Best posts made by Wizz

@kireek

I get that? But Pondsmith himself was defending it in 2019 as if it were still relevant, not admitting that like...hey, I wrote this 30 years ago, maybe a better take was necessary. That's my only beef with it.

The only reason I brought this up at all was to point out that some people have found a lot of fault in the game's politics but given the source material they're using, I understand the struggle. Change it too much and it's not recognizable, change it too little and it's dated and awful by our standards.

@arkandel said in Constructive (keyword) Criticism of Arx Systems:

But please don't underestimate the value of being able to speak freely. I don't mean it for Arx but in general. While shitposts and unprovoked personal attacks are a sad consequence of it, there's a big upside of both being able to say what you want without looking over your shoulder and reading what people outside of your personal circle think of your grand plans.

I'm not, for sure. My critique of the forum is more in line with @Roz's, I just honestly don't think we're the place for big, constructive, positive discussion anymore. I used to really want to lean into that hardcore here myself, especially right after WORA closed, and I struggled with how people (including myself, the more time I worried about it and let my frustration grow and let it become a personal channel for venting about things like everyone else) made it very clear that that's not what the board's primary purpose is. I've made my personal peace with it and for what it's worth maaaaaan it's fine, this place can be that place!

@roz said in Constructive (keyword) Criticism of Arx Systems:

For the record, I don't think that staff is planning on pulling out from ALL THE ARX THREADS here or something. Just -- as @Arkandel said, MSB is not well-equipped for this kind of really dense system discussion, and I know it was getting pretty discouraging for staff just because of the way MSB discussions can get stuck on one particular issue and circle around it forever and not have a bigger picture to compare it to. There's the publicly accessible Github now, and yeah you'll have to make an account to chat there, but it provides a much better venue for being able to get into specifics, to have different issue threads on different topics and ideas and projects, etc.

Sorry if I made it sound like I was saying YAY THEY'RE GONE, that def wasn't my intention either. I get that they're still here, I just think less professional involvement (or whatever you want to call it, being here specifically as Arx staff and not just as themselves) by whatever degree is a positive, in my very personal and obviously very humble opinion I think they have been here a little too strongly lately specifically as staff responding to critical blahs about the game, that's all. That just takes a toll, we all know that.

Just for future reference, my two cents:

@surreality said in RL Anger:

@auspice My post was simply 'we'll just have to disagree about the terrible'. Totally peaceable. And I was told I was in the wrong for having a different opinion than him.

I wanted to reinforce this point by pointing out this interaction:

@tinuviel said in RL Anger:

@surreality My concern is that you stated, initially, that the show was awesome and that anyone who disagrees (me) can go fuck themselves.

She told you to go fuck yourself when you responded to her observation that you were going to disagree on the issue with "Yeah we will, because you're wrong."

Not a super cool way to begin this discussion, dude. It immediately puts someone on the defensive and comes off really dismissive, if anyone is wondering why this became so heated very quickly it probably is because you came in swinging.

Not that I think an immediate "fuck you" was the right response either. Maybe a little more tact from all comers would have been more appropriate for a sensitive topic.

***Question***

@derp said in The Cyberpunk 2077 Snuff Chip Problem:

@kireek said in The Cyberpunk 2077 Snuff Chip Problem:

We reach the crux of the problem... and the original post. It isn't freaks that make the market, there are too few to really make such a detailed operation sustainable..

You're making an assumption, here. A pretty big one. Niche markets are still markets. It just means that you have less competition and can, in fact, charge higher prices, especially given the danger/effort involved in making it.
Yes, it absolutely can be sold to 'a couple of freaks' for very high prices, just like any other item in a niche market.

This.

Also, we see the producers and the buyers in-game, and go through the process of making such a purchase ourselves. The producers are scummy, desperate people and it's clear that this product -- even in a city where most illicit goods and services are easily available -- requires an extra level of precaution before you can even meet the distributor. And other buyers are portrayed as scumbags too.

They're not just average dumb, complacent consumers who are numbly stumbling into it. They're clammy desperate types who are taking a huge risk and absolutely knowing what they're getting into.

I really don't get why you think otherwise, other than you maybe weren't paying enough attention to the dialogue and all the steps and their implications. The main characters comment on almost every single aspect, too, expressing their disgust and contempt with literally everyone involved.

There is nothing insidious happening here. Nobody at CDPR is trying to BRAINWASH THE MASSES, that just...well.

@surreality

What's kind of depressing is that occasionally he actually does have what appear on the surface to be good ideas -- I really liked the concept for his dream game for example, until he dug in like a tick on some bizarre mechanics to empower abusive players and actively encourage hate speech, at which point he melted down here and did his frothing at the mouth routine. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to learn there actually is some illness involved.

So I passed on Pacific Rim: Uprising when it released, but I gave it a shot tonight and...wow. Really surprisingly fun and I honestly thought it was a better film than the original, which I wasn't expecting considering the very lukewarm critic reviews. The cast was so much better and more engaging and for once I was a little thrilled by the franchise teaser at the end.

I'm vacationing from MSB for a while, you know how it be.

If y'all wanna reach me, I'll be checking for PMs for the next few days and I'll share my Discord with you if ask for it and you're not just looking to scrap, haha.

In the between time of now and whenever, happy holidays/new year/etc. friends.

Also, I know it's linked somewhere here on the boards years and years ago, but just as an early X-mas present for anyone who hasn't seen it, here's the hilarious faux-pilot produced by and starring Billy Zane.

Oh, what we could have had!!

@Auspice

I remember the game you're talking about, aaaand yeah. There was definitely a "Harry Dresden with the serial numbers filed off" character, and (at least while I played) the only joinable org was explicitly his merry gang of ne'er-do-well backup dancers. There was even an actual CG rule IIRC that basically said "you can't ever be a Warden, we only have one and it's his special position that can never never be anyone else's ever" even though that wasn't technically themely even at that point in the series.

But that's pretty anecdotal, and a little weird to apply to the setting in general when that's...really been a fairly common scenario for the hobby at large -- "small group of friends run an OTT for each other, decide to open to the public but are not willing to retire their characters and broaden the focus" is just your typical Staff Sandbox, not a specifically Dresden Files problem. There's a lot of baked-in themes and fun faction conflicts for a Dresden Files game, you just need to actually run it that way.

"You know, they say if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.." (Awkward beat.) "I-I'm sorry, keep going, I don't know where that came from, go ahead. Oh, I think there's a 'k' in 'knucklehead.'"

@Luna said:

Also, he has a cheer for himself. WTF. Who does that?

...wut

@Tinuviel

For my part, I've had an acquaintance since we were teens who was a self-indentified pedophile who struggled against it very publicly as a mental illness for most of his adult life. He's in a healthy adult relationship now, and he's successful and doing well. I'm not ashamed to say I am proud of him, even if I can't say I've always felt that way. I understand how complicated everything about the subject is.

@jonah42175

I really, really like them! It's def not my usual jam, but the feels are real as heck

This......................but instead it's EEEEEECLIPSE PHAAAAAAAAAAASE-ASE-ase-ase... (echo fades out into uncaring void)

plz ;____;

Purple prosing the hell out of in-character letters has always been some of the most fun/amusing writing of all time for me tho, especially for characters who don't actually speak that way and are often involved in Dubious Affairs.

UNLEASH THE ROOMBACAT WITHIN

@Auspice said in I need a god damn Expanse MU.:

Eclipse Phase is not Expanse.
Expanse is not Eclipse Phase.

This would be two different games!

They've got the hard sci-fi, horror elements, focus on interplanetary solar system politics, and even gatecrashing (visiting alien worlds through mysterious portals) in common!

But........yeah, not much else.

I just want Eclipse Phase. I NEED IT.

Imagine the Expanse, but James Holden is a cyborg octopus.

EEEECLIIIPSE PHAAAAAAAAASE

Yeah, I guess I'm just not seeing the appeal either aside from "basic familiarity." I feel like I've already flogged this dead horse but there are other systems that match the simplicity of WoD and are a better fit for the kinds of things you actually do on the game.

It's waaaay less ANGER and more just "what," but: I have no idea who I'm supposed to be trying to date right now in my life.

I'm a couple years shy of thirty, I have a kid, and I'm just now really taking off in a career I like. I've got a lot of independent education but no papers to show for it. I'm well-traveled but not yet very financially secure. It's like I'm a little too behind in some ways and a little too ahead in others, too serious for the early-twenties crowd and not serious enough for ladies my age or older (though for some reason I'm totally cougar bait apparently?). I'm completely baffled and frustrated by it. It almost feels like I've got to meet someone with a very similar skeewompus life experience to relate to, which is insanely difficult because I'm not even 100% sure how I got here.

Maybe it's just that I need to give myself a few years to level out, or just keep striking out until something finally fits, but it's disheartening. Life is so goddamn weird.