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Posts

  • 21stCentury21stCentury Call me Pixel, or Pix for short! [They/Them]Registered User regular
    Oh my!

    Schafer-Senpai noticed me and tweeted back at me.

    didn't retweet my picture wbecause it was imperfect, but still...

    Tim Schafer sent a tweet my way.

    My eyes would be full of stars if i were an anime.

  • JacobkoshJacobkosh Gamble a stamp. I can show you how to be a real man!Moderator mod
    Mojo_Jojo wrote: »
    Bethryn wrote: »
    The four standard approaches are:

    Force (physical intimidation, murder)
    Evasion (stealth, breaking and entering, thievery)
    Conversation (again physical intimidation, also charm, bribery, reasoning)
    Research (usually hacking, sometimes actual research)

    Most of the best games have all four approaches available; the absolute best have all 4 equally available throughout the game.

    What game lets you research your way through?

    Among other things, Alpha Protocol lets you talk your way out of certain situations if and only if you've learned the relevant information (this person is secretly such-and-such) beforehand.

    rRwz9.gif
  • TavTav Irish Minister for DefenceRegistered User regular
    oh cool, my boss didn't actually cover any of the costs for this conference

    which means I've to drop about €600 this week on it

    which will get reimbursed, but having to drop over a third of my paycheque on short notice is such bullshit

  • BeNarwhalBeNarwhal The Work Left Unfinished Registered User regular
    @Jean @21stCentury‌

    Have a good first day at your respective things!

    Also it's the Tuesday after Labour Day so I imagine that @ applies to more people, too!

  • 21stCentury21stCentury Call me Pixel, or Pix for short! [They/Them]Registered User regular
    I kind of hope the Human Rev guys get to make another Deus Ex game, their only real failure was the boss fights all being tank and spank standard shooter fair considering you can complete the rest of the game by killing everything with a vending machine

    Also HR's trailer hyped me more than anything has ever hyped me

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhqYBKZRg5I

    You fool!

    The only way we can get a sequel to Human Revolution is if we don't ask for it.

  • JacobkoshJacobkosh Gamble a stamp. I can show you how to be a real man!Moderator mod
    Tav wrote: »
    oh cool, my boss didn't actually cover any of the costs for this conference

    which means I've to drop about €600 this week on it

    which will get reimbursed, but having to drop over a third of my paycheque on short notice is such bullshit

    Ugh, that sucks.

    rRwz9.gif
  • HaphazardHaphazard Registered User regular
    I liked HR. I also liked the original Deus Ex (never played IW).
    But, as so often, I hardly remember the original anymore.

  • 21stCentury21stCentury Call me Pixel, or Pix for short! [They/Them]Registered User regular
    I liked DX:HR so much io majored in HR in university after playing it.

  • HaphazardHaphazard Registered User regular
    I liked DX:HR so much io majored in HR in university after playing it.

    Now that would be a nice Papers, Please mod, right?

  • BeNarwhalBeNarwhal The Work Left Unfinished Registered User regular
    Also yay an email from my social worker that basically says, "Have you tried this incredibly obvious route for shelter? Other than that I'm not sure I can be much help."

    I means, props for emailing at 6am, but

    That's not very helpful :(

    I was hoping I wouldn't have to spend the next month or so fighting for shelter space every night.

  • 21stCentury21stCentury Call me Pixel, or Pix for short! [They/Them]Registered User regular
    Haphazard wrote: »
    I liked DX:HR so much io majored in HR in university after playing it.

    Now that would be a nice Papers, Please mod, right?

    Oh god...

    Don't give me more game ideas, man.

    now i wanna make a Papers Please parallelquel where you hire guards and checkpoint people...

  • evilbobevilbob RADELAIDERegistered User regular
    Jacobkosh wrote: »
    Mojo_Jojo wrote: »
    Bethryn wrote: »
    The four standard approaches are:

    Force (physical intimidation, murder)
    Evasion (stealth, breaking and entering, thievery)
    Conversation (again physical intimidation, also charm, bribery, reasoning)
    Research (usually hacking, sometimes actual research)

    Most of the best games have all four approaches available; the absolute best have all 4 equally available throughout the game.

    What game lets you research your way through?

    Among other things, Alpha Protocol lets you talk your way out of certain situations if and only if you've learned the relevant information (this person is secretly such-and-such) beforehand.

    Basically everything involving Marburg.

    l5sruu1fyatf.jpg

  • HerrCronHerrCron It that wickedly supports taxation Registered User regular
    Jacobkosh wrote: »
    So many video games bug me because they feel like they were written by people who only play video games.

    That's because they are!
    So many designers only consume a few types of media (vidja games, marvel/DC comics, the animoos and Sci-fi television/movies) and it's a real big problem because everyone has the same point of reference and it means there's a terrible lack of diversity when it comes to their ideas and inspirations.

    sig.gif
  • BethrynBethryn Unhappiness is Mandatory Registered User regular
    Mojo_Jojo wrote: »
    What game lets you research your way through?
    None let you do it properly.

    But stuff like The Secret World, plus certain subquests in a variety of RPGs are solvable through exploration and learning lore rather than just beating stuff up.

    One of the more amusing endings to Hordes of the Underdark involved you learning (technically through conversation, but you see my point) the True Name of the demon attacking the city, and then using that knowledge rather than fighting him to end the threat.

    ...and of course, as always, Kill Hitler.
  • HaphazardHaphazard Registered User regular
    I'm as big a nerd as they get, but I would never let myself be stuffed in a single drawer. Why would I want to do that?

  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    Jacobkosh wrote: »
    Mojo_Jojo wrote: »
    Bethryn wrote: »
    The four standard approaches are:

    Force (physical intimidation, murder)
    Evasion (stealth, breaking and entering, thievery)
    Conversation (again physical intimidation, also charm, bribery, reasoning)
    Research (usually hacking, sometimes actual research)

    Most of the best games have all four approaches available; the absolute best have all 4 equally available throughout the game.

    What game lets you research your way through?

    Among other things, Alpha Protocol lets you talk your way out of certain situations if and only if you've learned the relevant information (this person is secretly such-and-such) beforehand.

    Hmmm. Very good
    Bethryn wrote: »
    Mojo_Jojo wrote: »
    What game lets you research your way through?
    None let you do it properly.

    But stuff like The Secret World, plus certain subquests in a variety of RPGs are solvable through exploration and learning lore rather than just beating stuff up.

    One of the more amusing endings to Hordes of the Underdark involved you learning (technically through conversation, but you see my point) the True Name of the demon attacking the city, and then using that knowledge rather than fighting him to end the threat.

    I suppose deus ex did that too with the termination codes

    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
  • BethrynBethryn Unhappiness is Mandatory Registered User regular
    HerrCron wrote: »
    Jacobkosh wrote: »
    So many video games bug me because they feel like they were written by people who only play video games.

    That's because they are!
    So many designers only consume a few types of media (vidja games, marvel/DC comics, the animoos and Sci-fi television/movies) and it's a real big problem because everyone has the same point of reference and it means there's a terrible lack of diversity when it comes to their ideas and inspirations.
    While this is true to an extent, I think there's a separate problem, which is of how you make games outside of well understood moulds, especially at a corporate level rather than an independent one.

    ...and of course, as always, Kill Hitler.
  • evilbobevilbob RADELAIDERegistered User regular
    The easter egg darkside ending of KoTOR is the best avoiding of combat ever.

    l5sruu1fyatf.jpg

  • HerrCronHerrCron It that wickedly supports taxation Registered User regular
    Mojo_Jojo wrote: »
    Bethryn wrote: »
    Mojo_Jojo wrote: »
    What game lets you research your way through?
    None let you do it properly.

    But stuff like The Secret World, plus certain subquests in a variety of RPGs are solvable through exploration and learning lore rather than just beating stuff up.

    One of the more amusing endings to Hordes of the Underdark involved you learning (technically through conversation, but you see my point) the True Name of the demon attacking the city, and then using that knowledge rather than fighting him to end the threat.

    I suppose deus ex did that too with the termination codes
    Flatlander Woman and Laputan machine
    are forever burned into my brain because of Deus Ex. It was the first game I ever came across that allowed me a non combat option for bosses.

    sig.gif
  • TavTav Irish Minister for DefenceRegistered User regular
    also I am getting paid significantly less than my boss says i should be

    i am going to have to nag her about this

    an extra large chunk of money every month would be great

  • BeNarwhalBeNarwhal The Work Left Unfinished Registered User regular
    Hi Julie,

    Thank you for the suggestions, but I'm afraid I have to be a bit more forceful in requesting direct assistance.

    Because of my mental state, I get easily overwhelmed trying to wade through the system to find something appropriate for me in terms of shelter and treatment. Further, I injured my ankle yesterday slipping off of a curb which has severely restricted my mobility.

    I'm frustrated and desparate. I don't know where to start, and my ankle pain is a constant emotional and physical toll. Because of shelter restrictions in this city, I have spent the last several nights out on the street, and frankly I'm exhausted.

    I really don't know what to do next. I'm sitting near Yonge-Dundas Square so I can charge my tablet, which has proven itself as a lifeline for finding food, but beyond that I'm just overwhelmed, and I refuse to live like this.

    I apologise for my strong language in this email, but I need to find someone I can reach out to who can understand my plight.

    Thank you for your time, and any assistance you can offer.

    Is that a big enough "HEY! NOTICE ME!" banner, do you think?

  • Alistair HuttonAlistair Hutton Dr EdinburghRegistered User regular
    edited September 2014
    Jacobkosh wrote: »
    Mojo_Jojo wrote: »
    Bethryn wrote: »
    The four standard approaches are:

    Force (physical intimidation, murder)
    Evasion (stealth, breaking and entering, thievery)
    Conversation (again physical intimidation, also charm, bribery, reasoning)
    Research (usually hacking, sometimes actual research)

    Most of the best games have all four approaches available; the absolute best have all 4 equally available throughout the game.

    What game lets you research your way through?

    Among other things, Alpha Protocol lets you talk your way out of certain situations if and only if you've learned the relevant information (this person is secretly such-and-such) beforehand.

    Alpha Protocol is amazing. It is also terrible but it is also amazing. It makes every other games' conversation trees and "non-linearity" look like utter shit.

    A must play.

    Alistair Hutton on
    I have a thoughtful and infrequently updated blog about games http://whatithinkaboutwhenithinkaboutgames.wordpress.com/

    I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.

    Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
  • RMS OceanicRMS Oceanic Registered User regular
    Tav wrote: »
    oh cool, my boss didn't actually cover any of the costs for this conference

    which means I've to drop about €600 this week on it

    which will get reimbursed, but having to drop over a third of my paycheque on short notice is such bullshit

    I had to fork out another £200 for windscreen repair because I was led to believe my Insurance allowed repairs with a specific company but no they didn't.

  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    Reaper are doing yet another kickstarter for their minis. Although they are for rather boxy looking robots, rather than the usual fantasy things.

    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
  • BogartBogart Streetwise Hercules Registered User, Moderator mod
    I liked Alpha Protocol a lot. At the end when
    you essentially tell the bad guy to shove it and set up an agency yourself with all the contacts you've made over the game, if, you know, you didn't just kill everybody and be a douche, was great.

  • BeNarwhalBeNarwhal The Work Left Unfinished Registered User regular
    I just want someone to arrange one thing so I can hobble in there on this mutilated excuse for an ankle and have them say, "Oh Brad, we've been expecting you. We're here to help."

  • C2BC2B SwitzerlandRegistered User regular
    Jacobkosh wrote: »
    Mojo_Jojo wrote: »
    Bethryn wrote: »
    The four standard approaches are:

    Force (physical intimidation, murder)
    Evasion (stealth, breaking and entering, thievery)
    Conversation (again physical intimidation, also charm, bribery, reasoning)
    Research (usually hacking, sometimes actual research)

    Most of the best games have all four approaches available; the absolute best have all 4 equally available throughout the game.

    What game lets you research your way through?

    Among other things, Alpha Protocol lets you talk your way out of certain situations if and only if you've learned the relevant information (this person is secretly such-and-such) beforehand.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-NRkXNa5o4

  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    Alpha Protocol was good because it had "Jack Bauer" as a conversation option in all conversations.

    Alpha Protocol is bad because the hacking minigame doesn't work properly on the PC and I wanted to play as the stealthy type of Jack Bauer not the machine type.

    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
  • TavTav Irish Minister for DefenceRegistered User regular
    Tav wrote: »
    oh cool, my boss didn't actually cover any of the costs for this conference

    which means I've to drop about €600 this week on it

    which will get reimbursed, but having to drop over a third of my paycheque on short notice is such bullshit

    I had to fork out another £200 for windscreen repair because I was led to believe my Insurance allowed repairs with a specific company but no they didn't.

    It's annoying because I owe my parents money, which I am trying to pay them back.

    I'm willing to admit that I'm not amazing financially and blow probably more than I should on silly things like festivals and traveling, but work regularly pulling shit like this and paying me far less than I was planning is really making it difficult to go without asking my rents for money.

  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    Jacobkosh wrote: »
    Wash wrote: »
    Apothe0sis wrote: »
    Wash wrote: »
    it's late enough where this video is making me laugh hysterically

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxi7JRJrod4

    I have never seen any footage of that game past that port

    No idea why it's so beloved

    Is the latter a burn or a question?

    Question. Like, I was with the sequel up until the ending. That was a pretty cool game, I should revisit it someday and actually finish it (and not do a non-lethal run). But no one's ever shown or explained to me why Deus Ex is so great.

    intricate well thought out plot and characters with multiple paths and outcomes, consequences and tough choices

    along with lots of ways to do your missions, tons of environmental flavor, etc

    good conversations and concepts and whatnot, Deus Ex 2 is a pale shadow of Deus Ex, hardly worthy of sharing the name

    Human Revolution is a worthy prequel with a crap ending

    @Wash I should add that while I really like HR and think it is a well-made game in its own right that added some cool and interesting ideas of its own to the mix, a huge part of what made the original DX great that very few games since have replicated was the sheer size of the mission areas. Several square blocks of New York, Paris, and Hong Kong to explore as you wanted, fully populated with NPCs and secrets to discover.

    The combat areas, like a level set in LaGuardia Airport, were vast, sometimes, almost as much as a square mile in size, and the interior and exteriors were all part of the same map. So where HR gave you choices that were kind of pre-ordained - you could take the Shooting Choice and kill people or take the Stealth Choice and avoid them with an airvent - the size of the original gave you flexibility. You could make noises to draw guards out of guard shacks into dark corners of the parking lot, or come in from the roof, or just walk straight past almost all the non-mission critical areas and just beeline for the most important thing in the level (although obv you'd be missing some bonus gear, weapons, xp, and so forth if you did this).

    The game had a genuinely complicated story that wasn't spoonfed to you - to really understand every aspect of what was going on took a lot of exploration, hacking into emails, and paying attention to ambient conversations. The effect of this is somewhat muffled in 2014 by the voice acting, which is sometimes very great but is often of the caliber of most video games of the late 90s/early 00s, but if you were to remake DX with new graphics and a new voice cast and the same script it would quickly be apparent how progressive and intelligent the writing really was. It's also pleasing to me because it's very rigorously science-fictional; the writers did their history homework, they did their biology, they did their computers, and the sci-fi technologies presented all play fair within the general conceits of the setting, and there's a lot of real-world knowledge and literacy on display; people in the game talk about Robert Anton Wilson and Stanislaw Lem and Kant and there's an ongoing subplot with a pastiche of a modern-day detective thriller novel. So many video games bug me because they feel like they were written by people who only play video games. DX doesn't.

    I also think it creates a very palpable sense of paranoia. HR did this a bit, too, but kind of let that element dissipate in the second half of the game. I wrote about this recently, but I think the secret to making players feel paranoid is, paradoxically, by letting them transgress on other people. In both DX and HR, there are parts of the game where you can break into people's apartments and root through their stuff and hack their emails and steal their candy bars and just generally be a bit creepy if you want to. And some of these peopel are totally ordinary and then randomly one guy in the apartment building will have, like, laser tripmines guarding a closet full of military assault weapons. And you're like "WTF? Who is this person? What are they hiding? Why is someone with enough guns to outfit a regiment living in a dingy tower block?" Being an invisible stealth badass feels great at first, but then peeking into people's secrets makes you wonder who else might be hiding something, and it makes you realize how vulnerable you are.

    The reason I think the HR guys "get it" is they really captured that feel a lot (as you say, much less towards the end where the game is much more focused on COMPLETE THE PLOT), you run across something that just makes you want to know more. Randomly finding an organ harvesting clinic hidden in Detroit for example - but even the mundane shit just adds so much to make this feel like a fleshed out world

    If you go through Adams e-mails you see that he broke his bathroom mirror and a new one is on back order even though he's requested a new one multiple times. If you hack the building manager's terminal you'll see the mirror was ready ages ago and she's deliberately fucking Adam over because she dislikes him. Thankfully the game lets you rectify it whenever Adam is wronged

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whtNHRYJnrU

  • Alistair HuttonAlistair Hutton Dr EdinburghRegistered User regular
    edited September 2014
    Being a douche is not optional in Alpha Protocol. The question is what kind of douche you are. You have full and unlimited flexibility in choosing your douche options. In the middle of a conversation you have the choice between punching in the face, slamming head off desk or breaking bottle over back of skull. The full panoply of douchness.

    Alistair Hutton on
    I have a thoughtful and infrequently updated blog about games http://whatithinkaboutwhenithinkaboutgames.wordpress.com/

    I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.

    Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    Is it possible to not murder the greasy guy that scratches his ass with the icecream scoop at the gelato shop


    I don't think it is

  • JacobkoshJacobkosh Gamble a stamp. I can show you how to be a real man!Moderator mod
    Bethryn wrote: »
    HerrCron wrote: »
    Jacobkosh wrote: »
    So many video games bug me because they feel like they were written by people who only play video games.

    That's because they are!
    So many designers only consume a few types of media (vidja games, marvel/DC comics, the animoos and Sci-fi television/movies) and it's a real big problem because everyone has the same point of reference and it means there's a terrible lack of diversity when it comes to their ideas and inspirations.
    While this is true to an extent, I think there's a separate problem, which is of how you make games outside of well understood moulds, especially at a corporate level rather than an independent one.

    I'm not even asking for special indie specialness, here. I know there's a lot of pressure to make generic shooter number 437 or whatever - but I bet that joke from the comedy sidekick doesn't have to be another Monty Python and the Holy Grail quote.

    rRwz9.gif
  • ronyaronya Arrrrrf. the ivory tower's basementRegistered User regular
    BeNarwhal wrote: »
    Hi Julie,

    Thank you for the suggestions, but I'm afraid I have to be a bit more forceful in requesting direct assistance.

    Because of my mental state, I get easily overwhelmed trying to wade through the system to find something appropriate for me in terms of shelter and treatment. Further, I injured my ankle yesterday slipping off of a curb which has severely restricted my mobility.

    I'm frustrated and desparate. I don't know where to start, and my ankle pain is a constant emotional and physical toll. Because of shelter restrictions in this city, I have spent the last several nights out on the street, and frankly I'm exhausted.

    I really don't know what to do next. I'm sitting near Yonge-Dundas Square so I can charge my tablet, which has proven itself as a lifeline for finding food, but beyond that I'm just overwhelmed, and I refuse to live like this.

    I apologise for my strong language in this email, but I need to find someone I can reach out to who can understand my plight.

    Thank you for your time, and any assistance you can offer.

    Is that a big enough "HEY! NOTICE ME!" banner, do you think?

    it rather suggests the question "is this crazy homeless man planning to assault me"

    soooo I would be less confrontational in tone

    i don't know, though, whilst I am good at navigating certain kinds of bureaucracies, this is one I am not familiar with

    aRkpc.gif
  • P10P10 An Idiot With Low IQ Registered User regular
    after a lot of effort to get the right mailing address so I could receive packages, i realized i shipped the package to the wrong address (and it's already in transit so too late to fix)
    i'm the blurst

    Shameful pursuits and utterly stupid opinions
  • evilbobevilbob RADELAIDERegistered User regular
  • BeNarwhalBeNarwhal The Work Left Unfinished Registered User regular
    ronya wrote: »
    BeNarwhal wrote: »
    Hi Julie,

    Thank you for the suggestions, but I'm afraid I have to be a bit more forceful in requesting direct assistance.

    Because of my mental state, I get easily overwhelmed trying to wade through the system to find something appropriate for me in terms of shelter and treatment. Further, I injured my ankle yesterday slipping off of a curb which has severely restricted my mobility.

    I'm frustrated and desparate. I don't know where to start, and my ankle pain is a constant emotional and physical toll. Because of shelter restrictions in this city, I have spent the last several nights out on the street, and frankly I'm exhausted.

    I really don't know what to do next. I'm sitting near Yonge-Dundas Square so I can charge my tablet, which has proven itself as a lifeline for finding food, but beyond that I'm just overwhelmed, and I refuse to live like this.

    I apologise for my strong language in this email, but I need to find someone I can reach out to who can understand my plight.

    Thank you for your time, and any assistance you can offer.

    Is that a big enough "HEY! NOTICE ME!" banner, do you think?

    it rather suggests the question "is this crazy homeless man planning to assault me"

    soooo I would be less confrontational in tone

    i don't know, though, whilst I am good at navigating certain kinds of bureaucracies, this is one I am not familiar with

    I have now slept outdoors for a full week, despite this woman's assurance I'd have shelter available to me and despite making alternative efforts myself.

    She suggested I call the city's directory assistance to discover yet MORE potential avenues, rather than assisting me in anyway.

    Also she recommended some volunteer activities to earn a metropass, despite knowing of my injury and, the big one, my anxiety that makes even basic functioning a challenge at times.

    If I could successfully volunteer, I could just as easily work and none of this would even be a thing.

    So the contrast of her promises made in person and her utter disinterest over email has forced my hand, to the tune of the email written above.

  • BogartBogart Streetwise Hercules Registered User, Moderator mod
    Ahahaha I never did the douchebag options with everyone so the Madison St James stuff in that video is hysterical.

  • ronyaronya Arrrrrf. the ivory tower's basementRegistered User regular
    BeNarwhal wrote: »
    ronya wrote: »
    BeNarwhal wrote: »
    Hi Julie,

    Thank you for the suggestions, but I'm afraid I have to be a bit more forceful in requesting direct assistance.

    Because of my mental state, I get easily overwhelmed trying to wade through the system to find something appropriate for me in terms of shelter and treatment. Further, I injured my ankle yesterday slipping off of a curb which has severely restricted my mobility.

    I'm frustrated and desparate. I don't know where to start, and my ankle pain is a constant emotional and physical toll. Because of shelter restrictions in this city, I have spent the last several nights out on the street, and frankly I'm exhausted.

    I really don't know what to do next. I'm sitting near Yonge-Dundas Square so I can charge my tablet, which has proven itself as a lifeline for finding food, but beyond that I'm just overwhelmed, and I refuse to live like this.

    I apologise for my strong language in this email, but I need to find someone I can reach out to who can understand my plight.

    Thank you for your time, and any assistance you can offer.

    Is that a big enough "HEY! NOTICE ME!" banner, do you think?

    it rather suggests the question "is this crazy homeless man planning to assault me"

    soooo I would be less confrontational in tone

    i don't know, though, whilst I am good at navigating certain kinds of bureaucracies, this is one I am not familiar with

    I have now slept outdoors for a full week, despite this woman's assurance I'd have shelter available to me and despite making alternative efforts myself.

    She suggested I call the city's directory assistance to discover yet MORE potential avenues, rather than assisting me in anyway.

    Also she recommended some volunteer activities to earn a metropass, despite knowing of my injury and, the big one, my anxiety that makes even basic functioning a challenge at times.

    If I could successfully volunteer, I could just as easily work and none of this would even be a thing.

    So the contrast of her promises made in person and her utter disinterest over email has forced my hand, to the tune of the email written above.

    you would have to show up again, they probably get tons of people every day and person #134157 rapidly dissolves into the blur

    bureaucracy-speak doesn't give a damn about the ankle, though. what they do care about is that a specific employee (julie) made specific promises (shelter) that are not being fulfilled. so the email should press those buttons. On $date I met with your representative $name who informed me that $promise, however it is now $today but $name has not been able to inform me of $promise, why is this the case

    (there is a risk you may be informed that the employee should not have made that promise, but at least it's getting somewhere)

    aRkpc.gif
  • JacobkoshJacobkosh Gamble a stamp. I can show you how to be a real man!Moderator mod
    Jacobkosh wrote: »
    Wash wrote: »
    Apothe0sis wrote: »
    Wash wrote: »
    it's late enough where this video is making me laugh hysterically

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxi7JRJrod4

    I have never seen any footage of that game past that port

    No idea why it's so beloved

    Is the latter a burn or a question?

    Question. Like, I was with the sequel up until the ending. That was a pretty cool game, I should revisit it someday and actually finish it (and not do a non-lethal run). But no one's ever shown or explained to me why Deus Ex is so great.

    intricate well thought out plot and characters with multiple paths and outcomes, consequences and tough choices

    along with lots of ways to do your missions, tons of environmental flavor, etc

    good conversations and concepts and whatnot, Deus Ex 2 is a pale shadow of Deus Ex, hardly worthy of sharing the name

    Human Revolution is a worthy prequel with a crap ending

    Wash I should add that while I really like HR and think it is a well-made game in its own right that added some cool and interesting ideas of its own to the mix, a huge part of what made the original DX great that very few games since have replicated was the sheer size of the mission areas. Several square blocks of New York, Paris, and Hong Kong to explore as you wanted, fully populated with NPCs and secrets to discover.

    The combat areas, like a level set in LaGuardia Airport, were vast, sometimes, almost as much as a square mile in size, and the interior and exteriors were all part of the same map. So where HR gave you choices that were kind of pre-ordained - you could take the Shooting Choice and kill people or take the Stealth Choice and avoid them with an airvent - the size of the original gave you flexibility. You could make noises to draw guards out of guard shacks into dark corners of the parking lot, or come in from the roof, or just walk straight past almost all the non-mission critical areas and just beeline for the most important thing in the level (although obv you'd be missing some bonus gear, weapons, xp, and so forth if you did this).

    The game had a genuinely complicated story that wasn't spoonfed to you - to really understand every aspect of what was going on took a lot of exploration, hacking into emails, and paying attention to ambient conversations. The effect of this is somewhat muffled in 2014 by the voice acting, which is sometimes very great but is often of the caliber of most video games of the late 90s/early 00s, but if you were to remake DX with new graphics and a new voice cast and the same script it would quickly be apparent how progressive and intelligent the writing really was. It's also pleasing to me because it's very rigorously science-fictional; the writers did their history homework, they did their biology, they did their computers, and the sci-fi technologies presented all play fair within the general conceits of the setting, and there's a lot of real-world knowledge and literacy on display; people in the game talk about Robert Anton Wilson and Stanislaw Lem and Kant and there's an ongoing subplot with a pastiche of a modern-day detective thriller novel. So many video games bug me because they feel like they were written by people who only play video games. DX doesn't.

    I also think it creates a very palpable sense of paranoia. HR did this a bit, too, but kind of let that element dissipate in the second half of the game. I wrote about this recently, but I think the secret to making players feel paranoid is, paradoxically, by letting them transgress on other people. In both DX and HR, there are parts of the game where you can break into people's apartments and root through their stuff and hack their emails and steal their candy bars and just generally be a bit creepy if you want to. And some of these peopel are totally ordinary and then randomly one guy in the apartment building will have, like, laser tripmines guarding a closet full of military assault weapons. And you're like "WTF? Who is this person? What are they hiding? Why is someone with enough guns to outfit a regiment living in a dingy tower block?" Being an invisible stealth badass feels great at first, but then peeking into people's secrets makes you wonder who else might be hiding something, and it makes you realize how vulnerable you are.

    The reason I think the HR guys "get it" is they really captured that feel a lot (as you say, much less towards the end where the game is much more focused on COMPLETE THE PLOT), you run across something that just makes you want to know more. Randomly finding an organ harvesting clinic hidden in Detroit for example - but even the mundane shit just adds so much to make this feel like a fleshed out world

    If you go through Adams e-mails you see that he broke his bathroom mirror and a new one is on back order even though he's requested a new one multiple times. If you hack the building manager's terminal you'll see the mirror was ready ages ago and she's deliberately fucking Adam over because she dislikes him. Thankfully the game lets you rectify it whenever Adam is wronged

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whtNHRYJnrU

    That apartment manager is the evilest villain in the game. I play HR mostly non-lethal (the paramilitary dudes are fair game, as are the creepy-ass cyber-harvesters in Shanghai) but I make sure to tranq-dart her every time. Just get the man his mirror, jesus.

    I feel like it confirms what we've all suspected about a building manager at one time or another.

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