed, fixed block of time. For people working full- or near-full-time, having the guarantee that you *will* get into every class and that *every* class will be available within a known time span is important. This predictability means that you can bypass all of the incredible hassles that are involved in trying to attend a public college, such as:
*) This _required_ class (TRC) is only taught once a year.
*) TRC is only available at noon this year.
*) TRC is full of higher-priority students.
*) TRC is taught at the same time as another required course.
While I agree that DeVry's academic standards were less than rigorous, for those of us who couldn't afford to attend school full time (middle-class donut hole), having a predictable, compressed, guaranteed schedule that permitted regular part-time employment was a godsend.
I played the original NWN on AOL in the early '90s, and I encountered a very similar situation. A very cozy social network had arisen of "nice" people who chit-chat roleplayed but did little else. The game itself was limited - a new character could easily max in a day and push through most of the stock content during that time. So, most of us kind folx (I was definitely one) spent their HOURLY fee (yeah, they charged by the hour back then) typing at each other and acting as chaperones for newer players. It was a safe, comfortable, static, and ultimately dull world. The user community was hardly growing. There was no PvP - hard to believe an MMO without any PvP - but it was exclusively enforced by social convention.
That is, until a player named Beelzebub (I can't recall his actual spelling) showed up and turned the universe upside down. Although PvP was mostly unexplored, the game mechanics allowed for PvP, and Beelz was merciless. He didn't talk to you. He was utterly silent and deadly. He'd ambush you, wipe you out in just a few rounds with a selection of spells (cleric/mage was the nerf in that game) specifically geared towards PvP, and then vanish. He wasn't "mean" in the sense that he embarrassed you or targeted you in any way - he was faithfully running a lawful evil character.
The furor that arose from his actions was overwhelming. I was one of the most heated, calling for his banning, rewriting the game mechanics, blah, blah, blah. I was overruled by the "NWN*" players (near-employees who provided technical support and performed in-game magic to fix problems) and Beelz continued on his merry way. Eventually, guilds arose to both oppose and support PvP, more players joined, and a thriving community developed. From stagnation came creativity and a new lease on life for NWN.
I literally hated Beelz at the time, but I look back now and I realize that he was like the Mac's hammer thrown into the huge screen in that famous 1984 commercial. He provided a spark, a new way of thinking about your character and your interaction with the game world. The old way didn't crumble; in fact, the "pacifist" guilds took on new vigor because they could exist as a foil to the PvP-centered guilds. NWN had had a strong community before Beelz, but it favored conformity and predictability. Those are fine and good, but they're not the pillars of an exciting, adventurous, growing world.
When a single player is despised by a large portion of an MMO, it probably means that player is doing something right.
Slashdot Mirror
The only "rational" I see here is "rationalization" for your screed.
Of course, I never slap someone for no reason. If I slap someone, it's because I want to take control and partially submit the other person to my will.
"Submit... to my will?" Are you intentionally trying to sound psychopathic?
But this new violence I will initiate won't be the results of a feeling of injustice, it won't be the result of a desire for revenge
So, in the seconds after being slapped, your brain goes through a decision tree of options to arrive at your intended outcome... not "WTF?" You don't have adrenaline? You don't have dopamine? You don't have cortisol? You're in complete command of your thinking at all times.
Translation... you're an AI?
Second, initiating violence is generally a rational action.
Whoa, gimme a break. What infinite wisdom allowed you to come up with this pearl? Your assumption that everyone is a robot like yourself?
Really? So, you would prefer it that if you mistakenly hurt someone, they should just hurt you back in some manner? "Oops, sorry I hurt your toe, here's mine to crush?"
Man, I hope you're not in any position of authority...
I've enjoyed my ZaReason Verix 547. http://http//zareason.com/shop/Verix-547.html Slightly more expensive, but they have great customer service and you can customize every aspect of the box, even removing stock components and getting a refund on them. I'm pleased with the result.
Personally, I prefer the Bee Gees. Those guys were seriously high-frequency carriers.
Another major selling point for DeVry (my alma mater) is the format of the program - you're placed into a cohort, and everyone in your cohort attends the same classes all taught in a compressed, fixed block of time. For people working full- or near-full-time, having the guarantee that you *will* get into every class and that *every* class will be available within a known time span is important. This predictability means that you can bypass all of the incredible hassles that are involved in trying to attend a public college, such as:
*) This _required_ class (TRC) is only taught once a year.
*) TRC is only available at noon this year.
*) TRC is full of higher-priority students.
*) TRC is taught at the same time as another required course.
While I agree that DeVry's academic standards were less than rigorous, for those of us who couldn't afford to attend school full time (middle-class donut hole), having a predictable, compressed, guaranteed schedule that permitted regular part-time employment was a godsend.
I played the original NWN on AOL in the early '90s, and I encountered a very similar situation. A very cozy social network had arisen of "nice" people who chit-chat roleplayed but did little else. The game itself was limited - a new character could easily max in a day and push through most of the stock content during that time. So, most of us kind folx (I was definitely one) spent their HOURLY fee (yeah, they charged by the hour back then) typing at each other and acting as chaperones for newer players. It was a safe, comfortable, static, and ultimately dull world. The user community was hardly growing. There was no PvP - hard to believe an MMO without any PvP - but it was exclusively enforced by social convention.
That is, until a player named Beelzebub (I can't recall his actual spelling) showed up and turned the universe upside down. Although PvP was mostly unexplored, the game mechanics allowed for PvP, and Beelz was merciless. He didn't talk to you. He was utterly silent and deadly. He'd ambush you, wipe you out in just a few rounds with a selection of spells (cleric/mage was the nerf in that game) specifically geared towards PvP, and then vanish. He wasn't "mean" in the sense that he embarrassed you or targeted you in any way - he was faithfully running a lawful evil character.
The furor that arose from his actions was overwhelming. I was one of the most heated, calling for his banning, rewriting the game mechanics, blah, blah, blah. I was overruled by the "NWN*" players (near-employees who provided technical support and performed in-game magic to fix problems) and Beelz continued on his merry way. Eventually, guilds arose to both oppose and support PvP, more players joined, and a thriving community developed. From stagnation came creativity and a new lease on life for NWN.
I literally hated Beelz at the time, but I look back now and I realize that he was like the Mac's hammer thrown into the huge screen in that famous 1984 commercial. He provided a spark, a new way of thinking about your character and your interaction with the game world. The old way didn't crumble; in fact, the "pacifist" guilds took on new vigor because they could exist as a foil to the PvP-centered guilds. NWN had had a strong community before Beelz, but it favored conformity and predictability. Those are fine and good, but they're not the pillars of an exciting, adventurous, growing world.
When a single player is despised by a large portion of an MMO, it probably means that player is doing something right.
---Jason