General Video Game Thread

[BetterNow]

@too-old-for-this said in General Video Game Thread:

Hell, I was more suspicious when Disney acquired Marvel, Fox, and a chunk of Sony within a span of like... 6 years.

And Star Wars

[Too Old For This]

@betternow And Star Wars. And ABC. And Photobucket. And GoPRO. And Hollyood Records. It's getting scary.

[Arkandel]

What I am really hoping the Microsoft acquisition of Blizzard will do - aside from actually helping the toxicity in their working environment, which they almost certainly will, since it also helps them do 'reset' most of its management without the controversy of firing them - is actually address the overall way the games themselves are set up.

For example World of Warcraft has been relying on long, long grinds to stretch out content and prolong subscriptions. Repetitive quests that need to be done (often from scratch on alts) to gain access to essential part of your characters' abilities have long been a staple of how things are done.

If they fold subscriptions into Game Pass it is possible they will rely instead on the game's own merit, and the fact your money is going toward the overall content instead of only WoW.

And that would be lovely.

[Arkandel]

(Double post, ohno)

I went back to WoW. If anyone on the Horde side is doing Mythic+ and wants to group up I'm online most evenings. Feel free to reach out to become Battle.Net buddies!

[Warma Sheen]

@arkandel Backslider...!

[Arkandel]

Blizzard's newest post on fixing their culture issues.

[Ganymede]

@arkandel said in General Video Game Thread:

Blizzard's newest post on fixing their culture issues.

As someone who helps prepare press releases now, I can tell you that this is typical non-committal drivel.

Example: We tripled the size of our compliance and investigation teams and have articulated clear accountability for unacceptable behavior. This applies to all employees at Blizzard, including leadership and management.

Here's something to think about:

1. What's three times zero?
2. What are the compensation and qualifications of the compliance and investigation professionals?
3. If a law is well-articulated, does it mean anything if it is never enforced?

And so on.

[Arkandel]

@ganymede No different than a MUSH's rules, really. After all, what is a MUSH but a video game?

[Ganymede]

@arkandel

[Arkandel]

I'm annoyed at myself about the way I allow myself to think of gaming if I'm not being careful.

For example I was reading a thread about which class people plan on playing in WoW's next patch. However some of the posts were like "I always play warriors!" or "I'm gonna play a shaman because I like throwing lightning bolts!" and that annoyed me. Those are not quantifiable reasons, dammit, where are the logs showing that those specs are competitive? Are their new set tier bonuses powerful?

And then I remember. Oh, it's a game. Right. These people are basically saying they're having fun and I didn't think it was a good enough reason.

Dammit.

[Derp]

@arkandel

But back on the topic of video games, @Devrex turned me on to Alan Wake. I don't know how I didn't know about this game before, but I'm enjoying every second of it.

[Carma]

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[BloodAngel]

@derp They just announced Alan Wake 2 and another control game. So excited to see them tie together more than just one DLC!

[Derp]

@carma said in General Video Game Thread:

@derp I enjoyed Alan Wake for a couple hours, but then it lost me.

***Just some gripes***

click to show

As I found more of the titular character's manuscript, I got increasingly turned off by his writing style. I'd have to look back at it to give it a fair shake, but I was grinding my teeth at just how amateurish his writing is.

I was hoping that the game was building up to the fact that he's supposed to be a bad writer who's plagued by the pressure of a publisher and fans who love his stuff despite him being unable to meet his own personal standards, and the supernatural things he experiences are manifestations of the pain that plagues him... but either I misinterpreted the ending or that isn't at all what the story was building up to.

Somehow, despite my love for horror novels, I don't think I was the targeted demographic for that game. And that saddens me.

Well -- I mean, granted, I'm not all the way through it, but:

***Spoilery Spoiler Stuff***

click to show

...if my wife were kidnapped by a dark power and I supposedly had to write a manuscript to keep the world going on, or whatever, then I'm probably not giving it my very best. I'm likely just barebonesing that shit to get it out the door and keep the lights on, so that tracks.

The point of the game isn't the writing itself, it's that what he's writing down comes true and that, apparently, he has to keep writing it to appease the dark god of the lake Flemeth Kate Mulgrew.

[Vixanic]

If you like games of trading, similar to Tradewinds or Port Royale

Games where you can build really satisfying production lines

Games with beautiful stories and a truly whimsical world

Then I cannot recommend Merchant of the Skies enough. I've played the campaign mode twice from start to finish in the last couple of weeks, which isn't common for me.

Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1040070/Merchant_of_the_Skies/

[Arkandel]

Is anyone playing Crusader Kings 3?

It's on sale on Steam for $38ish but the Royal Edition is up for double that.

Is the full pack worth it?

[Sfire]

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