T w e n t y S i d e d
We are streaming Good Robot. Come watch Josh play the game, and ask questions of the development team. It’ll be fun. And also terrifying, if you’re one of the developers.
EDIT: Thanks to everyone who watched!
Good Robot Hangout: It’s OVER!
Experienced Points: On The Sketchy Woman Character
My column this week is a tangent on the topic that Mumbles brought up on Spoiler Warning last week, about how she’s sick of the bossy female coach character archetype. I can relate. I’m not tired of the female coach, but I am sick of the Aiden Pearce brand of protagonist, and I get how irritating it is when developers stick to that one trope that really gets on your nerves.
And while I didn’t say so in the column, I think this is a point worth making:
I know I’m always grumbling about male protagonists and male characters and ranting about how developers need to get out of this rut, but Firewatch showed me that I can still enjoy a male lead character, as long as he’s written properly. I’m not sick of male leads, I’m sick of shitty male leads. Or as I’ve come to think of them: Ubisoft MenThis is NOT to suggest that Ubisoft is the only publisher guilty of this. They just have the ones that get on my nerves the most.. You know the type: Growling badasses with no emotional vulnerabilities, no sense of levity, and central motivation built around vengeance or aggression.
I used to be fine with these guys. I’m not sure what’s changed:
- Age? Maybe because I’m older now, I’m interested in more texture and nuance and less raw id.
- Fatigue? Maybe after 30 years, I’m in the mood for something different.
- Dissonance? As games become more cinematic, maybe their shallow leads are looking more and more out of place. DOOM Guy was fine in DOOM, but DOOM Guy in a 2015 game with cutscenes and dialog and a supporting cast is another thing entirely.
Then again, sometimes it works. As much as I whine about these guys, I really loved William “B.J.” Blazkowicz in the recent Wolfenstein games. I’m still trying to figure out why he works for me and (say) Jason Brody doesn’t.
Also, be sure to read my disclaimer on the Escapist before you go and make a mess in the comments. I love to talk about game design decisions like this, but I’d really rather this didn’t veer off into gender politics.
Diecast #146: Zack Snyder v Superman, Daredevil, D&D
Hosts: Josh, Rutskarn, Shamus, Campster.
Episode edited by Issac.
If the show auto-plays for you, please consult this post for details. In short, it’s a bug in the latest Firefox, I can’t fix it, but it should be patched soon. (And maybe the patch is up already.)
00:01:30 Zack Snyder: “The Force Awakens Killed More Civilians Than Man of Steel”
Dude, that shirt is in shockingly poor taste.
Above is the quote that got all the attention in the original WSJ article, but for me THIS quote is the one that really raised my eyebrows:
“I was surprised with the fervency of the defense of the concept of Superman. I feel like they were taking it personally that I was trying to grow up their character.”
If that comment was supposed to smooth things out, I think it… didn’t.
00:20:55 Daredevil
Like I said in the show, this is on my to-watch list as soon as this Good Robot business is over.
31:30 Rutskarn’s Tales of D&D Tomfoolery.
Also contains japery and shenanigans.
Hangout March 29: Good Robot
This Tuesday night, Josh and I (and maybe some of the Good Robot development team) will be streaming Good Robot. If you want to see the game in action, ask questions, or just get on Josh’s nerves, then this is a great opportunity to do so.
The stream begins at 11:59pm GMT.
As always, the stream will appear at twitch.tv/spoilerwarningshow when the time comes.
Only Bad Robots would miss this one.
Lord of the Rings Online #5: Shadow and Flame
This is it. It’s time for the brigands to attack the town of Archet. No matter who wins, I have to say they’ve been very sporting to wait this long.
As I mentioned before, we’re still in the tutorial of the game. The Archet we’ve been in is a kind of playpen newbie zone that you can’t leave. It’s also set to perma-daylight, since these events were all supposed to take place in a single day.
During the attack we’ll be in a special instance version of the town, so there won’t be any other players around. (Not that there are all that many in the newbie zone anyway.)
Jon Brackenbrook decides that we should wait at the lodge until nightfall. I don’t know why. The lodge is not in town, and we’re supposed to defend the town. I suspect he wants to secure the lodge until the last of the stew is gone, but I don’t say that out loud.
Night arrives, and I find myself on a hill with Jon.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Lord of the Rings Online #5: Shadow and Flame”
Good Robot #47: A Script Reading
Here it is, as promised: the original Good Robot script I sent Shamus in October of 2013. It was never revised, so expect a bit of roughness, but since it was never meant to be paired directly with scripting or in-game events it should be reasonably coherent.
You ought to know that this draft “spoils” a plot point from the current version of Good Robot…except the current game doesn’t have much of a plot, more like a tone and texture? Nevertheless, if you like to experience things completely blind, it’s possible reading this will negatively impact your playthrough of new-hotness Good Robot. The rest of you might find your experience improved; should you enjoy the critical approach, you might find it interesting to compare this script’s structured plot-reveal-conclusion nature with the current Shandified version. Take your best guess as to which kind of player you are and make your choice: click “read more,” or skip it and inevitably get lost in a MrBtongue archive binge.
One more note slash reminder: back then, each level had two or three story nodes scattered around between the entrance and the exit. My notion was there’d be one at the beginning, one sort of hidden, and one behind the boss fight (boss names marked with placeholders “A,” “B,” etc). Keep that in mind as you read through. Now, if you’ll excuse me, MrBtongue is about to explain to me why Morrowind is awesome. Again.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Good Robot #47: A Script Reading”
SOMA EP3: Creepy Messages
Link (YouTube) |
So it’s about 100 years in the future and computer security boils down to typing in the four-digit number that everyone wears openly on their nametag. I’d love to denounce this as ridiculously goofy and unrealistic, but… I’ve heard worse.
The com center has an interesting little activity for the player. You call all of these different stations. Sure, the game could just list them all is UNAVAILABLE or whatever, but instead the player is allowed to call each one in turn. This is the equivalent of the slow camera peek around the corner in a scary movie. Information is gradually revealed.
It’s the kind of thing that polarizes the experience. If you’re into it, the suspense, curiosity, and anticipation will heighten your enjoyment. On the other hand: If you’re not into it, it makes everything worse. If you know there’s no monster around the corner (because, being genre-savvy, you know this isn’t the right point in the movie for a reveal) then the agonizingly slow reveal of nothing will try your patience and make you want to shout snarky comments at the screen.
EDIT: This entire comment thread of psycho-analyzing Mumbles is some outrageous bullshit. It’s fine to say something makes you uncomfortable. It’s not fine to get judgmental. Comments closed.
From The Archives:
The Truth About Piracy
What are publishers doing to fight piracy and why is it all wrong?
The Witch Watch
My first REAL published book, about a guy who comes back from the dead due to a misunderstanding.
Mass Effect Retrospective
A novel-sized analysis of the Mass Effect series that explains where it all went wrong. Spoiler: It was long before the ending.
Autoblography
The story of me. If you're looking for a picture of what it was like growing up in the seventies, then this is for you.
Trashing the Heap
What does it mean when a program crashes, and why does it happen?
Object-Oriented Debate
There are two major schools of thought about how you should write software. Here's what they are and why people argue about it.
Free Radical
The product of fandom run unchecked, this novel began as a short story and grew into something of a cult hit.
Could Have Been Great
Here are four games that could have been much better with just a little more work.
The Best of 2013
My picks for what was important, awesome, or worth talking about in 2013.
Revisiting a Dead Engine
I wanted to take the file format of a late 90s shooter and read it in modern-day Unity. This is the result.