But let me clarify that word so as not to begin this post by throwing you off track.

dictionary.com Unabridged
noting or pertaining to a long poetic composition, usually centered upon a hero, in which a series of great achievements or events is narrated in elevated style: Homer’s Iliad is an epic poem.

The epical is, strictly speaking, The Epic.

The Epic is a poem, by definition (so “epic poem” is redundant). Other uses of the word are metaphorical, and it is a metaphorical sense that I am using it, too. I don’t pine for a long poetic composition online, so put that right out of your head.

Here’s a definition appropriate to my needs:

American Heritage Dictionary
A series of events considered appropriate to an epic: the epic of the Old West.

Another example of the word “epic” in use at first blush may seems off target.

Fermat’s Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World’s Greatest Mathematical Problem

The book explains that the topic often came up over tea, the occasional speculation as to who might be doing what, followed by nothing happening. Not very epic, even if it rhymed.

But the book opens with this quote:

Archimedes will be remembered when Aeschylus is forgotten, because languages die and mathematical ideas do not. “Immortality” may be a silly word, but probably a mathematician has the best chance of whatever it may mean.

G H Hardy

“Immortality” is as good a word as any to describe a lack of the normal - for people especially - mortality. In that sense, “immortality” is so central to the epic, the above appeal doesn’t seem entirely ridiculous as justification for labeling 357 years of nothing happens as “epic”.

Still I have to think it was Fermat’s Final Theorem which turned out to be epic, rather than the quest to solve it or even the solution. The epic series of events were all Fermat’s victories. Fermat’s Final Theorem  will be remembered when Wiles is forgotten, too.

Fodder for the comment thread:

* An epic series of events makes an epic.

* Immortality is an important ingredient, too.

* The only way to determine if something is immortal is to wait ’til everything around it is gone and forgotten, then see if you remember to see if it is still there.

Ok, so as I said, my dream MMO would be an epical online game. I might ramble on some more about that if anyone seems particularly interested in the topic.

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I can’t wait to watch both movies in simultaneous split-screen on YouTube, too.

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I love to find novel game mechanics in these things, because generally a flash game isn’t much more than one game system. Some might say that MMOs aren’t either, but even if that’s true, the view of it is less obstructed in a flash game.

Generally it’s enough of a treat to find something like Chronotron. It uses a mechanic that I’ve seen a couple of times before, but never as well realized as it is here.

I don’t even know what to say about Music Bounce. It’s just brilliant.

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