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| Acmlm's Board - I3 Archive - - Posts by Kasumi-Astra |
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Kasumi-Astra Flurry                   Since: 11-18-05 From: Sheffield England Last post: 6311 days Last view: 6311 days |
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| X, just because there inevitably would be insults flying around, it doesn't mean it's anything like going out looking for them. Founding a GLBT friendly guild was intended to provide a way for everyone to come together to play in an environment where everyone can feel safer, straight, les, gay, bi and trans.
This originally started out as a simple, honest attempt at making a quiet, friendly place to play where everyone can play without a fuss. It seems that that's all anyone expects and now it's what it's turned into. Who cares what people think of what they wanted or expected to achieve with the guild? They weren't a threat to anyone and now it's all ruined because of over-opinionated people. All these guilds want is to be left in peace. They're well aware of the potential problems with other players, and they do their best to ignore silly comments or insults. They've spent most of their lives laughing it off. They didn't expect any recrimination from Blizzard and all the resulting attention in the forums though. Sad, very sad. |
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Kasumi-Astra Flurry Since: 11-18-05 From: Sheffield England Last post: 6311 days Last view: 6311 days |
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| Like hell it's the end of the story. You've summed up what you think faces a GLBT guild as if you're the expert and then declared yourself weener. If GLBT people think they'd like to get together to play, then that's their choice. They have reasons that they haven't explained to you, and they aren't obligated in any way to justify that to you. Blizzard have already stated that they have no problem with GLBT guilds, just that they're not allowed to mention it in General Chat. But how does this affect everywhere else? What if someone says they're going out with their boyfriend or girlfriend? Everyone's entitled to that BUT if someone opinionated takes offense then they get a warning from Blizzard.
They can also get kicked out of guilds for just being gay, hell you can be treated like scum by your guild for just being a Girl. In Europe, you can get kicked from a raid or a guild just for speaking english. Even the word Lesbian is banned from the european forums. So you can be called "Homo" and "Fag", but you can't use the word that you feel best describes you. NOW tell me Blizzard's attitude to the GLBT community doesn't need addressing. (edited by Kasumi-Astra on 01-30-06 07:47 AM) |
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Kasumi-Astra Flurry Since: 11-18-05 From: Sheffield England Last post: 6311 days Last view: 6311 days |
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Originally posted by GeckoYamoriUh, no. Unless you play on the alternate german and french servers for those who prefer to use their native language. The forums won't let me search for threads at the moment, but dig through and you will find a thread about Skullcrusher (I think). Certain servers in WoW have been adopted as "unofficial" servers for many countries that do not have dedicated WoW servers. Barrens Chat on skullcrusher is pretty much all spanish, even though it's an English Realm. The problems with grief from Spanish players are complained about a lot too. Serial ganking, kicking from guilds and raides, insults in spanish have all been reported. My guild moved in a migration from Warsong to Twilight's Hammer because of the Russians doing more-or-less the same thing. I guess that worked out in the end, because I'm now in Sofie and Jiz's alt guild 
Anyway, here's my latest post for you to read, Enjoy: I've abstained from posting Sunday to wait for a blue reply today. I'm not suprised at the result and it's disappointing. I'm contemplating writing a letter to Blizzard sometime this week to make some suggestions and pose some questions. After having a while to think things over, here are a few points of concern: This incident, along with all the resulting fuss in the forums, especially the US forums has negated any possible good effect to be gained from Blizzard's policy. Many people have responded to the questions and the requests of people who wanted to make their feelings known to Blizzard with insult, preconceived ideas and even outright mockery. Many people in the US forums have not had the time to read up on the situation and have assumed that the guild in question was descriminating against heterosexual people by being GLBT only. The worse this became, the more opinionated people were and the more offensive the topic became. One forum troll even posted a thread saying that they were filing a lawsuit against Blizzard for a violation of their rights. Some pointed out that this was blatently bogus, though many continued to argue that all minorities are trying to corrupt World of Warcraft and the world in general by trying to win money for their own ends. I just can't read any of the topics in the US forum. How one person can be warned for uttering a four letter acronym, yet the so many posters on the forum are allowed to make untrue and hurtful comments is completely beyond me. Second is Blizzard's heavy handed response and "case closed" attitude. It seems that Blizzard has made this policy without even consulting the GLBT community for feedback or advice. This isn't just unique to this incident, it's the case in many other issues. One of those issues is with account suspension. I can appreciate the merits of having a zero tollerance policy with people who cheat outright, but this is far from Sara's supposed offence. The TOS state that Blizzard can interpret whatever it likes as harrassment or offence, but I simply don't believe that it is fair or just to penalise a person for something that is not clearly defined in the TOS, then refuse appeal. Blizzard have made no individual effort to consult GLBT players, or reassure them in any way that they need not worry about any warnings in the future. Third, in relation to the last point is with the TOS. Blizzard can interpret anything as harrassment, and they can punish a player as they see fit. I feel that this is unfair particularly in Sara's situation as the TOS do not offer any explicit restrictions on what may be said on the online chanels and where. If any unamgiuous rules were laid down, then Sara would probably have complied and none of this would've happened. At the very least, GLBT communties and players would be able to contact Blizzard directly to object to the TOS and campeign to have them changed. The TOS must be explicit and unambiguous if players are to have any clear understanding and to feel confident that they will not break any rules or attract unwanted attention. This also applies to what can be referenced or said. Are girls allowed to say they have girlfriends, are boys allowed to say they have boyfriends? If so, where? Fourth, Blizzard should adhere to their policy and set an example when it comes to using the terms "gay", "fag" and "homo" in-game. WoW should not be a place where this can happen freely and mildly punished. Reporting alone does not support this rule and I feel Blizzard should actively pursue those who use this language freely and innappropriately. This also goes for better moderation of the forums, and discouraging infactual and pre-conceived beliefs. Fifth, the situation on the forums shows that many people are still not accustomed to people in the gay community. We're not interested in discussing our sex lives in general chat, and we're most certainly not going to discuss them with you. In fact, we're only interested in refering to our partners in-game as you would yours. I'm going out tonight with my girlfriend. I have a boyfriend. We all discuss these personal issues in small talk in guild chat and whispers, homosexual and heterosexual players. You'll probably never encounter a gay player that ever mentions it at all. Players of the GLBT community have a right to come together and play just as you do, and just want to be left in peace. The problem we have at the moment is that we just don't know where we stand with what we're allowed to do in-game. As you can see from the experience with the forums, using forums to recruit for a GLBT friendly guild is perhaps not a good idea. I'd most likely start a web community first and recruit completely outside the WoW community, but many are concerned that they won't be able to support a community without a supportive set of guidelines and rules from Blizz. You can't say we're trying to bring politics into a virgin community. Sexual orientation is something that is built into everything you are, and the only politics involved are those that determine what we should or should not be allowed to say or do. The GLBT friendly guilds are just that- a GLBT friendly atmosphere where people of all different walks of life can play without any grief brought against them. It's an inclusive society that promotes tolerance and friendship. Lastly, I don't believe that Blizzard have mentioned any policy on transgenderism and gender identity. Make no mistake, gender identity is completely different and seperate from sexual preference. I'll assume for now that there isn't any. Although many transpeople have the same issues as gay people, you'll probably never be able to tell a transman or transwoman from their genetic counterparts online, because the only thing that is different about them is the sex they were born as. In every other aspect, they are who they appear to be. Even so, they can still face some grief online. I've never heard of any grief from a transperson, although they are just as concerned about these events as the rest of the GLB community. There you go then, I hope I've said something that every person can learn a little from. We've got our answer, albeit it's a very lazy and insensitive one. I don't wish to justify myself or GLBT people as a whole any more in here, and I think the thread should be closed. Blizzard are in contact with the GLBT community over this, and I think a statement is being made to one of the big publications that broke the story last weekend. I'll be supporting any efforts that people make to educate Blizzard and I'll be supporting Blizzard in learning how not to make such a big mistake in the future. I still love playing WoW, I still think it's the most important and amazing thing to happen in gaming this decade, and I'll be playing it until the realms slowly die. Now, Blizz, one more question I demand you answer... When can I have a universal binary of World of Warcraft for my iMac? :-) |
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Kasumi-Astra Flurry Since: 11-18-05 From: Sheffield England Last post: 6311 days Last view: 6311 days |
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| Pride is completely different. Gay people who advertise their pride in-game are in for a heck of a lot of grief, and do deserve a warning. Just mentioning a guild is GLBT friendly does not.
There are many reasons why gay WoW players can benefit from a GLBT guild in WoW, which I have addressed in my post. The simple point is that it's their right to come together and play, but they're unsure exactly what they're able to say and they're not allowed to even mention that their guild is GLBT friendly in-game. You're jumping to conclusions just like many other people were quick to do in the forums. Gay guilds do not discuss sexuality in-game, and the few that exist never have. Please get your facts right, this is a very crucial and sensitive subject  |
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Kasumi-Astra Flurry Since: 11-18-05 From: Sheffield England Last post: 6311 days Last view: 6311 days |
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| Yoronosuku: The GLBT guilds aren't formed to inform other people of their sexuality. Can you honestly say you've ever seen it in General before? They come together to play with similar people just like every other guild does. Blizzard have even said that they don't mind GLBT guilds, just that they can't talk about it in General. You can argue that it's in our best interests for Blizzard to do this, but then again, would you tolerate someone else who you've never met before defining what you can say in what they think is your best interest? I don't think you would. You can then argue that Blizzard are doing this for the good of the community, but then again they'd be advocating the "don't ask, don't tell" hypocrisy.
I've been accused of bringing politics into a virgin world. The only politics brought into the matter is other people saying what is right and what is wrong for me to say. |
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Kasumi-Astra Flurry  Since: 11-18-05 From: Sheffield England Last post: 6311 days Last view: 6311 days |
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I guess this is mostly aimed at Taryn, but anyone with any knowledge is most welcome to impart their advice 
After moving up in the world with a shiny new iMac Core Duo with a huge 20" screen, I thought I'd try my hand at CGing scans of some old sketches, as I was hoping to make a start on a webcomic soon, and I need some site art- and I can't steal art from Sky Lounge Garden forever 
I got frustrated very quickly with the mouse sensitivity- it's turned all the way up, but when I move the mouse slowly, the cursor travels about half the distance on-screen as when I zip the mouse quickly. It's very frustrating as I need to be careful and precise when CGing, and as the cursor travels less distance on screen when the mouse is moved slowly, I have to move my hand much, much more. Then you get the distortions from having to move your hand I'm sure there's a setting for this in most Linux distros, but there doesn't seem to be any in OS X. Has anyone got any ideas for configuring the mouse's behaviour to a greater degree than OS X allows?
Also, I got fed up with using my mouse, and I'm considering shelling out for a cheap Wacom graphics tablet. I'm honestly not going to use it that often, so between £60 and £100 should do. That'll buy me an A6 (3" x 4" ?) sized tablet of fairly good quality (definately Wacom, then  ). At first it's just to give me a better chance to improve my CGing, which is being held back by the mouse
Next, I adore Photoshop, but hate Paint Shop Pro. Confused by The GIMP, too I can't afford to get Photoshop legally, but I know that Painter also exists. How does it compare, and is it any good for someone coming from a Photoshop background? |
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Kasumi-Astra Flurry Since: 11-18-05 From: Sheffield England Last post: 6311 days Last view: 6311 days |
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You'd end up sleeping in lectures just like I do. It's possible, but I wouldn't encourage doing it every day  |
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Kasumi-Astra Flurry Since: 11-18-05 From: Sheffield England Last post: 6311 days Last view: 6311 days |
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| I've seen quite a few, but nothing fatal. I've seen enough to keep me off the roads, though. If I never have to drive, I don't want to. Heart trains. <3 Trains muchly. | |||||||||||||||
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Kasumi-Astra Flurry Since: 11-18-05 From: Sheffield England Last post: 6311 days Last view: 6311 days |
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| So, Blizz have formally appolgised and reversed the action against the player in question. They have also brought their policy under review. Grats, Blizz!
Thanks also for the Universal Application of WoW for the Mac. 60fps on maximum settings on my iMac Core Duo? Bliss |
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Kasumi-Astra Flurry Since: 11-18-05 From: Sheffield England Last post: 6311 days Last view: 6311 days |
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| I've since sorted the mouse problem. It turns out I'm not the only one to hate the mouse settings in OS X. I found a god-send of an application called Steer Mouse that lets you configure all sorts of things, including mouse speed AND acceleration. My mouse is now more Windows in character than it was before.
I only really use Photoshop for web design and CGing, and I could happily keep it for making web graphics. I did just want to get Painter for tablet stuff, but I only recently found out it was designed from the ground up for tablets. I really want to take my CGing up to the next level with tablets, but I couldn't face doing it in Photoshop :-\ I've also become very frustrated with Photoshop's speed under Rosetta - it's very slow. What I was wondering about Painter is how it compares to Photoshop tool-wise. I found it hard to use Paint Shop Pro and The Gimp because they work in quite different ways, interface wise. I just wanted to know how easy it would be to pick up given X experience in Photoshop. |
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Kasumi-Astra Flurry Since: 11-18-05 From: Sheffield England Last post: 6311 days Last view: 6311 days |
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| Unfortunately, even though I have two PCs, it would be stupid of me not to get something capable of using my 20" iMac. The screen is just soooo gooood for using Photoshop
Does painter have support for layers, and lock transparency and so on? These are tools I use pretty heavily in Photoshop |
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Kasumi-Astra Flurry Since: 11-18-05 From: Sheffield England Last post: 6311 days Last view: 6311 days |
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| I couldn't find a thread already, but that's absolutely awesome! Definately in the same league as FuSoYa making Edge a couple of years ago
'Grats, man
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Kasumi-Astra Flurry Since: 11-18-05 From: Sheffield England Last post: 6311 days Last view: 6311 days |
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| 50mph, but only while learning. I still haven't finished my lessons yet. The fastest I've been before is 100mph with my friend in a Rover Metro down the A329M in Reading. Two months later he crashed and wrote off his car and the TVR he crashed into, while driving on the same road. | |||||||||||||||
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Kasumi-Astra Flurry Since: 11-18-05 From: Sheffield England Last post: 6311 days Last view: 6311 days |
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It was Lunar Magic and one of his hacks. I still have my scan:
Joystiq is still pretty big, it's just as good an achievement as getting into Edge. Joystiq may be just a blog, but it's part of a very large network and has tonnes of readers |
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Kasumi-Astra Flurry Since: 11-18-05 From: Sheffield England Last post: 6311 days Last view: 6311 days |
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Originally posted by Disch Ooooh, gimme five minutes and I'll find you loads that are worse
Most of those points are things that have been going around for years. I remember the scrollbar vs no scrollbar, and that one ended pretty much in a stalemate. I don't think it honestly makes a layout automatically bad- as with all layouts it depends on how it's used. The ones I've made left enough space for most of the posts I've ever posted. On the super rare occasion of a massive post, I delete the layout from the post. If you have a teeny-weeny box for text, you're asking for trouble, though. Why bother coming in here telling people how to post? More to the point, what makes you think that the users in here are any more or less stupid as you? One big happy family, everybody! Group hug, NOW! >=( (edited by Kasumi-Astra on 02-20-06 03:01 PM) |
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Kasumi-Astra |
Flurry Since: 11-18-05 From: Sheffield England Last post: 6311 days Last view: 6311 days
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Greece by plane and France by Eurostar. Eurostar is the ONLY way to travel, seriously, it's awesome |
It's not really that far to go, though. For most USAians it'd be like going to another state. Paris is about four hours and four stops away by train, but then again Eurostar and the TGV network are shrinking Europe at an alarming rate... (restricted) |
Kasumi-Astra |
Flurry Since: 11-18-05 From: Sheffield England Last post: 6311 days Last view: 6311 days
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It's a good thing that it's being delayed. I wish Shadow of the Colossus was delayed a bit more because of the shoddy camera, and I'm very happy for Nintendo to delay Twilight Princess. Yes, it could end up being the next Daikatana, but look who was at the helm of those games-
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Shigeru Miyamoto for Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess and John Romero for Daikatana. Need I say more? (restricted) | | |||||||
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| Acmlm's Board - I3 Archive - - Posts by Kasumi-Astra |
