Posts made by Ganymede

@faraday said in Charging for MU* Code?:

Yes I understand that concept. What I'm saying is that it's a well-demonstrated fact that software projects don't work that way.

I also accept this premise, which is why I charge on an hourly basis. Still, it's up to the professional to figure out what he or she will or will not do, so I'm not going to second guess Theno-pricing. He's a big boy; he can charge whatever the market will bear.

@tinuviel said in Charging for MU* Code?:

I want a WoD splat that isn't full of fluff and has dice rolls described for every possible permeation of action. That's all I want.

It's almost like you want a rule book. Imagine that.

I've worked on adaptations of nWoD incarnations, and if I can wedge 15 bloodlines into under 40 pages of text, I know I don't need a 100+ page book describing a dozen of them.

@faraday said in Charging for MU* Code?:

Uh, you kinda replied to a post about "contracts and crap" with comments about commissions, so yeah - that's what we're talking about.

I look at the offer here like an offer to handle a legal matter for a flat fee.

No sane lawyer promises an outcome, but a lawyer should know what his or her client's interests are. They have a better idea than the average person as to how long it takes to get to the desired result, presuming that they can get there. So, when they set the flat fee, they do so knowing what compensation they expect for their work, regardless of how long it takes or what the ultimate result is.

The client has every right to remind the lawyer what their interests are, and can ask to change those interests mid-way. If they do that, though, the lawyer has the right to demand more money because the client is changing the scope of the work to be done.

I see the same premise here. I can tell Thenomain what I'd like to see, and he can charge what he feels is reasonable.

@scissors said in The Eighth Sea - Here There Be Monsters:

Most personal goals and ambitions are, by necessity, pushed to the side, so it hinders any sort of intrigue/political RP. And Tavern RP is just Bar RP with a fancier name... you can only do it for so long.

I didn't realize that Beppe had such ambitions.

@lithium said in General Video Game Thread:

Case in point, I died, so much, playing Rise of the Tomb Raider just for missing the timing on things, it would have been /so much worse/ if I had been trying to do so on a controller.

My understanding is that Rise of the Tomb Raider was a reaction-based, puzzle-adventure game, though. Horizon Zero Dawn really isn't. Aside from leaping onto the back of a Tallneck, I don't recall any part of the game where timing was necessary to get along on terrain. I have fallen to my death a few times, but that's player error, not timing error.

Horizon Zero Dawn plays more like Mass Effect: Andromeda without the flying, and The Witcher III when it comes to dodging attacks and riding on horseback. There's a bit of "bullet time" involved as well, along with stealthy-sneak insta-kills, a la The Last of Us. Where it differs from the above is the ranged weapons, which give you several innovative ways to take down your enemies.

I like the game a lot more than Skyrim or other Elder Scroll games. I think I prefer games with more of a focus and narrative. The game is still open world, though, but there's some clear direction to follow. I'll admit that I've had to train myself on the controller, but I'm still not half-bad with the KB+M setup when I've had to use it.

@wildbaboons said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

Now after a couple of deaths from students getting to school on snowy days and changing laws that require students attend school X number of days a year it's better to call a delay/schedule early dismissal than outright cancel.

Or -- and this is just a suggestion because, you know, I know you aren't trying to get under my skin, but this subject makes my blood boil and seethe -- you could do all sorts of things.

Like, maybe, start the school and not be a complete dick about people showing up late when it is snowing so hard polar bears be like "homey, dis is ridic." Forgive the tardiness in the morning, and move the fuck along like, you know, reasonable adults do.

Here's another idea: maybe have your crews start earlier plowing the essential, main streets.

Because you know what a two-hour delay is going to do to road conditions, the cold, and the snow? Jack shit. It's like people think that conditions will magically change if you just give Jesus two extra hours to do his thang.

@arkandel said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

Snow. It's like a movement debuff - a 75% increase to the time it takes to commute to work.

Also, a 75% decrease in the common sense of motorists and intelligence of people.

I fucking hate snow. Not because it's cold. Not because it's inconvenient. Because it triggers all of the stupidest bullshit in people and institutions, to the point where I'm a ticking fucking time-bomb.

For example, 2-hour delays. Do any of those fucks that do this for less than 1 inch of fucking snow know how much of a fucking inconvenience and irritant this is for parents that have to work for a fucking living? 2-hour delays never fucking happen in Canada because it makes no goddamned sense if you spend 3 seconds thinking about the decision critically.

Like, fuck you, Ohio. Motorists, learn to fucking drive. Educators, get up an hour fucking earlier to get your shit done before you need to get to fucking work on time so the rest of the fucking city isn't risking getting fired over your inability to plan. Officials, we have a fucking weather service so fucking think about preparing for a fucking winter, you lazy fucks.

Shit, I can't believe I need to get angry about this fucking shit. 12 years of schooling in fucking Canada, where there are snow-drifts that swallow children whole, and I never had one fucking 2-hour delay. Just cancel school entirely -- or fucking don't.

Fuck.

@lithium said in General Video Game Thread:

I haven't looked to see if there's a PC port or not though. If there is, I will eventually play it.

As Rucket has said, the chances of this are slim to none.

HZD isn't really an FPS; it's an action-based 3PS that is built for a PS4 controller. And it is really built for the PS4. Really.

I have encouraged many, many people to strongly consider picking up a PS4. Many of the major console makers are plunging billions of dollars into making exclusive games because this has been a successful strategy. If you want to play Zelda, you're going to need a Nintendo system; if you want to play The Last of Us, you're going to need a PS system. And so on.

I love strategy games on my PC, but my PS4 gets the lion's share of my time, now. It's a suburban machine, and perfectly capable of handling all sorts of different family needs: games, TV (PS Vue), exercise (apps, like Dailyburn, which I use), movies (streaming services), and so on. My family can literally camp out in my basement with the PS4 as the hive.

Anyhow, that's my spiel on why people should strongly consider getting a gaming console.

@lithium said in General Video Game Thread:

I meant the people, what do the /people/ eat.

Animals.

Not all the animals are robots.

It's in the story.

And the robots eat animals.

@bobotron

Look, I get what you're saying. I do.

Shooting arrows at robots? That's cool.

Shooting arrows at robot deer and steer? That's also cool.

Shooting arrows that hog-tie robot panthers to the ground? That's nifty cool.

Shooting flaming arrows at giant robot saber-toothed cats? That's really cool.

Shooting exploding sonic arrows at giant robot coelecanth-like monsters that burrow through the ground, leap out at you, and occasionally belch out streams of rock at you while you're riding on the back of a robot water buffalo in a suit of force-field armor?

That's priceless.

@faceless

I like this one.

@faceless said in General Video Game Thread:

I haven't given that one a whirl yet. It looks nice, the aesthetics of the creatures has just never reached out to me, unfortunately.

I suppose it's not for everyone, but taking down a massive robot dinosaur armed with machineguns and lasers is ... well, it is what it is.

@faceless said in General Video Game Thread:

I picked up The Witcher: Enhanced Edition or whatever. I definitely understand what people were talking about with the combat, it's clunky and relies heavily on timing. I've not really had any issues with it myself, but I definitely understand where folks could have experienced some.

The clunkiness is nothing compared to some of the clunkiness of Horizon Zero Dawn, but you have to love that game for just about everything else.

Like ...

@kanye-qwest said in Encouraging Proactive Players:

True, but - A. not my problem, and B. whining and complaining is not a good way to MAKE them.

Well, aren't we setting up a jolly Catch-22 now, eh?

@kanye-qwest said in Encouraging Proactive Players:

I definitely don't agree. If you want to 'vent', whine, and complain, do it to your friends.

To be fair, there may be a handful of people out there who do not have any friends, like Arkandel.

@taika said in Charging for MU* Code?:

I... maybe just totally had this mental image of Theno as the hottest girl in the strip club with all us MU*ers waving ones at him. It was glorious.

@surreality said in The Eighth Sea - Here There Be Monsters:

They did a beautiful job with this place, and way more people should try it. People are friendly, chill, and it was never hard to get involved in things. It's pretty easy to set up a character, and I'm impressed with how things are set up. People were massively helpful when it came to getting set up, too; I'd not tried any games using any of faraday's systems before and it was easy to pick up for a new-systems-averse person.

I definitely second this. The folks are reasonable, and by that I mean they are helpful to newbies and quick to address problem players with prejudice.

@faraday

I have edited my response slightly. I'm talking about complaining about the game while on the game, which is what I think Apos is getting at.

We're two different people! If we ran a game together, you'd be the good cop, and that's okay with me. But, as I said, I don't mind complaints or whining as long as they aren't broadcasted because I think that has a very negative effect on a group of players.