T w e n t y S i d e d
Still busy this week. I did manage to play a bit of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, nothing new to say about it, just a good game.
What’s everyone else doing this week?
Wednesday Action Log 11-13-24
Cold Opening: Villagers & Heroes
Let’s do something new. I watched a video months ago of someone trying free MMORPG’s on Steam, and this was one of the few that actually scored highly. It is, to be clear, a mobile game that’s also available on PC. Of course, so is Genshin Impact, and Honkai Star Rail, and other especially Korean MMO’s that generally pass for AAA game titles…and certainly compete with and even outdo them. But I think it will be obvious as soon as you load the character creator that Villagers & Heroes seems to occupy a place closer to those 2010’s games that were designed for mobile use, and THEN got PC versions. You know, when you blow up the graphics to an actual 1920×1080 (or bigger) monitor, the simplified textures and reduced polygons that you can’t see on a phone screen become blatant.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Cold Opening: Villagers & Heroes”
DM of the Rings XCVI: An Errant Arrow
There is nothing more destructive to the story than a DM temper tantrum, which explains why players have such enthusiasm for causing them.
(Also, for the benefit of readers who check out the comic but don’t read the rest of the site: I want to point out that I was interviewed on Fear the Boot. Tune in to hear some behind-the-scenes info on the comic and a bit about myself and my experiences playing D&D.)
– Shamus, Friday May 4, 2007 Continue reading ⟩⟩ “DM of the Rings XCVI: An Errant Arrow”
Wednesday Action Log 11-06-24
This week I’ve been too busy to really play anything between work and Halloween. All I’ve done was finish the Borderlands 3 DLC I was playing last week. The DLC was fine, no complaints, though I have found that I’ve been procrastinating on playing the game itself as time goes on. I originally intended to do everything, but it’s becoming a slog and I might drop the game soon.
So, how’s everyone this week?
SWTOR: The Smuggler WAHOG
I wrote out the prologue of The Old Republic smuggler story a couple of weeks ago. What I left out was the characterization. For all characters, the player is presented with three responses to every dialogue option with few exceptions. There are actually several different characterizations that could be represented in these interactions; they don’t always align to the same three concepts. That’s in addition to choices that can affect your Light Side/Dark Side alignment, *and* the occasional option that can raise the influence level with your companion. Light Side/Dark Side and companion influence choices are *mostly* consistent, but I’m pretty sure every companion has some nonsensical options. And for what it’s worth, former writers and producers of the game have confirmed some of these as mistakes that got missed on play-testing. The remaining dialogue can be used for character-building, if that’s your thing. As a reference, the Imperial Agent can repeatedly choose options that establish her character as (in my case): Pro-Imperial/Bureaucracy, Anti-Sith, opposed to the Empire’s xenophobic policies, in favor of quick, practical assassinations as solutions to problems, independent and dismissive of anyone other than her own subordinates, and supremely confident. And that’s just the subset.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “SWTOR: The Smuggler WAHOG”
DM of the Rings Remastered XCV: You Could Get a Splinter
Whenever you introduce a new creature, you should be very specific in your descriptions so that players know if this is something for them to fight or have sex with.
Shamus, Wednesday May 2, 2007
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “DM of the Rings Remastered XCV: You Could Get a Splinter”
Wednesday Action Log 10-30-24
This week is more Borderlands 3.
Not anything new with the base game. I still think the main story sucks, and the combat feels squishy. But, I started some of the DLCs, and so far I’ve been pleasantly surprised.
I played through Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot fully expecting the villain to just be some AI version of Handsome Jack, but was happy to find out that the only version of Jack you find is one of his Doppelgangers that’s been trapped and doesn’t want to kill you. The writing is good enough; I didn’t even watch something on my other screen just to make it through.
I also started the Guns, Love, and Tentacles DLC. I’ve only played a little bit, but so far it’s looking good. You even get to see Gaige return which is delightful.
So, what’s everyone else doing?
From The Archives:
What is Vulkan?
What is this Vulkan stuff? A graphics engine? A game engine? A new flavor of breakfast cereal? And how is it supposed to make PC games better?
Spec Ops: The Line
A videogame that judges its audience, criticizes its genre, and hates its premise. How did this thing get made?
Punishing The Internet for Sharing
Why make millions on your video game when you could be making HUNDREDS on frivolous copyright claims?
The Best of 2019
I called 2019 "The Year of corporate Dystopia". Here is a list of the games I thought were interesting or worth talking about that year.
Fixing Match 3
For one of the most popular casual games in existence, Match 3 is actually really broken. Until one developer fixed it.
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.)
Artless in Alderaan
People were so worried about the boring gameplay of The Old Republic they overlooked just how boring and amateur the art is.
This is Why We Can’t Have Short Criticism
Here's how this site grew from short essays to novel-length quasi-analytical retrospectives.
Crash Dot Com
Back in 1999, I rode the dot-com bubble. Got rich. Worked hard. Went crazy. Turned poor. It was fun.
Chainmail Bikini
A horrible, railroading, stupid, contrived, and painfully ill-conceived roleplaying campaign. All in good fun.