Jeffool

Jeffool, 5 dni temu

I can’t go that far. I can’t be upset at people for looking at deals and NOT thinking “but what about the companies?” Granted this hits differently as a field I love, but still, I get it.

Jeffool, 13 dni temu (edited 13 dni temu)

Some scenes in MW2 stick out so strongly to me still. ::: spoiler Spoilers for a very old game. The march through the neighborhood, the White House, the knife throw at the end … ::: It’s funny to me that the controversial moment won’t be a big deal at all in a movie, as there’s no player control.

/Edit: COD’s bread and butter really is big budget action movie moments.

Jeffool, 13 dni temu

I agree with you, but there are people who enjoy moving over others’ sandcastles more than making their own. Some people enjoy ruining things for others. Others believe everyone else is cheating too, and their cheating is evening the playing field. The latter is a very common defense when asked directly.

Several content creators lose to cheaters and manage to interview the blatant cheaters who admit to it. There are also relatively popular YouTubers whose entire channels are accusing pro players and streamers of cheating in COD and games. Lots of people assume good players are all cheating, and that it’s approved (if not facilitated) by the developers. (Which is a necessary belief for them, considering these players will also often perform very well on LAN tournaments against other pros.)

Jeffool, 13 dni temu

This is why I loved the DMZ mode of Warzone when it launched. The stronger bots were mother fuckers but there were missions to finish, so the players (all fresh from Warzone and new to having prox chat,) were mostly carefully happy to talk and often helped each other. It got pretty sweaty over the next two seasons though. After that it was kill on sight.

A few weeks ago, soon after they spun it off to its own download apart from Warzone, someone cracked it for solo play. I’d love someone figuring out a way to let people play private servers for that.

Jeffool, 13 dni temu (edited 11 dni temu)

You got lots of downvotes, but assuming you’re earnest, the game has a reputation of being rife with cheaters. Here’s a popular video that showed how bad it was a couple of years ago: youtu.be/p5LfGcDB7Ek

There’s also lots of allegations about the developers not being great people, which you can read in this thread. I have no idea about that, though. But complaints are not rare.

Jeffool, miesiąc temu

As much as I’d love the ability to have mods, and I’d love that, I’d love multiplayer even more.

Jeffool, miesiąc temu

I think the general idea is that if I want to spin up a server for my friend group that’s been gaming together for 20 years, we can buy the game and do just that. That’s opposed to the money I spent on the game being useless when they decide they want to stop paying for servers.

Jeffool, miesiąc temu

Or, maybe, it’s just MasterCard’s way of saying “It’s Visa”? (Not that I know this. It could well be a lie for all I know. But also, maybe it’s not.)

Jeffool, miesiąc temu

And a screen where it plays YouTubers comparing it to every version of Madden for a decade-plus after. Eventually finding Madden to look better, but always finding Madden lacking in features and presentation.

Jeffool, miesiąc temu

These three plus Doom and Shadow of the Colossus are what was I thinking. Maybe Minecraft too.

Jeffool, miesiąc temu

Didn’t even know that was a thing; that’s how long it’s been since I looked at it. Thanks!

Jeffool, 2 miesiące temu

I think your response is coming off as kinda “oh just do it different”. But that still means an entire industry of people are going to have to change how they make things. (And still spend time and money evaluating things at the end, just to be sure nothing slipped through.) I’m in favor of this at least being looked at and honest conversations happening, (which will not happen without this.) But there will certainly be an adjustment period where people on ground level learn and develop new “best practices”. And invariably someone will screw up. The companies are obviously only worried about money. They’ll get over it, is my opinion. But I think it’s worth communicating that we all understand new government regulation is likely going to be a pain in the ass. We just think it’s worth the pain/money. And that’s open sourcing or just creating a new mode for offline play in everything.

Jeffool, 2 miesiące temu

This is exactly why I said:

But I think it’s worth communicating that we all understand new government regulation is likely going to be a pain in the ass. We just think it’s worth the pain/money.

Jeffool, 2 miesiące temu (edited 2 miesiące temu)

Game Pass obviously and absolutely affects game sales. At the same time this conversation only happens because we’re comparing “the industry with Game Pass” to “games at face value”. That second one only lasted 10-15-ish years. Before that, there was “the industry with game rentals”. Blockbuster was also absolutely eating up some sales.

But game rentals were often seen as a “try before you buy” case to many, as you may want to play a game more than 3-5 days. So maybe the answer is don’t lease your game to Game Pass for a year at a time. Just offer it for a month or three. (Also make an easy way for the non-technical to export/import saves.) This also would let Microsoft make more deals for more games in their rotation. Seems like a shorter time helps everyone out.

Jeffool, 2 miesiące temu

Meanwhile I’m still over here dorfing life away.

Jeffool, 2 miesiące temu (edited 2 miesiące temu)

/edit: I was WRONG. This is my memory failing me. I explain it further below, and apologize for wasting any time.

After the DMCA passed there was a case of a judge finding it legal to bypass DRM to make backup copies, but illegal to distribute the software used to do so. I have no idea if there was ever further clarification or new law about this. That was like 20 years ago. It was part of a case going after the company who was making the software, but the name slips my mind. I’ll try to look it up if anyone cares enough and wants to look for something more than hearsay on a forum.

Jeffool, 2 miesiące temu

I get you! I was bigger into copyright some 20-30 years ago myself when we would’ve all been on Slashdot.

To that end, I was WRONG in my post, I think I was conflating two things, and for that, I’m sorry. I was certainly thinking in part about Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Corley (2001). That was the case that decided that the software DeCSS was illegal, and you could distribute the software. I was thinking that while the court did agree with Universal over the software, that it did not find that breaking DRM on a product you owned was inherently illegal. (I legit think this was a “take” at the time. Probably wouldn’t hold up in court these days, sadly.) And I did find that years later the Library of Congress offered exemptions for breaking DRM on some hardware (vehicles, medical devices,) but I believe even those were temporary and have since lapsed.

Sorry I spoke so surely about something I was wrong about.

Jeffool, 4 miesiące temu

I’ll say this: props to Fandom for realizing the right thing to do. I know there was really no other good solution for them, but that hasn’t stopped many companies from being so obstinate that they cut their nose off to spite their face.

But more seriously, good for those guys buying it. I hope it goes well for them.

Jeffool, 4 miesiące temu

I always wanted to do a podcast called Just Jeffs, where I interview other Jeffs. But I’d love it if they used the name instead.

Jeffool, 4 miesiące temu

The above link is recommended to learn more about the added mod support! (Just to add some context.)

Jeffool, 4 miesiące temu

Dan removed GB from his BSky bio, and Grubb posted that he’s no longer with GB.

To add more context, last night Dan was streaming on Twitch and said he expects episode 888 to be the last Bombcast. He said things that, if he stays employed, would make Fandom the most understanding employer ever. To use words he used: he’ll keep taking their money as long as they’ll give it to him, but he expects that won’t keep happening for very long. He’s very annoyed with working for giant corporations and wants to bet on himself.

Jeffool, 5 miesięcy temu

I wish I had your restraint. EVERY time!

Jeffool, 5 miesięcy temu

Considering I’m unemployed and job hunting, and Windows says I can’t upgrade my current (old) PC, and I regularly play Warzone with friends? No, probably not any time soon.

Maybe if I get a job with a six digit salary in a city with a reasonable cost of living (or remote) so I can jump out of debt before 6 months? But I’m not holding my breath.

Jeffool, 5 miesięcy temu

I understand what you’re saying about Game Informer, but it’s hilarious you name Nintendo Power and PSM as alternatives, considering that.

Jeffool, 5 miesięcy temu

Tetris in a walkway. Any format, really. It’s just great.

Jeffool, 5 miesięcy temu

Wild to think they’ve spent $100B on VR and for tons of people it’s probably still a “Beat Saber” machine. I mean, respect to Beat Saber.

Jeffool, 5 miesięcy temu

Story-wise I’m not sure there’s much more that needs to be said for GlaDOS, but I think tech-wise they could advance it some. Currently players can build testing chambers. It’d be cool if you could build entire complexes consisting of several chambers, with your own (optionally voiced) personality core running the tests. Then the base game could pick up between facilities and whisk you away to new testing places. Basically, make it easier for players to make their own full mods. Especially if you allowed custom hooks for your ins and outs between facilities.

Jeffool, 6 miesięcy temu (edited 6 miesięcy temu)

Which, in the immediate future, makes me wonder less about the things that are going to be done in code, and more about the creation of new, free, visual and audio resources that make this work. That seems like quite a noble pursuit.

Jeffool, 6 miesięcy temu

Scoob! Holiday Haunt, was the third one.

Jeffool, 6 miesięcy temu

I had genuinely forgotten about it without playing it. Thanks for mentioning it.

Jeffool, 6 miesięcy temu

I couldn’t pick a single one, but I got endless joy from all the Quake mods back in the day. Not just level designs and sprite replacement, but complete weapon changes that made everything different, Quake Kart, Cujo, etc. It seemed the sky was the limit.

Jeffool, 7 miesięcy temu (edited 7 miesięcy temu)

I’m just picturing big chambers like Super Metroid, and the characters moving around testing things to see what happens, then putting it together. (Maybe a zoom out button, or the map screen being relatively detailed.) So it could be very similar to the original, just “more”. You’d just need a few sets of puzzles in every chamber, for when they backtrack and revisit areas. Mind you I’m not saying it’s easy to “just” design good levels and puzzles, especially in such a large scale, just that it’s easy for me to imagine it being fun.

Jeffool, 7 miesięcy temu

A friend linked it in a Discord server recently and I’ve been enamored since. This recent update last week really made it harder. But like Minesweeper, sometimes you just gotta guess. I like to guess a few random spaces for my first energy bar, apart from the initial orb, so I crash out early if I do.

Jeffool, 8 miesięcy temu (edited 8 miesięcy temu)

I agree, I think it’s feasible. Start with Wander getting to the temple, revealing the bundle on Agro is Mono when he places her on the pedestal. The first words can be Dormin speaking to him. Then cut to the priest leading his men along the path we saw glimpses of Wander taking.

Alternate back and forth, the priest and Dormin doing the talking, with Wander rarely talking, and to Agro when he does. With the focus on Wander adventuring through the beautiful world, interesting visual storytelling with him, Agro, and their travel. And then the fights.

Though I think you need 4. A human-ish one first, a four-legged bestial one, and a flying one, before the final one. Then the priest and crew arrive, and the end happens. I think it all depends on the director.

I’m pretty sure I’ve said it before, but I think Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,) David Lowery (The Green Knight,) and Nicholas Ashe Bateman (The Wanting Mare,) could all handle a great movie with limited dialogue and beautiful visuals. They might need help with action, but they could hire for that.

I don’t know about the attached director, Andrés Muschietti (It, It: Chapter 2,) but I’m going to try to not judge him by The Flash.

Jeffool, 8 miesięcy temu

I think I was thinking more significant changes than your were. I’d go so far as to re-write it as 4 colossi (not counting the finale.) I’d be sacrilegious enough to combine elements of them along the feature-sets I grouped them into. For instance, the first of the four main fights could introduce the puzzle solving against a biped. Use elements of the sword-carrier mostly, probably. The smaller four-legged beast colossi could group well; it could chase Wander around some ruins, and end up fighting in a dilapidated arena. For the flying one, I’d have it start as fighting in a cave, going in the sand there, before bursting out of the cave and flying into the air along the beach. Then the final fight for Wander has to be against the final Colossus that you fight AA Wander; you have to hit that story best with Agro and get emotional resolution for it, which perfectly sets up the finale.

Basically for me the fights are an opportunity to showcase visual spectacle in both colossi and the world as he combats them, in addition to overcoming the challenge both in plot and the eyes of the viewer. I imagine the 4 fights being probably 15m or less each. (The first being longer, to lay out the rules, then shorter and shorter.) That’s less than an hour of hard action.

That leaves you an hour for the other three significant parts of the film: a) serene beautiful shots of Wander and Agro in this world to establish their bond: hunting lizards, camping, climbing trees, showing Wander getting less healthy, and showing the two of them bonding. b) Intercut that with Lord Emon and his men traveling and camping with Emon explaining their mission to the men. Add in a little foreshadowing of how they might have to face “the colossus” when they get there. c) Then the finale and resolution.

Lowery

Dude killed it with The Green Knight. It wasn’t even the scene with the giants that made me think of him, but the pacing and quiet solemnity that made parts of it feel like a storybook. That whole part with him coming up to the battlefield was great. The stop at the other castle felt like a whole other movie, yet still felt perfect. It was great. He could make a compelling story about a man and his horse. And I think that’s the part everyone assumes will be “the challenge” of the film, and makes me doubtful with almost any director.

I felt the same about the serenity and visual elements of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, if you haven’t seen it. The cast may not have agreed gracefully (Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck,) but the movie they made is a masterpiece as far as show deliberate pacing with moderate amounts of silence go. Dominik was great for this. Add in Roger Deakins and it’s worth a watch and a rewatch, imo.

Jeffool, 8 miesięcy temu

Yeah. They’re adding the Fantastic Four to it.

Jeffool, 8 miesięcy temu

It does a good job of onboarding people. The general tutorial is relatively short and sweet, and character specific tutorials are even shorter. It also gives each character a rank (in stars) for how complex that character is to use effectively.

The game itself is pretty chaotic, so it’s easy to convince yourself that your deaths are incidental, and your victories are a result of you playing well. And as long as you’re having fun you’ll be okay with that. But if at any point you start feeling like someone has your foil, just change characters mid-match and try a new tactic. There’s so many characters you can experiment until you find theirs.

I’m genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

Jeffool, 9 miesięcy temu

I’ll probably always think that Tetris is the greatest video game ever. The inherent dramatic arc that comes with watching the blocks stack up is tension directly within you the player, not you watching tension unfold for characters on the screen. It’s different every time, even if the shape of the arc is similar, because you improve as a player. It’s the kind of emergent involvement the most designers could only aspire to create.

That said of course Shadow of the Colossus is also a favorite. That one probably feels a little more obvious, but I’m okay with that.