KalnaurI See Rain . . .Centralia, WARegistered Userregular
I :heartbeat: the fuck out of the two Darksiders games. Though to be fair, I never had crashing or freezing issues with either one. I don't normally have cash on hand to pay full price for a game, but that I did and they made a third one, I'd pay full price sight-unseen just to let them know how much I enjoy the series.
I make art things! deviantART:Kalnaur ::: Origin: Kalnaur ::: UPlay: Kalnaur
I too had framerate issues with Darksiders 2. It was a stuttering issue, that i eventually fixed by downloading some dx9 dll. It was apparently the same issue in Skyrim for some people. Let me see if I can find it.
Oh it fixed itself through a GPU update I believe. Though if you happen to find the file then awesome!I'm sure someone could use it
In other news I got a night off work tomorrow for Eid and I was planning on spending it in the wastes, finishing Mad Max. But instead I've decided to spend it with the nephew.
Both Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy blu rays will be watched (they're the only ones I've bought so far, loved them) and then a whole lot of Marvel related gaming. Hopefully Lego Marvel has local co-op. Looking forward to it, provided his fever is gone.
I too had framerate issues with Darksiders 2. It was a stuttering issue, that i eventually fixed by downloading some dx9 dll. It was apparently the same issue in Skyrim for some people. Let me see if I can find it.
Oh it fixed itself through a GPU update I believe. Though if you happen to find the file then awesome!I'm sure someone could use it
In other news I got a night off work tomorrow for Eid and I was planning on spending it in the wastes, finishing Mad Max. But instead I've decided to spend it with the nephew.
Both Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy blu rays will be watched (they're the only ones I've bought so far, loved them) and then a whole lot of Marvel related gaming. Hopefully Lego Marvel has local co-op. Looking forward to it, provided his fever is gone.
I did find it. I edited my last post for those who are having issues.
Question about the Steam Link. The store page says its compatible with the Xbox 360 wireless controller for windows. That tells me that it would require the wireless controller adapter (or one of its many many Chinese knockoffs) to be plugged into one of the usb ports of the Steam Link. Does this sound correct, or does anyone know of any more concrete information?
Sure I have a wired 360 controller that I'll use, but I also have 3 wireless 360 controllers laying around which I want to use for 4 person play.
Switch Friend Code: SW-6732-9515-9697
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thorgotthere is special providencein the fall of a sparrowRegistered Userregular
It will be interesting to see how private servers work out, I'm guessing it will end up like Minecraft's creative mode, where people use it to try out crazy ideas. If it ends up hurting player numbers for the MMO so be it, that just means the private servers will be where the fun is at.
Oh man, if it's compatible with the 360 wireless controller without a dongle my interest goes up even more. My old adapter died and I have 5 (I think) 360 controller floating around the house but only 2 PS4 controllers and only 1 XB1 controller.
Oh man, if it's compatible with the 360 wireless controller without a dongle my interest goes up even more. My old adapter died and I have 5 (I think) 360 controller floating around the house but only 2 PS4 controllers and only 1 XB1 controller.
$10 knockoff's are great. I've bought 3 (1 broke when my laptop fell, 1 for me, 1 for my son) and they've all worked perfect. (Thought initial setup can be a little rough).
NEO|PhyteThey follow the stars, bound together.Strands in a braid till the end.Registered Userregular
edited September 2015
So looking at the midweek madness stuff, there's a Might and Magic Heroes VII now? How does it compare to the rest of the HoMM series?
:edit: oh, it's still in prepurchase stage. Hmm.
NEO|Phyte on
It was that somehow, from within the derelict-horror, they had learned a way to see inside an ugly, broken thing... And take away its pain.
Warframe/Steam: NFyt
Oh man, if it's compatible with the 360 wireless controller without a dongle my interest goes up even more. My old adapter died and I have 5 (I think) 360 controller floating around the house but only 2 PS4 controllers and only 1 XB1 controller.
$10 knockoff's are great. I've bought 3 (1 broke when my laptop fell, 1 for me, 1 for my son) and they've all worked perfect. (Thought initial setup can be a little rough).
Also, just to chime in, the official Microsoft one is absolutely great. They apparently can have a common issue (easily fixed if you're any good with a soldering iron) but mine has been flawless since day 1. Came with a driver CD and is totally plug & play after that, and does support multiple controllers - I've used two on mine to play Mortal Kombat, but it supports 4, like the 360 itself. If Steam Link works with it then that's absolutely awesome.
Descendant XSkyrim is my god now.Outpost 31Registered Userregular
[scene]
(Int. HankCave. Lights are out, sole illumination source is the three monitors and the LEDs from the computer tower)
Hank: Hmm... nothing interesting on Facebook. No interesting giveaways on Steamgifts... reddit cat picture cat picture. Meh. What's this? An invite to a Steam group?
Hank: #GotRekt-BioForceWins? What the fuck is this? Looks like I got invited because I was summoned into a fight in Dark Souls 2 that the host lost. Interesting.
Hank: I remember this guy! He was a red phantom and I got summoned into the fight because I was wearing a blue sentinel ring. Ha! Joined! You gotta admire the guy for his confidence, if nothing else.
[/scene]
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
Woo, Beyond Good & Evil finished. Another game off the backlog. The PC port really leaves a lot to be desired, though. I've been told the gameplay is a lot more fun with a controller. Unfortunately, the PC version doesn't have controller support. Anyway, it was still worth playing. The world and characters and story were all really cool. I'm officially hyped for BG&E2, which might never actually come out >.<
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BeryllineOne Tiara to rule them allRegistered Userregular
edited September 2015
Thank you so much to @SkutSkut for the out-of-the-blue gift of Detective Case & Clown Bot!
Thank you also to @Corsini for the attempted gifting of Beyond Eyes!
Edit: Speaking of recently finished games, I finished up Edolie yesterday. It was a cute little RPG. Controls and customization left something to be desired, and it wasn't the deepest, most amazing story, but it was sweet. The fact there were dancing postal bunnies and that one of the characters who joined your party was a librarian who fought with a book, using dark magic, were both pluses.
Woo, Beyond Good & Evil finished. Another game off the backlog. The PC port really leaves a lot to be desired, though. I've been told the gameplay is a lot more fun with a controller. Unfortunately, the PC version doesn't have controller support. Anyway, it was still worth playing. The world and characters and story were all really cool. I'm officially hyped for BG&E2, which might never actually come out >.<
I remember seeing the teaser trailer for Beyond Good & Evil 2....6 years ago? RIP to that game.
SteevLWhat can I do for you?Registered Userregular
It's been so long since I played BG&E, and it was on the Gamecube. One of the worst things about that game's controls, even when you had a controller, is the "invert axis" option. Specifically, you can't choose to invert just the Y-axis; it's either both veritcal and horizontal axes inverted, or none. When I use a controller, I'm one of those weirdos who prefers an inverted Y-axis. Still, it was worth playing through the game.
Basically they're looking for royalties on games that sell very well, and "stunt pay" for intense or vocally stressful jobs. Some big names like Jennifer Hale, David Hayter and WIl Wheaton are in support of it.
I'm curious to see how this turns out, could be troublesome.
In actual Steam-related stuff, I finally beat Dark Souls. Great game, though the framerate issues were certainly problematic. Thanks @LoveIsUnity for gifting me this way back when
Basically they're looking for royalties on games that sell very well, and "stunt pay" for intense or vocally stressful jobs. Some big names like Jennifer Hale, David Hayter and WIl Wheaton are in support of it.
I'm curious to see how this turns out, could be troublesome.
In actual Steam-related stuff, I finally beat Dark Souls. Great game, though the framerate issues were certainly problematic. Thanks @LoveIsUnity for gifting me this way back when
And now, time to start it up again.
The problem here is that a particular voice actor often isn't the specific draw to a game like it is for a movie; so at some point most developers would just go "Meh" and find actors who are willing to work.
Yeah, I get excited when Kevin Conroy is in a thing, but trading him out for Roger Craig Smith isn't going to stop me from playing Batman.
I also worry bout the back end stuff. The real talent that makes a game what it is are the designers and programmers - the people that worked on that game for years, not the guy who stood in a booth and brought a character to life. If the recent Destiny stuff has shown us anything it's that the individual actor behind a character isn't hugely important. Peter Dinklage was literally removed from the game and the mechanics still stand up as being super fun to play. Nolan North's performance is different (and in my opinion better), but what really makes Destiny fun and engaging from moment to moment is completely separated from what actor voices what character.
I "finished" Mad Max! Really enjoyed the game, did my usual thing with open world games like this where I start off all "I'm gonna do all the side missions!" and then get tunnel vision half way through. I think the things i said in my impressions hold up throughout the game. It's very much "Modern day open world game but with cars" but everything is so polished and, bar a few frustrating points towards the end of the game, fun to play. Well recommend it.
Next up: Mass Effect 2!
NNID: Quical
STEAM: Quical
Check out my youtube channel, maybe subscribe?: NerdAndOrGeek
Basically they're looking for royalties on games that sell very well, and "stunt pay" for intense or vocally stressful jobs. Some big names like Jennifer Hale, David Hayter and WIl Wheaton are in support of it.
I'm curious to see how this turns out, could be troublesome.
In actual Steam-related stuff, I finally beat Dark Souls. Great game, though the framerate issues were certainly problematic. Thanks @LoveIsUnity for gifting me this way back when
And now, time to start it up again.
The problem here is that a particular voice actor often isn't the specific draw to a game like it is for a movie; so at some point most developers would just go "Meh" and find actors who are willing to work.
There are lots of issues really. A lot of the things SAG can ask for from film and TV studios don't fit easily with game development. An example would be requests for royalty payments when the people doing the bulk of the design, programming, and testing don't receive that kind of compensation. Comparing the VAs to C level exec bonuses instead of the people actually making the game feels rather off.
I also get the impression some version of the strict rules against not mixing SAG and non-guild actors films applies to games as well based on tweets from a developer about wishing he could do voice work in his own games alongside union members. I also recall how back in the 90s when video game development budgets weren't reaching $texas levels, studios couldn't afford to use an entire cast of SAG members so some had to work under the table of the union and didn't use their screen names. You could hear Michael Dorn in a lot of places in the 90s but not all of them were credited to that name.
We'll see where it goes. SAG matters are ridiculously complicated at times and entities with Hollywood connections tend not to be the most tech and tech industry literate either.
I mean, game development in general frequently treats their employees like expendable cogs and pays them like it.
It's odd looking at game development from the perspective of non-game development software development. The company sometimes does really boneheaded things but on the whole we get a lot of accommodations even at a company where software is only a part of the business. Some of it is likely due to having higher requirements for some positions. A QA tester here is actually considered an engineer and has to have familiarity with working with linux servers, regression tests, and diving into SQL databases to investigate issues so it's not something you can just hire anyone out of high school for and replace on a whim. But as an actual programmer I probably get better pay for the amount of work I do than a game studio programmer of similar experience. My counterparts at the studios often do make a good living, but with the amount of time they put in they're really doing it out of passion when they could easily take their skills elsewhere.
God, Ittle Dew, it wasn't meant to be like this. This was a short game I was supposed to play quickly to knock another one off the backlog, instead I find myself coming back to it for hours after completing it. I'm fascinated by how the puzzles can be solved multiple ways, and I found myself in work today thinking through how to solve a puzzle without one of the items. For such a simple game it got its hooks into me good!
(I will say the boss fights are bullshit in places though)
Basically they're looking for royalties on games that sell very well, and "stunt pay" for intense or vocally stressful jobs. Some big names like Jennifer Hale, David Hayter and WIl Wheaton are in support of it.
I'm curious to see how this turns out, could be troublesome.
In actual Steam-related stuff, I finally beat Dark Souls. Great game, though the framerate issues were certainly problematic. Thanks @LoveIsUnity for gifting me this way back when
And now, time to start it up again.
The problem here is that a particular voice actor often isn't the specific draw to a game like it is for a movie; so at some point most developers would just go "Meh" and find actors who are willing to work.
Some of the requirements employers are trying to make on the employees are ridiculous.
- Our employers propose to fine you $2,500 if you show up late or are not “attentive to the services for which [you] have been engaged.” This means you could be fined for almost anything: checking an incoming text, posting to your Twitter feed, even zoning out for a second. If a producer feels you are being “inattentive,” they want the option to fine you $2,500.
- Our employers propose to fine your agent $50,000-100,000 if they don't send you out on certain auditions (like Atmospheric Voices or One Hour One Voice sessions). And if your agent chooses not to submit you for certain auditions, the employers want it put into contract language that SAG-AFTRA will revoke the agent’s union franchise. This would mean your agency would not be able to send you or anyone else they represent out on any union jobs, including those in animation, TV/Film, Commercials, etc.
- Our employers don’t believe that Motion and Performance Capture work is covered under this contract. The companies also proposed they be allowed to hire their own employees to play characters in video games without having to join the union.
- There are other proposals that reduce integration/reuse fees and allow the sunset of Cloud Gaming provisions that rollback the gains we’ve made in previous contracts.
So basically, game companies are trying to say: "we can fine you for being 'inattentive,' whatever that means, you can't work for anything other than our games, MoCap isn't covered so we can hire people outside the union so we don't have to pay medical for injuries, and if we do a remaster, you don't get payed royalties for your previous performance." Which is absolute bullshit. 100% behind the union here.
Concerning that stunt coordinator thing:
Stunt Coordinator on Performance Capture Volume
Many actors feel unsafe without a stunt coordinator because they are often asked to do things that could potentially be dangerous to themselves or others. For example, once, without a stunt coordinator on set, a video game developer tried to do a wire pull - which means he basically made himself jerk really hard and fast across a room - without someone on set to monitor his safety. He, of course, got hurt and couldn’t go back to work for a long while. This is just one instance among many.
Stunt coordinators also help train actors how to fight, do stunts and combat and perform motion capture properly so they look more realistic in the game.
Mocap for stunts without a stunt coordinator is just STUPID.
That being said, their hashtag of choice is a terrible one to use - attempting to draw a parallel with systemic killing by police is......yeah.
If the recent Destiny stuff has shown us anything it's that the individual actor behind a character isn't hugely important.
I don't know if a widely-panned performance being replaced in a game that was never going to be about story shows that much—though if Cortana's performance was replaced with something more like Peter Dinklage's I suspect Halo would suffer for it. Playing the first Mass Effect is dramatically better with Jennifer Hale than Mark Meer, in my experience. Even though they can get a little saturated sometimes (here's Nolan North, talking to Nolan North), names like Laura Bailey and Troy Baker and Grey DeLisle add value to a title, for me. Probably for a lot of people given how readily we can identify certain voices across titles.
I don't think it's equal to the contribution a film actor offers, when there's no interaction and the person's presence has to hold the audience's attention, but then that just seems like a question of what the cut will be rather than whether there should be one. As for the people slaving in the trenches for three years, I'd like to see them get bonuses, too. The suits can spare a bit.
I'm fascinated by how the puzzles can be solved multiple ways, and I found myself in work today thinking through how to solve a puzzle without one of the items. For such a simple game it got its hooks into me good!
If i'm remembering right, there're achievements for beating the game without the regular suite of items. [why do i even bother with trying to remember, the damned thing is right there to check]. Yup, there's one for each combo of two items.
In pseudo-first impressions (in that i've tried the game again with a fullnight's sleep, and 100% less alcohol), Saviours is still pretty hard. At least, that first boss fight is a real killer at that point in the game. It still reminds me of a Genesis-era danmaku, something in the art direction, and slightly darker/harder colour palette. i like it though, and it adequately performs the usual danmaku-schtick of "Hey schmuck, look over here! Robots! Neat, huh? And check out that forest you're flying over, pretty cool, right? Don't mind all the little coloured dots and hashes flying toward you.
At least up to the point i'm at now (level 9) my ship feels a touch weak, it can be a bear to punch through mobs of enemy ships before they dump a ton of coloured dots on the screen, or are right up in your grill. Also, while i like the idea of being able to switch to a pair of side weapons for when you've got ships coming from the left and right, they're definitely weaker than concentrated firing from the front, and don't seem to get the job done. Oh, and, you'll have a lot of times when you really want to get the job done. Maybe further upgrades will help in that department.
As a bit of fluff aside. Now, i've never served in any military, so i don't know how normal it is for ranking officers to have sons or daughters serving under them, but...i'm playing as Jonas, and in the mission briefings it's all "Hey dad," this, and "Tell me what to do next, Dad," that. It just seems really unprofessional. And probably a lot of stress for Dad, since he's essentially sending his son off on suicide missions (c'mon, one ship against an armada?). i think i'd want to downplay the family relationship if i were him.
Elite is getting an expansion pack in the not too distant future. The expansion pack will come with the base game content, and will have a discount for anyone who already owns the base game.
Normally, base game plus expansion at a discount is more expensive than just the expansion, and gets you the same stuff.
The sale might change that calculus, though.
@Drake - anything changed since the last time I looked into this?
Abe's Oddysee is free for 24 hours, get it now and have it forever.
Yet again, a think I read here and was excited about, only to find the "You already own this" message once logged in to the store. Every damn time, I tell ya...
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DrakeEdgelord TrashBelow the ecliptic plane.Registered Userregular
Elite is getting an expansion pack in the not too distant future. The expansion pack will come with the base game content, and will have a discount for anyone who already owns the base game.
Normally, base game plus expansion at a discount is more expensive than just the expansion, and gets you the same stuff.
The sale might change that calculus, though.
Drake - anything changed since the last time I looked into this?
Basically they can wait to get the game at full price with all the expansion content or get it now at a nice discount and decide whether or not they want to buy into the Horizons content later.
Abe's Oddysee is free for 24 hours, get it now and have it forever.
The Oddboxx for £2.49 is an insanely good deal. Abe's Oddysee, Abe's Exoddus, Munch's Oddysee, and Stranger's Wrath.
The latter is the one that gets all the love now but I really, really enjoyed Munch's Oddysee as well. That one was an Xbox (original version) launch exclusive, one of the best ones for my money, and didn't come to any other platform for almost a decade. I don't really know why it's the black sheep of the series, I really dug it.
EDIT: Although there's grumbling about the quality of the port in the Steam reviews. Eesh. I can't comment, I've only played the Xbox version.
Abe's Oddysee is free for 24 hours, get it now and have it forever.
The Oddboxx for £2.49 is an insanely good deal. Abe's Oddysee, Abe's Exoddus, Munch's Oddysee, and Stranger's Wrath.
The latter is the one that gets all the love now but I really, really enjoyed Munch's Oddysee as well. That one was an Xbox (original version) launch exclusive, one of the best ones for my money, and didn't come to any other platform for almost a decade. I don't really know why it's the black sheep of the series, I really dug it.
EDIT: Although there's grumbling about the quality of the port in the Steam reviews. Eesh. I can't comment, I've only played the Xbox version.
I remember thinking Munch's Odyssey looked great but my friend with the Xbox didn't agree. I never ended up playing it although I have it now on Steam. Just one more game to make sure I try out, I guess.
Posts
Oh it fixed itself through a GPU update I believe. Though if you happen to find the file then awesome!I'm sure someone could use it
In other news I got a night off work tomorrow for Eid and I was planning on spending it in the wastes, finishing Mad Max. But instead I've decided to spend it with the nephew.
Both Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy blu rays will be watched (they're the only ones I've bought so far, loved them) and then a whole lot of Marvel related gaming. Hopefully Lego Marvel has local co-op. Looking forward to it, provided his fever is gone.
I did find it. I edited my last post for those who are having issues.
Sure I have a wired 360 controller that I'll use, but I also have 3 wireless 360 controllers laying around which I want to use for 4 person play.
@Sir Carcass Yeah, it's very exciting! I've been playing this game for 8 years and just hit 100 (the max) on my first skill.
It will be interesting to see how private servers work out, I'm guessing it will end up like Minecraft's creative mode, where people use it to try out crazy ideas. If it ends up hurting player numbers for the MMO so be it, that just means the private servers will be where the fun is at.
$10 knockoff's are great. I've bought 3 (1 broke when my laptop fell, 1 for me, 1 for my son) and they've all worked perfect. (Thought initial setup can be a little rough).
Steam ID: Good Life
My Backloggery
Does that mean "forever free if you get it now" or "free to play until tomorrow at which point it locks down again" ?
EDIT - nevermind, I just saw on the page it says it's yours forever if you install it in the next 24 hours. Cool beans, thanks SteevL!
:edit: oh, it's still in prepurchase stage. Hmm.
Warframe/Steam: NFyt
Also, just to chime in, the official Microsoft one is absolutely great. They apparently can have a common issue (easily fixed if you're any good with a soldering iron) but mine has been flawless since day 1. Came with a driver CD and is totally plug & play after that, and does support multiple controllers - I've used two on mine to play Mortal Kombat, but it supports 4, like the 360 itself. If Steam Link works with it then that's absolutely awesome.
Steam | XBL
(Int. HankCave. Lights are out, sole illumination source is the three monitors and the LEDs from the computer tower)
Hank: Hmm... nothing interesting on Facebook. No interesting giveaways on Steamgifts... reddit cat picture cat picture. Meh. What's this? An invite to a Steam group?
Hank: #GotRekt-BioForceWins? What the fuck is this? Looks like I got invited because I was summoned into a fight in Dark Souls 2 that the host lost. Interesting.
Hank: I remember this guy! He was a red phantom and I got summoned into the fight because I was wearing a blue sentinel ring. Ha! Joined! You gotta admire the guy for his confidence, if nothing else.
[/scene]
Thank you also to @Corsini for the attempted gifting of Beyond Eyes!
Edit: Speaking of recently finished games, I finished up Edolie yesterday. It was a cute little RPG. Controls and customization left something to be desired, and it wasn't the deepest, most amazing story, but it was sweet. The fact there were dancing postal bunnies and that one of the characters who joined your party was a librarian who fought with a book, using dark magic, were both pluses.
I remember seeing the teaser trailer for Beyond Good & Evil 2....6 years ago? RIP to that game.
My Backloggery
It comes from that era before Xinput ubiquity, so honestly it's not too surprising... Pinnacle/Xpadder/etc might be fine with it, though.
Steam | XBL
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-09-23-the-voice-of-the-new-orders-anya-strongly-suggests-a-new-wolfenstein-is-in-the-works
My Backloggery
http://arstechnica.co.uk/gaming/2015/09/unionized-video-game-voice-actors-are-considering-a-strike/
Basically they're looking for royalties on games that sell very well, and "stunt pay" for intense or vocally stressful jobs. Some big names like Jennifer Hale, David Hayter and WIl Wheaton are in support of it.
I'm curious to see how this turns out, could be troublesome.
In actual Steam-related stuff, I finally beat Dark Souls. Great game, though the framerate issues were certainly problematic. Thanks @LoveIsUnity for gifting me this way back when
And now, time to start it up again.
The problem here is that a particular voice actor often isn't the specific draw to a game like it is for a movie; so at some point most developers would just go "Meh" and find actors who are willing to work.
I also worry bout the back end stuff. The real talent that makes a game what it is are the designers and programmers - the people that worked on that game for years, not the guy who stood in a booth and brought a character to life. If the recent Destiny stuff has shown us anything it's that the individual actor behind a character isn't hugely important. Peter Dinklage was literally removed from the game and the mechanics still stand up as being super fun to play. Nolan North's performance is different (and in my opinion better), but what really makes Destiny fun and engaging from moment to moment is completely separated from what actor voices what character.
Next up: Mass Effect 2!
STEAM: Quical
Check out my youtube channel, maybe subscribe?: NerdAndOrGeek
There are lots of issues really. A lot of the things SAG can ask for from film and TV studios don't fit easily with game development. An example would be requests for royalty payments when the people doing the bulk of the design, programming, and testing don't receive that kind of compensation. Comparing the VAs to C level exec bonuses instead of the people actually making the game feels rather off.
I also get the impression some version of the strict rules against not mixing SAG and non-guild actors films applies to games as well based on tweets from a developer about wishing he could do voice work in his own games alongside union members. I also recall how back in the 90s when video game development budgets weren't reaching $texas levels, studios couldn't afford to use an entire cast of SAG members so some had to work under the table of the union and didn't use their screen names. You could hear Michael Dorn in a lot of places in the 90s but not all of them were credited to that name.
We'll see where it goes. SAG matters are ridiculously complicated at times and entities with Hollywood connections tend not to be the most tech and tech industry literate either.
It's odd looking at game development from the perspective of non-game development software development. The company sometimes does really boneheaded things but on the whole we get a lot of accommodations even at a company where software is only a part of the business. Some of it is likely due to having higher requirements for some positions. A QA tester here is actually considered an engineer and has to have familiarity with working with linux servers, regression tests, and diving into SQL databases to investigate issues so it's not something you can just hire anyone out of high school for and replace on a whim. But as an actual programmer I probably get better pay for the amount of work I do than a game studio programmer of similar experience. My counterparts at the studios often do make a good living, but with the amount of time they put in they're really doing it out of passion when they could easily take their skills elsewhere.
Steam Profile
3DS: 3454-0268-5595 Battle.net: SteelAngel#1772
(I will say the boss fights are bullshit in places though)
Some of the requirements employers are trying to make on the employees are ridiculous.
So basically, game companies are trying to say: "we can fine you for being 'inattentive,' whatever that means, you can't work for anything other than our games, MoCap isn't covered so we can hire people outside the union so we don't have to pay medical for injuries, and if we do a remaster, you don't get payed royalties for your previous performance." Which is absolute bullshit. 100% behind the union here.
Concerning that stunt coordinator thing:
Mocap for stunts without a stunt coordinator is just STUPID.
That being said, their hashtag of choice is a terrible one to use - attempting to draw a parallel with systemic killing by police is......yeah.
I don't know if a widely-panned performance being replaced in a game that was never going to be about story shows that much—though if Cortana's performance was replaced with something more like Peter Dinklage's I suspect Halo would suffer for it. Playing the first Mass Effect is dramatically better with Jennifer Hale than Mark Meer, in my experience. Even though they can get a little saturated sometimes (here's Nolan North, talking to Nolan North), names like Laura Bailey and Troy Baker and Grey DeLisle add value to a title, for me. Probably for a lot of people given how readily we can identify certain voices across titles.
I don't think it's equal to the contribution a film actor offers, when there's no interaction and the person's presence has to hold the audience's attention, but then that just seems like a question of what the cut will be rather than whether there should be one. As for the people slaving in the trenches for three years, I'd like to see them get bonuses, too. The suits can spare a bit.
If i'm remembering right, there're achievements for beating the game without the regular suite of items. [why do i even bother with trying to remember, the damned thing is right there to check]. Yup, there's one for each combo of two items.
In pseudo-first impressions (in that i've tried the game again with a fullnight's sleep, and 100% less alcohol), Saviours is still pretty hard. At least, that first boss fight is a real killer at that point in the game. It still reminds me of a Genesis-era danmaku, something in the art direction, and slightly darker/harder colour palette. i like it though, and it adequately performs the usual danmaku-schtick of "Hey schmuck, look over here! Robots! Neat, huh? And check out that forest you're flying over, pretty cool, right? Don't mind all the little coloured dots and hashes flying toward you.
At least up to the point i'm at now (level 9) my ship feels a touch weak, it can be a bear to punch through mobs of enemy ships before they dump a ton of coloured dots on the screen, or are right up in your grill. Also, while i like the idea of being able to switch to a pair of side weapons for when you've got ships coming from the left and right, they're definitely weaker than concentrated firing from the front, and don't seem to get the job done. Oh, and, you'll have a lot of times when you really want to get the job done. Maybe further upgrades will help in that department.
As a bit of fluff aside. Now, i've never served in any military, so i don't know how normal it is for ranking officers to have sons or daughters serving under them, but...i'm playing as Jonas, and in the mission briefings it's all "Hey dad," this, and "Tell me what to do next, Dad," that. It just seems really unprofessional. And probably a lot of stress for Dad, since he's essentially sending his son off on suicide missions (c'mon, one ship against an armada?). i think i'd want to downplay the family relationship if i were him.
時計仕掛けの子の丸々太った磁器の顔に表情は無いが、転がりながら、口がカチッと開閉して、腕が上下に動い た。
ージョン・タインズ、作家
ー無名狂師、翻訳者 （俺）
Wanna watch a gaijin butcher monsters and the Japanese Language all at once? Sure you do, and now you can!
Yes! Sale doesn't end until after my first paycheck and internet access arrive!
Erm, I mean, that's cool. I hear that game's pretty decent. I think I know some other people who might be interested in it.
Contributing writer at Marooner's Rock
Twitch broadcasting! Currently playing through Wing Commander: Privateer
Pinny Lanyard
Abe's Oddysee is free for 24 hours, get it now and have it forever.
CorriganX on Steam and just about everywhere else.
Elite is getting an expansion pack in the not too distant future. The expansion pack will come with the base game content, and will have a discount for anyone who already owns the base game.
Normally, base game plus expansion at a discount is more expensive than just the expansion, and gets you the same stuff.
The sale might change that calculus, though.
@Drake - anything changed since the last time I looked into this?
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Yet again, a think I read here and was excited about, only to find the "You already own this" message once logged in to the store. Every damn time, I tell ya...
Basically they can wait to get the game at full price with all the expansion content or get it now at a nice discount and decide whether or not they want to buy into the Horizons content later.
The Oddboxx for £2.49 is an insanely good deal. Abe's Oddysee, Abe's Exoddus, Munch's Oddysee, and Stranger's Wrath.
The latter is the one that gets all the love now but I really, really enjoyed Munch's Oddysee as well. That one was an Xbox (original version) launch exclusive, one of the best ones for my money, and didn't come to any other platform for almost a decade. I don't really know why it's the black sheep of the series, I really dug it.
EDIT: Although there's grumbling about the quality of the port in the Steam reviews. Eesh. I can't comment, I've only played the Xbox version.
Steam | XBL
I remember thinking Munch's Odyssey looked great but my friend with the Xbox didn't agree. I never ended up playing it although I have it now on Steam. Just one more game to make sure I try out, I guess.
SteamID: edgruberman GOG Galaxy: EdGruberman