Re: [GRIMDARK] Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons Discussion

[Scienza]

She'd probably be a lot healthier if she stopped giving a damn.

@Somber

I'm liking where this is going. Heavy stuff, but that's what PH does.

@Swicked:

Spoiler:

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[Exodus Hero]

Really, don't read.  it's depressing.

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Edit:

[SilentCarto]

Heh, an hour for me, though it takes several rereads for me to get everything. Eyes kinda glaze over fight scenes if nothing special is going on. More like skimming, then perusing parts interesting to me.

I usually need a 4-5 hour block if I'm taking notes.

...does everyone just read it straight through?
I can hardly sit and read anything for even an hour straight; I get too distracted.

Can't stand not to. I get rather grumpy if I get dragged away.

[OneMoreDaySK]

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[OBS.GS.§S]

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Hi SK.  :)

You might be onto something SK, but then again, I don't think anyone would do horrible things just because. Not unless they like being hated, or they get off to doing those horrible things, which could work maybe. Most ponies who do though are usually raiders or slavers, I dunno, I'd have to think more about it.

On that note, I've been up for about 26 hours, so once I sleep a bit I'm going to start pounding out Chapter Commentaries, hopefully I'll be able to add something good to the discussion, with my own little style.

[Derpmind]

Kinda makes me wonder how she hasn't already become dulled to that kind of things, by now.

I know she's The One Pony Who Always Try To Do better, but still...

After all the shit she's been through, it really is impressive that she still give a damn about others.

Compassion is BJ's coping mechanism to deal with all the shit she's lived through. If BJ tried to only care about herself, she'd also have to not care about all her flaws and failings too. I think both of these are parts of her character that are impossibly difficult to change. Without that drive to help others, BJ would have self-destructed long ago.

Besides that, is there not there the heroic ideal of the person who selflessly helps everyone they are able to? How much pain must one endure before they give that up?

[Dutcher]

So when do usually the next chapter is being released?
Because the last cliff hanger was HNGGGGGARGAGA

[OneMoreDaySK]

It'll be done when it gets done. Somber and his editing team do have lives, y'know. When it's out, you'll see the Somber Signal from Hinds, followed by a steam of posts of people going FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU- as the release times are at odd hours of the night.

[Silver136]

Shortly after the forum will light up with discussion about what happened in the chapter, what may happen next, et cetera. Its really hard to miss.

[Scienza]

So when do usually the next chapter is being released?
Because the last cliff hanger was HNGGGGGARGAGA

Chapter releases are usually marked by post count spikes of rapidfire speculation and outpourings of fangasming.

[Dutcher]

It'll be done when it gets done. Somber and his editing team do have lives, y'know. When it's out, you'll see the Somber Signal from Hinds, followed by a steam of posts of people going FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU- as the release times are at odd hours of the night.

Ofc, i was just wondering what is the usual time between chapters, not demanding it or anything.

[OneMoreDaySK]

Maybe 1 to 2 months a chapter? Brushing is on the weekends usually, and that goes announced.

[O. Hinds]

No, it's not usually announced. It would happen sometimes and not happen others, and then I took someone's (I don't recall whose) advice and deliberately stopped announcing it to try and increase the chances of the hub page not being too crowded for me to get into.

[OneMoreDaySK]

There's no real official announcement; I usually just see one of you comment on the brushing status. But yeah, I can see why having the hub page flooded is not the best thing. I blame swicked.

[O. Hinds]

Of course, there's no real reason to flood the hub page. I have the Somber Signal posts up here less than a minute after the link goes live, and I assume that the IRC announcements and such have similarly low latency. Apparently people are just that eager to read. :)

[Dekshuduph]

Of course, there's no real reason to flood the hub page.  I have the Somber Signal posts up here less than a minute after the link goes live, and I assume that the IRC announcements and such have similarly low latency.  Apparently people are just that eager to read.  :)

Do you think the Forumotion servers would do better? You might consider posting a direct link to the chapter here (as well as the IRC announcement you mentioned), and that way either the hub page wouldn't be flooded or you could just wait until it isn't to update it.

[Scienza]

Nah, mashing F5 every 3.1 nanoseconds is more effective.

One day, I shall find you.

[Aonee]

Maybe 1 to 2 months a chapter? Brushing is on the weekends usually, and that goes announced.

Has it really gotten that long? I remember when we were getting a chapter nearly every week. Not that I mind, Somber's gotten busy since that time, but still. We had an RP spring up out of boredom when threw was like a two week break between chapters

[Icy Shake]

Maybe 1 to 2 months a chapter? Brushing is on the weekends usually, and that goes announced.

Has it really gotten that long? I remember when we were getting a chapter nearly every week. Not that I mind, Somber's gotten busy since that time, but still. We had an RP spring up out of boredom when threw was like a two week break between chapters

"1 to 2 months" is overstating it a bit: with the exception of chapter sixty five and counting each part of sixty two as a separate release, for at least the last half year releases were pretty consistently four or five weeks apart (mostly four, especially after rounding). Sixty five, I understand, had some exceptional circumstances and ended up being half again as long as normal, and its gap was still only seven weeks.

[OneMoreDaySK]

Was just guessing. Apologies on overestimation.
Continuing my previous question, are there any unsympathetic villains in this story?

[Somber]

Steel Rain

[OneMoreDaySK]

I meant ones who have died/lost to Blackjack. He's still out there, as well as the Legate. I was kinda expecting you to give them something eventually, actually.

[Borsuq]

I meant ones who have died/lost to Blackjack. He's still out there, as well as the Legate. I was kinda expecting you to give them something eventually, actually.

Please don't give Somber any ideas like those. I mean, if that's what his plans are then okay, I can deal with that... but I happen to hate Steel Rain sooooooooooo much, I just want to watch (well, read about it, anyway) him die and laugh. 

  
Okay, I might be slightly crazy...

And Blackjack deserves to kill somebody without any guilt whatsoever. I mean, that reaction when Brass told her that she has no sob story... Priceless!
 

[OneMoreDaySK]

But in the end, she still felt sorry for Brass. The whole reason her freakout with Brass happened was because she's been guilting herself over practically every named enemy.

[Borsuq]

Really, don't read.  it's depressing.

Spoiler:

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Now, on the side note... I've been playing Fallout 2 some time ago, and one of it's mechanics made me wonder: what is Blackjack Charisma? Or her other statistics, for that matter?

In Fallout 2 depending on how much Charisma you have you can have more followers. For each two points you would get one follower. For example, mine character had 8 Charisma, so I hate four guys hanging around with me. But Blackjack had... Glory, P-21, Rampage (though if I were Blackjack, I would throw her out of my party for the stunt she pulled in the previous chapter), Scotch, Lucanea, Boo at the same time, which means by that rule she would have 10 Charisma. And that is not counting all the other ponies that joined this group for some time and then left. Of course, I know that this story isn't operating by that rule, nor was the original Fallout Equestria, I think (plus, operating by such precise rules from games in general is a tad silly), and considering how Blackjack isn't the best negotiator, I really don't see her having 10 charisma. But, you know, it still got me wondering, it's all.

Her other stats would be also interesting to know, seeing that they couldn't be very constant. Like with all those cybernetics she had to have greater strength, for example.

[Scienza]

My estimates on BJ's SPECIAL Stats.

Charisma, I'd say 12. She can charm almost anyone into agreeing with her, and if not, at least recognizing that her beliefs are strong. Her posse is just the tip of the iceberg. 

Her Luck, depending on your interpretation, is probably either sky-high or abysmal.

Intelligence, I'd give her a 5 or 6. She always underestimates herself, and she isn't necessarily book smart, but she's much smarter than anyone gives her credit for.

Agility, 7 (8 with augments). Her advantage over most of her more heavily armored opponents has usually been her ability to move fast and to move unpredictably.

Strength, 6 (8 with augments). with augments. Blackjack likes the smashy smashy, but she's usually favored firearms over punching. Her melee weapons are wielded via magic.

Endurance, 7 (9 with augments). Blackjack's pretty much indestructible.

Perception, 4. She gets surprised by things. A lot.

Presumably, the Ministry figurines also boost her SPECIAL stats.

[O. Hinds]

Of course, there's no real reason to flood the hub page.  I have the Somber Signal posts up here less than a minute after the link goes live, and I assume that the IRC announcements and such have similarly low latency.  Apparently people are just that eager to read.  :)

Do you think the Forumotion servers would do better?  You might consider posting a direct link to the chapter here (as well as the IRC announcement you mentioned), and that way either the hub page wouldn't be flooded or you could just wait until it isn't to update it.

It only takes fifty people, IIRC, to block editing access.

[OneMoreDaySK]

Huh, and no way of having exclusive access? I know that a TF2 server I frequent has a VIP list, and whenever someone of that status joins, a non-VIP gets kicked.

[O. Hinds]

Not as far as I'm aware of. You'd think that there'd be a way, of course, but Google does have something of a history of peculiar programming decisions.

[OneMoreDaySK]

Pretty weird that they don't have this. An author that can't even work on his/her/it own work? What madness!

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