Information about Sagas

The Simple API for Grid Applications (SAGA), is an open standard defined and maintained by the Open Grid Forum that describes an interface for high-level Grid application programming.

Scope

The SAGA API does not strive to replace Globus or similar Grid middleware systems, and does not target middleware developers, but solely application developers with no assumed background on Grid Computing who wish to Grid enable their applications whilst spending as little time as possible learning new paradigms. Such developers typically wish to devote their time to their own goals and minimize the time spent coding infrastructure functionality. The API insulates application developers from middleware.

The specification of services, and the protocols to interact with them, is out of the scope of SAGA. Rather, the API seeks to hide the detail of any service infrastructures that may or may not be used to implement the functionality that the application developer needs. The API alignes, however, with all middleware standards within OGF.

The SAGA API is designed to be extensible: a well defined mechanism exists to specify additional API packages which expand the scope of the API as needed. The SAGA Core API itself defines a number of packages: job management, file management, replica management, remote procedure calls, and streams. A large part of the SAGA Core API specification

Standardization

SAGA is being standardized by the Open Grid Forum. In fact, SAGA is ultimately a set of OGF standard documents.

• The SAGA Core API Specification is the base of that set of standards, and defines the Look and Feel of the SAGA API.

See also

• POSIX
• SAGA C++ Reference Implementation

External links

• The SAGA Research Group at OGF
• The SAGA Core Working Group at OGF

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SaGa (Sa・Ga, サガ|, SaGa) is a series of console role-playing games produced by Square, now Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the brainchild of Akitoshi Kawazu. It has since continued across multiple platforms, from the Super Nintendo Entertainment System to the PlayStation 2. Among Square games, SaGa is second only to the Final Fantasy series in terms of the number of installments: as of August 2006, nine games have been released in Japan in the series.

Overview

The SaGa series follows the more traditional model of western role-playing games established by the Ultima series; its open-ended plot and free style of character development separate it from the more linear Final Fantasy series. Like the Final Fantasy series, however, the story in each SaGa game is independent of its counterparts. The early games in the series also feature some common gameplay elements and themes first established in Final Fantasy, such as random enemy encounters, but most of these disappear with the Romancing SaGa games, providing a unique gameplay experience. It also features a similar turn-based battle system, where a character's prowess is driven by numerical values called "statistics;" statistics, in turn, increase with combat experience. Given the open-ended aspect of gameplay and the ability to play through multiple character scenarios, heavy emphasis is placed upon the replay value of SaGa games.

Games

Although they're all independent, the nine games from the SaGa series can be split into three distinct groups: the Final Fantasy Legend group, the Romancing SaGa trilogy, and the SaGa Frontier games (which include Unlimited SaGa).

Final Fantasy Legend trilogy

The first installment in the SaGa series was released in Japan in December 1989 as Makai Tōshi Sa•Ga, which roughly translates as "SaGa: Tower of the Demon Realm." Not only was it the Game Boy's debut role-playing game, but it marked the first appearance of an RPG on any handheld video game console. The game retained many elements of Final Fantasy, such as random enemy encounters, but introduced new systems of developing characters. The game released in North America less than a year later as The Final Fantasy Legend, presumably to boost sales on the strength of Final Fantasy's name. An enhanced remake of the game released exclusively in Japan in 2002 for the Wonderswan Color, sporting more advanced graphics than displayed by the Game Boy's four-color set.

The first successor in the SaGa series was released in Japan in December 1990 as SaGa 2: Hihou Densetsu and in North America in November 1991 as Final Fantasy Legend II. The game retained the same character classes used in its predecessor, but introduced a fifth ally that often helps the player's party in combat. The game's story is more developed than the first SaGa game, with a journey that spans across more than a dozen worlds. GameSpot's "History of Console RPGs" touts Final Fantasy Legend II as the best of the Game Boy SaGa games, calling it a "portable gaming classic".^[1]

The third game in the series, SaGa 3: Jikuu no Hasha, was released in Japan in December 1991. When it was released in North America in 1993, it retained the monikers of its predecessors as Final Fantasy Legend III. The game eliminated the class system of the previous two installments, instead emulating the style of Final Fantasy games and introducing four human characters with predetermined backgrounds.

All of the Final Fantasy Legend games were re-released in North America in 1998 and distributed by Sunsoft. The games remained exactly the same except that the Sunsoft logo replaced Square's logo.

Romancing SaGa trilogy

The second set of SaGa games were all released exclusively in Japan on the Super Famicom (known internationally as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System). Efforts have been made by fans to unofficially translate the games.

The first Romancing SaGa game allows players to choose from one of eight character scenarios to follow. An enhanced remake of the game was released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2. The game bears the title Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song.

Romancing SaGa 2, the second installment of the Romancing SaGa series and the fifth in the SaGa series in general, places a greater emphasis on storyline than its predecessors. The game's story plays out across generations, so players cannot keep one party of warriors throughout the game.

The third Romancing SaGa game, Romancing SaGa 3, featured a battle system similar to that of Final Fantasy II and the first two SaGa games, where character development is determined by the player's commands in battle. If the player commands a character to cast magic spells frequently, for example, then that character will grow in magical power.

• From here on out you can avoid encounters with enemies, it is encouraged in the first Romancing SaGa because the events are driven by the amount of battles fought, however in Romancing SaGa 2 and 3 the number of battles do not affect the events so there are no lockout points preventing the player from experiencing the game in full. It is also possible to run on the map in Romancing SaGa 2 and 3 but the enemies will not be visible as a result. Starting from Romancing SaGa There were also limitations set to what characters can be recruited based on what character you play as.

SaGa Frontier and Unlimited SaGa

SaGa Frontier was both the first SaGa game to be released in North America since Final Fantasy Legend III in 1993 and the first of the series to be released in North America as a SaGa game. Similar in style to the earlier games in the series, SaGa Frontier allows players to choose from multiple characters, each with his or her own unique storyline and scenario. SaGa Frontier 2 released in Japan in 1999 and was one of Square's last RPGs produced for the PlayStation. The game shunned 3D graphics in favor traditional 2D hand-painted watercolor sprites. The game featured two separate storylines spanning across three generations. The final game in the series, Unlimited SaGa, released for the PlayStation 2 in 2002. Despite criticism of the game's combat system, it garnered a loyal fanbase.

References

External links

• The SaGa Universe at MobyGames

•  • [ e] SaGa video games

Final Fantasy Legend • II • III Romancing Saga • 2 • 3 • SaGa Frontier • 2 • Unlimited Saga List of characters: Romancing SaGa • SaGa Frontier • SaGa Frontier 2

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The sagas (from Icelandic saga, plural sögur), are stories about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history, about early Viking voyages, about migration to Iceland, and of feuds between Icelandic families. They were written in the Old Norse language, mainly in Iceland.

The texts are epic tales in prose, often with stanzas or whole poems in alliterative verse embedded in the text, of heroic deeds of days long gone, tales of worthy men, who were often Vikings, sometimes Pagan, sometimes Christian. The tales are usually realistic, except legendary sagas, sagas of saints, sagas of bishops and translated or recomposed romances. They are sometimes romanticised and fantastic, but always dealing with human beings one can understand.

Background

The term saga originates from the Icelandic saga (pl. sögur), and refers to (1) "what is said, statement" or (2) "story, tale, history". It is cognate with the English word "say", and the German sagen. Icelandic sagas are based on oral traditions and much research has focused on what is real and what is fiction within each tale. The accuracy of the sagas is often hotly disputed. Most of the manuscripts in which the sagas are preserved were taken to Denmark and Sweden in the 17th century, but later returned to Iceland.

There are plenty of tales of kings (e.g. Heimskringla), every-day people (e.g. Bandamanna saga) and larger than life characters (e. g. Egils saga). The sagas describe a part of the history of some of the Nordic countries (e.g. the last chapter of Hervarar saga). The British Isles, northern France and North America are also mentioned. It was only recently (start of 20th century) that the tales of the voyages to America were authenticated.

Most sagas of Icelanders take place in the period 930–1030, which is actually called söguöld (Age of the Sagas) in Icelandic history. The sagas of kings, bishops, contemporary sagas and so on, of course have their own time frame. Most were written down between 1190 to 1320, sometimes existing as oral traditions long before, others are pure fiction, and for some we do know the sources: The author of King Sverrir's saga had met the king and used him as a source. The Mythology theory of saga origin maintains that the plots and characters were heavily influenced by mythological material associated with the local landscape.

On the plots and writing style

Some of the sagas live between Christianity and Paganism and fate plays a central role, a key line in Grettis saga (ch. 69) is

... she spoke thus: "Now you are going, my two sons, and you are fated to die together, and no one can escape the destiny that is shaped for him.'

The civilization of Norse sagas is complex, many-layered, with often-contradictory agents sometimes acting as forces for good, sometime evil, and always human.

The writing style tends towards the impersonal, terse, with no explanation of why's. Things happen; no one questions fate. Characters are often but briefly introduced, There was a man named ..., followed by brief biographies, genealogy, and all-important relations to other figures in the saga. Personalities are shown through action, seldom through analysis any deeper than offhand lines like He was an utter scoundrel, or, He was a powerful chieftain. Often a prominent agent figures in other sagas, and one may draw information from them, which saga writers simply assumed. Relationships between individuals are complex, by friendship, blood, marriage, and immediate geography.

One must often and at disadvantage overcome fantastic enemies. Life is short, uncertain, and men's worth is determined by glory in arms.

Critical concepts to the saga technique are honour, luck (or destiny), and fate, the supernatural, and character. Behavior is often not explained, as within the world of the saga it is what must be done, and early listeners of sagas had no need of questions.

Any slight to one's honour (or that of one's family) had to be avenged, by blood or money. Men could easily be goaded to fatal violence over a (real or imagined) slight to their honour.

The concept of luck is simple, certainly in one such as Njáls saga: one is born with a certain store of good luck. When one's good luck runs out, one is doomed.

The supernatural often plays a major role as well. Oneiric (i.e., relating to prophetic dreams) factors may also play a role.

Do agents have the character to surmount their difficulties, or do they succumb to vices such as evil, cowardice and pride?

As a final stylistic point, Magnus Magnusson notes in his introduction to Njáls saga;

In the midst of such economy, one spendthrift sentence can speak volumes: 'two ravens flew with them all the way' (Chapter 79) as Skarp-Hedin and Hogni set out at night to avenge Gunnar ...

Classification

Norse sagas are generally classified as:

Kings' sagas (Konungasögur)

Main article: Kings' sagas

These tell of the lives of Scandinavian kings. They were composed in the 12th to 14th centuries.

Icelanders' sagas (Íslendingasögur)

Main article: Icelanders' sagas

These are heroic prose narratives written in the 12th to 14th centuries of the great families of Iceland from 930 to 1030. These are the highest form of the classical Icelandic saga writing. Some well-known examples include Njáls saga, Laxdœla saga and Grettis saga''.

Short tales of Icelanders

Main article: Short tales of Icelanders

The material of these sagas is similar to Íslendinga sögur, just shorter.

Legendary sagas

Main article: Legendary sagas

These blend remote history with myth or legend. The aim is on a lively narrative and entertainment. Scandinavia's pagan past was a proud and heroic history for the Icelanders.

Chivalric sagas

Main article: Chivalric saga

These are translations of Latin pseudo-historical works and French chansons de geste as well as native creations in the same style.

Other

• Styrbjarnar şáttr Svíakappa
• Hróa şáttr heimska
• Eymundar şáttr hrings
• Eindriğa şáttr ok Erlings

External links and references

• Viktor Rydberg's ;Teutonic Mythology: Gods and Goddesses of the Northland" e-book
• W. Wagner's "Asgard and the Home of the Gods" e-book
• "Myths of Northern Lands" e-book by H. A. Guerber
• Peter Andreas Munch's "Norse Mythology: Legends of Gods and Heroes" e-book
• Free saga e-texts and related materials
• A Norse saga page
• Norse saga resources from the University of Oregon
• (Unknown author, translated by Magnus Magnusson) (1960), Njal's Saga, (ISBN 0-14-044103-4)
• (Unknown author, translated by Seamus Heaney), Beowulf, (2000) (ISBN 0-393-32097-9)
• The Icelandic sagas at Netútgáfan
• Icelandic Saga Database - The Icelandic sagas in the original Icelandic along with translations into many languages
• «Kulturformidlingen norrøne tekster og kvad»
• http://www.gotsaga.com- Sagas from all over the world