Ace of Hearts

Why Do You Like Undertale?

Bioshock 2 (IT'S GOOD OK), Red Dead Redemption.

@Chrononaut

GG (noonelikesbioshock2butitsgoodtheamusementparkespeciallyshowedoffryanshypocrisy)

From the viewpoint of someone who has literally no experience with the game beyond hearsay...I really think the whole 'actions have consequences' theme was instilled a little too much into the game, if what I hear about the game not allowing/discouraging replays because characters remember things. It limits the game to one singular playthrough, and doesn't allow you to get the ultra pacifist good ending even if you've screwed up once.

I could be talking outta the ass, though, so take what I say with a grain of salt because I really don't care enough to delve deeper into the game/themes/behind the scenes of it.

CLOSED/MAY REBOOT IN FUTURE

Question from an observer: Did this have anything to do with WoD? A lot of the clan names are lifted from it: Ventrue, Malkavian, Ravnos, etc. Or were these choices just for flavor?

Sandbox/Freeform - Do they work?

The way this game would work, there would be a few main storylines (multiple factions) and a few side quests that can be proposed or invented as I go along. Players would be able to control NPCs related to their own character, but the majority of world events would be dictated by myself, in a style I would feel would be realistic.

Telling a guy you don't know to fuck off, he appears later as someone you need to work with, he's not so friendly because of earlier, etc etc.

I'd really stress players to look at all their options, even if I don't present all of them. Using the example above, you could either try to sweet talk your way in, bribe the guard, kill him, etc. Or, look for alternate ways in. You climb up a pipe to a window, but the window is locked from the inside. You could either try to quietly break in, or look for another alternate route.

That's just in terms of how the game is played, I suppose. The above advice of making a cohesive group is much appreciated.

Sandbox/Freeform - Do they work?

A broad question, admittedly.

I've been thinking about running a game, just a tad different. There would be a main plot(s), but the characters would be free to create their own storylines, or I myself create some hooks for them to follow.

I'd have no character, but as a general narrator for the story. At times, I'd play certain NPCs. More often than not, however, I'd play 'the world.' Example: Character(s) needs to get into a building, where the only visible entrance is guarded. I would give the player(s) an outline of said building, and make certain suggestions of how to get in. The player(s) think on it, and make their choice/action. I would then narrate the outcome of said action.

Basically, the player(s) engage the world, and I, as the narrator, make the world react in a realistic way.

I'm not sure how a lot of other sandbox games playout, as I've only ever had experience with a more linear game.

Thoughts, Concerns, tips, your experiences, etc? This isn't a question about my idea, specifically, but using it as an example of the general essence of my question seemed the best course of action. All games can work imo if you and your players are dedicated, but still, we're talking general.

The Quality of Gaming

Well, I would say that a pleasant side benefit of most forms of art is that they also exist to entertain. Movies, music, novels, etc. Video games are hardly unique in this sense.

The Quality of Gaming

When it comes to moral ambiguity, writers have to walk a very tight rope, because I've seen so many developers/writers fail at trying to present it.

It always boils down to, something like...."well, this thing has good aspects but negative aspects as well." Which is fine, and it's realistic, but the level of the negative aspects cannot overtake the positive ones.

Fallout: New Vegas is a prime example of failed moral ambiguity. Obsidian tried to show us why Caesar's Legion is an equally viable choice to consider compared to the NCR, House, or the independent path, because they're stable (they aren't) and keep their lands in tight safety (from non-Legion memebers).

They're also a horrifically brutal society (fine with so far) that engage in slavery (you lost me) and what what I would call 'Institutionalized Rape' in order to breed children to become soldiers. I'm sorry, but when you have to resort to slavery, misogyny and rape to make your video game faction 'dark and gritty' and then attempt to tell me that they're actually just as valid as anyone else, I'm both disgusted and alienated.
There are lines of taste that shouldn't be crossed. Slavery and misogyny cannot be used for good intentions.

There are certain lines that are drawn, lines of taste. Having all of that in the game is one thing, but I won't abide by people telling me that it isn't evil.

And don't even get me started on how it's handled in Dragon Age, ugh.

Moral ambiguity needs to stop being "both sides are wrong" and it needs to start being "both sides are right"

'Would you rather have your hand cut off or your foot' vs 'would you rather drive a Honda or a Fiat'

This is a tangent, yes.

The Quality of Gaming

@Ace of Hearts I agree completely! In the end it's all opinion.

However, I stand by the fact opinion that games aren't being held to the same standards of quality as they used to. Not by developers necessarily, but by gamers. And this is what I mean by it's easier to make "bad" games but this isn't necessarily a bad thing: it's easier for people to play games than it's ever been before, creating a bigger audience. And I think this is cool!! However, you can't please everyone with every game so I feel like some games are often watered down / simplified to appeal to more people (and yes, I would still include Skyrim and Oblivion on that list, but I still love the games nonetheless).

And if you're okay with that, that's fine. But I encourage people to figure out what they really like in a game and seek out games and/or developers that cater to that.

But on a side note: "...acting like his opinions on how games should be made are objective facts." If you lack conviction, your opinion probably isn't worth stating tbh. I just assume everything everyone says is nothing more than an opinion unless it's academic and backed by "objective" sources, haha. Even if they present it "objectively."

@Kidd

Well, exactly. You can't please everyone.

I really don't feel that the ES series is being watered down. I think that they've removed some elements that really only ever boiled down to busywork or redundant mechanics.

Mechanical complexity doesn't really translate to depth, a lot of the time.

Example: Morrowind and Oblivion both feature attributes. To increase your Magicka, you increase your intelligence at level up. In this case, Intelligence is a middleman. Increase up your intelligence to increase your mana pool. Whereas in Skyrim, you increase your mana to increase your mana.

That's just one example, but in all honesty, the removal of attributes isn't really a big deal, as the only ones that are really 'lost' are Agility and Speed.

Everything else is subjective though. I'm fine with Quest Markers, fine with an easier journal system, fine with a game that's attempting to be accessible to wider audiences.

Because that leads into a slippery slope of gamer elitism. The idea that the 'casuals' are ruining vidya.

The Quality of Gaming

I know I'm like two weeks late here but I like this video in regards to this question. The tone can offend a lot of people, but keep in mind casual doesn't necessarily mean bad. But I think it's a reason why we see a decline in gaming, especially in the case of games being made for consoles before PCs.

However, I'd still argue that games have overall improved and continue to do so. It's just easier to make bad ones and the whole market is a cash cow.

@Kidd

That video is poop. It's not just his tone that offends me, it's him acting like his opinions on how games should be made are objective facts, and it ends up with everything he says really boiling down to "I don't like when games do things I don't like so therefor it's objectively failing."

As a rebuttal this and this.

But even then, linking videos to guys who wank about games is ridiculous, because like any other form of art, it's entirely dependent on the viewer, and therefor entirely subjective.

Jim Webb thread

As an anarchist, I won't vote because fuck the system, but I'll also sit and complain very loudly once someone I dislike gets elected.

The Walking Dead spoilers

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