>Anyway, as you note, the intent is generally to set things up so that
>familiarity with the sources adds to the experience rather than
>unfamiliarity detracting; but I'm willing to accept the possibility
>that I've fucked it up this time. That is, alas, life sometimes. :(

For various reasons, my familiarity with most of the source material that UF is taken from ranges from minimal at best to absolutely nothing, yet other than occasionally confusing me when I encounter it later and find that my mental picture was completely wrong, it doesn't really matter to me. Perhaps knowing the source material can make it easier to understand and/or more enjoyable (e.g., I really like the various CSI characters in UF in part because of the comparison to their originals), but I've rarely failed to get something because of a lack of source background.

And that's one of the reasons I love UF - you may have taken characters from somewhere else to assemble things, but you've sufficiently made them your own that it doesn't matter. You give me enough of the picture that even if I'm missing minor nuances, it doesn't prevent me from seeing things in context, and you usually point out those nuances (either on camera or in the forums) if they're really important. In short, you do a good job of telling the story, and that's all I care about.

Just my $0.02.

Offsides

[...] in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.
-- David Ben Gurion
EPU RCW #π
#include <stdsig.h>