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Maurice
Hero of Order
Part of the furniture
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posted March 02, 2015 04:48 PM |
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What is Star Wars about? In a nutshell, it's the ever persistent struggle between good and evil - where, despite the seemingly hopeless situation, good eventually triumphs. It's a fairly general principle, however, which can be applied to any genre. In a sense, James Bond movies follow that same principle.
But I digress. For me, the distinction between science fiction and fantasy lies in the realm of how the supernatural is presented. In pure science fiction, the actors - whether they are human or alien - all follow the basic rules of nature as we know them. They have no special powers, other than their physiology allows them, which are restricted by biology. Even if aliens were formed and evolved under vastly different circumstances, they still adhere to the laws of physics as we know them now.
They may be able to use advanced technology, like spaceships with hyper drives and blaster rifles to attack their enemies. Even if we don't (yet) know how those items work, they aren't created or operated using special personal powers. They propose certain laws of physics in areas where we don't have much understanding yet, but which might be feasible and plausible. Star Trek's hyperdrive is one such thing, using matter and anti-matter to generate enormous amounts of energy, to fold space around the vessel. The Borg use nanites to convert others to their collective, suppressing the individuals they capture. All of the items used by the actors in that genre are items that have been crafted and created, using mundane materials and tools, even those nanites that govern the Borg collective.
Fantasy on the other hand uses characters and creatures which possess special powers in and of themselves. For instance, in Lord of the Rings, Gandalf and Saruman use magic powers (consider the duel they have at Orthanc, for instance), and Sauron is a spectre who, eh, likes to keep his eye on things. The Ringwraiths themselves occur in a form that simply isn't possible in the real world as we know it and no amount of technology is going to change that. The Ring (you know, that one ...) is actually a phylactery for Sauron, after he bound his soul to it. But such an act is impossible in reallife. Such innate powers and abilities clearly mark the realm of fantasy for me.
But it also encompasses stories that are set in the past, on our planet, where we don't know what transpired. For instance, the Robin Hood legend which has been portrayed in many movies and series. I know some of those adaptations make use of magic, but I dislike those because they're clearly not historically accurate  . But also movies like Gladiator. The actual timeframe is just a backdrop for the story, making the story itself plausible, even if we know it is unlikely to have ever happened that way.
So, where does Star Wars fall for me? Besides the classical story of the struggle of good versus evil and the clear and present technological marvels, it also has fantasy elements. The Force is something we're unfamiliar with in our every day life and world. It's a mystical force, that would govern all life and some people are able to manipulate it for their own means - whether they are Jedi who use it to help others, or Sith who use it to further their personal goals. Even though it would hint at paranormal sensitivity (telekinesis, visions, clairvoyance) it also features magical aspects (force lightning, force speed and force jumps being among them, all displayed in the movies). Force spectres of dead Jedi are also dancing on the fine edge between paranormal events and fantasy.
Lightsabers are another issue; we see at least two non-Force users use a Lightsaber in the movies, namely Han Solo and General Grievous. Yet, they are perfectly able to wield the blades, even if they lack the training of the Jedi in wielding those weapons (though, with General Grievous being mostly cyborg, his robotic components can easily make up for that lack of training). In that respect, it's more a ritual for Jedi and Sith to create their own Lightsaber, like a coming of age ritual that is custom in many cultures around the world. There's nothing fantasy about it, even if the actual creation process is never revealed to the public, giving it a shroud of mysticism. But at its core, it's simply a technological device, which projects an energy / plasma beam held within a magnetic field.
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Stevie
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
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posted March 02, 2015 04:58 PM |
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Sandro400
Promising
Supreme Hero
Shadow of Death
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posted March 02, 2015 05:01 PM |
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Maurice said:
Lightsabers are another issue; we see at least two non-Force users use a Lightsaber in the movies, namely Han Solo and General Grievous. Yet, they are perfectly able to wield the blades, even if they lack the training of the Jedi in wielding those weapons (though, with General Grievous being mostly cyborg, his robotic components can easily make up for that lack of training). In that respect, it's more a ritual for Jedi and Sith to create their own Lightsaber, like a coming of age ritual that is custom in many cultures around the world. There's nothing fantasy about it, even if the actual creation process is never revealed to the public, giving it a shroud of mysticism. But at its core, it's simply a technological device, which projects an energy / plasma beam held within a magnetic field.
/off-topic/
You're absolutely right that the Lightsaber creation is a coming-of-age ritual, but it was fully revealed in Star Wars: the Clone Wars (in "Disney" children arc) 
Grievous was trained by Dooku. That + his robotic components make him a very formidable opponent, so formidable that he was nerfed later.
P.S.: I don't remember Han perfectly swinging the Lightsaber... 
/end off-topic/
EDIT: haven't seen Stevie's post when posting mine
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Let's play poker game, lich-style!
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ThatRedSarah
Famous Hero
Adventuring Hero
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posted March 02, 2015 05:21 PM |
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Wellplay said:
Marzhin mentioned that it gona be something like this. But not 100% decided yet how it will work.
Ok thanks! Sounds good. And nice avatar change!  Its new, but still similar enough not to be confusing.
Hmm or think about this...
Maybe troglodytes could dig themselves under ground in the start of movement and in the end they will surface again, but the tiles on the movement trail that they used have now become something like "tunneled soil". This is soil parameter would only visible for the player responsible for the burrowing work. Now when the enemy unit moves to a tunneled soil tile it stops or gets some movement penalties...
I am pretty sure this is not how its going to be, but it could be fun and would provide some nice tactical options  just split them in multiple stacks and burrow away 
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artu
Promising
Undefeatable Hero
My BS sensor is tingling again
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posted March 02, 2015 05:29 PM |
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Edited by artu at 17:30, 02 Mar 2015.
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I've been trying to cut this short since the last page and if the mods decide to remove the off topic material since it got too long, please dont do it without informing me, since I am thinking about carrying these posts to a new thread that will be about the differences and interactions between sci-fi and fantasy. I just need a more convenient time. Meanwhile, I couldnt resist when I saw:
Maurice said:
Even though it would hint at paranormal sensitivity (telekinesis, visions, clairvoyance) it also features magical aspects (force lightning, force speed and force jumps being among them, all displayed in the movies). Force spectres of dead Jedi are also dancing on the fine edge between paranormal events.
Paranormal activity is just a new fancy word for ghost story, the dictionary definition is: of or relating to the claimed occurrence of an event or perception without scientific explanation, as psychokinesis, extrasensory perception, or other purportedly supernatural phenomena. It's already in the realm of fantasy, not sci-fi. So, dead Jedi walking and talking around like Casper is another plain and direct reason to call Star Wars fantasy.
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Are you pretty? This is my occasion. - Ghost
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Zombi_Wizzard
Famous Hero
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posted March 02, 2015 06:31 PM |
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I agree, it's off-topic and deserves another thread or something ...
For my final point, I will say, like artu, I personaly belive Star Wars to be more fantasy, because it features a lot of paranormal stuff and because it shares most of the temes with classic sword & sorcery movies of the time, many of which have hi-tech elements in them (I already named lots of examples, including infamous He-man).
However, like I already said, the line between fantasy and sci-fi is blurry, and in things like Star Wars, there will be people who have convincing arguments for both sides, none of which can be said it's wrong by deafult. So imo Star Wars will be one of the things, where it comes down to personal judgement.
In the end, original trilogy are damn good movies, worth to watch, no matter in what genre it belongs. And that's the important bit for me when it comes down to movies, and games likewise.
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Kimarous
Supreme Hero
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posted March 02, 2015 07:39 PM |
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I don't mind the off-topic discussion. There hasn't been a whole lot to talk about of late. I'm just appreciating the lull, as it lets me relax and focus on other things instead of new hot-button issues to butt heads with Galaad over.
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Galaad
Hero of Order
Li mort as morz, li vif as vis
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posted March 02, 2015 07:43 PM |
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Kimarous said:
I don't mind the off-topic discussion.
Me neither.
Kimarous said:
I'm just appreciating the lull, as it lets me relax and focus on other things instead of new hot-button issues to butt heads with Galaad over.
Sorry but, what?
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Micutz
Hired Hero
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posted March 02, 2015 08:13 PM |
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Why is there a lack of news lately on https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog? And moderators should do something about the chats. I do not read very often but when I do the comments I see contain spam, language and cuss words. This to me is very sad.
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Sandro400
Promising
Supreme Hero
Shadow of Death
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posted March 02, 2015 08:17 PM |
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Micutz said:
Why is there a lack of news lately on https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog? And moderators should do something about the chats. I do not read very often but when I do the comments I see contain spam, language and cuss words. This to me is very sad.
'Cos they're preparing for the March event, it was even said in the latest entry 'bout Limbic. And moderating such mess is a hellish job indeed. Ignore 75% of what's written in the comments.
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Let's play poker game, lich-style!
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GenyaArikado
Bad-mannered
Supreme Hero
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posted March 02, 2015 08:20 PM |
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I still want her pre-Succubus story. I still hope that before Biara she was Shadya
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Galaad
Hero of Order
Li mort as morz, li vif as vis
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posted March 02, 2015 08:20 PM |
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Sandro400 said:
'Cos they're preparing for the March event, it was even said in the latest entry 'bout Limbic. And moderating such mess is a hellish job indeed. Ignore 75% of what's written in the comments.
Well, if they do monitor the comments as they say, I don't see the harm on doing a little intervention once in a while when things get out of hand. Maybe they still need to define the limit, as last time it took +6k comments of rage and asking for the Creative Director to get fired to get a notice. Also, I don't really see how having to ignore 75% of the comments is something that should be considered normal.
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Stevie
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
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posted March 02, 2015 08:21 PM |
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Edited by Stevie at 20:22, 02 Mar 2015.
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Galaad
Hero of Order
Li mort as morz, li vif as vis
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posted March 02, 2015 08:22 PM |
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Meh, there's Jaelle now.
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Kimarous
Supreme Hero
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posted March 02, 2015 08:51 PM |
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Kimarous said:
I'm just appreciating the lull, as it lets me relax and focus on other things instead of new hot-button issues to butt heads with Galaad over.
Sorry but, what?
Just kidding around and poking fun at our overall values dissonance on various issues.
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Ubi-Nox
Shaper of Lore
M&M Community Developer, Ubisoft
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posted March 02, 2015 09:45 PM |
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Edited by Ubi-Nox at 23:12, 02 Mar 2015.
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It has already been several months since the departure of Kimmundi ( )
As mentionned in last article we are putting a lot of efforts for upcoming press event to provide solid event-demo (so journalist can put their hands on the game for the first time as well as community representativew) and quality communication assets ( so future articles content too).
We decided to reduce the quantity of articles for a few weeks instead of damaging their quality only with fillers.
In the meantime, we are trying to identify solutions to make progresses in terms of content moderation and replies. Indeed, we are responsible for the content of the website on a legal side. It has become high priority for us to find solutions and be proactive on this topic to prevent reprehensible content and ensure pleasant spaces of exchanges. However, this also mean that we will try to answer more on comment section too
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Stevie
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
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posted March 02, 2015 10:03 PM |
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I think moderating the chat should be a top priority for the Shadow Council. The quality of the comment section has been decreasing so much that people just don't feel like posting anymore. I know I don't. Too much spam, personal quarrels and even bad language.
I'd personally limit the number of replies one user can make per day, and tie it with the level or some achievements. That way you limit spam and promote more quality. Then certain words should be censored, and so you stop the trash talk.
Just suggesting. Something has to be done.
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Guide to a Great Heroes Game
The Young Traveler
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Gryphs
Supreme Hero
The Clever Title
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posted March 02, 2015 10:08 PM |
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Stevie said:
The quality of the comment section has been decreasing so much that people just don't feel like posting anymore.
I am not sure the comments have ever had much quality.
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Sandro400
Promising
Supreme Hero
Shadow of Death
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posted March 02, 2015 10:59 PM |
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Galaad said:
Well, if they do monitor the comments as they say, I don't see the harm on doing a little intervention once in a while when things get out of hand. Maybe they still need to define the limit, as last time it took +6k comments of rage and asking for the Creative Director to get fired to get a notice. Also, I don't really see how having to ignore 75% of the comments is something that should be considered normal.
But they're not doing this intervention, maybe because they don't want to restrict "the community". As you said, it took a direct threats to Erwan for them to finally intervene, which is not normal IMO, but just consider moderating this pile of comments. EDIT: mm, I was wrong, they finally consider to add some lind of moderating.
Well, it's because roughly 75% of comments are "cool" or "meh" or "hatehatehate" or off-topic etc etc. Ofc just my opinion.
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Let's play poker game, lich-style!
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Zombi_Wizzard
Famous Hero
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posted March 02, 2015 11:07 PM |
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So there will be a demo? That's good news. I like game having a demo.
EDIT: Indeed if I were to praise one thing about H6 it would be, that it came with nice demo. Games with demos are becomeing rare in today's time, and I realy like that you can basicaly test out the game for free before you purchase. Specialy in H6 case, where you could play one map, and give all factions a spin, no strings attached.
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This MEGA THREAD is pages long: 
