tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43732358614666581072024-03-12T21:22:27.294-07:00Somnambulant GamerTotally biased, infrequent, and unreliable, but all for you.Steve H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03593983764200017889noreply@blogger.comBlogger684125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-82491876419880643642020-06-30T07:52:00.001-07:002020-07-01T06:12:37.317-07:00World Building By Deconstructing Bias, Part 1<div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "segoe ui historic", "segoe ui", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the world of tabletop games recently, there's been a lot of conversation around the place that certain fantasy races, such as orc and drow, play in the game. These fantasy constructs inherited some real-world, racially coded mythology that can legitimately be seen as harmful and/or enforcing negative stereotypes that can carry over into the way people perceive and process the world, but that's not really what I'm here to get into. Instead, I'm going to use them as examples of how pulling at the loose threads of your own writing and creations can make your writing stronger and your fantasy worlds more nuanced, by talking about things that writers and companies have already done.</span></div>
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Let's start with my personal anecdote about orcs. I work for a publishing company called Paizo, writing and developing adventures and mechanics for the <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinder" target="_blank">Pathfinder RPG</a>, a table-top roleplaying game born from the <a href="https://dnd.wizards.com/" target="_blank">Dungeons and Dragons RPG</a>. We recently launched a new edition of our game, and part of that ongoing process was reviewing the way we talked about different fantasy peoples and cultures, such as orcs. </div>
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A sidenote here for context: orcs were brought into modern usage by J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings". You may remember them as the large, betusked gents who shot Boromir full of arrows. Orcs were also inspired by what Tolkien called "[...] degraded and repulsive versions of the (to Europeans) least lovely Mongol-types." That probably hits your ear a bit uncomfortably, and arguably it should. Describing a fantasy creation as the least lovely version of another culture has some obvious inherent issues to it, but Tolkien was only the start of this. </div>
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Over the years, fantasy writers and others slowly incorporated orcs into their own settings while elaborating upon that early initial bias, and orcs quickly became one of the stand in "tribal" races. Orcs (along with goblins, trolls, and others) soon inherited traits and terminology that were also used by colonial Europeans to other the people of Africa and the Americas, particularly words like "tribal" and "savage". </div>
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It's not hard to see that by the late 90s and early 00s, franchises like Warcraft weren't even trying particularly hard to hide that trolls were a stand in for Black people, taurens (a race of bipedal cow people) were an indigenous analogue, and orcs were a middle-ground blend of the two. Even as dated "Darkest Africa" and "Cowboys and Indians" tropes were being called out for their racist roots, fantasy writers were discovering that they could tell the exact same stories while avoiding scrutiny by making all the brown and black people in their stories green. All of this is just context for my anecdote, though, so let's get back to that now.</div>
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As Paizo prepared for Pathfinder 2nd Edition, one of our goals was to move further out of Dungeons and Dragons' shadow and strengthen our own brand, and part of doing that was analyzing everything we'd inherited from D&D and determining where it was appropriate for us to accentuate differences we'd already enforced, move away from tropes or stereotypes that we hadn't examined closely enough, and correct our own mistakes. This led to a close examination of orcs (amongst many others). </div>
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As someone who was involved with quite a bit of orc storytelling and some of the writing to bring them forward into the new era of the game, my first task was to read everything we'd ever written about <i>our</i> orcs, so that I could understand where our presentation of them might still align in ways with prior problematic depictions. It didn't take me long to realize that there was at least one key area that we had not been consistently addressing in the best way possible: orcs in our setting were occasionally described with those two key words, "tribal" and "savage", but <i>they weren't a tribal society at all</i>. We were, in fact, pretty specific about their societal structure, where powerful elites ruled over enclaves, apportioned land to their strongest or most loyal lieutenants, and could even find themselves beholden to an even stronger orc to whom they owe fealty and pay tithes. Orcs in Pathfinder's Golarion are part of a clan-based feudal system, not a tribal system, and essentially mirror the Dark Ages of Europe.</div>
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So why did some of our books refer to the orc tribes? Why were we using this word that describes a relatively specific thing to describe something that was not that thing? One of the answers is a habit of lazy writing perpetuated in fantasy since at least the 70s. Words like "tribal" and "savage" were intentionally used to bring to mind the spirit of white explorers braving the "uncivilized" wilderness of Africa or America, boldly bringing the white man's intellect to bear to overcome the evils of the dark-skinned heathens. That kind of pulp fiction is deeply ingrained in American and European culture, and it allows you to tell a long story in a few words by evoking all of those other stories. It's also lazy, biased, and ham-fisted. It uses words that apply to modern-day cultures as keywords for "you can kill or rob this with impunity and still call your character good". But I don't need to harp on the issue any longer, instead I'm going to get to the point of this essay, which is how moving away from that kind of writing makes a fantasy world stronger and more intriguing.</div>
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So, we've reached the point in the story where we've realized that orcs aren't tribal, everyone agrees, and the next step is "How do we tell a better story and create verbiage that can be easily explained to all of our writers, not all of whom speak English as a primary language or live in a country where the nuances of these words and their social implications are evident?" And part of the answer to that was that we'd already put solutions in place, we just hadn't been consistently implementing them. We'd already dubbed the territory claimed by an orcish warlord (another word that fits the orcs much better than the tribally-coded "chief") as a "hold," an historic word which already meant what we intended to say and which was relatively easily arrived at even if you weren't familiar with the etymology; most people know what it means to hold something and have some familiarity with the word stronghold, so all the pieces are in place.</div>
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Now we're in the meat of it. Now we're talking about what this feudal system means, including who do emissaries from other powers talk to, who runs the show, how much of a grip does the showrunner have over the rest of the powers in their country? These questions demanded answers, and as we started writing about orc NPCs in books like the upcoming <a href="https://paizo.com/products/btq023gd?Pathfinder-Lost-Omens-Legends" target="_blank">Lost Omens: Legends</a> and <a href="https://paizo.com/products/btq023ih?Pathfinder-Advanced-Players-Guide" target="_blank">Advanced Player's Guide</a>, we found that the answers to those questions led to better stories. Deeper orc culture, with a subtlety you don't often see in mass-produced fantasy. Webs of feudal alliances and rivalries that allow for far more character interaction and development than the more 1-dimensional "they're a bunch of green folks who are either killing each other or everyone else, depending on whether anyone has a hand on the wheel." </div>
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It even provided better context for some of the characters and groups that were previously introduced to show the diversity our system already possessed compared to others; that clan of good orcs that's explicitly a smaller group surrounded by powerful and evil enemies doesn't manage to survive based solely on pluck and luck, they're protected by a complex series of alliances and friendships, their hold unassailable unless their enemies are willing to provoke the wrath of powerful allies. And the most powerful orc in this feudal system? He's old, physically powerful once and perhaps still a force to be reckoned with, but now far more dangerous politically, wielding chaos and cunning with a firm hand and a mind carved from iron. He's the orcish Lion in Winter, an association that is so incredibly apt and apparent as soon as you look at the stories through clear eyes and recognize the truth that the politics and society of said stories, one stumbling step at a time as we continue moving forward, have been striving to tell. By recognizing the inherent laziness and bias of casual fantasy language, we have, in my personal opinion, taken those next steps into even better storytelling and more consistent and logical presentation of characters. </div>
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I'd urge any prospective or current writer to peel back the layers of your own storytelling and world-building with the same critical eye; why did you use a particular word or phrase to describe something? Is it because that was really the best way to describe it, or was it a quick way to save some word count by drawing on tropes and stereotypes? Do those tropes and stereotypes include include harmful ideology that reflects on real world cultures and events? Did you mean for them to? Dissecting not just what you've said but why you've said it is one of the steps towards growing and improving as a writer and an author.</div>
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-Michael Sayre</div>
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Coming Next: <b>World Building by Deconstructing Bias, Part 2: Drow Haven't Been Always Evil Since the 80s and Fantasy is Better For It</b></div>
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Ssalarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06405150294679357039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-40284510297258492742020-05-13T08:54:00.000-07:002020-05-13T10:39:45.491-07:00Reviewing Reviews: A Guide to Helpful Reviewing Practices<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="e4f1v" data-offset-key="b9r5p-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'd like to talk a bit about my views and opinions on reviewing products like games and books, from my perspective as someone who has written a lot of reviews and also designed and developed a lot of products and books. This shouldn't be read as a chastisement or argument, it's just me talking about the things I do and don't find helpful in a review, and why I feel that way. So let's get into it.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="8e9ko-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you spend much time around creatives (virtually or in person), it's likely that the topic of reviews will come up. This is because there's often no better marketing tool than word of mouth, and reviews posted on a product page are one of the most visible ways that word of mouth happens. A product with bad reviews will probably still sell more copies than a product with no reviews at all, if only because people are going to get curious about whether or not the product could actually be that bad. Sure, bad reviews will ultimately shorten the sales life of the product and might have other repercussions, but at least people are talking about the product and, hopefully, providing the creator with some insights on how to make the next product better.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="bjp72-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Some Reviews are Better Than Others</span></span></h3>
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<span data-offset-key="fel60-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you ask a product creator about reviews, they'll generally encourage you to write one whether or not you liked the product and regardless of your intended rating. This is largely for the reasons mentioned above, and because content creators don't want to scare off potential reviewers. There's a relatively small portion of any given customer base who are inclined to write reviews in the first place, and the people who are inclined to write reviews skew towards the negative, which is just human nature. But the reality is that there are some reviews that are actually helpful and some that aren't; contrary to what you might assume, the difference between a valuable review and a review that is less helpful has very little to do with the actual rating and a lot to do with the content of the review itself.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="2o96r-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Reviews that are less helpful to content creators are reviews that don't contain any actionable information or descriptions. A 5-star review that says "Loved it, great product!" lets the creator know that someone appreciated their work, which is nice, but it doesn't tell them what they did right or what they should be replicating to make more products that people will enjoy. Similarly, a 1-star review that says "Hated it, absolute garbage" is also not terribly helpful, since it lets the product creator know that someone didn't like their product, but not why or what the content creator could improve on. A good review has actionable data, so let's talk a bit about what that means next.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="do028-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Knowing whether the reviewer considers a product good or bad is a start, and some might say the foundation of a review, but it shouldn't be the destination. The more information you include in your review about why you did or did not like it, the more valuable the review is going to be to the content creator. Saying "I disliked this product because I felt the product was poorly written or edited" is stronger than "I disliked the product", and "I disliked this product because I noticed frequent errors in grammar and spelling throughout and I felt the difficulty of doing the things the product wanted me to do was too high for the experience I was hoping for" is stronger still. The more detail and explanation you include in your review, the more valuable it is to the content creator and anyone considering purchasing the product. From a personal perspective, I won't factor any review that doesn't include specific details about how the reviewer arrived at their rating into my decisions to buy a product; I don't care that your grandma and brother thought your product was great any more than I care that some slack-jawed racist thought your product was "standard SJW crap".</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="do028-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Strong reviews are high on facts, low on opinions, and include a clear statement from the reviewer about their biases. This can be a hard thing for a potential reviewer to execute well, because many people aren't aware of their inherent biases and may feel that their opinions are facts. Self-awareness is a big component here and it's not necessarily something people will know how to advertise unless they spend a lot of time talking to a diverse group of people and reading other reviews by experienced reviewers. It will always be a work in progess task for a potential reviewer, but the better you become at it, the stronger and more useful your reviews will be for potential purchasers and content creators alike. Some examples for reference-</span></span>
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<li><span data-offset-key="do028-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"This adventure was too hard and the writer didn't know what they were doing" is a less valuable review. The reviewer hasn't explained <i>why</i> the adventure was too hard, and by attacking the writer directly they're telling that person that they (the reviewer) are a jerk and thus their opinion is one the reader should put less stock in.</span></span></li>
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<li><span data-offset-key="do028-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"My group thought this adventure was too difficult for the following reasons" followed by a detailed list of the reasons (such as "the enemies were too high level", "the particular composition of the enemies was unusually challenging for a group of our composition [then describe the group composition]", or "the organization of this adventure made it difficult for me to understand how to run it") is a stronger review that can make it clear to potential purchasers why the reviewer thought the product was subpar so that they can draw their own conclusions, and it conveys to the writer where they failed to hit the mark for the reviewer.</span></span></li>
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<span data-offset-key="do028-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's also extremely helpful to clarify what some of your personal stances are as you launch into a review, particularly if that review is going to give a particularly high (e.g. 5/5 stars) or low (1/5 stars) rating.</span></span><br />
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<span data-offset-key="do028-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To disclose your bias, you need to know what your biases are, and as previously mentioned, that can be difficult. Biases are typically developed environmentally, and they're a part of how you think that you may not recognize as being a variable across a wide group of people. Some examples of biases in the context of tabletop RPG adventures-</span></span></div>
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<b>"I don't like 'railroad' adventures."</b> It might surprise some reviewers to realize that this is a bias, but it really is. For every 1 person out there who just hates it when they realize that the adventure is pointing them in a specific direction, there's at least two more who appreciate having clear directions on where to go and what to do. What this tends to come down to is a difference in preference between stories with clearly defined plot points and "sandbox" adventures where the players determine what the story is and where it goes. Acknowledging your preference for one type of adventure over the other helps contextualize your review for the reader so they can determine whether they might share or disagree with your opinion (in the case of a potential purchaser) or let the content creator know that they might benefit from better advertising the target audience for the adventure.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>"I prefer high fantasy power games / high lethality 'gritty' games."</b> Some people just want to feel like Big Damn Heroes for a couple hours, swashing a few buckles, rescuing a few damsels or dudes, and punching a few dragons in the snout. Other people want a dangerous adventure where any of the characters might die at any time to a couple bad dice rolls and the setting itself assumes that the heroes aren't much different than someone from the real world. Both types of gamers are often buying their products from the same source, so specifying which type of game you prefer will help content creators and potential purchasers decide how your review should influence their decisions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>"Political" Inclinations.</b> This is a potentially difficult subject, so I'm going to keep it short and sweet. If someone's product includes queer representation, or skews heavily towards POC, or anything else that basically comes down to representation of a minority group, they probably did it on purpose and if they didn't, it's because their worldview doesn't see those people and that representation as abnormal. Every time some reviewer dabs the tears from their eyes with their neckbeard and laments how "their" hobby is being ruined by "SJW propaganda", the content creators are probably smiling to themselves knowing that every person turned away by the review is a toxic community member they don't have to deal with, who will almost certainly be replaced by two or three more people who respect the author's vision and bought the product specifically <i>because</i> of the representation included therein. So to everyone bitching about "SJW propaganda" while stamping a 1-star review on a product, thank you. You're the best marketing TTRPGs have gotten since the Satanic Panic of the 80s told rebellious youths that the best way to rebel was to play Dungeons & Dragons.</span></div>
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<li><div style="color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Length of Play. </b>Some people like long games (a year or more of regular weekly sessions), some people like short games (1 to 4 hours of content played in a single session). If you have a preference here and your rating of the product will be affected by that preference, you should mention it somewhere in your review, preferably towards the beginning.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="do028-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, at this point this probably feels like a lot. You might even be thinking "Oh man, maybe I just shouldn't write reviews since I don't feel like I'm 'good enough' to do them right." Please don't feel that way, and please don't let it be your takeaway. If the only thing you have the inclination to do is a star rating and one or two sentences about your general inclinations towards the product, do that. Something is better than nothing. But if you're looking to improve the value your reviews bring to a community, consider some of the points above and maybe even see what other reviewers are doing. I'll cap this off with some links to some reviewers I think do a great job of reasoned reviews where they talk about the pros and cons of the product while making their personal preferences pretty clear up front.</span></span></div>
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<li><span data-offset-key="do028-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<b>Jessica of d20 Diaries</b> <a href="https://d20diaries.com/">https://d20diaries.com/</a></div>
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<li><div style="color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Thilo Graf aka Endzeitgeist </b><a href="http://endzeitgeist.com/">http://endzeitgeist.com/</a></span></div>
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<li><div style="color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Game Geeks RPG </b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/pugknowspro?feature=">https://www.youtube.com/user/pugknowspro?feature=</a></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="do028-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Who are your favorite reviewers? Who do you look to for advice on your gaming purchases? What kind of info do you look for in a review? Thinking about the answers to these questions can help you become a better reviewer whose reviews help a larger portion of your community.</span></span></div>
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Ssalarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06405150294679357039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-7541496728718885592018-05-24T21:08:00.001-07:002018-05-24T21:08:24.136-07:00Let's Talk About Far Cry 5, Part 2: That Ending<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Okay, let's get into the nitty gritty with <i>Far Cry 5 </i>here. There's been enough time since the game's release that I feel safe discussing story particulars here. If you still aren't interested in spoilers, this is the only warning you'll get. There is something that I think bears discussion beyond the simple "was it good or bad" argument that everyone seems to focus on. I want to talk about what the game's tone, structure and message do for the ending, what the ending does for those elements and whether or not the effect of the game's narrative arch was intentional and, if so, was it effective?<br />
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So let's dive in. At the end of the game the player is presented with one of two options. They can walk away, taking their friends with them only to red out in the truck, triggered by a song played over the radio or they can stay ad fight Joseph Seed, a fight that ultimately ends with the player and compatriots fleeing to a bunker with Joseph in tow to avoid the nuclear fallout from the numerous bombs exploding around them.<br />
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Neither of these is a particularly attractive option. In scenario A, you presumably kill everyone you've gotten to know over the course of the game and Joseph is left to continue running his cult, free of the player's interference. In scenario B the player is left alone with Joseph, both safely locked in a bunker while the world burns outside. In either case, it is arguable to say that really in the end, the cult has won, though in the case of scenario B, I would say that the result is simply that they were right.<br />
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Even that statement though, "the cult was right" comes with caveats in my mind; they were right about the impending doom of mankind, not about the injudicious killing and mayhem they wrought in the time leading up the that moment and really none of their ideology or practises are close to anything most people would consider right or good. This is something that I feel fairly certain that the developers understood from the start. I don't think it bears any sense to rant on Youtube or any place else about how awful it is that the developers of <i>Far Cry 5</i> were blithely sending a message that it is better to just leave the crazies and the bigots alone or we'll all end up dead.<br />
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I think that the game worked very hard not to say that, in fact, I would argue that the narrative is structured in such a way that it attempts to remain neutral throughout the narrative. I think the goal was more to hold a mirror to the players and ask them what they thought of the situation on the whole, to provoke the players to question their role and what the best course of action might have actually looked like.<br />
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I feel that <i>Far Cry 5</i> started off trying to send a very specific message; one that spoke out about racism and bigotry, cult-like ideologies and the danger of dogmatic beliefs taught by a charismatic figure. However, I think it likely that before long, the publisher stepped in, telling them to reign it in so as not to cause a fuss in the politically charged climate of the industry at the moment.<br />
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In following these marching orders, I think there was a choice made to promote a more neutral story, so as to leave the players and the community to draw their own conclusions and discuss the serious and real issues within the relatively safe context of the game. If this was the case, then I commend them for the attempt. Unfortunately, I have no way to verify this thought, but as a designer, I think I would have tried to find a way for my players to have the same discussions about the game I made, regardless of the instructions from the publisher.<br />
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Now the question remains, was this an effective approach. Sadly, i would argue that it wasn't. Most of the players of the game seem to stay hung up on the idea that the time they invested in the game, that characters they met, weapons, vehicles and buddies they unlocked, side missions and stunts they completed are essentially burned away in the end of the game, no matter which choice you make. It feels like it comes out of the blue and simply tells you that nothing you did meant anything. What's worse, it seems to take it all back after the credits roll, placing the player back in Hope County minus the death and destruction, leaving the average player even more bewildered.<br />
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After a lot of thought and deliberation, I think I've landed on my opinion of the ending of <i>Far Cry 5</i>. I see what it was (possibly) going for and I certainly appreciate the work that was put into it, but I have to say that the execution of that ending felt flawed. It isn't enough to give the player brief, tattered warnings about the chaos enveloping the world through an object whose level of interactivity is not controlled by the game's narrative structure. To say that a player wasn't paying attention to the game world because they missed four, minute long radio segments detailing worsening conditions in the outside world during roughly 30 hours of gameplay is unfair. I agree that a player shouldn't be spoon-fed most things, and that emergent discovery of narrative is sublime and fascinating to a player, but in the case of an element that will drastically alter the outcome of the game, a few more obvious hints at least would have gone a long way towards giving the players enough knowledge to pick up the thread and at least understand how things got there.<br />
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Now aside from the ending, there is the issue of the game's neutrality in the face of heinous and terrible acts of violence and hate committed by the game's antagonists. If we assume that the neutral stance was intentional, is it okay that the developers didn't take a side? Is it the responsibility of the developer to choose a side and represent their beliefs faithfully within the games they make? In the case of a large franchise game, should the game's creators be expected to push one set of beliefs over another? Is it enough to simply try and provoke conversation among the players and let each one come to his/her own conclusion? This is not a question that I can answer in a broad sense. I know what I feel is important to me as a designer, but each one of us is entirely different and our goals, beliefs, concepts and methods often do not line up. This question of the requirement of intent is up to each individual and should never be decided by any other entity, be they fan, publisher, fellow designer or political system.Steve H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03593983764200017889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-22873186484307031492018-05-03T20:24:00.002-07:002018-05-03T20:24:45.432-07:00Let's Talk About Far Cry 5 Part 1 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Okay folks, I'm going to break a one of my usual rules here. We will be talking about Far Cry 5 and I don't feel like I can get in depth with it without discussing at some length, the ending. If you are still playing or have yet to play, I invite you to return after you have. If you aren't concerned about spoilers then by all means, read on.<br />
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I need to start this off by saying that I am unashamedly a huge fan of the Far Cry series in general. the chaotic, open nature of the game, the strange and often charismatic villains, the gunplay- I love it all. I bought <i>Far Cry 5</i> without hesitation. I'd played it at PAX on two separate occasions and was pretty confident about what I was getting into. <i>Far Cry 5</i> still managed to surprise me quite a bit, and I still haven't decided if that surprise was good or bad.<br />
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When I first learned that the next Far Cry game was going to be set in Montana and deal with religious extremism and the allure of cult beliefs, I was understandably curious. I live in the inland northwest, just a stone's throw from Montana and in the town I grew up in, we have dealt with more than our fair share of extremism.<br />
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Once in the game, it was unsettling to see how much the rhetoric of the Seed family resembled that of the groups that used to call this area home. I know that many have criticized the game for straying from specifically naming the ideologies that are referenced, as well as generally straying from making the antagonists really embody the full reality of american extremist organizations.<br />
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I think to some extent, that criticism is fair. I would have really liked <i>Far Cry 5</i> to have been more confrontational in its portrayal of religious extremism, gun culture and racism. However, I think it is unfair to say that the designers actively worked to avoid saying anything.<br />
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I've seen people point to numerous elements of <i>Far Cry 5</i> as part of their argument about why it doesn't say anything when it should or that it unwittingly embraces the very ideals that it was thought to confront. Most of it is the typical over-reading of gameplay moments and design elements that you see in your average click-baity sort of article or video. Notably, some have pointed again to <i>Far Cry 2</i> as the shining example to hold <i>Far Cry 5</i> up against.<br />
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<i>Far Cry 2</i> is may absolute favorite of the franchise, but I do not think that the arguments and comparisons being made in this instance are fair or really serve to make any argument against the narrative of <i>Far Cry 5 </i>stronger. At best, many of the authors of these arguments lack the context of the design environment and at worst, they are simply trying to create an argument to draw further clicks to their video. Pointing to environmental features that were present in <i>Far Cry 2</i> but absent in 5 (such as high fire propagation, more destructible parts of the environment, degrading weapons, the ability to fire through some objects) as an example of lazy design doesn't hold water when you consider how costly those elements are in addition to the high graphical fidelity, weapon customization systems, perks, and the number of side missions available in the game. All of those elements chew up processing and take up space. With all of the various quality of life improvements that the franchise has made, it likely left no room for those other additions, as welcome as they would have been.<br />
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What is more ludicrous is to point to those differences as deliberate choices to make the narrative more monotone or to specifically serve some greater purpose. It is an argument that shows little insight into what it takes to make a game and little understanding of how narrative choices and mechanical elements interact in AAA games. The lack of those excellent immersive elements in in <i>Far Cry 5</i> boils down more to hardware and size limitations than functional design choices. You cannot ignore the massive additions to the game while simultaneously criticizing it for things that it lacks.<br />
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With that in mind, lets talk about the ending. Of the two at the end, neither is a happy resolution. The player can walk away, taking his or her friends with them only to end up being controlled by a conditioned trigger and presumably killing everyone after the game fades to red. On the other hand, the player can persist and fight Joseph Seed only to see the first of several nuclear bombs detonate in the distance as they attempt to arrest him, followed by a race through the burning countryside to Dutch's bunker, where everyone is killed except for the player and Joseph, who drags the player into the bunker and tells him or her that they will be there for a long time.<br />
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The ending of <i>Far Cry 5</i> is arguably the most controversial point in the game, cited by many as being out of the blue or attempting to pin the blame on the player rather than the fanatical cult and its lunatic leaders. I got the nuclear ending and was rather upset about the result of it. After investing so much time trying to save Hope County, to see it all turned to rubble in the end stung. All of my achievements, the guns I had rigorously acquired, the outposts I had liberated, the buddies I had helped were all seemingly for nothing.<br />
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But the more I've thought about the ending and tried to separate my personal player attachment from it, the more I've begun to question whether the ending was really bad or if I just didn't like it. I think this is an important distinction to make. I tend to agree with the idea that the quality of a game is really dependent upon the experience of the players. There is some meat on the argument that the player simply wasn't paying attention to the greater issues happening outside of the events in Hope County. There are several radio broadcasts that come on while driving or flying that mention rapidly spiraling events outside of the area. Other than that however, there are no other signs of the impending nuclear holocaust, which thins the impact of that narrative angle.<br />
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Overall, I don't know what to make of <i>Far Cry 5.</i> I have enjoyed the time I have spent in its world and the story that played out among its characters. I would like <i>Far Cry 5</i> to take a stand and make bolder statements about the serious issues presented within it, but I'm left wondering if we're all missing the point. Could it be that <i>Far Cry 5 </i>deliberately kept its opinion out of the game not to avoid upsetting the left or the right, but instead to provide a platform for players to examine for themselves the implications of the game.<br />
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We'll talk more about that next time.Steve H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03593983764200017889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-21195880192767574552018-03-06T19:56:00.000-08:002018-03-07T13:57:16.444-08:00Where Have We Been?!Hello everyone. It's been a little while since we've had regular content up on the site. It's been a busy and eventful few months for us over here. We appreciate your patience with us and want you to know that we are working to make more regular posts again. For now, I'd like to fill you in on what's been happening while we've been away.<br />
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First off, I am nearing completion of my degree in Game Design. I will be graduating late this year and from there we'll see what happens. I don't imaging that this site will go away, but our role in the industry is already changing somewhat. We are gradually shifting away from working strictly as journalists and bloggers and moving more towards development of our own games.<br />
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Morgan has been busy as well. As you know, we all have our own jobs outside of Somnambulant Gamer. Morgan has been very busy with her work, which has been taking her all over the globe recently. While the travel has been exciting and the work rewarding, her schedule doesn't allow her to post as regularly as she would like.<br />
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Our office has also moved to a new location with better affordances for the work Wesley and I hope to be able to talk more about soon. The move is exciting, but also quite time consuming. As things settle down more, our schedules should allow for more regular updates.<br />
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Finally, a huge congratulations goes to Michael (SSalarn). Michael has recently accepted a position at Paizo as part of the organized play development team for Pathfinder and Starfinder. His experience with third party design work really paid off for him and I think that he's an excellent addition to the Paizo team. I'm sure they know it already, but they are lucky to have him.<br />
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That is the briefest rundown of the latest events here at Somnam. Thank you all again for your patience and please keep checking back for new content and other updates.Steve H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03593983764200017889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-89200849083015492692017-12-05T23:50:00.000-08:002017-12-05T23:50:20.824-08:00What I'm Playing: December 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our recent move did a number on my usual pattern for playing games, ultimately a good thing, but I still feel like I'm searching for some clue for when my play habits changed so much. At any rate, its been a great opportunity for me to get caught up on some of the games I started but never finished as well as try out a few games I had often said I would try.<br />
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<b><i>Dragon Age Inquisition</i></b>: I mentioned <i>Inquisition</i> at length in my last post, but it bears mentioning again. The Dragon Age series has been one of my favorite franchises from Bioware since the the <i>Awakening</i> expansion for <i>Dragon Age: Origins</i>. I've finished the Deep Roads DLC and have moved on to the Jaws of Hakkon. With the schematics I picked up playing the Deep Roads though, I think I may have seriously overpowered myself for Jaws of Hakkon. The enemies just don't seem to be able to hold up for very long in combat. My only hope is that the bosses provide a decent challenge<br />
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<b><i>Destiny 2</i></b>: I'm still playing the vanilla Destiny 2. We haven't picked up <i>Curse of Osiris</i> as of yet, though it is on our list. For now, I'm shoring up my other characters. I have my hunter almost maxed out, but my titan and warlock have fallen woefully behind. Despite the issues with Bungie's recent XP debacle, I still find plenty to enjoy about <i>Destiny 2</i>. The rewards keep me engaged and there is enough challenge to keep me from growing too bored with the content that's available to me. The strikes, weekly challenges and the grind of my two other characters is plenty to keep me busy unti I can get my hands on the <i>Curse of Osiris</i>.<br />
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<b><i>Elite Dangerous</i></b>: Now that I'm back online, I can finally get back to the space game that captured my attention so well. I've been out of the game long enough that I forgot exactly where I was and what I was planning to do next, but my current goal is to prep myself for a long journey of discovery and hopefully very little death. I've heard a lot from other players about the threat that the Thargoids pose but I have yet to really run into them, which really is totally fine with me. I have enough problems without worrying about a mysteriously malevolent alien race dropping my SRV off a cliff or something.<br />
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To be perfectly honest, most of my time has been taken up with school and things related to our move, so in all that time I've had a pretty limited window of opportunity to play. When I have been able to set aside some time, I'm usually so eager to fins out what happens next in <i>Inquisition</i> that I end up spending the lion's share of that time playing it instead of either of the others. I plan to start playing a little more <i>Elite Dangerous</i> soon, but the thought of that much open space in the game creeps me out. I'm 80% certain that I will die horribly out there. As for <i>Destiny 2</i>, well it's great for a bit of stress relief but until I get the <i>Curse of Osiris</i>, I'm afraid I can't really make much progress beyond building up my other two characters. Despite my rather stagnant progress though, still find plenty to marvel at each time I play.Steve H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03593983764200017889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-60873972787493409012017-11-30T19:51:00.000-08:002017-12-01T03:53:08.783-08:00Suddenly Offline: A Few Weeks Without Internet Showed me how much I Missed my Single Player Games<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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During a recent move, we were caught in the unfortunate position of being without internet for about 3 weeks. That time was not spent entirely without access, but acquiring that access required us to take great pains. Our consoles were offline for that entire time, during which I renewed my appreciation for the single player games I haven't played in far too long and helped me understand better what gaming is like for people who love games but consistently live with limited access to the internet.<br />
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It was interesting to look at my collection of games and realize how many of them required an active connection to the internet to play. I had always thought of myself as an offline single player fan first and foremost, but the disproportionate number of online shooters and MMOs in my library would say otherwise. In fact, almost all of the games I had most recently played on my consoles required a connection to play.<br />
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A little perturbed, I dug through the other games in my library and came up with <i>Dragon Age Inquisition</i>, <i>Shadow of Mordor</i>, and <i>Hatoful Boyfriend, </i>the latter two of which I had started playing but never finished. <i>Inquisition</i>, whose DLC I had downloaded years ago and never played through occupied the lion's share of my game time. Despite being three years old, its graphics are still rather breathtaking. The skin textures, clothing and lighting are very well done, and look excellent even on the console version.<br />
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While I played, I thought about how long it had been since I had played a game without access to the internet and how that might affect how I played. Clearly, there were a number of games that were simply unavailable to me entirely. Some of the other games I had were playable except for some content that required access to the developer's servers. But even single player games like <i>Inquisition</i> were changed without the internet at my fingertips.<br />
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I will be the first to admit that I will use guides to make sure I get to experience as much of the game's content as possible. Without the ability to pull those guides up, I was going in blind. I felt odd tackling the story in <i>Inquisition</i> that way, even though I knew it was really the best way to experience the game. It was very rewarding to play with only my wits and rusty intuition to guide me but while I swore that I would work to maintain that behavior once the internet was restored, there is a part of me nagging that I've missed something that I'll never be able to find on my own.<br />
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Our internet is back now and while I have the ability to play everything I was desperate to play just a few days ago, I can't tear myself away from <i>Inquisition</i> and the others. Whether it's just the nostalgia of rediscovering a few old favorites, the challenge of having to work through mechanics and find strategies on my own or something else, I hope that playing games can always feel this good.Steve H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03593983764200017889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-24494857013029013392017-10-19T22:05:00.000-07:002017-11-30T22:11:26.601-08:00All That and a Barrel of Skaven: Warhammer: Total War 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Warhammer Total War 2</i> is a game whose title I have a great deal of trouble with. It is cumbersome to say and feels redundant. Worst of all,it is a terrible reflection upon what, in my estimation, is one of the strongest entries in the Total War franchise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am writing this review now that the Mortal Empires campaign has been released so that I can see how the game interacts with so many factions and so many moving parts. Before we get into that though, let's talk about the core campaign and the new factions it features.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The campaign for the vortex is a marked departure from Total War norms. Yes, the campaign for <i>Warhammer Total War</i> had it's own differences but the general theme of "conquer all the things" was still a core part of the campaign and one of the principle conditions for victory.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Warhammer Total War 2</i> still offers the old goals as an option, but it's something of a red herring. There is some significant distance between some of the factions in <i>WTW2</i>, so much so that it is easy to overextend an army. Even with an overwhelming force, protracted sieges and attrition from corrupted lands and battle slow the forward momentum required to keep ahead of the other factions. The best way to victory really is through playing the vortex ritual goals, which focuses more on the story elements of the game.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Not all Total War fans are interested in anything more than the emergent narrative shaped by the turn by turn decisions and hard fought battles that are the earmark of any Total War game. I however found the story of the vortex to be highly engaging. The ultimate goal is to gain control of the dark vortex either to stop the forces of chaos or unleash them depending on the chosen faction. Control is gained through the completion of various rituals, each more complex than the last. Completing a ritual requires players to maintain control of certain strongholds for a certain number of turns, during which other factions can send disrupting armies against. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This sets aggressive goals for players and forces a more balanced play style. Aggressive expansion doesn't work in <i>WTW2 </i>because it leaves core cities too undefended when it comes time to execute one of the rituals. Playing defensively and not expanding at all leaves players unable to generate the resources required to keep up with other factions. This focus on balanced play is great not only because it exposes players to more tactical variety during play, but it really encourages them to use <i>all</i> of the mechanics available to them, thereby ensuring that no part of the game is underutilized. </span></div>
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The Mortal Empires campaign is a little different. Where the Vortex campaign focuses on tight strategic gameplay dealing with four factions fighting over a very specific goal, Mortal Empires is much more chaotic (pun not intended). With so many factions on the map and the new ability for factions to settle anywhere, things can go a bit crazy really quickly. Sometimes a minor faction will completely blindside a larger one and conquer a wide swath of terrain. There are some unlikely alliances forged as well and more than a few unpleasant encounters with forces of Chaos. </div>
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The unpredictability of it all is spectacular and incredibly engaging for players who like to be kept on their toes. Players who like a bit more predictability in their strategy games should probably look elsewhere for a particularly rewarding experience. There is just so much that can happen from turn to turn on such a large playing field, and much of it the player won't see until much later. Someone playing the Dwarves might discover the new world late in the game to find it completely overrun with Skaven; someone else may find their Vampire counts suddenly teaming up with High elves to fight the Lizardmen together. There is just no single way to play Mortal Empires and be sure that you will come out on top and that is what I love about it so very much. Mortal Empires is Total War at its wildest and its best. </div>
Steve H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03593983764200017889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-6264759334845273992017-10-10T20:34:00.000-07:002017-10-11T02:41:15.725-07:00Destiny 2: Steve's Review Part 2, The Grind<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwn8LuyvaRSor0vmzOe05Y1j-M51GOXvWl_iyZUXbtVk62lXIqvPzFzONuQbuc8qjX1J62supQhCUx2MYFu1OD-as4ur-P3GooouKn9o8K2i3v5PUGvEWLOmz7FFpTJzNh0StVUBQ4Ns/s1600/D202.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1500" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwn8LuyvaRSor0vmzOe05Y1j-M51GOXvWl_iyZUXbtVk62lXIqvPzFzONuQbuc8qjX1J62supQhCUx2MYFu1OD-as4ur-P3GooouKn9o8K2i3v5PUGvEWLOmz7FFpTJzNh0StVUBQ4Ns/s640/D202.png" width="640" /></a>Unlike some players, it takes me some time to work through most of the content available in a game like <i>Destiny 2</i>. I try to take things at a slower pace so that I can really get the most mileage out of the game and my time in it. When I finished <i>Destiny</i>, I was disappointed that there wasn't more of just about every part of the game. I still have some of the same pains with the sequel, but the fact is that there is a great deal more to do and keep my interest in <i>Destiny 2</i>.<br />
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Upon completing the campaign, I was turned loose to explore any of the planets I explored during the story. The activities available to any given post-campaign player are about the same as those in the first game, with a few significant changes to their overall relevance. The primary currency of any area in the game is tokens. Tokens earn you gear from special vendors on each world. Consequently, each planet has its own set of gear to acquire, each with a look and feel unique to that area. The European Dead Zone's armor, for example looks like something from the New California Republic, replete with frayed threads and old school gas masks.<br />
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Earning tokens is about as easy as it comes. Patrol missions, public events, strikes and side missions all earn tokens for their respective vendors, but at a certain point in the post-game, the vendors lose a great deal of their significance. Loot from the vendors seems to regularly drop a few levels below my current standing, meaning that I have to either dismantle or spend resources to infuse any weapons or armor that I get.<br />
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Some of the best every day rewards come from the public events. Each type of event has a specific and unnamed goal attached to it. Upon completion of that goal, the event becomes a "heroic" tier event. Enemies become harder to kill, and more of them arrive with high-level reinforcements. Complete the heroic level objective and the loot awarded gets similarly boosted. Most of the exotic engrams I've received in <i>Destiny 2</i> have come from public events.<br />
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There are a few ways to earn higher level gear. Each week a new planet is named the flashpoint and completing public events on that planet earns a "powerful gear" engram from Cayde-6. Powerful Gear engrams drop at or above a player's current power level. Aside from the flashpoints, powerful gear can be earned by completing the Nightfall strike, participating in crucible matches, clearing the raid and contributing to your clan's XP.<br />
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All of these activities are fun and engaging, and with the notable exception of the Raid and Nightfall (though to a much lesser extent) are easy to find and get into within a few moments of loading into the game. This is a very welcome change for players like myself who can only dedicate a few hours of gameplay time throughout the week. This shift away from the small number of hardcore players has raised the ire of many a reddit user, but I think this was a move that had to happen in order for the game to survive. <br />
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While I applaud the far more numerous activities in <i>Destiny 2</i>, I cannot help but feel that some are much less relevant to the experience once players hit a certain power level. Strikes, while entertaining, have not delivered any particularly fantastic gear in a while. I feel as though I have somehow outgrown their use.<br />
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The grind can be frustrating at times. While I don't play as often as some, I think I play more often than most. As the power level has gone up, it has become more and more difficult for me to find good quality gear that I can use. To some extent this should be expected, but it slows down so much after hitting 270 that I sometimes wondered if something was wrong with the engrams I was gettingSteve H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03593983764200017889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-90788872707581211402017-09-28T19:48:00.000-07:002017-09-29T01:50:51.536-07:00Call of Duty WWII PC Beta Impressions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I took some time to hop into a few matches of the open PC Beta for the latest Call of Duty title. Promising to go back to World War II, there was a strange optimism from some writers in the industry that I just didn't understand. The idea that we somehow need to re-explore this very well trodden area of World War II is preposterous given the actual scope of the war and how much of its numerous stories have yet to be told through the medium of games. But I digress. I'm here to talk about the multiplayer experience on PC, and I can sum it up in three words: do not bother.<br />
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<i>Call of Duty WWII</i>'s PC open beta is a glitchy mess of long wait times, disconnects, lag and the choicest of vitriolic chat comments. My time playing reminded me why I stopped playing <i>COD</i> in the first place, and for that I suppose I should be thankful. All sarcasm aside though, I am more than a little disappointed in the experience, short lived as it was, and for more reasons than the bugs.<br />
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For all the talk from Activision and Sledgehammer about how they wanted to really "honor the experience" of soldiers in WWII, and what was said about a commitment to quality and authenticity, the experience I had fell far short of those goals. First and foremost, the gameplay felt less like a natural extension of the genre in its current state, and more like a throwback to the days of <i>Call of Duty 3</i>. The controls and weapon handling feel incredibly floaty, imparting almost no sense of weight to the character movement. watching any of the characters move feels like watching a Benny Hill chase sequence. Everything and everyone is just a little too light on their feet.<br />
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Second, the map design contains a number of elements that just don't seem to make much sense given the layout of the terrain. In the map I played, there are machine gun emplacements in a number of areas around the map. However, none of them have particularly good sight lines to high traffic areas, at best offering a good cover of one doorway. The map also provides little opportunity for long range combat at all, with short alleys and lack of vertical terrain. There simply isn't a great place for a decent sniper to place themselves where they can work with the optimal range of the weapon they are given.<br />
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I am a firm believer that games should always strive to push the industry forward, to break new ground. <i>Call of Duty WWII</i> remains true to form here in that it does not innovate in any way shape or form. Instead it tries to emulate the success of the previous entries in the series and change or tweak as little as possible. It shouldn't come as a surprise at all; its a tactic that is one of the hallmarks of the franchise.<br />
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Finally of course is the other players. Some would say that I can't blame the developers or publisher for the words of people playing the game, but I think at this point it is fair to point out that Activision has done little to curb the notoriously awful behavior and language of <i>Call of Duty</i>'s player community. The ban hammer is sure to swing in the event a player cheats, but not when that player uses hateful or misogynistic language to belittle or abuse other players in the game. It didn't even take any kind of time for me to encounter that type of toxic player I referred to. At the end of the first game I played, someone on our team mocked the losing team, telling them "Get fu****, <span style="background-color: white;">fa*****</span>." Later matches with other players were no better.<br />
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I'm frankly surprised to hear such praise lauded on the game from so many other writers. I couldn't find anything in <i>Call of Duty WWII</i> that I could really point to as having been done particularly well. I don't feel that the flatter levels are a good thing, I don't thing that the battles should have to have less dynamics to terrain and movement, I don't find the shooting to be the least bit impressive and I still can't stand the abuse hurled at other players so casually. You can have your <i>Call of Duty</i> if you want it. I'm done with it.<br />
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<br />Steve H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03593983764200017889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-23913243403038633712017-09-26T21:38:00.000-07:002017-09-27T00:39:23.443-07:00Runic's Hob is a Beautiful Puzzle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was first acquainted with <i>Hob</i> at PAX 2015 when we sat down with Marshall Lefler. Since then we've had a couple other opportunities to play the game as it progressed, with our last opportunity just a few weeks ago at Runic's studio in Seattle. From the first minute we got our hands on the game, we have been enchanted by the game's visual style and mysterious, open world. If you are a fan of <i>Ico</i> or <i>The Legend of Zelda</i>, you'll find plenty to love about <i>Hob</i>.<div>
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<i>Hob</i>'s visuals are the first thing that really stands out in the game. There is a beauty and clarity to the world that I can't quite describe. It reminds me of a studio Ghibli film. There is a careful, handcrafted feel to the characters and environment that I wish I could find in more games. From the lush forest areas with their strange and charming fauna, to the dark, mechanical steam-works beneath the surface, <i>Hob</i> oozes with atmosphere. It is immediately a world that I want to explore and learn more about. </div>
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The world of <i>Hob</i> is itself the game's greatest puzzle. Every area of the game is at some point in the game completely rearranged to open up new areas to explore and change. When I say that areas are rearranged, I mean it in a very literal way. Huge blocks of the world will rise or fall and shift in all sorts of ways to assemble new paths. It's amazing to look at, and even more amazing when you consider how much sense the world really makes. It is strange that for as ephemeral as some of the game areas are that I never felt as though I was lost. </div>
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<i>Hob</i> accomplishes a lot without directly speaking to the player at all. The most direct communication I received was the occasional prompt the press a specific button on my controller, and even those were infrequent. By leaving dialogue out of the game entirely, <i>Hob</i> forces players to explore the environment and look for signs or any other hint at where the path to the next objective lies. Before long, I found myself able to read the environment for the clues I needed rather than needing to rely on dialogue or tooltips that could break the immersion of the game. </div>
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Scattered throughout the world are locations that gives the player a chance to take in the sights. In these places, the character will sit down or lean against a wall as the camera pulls out or pans a bit to reveal more of the beautiful environments. At one point I spent a solid ten minutes parked in one place watching the sprites and frog-birds jump around and play. </div>
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The audio in <i>Hob</i> is just as deserving of praise as the visuals and the narrative style. The moving bits of machinery clank and thud with the kind of noise one would expect from multi-ton slabs of rock and brass slotting into place in the landscape. The steampunk <i>Ico</i> motif, as good as it looks, would not have been pulled off nearly as well if it were not for the beautiful sound design. The environments themselves too sound fantastic. The hum of life in the forest areas, the chirps of the sprites and the hollow echo of the underground create vibrant soundscapes that heighten the effect of the visuals. It is nothing short of magical.</div>
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The music, by Matt Uelmen is not often heard during the gameplay, which is understandable, given the exploratory nature of the game; The player is supposed to be focused on the environment, and a loud, bombastic soundtrack can detract from that attention. Uelmen's soundtrack to the game is quiet, but in the moments that it does come through, it feels like a part of the environment, carried in on the wind or through the pipes from some distant spot in the world.</div>
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The actual gameplay is highly engaging, with varied pace between exploration, active puzzle solving and combat. The enemies fight in interesting ways that force me to make use of all of my abilities. Some of the giants have leg armor that I have to detach before I can deal damage, still others wear rocky plate armor that can only be removed with a powered up punch from the character's Hellboy-esque mechanical arm. The controls are very responsive, providing instant feedback during combat. My only issue so far has been that I can apparently roll directly off of cliffs and need to be more careful about when and where I decide to roll away from an attack. </div>
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As much as I enjoy the combat, it is not a very heavy part of the game. <i>Hob</i> fills out its paths with puzzles rather than enemies, and they are some of the more interestingly set up I have seen in recent memory. None of the puzzles I have encountered feature any contrived solutions. Every one requires careful manipulation of machinery, the environment or both in ways that fit both mechanically (no pun intended) and thematically. As such, <i>Hob</i>'s puzzles are more intuitive, but still fiendish where they need to be. </div>
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In the end, I am so happy to finally get the chance to play <i>Hob</i> in its entirety. The mystery of the world and its inhabitants have intrigued me since the first time I laid eyes on the game. It is a beautiful, meditative journey through a vivid and exciting world that is begging to be explored. I highly recommend you pick up a copy as soon as possible. <i>Hob </i>is available on Steam and PS4. Our review was written playing both the PS4 and PC versions.</div>
Steve H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03593983764200017889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-89509186606367723992017-09-19T20:56:00.000-07:002017-09-19T20:56:27.260-07:00Destiny 2: Steve's Review Part 1; the Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had a real roller coaster journey with <i>Destiny</i>. The initial game let me down, as did the first DLC installment for it, but I found myself more engaged with <i>House of Wolves</i> and <i>The Taken King</i>, then a little let down again a with <i>Rise of Iron</i>. I ended my time in <i>Destiny </i>on a good note though, having found that I enjoyed it most when i could play with friends. Those friends are now (mostly) my new clan mates in <i>Destiny 2</i> and while a lot has changed, and I've been having a lot of fun with the new activities, even though there are a few issues I still have with the game.<br />
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Let's start with the story. I'm venturing far into spoiler territory here, so please turn back now if you'd like to avoid them. Normally, I try to avoid spoilers, but I think that they have a lot of bearing on how the game plays and I can't find a way to talk about that impact without revealing them. I think everyone is aware at least that the game starts with the Tower being destroyed. It is attacked by a faction of the Cabal called the Red Legion, an elite bunch of "space-rhinos" led by Ghaul, who is not only obsessed with the Traveler, but sees it's decision to gift mankind with the Light as a mistake and seeks to prove his worth to the great cue ball in the sky.<br />
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This assault leaves the tower in ruins, the Vanguard scattered, the Speaker held captive by Ghaul, and the guardians without the use of the Light. This sets up players to start from square one, first by finding a way to reconnect with the Traveler's light then bringing the Vanguard together again to defeat Ghaul.<br />
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The premise of existing players losing all of their gear in the tower assault is a bit thin, but a necessary precaution to put old and returning players on the same footing. I understand its goal, even while I despise its contrivance. <i>Destiny</i> had a great number of issues that couldn't be all that easily solved without some sort of wipe. It is similar to what happened with <i>World of Warcraft</i> and the <i>Cataclysm</i> expansion. It served to wipe away many of the unused areas, revamp older parts of the map and provide an opportunity to shore up some trailing or outdated systems and mechanics.<br />
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The tower assault was the <i>Cataclysm</i> for <i>Destiny </i>franchise, a reset that rid us of a number of hold-overs from the original game and each of its successive expansions. Gone are the numerous useless currencies and dead end activities that filled out and bogged down the first game. What we have now is a far more streamlined game that has kept a great deal of what was good about the first game, while shedding <i>most</i> of the bad.<br />
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The story for <i>Destiny 2</i> was nothing terribly spectacular. It is a story of death and rebirth, a hero seeking purpose and meaning. It's one we've been told and played dozens of time before and Bungie didn't do much to really break from the mold here. Comparing it to the storyline of the first game however, <i>Destiny 2</i> sits head and shoulders above it in general cohesiveness, even if it does end up being much shorter than I had anticipated. When all was said and done, the core campaign itself (not including time spent grinding levels in between missions) was less than 7 hours. Short by most modern standards for large scale games.<br />
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I should qualify the above by saying that while the story itself was predictable, Bungie did an excellent job with its actual telling. Pacing was much better, suspenseful moments were truly engaging and even when I knew exactly what was going to happen, the resolution was teased out just enough to make me doubt myself a little. The introduction of the new exploration areas was well done and I always felt as though i actually had a reason for being there beyond it being the next quest step in my log.<br />
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One thing in particular that I think the story did very well was revitalize the Cabal. I've talked about this with Mike and and we both felt that the Cabal were one of the less exciting enemies to fight in <i>Destiny</i>. They were huge targets with easy to hit weak points, slow movement, easily avoided weapon fire, and one of the least fleshed out backstories of the entire game. They were billed as a highly regimented military machine straight out of a Robert Heinlein novel, but felt like ponderous bullet sponges that couldn't hit you even if you were standing still.<br />
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The Cabal in <i>Destiny 2</i> have changed little in their overall organization; all the same units exist but are now just a bit more deadly than their previous versions. What really changed to make the Cabal fun to exchange fire with comes directly from their role in the game as the ones who took everything from us. They are immediately put in the role of the conquering barbarians, come to despoil everything that we had come to understand and hold dear. By making them responsible for the events of the campaign, we are given a reason to, if not fear then to despise them. They are far more than bullet sponges now. They are invaders.<br />
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I've gone on a bit about the story here s we'll leave the other parts of the game for later posts. The story for <i>Destiny 2</i> though serves as a foundation for the other activities and mechanics of the game itself. I think that every improvement in <i>Destiny 2</i> holds up as well as they do because they are rooted in the story. By giving players a reason for the things they are doing and experiencing, <i>Destiny 2</i> has provided a way to ground the experience for players and keep even the more repetitive activities relevant for them.<br />
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Steve H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03593983764200017889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-21198534728906434042017-09-07T19:28:00.000-07:002017-09-11T19:29:42.084-07:00PAX West 2017: Hands on With Far Cry 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm a huge fan of the <i>Far Cry</i> series, at least as far back as <i>Far Cry 2.</i> The way the series has approached shooter mechanics in an open (or mostly open) world environment has been a landmark for other shooters still struggling to find their way off their rails. Few other games have, in my opinion, so thoroughly balanced world scale with regular bumps in player engagement<i>. </i>When I saw that <i>Far Cry 5</i> was playable at PAX this year, I was eager to get a chance to play.<br />
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First and foremost, <i>Far Cry</i> is a difficult game to demo. Because it's an open world game, it scales better for a long playthrough instead of a 15 minute demo. Still, what I saw was enough to get me excited for the full game early next year. </div>
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The demo I played is the same one Ubisoft showed at Gamescom. At the beginning I was given a choice of three companions; Nick Rye, the bush pilot who can drop bombs on my enemies, Grace Armstrong, a sniper who prefers to keep her distance, and Boomer, a dog who can attack enemies and bring me equipment he finds in the field. I was torn until I was told that I could pet Boomer.</div>
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It's in the companions and the way you interact with them that the connections to <i>Far Cry Primal</i> are most apparent. The oft maligned entry to the series seems to have had more influence than most would have given it credit for. Much like the animal companions in <i>Primal</i>, the companions in <i>FC5</i> can be given instructions to go to specific locations or attack specific enemies.<br />
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In <i>Primal</i>, the companion animals had difficulty pathfinding from time to time and would take strange, circuitous routes to enemies no more than a stone's throw away. The larger companions were the worst, with the cave bear getting stuck in some of the narrower passageways or completely filling up a cavern, blocking your view of any enemies in the area.<br />
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Luckily, the proportions of the companions in <i>FC5</i> are much more human sized. On top of that, their responsiveness and pathfinding has been greatly improved, at least in so much as my limited time with the game allowed me to evaluate. Boomer, when given a command to attack an enemy, would take the shortest route to the enemy, and provided we were undetected, would crouch and sneak up on the target before striking. More than once, his attack allowed me to pop up amidst the ensuing chaos and quickly pick off the other enemies in the area.<br />
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Aside from clearing the one area in the middle of town, I was sent to find Nick Rye, the aforementioned pilot and rid him of the cult members attacking his hangar. Once that was complete, I was given control of an airplane and asked to destroy a number of the cult's munitions depots. Of all the things I enjoy about the Far Cry franchise, flying has never been among them.<br />
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The only time I have felt that the flight controls were appropriately responsive was in using the hang-gliders in <i>Far Cry 2</i> and <i>3</i>. The plane controls were strange; throttle controls and pitch worked as expected, but when trying to turn/roll left or right, the whole plane just turned in the air like a boat. It felt strange and really broke the immersion that up to that point had been so good. It was a disappointing note to close the demo on, especially given how tight and satisfying the controls had felt up to that point.<br />
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Overall, I can tell you that <i>Far Cry 5</i> is beyond any shadow of a doubt, a <i>Far Cry</i> game. It feels, sounds, looks and behaves like any other member of the franchise and that isn't a bad thing. I have always felt that the real strength of this franchise lies in the long play. The emergent stories that come from it and the moral grey areas that the narratives typically take have kept me with the franchise for a long time. I remain excited to see where the story goes, even if the christian extremist image of the game's antagonists has been toned down. </div>
Steve H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03593983764200017889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-42260644360805643412017-09-05T20:15:00.000-07:002017-09-06T00:47:46.569-07:00Steve's PAX West 2017 Roundup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year's PAX West brought a ton of really interesting games to the show floor. We played a whole mess of 'em in our four days and came away with a lengthy wishlist of upcoming titles. From board games to Indie games, we covered as much of it as we could. Expect in depth coverage on a number of games, but for now please accept this quick run-down of some of my favorites of the show.<br />
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<b>Where the Water Tastes Like Wine:</b> This is one that really came out of left field for me. I hadn't heard of it at all until I stumbled on their booth on the sixth floor. <i>Where the Water Tastes Like Wine</i> is a game about stories; telling them, hearing them, what they mean to the people that hear them, and what happens after they've been told. It takes place in a fictional depression era USA and features incredibly evocative art that brings to mind the work of John Steuart Curry or Manuel Manilla. It is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=p0YSX0Eot-c" target="_blank">beautiful examination of american folklore</a>, woven into a story about a person on a journey.<br />
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<b>Shadow of War:</b> This was a good year for AAA titles at PAX with a number of strong showings, and <i>Shadow of War</i> is near the top of those. Monolith Studios has worked on not only refining the Nemesis system, but adding more depth to it as well. With more dynamic characters, each one now carrying a particular background and shared history with Talion, <i>Shadow of War</i> has really nurtured the environment of the first game, pushing the emergent narrative into an even bigger playground. Taking fortresses is a daunting challenge but feel incredibly rewarding once pulled off.<br />
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<b>Cosmo's Quickstop:</b> <i>Cosmo's Quickstop</i> was tucked away in the back of the sixth floor this year. As part of the PAX 10, I expected them to be a bit more visible. Nevertheless, every time I went by the booth, it was full up, with numerous others waiting for a shot as well. <i>Cosmo's Quickstop</i> sets the player up as a janitor who has recently inherited an interstellar gas station. To keep the customers happy, the player has to balance a preposterous number of jobs, puzzles and other tasks. Quite simply, it is a time management game. It just happens to be one of the first such time management games I've seen in a while that wasn't solely devoted to food. The cartoonish, adorable art style belies the difficulty of balancing all of those tasks on top of one another. One customer may need gas while another wants you to clean the bathroom. It is a frantic, mad dash, full of hectic, hurried button presses and super disgusting space bathrooms.Steve H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03593983764200017889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-34313150677000582962017-08-17T23:20:00.001-07:002017-08-17T23:20:32.959-07:00Nintendo Switch: The Good, the Bad, and the Curious<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As opening statement, I feel the need to say, I was not excited about <a href="http://www.nintendo.com/switch/" target="_blank">the Switch</a>. I know, weird, but my initial impressions didn't leave me with a lot of hope. The internal hardware is mediocre, the casing and screen are made out of styrofoam (not really, but it <i>is</i> super fragile), and there were less than a handful of games at launch, only one of which was a fully developed modern game and another of which was a gimmicky advertisement platform that should have been sold with the unit, not separately for $50.<br />
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Other things bugged me as well; like the fact that Nintendo was arbitrarily gating titles between the Switch and 3DS when there was no real reason to separate many of the games out like that. Most, if not the majority of games currently available on the Switch wouldn't even begin to test the limits of the 3DS, and most 3DS titles are on par with the majority of the titles available on the Switch. A lot of the reviews and information on the Switch led me to believe it was going to be like a lot of the stuff we've seen from Nintendo in recent years- an incremental improvement to their existing hardware repackaged and locked with proprietary software that will arbitrarily gate functionality so they can keep selling you the same thing you've already bought at full price. Now that all that is out of the way....<br />
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I actually kind of dig the Switch. comes with a surprising number of accessories and the sheer mystery involved in unraveling their arcane purpose quickly turned to delight as I realized just how flexible the physical hardware of this device actually was. The joycon controllers it came with could either be attached to the device itself as a handheld, slotted into a controller frame that transformed them into a more traditional controller, or outfitted with a pair of two-button wrist attachments that transformed them into a pair of Wii-style remotes. Having that natural integration allowing for multiple players right out of the box was cool, as was discovering that the device was just as flexible and portable as advertised.<br />
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Those commercials where the guy is playing on his TV and then goes over and slides the chucks in before walking out the door while continuing to play? I did that, and it worked just as smoothly as in the commercial. While I still have some questions/concerns about the internal hardware (nothing I've played on the Switch yet would be overly impressive on a handheld like the Vita or even the new 3DS), the smooth integration of the various external hardware components is definitely very cool.<br />
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The software on the Switch left a little more to be desired. While the Switch has a large, clear screen and Wi-Fi access, there are currently no apps to speak of. The subscription service that was the very first thing the console wanted me to see after booting up is still unavailable, there's no Hulu, no Netflix, no streaming services at all, so the Switch is very much a gaming platform only at this point in time, with a library of largely recycled titles. Some of these titles are still fun; being able to pick up and go with <a href="http://www.iamsetsuna.com/us/" target="_blank">I Am Setsuna</a> or play it on the big screen is an excellent way to experience a game created as an homage to old school RPGs like Chrono Trigger, and being able to have my friends over and let their kids play Mario Kart without taking up a TV is really cool.<br />
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Where does that leave me with the Switch...? I'm glad I have one. It's already gotten a good bit of use and it will probably get more. The line-up of titles coming out, especially releases like Mario Odyssey and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, have me really excited. Being able to play Skyrim on a handheld is also pretty appealing, though I'm not sure yet if I'll be able to get back into the game after all this time, particularly on a proprietary system where the potential for mods is looking pretty low.<br />
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The Switch is simultaneously the best and worst of Nintendo; amazing IP titles, fun and gimmicky hardware, but also tepid release schedules, dated internal hardware, and limited options and functionality, particularly for a "next gen" console. I want to hate it. I have every logical reason to hate it. But I don't. I love it. I'm going to be playing the damn thing every day for months to come. Odds are really good that if you're at PAX West this year, you're going to see me sitting in line for a panel while playing Mario Kart on the Switch with my friends. Should you buy one? I did, and I've barely put it down since.Ssalarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06405150294679357039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-55219795884526448702017-08-09T14:44:00.003-07:002017-08-09T15:23:29.093-07:00City of Seven Seraphs and The Nexus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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First and foremost, I'd like to make sure anyone reading this who's a fan of the Pathfinder RPG is aware of the <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lostspheres/city-of-seven-seraphs-a-planar-campaign-capstone-f/description" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">City of Seven Seraphs</span></a> Kickstarter that went live this morning. If you were a fan of Planescape, Spelljammer, or even the old Weatherlight MtG novels, there are a lot of goodies in this book for you that open up planar adventures and otherworldly venues for your Pathfinder games.<br />
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I'm one of the writers contributing to this project, and my contribution is the new Nexus base class, a planar-themed veilweaving class that can take on the powers and even the physical forms of various outsiders like angels, devils, and genies. Building on the rules and system I originally wrote for <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/190611/Akashic-Mysteries?affiliate_id=435758" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Akashic Mysteries</span></a>, the Nexus is a brand new class featuring tons of new veils that will also support the original akashic classes, the Daevic, Guru, and Vizier. Here's a sneak peek at the art for our iconic Nexus<br />
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The Nexus includes some updated rules for veilweaving, and is totally playable even if you don't have the original Akashic Mysteries book. I've also made some changes in how veils are organized and presented; the basic layout for individual veils is the same, but in Akashic Mysteries the veils were presented alphabetically, and by slot. This made it easy to make sure you knew where to find a veil and could look specifically for one that would go into an open slot, but it also meant that there's a little bit of familiarity required in creating a really top-end veil set where you're not just getting lots of cool abilities, but each veil is also pumping up the other veils you have equipped in new and interesting ways. The Nexus' veils are each presented in a themed set of 10, with the veils naturally synergizing with each other and providing you a powerful set of thematically aligned abilities. Want to play a sentai angel who transforms from an elf into a powerful warrior of the Heavens? We've got you covered. Want to play a canny magic-user who draws powerful abilities from multiple planes of existence, meshing devilish defenses with a genie's elemental magic? You can do that too. Our iconic presented above is using a mix of elemental veils and options and angelic veils from the Angelic Armaments set. In fact, here's two of those veils for any Akashic Mysteries fans who can't wait until the Kickstarter is completed to start playing with the new options:<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Angelic Wings</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Descriptors: Good</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Class: Daevic, Nexus, Vizier</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Slot: Shoulders</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Saving Throw: none</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Brilliant white wings of gleaming energy sprout from your shoulders and settle around you like a fine cloak.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shaping this beautiful veil gives you a pair of wings that allow you to glide. You can make a DC 15 Fly check to fall safely from any height without taking falling damage, as if using </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">feather fall</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. When falling safely, you may make an additional DC 15 Fly check to glide, moving 5 feet laterally for every 10 feet you fall. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Essence: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you have a least 1 point of essence invested in this veil you gain a fly speed of 10 ft. with clumsy maneuverability. For each additional point of essence invested in this veil your fly speed increases by 10 ft. and your maneuverability increases by 1 step.</span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-5b51c3e9-c8aa-c843-538b-c97a196d2507"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chakra Bind (Shoulders): [D10, N10, V10] </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Binding this veil to your Shoulders chakra fills your wings with potent protective capabilities. Whenever you are reduced to 25% or less of your maximum hit point total while this veil is active, you gain the benefits of a </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sanctuary</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> spell that lasts until your hit point total is raised above 25%. Attacking another creature while this effect is active suppresses this benefit for 1 round. In addition, whenever an ally within your line of sight is reduced to 25% or less of their maximum hit point total, you may teleport directly to a square adjacent to them as an immediate action. As long as you are adjacent to an ally whose current hit points are 25% or less of their maximum hit point total, they do not provoke attacks of opportunity for moving out of enemies threatened spaces.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shaitan’s Earthen Armor</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Class: Daevic, Nexus, Vizier</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Slot: Chest</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gleaming plates of polished stone surround your flesh, protecting you from harm.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shaping this veil covers you in plates of solid stone molded into shape by akashic energy that increase your natural armor bonus by +1 and grant you DR 2/bludgeoning or piercing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Essence: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For each point of essence invested in this veil your natural armor bonus increases by an additional +1 and the granted damage reduction increases by 1.</span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-5b51c3e9-c8a9-ede5-363f-e81984674bd1"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chakra Bind (Chest): [D19, N18, V18] </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Binding this veil to your Chest chakra causes the earthen armor protecting you to fuse to your skin and encase your entire body, granting you an enhancement bonus to Strength and Constitution equal to 1 + 1 per point of essence invested and making you immune to critical hits. In addition, you gain the earth glide universal monster ability, allowing you to pass through stone, dirt, or almost any other sort of earth except worked stone and metal as easily as a fish swims through water. If protected against fire damage, you can even glide through lava. You glide at your full base land speed. While gliding, you breathe stone as if it were air (you do not need to hold your breath).</span></span></span><br />
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I would be remiss if I didn't mention the amazing team of writers and designers working on this book as well.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> The City of Seven Seraphs is a fully developed Planar Metropolis for the Pathfinder RPG available in full-color Hardcover and PDF that includes contributions from Colin McComb, Clinton Boomer, Savannah Broadway, Robert Brookes, Liz Courts, Robert N Emerson, Scott Gladstein, Sasha Hall, Ehn Jolly, Ron Lundeen, Jessica Redekop, David Ross, Michael Sayre,Todd Stewart, and George Loki Williams, with stretch goals from Wolfgang Baur of Kobold Press, Jason Sonia of Storm Bunny Studios, Jason Eric Nelson of Legendary Games, and Jeremy Smith of Dreamscarred Press. In addition to being an amazing sourcebook full of fun and interesting crunch and fluff that should make it appealing for any player or GM, the art in this book is already seriously amazing. In addition to the iconic Nexus shown above, the book includes dozens of pieces of high-quality art like this veilweaving sobek aegis who combines psionics and akashic magic:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>Ssalarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06405150294679357039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-8401554613027640832017-08-01T19:11:00.000-07:002017-08-02T01:11:50.366-07:00D&D Beyond Part 1: Character Creation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For a while now I've been part of the Beta process for D&D Beyond, the new online tools for Fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons. I used the Fourth Edition tools extensively in the campaign I ran for a while, up until we ported it over the Pathfinder. Since I've moved back to D&D I've been looking for a good set of online tools for building and organizing my campaigns and characters and had limited success. I've cobbled together a few different sites that I use for audio and map making, but have otherwise turned to Google Docs to keep all of my notes straight. Now, with D&D Beyond, I have the beginnings of the tools I've been looking for but they aren't there just yet.<br />
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In its current state, the D&D Beyond Character Generator is fairly substantial. It gives a solid rundown of every ability score, race, class and ability in the game. Most of this help text is there for the benefit of newer players and can be turned off for more experienced players. What I read of it does give players a very good idea of what each ability score represents, primers on the abilities and history of each race and class, as well as well worded, but not always concise explanations of what thing like advantage are and how Armor Class is tabulated.<br />
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The first thing that struck me as odd was that the character builder brings up class selection before ability scores are assigned. I suppose this makes sense for people using the point buy system, but some players (read myself and most of the people I play with) still prefer to roll their abilities. This sets one of the key steps in character creation out of order for folks like us.<br />
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I understand that Wizards is trying to move to a more universal system for determining ability scores, but it has always been my belief that buy systems encourage people to min-max their characters, pushing the individuality of Dungeons and Dragons characters aside in favor of more "optimized" builds.I wouldn't have such an issue with this if it didn't seem so at odds with the rules-light, story-and-character-centric model that 5th edition was purportedly built on.<br />
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But I digress; the rest of the character creation runs smoothly and organizes the step in a fairly logical way. I do have some problems with the way the character background is selected and input. Each background comes with its own traits, which are easily selected, but the ideals, flaws and bonds have only blank fields for the player to fill in with their own. I appreciated the varied options given in the Player's Handbook for players who simply wished to roll their traits, but the best option the character builder gives for this is to display the options for the player to copy and paste into the field. The option of a drop down or even a random button would be a nice addition there.<br />
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Finally we come to equipment selection. I had hoped that Wizards would have learned a lesson from the 4th edition online tools and built a more navigable equipment list. However, it seems to have been ported directly over from the previous editions tools. There is a search field and a number of filters available, but no matter how precise the search entered, there seem to be at least 2 dozen results. Mundane starting gear ends up lumped in with magical gear o a similar type forcing the player to scroll through the list of results before being able to settle on the correct gear. It's a frustrating organization that I feel could be much improved through a branching system with mundane gear at the top of each category, or something similar.<br />
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In the end, I'm discussing the merits of a product still in the late stages of testing. I am sure that this will not be the last iteration on these tolls that we will see. I hope that Wizards of the Coast continues to support and improve the online tools. There is a great deal to like in it so far, but it rightfully doesn't feel quite finished yet. As flawed as parts of the character creation system are, it still gives me a much better way of storing my characters than the disintegrating binder on my desk and significantly cuts the time it takes for my players to build their own.Steve H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03593983764200017889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-46179346636856906202017-07-19T14:08:00.000-07:002017-07-19T20:10:50.607-07:00More Wolf Among Us (And Other Great Telltale Chapters)<div style="text-align: center;">
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Telltale just dropped some news worth squeeing over, Season 2 of <i>Wolf Among Us </i>will be released in 2018!<br />
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We don't know much more than that, it appears those lips are sealed. Many fans (including us here at Somnam) have been waiting with baited breath for more <i>Wolf Among Us</i> since the last episode of Season 1 back in 2014. It has been a tryingly long wait and I hope that Telltale will deliver a new season with a story worthy of it. <br />
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The award-winning <i>Fables</i> comic series on which <i>Wolf Among </i><i>Us</i> is based ended its 13 year, 150 issue run back in 2015. So, the good news is that if you haven't read the comics you have an amazing adventure to dig into while you wait. The rest of us poor souls will just have to be patient.<br />
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Telltale also announce in their update a new <i>Batman </i>season as well as the <b>final </b>season of their noted <i>Walking Dead</i> series. You can take a peek at their announcement below. </div>
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<br />Wesley H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17255067297704787750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-34044389399005104222017-07-18T17:43:00.000-07:002017-07-20T00:39:09.524-07:00Destiny 2 Beta- Thoughts So Far<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today marked the beginning of the <i>Destiny 2</i> early access beta playtest for Playstation gamers who pre-ordered the game and I've now done pretty much everything the beta currently has on offer with all the classes and subclasses currently available. Having logged Lord-only-knows how many hours on the first <i>Destiny</i>, I had mixed feelings about the prospect of Destiny 2. The original <i>Destiny </i>was a great first-person shooter but a mediocre MMO, and I wasn't sure how many of its issues would or could be addressed by a sequel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To touch on the things that I felt were real issues with the first <i>Destiny </i>and which might influence my thoughts on <i>D2</i>- </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1) The raids were very haphazard an disjointed. In addition to excessive glitches that could render the raids incompletable without having the entire party disband, each raid featured a unique currency that was immediately pointless the moment a new raid was released. In games like game like World of Warcraft with over a dozen raids, you experience each one and then level out of it to move on to the next one. That doesn't work so well in a game like <i>Destiny </i>that started with 1 raid and never had more than 4 over its entire lifespan. While these issues were eventually addressed, it wasn't until the announcement of <i>Destiny 2</i>, at the very end of the original game's lifespan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2) There were frequent connectivity issues. Disconnects, lags, and stranger issues, like people being unable to connect to <i>Destiny </i>if both of them were using the same router, were very, very common with <i>Destiny</i>, often to the detriment of the game.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3) Game balance was a hot, hot mess. Bungie's experience with Halo seems to have taught them trickle down game design, where they balance weapon performance and class functionality to their top-end PVP players. While this can work very well in traditional FPS games, <i>Destiny's </i>attempt to occupy a market niche as an MMO means that that kind of narrow scrutiny doesn't hold up as well as it does in games like Overwatch. Frequently PVP balance tweaks would have detrimental impacts on the PVE game and it felt like they never quite figured out how to balance the priorities of their game between the PVP and PVE needs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Point 3, fortunately, is one that I have great news about. Bungie has completely reworked their weapon system for <i>Destiny 2</i> in a manner that seems very likely to circumvent the issues the original game struggled with. Weapons like shotguns, fusion rifles, and sniper rifles now occupy the same slot and use the same limited ammunition as grenade launchers and other heavy weapons, making priority for weapon choice in your other slots significantly more meaningful and softening the PVP impact of those weapons. They also exchange the "primary" and "secondary" weapon designations from the original game with "kinetic" and "energy" designations; this means that you could have an auto rifle in both slots, with one being your standard kinetic weapon and the other being your energy (arc, solar, or void) weapon. This eases the learning curve by allowing you to pick up and master one weapon at a time, but also greatly increases load-out versatility and should lead to a more interesting and varied game overall.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The cut-scenes in the beta are beautiful and intense, though the emotional impact of the initial story mission is severely undercut by the snippets of story you can glean from the beta's one playable strike. The gameplay is fast and fluid, building and improving on <i>Destiny's </i>already well-polished engine with new weapons, supers, and abilities for all the classes making tactical choices and group composition much more meaningful and interesting. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">While <i>Destiny 2</i> seems like it may be plagued with a few lingering issues from the first game, it's definitely a step forward for the franchise already, based solely on the content of the beta test. I eagerly await the full release of the game so I can dive deeper in and see what other changes and updates the game presents, and whether the flaws of the first game will be fully erased or if some of them will linger into this new iteration. I'll let you know how things go after the game's official release in September!</span><br />
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Ssalarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06405150294679357039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-73411465082680319062017-07-13T18:10:00.000-07:002017-07-13T18:10:14.207-07:00Zodiac Age: Final Verdict<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You may remember that about a year ago I talked about playing the demo for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Final-Fantasy-XII-Zodiac-Age-PlayStation/dp/B01GOQHDJ4?th=1" target="_blank">Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age</a>. You might also remember that my feelings on the game were somewhat mixed and that I wondered why this, of all the Final Fantasy games, had been slated for remastering. Well, the game is here, I've logged enough hours to feel like I can talk about it fairly and intelligently, so now I'm going to try and do that.<br />
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Many of the things I hated about the original version of the game are still there: there's still hyper-sexualized bunny women who are supposed to be a fantasy race but are basically indistinguishable from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playboy_Bunny" target="_blank">Playboy Bunny waitresses</a> (not unique to FF XII amongst the Final Fantasy games but still stupid and needlessly over-sexualized beyond what is seen in other games where the species appears like FF Tactics) the main protagonist is still a blonde-haired blue-eyed Aladdin, and the game still has needlessly prohibitive flaws in its navigation. As an example of the navigation issues, when you start out in the city of Rabanastre, you have a decently sized city surrounded by a massive desert, all chopped up into various sub-areas. Each of those sub-areas has a name, and those names are often relevant to navigating the side-quests and hunts you'll undertake. Straightforward enough, right? Except, the only way to know which area is the Gizas North Bank or the Broken Sands while you're running around the desert is to open up your map while standing in that area and look at the top of your screen to see what area you're in. You can actually spend currency in game to get a detailed map of the entire desert and <i>still</i> have no idea where you're going because none of those named areas are actually labeled on the map. You don't have any way of knowing whether or not you're heading in the right direction until you get there and check, which was true in the original iteration of the game and contributed to people feeling as though the game was created to be an engine for selling strategy guides. The combat system, which was legitimately good for the time it first premiered, now feels even clunkier and dated than the traditional JRPG interface seen in even older games like the cartridge generation of Final Fantasies. The growing pains that RPGs were going through when this game was released are apparent and palpable.<br />
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Okay, so now that the negative feedback is out of the way, let me jump into the things that I liked about Zodiac Age. First and foremost, it's pretty, and the remastering did make a difference here. One of Final Fantasy XII's strengths was that it sat at a cusp in graphic development, not yet reaching the levels of realism seen in new games like Final Fantasy XV, but evolved far enough beyond earlier entries in the franchise that the characters are recognizable as fully formed beings, not rough 8 to 16-bit approximations or representations, or polyhedral shapes built around a bipedal framework. The art and graphics of FF XII, resting as they did at a crux in the development of gaming graphics, lend the game a unique whimsy where a fully detailed and recognizable human being can chase around a tomato-headed monster and the effect comes off as charming, rather than absurd. The remastering process takes nothing away from this, and in fact makes the juxtaposition of the art styles even more visually appealing, which was not a result I expected.<br />
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The game has also streamlined the leveling system from the original FF XII, though not as much as I would have hoped. Instead of a single huge, directionless grid that requires a strategy guide or at least an open web browser to navigate, Zodiac Age uses a revamped "Job" system, where each character gets a smaller and more manageable grid built around a particular class theme like Machinist, Time Battlemage, Black Mage, White Mage, or other recognizable entries from the franchise. The blocks are easier to navigate and plan you progression around, though there are a few hiccups that still exist. I wanted to try a different twist and playstyle for my main character, Vaan, during this play-through so I selected the Time Battlemage job. Wielding crossbows and using Time magic to debuff opponents and buff allies, this seemed like a pretty cool class, and it is, but it also served to emphasize the areas where the team that reworked the Job system into the system failed to account for the other parts of the game that directly intersect with it.<br />
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You see, in FF XII you have to buy a "License" for everything you want to use. Want to wear the new armor the shopkeeper has for sale? You'll need to make sure that not only are you playing as a Job that offers access to that armor, but also that you've spent your LP to buy up the space on your Job grid that offers proficiency with that armor. You can't just play a Machinist, the gun-wielding class, and be able to use all the guns you come across, you need to make sure your Machinist has actually bought the licenses for that specific model of gun. Now, let me get back to the Time Battlemage thing; I mentioned Time Battlemages use crossbows, right? Well, in the original version of the game crossbows weren't something the main protagonist could just grab a license for right off the bat, he had to work his way along the grid to that section. As a result, there are no crossbows available anywhere in the game for about the first two hours of play. This meant that my character was stuck using the same crappy dagger he started with even though there were better weapons available, because the class I chose used a weapon that I wouldn't have been able to start with in the original game. Hiccups like this are ultimately minor bumps over the course of the game, but can be exceedingly frustrating when you find yourself caught up in them with no choice but to power through. I still consider the new job system to be an improvement overall.<br />
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The new sound and visual updates are well executed, making the game sound and look as good as it possibly can without a full remake. Given the whimsical edge and appeal of its particular art style, I would consider this to be the best version of this game currently possible from an audio/visual perspective. Important note here; some of the settings tied to sound output can be very finnicky. If you're not actually using a surround sound system, you'll want to have the game's soundtrack set to the Original setting instead of the Reorchestrated version, as the Reorchestrated version will make several cut scenes sound absolutely terrible, to the point that it's all but impossible to make out what the characters are saying (particularly problematic if you didn't have subtitles turned on since there's no way to activate them once a cut scene has started). Fortunately this issue is not something that you'll have to deal with constantly and has only impacted 3 cut scenes that I've seen so far, though it did significantly impact my ability to enjoy those cut scenes. Two of the times I simply skipped through the scene and picked up my previous save, changing my sound settings accordingly, though I wanted to continue with the Reorchestrated version since that's one of Zodiac Age's selling points and I wanted to know how big an issue it truly was. Ultimately, minor but annoying when it does become an issue, which is becoming my go to phrase for almost all of the remastered options in Zodiac Age.<br />
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How to wrap this up.... Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is a good game. I don't want anything I've said to make you believe otherwise. The problem is that the same company is currently selling SPECTACULAR games like Final Fantasy XV, and many things that weren't really "issues" when Final Fantasy XII first released now feel clunky and obnoxious. If you've played with Final Fantasy XV's fluid and intuitively beautiful battle system, combat in Zodiac Age feels slow and forced, attempting to add the impression of fluidity and mobility to a battle system that, at its core, uses the same basic structure as much older entries in the franchise. If your party were lined up on one side of the screen with the enemy on the other in the old fashioned football formation associated with the cartridge generations of Final Fanstasy, most combats would be 90% the same. While the game is pretty, it's still clearly dated and nothing in the game's graphics is going to surprise or amaze you.<br />
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While the Job system is a strict improvement over the original game's giant and poorly laid out grid, it's still not perfect, even when viewed through the lens of the game itself and not viewed as a comparison to other games or entries, even within the same franchise. If you were a fan of the original Final Fantasy XII, this is probably a game to be excited about. If, like me, you weren't a fan of the original, there's still some things in this game that can be worthwhile, including a solid story and entertaining art. I will very likely complete my current playthrough of Zodiac Age all the way t the end, so that's certainly something. If you don't like relatively retro games, and you weren't a fan of the original FF XII, there's not going to be a lot here for you. If your first introduction to the franchise was a game like Final Fantasy XV, it's hard to say how you'll feel about this game; it doesn't compare on any level, story, graphics, interface, etc. but it is a piece of the franchise's history, and its a game that displays most clearly how the game grew from its early roots of immobile timer/turn based combat into the fluid and active system seen in the most recent entry to the franchise. Zodiac Age is kind of like a museum, showing what Final Fantasy was and how it grew to become what it is.Ssalarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06405150294679357039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-85605566245168822452017-07-06T13:53:00.000-07:002017-07-09T13:53:54.510-07:00Getting Back Into Space with Elite Dangerous<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a while since I really made a commitment to learn the ins and outs of a space flight game. I suppose you could call <i>Kerbal Space Program</i> a space flight sim, so perhaps it hasn't been as long as I thought. The last <i>Sci-Fi</i> space sim I really got into was <i>X: Reunion</i>, a huge and complex game with tons of systems to explore and a huge wealth of options for players to explore and really make the game their own. In looking for a new game in the same idiom, I've found myself waffling between <i>Star Citizen</i> and <i>Elite Dangerous</i> but a recent Steam Summer Sale and reports of a fascinating alien presence in Elite Dangerous finally tipped the scales for me<br />
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After two hours of gameplay, I'm still coming to grips with all of the controls that I'm working with. I feel like I'm starting to get a handle on it all. I've run a few missions and earned a pretty decent amount and I haven't had to fire a single shot. I know the combat is a big draw for a number of players, but the further I can get without anyone firing a high speed projectile at my very fragile ship, the better.<br />
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I'm still running around in my starting Sidewinder, though I have already managed to upgrade the power plant and distribution system. From what I understand, maximizing your jump capabilities is pretty vital, especially early on in the game. I've also invested in a fuel scoop for those long haul missions without many stations to stop at.<br />
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I have been really surprised by the breadth of things I can do during any particular session. Anything from hauling cargo to working a smuggling job or covertly taking out some other ship, carries with it a number of smaller considerations before you can undertake them. A cargo mission may not seem to be an issue when investigating it from the board, but once the cargo is loaded, you might find that you can no longer make the jump distance to the next relevant station along the route. Dodging security when carrying illicit cargo could be as simple as flying dangerously fast into the hangar, trying to get to your designated platform before security can scan your manifest.<br />
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Other things that can happen during flight add depth and stakes to even mundane missions. I had a basic delivery mission that offered over 100k for a short two jump trip. However, once I got distance from the station, I was contacted by the quest giver who moved the delivery to another system that required twelve jumps. I ended up taking advantage of the fuel scoop I had just fitted onto my ship to make sure I had the resources I needed to make the trip. At least once, I got a little too close for too long and overheated my ship, damaging several systems. While I never encountered a hostile ship, I nevertheless was on the edge of my seat for the duration of the trip.<br />
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<i>Elite Dangerous</i> also benefits from having one of the most cleanly detailed user interface I've seen in a game of its type. I'll admit that there are a lot of little buttons and commands in the numerous screens, but it is laid out in a way that puts function and clarity over style and flare. Until I get my hands on <i>Starfighter Inc.</i> I feel like this is the closest I'll get to playing a game that makes me feel like a part of The Expanse.<br />
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While I'm starting out in a solo game, I'm really looking forward to getting to know the community of players in <i>Elite Dangerous</i>. What I read about the recent encounters with aliens on the outer frontiers and some of the emergent gameplay from player groups like the Fuel Rats were big parts of my decision to buy the game. Games as large as this should feel alive, and this kind of activity from players seems to be encouraged by the developers who recently hid a number of messages across the game in a huge puzzle for players to unravel. It all led to the discovery of what appears to be an alien base, which has what looks like another puzzle hidden within it.<br />
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I may still be a bit rusty, but I am so happy to back in the cockpit of a spacecraft, flying around the galaxy, trying to make a living. I know I've barely made a dent in the content in <i>Elite Dangerous</i> and it will probably be a long time before I really get a handle on all of the game's mechanics but it is a journey that I am very much looking forward to. <i>Elite Dangerous</i> is available for PC, Xbox One and now PS4.Steve H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03593983764200017889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-27376701471742298662017-07-04T14:16:00.000-07:002017-07-19T19:19:45.630-07:00Getting Pumped with VR<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Gamers
don’t have the most flattering stereotypes when it comes to physique. A known
sedentary pursuit, gaming doesn’t often help its players stay svelte. There are
exceptions of course, but the physically undemanding nature of games can’t
honestly be denied. There are many examples of developers trying a variety of
techniques to keep players moving <i>and</i>
motivated by their entertainment. </span></span><br />
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Motivation has always been the crux of the issue for many. With so many other
distractions and entertainments vying attention it can be hard to fit in the
drudgery that is exercise. Blending the two has always seemed like an ideal
marriage of practical benefits and entertainment. Some companies have started <a href="http://www.icaros.com/">developing products for exercise in VR</a>, but
the dedicated space requirements for <a href="https://www.virzoom.com/#whatisvirzoom">equipment</a> and added price (as
discounted as they may have become, VR is not by any means “cheap”) makes the
addition even more prohibitive.<br /> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
Augmented Reality games like the series Zombies Run! (now in its 6th season)
and <i>Pokémon Go</i> help get folks out and
about in the real world and can be great motivational hooks. Personally, I have
had a hard time keeping up with these AR games. <i>Zombies, Run!</i> is certainly fun but application errors I experienced
and lapses between runs (due to weather and schedules) made it harder and
harder to keep up with the story and keep interested. <i>Pokémon Go</i> was certainly a good motivator for a while, but the
issues with distance tracking effectively discarding so much of my progress
greatly reduced the game’s hold on me.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Our current generation of VR headsets offer plenty of opportunity for motion, but it tends to be in a limited play space. Some folks have taken it upon themselves to augment their VR play with wearable weights. As Reddit user <i><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/54mqb0/vr_fitness_50_day_challenge_final_results/"><span style="font-style: normal;">leppermessiah1</span></a></i> proved with his self-constructed VR 50 exercise challenge, the results can be <a href="https://uploadvr.com/50-days-virtual-reality-exercise/">impressive</a>.</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9KL4TeaanK4VnfLh_E1p6ryqCWBd7CXYKZo6rP7tz4AdpwLgCREgo3Al0pJnUtDXpAj7Os3o_d2mdYFkWN1nIU04Sv1bqxOua26ya7qRVxtyTgU_ilgQedgetmm24KoHOZjfea9y47sk/s1600/spacepirate02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9KL4TeaanK4VnfLh_E1p6ryqCWBd7CXYKZo6rP7tz4AdpwLgCREgo3Al0pJnUtDXpAj7Os3o_d2mdYFkWN1nIU04Sv1bqxOua26ya7qRVxtyTgU_ilgQedgetmm24KoHOZjfea9y47sk/s640/spacepirate02.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
Using a weight vest, wrist weights, and anklets Steve and I have started
experimenting playing <i><a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/418650/Space_Pirate_Trainer/"><span style="font-style: normal;">Space Pirate Trainer</span></a> </i>here and there as
a form of home exercise. It’s been an interesting experience so far. The
physical challenge is daunting as the slow-mo Matrix like bullet dodges get off
balancing fast when you are wearing a 20 pound vest. I’d had a few sessions
with just the wrist and ankle weights that felt like a nice workout, but the
weight vest brought it to a whole other level. I was sweating and panting like
a dog as I tried desperately to fight off wave after wave of drones. It was
utterly exhausting, but still very fun. Despite my aching muscles I still found
myself wanting to try for a the high score “just one more time”.<br /> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
It’s hard to say if this will continue to become a routine, if the enjoyment of
the game will be enough motivation, or if at some point the novelty will wear
off. In the interim it is an interesting challenge to add to the VR experience,
and perhaps one day a developer will hit on some kind of integration that make
VR exercise the norm.</span></span></span>Wesley H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17255067297704787750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-26352031653069896142017-06-22T19:04:00.000-07:002017-06-23T01:07:34.092-07:00The Latest Adventure For Dungeons and Dragons Goes back to its Roots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you ask any veteran D&D player about the most unforgiving or harrowing adventure they've had, you'll likely hear Tomb of Horrors mentioned more than once. Originally published in 1978, the Tomb of Horrors is one of the most well known dungeon written by D&D progenitor, Gary Gygax. It is an unforgiving labyrinth of traps and monsters that spelled the end of innumerable characters. It was feared by players, revered by DMs and known even by those who didn't play D&D. And now it is back again in two forms for 5th edition.<br />
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The Tomb of Horrors is seen by many as a sort of rite of passage for D&D players, a punishing test of might for any character, no matter how min/maxed they are. It's been republished again and again over the years, and I though I've played it in 2nd through 4th edition, it wasn't until 4th edition that I actually got through to the end of it. The 5th Edition version is available in the Tales From the Yawning Portal, a collection of 7 classic dungeons meant to be sprinkled in here are there throughout the course of a normal campaign. While Tomb of Horrors rightfully occupies top billing, every one of the dungeons in the book are classics. The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan was the first proper module I played, and it is really exciting to see it back.<br />
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The really exciting news though is the announcement of the latest adventure path; an adventure for characters of 1st to 11th level called the Tomb of Annihilation. Principally designed by DM to the stars, Chris Perkins along with Will Doyle and Steve Winter with story help from Pendleton Ward, creator of Adventure Time, Tomb of Annihilation<i> </i>draws heavily from the Tomb of Horrors. In an interview with Polygon recently, Perkins notes other inspirations include Indiana Jones.<br />
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The adventure is set in Chult, a jungle region of the Forgotten Realms, home to dinosaurs and dense jungles. The opening premise involves something called the Death Curse, a wasting disease that affects those who have been resurrected in the past. It slowly drains away their life, leaving them a mummified husk. On top of that, no one is able to be resurrected upon death at all. As Perkins puts it, this really ups the stakes for the players. Each death means a new character has to be rolled. It's a rough deal, but I've always found that players are often at their most inventive when faced with the complete loss of a beloved character.<br />
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Tomb of Annihilation is due out in September, so we'll have to wait until then to try it out. However, the Tales from the Yawning Portal is out and ready for you to incorporate into your next game. I really wish that I didn't already have a carefully built and planned out world for my current group of players, as I'd love to run the Tomb of Annihilation with them. If it is anything like what Perkins describes (a pulp-noir adventure in the Forgotten Realms) it is sure to be well worth a playthrough.Steve H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03593983764200017889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-53312170704530674802017-06-20T12:58:00.000-07:002017-07-13T19:10:38.720-07:00Dishonored: Death of the Outsider<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Our cup runneth over with new <i>Dishonored </i>games. </span></span>There were a solid 4 years betwixt <i>Dishonored</i> (2012) and <i>Dishonored 2</i> (2016), so it’s a bit of a surprise that we are seeing another standalone <i>Dishonored</i> game so soon after 2’s release late last year.</div>
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<i>The Death of the Outsider</i> (due out September 15<sup>th</sup>) is an intriguing title and motivation for this next game. The Outsider, demi-god and avatar of the Void, has been enabling denizens of the Empire of the Isles and the Panyssian continent for thousands of years. He appears as a young man, with an almost bored affect and though not entirely Loki-ish his primary motivation for granting his arcane boons appears to be the meer curiosity about what those gifted may do with their powers. Though powerful, he is at odds with the established church of <i>Dishonored’s</i> world (though he seeks no worship, only the pursuit if his interest), and those in his strange favor are treated as outcasts and heretics.<br />
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This <i>Dishonored</i> chapter sees the conflicted assassins Daud (the infamous “Knife of Dunwall) and Billie Lurk (his previously estranged second-in-command) reunited. Both owe much of their success as notorious assassins to the power the Outsider gifted Daud. Now that Billie has found Daud both seem motivated to redeem their corrupted lives by removing the agent of chaos that enabled them. <br />
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<i><a href="https://dishonored.bethesda.net/en/outsider">Dishonored: Death of the Outsider</a></i> will be available for PC, Xbox One, and PS4.<br />
Somewhere between DLC and a full-titlein length, it will be priced around the $29.99 rage when it launches September 15<sup>th </sup>2017.<o:p></o:p></div>
Wesley H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17255067297704787750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4373235861466658107.post-80679469715100701782017-06-15T19:24:00.000-07:002017-07-09T14:13:11.657-07:00Ready Player One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm a little behind the times with this one. <i>Ready Player One </i>by Ernest Cline has been on the shelves since 2011 but I only recently had the opportunity to "read" it via the audiobook narrated by Wil Wheaton. I figured with the movie adaptation slated for release in March of next year, now would be a great time to catch up.<br />
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This dystopian Sci-Fi novel follows the story of Wade Watts, a teenager in the year 2044 living in poverty. The earth has been ravaged by global warming and the exhaustion of fossil fuel resources, a depressing world where many barely scrape together a living with widespread unemployment, meager government benefits and in some cases, indentured servitude. Most of society is able to side-step this grim reality by spending the majority of their lives immersed in a virtual space called the OASIS. The OASIS is what <i>Second Life </i>wanted to be in its heart of hearts, a MMORPG that overtook real-world spaces and functions such as schools, libraries, and remote employment.<br />
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The story focuses on Wade's pursuit of a very special Easter egg left within the OASIS by one of it's founders, the deceased James Halliday. Wade isn't the only one pursuing this Easter egg, many other "gunters" (short for "Egg Hunters") including the ominous tech conglomerate IOI, are in hot pursuit of it as the one who discovers the egg first will inherit the whole of Halliday's massive estate.<br />
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Founder James Halliday was an almost quintessential nerd with such a love of 80's pop-culture of his youth that he infused the puzzle surrounding his Easter egg with it. Wade's adventure after Halliday's egg is a treat for any geek acquainted with the 1980's pop and nerd culture scene. I found myself grinning often and almost squeeing - <br />
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I'm glad I happened to read this book <i>after</i> I've had a healthy dose of our current VR scene. It was much easier to picture a society in the grips of this better version of real life having lost so many of my own hours to gameplay within VR spaces using our primitive (by OASIS standards) VR tech. It made the premise so much more accessible for me, with the VR industry starting to gain a real foothold within the game industry today.<br />
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I was delighted when I heard that Spielberg was heading the project, it seemed a perfect fit with Spielberg being such an icon of the book's heavily referenced time period. Apparently that was a little too on the nose for Spielberg though, <a href="http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Steven-Spielberg-Already-Cutting-Something-Big-Out-Ready-Player-One-87817.html">as he decided to remove himself and all references to his work from the film adaptation</a>. That quelled my anticipation for the film quite a bit. Though Spielberg was not the only icon of the 80's whose work was referenced, his work was a cornerstone of the time period and it seems strangely petty to pretend that the film's version of Halliday somehow ignored that same work while devouring everything else in nerdom had to offer.<br />
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Though my enthusiasm for the film adaptation has cooled somewhat, I enjoyed every minute of the audiobook and can't recommend it enough. Wil Wheaton is a veteran audiobook narrator these days but I found that his love of all things nerd shone through in his reading of <i>Ready Player One</i>. Wheaton's joy was infectious and I listened smiling almost the whole way through. I encourage breaking up that almost 16 hour listening length a bit though. Smiling that much for that long causes a hurt that is a bit embarrassing to complain to others about.<br />
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<i>Ready Player One </i>by Ernest Cline and Narrated by Wil Wheaton is available via Amazon.com / Audible.com</div>
Wesley H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17255067297704787750noreply@blogger.com