WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW?

Well, as always, it's probably a matter of taste. I feel the exact opposite way and find it more difficult to immerse myself into games where all characters have heads as big as the rest of their bodies, or just consist of extremely large pixel blocks. But I've gotten used to it and now greatly enjoy many VX Ace and 2k/3 games despite my slight issues with the graphics.
Still, there are some really awesome XP games out there that you shouldn't miss out on - even if you dislike the art style. At least, if you agree with me that the visuals should serve the content, not the other way around.

The Zoe Quinn CONTROVERSY is really stupid, because (1) It shouldn't be a shock that games journalism, like any form of journalism, contains bias, and (2) People shouldn't be reading Kotaku articles in the first place. Also, surely her sex life is, like, her own business (and the people she cheated on, of course, if she did cheat on anyone)?

Many "gamers" these days complain about the most inane things I wonder if they ever have time to actually play games.

Yup! Surprising absolutely no one, internet jackasses have found a way to treat someone like shit first and retroactively justify it once they have anything that qualifies as excuse, no matter how petty it is. It's really frustrating, and you even have to be careful in supporting people so that you don't make it worse for 'em.

I hate being pessimistic, but so often I find myself loving nerdy stuff and loathing nerds...

I never really found Master of the Wind to be all that captivating. I was honestly considering writing a review with a wind-based pun (the likes of which popped up recently) like "this blows..." with a 'it's okay but not really' score, but I couldn't pull myself to make it through the vampire's castle after the whole paladin crypt dungeon. I could probably beat the game if I cheated so that I wouldn't have to worry about keeping up with my stats, like I did here.

EDIT: Oh wow, I didn't even realize you were the one with the pun review. Awkward...

author=NeverSilent
Though to be fair, things really start to get interesting in Arc 2 and 3. Arc 1 is more of an introductory part with less story and more dungeon action. If you never got further than that, you ain't seen nothing yet, so to speak.

I hate it when people do this. Why not put something interesting at the very beginning to make me care instead of falling back on "it gets better, don't worry"? There have been so many games that have tried this and ultimately failed to deliver anything more than "it's a game, play it". If you know you have the ability and time to revise something to make it better, why not do it? Because let's face it, I've only got so many hours a day to devote to playing a game, and if I'm not gripped early, why bother putting more time into it?

author=Corfaisus
Why not put something interesting at the very beginning to make me care instead of falling back on "it gets better, don't worry"?

I actually agree. The funny thing is that the creators of the game decided not to introduce the more complex plot points right at the beginning because they felt many players would be put off by that. Apparantly, a lot of people want to jump into action right away and then slowly get to know and start caring about the characters and story, instead of the other way round.
I, personally, am more of a "story guy" and will more likely play a game if I find the basic concept behind it fascinating rather than if it promises me awesome gameplay mechanics or stunning artwork but has nothing behind that.
That said, I did find the character concepts and story subjects of Master of the Wind extremely gripping right away, so maybe it's all just about preferences. I can honestly say I think the game is fantastic, but that is only one opinion out of thousands, of course.

(Although I do think judging a 30+ hour long game just by the first 2 hours of gameplay seems slightly unfair. The game isn't even that difficult, and you level up pretty quickly, in my opinion. Oh well.)

^
Agreed

I personally think we need to get those sprites changed, it's embarrassing those sprites even exist!....(but that would mean he would need professional experience drawing sprites).

We need something like this:



The only problem is would still be the overworld look...which means everything from XP and onwards will need to be scrapped...so in reality we need a new RMN engine to break away from the old look.

A heart seeks forgiveness and redemption. What happens to said heart when there is none to be found? Would it not spiral into despair? Would that despair not lead to self-destruction? Yet, dignity and honor remain. This is why you stand against us. Not because we are "in your way", but because you are seeking a way to die with what honor and decency you have left.

...is what I was thinking a few moments ago. I may not enjoy the circumstances where this came from, but, I know it's usable.

OK Locke, you've been subbed :)
But please, don't cancel or go on hiatus.

When I mentioned plain blockyness, I was talking about the XP games I've played that are out in an open field. Mostly plain green with few adornments. :) Just walking 3-4 screens, side to side with ALMOST nothing to find.

author=Linkis
When I mentioned plain blockyness, I was talking about the XP games I've played that are out in an open field. Mostly plain green with few adornments. :) Just walking 3-4 screens, side to side with ALMOST nothing to find.

Oh man, I know what you're talking about... You must have seen some really bad mapping there - which can make games in every engine look ugly. As you can see from LockeZ's game and others, it is not necessarily the case in all XP games, though.


Also:

author=LockeZ
I'm not saying RPG Maker XP is a good program or is easier to use. I don't normally recommend it to designers.

Exactly this. While I do use XP myself, I am fully aware that it lacks in a lot of areas. It has a few advantages, but if someone asked me what engine is superior in general, the answer would be: VX Ace, no contest.

author=Corfaisus
I hate it when people do this. Why not put something interesting at the very beginning to make me care instead of falling back on "it gets better, don't worry"? There have been so many games that have tried this and ultimately failed to deliver anything more than "it's a game, play it". If you know you have the ability and time to revise something to make it better, why not do it? Because let's face it, I've only got so many hours a day to devote to playing a game, and if I'm not gripped early, why bother putting more time into it?

I agree as well and I made the game! If you don't like the initial part of the game then you're probably not going to like it later. I think what NS means is that we introduce the overarching story around arc 2-3 that carries throughout the game. But if we just skipped that first arc would you be as invested? Probably not because you wouldn't really care much about the characters. The first arc gives you time to see what motivates Shroud and Stoic and how they interact with each other and the people around them. It introduces the world and some of the lore. It also introduces most of the core combat mechanics and design philosophy of the game. So if you're not buying into any of this why continue?

It's something we've struggled with for sure. I feel like if you don't have a good hook early on then you're probably going to lose a lot of people. A lot of great shows and books do this though. I'm watching Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and a lot of the early episodes are just focused on character and world building. The overarching plot doesn't kick in till a few episodes later and then it's mixed in with one-offs. If you don't like the one-offs I'm not sure I'd recommend watching the show because then you're probably not that interested in the world and characters.

Some shows are just instantly gripping though like Attack on Titan (Been watching a lot of anime lately) or Death Note. I guess it depends on the pacing you want to use. I actually like a slow burner because it can be pretty satisfying. But if I'm not buying into a show or game early on then I don't continue it. We're in an age where there are just too many options to waste our time on something we don't feel drawn to continue.