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[PA Comic] Wednesday, December 18, 2013 - Chronomancy

GethGeth LegionPerseus VeilRegistered User, Moderator, Penny Arcade Staff, Vanilla Staff vanilla
edited December 2013 in The Penny Arcade Hub

Posts

  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    Tycho's face in the last panel.

  • Darth_MogsDarth_Mogs Registered User regular
    Gabe's face in the last panel.

    Kupowered - It's my Blog!
  • FandeathisFandeathis Registered User regular
    I like how we never see more than half of Tycho's face in each panel.

    You fuck wit' Die Antwoord, you fuck wit' da army.
  • thepuregamerthepuregamer Registered User regular
    That reminds me of fallensword which was one of those games where you had stamina and you regained it at a crappy slow rate which meant unless you increased your max stamina by handing them cash, you were logging in every 4-5 hours to kill some stuff. Between that and warbook, I had some serious insomnia for a while.

  • DJ EebsDJ Eebs Moderator, Administrator admin
    I identify this comic more than I reasonably should

  • SpaffySpaffy Fuck the Zero Registered User regular
    what the hell is tycho doing

    why is he everywhere

    ALRIGHT FINE I GOT AN AVATAR
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  • GoslingGosling Looking Up Soccer In Mongolia Right Now, Probably Watertown, WIRegistered User regular
    This is why I keep multiple FTP's in rotation. By the time I've exhausted all the timers, I'm ready to go about my day.

    I have a new soccer blog The Minnow Tank. Reading it psychically kicks Sepp Blatter in the bean bag.
  • QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    Tycho must be scouting the couch.

    Making sure it's free of couch gremlins.

  • miaAusamiaAusa GOD Gamer Of Daters ValhallaRegistered User regular
    Tycho seems very odd in this one which I love! the faces at the end are priceless too, mmorpgs can sure be pay to win

  • KageraKagera Imitating the worst people. Since 2004Registered User regular
    It's like tycho's a cat or something curiously wondering what his weird owner is doing. Before getting all in the way to annoy him that is.

    My neck, my back, my FUPA and my crack.
  • CasualCasual Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle Flap Flap Flap Registered User regular
    I'd never give money to a game that does this. Timer limits on playtime are a perfect example of how not to do F2P.

  • ZythonZython Registered User regular
    I tried this with Candy Crush Saga. I gave up around level 70.

    Switch: SW-3245-5421-8042 | 3DS Friend Code: 4854-6465-0299 | PSN: Zaithon
    Steam: pazython
  • Dropping LoadsDropping Loads Registered User regular
    edited December 2013
    Casual wrote: »
    I'd never give money to a game that does this. Timer limits on playtime are a perfect example of how not to do F2P.

    That's the thing though. It's barely a game. They aren't looking to build a dedicated user base. It's not like Coca-Cola where everyone buys one for a buck. They are fishing for addicts.

    Here are a couple of articles on this:
    http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RaminShokrizade/20130626/194933/The_Top_F2P_Monetization_Tricks.php?print=1
    http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/195806/chasing_the_whale_examining_the_.php?page=7 (This one is long, the link is to the page on gambling psychology)

    There was another one on what the conversion was between time and money in the mobile version of The Sims Social that was good, but I"m having trouble finding it.

    Edit: Boom found it: http://www.actionbutton.net/?p=1076
    I really like this article and it has some good thoughts on F2P and monetization gone wrong. It's pretty long and the formatting isn't great, but there were 2 take-homes from the article:
    1. Most users spend zero, the average spending of people who spend money at all is $60.
    2. If you wanted to max out your stats in The Sims Social by paying cash, it would cost $20,833 and no gameplay. In order to get to that state by playing with no cash input, it would take over 17 years. If you wanted to pay to get in-game advantages but still play to that same end point, it would take a meager 4,200 hours of game time - but would cost $166,000.

    Dropping Loads on
    Sceptre: Penny Arcade, where you get starcraft AND marriage advice.
    3clipse: The key to any successful marriage is a good mid-game transition.
  • Skull2185Skull2185 Registered User regular
    Perhaps Tycho has a fear of F2P games?

    Everyone has a price. Throw enough gold around and someone will risk disintegration.
  • Rhesus PositiveRhesus Positive GNU Terry Pratchett Registered User regular
    Reminds me a bit of political cartoons where they need to shove as many mouthpieces in the frame as possible.

    Only this one is funny and relevant.

    [Muffled sounds of gorilla violence]
  • JasconiusJasconius sword criminal mad onlineRegistered User regular
    I hate-play Real Racing 3

  • TubeTube Registered User admin
    I play Dragonvale. It's a good game. I like it. I have almost all the dragons.

  • Fleur de AlysFleur de Alys Biohacker Registered User regular
    Gabe's pose and facial expression in the last panel should become the default of both for any future poop jokes. A copy of that panel without the speech bubbles is a meme waiting to happen.

    Triptycho: A card-and-dice tabletop indie RPG currently in development and playtesting
  • ArbitraryDescriptorArbitraryDescriptor changed Registered User regular
    Tycho looks like he's got a little Garry Trudeau influence in the last panel.

  • exup35exup35 Registered User regular
    it does kinda look like Frodo just snatched the ring back from him in the last though

  • OmegaDezOmegaDez CanadaRegistered User regular
    Two questions :
    1 : Why do people keep playing those (increasingly more) ridiculous F2P abominations, ensuring this fraudulous business model stays alive, and
    2 : WTF Tycho?

  • LostNinjaLostNinja Registered User regular
    Wish the news post would have explained what's going on with Tycho in the comic. Why can we only ever see half of his face.
    Jasconius wrote: »
    I hate-play Real Racing 3

    Same, curse it for being such a good mobile racing game with a terrible monetization strategy. At least after you get a couple of cars (by racing not paying) the waiting for repairs is a non-factor.

  • syndalissyndalis Getting Classy On the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Products regular
    LostNinja wrote: »
    Wish the news post would have explained what's going on with Tycho in the comic. Why can we only ever see half of his face.
    Jasconius wrote: »
    I hate-play Real Racing 3

    Same, curse it for being such a good mobile racing game with a terrible monetization strategy. At least after you get a couple of cars (by racing not paying) the waiting for repairs is a non-factor.

    That's the weirdest one, because the only truly punished player is the new player.

    After 3-4 hours of gameplay, you never have to stop racing or give them money ever again unless you don't like the racing and just want the pretty cars (which is weird; if you didn't like the racing you would have bailed well before this point).

    I never paid any money and ended up with dozens of cars before I lost interest.

    SW-4158-3990-6116
    Let's play Mario Kart or something...
  • kismesisterkismesister Mu Bellevue, WARegistered User regular
    angry hissing cat person gabe is literally my favorite thing atm

  • GoatmonGoatmon Companion of Kess Registered User regular
    edited December 2013
    Welcome to literally every facebook game ever made.

    They nickel and dime those things to hell and back, and it's extremely difficult to get much gameplay out of most of them for more than maybe ten or so minutes before you're out of (insert made-up currency) and have to wait for more which usually means waiting at least an hour or more.

    Goatmon on
    Switch Friend Code: SW-6680-6709-4204


  • jeffinvajeffinva Koogler coming this summerRegistered User regular
    I had close to this reaction when I found myself waiting in a DMV and my time in candy crush ran out.

  • TofystedethTofystedeth Registered User regular
    Zython wrote: »
    I tried this with Candy Crush Saga. I gave up around level 70.

    I made it to 347 that way, till I got to a level that I'm not sure any of the buyable stuff would get me a reasonable chance to beat anyway.

    steam_sig.png
  • fightinfilipinofightinfilipino Angry as Hell #BLMRegistered User regular
    the only freemium game i play now is Bejeweled Blitz. because that is digital crack.

    ffNewSig.png
    steam | Dokkan: 868846562
  • A duck!A duck! Moderator, ClubPA mod
    I really love the Beatonesque poses for Tycho.

  • The Beast of Yucca FlatsThe Beast of Yucca Flats Registered User regular
    A duck! wrote: »
    I really love the Beatonesque poses for Tycho.

    Ahhh, *that* is the little tickle my brain was trying to place.

    They are pretty great.

  • RottonappleRottonapple Registered User regular
    A duck! wrote: »
    I really love the Beatonesque poses for Tycho.
    ok, so I searched Beatonesque , and what I was able to gather is that a man named Cecil Beaton was a photographer renowned for his off beat portraits. About right? Damn you internet for forcing me to learn something new.

  • SejarkiSejarki Registered User regular
    edited December 2013
    A duck! wrote: »
    I really love the Beatonesque poses for Tycho.
    ok, so I searched Beatonesque , and what I was able to gather is that a man named Cecil Beaton was a photographer renowned for his off beat portraits. About right? Damn you internet for forcing me to learn something new.

    Bzzzzt. Wrong. But good try.

    http://www.harkavagrant.com/about.php


    Sejarki on
  • SpaffySpaffy Fuck the Zero Registered User regular
    Sejarki wrote: »
    A duck! wrote: »
    I really love the Beatonesque poses for Tycho.
    ok, so I searched Beatonesque , and what I was able to gather is that a man named Cecil Beaton was a photographer renowned for his off beat portraits. About right? Damn you internet for forcing me to learn something new.

    Bzzzzt. Wrong. But good try.

    http://www.harkavagrant.com/about.php


    Well that's... a pretty damn obscure reference.

    ALRIGHT FINE I GOT AN AVATAR
    Steam: adamjnet
  • TofystedethTofystedeth Registered User regular
    Nah, Hark! A Vagrant is pretty well known, at least around here where people tend to be into web comics.

    steam_sig.png
  • RottonappleRottonapple Registered User regular
    Spaffy wrote: »
    Sejarki wrote: »
    A duck! wrote: »
    I really love the Beatonesque poses for Tycho.
    ok, so I searched Beatonesque , and what I was able to gather is that a man named Cecil Beaton was a photographer renowned for his off beat portraits. About right? Damn you internet for forcing me to learn something new.

    Bzzzzt. Wrong. But good try.

    http://www.harkavagrant.com/about.php


    Well that's... a pretty damn obscure reference.

    well I guess he just proved his internet hipster cred then.


    Nah, Hark! A Vagrant is pretty well known, at least around here where people tend to be into web comics.
    I'm "into" webcomics and I honestly have never heard of it. but I'm sure there are a lot of "popular" webcomics out there I have never heard of, I discover a tiny gem every now and then, but if it doesn't grab me right away, it won't become part of my daily reading.

  • ShadowhopeShadowhope Baa. Registered User regular

    Hark! A Vagrant is awesome, but I wouldn't say that Tycho's poses remind me of Beaton's styles. I mean, I can think of examples in her work (one with Dracula peeping through a window at Mina comes to mind, so do just about every panel where someone is holding a piece of paper), but it's very much in context, rather than just half-hidden behind something like Tycho was in every panel.


    I was introduced to this game by this strip, and today, mere minutes ago, I beat level 90. There are no more levels for me at the moment. No money was given, no items were used, I'll need to start going back to three star the levels or something. Or find another game for killing time while waiting in line for coffee every morning and afternoon.

    Civics is not a consumer product that you can ignore because you don’t like the options presented.
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