T w e n t y S i d e d
Hosts: Paul, Shamus. Episode edited by Issac.
Diecast303
Link (YouTube) |
Show notes: Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Diecast #303: Denuvo, Noita, Epic Sales”
Diecast #303: Denuvo, Noita, Epic Sales
Hosts: Paul, Shamus. Episode edited by Issac.
Diecast303
Hosts: Paul, Shamus. Episode edited by Issac.
Diecast303
Civilization Part 1: Civ VI Hates Me
I was originally going to title this post “I Hate Civilization VI”, but then I realized that this was a backwards way of looking at it. The hate goes the other direction. This game seems to have been designed to be deliberately hostile to my playstyle.
Then as I did more research into the franchise, this series grew into being a sort of retrospective on how these games have evolved over the years. We’ll talk about Civ VI eventually, but it’s going to take me a while to work through all of these observations and digressions.
Like I’ve said in the past: I am a very casual fan of the Civilization series. I’ve played about half of them, but aside from Alpha CentauriObviously Alpha Centauri isn’t part of the Civilization franchise proper, but it was made by Civ creator Sid Meier and is pretty much a Civ game game in everything but name. Also, it’s my favorite entry in the entire genre. I’ve never played any of them for a particularly long time. I’ve never done a deep analysis of the mechanics, I’ve never messed around with the higher difficulty levels, I’ve never spent any serious time with the multiplayer, and I typically play the games for a few weeks and then never touch them againAlpha Centauri was the exception, but the 90s were a weird time for me. I only played one or two games a year, so when I did get one I tried to make it last.. I’m something of an interloper to this genre, and I’m willing to bet a lot of fans would say that I’m playing the game “wrong”.
And that’s fine.
I’m making this clear up front because I’m (eventually) going to criticize Civ VI and I don’t want fans to feel obligated to defend their territory. I’m not demanding that the designers change things to suit my preferences, I’m just describing why I had a miserable time with Civilization VI. Everything I say here should be taken as descriptive, not proscriptive.
But before we commence with the bitching and moaning, let’s talk about…
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Civilization Part 1: Civ VI Hates Me”
Diecast #302: Barely Edited
In this episode, I asked how old Civilization VI is. Eighteen months? Two years? Something like that, right? Nope! I looked it up after the recording and discovered it came out in 2016. That makes no dang sense. Where does the time go Despite what the Steve Miller Band claims, I’m pretty sure it goes into the past.?
Hosts: Paul, Shamus. Episode edited by Issac.
Diecast302
Link (YouTube) |
Show notes: Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Diecast #302: Barely Edited”
Hypothetical ME4: The Moral of the Story
After the events on Eden Prime, the original Mass Effect sent its players to the Citadel, which serves as their introduction to the broader world of the setting.
I know I used this last time, I just like the map.
This Citadel section isn’t perfect – in particular, there are pacing problems; Shamus covers them and others here in his retrospective on the series – but it accomplishes several goals:
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Hypothetical ME4: The Moral of the Story”
It’s Not Dark Souls, It’s Me
It’s been three months since I wrote a post asking people to stop asking me to play Dark Souls. It was fun, silly, and – if I’m being totally honest – pretty cathartic to write. In that post, a few people asked why I don’t like Dark Souls. Not because they were trying to get me to play the game, but because they just wanted to understand where I was coming from. I know I’ve alluded to this in the past, but maybe it would be handy to have the whole story in one post…
The thing is: I don’t dislike Dark Souls. I actually think it’s an amazing creation. My problem is that it’s deeply unhealthy for me to play it. So let me set aside the jokes and hyperbole and the ranting about fanboys and joking about YOU DIED and describe where things fall apart for me.
But before we do that, let me tell you about General Manager of the Oakland Athletics, Billy Beane…
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “It’s Not Dark Souls, It’s Me”
This Week I Played… (May 2020)
So I guess we’re doing these things once a month now, even though the series is called “This week I Played”. That makes no damn sense. Who is running this ridiculous website?
On a more positive note, these posts now have a proper category so they aren’t clogging up the category I use for general announcements. So if you wanted to archive binge though these thingsFor some unimaginable reason., you can do that now.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “This Week I Played… (May 2020)”
Diecast #301: Moved Permanently
This week we end the show on a slightly controversial subject: Raising kids and how to manage their relationship to games / screens. Neither of us had any idea what the other was going to say before we began the discussion. And YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!
Or I guess you probably will. You folks know us pretty well by now.
Hosts: Paul, Shamus. Episode edited by Issac.
Diecast301
Link (YouTube) |
Show notes: Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Diecast #301: Moved Permanently”
From The Archives:
How I Plan To Rule This Dumb Industry
Here is how I'd conquer the game-publishing business. (Hint: NOT by copying EA, 2K, Activision, Take-Two, or Ubisoft.)
Ludonarrative Dissonance
What is this silly word, why did some people get so irritated by it, and why did it fall out of use?
Grand Theft Auto Retrospective
This series began as a cheap little 2D overhead game and grew into the most profitable entertainment product ever made. I have a love / hate relationship with the series.
DM of the Rings
Both a celebration and an evisceration of tabletop roleplaying games, by twisting the Lord of the Rings films into a D&D game.
The Gameplay is the Story
Some advice to game developers on how to stop ruining good stories with bad cutscenes.
Quakecon 2011 Keynote Annotated
An interesting but technically dense talk about gaming technology. I translate it for the non-coders.
Games and the Fear of Death
Why killing you might be the least scary thing a game can do.
Dear Hollywood: Do a Mash Reboot
Since we're rebooting everything, MASH will probably come up eventually. Here are some casting suggestions.
Marvel's Civil War
Team Cap or Team Iron Man? More importantly, what basis would you use for making that decision?
Shamus Plays WOW
Ever wondered what's in all those quest boxes you've never bothered to read? Get ready: They're more insane than you might expect.