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Penny Arcade - Comic - Obesience Generator

DogDog Registered User, Administrator, Vanilla Staff admin
edited February 2022 in The Penny Arcade Hub
imagePenny Arcade - Comic - Obesience Generator

Videogaming-related online strip by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins. Includes news and commentary.

Read the full story here

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Posts

  • islingtonislington Registered User regular
    The context doesn't matter, that smile always looks like a dick, even when its actually a smile.

  • OctoberRavenOctoberRaven Plays fighting games for the story Skyeline Hotel Apartment 4ARegistered User regular
    I mean, if they paid me to play a game, I probably would. It'd be better than my current job, and MUCH better than my previous.

    Currently Most Hype For: VTMB2, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, Alan Wake 2 (Wake Harder)Currently Playin: Guilty Gear XX AC+R, Gat Out Of Hell
  • DjiemDjiem Registered User regular
    edited February 2022
    I mean, I'm playing the game, sunk double-digit hours in already, and I can't disagree with Gabe. I'm having a good time right now but I can tell that won't last.

    The writing is on the walls and it says "typical KMMORPG with a million currencies, obtusely complex upgrade systems dictated by RNG, insanely inconvenient grind and P2W."

    Djiem on
  • LucascraftLucascraft Registered User regular
    I loaded it up and bounced off the tutorial / prologue.

    Combat feels stiff and not even a little bit fluid. The default keybinds are also horrible. I haven't done it yet, but I will probably want to rebind nearly everything. Who the hell thought it was a good idea to put "Interact" on G?

  • DjiemDjiem Registered User regular
    Lucascraft wrote: »
    I loaded it up and bounced off the tutorial / prologue.

    Combat feels stiff and not even a little bit fluid. The default keybinds are also horrible. I haven't done it yet, but I will probably want to rebind nearly everything. Who the hell thought it was a good idea to put "Interact" on G?

    There's one good thing to be said about Lost Ark, though; it's making me want to play Path of Exile again.

  • LieutenantDanLieutenantDan Registered User regular
    edited February 2022
    I dunno, I played it a few hours and it seems fun. It's not something I want to model my life around. It's pretty easy to jump in and bounce out and it's free, so whatever, I'm happy to use it.

    I know the guys here are getting fluffed to fluff Storybook Brawl, but... that's not a fair comparison. SBB is a slot machine. It's hyper addictive. I had to stop playing it because it burrows into your brain too far. It's not addictive because other people are playing it. It's addictive because it's a stripped down casino machine engineered to trigger all your variable/intermittent dopamine dispensers. Lost Ark might be kludgey or whatever but it's free and pretty and at least for me has nowhere near the grasping power.

    LieutenantDan on
  • dennisdennis aka bingley Registered User regular
    I know the guys here are getting fluffed to fluff Storybook Brawl

    Over the decade+ that I've been following PA, I don't really see that as the way things happen "here". They fall in love with something, and then when they get lucky they manage to trick the people who made it into giving them money for playing it, which they were going to do anyway. It's a great scam, and I am incredibly envious.

  • LieutenantDanLieutenantDan Registered User regular
    edited February 2022
    I love this site - I honestly started following in 1999, sophomore year of college. Sometimes they get paid to fluff stuff and that's clearly happening now. It's OK, I ain't mad.

    LieutenantDan on
  • DjiemDjiem Registered User regular
    edited February 2022
    I love this site - I honestly started following in 1999, sophomore year of college. Sometimes they get paid to fluff stuff and that's clearly happening now. It's OK, I ain't mad.

    Other than Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, I'd like to hear of a single example.

    Even with PoP:WW, they did it because they loved Sands of Time and assumed they'd like Warrior Within as much.

    Djiem on
  • dennisdennis aka bingley Registered User regular
    If they're being paid to "fluff" - a metaphor chosen to express manufactured excitement based solely on monetary return and involving no real excitement about a task - they deserve some goddamned Oscars.

  • YoungFreyYoungFrey Registered User regular
    Djiem wrote: »
    I love this site - I honestly started following in 1999, sophomore year of college. Sometimes they get paid to fluff stuff and that's clearly happening now. It's OK, I ain't mad.

    Other than Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, I'd like to hear of a single example.

    Even with PoP:WW, they did it because they loved Sands of Time and assumed they'd like Warrior Within as much.

    I mean, PA does sponsored streams. They are paid to promote products. They have done them for Storybook Brawl and others. But I think the fact that Jerry keeps playing it and talking about it when he's not on a sponsored stream indicates he likes it on its own. That and the game's very good Steam ratings tell me his opinion isn't some kind of outlier. It's not like this is a game people hate and Jerry is out there talking it up.

  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    I still blame PA for Hex:TCG.

    What is this I don't even.
  • LieutenantDanLieutenantDan Registered User regular
    edited February 2022
    Yeah, let me clarify, I think SBB is designed too well. It's just dopamine triggers as the main mechanic without an interposed layer. Like I said, I had to quit playing because it's too good in that respect and it took over my brain. Any loot based game like Lost Ark relies on that, too, it's just that you get to play with some other stuff too. From a biological perspective, every time you roll in SBB you're opening a loot box.

    I just don't think it's a very linear comparison, so it's a weird pivot to be like "I don't like Lost Ark but I love SBB". It's like "I don't like Street Fighter but I love Scrabble because I need a randomizer".

    I don't have any problem with these guys making money promoting games that they like. I trust their opinions and usually check out what they recommend.

    edit: By "fluff" I just mean "hype".

    LieutenantDan on
  • DarknesseDarknesse Registered User regular
    Lucascraft wrote: »
    I loaded it up and bounced off the tutorial / prologue.

    Combat feels stiff and not even a little bit fluid. The default keybinds are also horrible. I haven't done it yet, but I will probably want to rebind nearly everything. Who the hell thought it was a good idea to put "Interact" on G?

    If you think the combat feels stiff, you definitely haven't played the game much, or have a misunderstanding as to what the game actually is.

    In fact every review I can find mentions how great the combat is, maybe it's you.

  • dennisdennis aka bingley Registered User regular
    I know the guys here are getting fluffed to fluff Storybook Brawl
    Sometimes they get paid to fluff stuff and that's clearly happening now.
    edit: By "fluff" I just mean "hype".

    You might want to google what a "fluffer" does. I'm pretty sure this is the derivation for the way you're using this word, and why I objected to it.

    Or you might not. In fact, your life might be better if you didn't.

  • ironzergironzerg Registered User regular
    edited February 2022
    The intersection of people who've enjoyed the humor in PA comics for over 20 years and don't know what a fluffer is, in my estimation, incredibly, almost impossibly small. To that end, I think that everyone who's posted in this thread knows exactly what a fluffer does...

    But anyway...

    I remember decades ago, my dad would listen to this talk radio show, I think called "The Car Guys". For some reason they were disparaging a car that my dad actually liked, and I asked him why he still liked that car. His response was somewhere along the lines of, "I don't listen to these guys for actual advice. I like cars, and I think they're funny."

    I don't read the front page of PA to get game suggestions.

    I like video games, and I think they're funny.

    ironzerg on
  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    ironzerg wrote: »
    The intersection of people who've enjoyed the humor in PA comics for over 20 years and don't know what a fluffer is, in my estimation, incredibly, almost impossibly small. To that end, I think that everyone who's posted in this thread knows exactly what a fluffer does...

    But anyway...

    I remember decades ago, my dad would listen to this talk radio show, I think called "The Car Guys". For some reason they were disparaging a car that my dad actually liked, and I asked him why he still liked that car. His response was somewhere along the lines of, "I don't listen to these guys for actual advice. I like cars, and I think they're funny."

    I don't read the front page of PA to get game suggestions.

    I like video games, and I think they're funny.

    Was it Car Talk, the Boston guys? Off topic but god that was a great show. I give zero fucks about cars but they were a delight to listen to.

    What is this I don't even.
  • ironzergironzerg Registered User regular
    Yes! That was it!

  • LucascraftLucascraft Registered User regular
    Darknesse wrote: »
    Lucascraft wrote: »
    I loaded it up and bounced off the tutorial / prologue.

    Combat feels stiff and not even a little bit fluid. The default keybinds are also horrible. I haven't done it yet, but I will probably want to rebind nearly everything. Who the hell thought it was a good idea to put "Interact" on G?

    If you think the combat feels stiff, you definitely haven't played the game much, or have a misunderstanding as to what the game actually is.

    In fact every review I can find mentions how great the combat is, maybe it's you.

    I stated exactly how much of the game I have played. The tutorial / prologue. That's it. I rolled a monk character, tried all 3 specs in the class test chamber room in the tutorial, and thought all 3 specs felt extremely stiff and combat didn't flow very well at all. I was often waiting on cooldowns, and my overall first impression was that the game was incredibly clunky.

    Maybe it is me. But the game left a pretty terrible first impression during the opening tutorial and story section. I didn't mention that the voice acting is also lifeless and amateurish, but it is. That's another complaint I had right away as soon as I loaded into the game.

  • Rhesus PositiveRhesus Positive GNU Terry Pratchett Registered User regular
    dennis wrote: »
    I know the guys here are getting fluffed to fluff Storybook Brawl
    Sometimes they get paid to fluff stuff and that's clearly happening now.
    edit: By "fluff" I just mean "hype".

    You might want to google what a "fluffer" does. I'm pretty sure this is the derivation for the way you're using this word, and why I objected to it.

    Or you might not. In fact, your life might be better if you didn't.

    That's no way to live life

    Image Search, Safe Search off, hit "I'm feeling lucky" just as your boss walks in

    [Muffled sounds of gorilla violence]
  • dennisdennis aka bingley Registered User regular
    dennis wrote: »
    I know the guys here are getting fluffed to fluff Storybook Brawl
    Sometimes they get paid to fluff stuff and that's clearly happening now.
    edit: By "fluff" I just mean "hype".

    You might want to google what a "fluffer" does. I'm pretty sure this is the derivation for the way you're using this word, and why I objected to it.

    Or you might not. In fact, your life might be better if you didn't.

    That's no way to live life

    Image Search, Safe Search off, hit "I'm feeling lucky" just as your boss walks in

    Apparently there is no "I'm feeling lucky" button for image search. I guess they know their algorithm too well...

  • DjiemDjiem Registered User regular
    edited February 2022
    Lucascraft wrote: »
    and thought all 3 specs felt extremely stiff and combat didn't flow very well at all. I was often waiting on cooldowns, and my overall first impression was that the game was incredibly clunky.

    Your first impression is correct. I'm doing the chaos dungeons / raids, etc. now and the combat is just as clunky and stiff, cooldowns are still an issue, and dodging is a pain, especially since the enemy attacks are obscured by all the flashy effects and mobs. This game makes fully-mtx 6-player Path of Exile parties look clear and barren.

    The only reason to play this is addiction and the sunken cost fallacy.

    Djiem on
  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    edited February 2022
    wait is this the game where female characters have to wear heels and short-shorts, can't be fighters, and walk like GTA strippers?

    KalTorak on
  • LieutenantDanLieutenantDan Registered User regular
    Fluff = excite, hype = excite, same same >_>

  • RouzukiRouzuki Registered User new member
    Gunslinger combat plays incredibly smooth for me. Even before rotating out of the pistols to shotty and rifle. While it's not my favorite MMORPG ever, it does feel like what Diablo 3 should have been (dumb k-pop korean character models aside).

    Also they game explodes in content around level 30 although 1-50 are still arguably part of the "tutorial". My initial impression went from "dislike" to "decent" around that point. I intend on getting to the point where I do most of the raids once and then quit/wait for new content.

  • dennisdennis aka bingley Registered User regular
    Fluff = excite, hype = excite, same same >_>

    Head over to L.A. and tell them you want to get a job being a fluffer, to fluff stuff and let us know how it goes.

  • DarknesseDarknesse Registered User regular
    Lucascraft wrote: »
    Darknesse wrote: »
    Lucascraft wrote: »
    I loaded it up and bounced off the tutorial / prologue.

    Combat feels stiff and not even a little bit fluid. The default keybinds are also horrible. I haven't done it yet, but I will probably want to rebind nearly everything. Who the hell thought it was a good idea to put "Interact" on G?

    If you think the combat feels stiff, you definitely haven't played the game much, or have a misunderstanding as to what the game actually is.

    In fact every review I can find mentions how great the combat is, maybe it's you.

    I stated exactly how much of the game I have played. The tutorial / prologue. That's it. I rolled a monk character, tried all 3 specs in the class test chamber room in the tutorial, and thought all 3 specs felt extremely stiff and combat didn't flow very well at all. I was often waiting on cooldowns, and my overall first impression was that the game was incredibly clunky.

    Maybe it is me. But the game left a pretty terrible first impression during the opening tutorial and story section. I didn't mention that the voice acting is also lifeless and amateurish, but it is. That's another complaint I had right away as soon as I loaded into the game.

    Right. I was just pointing out how worthless your opinion was.

    If we only judged every game and made judgements regarding its combat because of the tutorial.

    The Default keybinds are fine but even if they aren't you can change them to whatever you want. You need to be able to access between 9-11 abilities on demand.

  • DarknesseDarknesse Registered User regular
    KalTorak wrote: »
    wait is this the game where female characters have to wear heels and short-shorts, can't be fighters, and walk like GTA strippers?

    They can't be Warriors (because plate armor I'm guessing), but they are also the only ones that can be Mages and are 75% of the fighters.

    Basically they are all the skill classes and none of the "I'm lugging heavy things around" classes. Which while I don't like it, I can see their logic, as wrong as it is.

  • DjiemDjiem Registered User regular
    Darknesse wrote: »
    Lucascraft wrote: »
    Darknesse wrote: »
    Lucascraft wrote: »
    I loaded it up and bounced off the tutorial / prologue.

    Combat feels stiff and not even a little bit fluid. The default keybinds are also horrible. I haven't done it yet, but I will probably want to rebind nearly everything. Who the hell thought it was a good idea to put "Interact" on G?

    If you think the combat feels stiff, you definitely haven't played the game much, or have a misunderstanding as to what the game actually is.

    In fact every review I can find mentions how great the combat is, maybe it's you.

    I stated exactly how much of the game I have played. The tutorial / prologue. That's it. I rolled a monk character, tried all 3 specs in the class test chamber room in the tutorial, and thought all 3 specs felt extremely stiff and combat didn't flow very well at all. I was often waiting on cooldowns, and my overall first impression was that the game was incredibly clunky.

    Maybe it is me. But the game left a pretty terrible first impression during the opening tutorial and story section. I didn't mention that the voice acting is also lifeless and amateurish, but it is. That's another complaint I had right away as soon as I loaded into the game.

    Right. I was just pointing out how worthless your opinion was.

    If we only judged every game and made judgements regarding its combat because of the tutorial.

    The Default keybinds are fine but even if they aren't you can change them to whatever you want. You need to be able to access between 9-11 abilities on demand.

    The combat doesn't change, though. From the training room to 100 hours in you'll just be doing the same rotation over and over. If it felt stiff and clunky in the training room, it'll be identical in the game.

  • DarknesseDarknesse Registered User regular
    Djiem wrote: »

    The combat doesn't change, though. From the training room to 100 hours in you'll just be doing the same rotation over and over. If it felt stiff and clunky in the training room, it'll be identical in the game.

    It doesn't feel clunky to me. What are you comparing it to? What games of this type are you not using your rotations on? We're you expecting Tekken or something?

  • LucascraftLucascraft Registered User regular
    Darknesse wrote: »
    Lucascraft wrote: »
    Darknesse wrote: »
    Lucascraft wrote: »
    I loaded it up and bounced off the tutorial / prologue.

    Combat feels stiff and not even a little bit fluid. The default keybinds are also horrible. I haven't done it yet, but I will probably want to rebind nearly everything. Who the hell thought it was a good idea to put "Interact" on G?

    If you think the combat feels stiff, you definitely haven't played the game much, or have a misunderstanding as to what the game actually is.

    In fact every review I can find mentions how great the combat is, maybe it's you.

    I stated exactly how much of the game I have played. The tutorial / prologue. That's it. I rolled a monk character, tried all 3 specs in the class test chamber room in the tutorial, and thought all 3 specs felt extremely stiff and combat didn't flow very well at all. I was often waiting on cooldowns, and my overall first impression was that the game was incredibly clunky.

    Maybe it is me. But the game left a pretty terrible first impression during the opening tutorial and story section. I didn't mention that the voice acting is also lifeless and amateurish, but it is. That's another complaint I had right away as soon as I loaded into the game.

    Right. I was just pointing out how worthless your opinion was.

    If we only judged every game and made judgements regarding its combat because of the tutorial.

    The Default keybinds are fine but even if they aren't you can change them to whatever you want. You need to be able to access between 9-11 abilities on demand.

    Except first impressions matter. A whole lot. And if my first 20 minutes of the game leave me feeling like I don't enjoy combat, why should I continue to invest more time?

    As a related aside, I played a bit more the other night. I rolled a paladin, which admittedly felt a whole lot better in combat. Maybe the monk just isn't for me. But anyway, I played the paladin for a bit, went through the first chapter of the game, and even though combat was feeling better on a different class, I still wasn't really feeling it. I think the game just isn't for me. And that's ok. The story had me bored silly. I just couldn't get invested in the world or the early plot. And the voice acting continued to be pretty awful and uninspired.

  • ironzergironzerg Registered User regular
    Darknesse wrote: »
    KalTorak wrote: »
    wait is this the game where female characters have to wear heels and short-shorts, can't be fighters, and walk like GTA strippers?

    They can't be Warriors (because plate armor I'm guessing), but they are also the only ones that can be Mages and are 75% of the fighters.

    Basically they are all the skill classes and none of the "I'm lugging heavy things around" classes. Which while I don't like it, I can see their logic, as wrong as it is.

    What's the logic behind women not being warriors, when history is full of examples of women being amazing warriors? And plate armor isn't "heavy", since a well fitting suit of armor distributes that weight evenly across the body. If you were in armor that you were "lugging" around a battle field, man or woman, you'd shortly be a corpse.

    I'm not seeing how these dots connect without a healthy does of sexism.

  • dennisdennis aka bingley Registered User regular
    Darknesse wrote: »
    Djiem wrote: »

    The combat doesn't change, though. From the training room to 100 hours in you'll just be doing the same rotation over and over. If it felt stiff and clunky in the training room, it'll be identical in the game.

    It doesn't feel clunky to me. What are you comparing it to? What games of this type are you not using your rotations on? We're you expecting Tekken or something?

    You seem to have a hard time understanding that other people could have different, valid opinions than you.

  • DjiemDjiem Registered User regular
    edited February 2022
    ironzerg wrote: »
    Darknesse wrote: »
    KalTorak wrote: »
    wait is this the game where female characters have to wear heels and short-shorts, can't be fighters, and walk like GTA strippers?

    They can't be Warriors (because plate armor I'm guessing), but they are also the only ones that can be Mages and are 75% of the fighters.

    Basically they are all the skill classes and none of the "I'm lugging heavy things around" classes. Which while I don't like it, I can see their logic, as wrong as it is.

    What's the logic behind women not being warriors, when history is full of examples of women being amazing warriors? And plate armor isn't "heavy", since a well fitting suit of armor distributes that weight evenly across the body. If you were in armor that you were "lugging" around a battle field, man or woman, you'd shortly be a corpse.

    I'm not seeing how these dots connect without a healthy does of sexism.

    Which is funny considering there actually was a simple defense one could have gone with:

    Other iconic ARPGs such as Diablo 2 and Path of Exile operate under the same system, where a class and appearance are tied.

    Djiem on
  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    ironzerg wrote: »
    Darknesse wrote: »
    KalTorak wrote: »
    wait is this the game where female characters have to wear heels and short-shorts, can't be fighters, and walk like GTA strippers?

    They can't be Warriors (because plate armor I'm guessing), but they are also the only ones that can be Mages and are 75% of the fighters.

    Basically they are all the skill classes and none of the "I'm lugging heavy things around" classes. Which while I don't like it, I can see their logic, as wrong as it is.

    What's the logic behind women not being warriors, when history is full of examples of women being amazing warriors? And plate armor isn't "heavy", since a well fitting suit of armor distributes that weight evenly across the body. If you were in armor that you were "lugging" around a battle field, man or woman, you'd shortly be a corpse.

    I'm not seeing how these dots connect without a healthy does of sexism.

    it's probably because all that armor would make walking in stiletto heels impossible; all the extra weight would drive them into the ground like nails

    and the women have to wear heels because of realism

  • DarknesseDarknesse Registered User regular
    edited February 2022
    Lucascraft wrote: »

    Except first impressions matter. A whole lot. And if my first 20 minutes of the game leave me feeling like I don't enjoy combat, why should I continue to invest more time?

    As a related aside, I played a bit more the other night. I rolled a paladin, which admittedly felt a whole lot better in combat. Maybe the monk just isn't for me. But anyway, I played the paladin for a bit, went through the first chapter of the game, and even though combat was feeling better on a different class, I still wasn't really feeling it. I think the game just isn't for me. And that's ok. The story had me bored silly. I just couldn't get invested in the world or the early plot. And the voice acting continued to be pretty awful and uninspired.

    I tend to give the voice acting a pass considering the pandemic constraints most of us were under at the time, and it doesn't really pick up until a few hours in to be honest.

    In any case, I wonder if part of your issue is that you keep comparing to Diablo or something? This is an MMO, not an ARPG at the end of the day. A Monk in Diablo isn't the same thing as a martial artist in Lost Ark and definitely won't feel the same. This is an MMO, the mobility isn't going to be the same as an ARPG.

    Here's Asmongold reacting to another guy saying he initially bounced off of Lost Ark. Both of them make a lot of the same points we have made to each other, the difference is in the time invested and patience with the game I think.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW6-BBl8uqo&ab_channel=AsmongoldTV
    ironzerg wrote: »
    What's the logic behind women not being warriors, when history is full of examples of women being amazing warriors? And plate armor isn't "heavy", since a well fitting suit of armor distributes that weight evenly across the body. If you were in armor that you were "lugging" around a battle field, man or woman, you'd shortly be a corpse.

    I'm not seeing how these dots connect without a healthy does of sexism.

    I mean, it's not my logic. Me understanding their logic in context of their culture doesn't equal condoning it. Trust me, I wanted a male martial artist (Scrapper) badly. Plus, In real life, we have armor just now in 2020 armor that fits women correctly in the most advanced military force in the history of the world. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/10/12/women-military-combat-new-armor-matter-life-and-death/5917062002 .

    Also, it's worth noting according to them men aren't smart enough to be magic users, and rarely coordinated enough to be a martial artist either so that swings both ways. In either case, genderlocking is a very Korean thing, and nothing they can fix quickly (although they said they'd like to).


    Darknesse on
  • YoungFreyYoungFrey Registered User regular
    Steam users think it's an MMO and an ARPG.
    w56wyfuh4x55.png
    They also don't like it very much.

  • DarknesseDarknesse Registered User regular
    YoungFrey wrote: »
    Steam users think it's an MMO and an ARPG.
    w56wyfuh4x55.png
    They also don't like it very much.

    Sure. Lots of people think dolphins are fish. It's an isometric mmo.

  • DjiemDjiem Registered User regular
    edited February 2022
    It's both an MMO and an ARPG. It's not like those two things are mutually exclusive.

    Let's just give it its own acronym: KMMOARPG.

    Also, it's worth noting according to them men aren't smart enough to be magic users, and rarely coordinated enough to be a martial artist either so that swings both ways.

    Come on, we all know it's all about the sexualization and nothing more. Men have the big plate armors that hide the body, women have all the classes where they can wear lingerie and leather ass chaps.

    Djiem on
  • YoungFreyYoungFrey Registered User regular
    Djiem wrote: »
    It's both an MMO and an ARPG. It's not like those two things are mutually exclusive.

    Let's just give it its own acronym: KMMOARPG.

    Also, it's worth noting according to them men aren't smart enough to be magic users, and rarely coordinated enough to be a martial artist either so that swings both ways.

    Come on, we all know it's all about the sexualization and nothing more. Men have the big plate armors that hide the body, women have all the classes where they can wear lingerie and leather ass chaps.

    Some folks at playlostark.com seem to agree with you:
    a2osfnj0obw0.png

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