I honestly can’t decide what would be worse for profits. The mod update is hugely well known.

…

Given the atmosphere around just about everything corporate, I feel they should take a small loss here for the brand and release alongside the mod, or after it, or whatever. Good PR move that should make people want to buy the game in good faith.

The only issue is this is Oblivion. That’s a dedicated fanbase only beaten by the rabid battalions that want another Morrowind.

I’m fine with that. Let them remake it worse than the modding team under Rebel. So long as they don’t stop the mod from being released, that is, because that would be a dick move after openly giving it permission to continue.

Because this low-cost card also happens to be a powerhouse. Understated and overdelivered. Haven’t seen that for quite some time.

What probably happened is Corporate overlords leadership opted for an easier-to-create game direction while also attempting to diversify the game’s base. Basically, and I may be eating my words as we learn more about the game, I’d expect them to have reduced the cost to create while also attempting to increase profit.

I base this off of other games which have attempted similar feats, and I’m not sure of a single one that was part of a larger series that has turned out well.

Oh I promise you that isn’t the point.

Yeah, but…that sounds like effort. Much easier to slap a stabby bit on the end of a stick and only occasionally accidentally kill a random goat.

There were other ways to successfully play base Skyrim??

Pokemon effectively makes them all the money they need and all they need to do is sick one of the rabid lawyers they keep in the basement on anyone even remotely infringing upon what they think they own.

They’re like a litigation equivalent to McDonald’s land ownership twist to company financial equivalency.

That is shit, but also just a little funny.

Then again I love Dark Souls so this may just be the ptsd talking.

Good point.

What’s the alternative?

What this post doesn’t tell you, dear reader, is how Frostpunk will kick you in the dick repeatedly and you’ll learn to like it. It is a fascinating and difficult game, and not one to take lightly if you struggle separating digital game characters from real life empathy.

It doesn’t need to meet outstanding expectations, TODD, it just needs to be a good fucking game…TODD. Skyrim isn’t good because it has the best fighting mechanics or most outstanding AI or anything like that. It has stood this long because anybody can turn it on and literally just pick a direction and exist. The world that was crafted is still interesting to this day. We don’t need a game that is better than Skyrim, we just want something similar, updated, and worth stepping into for the world and our own imaginations. Modding support not put aside.

I feel it’s rather fair to give them a pass on this one. Games with a player base and longer than a passing fart of time in the market? Sure. This was a failed product. They issued refunds. This is a situation where pushing your luck just backs someone into a corner.

We can hope they’ll flip the assets and remodel into another title.

Not sure why heavily leaning to one side or another is so popular nowadays.

Anyway, I don’t know how individual companies do what. I don’t work for them. I don’t have insider knowledge. I do know how companies are typically structured and the traps nearly every company experiences as they grow, both in revenue and often consequently in manpower.

I’m not going to dive into it. This is a pretty easy topic to find on many search engines and Youtube where they’ll probably go more in-depth than I can with a limited attention span and two thumbs.

The high base level costs aren’t due purely to development, I’d wager. How many admin staff, redundant management, petty meetings, and exorbitant costs go to overhead that could be solved with a 20 minute meeting and less triple expressos for the executive team?

Moreover, chances are we could find several issues with the flow of work around the development of the game itself. Poorly optimized communication, for the win.

Taking into account censorship laws and the cultural significance of the game, I’d say China is likely causing this game to tremendously outperform vs expected metrics. So here’s what I’d like to know:

1. Total cost of the game in China against other common costs. Is it affordable?
2. Has China raised the limitations on time played per day for this game? (that I believe exists)
3. Did the Chinese government help fund ways for this game to reach a wider population? Possibly through a deal to maintain the game’s strong cultural identity?
4. Is it actually a good game?

Answer: Yes, though different in execution than people expected. The reviewers I trust give it a Buy Now IF your system can handle it. Sounds like it’s, excuse me, a beast to run.

4 is easy enough to answer. Off to see some reviews!

I agree. Though have a random small chance of the gun disappearing when you go to use it, with dialogue.

100 people see dumb ad.

40 people click on dumb ad.

10 people play game from dumb ad.

5 people stick it out and continue playing.

1 of those 5 spends money.

Games that are p2w exist in a symbiotic relationship with people who are willing to spend copious amounts of money. The people who don’t spend money and still exist within these games help fill in the environment. ALL players of these games are the problem.

Mobile games are the most common example of this, though other games fall under similar banners. The truth is any free game with live service needs money to operate. Hell, even that fan-run DBZ MMO has costs associated with it that the community helps fund. This won’t go away, it’ll just disguise itself as something else.

I do believe, however, that for larger games the bloated cost of development needs to fuck right off. 100mil and 5 years or more? There is a logistical issue there that needs to be addressed. One of many, I’m afraid.

Joltzdude thought the movie was pretty bad, with few good moments. He’s one of the most wholesome people I’ve ever run across, and a massive Borderlands nerd. So while I normally try to make my own decisions on these things, I am willing to bet it was pretty bad.

Long story short: Licensing the songs.

The game was unique and the costs too high.

Shame too. I was looking into it as a way of learning guitar without the usual boring procedure of plucking out and recognizing chords for the next year. Be fun to learn how to play songs alongside learning on the standard curve.

Modding a Bethesda game nowadays is actually fairly accessible. So the number one most obvious choice has to be:

1. Skyrim - What you can create in this game using modern modding tools is absolutely crazy. TESVI please, Todd. Todd?!

Casual playtime with characters that feel like friends? Excellent choice! Might help you from going insane at the same time.

2. Balder’s Gate 3 - Possibly the best digital role-playing game of all time. Moddable too. A completely normal playthrough can easily burn a couple weeks. Factor in experiencing every character’s story and 100%-ing the game and aside from challenge runs this will probably burn a lot of oil. Sorry, atmosphere!

The big ones are out of the way. Those two can probably prop up the five years on their own if you stretched them a bit and did some other activities, like exercise, you bums. People will claim driving games, Elden Ring, fighting titles, etc. I wonder though…what about…

3. Rocksmith with all downloadable songs. Get some good music and with the right mindset learn how to play. Since you can bring gear related to the game along grab an extra guitar and some strings. Rock out for five years and come back able to rip those chords.

In this thread:

Steam is bad because they are a company that makes money. They would be better if they made no money and all games were advertised at their expense. Oh and I must post my game on Steam because it’s their fault no one else has bothered to even try and make a truly viable alternative.

And exactly none of that matters because Valve has never attempted to maliciously take market share. If someone else wants to step in all they have to do is stop being shit. Steam has tons of issues. From the limited UI adaptability for devs to the rather archaic games list and somewhat silly discussions forums from the 90s, all the way to the convoluted larger menu system.

Yet rather than put any real effort into things we get shitty launchers from 9 different companies ONLY selling their limited scope of bullshit.

Important to remind everyone that a LOT of your negative memories and feelings surrounding OW1 and 6v6 were due to the migraine magnets called 2cp. Literally a stand in the choke for 9 years and see who correctly uses every Q under the sun correctly first.

That’s…not quite right. The demographic into these games like the length, it’s great content and tells an awesome story. They want replayability. They want choices. They look forward to mistakes and seeing where it leads. To them length just means more time to enjoy every possible way of doing things.

Gamer’s Nexus is pushing for ASUS to have better support across the board. Their theory is if a leader in the industry does it, everyone else must naturally follow. I’m personally praying for their success.

We will, because while there is a broader narrative, we also with this have the capacity to do what we wish on potentially thousands of distant worlds. Be it terraforming, building, amassing a fleet, hunting bounties, or just exploring what the universe has to offer. By the way: What do you enjoy playing?

Ah. So, you have grown used to having your hand held and given specific quests with specific locations and directives to accomplish. Well, nothing wrong with that! You do you.

Anyway, I’m off to explore this incredibly mountainous world with giant worms while trying to find a freighter or other ship to call my own while attempting to unravel several mysteries.

But ri-i-ight, color palettes ahaha.

Because they have been stopped there. It’s up to those folks behind Palworld to not sign contracts or accept certain promises.

Guys! Guuuuys! I found someone who didn’t read the article! We are going to make so much money selling the wagons this time!

They should create a third enemy that they ask the community to keep mostly hidden, only accessible to the best (progressed above a certain point) Helldiver. This is a bad, if fun, idea though.

So I guess what would everyone like to see?

Soooo a game, which is not paid for nor developed by the community, and is rather purchased with the knowledge that it is a difficult game which will require ample skill to surpass its many challenges, should put in difficulty sliders despite them fundamentally going against the very nature of the game itself?

@[email protected] got it mostly right from my research, though their backgrounds will still have that bar. If you use a black, or near black, background, especially one not at your native resolution, that gradient will be most noticeable. Using other backgrounds that do not have a black strip along the top you might still be able to see it if you squint.

For those of you curious: Change your background to a solid black from the background menu in settings, or grab something similar elsewhere. Then crank your brightness up. Chances are it’ll be there for you too if you’re not running a third party launcher.

I haven’t found a way to turn it off in native yet.

Alright… you’d be surprised how often a power button isn’t pressed, or tower/monitor is not plugged in. Sometimes the fix is the simplest possible solution.

Having worked in tech, though not as familiar with phones, I want to ask a question no one else has, which may be silly of me:

It’s not a background, is it?

After I unlocked the White Robe I used to go back into games and find people. Then I’d just chill with them chirping, giving subtle hints on where things were, and being patient while floating around levels. It remains one of my favorite games of all time.

I won’t discount them unless an Elder Scrolls or Fallout game drops and is garbage. 76 has turned around into an actually enjoyable experience, for instance. At the same time I don’t particularly care if a studio pumps out good or bad as there will still be idiots preordering and buying day 1. I am more than happy to wait for the reviews. A good game is a good game, and a bad one, bad. Who develops it makes no real difference apart from an expectation.

Thaaaat saaaid: Todd, my dude, you do actually need to hurry up. A great entry into the Fallout universe would restore some of the old faith you have caused to fall away.

Anybody ever notice how people like this chap here always seem so…angry in their replies? They’ll go all in on insulting you somehow and cry if you respond in kind.

Like…tf?

I’ve been tracking continued interest partially based on when updates are dropped and the interest in those updates.

It’s been pretty consistent tbh

This is the situation we’re in, even if you don’t like it. Yes, communities can take care of a lot. Yet for so many people the creation process and love of a product is why they create, not the money. I cannot blame the devs for wanting their game to reach as many people as possible. Nor can I blame Sony for wanting to make money, without that desire we wouldn’t have as many opportunities to play amazing titles as we do, though we can absolutely blame the way that money is made.

So perhaps you may have gone a different route. Maybe it would have worked, maybe not. Maybe many of us only recognize John Deere, and maybe people in the industry know of alternatives. Point is, I am hesitant to blame devs for nearly anything nowadays. Because this isn’t 1999, these titles aren’t for the PS1, Dreamcast, or even PS2 or original Xbox. It’s 2024 my dude and they had to make a choice: Get the resources, finagle some barely working alternative, or get help. I think many of us would have done the same.

Go shit on the big companies who are almost always the problem. Everyone else, man… they’re just making the shit they want because many of them love the process. We’re lucky we see so many projects reach the light of day, especially when for every successfully finished one I’d bet there are a 100 which are scrapped part way through.