The Kaptain's Korner

Discussion in 'The Temple of Elemental Evil' started by krunch, Aug 18, 2005.

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  1. krunch

    krunch moving on in life

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    Rest In Peace - E. Gary Gygax, 1938-2008

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    [ADDITIONAL]
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    ...and he stole all of his work from Tolkien and threw some dice at it...
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    No, that is absolutely wrong.


    JRR Tolkien wrote a book that became a trilogy (can be bought as separate books or as one book) and influenced the imagination of many people, including E. Gary Gygax.

    The list of people who were influenced by the LotR trilogy in terms of D&D includes these people.
    Gygax, Gary (March 1985), "On the influence of J.R.R. Tolkien on the D&D and AD&D games", Dragon (no. 95): 12-13: "A careful examination of the games will quickly reveal that the major influences are Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, Fritz Leiber, Poul Anderson, A. Merritt, and H.P. Lovecraft."

    So, the influence of JRR Tolkien was upon several authors of fantasy books and the creators of D&D. That is not to say that everyone who ever wrote a fantasy book in paperback about races of monsters on planets with humans and, or demi-humans stole from JRR Tolkien.

    Likewise, D&D is not a ripoff of LotR. To say that Gary Gygax stole the work of Tolkien and threw some dice at it is ludicrous and asinine. Gary Gygax was a co-creator of and developed tabletop miniatures rules in to a tactical midevil combat game named Chainmail and, from there, developed what became Dungeons & Dragons along with a few other people. The only thing that is the same between LotR monsters and D&D monsters are some of the names. That is where the similarity ends - monster races origin, culture, organization, etc. are different, i.e., Orcs and goblins in LotR are not Orcs and goblins in D&D.

    And, whether you like it or not, E. Gary Gygax is the Father of the entire Role Playing Game gaming genre, not just in the form of Dungeons & Dragons. And, that sir, is absolute.

    There are two LotR video games you can purchase. Guess what, those two games are on the shelf for sale in stores because of the original work that Gary Gygax and a couple other game designers put in to tabletop miniatures, developing the Chainmail game and also Dungeons and Dragons, not just because of the trilogy named LotR. This is also true for numerous boardgames, video games and computer games.

    My point is E. Gary Gygax during his time on Earth was one of the more influential people in terms of Fantasy Gaming and, in particular, one of the most influential people in terms of the Role Playing Game (paper-and-pencil, boardgame, video game, and computer game).
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    Last edited: Mar 12, 2008
  2. krunch

    krunch moving on in life

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    Windows Vista (capable) minimum requirements
    Processor: 800 MHz
    Memory: 512 MB
    GPU: SVGA (800x600 and DirectX 9 capable)
    GPU RAM: no minimum
    HDD: 15 GB (free space for the operating system)
    Optical Drive: CD-ROM

    Windows Vista (ready) minimum requirements
    Processor: 1000 MHz
    Memory: 1024 MB (no shared GPU memory else over 1024 MB)
    GPU: SVGA (DirectX 9-class GPU) supports*
    * WDDM + hardware Pixel Shader 2.0 + 32 bits/pixel + adequate GPU RAM
    GPU RAM: 128 MB minimum (no shared GPU memory else over 128 MB)
    HDD: over 15 GB (free space for the operating system)
    Optical Drive: CD-ROM or DVD-ROM

    adequate GPU RAM
    typically = 64 MB of RAM to support a single monitor up to 1,310,720 pixels
    typically = 128 MB of RAM to support a single monitor up to 2,304,000 pixels
    typically = 256 MB of RAM to support a single monitor beyond 2,304,000 pixels
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2008
  3. krunch

    krunch moving on in life

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  4. krunch

    krunch moving on in life

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    "How To" clean your CD disks

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    Do NOT use paper towels and do NOT use Kleenex paper.

    Use DRY tissue paper, as in common toilet paper - it does not have scented oils or other chemicals in it [it's completely dry], and it does not have any greasy residual material on it.

    Put the tissue paper in the palm of your hand and hold it in place with your fingers. Extend your forefinger [The finger next to the thumb.] and wrap the dry tissue around your forefinger until it's tight. Use the other hand to hold a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Put the tip of your forefinger with the tissue wrapped tightly around it over the top of the open bottle of rubbing alcohol. Lift the bottle of rubbing alcohol with the tissue wrapped finger on it and quickly turn the bottle of rubbing alcohol upside down and, immediately back right-side up. Now, the tissue should be wet where your finger was over-top of the open bottle. If you don't do that real fast, you end up with a sizeable mess to clean up. Don't put the tissue down.

    Hold the CD disk upside down in the same hand you held the bottle of rubbing alcohol. Put your thumb in the middle hole of the CD disk and maintain a grasp of the CD disk using your fingers to hold the outside edge of the CD disk. You should apply pressure from your fingers inward against your thumb.

    Here's the tricky part. With the tip of your forefinger covered by slightly wet tissue paper, make small circular motions between the middle of the CD disk where your thumb is at circling around out to the edge of the CD disk and back around to the middle of the CD disk. Make two or three revolutions of GENTLY [I can't say GENTLY with enough importance.] wiping the CD disk. Move your hand clockwise a little bit and make two or three more revolutions. Slowly REPEAT this same process moving your hand with the tissue clockwise, more and more clockwise to the right and back around to where you started, until you have wiped all the way around the CD disk.

    Start with a new dry clean amount of toilet paper and repeat the process, except this time the tissue paper should NOT have any rubbing alcohol on it.

    Good luck!..
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2008
  5. krunch

    krunch moving on in life

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    Re: The Kaptin's Korner

    Internet Explorer 7 -=- upgrade for Windows XP and Server 2003

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    download -> Internet Explorer 7 <- click there

    IE7 offers
    ActiveX opt-in
    Security Status bar
    Phishing Filter
    Cross-domain barriers
    Delete browsing history
    Address bar protection
    International domain name anti-spoofing
    URL handling security
    Fix My Settings
    Add-ons disabled mode
    Features unique to Windows Vista
     
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2008
  6. krunch

    krunch moving on in life

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    blank post
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2008
  7. krunch

    krunch moving on in life

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    Re: Common Issues and Solutions

    Symptom: When installing Atari Patch2, you get a "cannot locate ToEE (ANY) on your computer" error.

    Did you purchase and install a download version of ToEE?

    * These problematic versions of ToEE report the "cannot locate ToEE (ANY) on your computer" error.
    (i.e., Direct to drive OR trymedia.com OR similar version)

    Solution:

    If this is the situation, you will probably have to buy a store version of ToEE.

    For USA-only site purchase of ToEE, see the previous post # 35, above.

    (count'em) 4 different amazon.com country sites retail boxed set version of ToEE
    * scroll to The Temple of Elemental Evil
    You will see these links.
    Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.de

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    Here is the single ONE & ONLY thing you can try to fix the problem short of purchasing a store version of ToEE.
    (determined by Drifter)

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    1. Make a backup copy of TOEE.exe (in game folder).

    2. Open Windows registry editor (start > run... > regedit). Browse to
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Uninstall
    Create new key, called
    {AD80F06B-0F21-4EEE-934D-BEF0D21E6383}
    Inside it, create new string value, named InstallLocation and modify it with the full path to the game install. Also create new string value, named InstallLanguage and modify it with value 9

    3. Run Patch2 setup. It should install the patch.

    4. Goto game folder and replace toee.exe with the one you've backed up (keeping the old toee.exe is essential, because it has the copy protection of downloadable version - upon runtime it decrypts some *.dat files, which are otherwise unusable. TOEE.exe of the CD version and the official patches for it (and the no-CD hacks for those) doesn't have such protection so you can't use them).

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    Last edited: Nov 8, 2007
  8. krunch

    krunch moving on in life

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    If you are looking at buying a new computer, you want to get a computer with an AMD processor and the AMD CPU stats are incomprehensible techie dribble, here's information in a pic to help you understand AMD stats.

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    *smirk* :yeaaa:
     

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    Last edited: Feb 18, 2007
  9. Allyx

    Allyx Master Crafter Global Moderator Supporter

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    Krunch, I don't suppose you know if you can install thesame copy of Norton Internet Security 2007 on multiple computers with the same Product Key do you? I have a desktop and laptop, and want to set up a wireless network between the two, but I'm unsure as to whether Symantec are gonna get upset about me using it twice.
     
  10. krunch

    krunch moving on in life

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    As long as your LAN is behind a hardware firewall router with NAT, all computers external to your LAN will only see one IP address for two or more computers behind your LAN firewall router.

    Product CD keys for software are pre-determined and are not dependent on a list of installed hardware or the IP address of a computer. However, product activation requires a web connection to a corporate website and the basic computer configuration collected by WMI (system information) can be queried. The queried basic hardware information can be posted in a database on a corporate website during product activation. It would be a waste to have more than the software version and MAC address for their database.

    Let me add that I would expect most companies who use product activation to make and use a combined derivative single identification number from the MAC address of a computer along with their installed software version information to generate an entry for their corporate product activation database.

    Speaking strictly in terms of theory and testing, if you install a program on one computer (behind a firewall router with NAT) along with its product activation and, then, you uninstall the software from the one computer and install the same software on a different computer and run product activation (also behind the same firewall router with NAT), the corporate website can flag it in their database during product activation and know it was installed on one computer and, then, on a different computer. Whether or not the software prohibits or blocks software updates on the first computer the software was installed (if it would not be uninstalled) is unknown. It all depends on what the software was programmed to do for its updates when communicating with the corporate website after product activation. You should be able to continue to update the last computer that the software was installed and product activation was performed.
     
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2007
  11. ShadowDragoon

    ShadowDragoon Advocate of Vengence

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    Quick question on this. I'm guessing that he has his desktop computer connected to the internet, and then wants to connect his laptop to his desktop to be able to access the internet via the laptop through the desktop. That being the case, his desktop computer would be his gateway. So, shouldn't any software he installs on his desktop to filter out spyware, phishing, etc. (which I'm fairly sure Norton Internet Security 2007 is for) also do the same for his laptop?

    If that's the case, wouldn't installing Norton on both computers be a bit of a waste? That is, of course, unless he'll be using his laptop online outside of his home network.
     
  12. krunch

    krunch moving on in life

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    The only reason to use Internet Connection Sharing is when someone has a dial-up connection and wanted to share a dial-up 56K connection or less between two computers at the same time. This would not make sense. This would only make sense before the time when cable and DSL was readily available in most metro areas and the only practical connection was to use a phone modem and dial-up Internet access.

    What I would expect is that Allyx either
    (1) has a hardware router firewall with NAT and wants two computers to use that same connection at the same time whether the connection is copper or wireless through a router for cable or DSL,
    or (2) he wants to be able to swap his desktop and laptop between using a cable/DSL connection with no router and only one computer would ever be connected to the Internet at any given time.

    In either case, I would expect he wants to have the software installed on both computers at the same time.

    If he has cable/DSL, he should have a firewall router with NAT due to number of times his computers would be probed and attacked. A firewall router with NAT hides the IP address of computers, makes them invisible to the Internet and port scanning across a subnet.

    Finally, someone with a dial-up connection does NOT need the power and protection of Norton Internet Security or other brands of similar software. If someone uses a dial-up Internet connection, they only need a good, current antivirus program and to keep it updated.
     
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2007
  13. Cerulean the Blue

    Cerulean the Blue Blue Meanie Veteran

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    Well Krunch, I happen to use ICS. I couldn't justify the cost of buying a router when my second computer (used mainly for playing music) rarely needs to access the internet. And my firewall already renders both computers invisible. So ICS is a viable option in certain circumstances.

    If I had a laptop, however, I would set up a wireless LAN with a router, and make it secure.
     
  14. krunch

    krunch moving on in life

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    For your two desktops, that is an exception rather than the rule (of thumb), Blue.

    [EDIT]
    Besides, sometimes getting ICS to work (particularly on computers other than XP) can be problematic. And, the price of a basic ethernet LAN router is only 40 dollars where the prices have dropped by more than 50 percent over the last three years.
     
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2007
  15. sirchet

    sirchet Force for Goodness Moderator Supporter

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    Kaptain: what is the difference if any, between the last two processors you listed in post 38?
    My new gaming pc is an AthlonFX 64 (55) is what device manager, (hardware) says.

    Just curious? It seems I got the right one when I decided against "Dual Core" The guys at Cheap Guys Comps said AMD was a much better processor for gaming.
     
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