Random Things
Survivor XIV is over. I dropped out after round... four, was it? Since it's tradition, I'll go ahead and post my thoughts as to the tournament itself, and go from there.
As a semi-popular flash video would put it, "The problem is choice!" I made my character choice... and I now realize that it was a bad one. No real harm done, the Predator simply couldn't interact with other people in a non-fighting manner, it isn't incredibly powerful in a duel (it's attacks are either insta-death or pathetically weak,) and in order to have it fit in Survivor, it's most important aspects are taken away. (You can't kill other sponsors, and powergaming is something that I refuse to do. So...)
Don't get me wrong, I'm still incredibly glad that I sidekicked. Firstly, because if I had been on a team I would have dragged two other individuals down with me, who may or may not have had a desire to win. Secondly, it let me go forth and write, without concerning myself with vote totals or attacks, personal or not. Lastly... it let me get an idea of what writing without the pressure of winning is like, and I think I might just take that option again in the future.
I did have a few good interactions: the duel with Locke's Yoshimitsu jumps out, as does the later battle with JSG's Lust. However, the rest of my writing mainly dealt with killing random NPCs... which has been, pardon the pun, done to death. The Predator simply wasn't different enough to justify its continued existence in Survivor. Once again, lesson learned, and to move on.
I will say, for the record, that I am deeply disappointed in the fact that the winning team, "The Queenmakers," and their opponents for the final round, "Locke, Proc, and two smoking Bakas," both openly and candidly admitted to cheating in order to win. Namely, by collaborating their votes: "insider voting," as the saying goes. I am disappointed by this, but heartened by the backlash thereafter.
And yet, I admit, I aided the alliance at the behest of one of its members. In this case, it was due to the fact that I owed said member a favor, and they were called in.
Certainly, some of my readers might be thinking, "Isn't that hypocritical? Draco, you were the first person to put cheating into practice, not to mention lying the entire time." Yes, that is entirely correct. However, my reasons were purely scientific: to find out what was necessary to win a Survivor, and to thereby close that avenue to other people that might try it. I would challenge any one person to try the same strategy, and see if it works or not.
My interest was never to "play the game" or "do whatever it takes to win," for winning was never my aim; it was merely a beneficial (though somewhat disheartening) side effect.
The fact that three seperate teams, some of which I thought were above such posturing, could do such a thing... at the same time abases and yet elates me. I'm humbled, both by the thought (however misguided) that I could have had something to do with this, and that it still works with such efficiency and pride. At the same time, I'm elated, because if there are still individuals who put so much effort into winning these things, then they might just endure for the one more year that I'm waiting for. Those things, however, remain to be seen.
As a semi-popular flash video would put it, "The problem is choice!" I made my character choice... and I now realize that it was a bad one. No real harm done, the Predator simply couldn't interact with other people in a non-fighting manner, it isn't incredibly powerful in a duel (it's attacks are either insta-death or pathetically weak,) and in order to have it fit in Survivor, it's most important aspects are taken away. (You can't kill other sponsors, and powergaming is something that I refuse to do. So...)
Don't get me wrong, I'm still incredibly glad that I sidekicked. Firstly, because if I had been on a team I would have dragged two other individuals down with me, who may or may not have had a desire to win. Secondly, it let me go forth and write, without concerning myself with vote totals or attacks, personal or not. Lastly... it let me get an idea of what writing without the pressure of winning is like, and I think I might just take that option again in the future.
I did have a few good interactions: the duel with Locke's Yoshimitsu jumps out, as does the later battle with JSG's Lust. However, the rest of my writing mainly dealt with killing random NPCs... which has been, pardon the pun, done to death. The Predator simply wasn't different enough to justify its continued existence in Survivor. Once again, lesson learned, and to move on.
I will say, for the record, that I am deeply disappointed in the fact that the winning team, "The Queenmakers," and their opponents for the final round, "Locke, Proc, and two smoking Bakas," both openly and candidly admitted to cheating in order to win. Namely, by collaborating their votes: "insider voting," as the saying goes. I am disappointed by this, but heartened by the backlash thereafter.
And yet, I admit, I aided the alliance at the behest of one of its members. In this case, it was due to the fact that I owed said member a favor, and they were called in.
Certainly, some of my readers might be thinking, "Isn't that hypocritical? Draco, you were the first person to put cheating into practice, not to mention lying the entire time." Yes, that is entirely correct. However, my reasons were purely scientific: to find out what was necessary to win a Survivor, and to thereby close that avenue to other people that might try it. I would challenge any one person to try the same strategy, and see if it works or not.
My interest was never to "play the game" or "do whatever it takes to win," for winning was never my aim; it was merely a beneficial (though somewhat disheartening) side effect.
The fact that three seperate teams, some of which I thought were above such posturing, could do such a thing... at the same time abases and yet elates me. I'm humbled, both by the thought (however misguided) that I could have had something to do with this, and that it still works with such efficiency and pride. At the same time, I'm elated, because if there are still individuals who put so much effort into winning these things, then they might just endure for the one more year that I'm waiting for. Those things, however, remain to be seen.