Darklord Rooke

Good luck with your work, take it easy, and most importantly… beware of dragons Not ironic, just coincidental. Take enough 'stab in the darks' as the Church does (or did,) and every so often you score a hit. There's no question that there's an upper limit of people the Earth can sustainably hold, it's merely a question of what that number is. The idea that overpopulation is an 'outdated' argument is not correct, as we are always heading toward that number (assuming we haven't passed it.) So it actually becomes more relevant as time passes. And considering our population increased by a billion people in the last 14 years, the overpopulation argument is QUICKLY gaining relevancy. The exact number of humans that can populate the planet in a sustainable way is one which fluctuates however. Scientists have said 4 billion, and they've also said 16 billion, so we're in the zone.

1 - Sure, knock yourself out. I like straightforwardness much more than not knowing what people think. 2 - Overpopulation has nothing to do with humanity’s tendency to take as much oil from the ground as we can, or our drive in producing the cheapest touchscreen. Connecting the two issues (three I suppose) requires quite the leap of logic. But overpopulation is probably second only to ‘climate change’ as the thing which scientists believe needs to be addressed now. In fact, over 100 scientific academies gave an ultimatum to World leaders a few years ago, that we risk ‘potentially catastrophic implications for human well-being’ unless overpopulation is addressed. Overpopulation is tied to over-consumption, to resource depletion (including deforestation as well as food, animals becoming extinct, plants and crops becoming extinct, less water to drink,) to pollution (the gases we emit, the gases cows emit, landfills and running out of space to dump stuff, pesticides, climate change.) All the little nasties we believe will come back to bite us in a few years time. It’s sometimes called the biggest environmental problem we face, it competes with climate change for first spot. I should point out that a few scientists have also floated the notion of a ‘cull’, although it’s quite damaging to their reputation so don’t expect them to do so en masse. So, if culling people benefits humanity, every other species on the planet, and the planet itself, it’s incorrect in the extreme to say killing people would ‘benefit only a few.’ It would, in fact, benefit everyone, every thing, and the planet… unless you’re one of the people killed. Then not so much. But I wouldn’t worry, this is all hypothetical. If we ever became overpopulated to the stage where the planet was struggling to support us, most people will die out anyway through the inability to feed themselves, and malnutrition. So, in that sense, a cull wouldn’t even be necessary. I wonder when we’ll hit that marker… 3 - Whether the rich work to an equivalence of what they earn is something I’m, again, not concerned with. The world is an unequal place, it’s not about justice or ‘right and wrong’ or any of that ideological stuff. Good luck with it, if you succeed I’ll be interested as an observer, but it’s not my bag baby and I doubt you will succeed to the extreme you wish. Ah, tax evasion IS a big problem true. Not because it’s ‘unfair’ but because the Governments need that revenue. And no, I’m not on the Dwarves or the Hobbits side in this. Smaug is both awesome AND cute :3. Life is about struggle, if you want your riches back then take them. 4 - Yes, exploitation… another fact of life unfortunately. There will always be poor people, and there will always be the exploitation of poor people. Mega companies support, and engage in this practice on an atrocious scale. Your statement hypes the impact 3rd world workers have made on capitalist societies, though. 5 - You haven’t actually thought your statement through. Oil is important not because it’s easy to monetise, but because we depend on it for energy. It is also not the driving force of capital or capitalism. Yes, oil is still the most important source of energy not because it’s easy to monetise, but because the world has rejected nuclear energy as being ‘too dangerous’. Otherwise nuclear would be the most important source of energy. Because we’ve done away with this step, we’ve now turned our attention in developing renewables but that does take time. If you’re impatient to clear up the atmosphere, nuclear still remains a viable option. Everybody’s scared of it though, especially after Fukashima. The market doesn’t actually hinder progress, not in this instance anyway, blame the anti-nuclear industry for it. Let’s put it this way, compared to nuclear coal is incredibly inefficient. There’s no reason to stick with it, not even financially, and the market certainly doesn’t dictate it either. However, every time somebody tries to build a nuclear power plant, there’s a massive outcry. China’s the forefront because their hand has been forced due to smog related issues. Supplying a billion people with energy from coal powered plants will bury them in it, and thus it’s not feasible. Thousands die every day from air pollution problems in China. India’s coal use will explode in the future… is what I’d say if they weren’t importing tons of Uranium from Ozzie-land. 6 - I think you’re going to have a hard time convincing anybody that the ‘unsanitary working conditions’ was the major factor for the mortality rate in the middle ages. Sure it was A factor. Like the lack of plumbing was also a contributor, which was an advancement in technology. Lack of medicine to combat diseases too, or indeed a lack of any credible health system at all, in fact. Food treatment, no refridgeration, no great heating systems, and so on. 7 - The market actually doesn’t hinder progress in this instance. Sure, not EVERY inventor or innovator will be able to get funding, that’s just being unrealistic, but a great number do. Innovations which push society forward tend to make a lot of money, which is something the Market encourages. The rubbish ideas tend to fall through, the good ones tend to rise, but obviously that isn’t always the case. Innovators changing the world themselves is a nice idea which would never work in practice. Every person in the world has an idea they think will be brilliant, the problem is few actually are. The problem then is that innovations cost money, and funding all of them is not feasible. So we have the situation where people need to choose which ideas will be best and which will not. You think the market is a bad choice, but at least they aren’t politicians (who tend to be clueless.) In a number of Communist States, we had that marvellous invention which was the leather car! MMMmmmm, I wish I was driving a Velorex down the highway at 100 miles an hour. The best decider of great innovation is currently the market, it’s not ideal but nobody’s come up with a way which is better…yet. And the idea that innovators can work for themselves en masse without kissing somebody’s feet is unrealistic. Nice, but will never happen. 8 - The Spanish Revolution doesn't argue what I'm saying at all. How long did anarchy last in Spain? It’s one thing to tear down a country because you're unsatisfied with your lot in life, quite another to rebuild it in a particular image. Medieval Iceland was anarcho-capitalist, and even then it failed. 9 - Which is something I find no logical reason for. 10 - I’m not in denial that self-concern harms people, I actually know quite a bit about it. I am a realist however, and acknowledge that a certain amount of harming and pain is necessary. And lastly, you’re preaching things I’ve already thought about. But my anger at being on the purging list would be an emotional response, not a logical one. The justification would remain, I would just be yelling that they purge my useless neighbour, and not my fair and charming self. If you meant for that statement to shock me, then ... eh. Maybe it's too early in the morning for me to be shocked, I'm not usually very awake at these times.

I’d mock you … if I hadn’t spent the past 4 hours watching politics

For the past 3 hours I've been amusing myself listening to Aussie politics. Another leader gets stabbed, another politician steps up to replace him. #Lipspill has been comedy gold for the past little while ... Whaddya mean that isn't what this topic's about? :S

I'm really not interested in what you find sickening. I suppose I could fake interest, but that would involve manipulating many facial muscles and making sympathetic noises, that in turn takes effort, and that in turn goes against my creed. Sorry. Overpopulation is a definite problem, and there’s a clear upside to a cull, yes. It would also be consistent with ideologies we already hold, and practices we already put into practice, only we target different living creatures. The upside of culling is not in dispute, it's a fact that the planet will be better off, other living creatures will be better off, and even our own species will be better off. Whether it’s the ‘humane’ thing to do is the key question, but what’s ‘humane’ shifts from person to person and from topic to topic. It seems to be an inconsistent principle which at times promotes the idea that human life is sacred, but every other life is not. And at these moments it defies logic. But that's not necessarily what I think. I am also guilty of that pesty thing called 'emotion', but I recognise that it's not logical. Culling people makes sense, and there's clearly a ton of benefits, so it can't objectively be called 'bad' or even 'horrific', it all depends on perspective. I think the idea that the rich ‘sit on their arses’ is a definite generalisation. Some rich people might sit on their arses just like some poor people sit on their arses, but many of the rich don’t, and quite a few change the world in ways no poor person could accomplish. I also don't have anything against hoarding in general, I'm all for the mass imitation of one of the more loveable characteristics of the Dragon species. Sure, the working class is the driver of every economy, that’s not really in dispute, but have you ever wondered why the working class in very socialist countries, like past China, never actually accomplished much compared to the working class in Western countries? China’s becoming rich as it slowly does away with their Communist (recent) past, one piece at a time. Communism and socialism has jokingly been said to have been an American conspiracy to keep the Chinese down. What progress did China give to the world while it was poor, what progress is it accomplishing now that it’s becoming richer? What contribution did the working class make when they were poor? Was China socialist or anarchistic when they invented the oddities which change the world and drove civilisation forward an age ago? Like most things in life, it's not the 'what' but the 'how' which makes the difference. The opportunity for profit won't disappear with renewable resources, they'd just shift, to batteries for example. Most renewable sources aren’t efficient enough to actually make a go of things yet. The market is a powerful creature, and when it deems that there’s no future in oil it will turn its colossal weight into alternatives. Which is why the best mechanism to deal with increasing renewables is by using market mechanisms, but unfortunately Europe is becoming a little broke at the moment, America’s just recovering from being a little broke, and China and India are just going through their industrial revolutions and aren't rich enough to drive innovation on a large scale atm. I would hardly call benefitting a billion people ‘a few.’ Progress has benefited the entirety of humanity as a species, but progress does not need to benefit every single human, or even the majority of humans, to be of net benefit to the species. Indeed, health. Let’s talk about health. What’s the average age of human life in the Western world compared to 2,000 years ago? Yes there are more lung cancer victims today, but on average we live many decades longer. This is called a net boon. I’m sure the Cambodian workers didn't, but the payment of workers in Cambodia is a matter for their Government. And who patronised the inventors to allow them to ‘invent’ stuff. Unless, of course, you think modern day inventions come from the penniless on the street. Who patronises the scientists? Agriculturists? Who funds the engineers? Who funds medical research? Do you think any of these people can afford a lab without somebody with money helping out? Money, and power, these are the things which sets wheels in motion, and if you looked back over the course of history you would realise this. Point to where I said socialism didn’t have a place? Everything has a balance, but unfortunately you are arguing an extreme case. A nice rule of thumb is that 'extremes are undesirable'. The world will never have time for anarchy and socialist societies, they never work in large scale and they never will. But the world will have time for socialistic principles, sure. Because you seem to think that people dying are a ‘bad’ thing. I’m saying unless you’re concerned about every creature, I reject your conclusion that it’s ‘bad’ based on logic. Furthermore, that it’s a matter of perspective and that culling the human population will actually benefit the planet and other species. So whether it's 'horrific' would depend on your perspective. Less waste is definitely a good thing, just like less demand (fewer people) is definitely a good thing. Holistic solutions would call for both, I believe. I’m very happy that you have an idol to be enthusiastic over and to look up to, everybody needs one, but I’d very much appreciate it if you wouldn't shove him down my throat. Thnx.

Back in the day, the manuals for games were glorious. I weep for the new generation who never got to experience that awesomeness

A cynic would say the world is overpopulated in any case, and this overpopulation is causing significant environmental damage to both other species and the planet itself. 10 billion animals are killed every year for food, where's your tears for them? Keeping the population at the current level means more animals must be slaughtered to feed them. When overpopulation occurs in animals we cull them to keep the balance, and feel little remorse over it, but suddenly different standards apply to people? Everything dies; it's the way of the world. It's also the rich, and more importantly the desire to be rich and powerful which is one of the major reasons for growth over the past countless years, decades, and centuries, granting us the ability to live in the debauched comfort I am currently enjoying. So I would say whether it's a 'good' or 'bad' thing depends on your perspective. Just because somebody is 'harmed' by an action doesn't necessarily mean an action is 'bad'.

FruitsJam may have obtained the services of a normal translator instead of a translator which works in fiction; they're not equivalent.

Welcome to the forums. The VN community outside Japan consists of a number of semi-separate groups, this site is mainly frequented by the eroge fans. Otome fans, and developers mainly visit other communities. The translation of the game would need a bit of work, but that’s understandable - Japanese to English, and English to Japanese, is an incredibly hard process to undergo (the 2 languages are incredibly different.) It’s good to see them acknowledge the issue though. Good luck to FruitsJam, and good luck with your marketing efforts. Argggh! My eyes! >.<

If Silvery Li is talking about Neko Vol 0, it also benefits from a 3 dollar price tag

Be careful. Rumours abound that the unguarded playing of a single Sakura game can rot the soul from your body, and leave your decaying, huskish shell to wander the Earth until the end of time… if I remember it correctly. If you're dead set on playing the thing, I'd recommend playing it wearing a hazmat suit. Or at least wear a tinfoil hat or something.

Thnx for the heads up . It's going to take me a while to beat just Escape from the Pit so I won't have to worry about it for a while, though

People have been wondering why Sekai's published Sakura Swim Club and not some of the other Sakura titles, and this may have been the reason. Winged Cloud no longer need Sekai as a publisher... until they wanted to bring attention to an 18+ version (by having it on the DenpaSoft store) which might otherwise have gone under the RADAR (because it's not on STEAM where most of their fans are.) Oh hey, that’s weird. Sakura Fantasy is being published by Sekai according to Steam, but when it was first put on the platform the publisher’s name was omitted. That’s irritating… and a little worrying. Now I’m starting to question my memory and whether I’ve been seeing things 0.0 *Rings doctor*

Avernum - Escape from the Pit is amazing, it really is. This and the sequel will keep me entertained for the next couple of months or so, which should be about the time Trails in the Sky SC will be released :3

Eh, good luck, but I don't know why you'd take the effort. Not really a fan of anarchism or socialism myself, they're not really progress oriented ideologies so to speak.

Advertising and marketing would probably be the main reasons now. For those who self-publish, they'll have to raise awareness of their novel themselves. Sure, most of the advertising dollars get spent on the big name authors, but still... mid-list authors are getting shoved out by the industry already, amirite? Also if you're a big named author they'll organise book tours for you, set you up in hotels, get you an aide. EDIT: Also editing. Sure Publishing Houses have been substantially decreasing their editing departments in recent times, and a lot of authors get their work independently edited before sending it to a publishing house, but they still help edit your novel (if it's something they'll want published and it comes to them in decent condition.) Also hardcovers used to be (probably still is) a luxury item. It's for the collector. People purchasing a hardcover novel isn't one who cares about savings. Interestingly enough, the cost of hardcovers from about the 1970s have risen with inflation (approximately) but the cost of mass paperbacks have risen at about 3-4 times inflation, so there's a case to be made that it's the buyers of mass paperbacks who may be getting ripped off That being said, I don't find hardcovers to be as sturdily made as in the past. They're only held together by gum, and the sheer weight of the novel will sometimes mean that the novel won't last, and they really should. Trade paperbacks are the way to go imo. Elegant, not too heavy, a quality spine, nice sized words. Custom binding is also something to look into, because they're so pretty.

I'm seeing 2 parts in the Japanese edition also. And that means you're not seeing things Tiag... either that or we're both seeing things 0.0 *Double post to give the mods some work :3* (EDIT: DAMMIT!)

Percentage updates on translation titles are only a 'thing' in fan-TL circles. A fan-TL group puts out such a progress update so they get more kudos, people know that they haven't disappeared (which might encourage others to leap on the project,) and most importantly they get more kudos. For professional development it's not regularly done. You don't see percent completion in Light Novel translations, novel translations, game translations, or any form of professional game development, you just get an estimated time of release (if they have one) and actual meaningful updates (with words and explanations) if the project was a kickstarter. Does it even tell the consumer anything by itself? Do remember that JAST's projects tend to get stuck on '99%' for a year or so before they're released, and sometimes progress will go backwards if mistakes are found (which they prob won't tell you, and will just display as a halting number.) How long has Subahibi been at 100% translated? Maybe people wouldn't be so impatient if they weren't watching the damn numbers go round and round. I don't see much benefit in knowing the precise numbers, and I don't consider it a luxury, numbers without context are meaningless. I also don't consider it a hallmark of a professional studio. Pretty much this. At the end of the day, I believe it's used by fan-translators as a shout out to fans that they're still working on it and a plea for encouragement. I don't see the point in a professional studio.

Bah, all the cool kids are doing weed Batsasaurus. Alcohol is so 90s

Required - Two kind Fuwans who haven't yet participated are needed to vote 'Yes' on Clephas' blog post. If this doesn't happen I swear I will sing in a very loud, and very off-key voice throughout the forums day after day after day until everybody is reduced to quivering lumps on the ground :3

Art looks freaking fantastic! I love that art style :3