User talk:Terilem

Welcome
Hi, welcome to Editable Codex! Thanks for your edit to the Talk:Gargoyles page.

Please leave a message on my talk page if I can help with anything! -- Carcerian (Talk) 07:34, November 16, 2009

Wiki Admin
Forum:Administrator - Just wanted to bring your attention to this in case it goes scrolling off the recent changes. It'd be nice to have everyone's input. Fenyx4 14:34, March 12, 2010 (UTC)

Yes.
You need to do more descriptive writing here on the Codex. Quite fond of your grammatical overhaul on the Ethereal Void! --Polygoncount 18:32, April 13, 2010 (UTC)
 * Thank you, I appreciate that :) I've had that one in the works for quite some time; I just took awhile to actually call it finished and put it up. I noticed you had made some changes to the article in the meantime so I tried to incorporate those as much as I could. Glad you enjoyed it! --Terilem 18:40, April 13, 2010 (UTC)

Global searching w/U6Edit
Since you seem to be an aficionado on U6Edit, I need to ask you a quick question: if you want to search for any piece of text, and you want to search throughout all the text in the game, is that possible? It seems to me that if you are looking for a string, you need to know where to look (the NPC who said it, the sign it's on, etc.). AngusM 04:39, September 6, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, unfortunately I haven't been able to find a way to do global searches and I'm not sure if it's possible :( U6Edit's strength is the guaranteed completeness of dialogue for any NPC you're specifically looking for. I'll try to investigate more, but it seems there's no perfect solution when it comes to U6. I wish Origin had adopted the Usecode format earlier; it makes things so much easier. --Terilem 04:46, September 6, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yes, well... it is open source. And the mainstream dialogue is not in plain text for this game. There also hasn't been any activity on that project in several years. I guess it's incumbent on whoever wants that global search ability to implement it. AngusM 18:34, September 6, 2010 (UTC)

Spell article's name poll
Hey there, I think you may want to contribute to the Forum:POLL: Spell article's merging policy. Thanks!--Sega381 17:01, 6 March 2011 (PST)

One request
Seeing that you replace various paperdoll pictures, one request. Could you please make sure that the person in the picture stays the same? I know that means using BG instead of SI, but I would appreciate it.--Tribun 18:38, 22 March 2011 (PDT)


 * I've been doing that. I assume you're referring to the Magebane image, in which case the paperdoll was replaced with the canonical blonde female Avatar from SI over the fan-made one from Exult. Otherwise yes, I will continue matching skin colour and gender. --Terilem 18:44, 22 March 2011 (PDT)


 * That actually is Jaana. I also use pictures which feature Katrina and Julia.--Tribun 18:46, 22 March 2011 (PDT)


 * Weird, it's been awhile since I actually played using Exult but I remembered it having an "improved" blonde female Avatar paperdoll. At any rate, that Jaana paperdoll was still fan produced and preferably shouldn't be used if there is a canonical substitute available. Whether or not it's the same person shouldn't really matter when the subject in focus is a piece of equipment anyway. --Terilem 19:02, 22 March 2011 (PDT)


 * Ok, I admit that for the Jaana paperdoll. However, for the other two they used the art from the original inventory screen for the head. --Tribun 19:09, 22 March 2011 (PDT)


 * I have a request/criticism: If pictures are being replaced, is it possible to use ones WITHOUT that shitty antialiasing-whatever-you-call-it-effect? It kills a lot of detail on the original art. --polygoncount (Polygon Dragon -==(UDIC)==-) 22:40, 22 March 2011 (PDT)


 * Certainly. I've always been ambivalent about whether to use the scaling or not. The kind I see used in screenshots here is usually of pretty poor quality, but I thought the one I've been using did a pretty good job so I went with it. However, I realise scaling isn't everyone's cup of tea now matter how good it is, and I don't mind sticking with a purist approach. --Terilem 23:03, 22 March 2011 (PDT)

Yeah, but a pure point-scaler looks ugly as hell as well. I can live quite well with using the scalers that Exult offers in order to make the pictures less pixelated.--Tribun 08:44, 23 March 2011 (PDT)
 * Well, I guess we'll agree to disagree. I'm anti-smooth-scaling for these games because I really prefer to see what the designers originally intended... resolution wasn't what it is today, but it feels to me like taking a work of art and saying "Here, look at it through these 3-D glasses!" The older (U5 and back) Ultimas are SO limited in their graphic capability that mods like the U4 Upgrade are a welcome change; in those cases, it's more like looking at different chess pieces. I dunno, just my .02 cents. With the character portraits it's not so big a deal, but with the paperdolls, it just seems like overkill. --polygoncount (Polygon Dragon -==(UDIC)==-) 11:51, 23 March 2011 (PDT)

Section Headers
I feel I should talk with you directly. I'm well aware that game titles are put in italics. What I don't know is why you felt this should be expanded to section headers. They weren't part of the rule (as far as I know) and I'll remove the italics if there isn't a godd counter-argument.--Tribun 23:20, 29 September 2011 (PDT)


 * Thank you for the message. My reason is because it's grammatically proper to do so, and headings are standard English. Have a look at Wikipedia for any number of examples of this. Do you have a particular objection to it? Why does there have to be a good counter-argument just to warrant following grammar standards? I would in fact assert that there should be a good counter-argument for not doing it this way.


 * If you would like to have a rule defined specifically for headings one way or another, I'm sure it won't be a problem to get a few regular contributors to come to a consensus about it; I believe that is the preferred conduct, rather than engaging in an edit war. --Terilem 23:46, 29 September 2011 (PDT)


 * It's because before you started it, no section headers were touched by formatting, it was a sort-of unwritten rule. I'd accept it if there indeed is a rule made by concensus. (Maybe it's because I'm German and like clear rules).--Tribun 01:09, 30 September 2011 (PDT)


 * Fair enough. Conversely, I didn't foresee that there would be any issues if I incorporated headings into the guidelines we'd already decided upon for article content. I'll hold off on italicizing headings until a consensus can be reached. --Terilem 01:16, 30 September 2011 (PDT)


 * Ok, let's do it this way.--Tribun 01:24, 30 September 2011 (PDT)

Wikia
While you're listing the files Wikia does not have permission to host, you may as well tell them the entire contents of
 * http://ultima.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Ultima_V:_Lazarus_Portraits
 * http://ultima.wikia.com/wiki/Ultima_V:_Lazarus
 * http://ultima.wikia.com/wiki/Lazarus_Map

I know I'm the guy who uploaded most of those images without your permission, so I fully recognize the irony of helping you with this endeavor.


 * Yeah, I might do that. The reason why I originally only listed the files I did was because I can authoritatively claim ownership, since I drew them. I didn't want to presume to speak for the other two portrait artists who were on the team.


 * And for the record, I don't mind at all having those images hosted here. This wiki is 100% for the benefit of the Ultima community, not to help boost Wikia's bottom line. I hope I haven't implied that you did something wrong by uploading them, because that certainly isn't the case. Having said that, I did have to chuckle at the irony. :P --Terilem 23:39, 5 November 2011 (PDT)
 * Its cool. I understand your beef is with Wikia and not with me.  If someone had ownership of a document or file here, and they asked me to take it down, I'd do it willingly.  Dungy 02:43, 6 November 2011 (PST)
 * You ever hear back from them? Or are they playing the same game with you, refusing to do anything that might hurt their bottom-line? Dungy 12:23, 11 November 2011 (PST)
 * Yeah, I got a message back from Sannse, who just gave a canned "we're happy to investigate" response and linked me to Wikia's Terms of Use. I'm going to try emailing their copyright agent next. Let's see how many bureaucrats I can get deferred by. --Terilem 19:18, 11 November 2011 (PST)

Pagan music
As someone who is a little more interested than most in Ultima music, I really like what you did with the section on Pagan music. But I have some things I want to bring up: The Ultra-Mind 09:57, 30 April 2012 (PDT)
 * A while ago some guy on a talk page said that he had some musical aptitude/training but not enough to be any kind of authority on it. Was that you? These edits don't reflect skills so novice. (I don't know jack about music theory, so it's for you to tell me)
 * Maybe it could do w/a bit of dumbing down (and when it comes to music commentary, it doesn't get much dumber than me). I don't see "minor-key string", "choral arrangements" or "timpani" being dumbed down, but if that's the most important way that the section expresses the gravity of the gloom (and it's lots and lots of gravity!) then it loses some of the audience. For those of us fit for treason, stratagems and spoils, we only have the adjectives "ominous" and "desolate" to explain the impact.
 * Yeah, that was me. I'm a musician, but I wouldn't feel qualified to give a lecture on the ins and outs of advanced music theory, for example. However, I feel I know enough to give a broad overview of the characteristics of a given Ultima soundtrack beyond a couple of superficial sentences, while not being able to delve into minute technicalities (which would probably just exacerbate your second point anyway).
 * Hopefully my latest edits address your concerns; I'm not really sure how I might break it down into simpler terms than what's there. --Terilem 16:14, 30 April 2012 (PDT)


 * Yep. That seems to describe the Pagan atmosphere I remember. The Ultra-Mind 07:17, 3 May 2012 (PDT)

Ultima 5 Walkthrough
Hi Terilem!

Thanks for the revision of Ultima 5 walkthrough. I was too much informal, that's true --Abacos 15:45, 17 May 2012 (PDT)

...And I appreciate the fact you don't object the pictures of the female characters on the walkthrough :-D (I just skipped Gwenno because she looks overweight, at least from the point of view of an European like me, although she's one of the best characters, due to her high Dexterity). --Abacos 16:05, 17 May 2012 (PDT)


 * Of course I don't object to Lazarus portraits being used where they're applicable, but as I said on the talk page, I'm not sure they should appear in a walkthrough that only covers the original U5. However, I left them there for the time being in case others wanted to chime in on the discussion first. --Terilem 16:13, 17 May 2012 (PDT)

Ultima IX Cut Viedos
WOW! Where did you get these shots? I didn't manage to find them, and they are really good quality!--Tribun 05:10, 16 June 2012 (PDT)


 * Rescued them from the hard drive I used back when I ran my U9 website. The shots of LB, the Avatar, and the Guardian were released directly by Origin. The image of the Avatar summoning Pyros and the LB/Avatar ending pic came from Michael Morlan's old portfolio website; pretty rare I think, because I haven't seen them anywhere since. Always happy to help fill in pieces of the puzzle. --Terilem 05:53, 16 June 2012 (PDT)

Serpent Isle Character Photos
Good job with the photos and information about the models used for the Serpent Isle NPCs. Where did you find that information? Dungy 15:52, 24 August 2012 (PDT)


 * Got the photos awhile back from Steve Powers' Picasa album. He'd already captioned each person with their name, so from there all I had to do was match them with their corresponding Serpent Isle portrait. --Terilem 16:32, 24 August 2012 (PDT)

Who to ask?
I wanted to use a shot from a Lazarus trailer (of a moongate, which I turned to red) for a future expansion of a U6P mod where a shot that accompanies a text box at discovery of a red gate, is replaced. However, I better want to know if that's OK.

Who to ask? Or is it enough if I get the OK from you? Hope you can help me out there.--Tribun 19:01, 2 February 2013 (PST)


 * That trailer is ten years old and I'm afraid I can't remember who was responsible for what, so I'd have no idea who to ask; certainly not me, I was just a 2D artist. Can't you just do your own original art? It would be far less complicated in that regard.


 * Also, I see you've used more Lazarus portraits for your mod. I'm going to have to ask you give Nytefall and myself credit for those in some way, as they aren't really your own work and not doing so would be considered plagiarism. She drew Charlotte, Sutek, David, Sir Simon, Lady Tessa, and Dufus; I drew Sin'Vraal and Captain Johne. --Terilem 02:34, 4 February 2013 (PST)


 * Ok, I will do so. Thanks for telling me. I don't want to take credit for something I didn't completely drew myself. The next Pack published (which will be soon) will have the file in it.--Tribun 03:21, 6 February 2013 (PST)


 * Excellent. Thank you for your cooperation. --Terilem 03:23, 6 February 2013 (PST)

Small Request
Just a small thing: I noticed you again start replacing paperdoll images (b.c. of filters or missing pants). Could you please keep the characters that are shownthe same as in the current images instead of just using the generic Avatar paperdolls? Thanks.--Tribun (talk) 05:22, 15 August 2013 (UTC)


 * If it's not paperdoll artwork that only appears in Exult, I do keep the character the same; otherwise, I change it to something consistent with what appeared in the game as released by Origin. Besides, when the purpose of the image is to show an object and not a person, why does it matter who the paperdoll character is? --Terilem (talk) 06:35, 15 August 2013 (UTC)

Avatar doesn't fail
Actually, even though it hasn't been officially enshrined in policy, there has been talk about keeping contingencies that require unbecoming conduct by the Stranger (incompetence, unvirtuous behaviour post-U3, and so on) out of articles' main body. This is, of course, something we usually do anyway. The Ultra-Mind (talk) 12:42, 23 November 2013 (UTC)


 * Right, but wouldn't that only apply to a sentence that said, in essence, "This is what happens if you say 'no'"? As far as I can see, all that particular sentence said was, "While there is a choice in the matter, this is what happens when you say 'yes'". --Terilem (talk) 13:20, 23 November 2013 (UTC)
 * I don't follow. Which "that" applies to what was there before I made the edit and which applies to my edit? The Ultra-Mind (talk) 15:02, 23 November 2013 (UTC)


 * The second applies to what was there before your edit. The first is a hypothetical one to illustrate my impression of what your proposal for contingencies would apply to in this context. What I'm saying is I'm not sure it's applicable in this case, since the original text didn't actually describe an "incorrect" outcome in the first place; it just alluded to there being a choice. --Terilem (talk) 00:32, 24 November 2013 (UTC)

Ah, you're saying that the previous edit merely mentioned that there was a contingency. I guess there's something to that. The way I see is if there's only one contingency that we recognize in that context, then we shouldn't be recognizing there's any choice. The Ultra-Mind (talk) 13:35, 24 November 2013 (UTC)
 * Where are the talks you mentioned about "keeping contingencies that require unbecoming conduct by the stranger out of the articles' main body"? The only place I'm familiar with is Blu3vib3's page. -- Fenyx4 21:05, 25 November 2013 (UTC)
 * No, I was not influenced by Blu3's article. They weren't formal, drawn-out discussions, with much deliberation. They were off-handish and peripheral. I recalling talking about it w/Tribun once. That's as specific as I can be.
 * But, if you think it premature to say that it's already been discussed, we can discuss it now. The Ultra-Mind (talk) 17:48, 26 November 2013 (UTC)

Small Question
While creating "bonus PDFs" for the Ultima 6 Project in my free time (I already did the Compendium and a cluebook) I also created a PDF that'd handle the introduction (without the part on the slab) in the Style of Ultima V's intro (meaning lots of text). When the Avatar remembers the previous adventure, I did use parts of some pictures from the Lazarus intro.

Now, should I add the source at the end of the PDF, or should I again remove them (which would remove some atmosphere)? Or maybe should I send it to you that you can determine what I should do? I ask you, since you've been helpful in these questions in the past.--Tribun (talk) 03:32, 6 January 2014 (UTC)


 * I'd definitely credit the source, yes. Are they just screenshots straight from the Lazarus introduction? --Terilem (talk) 06:53, 7 January 2014 (UTC)


 * Straight from the intro. Want me to send it to you if you want to see what it is?--Tribun (talk) 07:56, 7 January 2014 (UTC)
 * I added in fat print at the end that the shorts are from the U5L intro to make sure.--Tribun (talk) 08:28, 8 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Excellent, thank you. Hope the PDFs turned out well. --Terilem (talk) 09:11, 8 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Thanks, It'll soon be published, I'll give you notice then.--Tribun (talk) 09:19, 8 January 2014 (UTC)

Shroud Wiki Logo
Hiya! Browncoat is working on a new logo for the Shroud of the Avatar Wiki. I was wondering if we could get the source file for the logo here so we could use and tweak the brackets? -- Fenyx4 22:14, 17 February 2014 (UTC)
 * Sure. What would be the best way to get it to you? --Terilem (talk) 09:34, 19 February 2014 (UTC)
 * Email if it isn't too large; editablecodex -at- gmail.com. Otherwise Dropbox would work. Thanks! -- Fenyx4 17:14, 19 February 2014 (UTC)

Ultima 1 continuity issue
Hello Terilem. Sorry for the edits on the Timeline of the Ultima Universe page, and thanks for the link to Talk:Mondain. Still, everything that I read in that page does not answer my objections. But I'd like to quote what Warder Dragon wrote on that page: "All we need to do is present to the readers what the games tell us, and let them draw their own conclusions".

The following table shows what the game tells me, and my conclusions at the bottom. If I made a mistake, please tell me where it is in the table below.

Note that the table below is about Ultima 1 only. After the issues in Ultima 1 are solved, we can talk about Akalabeth, Ultima 2 and Ultima 3, but I say: one problem at a time! --Abacos (talk) 09:56, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

My questions: If these questions were answered already, just tell me on which webpages I can read them. Thanks in advance for your help. --Abacos (talk) 09:56, 10 February 2016 (UTC)
 * 1) Is there any mistake in the table above?
 * 2) How can this website rationally pretend that Mondain died 1000 years after the creation of the Gem of Immortality? He either died straight away, or he didn't die at all.
 * 3) Why does this website want the left continuity-column at all? The right continuity-column is self-consistent, and it alone is sufficient to explain everything.


 * Hi Abacos, thank you for the well-presented outline. The main issue, as I see it, is that you're arriving at these conclusions based solely on the perspective of Ultima I, whereas on the wiki the entire series must be accounted for. Origin was notorious for both directly and indirectly retconning past entries, and the circumstances by which Mondain rose to power and was defeated are no exception. In light of this, I'm afraid I don't see how it's practical to solve the issues of U1 without taking the rest of the series into consideration.


 * The discussion on Mondain's talk page concluded the span of time covered by U1 should be kept deliberately vague, so as to neither contradict it nor the rest of the series, while also circumventing the requirement for speculative rationales. That is more or less how Origin handled it the further the series progressed, and I believe we should too.


 * At this point I might note the Timeline article, in its current form, doesn't actually contradict anything you're arguing as far as I can see; it merely condenses the sequence of events into one point and glosses over some of the specifics you're pressing for. Again, this is pretty much what Origin ended up doing.


 * I believe we're seeing a fundamental difference in how to approach this: you're proposing a chronological loop (I think; correct me if I'm wrong) in which Mondain's death is history that must be fulfilled, whereas the game itself presents his immortality and millennium of invasion as a reality having already transpired, which must be reversed. It's not that I can't see the logic in your proposal; I'm just not comfortable with how much it plays with many branches of established lore.


 * The passage of 1000 years, unfortunately, poses a problem within the context of the entire series. I have a few other thoughts, too:


 * I'm interpreting your proposal to be contradicting the games and manuals that are adamant Mondain was alive at the time of the Stranger's summoning. Should the populace not already be long aware of Mondain's death when the Stranger appears? Furthermore, that we don't personally see him in the "present" doesn't discount the possibility that others did, either during or prior to U1.


 * Taking into account the chronology given relative to Mondain's death in various manuals, it means U2 and U3 would both have to occur within that 1000 years, which A) has multiple Strangers co-existing in the same reality, and B) makes it rather odd that everyone in U1's "present" is still talking about the ongoing threat of Mondain, when there would already have been two more major incursions in the form of Minax and Exodus. Consider also that three quarters of Sosaria already has to have been sundered by the time of U3, i.e. within roughly 25 years or so of Mondain's death.


 * Shamino, a native Sosarian, would be more than 1000 years old even before the several additional centuries covered by the rest of the series. I know Ultima plays fast and loose with that sort of thing, but as you saw we felt it was a touch too absurd to reconcile. The 200 years between U6 and U7 was enough to noticeably advance him into middle age.


 * Likewise, if I'm missing something, please feel free to say so. I hope we can reach a solution that satisfies both sides of the debate. --Terilem (talk) 10:40, 11 February 2016 (UTC)