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PA Comic: Friday, February 10th: The Greasy Incline

StericaSterica YesRegistered User, Moderator mod
edited February 2012 in The Penny Arcade Hub
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I had already seen "all of the" Downton Abbey, and it never once occurred to me that I should tell my cohort that this show existed. After you've told him about

Cracker or Jeremy Brett's incredible run on Sherlock Holmes or Prime Suspect or Doctor Who or the good episodes of Torchwood and it doesn’t penetrate the carapace eventually you decide to invest your energies elsewhere.

Somehow it’s more satisfying when he does right of his own accord; it’d be like if we both took a chance on some forest mushroom and learned independently that we did not die. It has a fraternal aspect that bonds us as men.

There are a lot of things that Digital Distribution was supposed to accomplish, but didn’t. I won’t say it was a wash; I rather like the new scale of project mass market downloadable games created, I’ve had tremendous enjoyment in that middle space. The convenience was just as they suggested. The savings never materialized, but that’s party because why would they and partly because “price” is a beast of which the delivery of product is only a part.

The industry is engaged in what is essentially a Mexican Standoff between Publishers, Platform Holders, and Retailers, which explains the distortions you see. You’ll note that developers aren’t in that grim triad. This allows for surprising lateral maneuvers.

The Double Fine Adventure Kickstarter was the second million dollar Kickstarter, but it was the first to generate this level of donative ferocity in such a short span of time. With thirty-two days remaining and some interest no doubt left to be discovered, I would be startled indeed if it weren’t also the first two million dollar Kickstarter - or if it weren’t also the catalyst for other projects.

Tim Schafer hates me; I stole a yo-yo of his once, but I also said something mean about a game he made, and when I saw him at GDC a couple years ago he flipped me off. It didn’t hurt my feelings, I flip people off for a living. All it said to me was that he takes it serious; that he and his work are synonyms. That’s more or less the person I want to support.

(CW)TB out.

something you don’t want to hear

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Sterica on
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Posts

  • FactorySquirrelFactorySquirrel Marceline's Henchman Land of OooRegistered User regular
    I know only two things about Downton Abbey:

    1) Community did a little spoof of it.
    2) That hot girl from Misfits who reminds me of my ex is in it.

    "That man is playing Galaga! He thought we wouldn't notice. But we did."
  • RMS OceanicRMS Oceanic Registered User regular
    Professor Macgonnagal is in it too.

    Some good face art in this strip.

  • Helpless RockHelpless Rock Registered User regular
    This comic and today's PATV 4th Panel has some surprisingly unexpected synergy going on.

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    Steam: Car1gt // Tumblr // Facebook // Twitter
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    I love how Gabe is always tormented by expanding his horizons.

  • FandeathisFandeathis Registered User regular
    This one delivers! I too get scared when I become interested in stuff for hippies.

    You fuck wit' Die Antwoord, you fuck wit' da army.
  • Jimmy MarkuJimmy Marku LondonRegistered User regular
    Utter misery.

    Delightful.

  • TofystedethTofystedeth Registered User regular
    This comic was so good.

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  • AurichAurich ArizonaRegistered User regular
    Ahhh. I greatly prefer the "PA anatomy" to Gabe's occasional forays into realism.

    Long live banana-hands!

  • SaintElmosWireSaintElmosWire Registered User regular
    How good is Downton Abbey? I haven't go around to it yet but people keep going on about it.

    Also this
    I know only two things about Downton Abbey:

    1) Community did a little spoof of it.

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  • Peter EbelPeter Ebel CopenhagenRegistered User regular
    What's the deal with Darfur?

    Fuck off and die.
  • rockmonkeyrockmonkey Little RockRegistered User regular
    My wife started watching this at the beginning of the week. I walk into the living room and she has it playing, I sit down to talk to her for a moment and then glancing at the TV explain that, "uh.. yeah I'm going to go watch Doctor Who in the bedroom, you have fun with that (Downton Abbey)."

    Five minutes later: "No, really I'm going before I get sucked into this Jane Austen type crap"

    Five more minutes later I actually disengage and go watch The Doctor.

    It was a close thing.

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  • Goose!Goose! That's me, honey Show me the way home, honeyRegistered User regular
    Peter Ebel wrote:
    What's the deal with Darfur?

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  • Jam WarriorJam Warrior Registered User regular
    Goose! wrote:
    Peter Ebel wrote:
    What's the deal with Darfur?

    Snip

    Oh how I laughed.

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  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    Mistah Beeayts!

  • faitsfaits a panda eating cake seattleRegistered User regular
    rockmonkey wrote:
    My wife started watching this at the beginning of the week. I walk into the living room and she has it playing, I sit down to talk to her for a moment and then glancing at the TV explain that, "uh.. yeah I'm going to go watch Doctor Who in the bedroom, you have fun with that (Downton Abbey)."

    Five minutes later: "No, really I'm going before I get sucked into this Jane Austen type crap"

    Five more minutes later I actually disengage and go watch The Doctor.

    It was a close thing.

    wrong choice

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  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    I guess this comic means that G&T are in the pocket of Big Public Television.

  • nonsencenonsence Registered User new member
    They mentioned NPR and a PBS show on PA. I'm crying tears of joy. Now where is my Woodwrights Shop Comic???

  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    nonsence wrote:
    They mentioned NPR and a PBS show on PA. I'm crying tears of joy. Now where is my Woodwrights Shop Comic???

    They did a "This Old House" comic waaaaay back.
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  • PantsBPantsB Fake Thomas Jefferson Registered User regular
    edited February 2012
    Fandeathis wrote:
    stuff for hippies.
    I mean look at these granola eating, Phish listening, white guy dread wearing flower children
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    PantsB on
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    QEDMF xbl: PantsB G+
  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    Man, they uglied the shit out of O'Brien for her role:

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  • CambiataCambiata Commander Shepard The likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered User regular
    edited February 2012
    KalTorak wrote:
    Man, they uglied the shit out of O'Brien for her role:

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    To be fair, everyone looks younger and sexier outside of the Victorian drag. But yeah, O'Brien is pretty hot once they take that yarn off her head.

    This is the sexiest housmaid, though:

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    Cambiata on
    "excuse my French
    But fuck you — no, fuck y'all, that's as blunt as it gets"
    - Kendrick Lamar, "The Blacker the Berry"
  • AshokaAshoka A Hub subforum that works? Registered User regular
    Goose! wrote:
    VXo80.jpg

    Downton Abbeeee!

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  • kingworkskingworks Registered User regular
    I, too, have been caught in the Abby's tendrils.

    Bates rocks.

  • Fatty McBeardoFatty McBeardo Registered User regular
    Dude I love manor house intrigues. Gosford Park was so good.

  • El GuacoEl Guaco Registered User regular
    Is this the right place to talk about this? If not, tell me to go away.

    I have a hard time following Tycho's train of though sometimes, but this one baffles me.
    There are a lot of things that Digital Distribution was supposed to accomplish, but didn’t. I won’t say it was a wash; I rather like the new scale of project mass market downloadable games created, I’ve had tremendous enjoyment in that middle space. The convenience was just as they suggested. The savings never materialized, but that’s party because why would they and partly because “price” is a beast of which the delivery of product is only a part.

    What? Is he talking about consoles only? Because Steam is selling new releases at huge discounts. Skyrim was 33%(?) off on Wednesday. Something is always on sale, and their holiday sales are insanely good. I've spent more on discounted titles, both new & old, this year than I've spent on new full retail price games for the past few years combined. If DD had not materialized, I'd still be stuck with having to go to Worst Buy and buying everything at full price.

  • Magic PinkMagic Pink Tur-Boner-Fed Registered User regular
    El Guaco wrote:
    What? Is he talking about consoles only? Because Steam is selling new releases at huge discounts. Skyrim was 33%(?) off on Wednesday. Something is always on sale, and their holiday sales are insanely good. I've spent more on discounted titles, both new & old, this year than I've spent on new full retail price games for the past few years combined. If DD had not materialized, I'd still be stuck with having to go to Worst Buy and buying everything at full price.

    Skyrim is hardly a new release. Games release still at 59.99 in the majority of cases, PC or console. The fact that PC game go on sale or even that they go on sale faster doesn't really matter to Tycho's point.

  • durandal4532durandal4532 Registered User regular
    Magic Pink wrote:
    El Guaco wrote:
    What? Is he talking about consoles only? Because Steam is selling new releases at huge discounts. Skyrim was 33%(?) off on Wednesday. Something is always on sale, and their holiday sales are insanely good. I've spent more on discounted titles, both new & old, this year than I've spent on new full retail price games for the past few years combined. If DD had not materialized, I'd still be stuck with having to go to Worst Buy and buying everything at full price.

    Skyrim is hardly a new release. Games release still at 59.99 in the majority of cases, PC or console. The fact that PC game go on sale or even that they go on sale faster doesn't really matter to Tycho's point.

    Right, the digital download market hasn't really cut anything off the top of new releases, so much as solidified new markets for $10 and $15 budget offerings that aren't horrifying jokes, like the $30 games of yesteryear.

    We're all in this together
  • jackaljackal Fuck Yes. That is an orderly anal warehouse. Registered User regular
    There's definitely no savings for those buying on day zero, but the savings is there for those that can wait. Skyrim is the only game in years that I've bought day zero. I buy most games for $20 or less. Before Steam that strategy would only work with "Best Seller" rereleases that could take years, or getting lucky in a bargain bin.

  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    The only day-one-purch's I've made over the last decade have been several DS games and WoW + its expansions. I'm with jackal; usually you can score sweet deals later. Usually you don't have to wait long, even.

  • ObiFettObiFett Use the Force As You WishRegistered User regular
    Tim Schafer hates me; I stole a yo-yo of his once, but I also said something mean about a game he made,

    What is this referring to? Does anyone know?

  • ObiFettObiFett Use the Force As You WishRegistered User regular
    Durkhanus wrote:

    Yeah, that has to be it. Thanks!

  • admanbadmanb unionize your workplace Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    Cracker and Prime Suspect? Man, Tycho has fantastic taste in television.

  • DusdaDusda is ashamed of this post SLC, UTRegistered User regular
    A friend and I originally put Downton Abbey on after we stumbled into it on Netflix, intending to thoroughly mock some pompous British period piece.

    Ten minutes later we were dead silent, ended up watching two episodes in a row, and another each night until we finished the season.

    and this sig. and this twitch stream.
  • jwalkjwalk Registered User regular
    yep that's how it works.

    first you're recycling.

    next thing you're driving a Prius and registering a screen name on Huffington Post.

  • MagnumCTMagnumCT Registered User regular
    This comic is funny.

  • Wandering IdiotWandering Idiot Registered User regular
    edited February 2012
    Wandering Idiot on
  • SabreMauSabreMau ネトゲしよう 판다리아Registered User regular
    edited February 2012
    I'm not an authority on this, but it's probably more appropriately (re)posted over in the comic edits thread. Years ago when the new comic threads were in SE++, edits of the comic got posted inside those threads, but there got to be too many of them so Tube created the edits thread for them to go into instead. With the move of the new comic threads from SE++ to The Hub, I'm presuming the old rule's still in place:

    Rolo wrote: »
    In which all edits of the latest PA comic can go. It seems like a good a time as any to give edits their own dedicated thread, knock yourselves out.
    Does this mean no comic edits in the New Comic threads?
    It does indeed.

    Yet I'm not sure if that's been lifted with the subforum move or not. The Hub doesn't have an edits thread and there's not much pointing the way over to the SE++ thread. Or if it's tolerable as long as you keep things on-topic. Either way, it may get reinstated anyway if a bunch of edits start piling up over here. But again, not my call.

    SabreMau on
  • mare_imbriummare_imbrium Registered User regular

    Right, the digital download market hasn't really cut anything off the top of new releases, so much as solidified new markets for $10 and $15 budget offerings that aren't horrifying jokes, like the $30 games of yesteryear.

    I love that Tycho said what he did in the post. Every time some industry wants to do something bad and people argue that it will mean lower prices or that it will, if you will, "pass savings on to the consumer" my first thought is always why would they?

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    Wii: 4521 1146 5179 1333 Pearl: 3394 4642 8367 HG: 1849 3913 3132
  • SabreMauSabreMau ネトゲしよう 판다리아Registered User regular
    edited February 2012
    I'd presume the same reason any business lowers prices on anything: to attract a greater number of unit sales (or sales of other things in case of a loss leader), offsetting the lower price enough to make more revenue overall. Or, at the very least, that's always the intention. May or may not pan out.

    SabreMau on
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