User:Kalevala

About Kalevala

Hello, I'm a retired mathematics and computer science teacher.

Mentoring

Mentor: A wise and trusted counselor or teacher.

I have a working knowledge of HTML, Javascript, WikiMarkUp, and C++. If you have a few questions of a technical nature, or you just cannot get a section of code to work, I will help to the extent I can. Leave your problem and code at the end of the talk page to this user page, I will be emailed about your addition. Or, you could contact me directly by email, Special:EmailUser/Kalevala, without publishing our email addresses to the world of spammers. If I do not know the answer, I will point you to a better resource, for example Wiki Templates are better addressed by User:RobinHood70.

On the other hand, if you want to learn editing, I am willing to teach. I can only promise you that there will be no "word problems." I will initially assume you know nothing, but it is certainly wonderful if you come with skills. Be patient with me if it seems like I'm talking to you like a seventh grader; the habit dies hard. On the other hand do ask questions; you will not be graded and it is not on the test!

Here is a hands on tutorial. I will give you a real and meaningful task. You will create an NPC page for this Wiki from scratch. If you cannot find an undocumented NPC in your favorite Elder Scrolls game, we will find one from a mod for Morrowind called Tamriel Rebuilt. In that case, it means you will have to download Morrowind (which includes the needed Construction Set) and the Tamriel Rebuilt mod, but they are both free. You will need two other programs, a simple graphics app called, MSPaint, and a basic text writing app called, Notepad, in Windows. Similar free apps are available for the Apple family of computers.

   If you don't have these last two utility apps here's how to get them for Windows, Click [ Show ] to the right.

When you succeed with this tutorial (and failure is not an option), you will be able to create and edit the vast majority of pages on the Wiki since they follow a similar rhythm. You will also have the confidence to try more complex things, like Tables and Templates.

If you chose the tutorial the best method to contact me is by email, Special:EmailUser/Kalevala.

But you really don't need permission to start. You can go directly to the tutorial. If the tutorial is as well written as I hope, you may not have a lot of questions.

Thanks to All

I am extremely appreciative of all the hard work by the many contributors. A special thank you to my inspiration to contribute, Nephele.

Background

I played Morrowind to a stand still, and burnt out one Xbox on it. The second Xbox was saved only by the arrival of Oblivion and the requisite Xbox 360.

I started using the name, Kalevala, back when Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, first came out in 1982. It has been a lucky name. It is from an epic poem which the Finn, Elias Lönnrot, compiled from Finnish and Karelian folklore in the 19th century.

In the same meter as "Hiawatha" by Longfellow, and goes on 22,795 verses. It reads like an RPG game might, if it were recorded in verse. It foreshadows Skyrim.

To read the beginning of the saga Click [ Show ] to the right.

Mastered by desire impulsive,
By a mighty inward urging,
I am ready now for singing,
Ready to begin the chanting
Of our nation's ancient folk-song
Handed down from by-gone ages.
In my mouth the words are melting,
From my lips the tones are gliding,
From my tongue they wish to hasten;
When my willing teeth are parted,
When my ready mouth is opened,
Songs of ancient wit and wisdom
Hasten from me not unwilling.

Golden friend, and dearest brother,
Brother dear of mine in childhood,
Come and sing with me the stories,
Come and chant with me the legends,
Legends of the times forgotten,
Since we now are here together,
Come together from our roamings.
Seldom do we come for singing,
Seldom to the one, the other,
O'er this cold and cruel country,
O'er the poor soil of the Northland.
Let us clasp our hands together
That we thus may best remember.
Join we now in merry singing,
Chant we now the oldest folk-lore,
That the dear ones all may hear them,
That the well-inclined may hear them,
Of this rising generation.
These are words in childhood taught me,
Songs preserved from distant ages,
Legends they that once were taken
From the belt of Wainamoinen,
From the forge of Ilmarinen,
From the sword of Kaukomieli,
From the bow of Youkahainen,
From the pastures of the Northland,
From the meads of Kalevala.
These my dear old father sang me
When at work with knife and hatchet
These my tender mother taught me
When she twirled the flying spindle,
When a child upon the matting
By her feet I rolled and tumbled.
...

From: The Kalevala, translation by John Martin Crawford, [1888]

Funny Little Badges

79	This UESPWikian is 79 years, 7 months, and 6 days old.

This user is male.

This user is a Mentor.

This user is from the United States.

This user has been on UESPWiki for 17 years, 8 months, and 17 days.

This user has made a grand total of   1,270 edits in 6472 days.

This user plays Skyrim on the PC.

This user plays Skyrim Special Edition on the PC.

This user played Oblivion on the Xbox360.

This user played Oblivion on the PC.

This user is knowledgeable about Oblivion.

This user played Shivering Isles on the PC.

This user played Morrowind on the original Xbox.

This user played Morrowind on the PC.

This user is knowledgeable about Morrowind.

This user is knowledgeable about Tribunal.

This user is knowledgeable about Bloodmoon.

This user played Arena on the PC.

No little badges but this user has also played Baldur's Gate II (Forgotten Realms, Shadows of Amn, Throne of Baal), World of Warcraft (lvl 80), Neverwinter Nights, the Ultima series, the Wizardry series, and the paper and pencil Dungeon & Dragons. This user rather likes RPG's. Which game does this user like best? The answer is always the same - the one he is playing now.

P.S. One of the advantages of old age is that you forget what happened the previous play through so that the current one is like a new game! :)

My Oblivion Characters

No.     Name            hrs  min  sec  Level Race     Sex Sign      Notes
 1      Prospero        698   10   50     49 Breton   M   Thief
 2      Flawed Claude   136    2   56      7 Breton   M   Lady      purposely gimped character
 3      Eric the Slow   129   34   46     24 Nord     M   Mage
 4      Kalevala        607   43   25      4 Imperial M   Atronach  completed main quest at level 2
 5      Grog the Gypsy  669   10   54     26 Breton   M   Mage      all at 100% difficulty all factions
 6      Sings-an-Arrow  308    2   15      9 Argonian M   Tower
 7      Thimble Tim     353   43   45     21 Khajiit  M   Thief
 8      Mordant         215   30    3      8 Breton   M   Lady
 9      Ebon Dunkel     196   13   12     13 Dunmer   F   Thief
10      Maestro         132   26    8     26 Altmer   M   Apprentice
11      Blazon Holdfast 302   59   52     24 Breton   M   Warrior
12      Races-the-Moon  220    7   54     18 Argonian M   Thief      completed main quest 8 hrs 39 min
13      Sticky Paws      33    6   26      3 Khajiit  M   Thief
14      Booster Bosmer   10   34   43      1 Bosmer   M   Thief

        Total Time     4013   27    9

My Oblivion Advice

No matter how bad a character created, no matter how poorly played up to now, no matter how high a difficulty setting, no matter what level, it is always possible to save the situation by running alchemy up to 75 through fast travel to towns, buying ingredients and selling potions. Save your money. Repeatedly cast Starlight (available from Edgar Vautrine, I.C.) using your Restore Magicka potions to get Illusion up to 50. Buy a 25% chameleon and an invisibility spell from Ita Rienus in Bravil.

1. If you have not been kicked out of the Mages Guild for the third time, then use Chameleon and Invisibility potions and spells to complete the recommendations. Buy lots of filled Common soul gems. Go to the Arcane University and enchant apparel up to 100% Chameleon.

2. If you have been kicked out for the third time, then use Chameleon and Invisibility potions and spells to get to level 10 by destroying Oblivion Gates. Save before you take each Sigil Stone. Reload the game if you don't get a Chameleon stone. Twenty reloads is average. At level 10 do Meridia's Daedric quest for the Ring of the Khajiit (35% chameleon). As soon as you can, you should use the stones to enchant apparel up to 100%.

Either way or combination of ways, with 100% chameleon you conquer Cyrodiil.

My Skyrim Characters

No.  Name                 hrs.min.sec Level Sex Race      Notes
 1.  Adnari Nereri         096.11.57  [35]   f  Dark Elf  
 2.  Dominus Mercatores    245.06.37  [54]   m  Imperial  Legendary, HF, DG
 3.  Elden Kalen           387.24.39  [65]   m  Breton
 4.  Houdin                621.03.36  [63]   m  High Elf  Legendary, HF, DG, DB
 5.  Joshur                720.55.37  [78]   m  Khajiit
 6.  Kalevala             1004.29.26  [71]   m  Breton
 7.  Magog gro-Log         103.03.15  [44]   m  Orc
 8.  Magog gro-Log         351.56.05  [61]   m  Orc       Legendary, HF, DG, 2nd attempt
 9.  Malvulis Fathryon     076.45.11  [33]   m  Dark Elf  
10.  Mercator Malorum      572.57.44  [64]   m  Imperial  Legendary, HF, DG
11.  Nazaal                220.57.07  [39]   m  Red Guard 
12.  Shako                 087.21.06  [34]   m  Red Guard 
13.  Slime Sload           265.02.54  [57]   m  Argonian  Legendary, HF, DG
14.  Sticky Paws           106.28.30  [39]   m  Khajiit   Legendary, HF, DG
15.  Thurindill            665.11.01  [66]   m  Bosmer    Legendary, HF, DG, DB
                          ==========
     Total Time           5524:54:45

My Skyrim Legendary Difficulty Advice

Skyrim Legendary Difficulty Page

My Skyrim Books Experiment

Collectable Books Page

Fantasy Quests

Like fantasy football, fantasy quests are not "real" quests. They are self imposed tasks that adhere to a set of rules. If you have a favorite fantasy Skyrim quest, I'd love to hear about it.

    To see an example of one Click [ Show ]    >   >   >

EXAMPLE: This is derived from Hearthfire. The quest is to build an armory for your army that will eventually conquer Skyrim. In each of the three basements of Hearthfire homes it is possible to build 10 safes, for a total of 30 safes. In each safe you must store stacks of identical items in single stacks of exactly 25. You may make, buy or loot the items.

Specifically there must be in the container:

25 shields
25 helms
25 armors
25 gauntlets
25 boots
25 one-handed weapons
25 bows
25 quivers of 20 arrows each [500 arrows]
25 payrolls of 500 gold each [12,500 gold]
25 rings
25 necklaces
25 daggers

Optionally there may be included:

25 horse purchases of 1000 gold each [25,000 gold]
25 potions of healing [standard - not player made by alchemy]
25 staffs [atronach forged ones are allowed]

Nothing else may be in the safe.

Since there are 30 safes, you may make an army of up to 750.

Your soldiers are Nord guards of level 50 with the following stats:

Health  492
Stamina 393
Magicka  50

Light Armor  60
Heavy Armor  55
Block        99
TwoHanded   100
Marksman     94

Your opponents are also Nord guards of level 50 with the same stats but equipped with:

Steel Armor
Steel Helms
Steel Gauntlets
Steel Boots
Steel Shields
Steel Swords
Forsworn Bows (steel)
Steel Arrows
500 gold each

None of their equipment is tempered nor is it enchanted. Yours may be, but all 25 must stack. In addition, each 25 man unit must differ from the others in some way. For example, one unit could have silver rings and silver necklaces, another might have gold rings and gold necklaces, another might have water-breathing enchantments on their helms. In short, the differences allow each unit to claim its particular dead bodies.

When one unit loses more than 50 percent of its men it is defeated and flees the field. When one army of many units loses more that 50 percent of its men the army flees the field and the battle is over. The winner loots the bodies of all the dead from both sides.

You need one unit of 25 to attack one of the seven towns like: Riverwood, Rorikstead, Dragon Bridge, etc.

You need five units of 25 to attack one of the four minor cities like: Dawnguard, Falkreath, etc.

You need ten units of 25 to attack the five major cities like: Whiterun, Markarth, etc.

You need thirty units of 25 for the final battle to defeat the Empire and become high King.

You need to take 6 towns, 3 minor cities, and 4 major cities before the final battle.

Information on how to conduct the battles will appear on my sandbox pages.

Maps vs Photorecon

There is a difference between a map and a photo recon shot. Maps abstract important features and ignore ones unimportant to the purpose of the map. Thus there are road maps, airline route maps, floor plans, political maps, topographic maps, etc. They may be drawn from recon shots, but their usefulness derives from removing the burden of photo interpretation on the user.

    To read more on this point. Click [ Show ]    >   >   >

In this same vein, MapQuest, Google Maps, etc. not only offer a written description (directions) but also mark the trip on a road map. Users vary in their preference for directions vs map vs both. There is more than one modality for viewing the world and learning about it. Yet in the name of "redundancy" some seem only too eager to remove maps and force the visitor to wade through the text. A picture is worth a thousand words is just redundancy to them.

Consider the following orthogonal photo shot of the main floor of the Goldenglow Estate. The plane of projection is above the rafter ties. Door ways are obscured by their header beams. With those hints, and using only the photo, draw in the room boundaries and doors.

photo floor plan

Does your drawing look like the one below? If you are a "map" person which do you find more quickly informs, a. the article, b. the photo projection, or c. the floor plan?

drawn floor plan

The user should have the information in a quickly usable format. Furthermore, a map and a description are not redundant to a fault given the different learning styles of visitors.

Conclusion: It seems to me the sane policy with the visitor in mind is to provide both map and description, and where the .dds file's photo projection is not clear, allow hand drawn abstractions along side that photo projection.

Resolution: SarthesArai clarified the actual policy and practice, to wit, 1. maps should be and are being provided for all locations, 2. modifications for clarity are allowed and the resolution should be increased on the stored .jpg to allow the user a magnified view, both of which mitigate the short comings of the .dds version, and make a separate or hand drawn map unnecessary, 3. maps should be rectified to have north at the top using the NorthMarker in the cell, and 4. the map should be cropped.

Sandboxes

Tutorial for NPC page development

Page development 1

Page development 2

Pogging experiments

Skyrim Legendary Difficulty Guide

Skyrim book collectors list

Pogger stand alone page