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Thanks for the birthday wishes everybody.
I got grim fandango remastered almost for free in the current humble bundle.
I got grim fandango remastered almost for free in the current humble bundle.
author=ivoryjonesAww... :(
I am extremely devastated to hear that Harper Lee, the author of my favourite book (To Kill A Mockingbird) died today. RIP.
@Farcry vids: Why do all of the NPCs have the same face?
E: Speaking of glitchy games:
Far Cry: Primal looks to be a really neat game from what I've seen of it so far (watching Yogscast Hannah's LP). That they went to the effort to be realistic with the language (as much as they can) is really neat.
Primal interests me a tiny bit but it's still Ubisoft soooo =|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd7ZFOPsUmo
^ the best Undertale remix i've ever found (musical spoilers? name/description doesn't spoil anything but still)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd7ZFOPsUmo
^ the best Undertale remix i've ever found (musical spoilers? name/description doesn't spoil anything but still)
Honestly, I watched JonTron's little promotional video for Primal, and other than the sort of pretty aesthetics I thought it looked completely miserable. They went to no effort whatsoever to do anything special with it other than slap a caveman skin pack on a regular open world AAA shooter, from what I saw.
I mean, the tone is completely off. Nothing says Caveman like English subtitles with one or two made up words for animal and plant names. Then combine that with the fact that it features all the standard FPS elements like a minimap, objective markers, tooltips/hints and the like. It really feels completely off base for the idea that they're ostensibly going for.
I feel that if they had of found, let's say, a more Primal way to tell the story and direct the player, it could have been something sort of interesting. But this is AAA that we're talking about. It's not gonna sell well unless it's a carbon reprint of whatever game they've been releasing yearly for the last 5 years.
I mean, the tone is completely off. Nothing says Caveman like English subtitles with one or two made up words for animal and plant names. Then combine that with the fact that it features all the standard FPS elements like a minimap, objective markers, tooltips/hints and the like. It really feels completely off base for the idea that they're ostensibly going for.
I feel that if they had of found, let's say, a more Primal way to tell the story and direct the player, it could have been something sort of interesting. But this is AAA that we're talking about. It's not gonna sell well unless it's a carbon reprint of whatever game they've been releasing yearly for the last 5 years.
Uh, completely disagree with that assessment, sorry. You saw a little promo video, I've been watching an actual full-fledged LP of it, and from what I've seen so far (about 6 videos/2 hours of play) it's actually quite well done.
Yes, it has a minimap, but frankly, that's a given in any game where you can easily get lost, especially one where the land you travel is quite large and varied. From what I've seen it's quite easy to lose yourself in the forest areas and overlook places, so it's necessary to have something to show you where the hell you're supposed to be going.
If by 'FPS' you mean there's arrows and spears, then sure, I guess you could say FPS, but there's melee weaponry and the enemies aren't just other humans, but also things like, oh, Mastadons, Sabre-tooth Tigers, wolf-dogs and bear-beasts. Good luck taking those down with a few spears and arrows. Clubs are where it's at.
And of course the menu is going to be sleek and easy for you to find your way around with! That's just general design sense! You and I both know how stupid it is to make an overly-designed menu/HUD, especially when immersion is the idea of the game - in this case it's an easy-to-ignore hud that is easy to read and use and doesn't demand your attention every five seconds. It's quite minimal, actually.
Literally randomly hit somewhere in the video and this is the HUD. So flashy, so FPS. :/
As for the language, it's very well done. The subtitles are in English since knowing what you're supposed to be doing is part of playing any game. Just dumping you into a game with someone speaking a language you don't understand is a stupid idea for any game dev to do. You might as well go play a non-English version in that case. That, and the language is not 'made up', but reconstructed from various languages to create a decent approximation of what would have been the language around that time period (or close to). There was a lot of care taken in that.
Graphically, it's lovely and interesting even on consoles. The story so far is interesting and yeah, it's going to be a case of 'help villagers, topple baddies' which is normal for the FC series, but hell, that's not a bad thing. Details. That's what matters. And so far they're quite good.
Yes, it has a minimap, but frankly, that's a given in any game where you can easily get lost, especially one where the land you travel is quite large and varied. From what I've seen it's quite easy to lose yourself in the forest areas and overlook places, so it's necessary to have something to show you where the hell you're supposed to be going.
If by 'FPS' you mean there's arrows and spears, then sure, I guess you could say FPS, but there's melee weaponry and the enemies aren't just other humans, but also things like, oh, Mastadons, Sabre-tooth Tigers, wolf-dogs and bear-beasts. Good luck taking those down with a few spears and arrows. Clubs are where it's at.
And of course the menu is going to be sleek and easy for you to find your way around with! That's just general design sense! You and I both know how stupid it is to make an overly-designed menu/HUD, especially when immersion is the idea of the game - in this case it's an easy-to-ignore hud that is easy to read and use and doesn't demand your attention every five seconds. It's quite minimal, actually.
Literally randomly hit somewhere in the video and this is the HUD. So flashy, so FPS. :/
As for the language, it's very well done. The subtitles are in English since knowing what you're supposed to be doing is part of playing any game. Just dumping you into a game with someone speaking a language you don't understand is a stupid idea for any game dev to do. You might as well go play a non-English version in that case. That, and the language is not 'made up', but reconstructed from various languages to create a decent approximation of what would have been the language around that time period (or close to). There was a lot of care taken in that.
Graphically, it's lovely and interesting even on consoles. The story so far is interesting and yeah, it's going to be a case of 'help villagers, topple baddies' which is normal for the FC series, but hell, that's not a bad thing. Details. That's what matters. And so far they're quite good.
Uh, completely disagree with that assessment, sorry. You saw a little promo video, I've been watching an actual full-fledged LP of it, and from what I've seen so far (about 6 videos/2 hours of play) it's actually quite well done.
Frankly I don't give a shit to what degree you've watched the game. Neither of us have played it, so we're on equal footing. My criticisms aren't magically less valid just because I haven't watched some Yogscast let's play or whatever, especially when I'm talking about elements which are presented at face value and re-used across the entire game.
Yes, it has a minimap, but frankly, that's a given in any game where you can easily get lost, especially one where the land you travel is quite large and varied. From what I've seen it's quite easy to lose yourself in the forest areas and overlook places, so it's necessary to have something to show you where the hell you're supposed to be going.
I'm not disagreeing with the idea of there being a map. I'm disagreeing with the idea of it being a modern, on screen minimap with modern looking overheads of the land and a fucking GPS function. A paper map or something drawn on animal hide would have been more tonally appropriate for the setting, something you had to pull out and look at. They can keep the markers and shit if they want to at that point.
The fact that you can get lost easily says more about the quality of the level design than anything else. A map isn't a fix for a badly designed level.
If by 'FPS' you mean there's arrows and spears, then sure, I guess you could say FPS, but there's melee weaponry and the enemies aren't just other humans, but also things like, oh, Mastadons, Sabre-tooth Tigers, wolf-dogs and bear-beasts. Good luck taking those down with a few spears and arrows. Clubs are where it's at.
Never said anything about enemy design. I obviously can't know about enemy design in a game I've never played. I said the style of the game was IMO too much like that of an open world shooter, and the HUD design followed suit on those standards when it didn't need to.
And of course the menu is going to be sleek and easy for you to find your way around with! That's just general design sense! You and I both know how stupid it is to make an overly-designed menu/HUD, especially when immersion is the idea of the game - in this case it's an easy-to-ignore hud that is easy to read and use and doesn't demand your attention every five seconds. It's quite minimal, actually.
I never mentioned the menu? Or at least not the "sleekness" or "flashyness" of it. I said that having HUD elements like tooltips and on screen map markers floating around digitally hurts the atmosphere of the game and doesn't mesh with the idea of primal caveman culture. The more modern the game is, the more elements like this make sense and become believable as a facet of the "world", even though they're not in the actual world.
The subtitles are in English since knowing what you're supposed to be doing is part of playing any game. Just dumping you into a game with someone speaking a language you don't understand is a stupid idea for any game dev to do. You might as well go play a non-English version in that case.
Again, this isn't what I said to do, unless you're trying to imply that it's impossible to non-verbally impart a story or teach things to the player. Again, I said I believe that sticking English subtitles on it hurts the atmosphere of the game and the potential it had to be an interesting experience about living in an ancient society that we don't know much about. It would give the game a lot of subtlety if done well.
To kind of echo where Pizza was getting at, the first time I saw that screenshot, I couldn't tell this game took place in prehistoric times with that generic, simplified sci-fi HUD until I saw the club.
Corfaisus
"It's frustrating because - as much as Corf is otherwise an irredeemable person - his 2k/3 mapping is on point." ~ psy_wombats
7874
*browses email*
*steps into spam box*
"Pardon me pussy master"
I'm dead.
*steps into spam box*
"Pardon me pussy master"
I'm dead.
author=Craze
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd7ZFOPsUmo^ the best Undertale remix i've ever found (musical spoilers? name/description doesn't spoil anything but still)
There's enhancing the atmosphere/themes of a game and there's inconveniencing the player. Map, subtitles, all of that, I'm sure they did it that way to not fall on the latter. That's actually good design. The fastest you can convey and idea, the better. Why having to press a button and see a 'pulling off map' animation everytime, when you can just glance at it at a corner of the screen? Why having to guess what the character are saying and literally having to learn an entire new language as you play, when you can just read it on the screen?
Not to mention that most games allow you to turn off these things. So, if that's how you want to play your games, knock yourself out. But I'm pretty sure most people are not looking for "an interesting experience" they just want play good games in the genres they enjoy.
If wanted "an interesting experience" I'd get lost in the wilderness myself and get eaten by animals for real. xD No thanks.
Edit: I'm not saying that having done it they way you suggest would have been bad; just that neither is this. Both are valid.
Not to mention that most games allow you to turn off these things. So, if that's how you want to play your games, knock yourself out. But I'm pretty sure most people are not looking for "an interesting experience" they just want play good games in the genres they enjoy.
If wanted "an interesting experience" I'd get lost in the wilderness myself and get eaten by animals for real. xD No thanks.
Edit: I'm not saying that having done it they way you suggest would have been bad; just that neither is this. Both are valid.
author=alterego
But I'm pretty sure most people are not looking for "an interesting experience"
This is actually a good summation of the problems with the AAA industry at the moment, but never mind that.
I'm willing to accept it as a difference of opinion. If someone wants to play Primal then they can go right ahead. I'm just offering some justification for why I think it looks shitty.
author=alterego
There's enhancing the atmosphere/themes of a game and there's inconveniencing the player. Map, subtitles, all of that, I'm sure they did it that way to not fall on the latter. That's actually good design. The fastest you can convey and idea, the better. Why having to press a button and see a 'pulling off map' animation everytime, when you can just glance at it at a corner of the screen? Why having to guess what the character are saying and literally having to learn an entire new language as you play, when you can just read it on the screen?
Not to mention that most games allow you to turn off these things. So, if that's how you want to play your games, knock yourself out. But I'm pretty sure most people are not looking for "an interesting experience" they just want play good games in the genres they enjoy.
If wanted "an interesting experience" I'd get lost in the wilderness myself and get eaten by animals for real. xD No thanks.
Edit: I'm not saying that having done it they way you suggest would have been bad; just that neither is this. Both are valid.
... So part of being creative is doing adequate problem-solving to find a middle-ground. It's totally possible for the guy who put that HUD together to design something that is both easy to read AND adheres to the theme of the game without designing a nuisance.
Also, "interesting experience" is actually something most developers are aiming for, and it's not really a bad thing. Believe it or not, all games provide an experience, whether they have pretty atmospheric settings or not. The experience a game gives us is ultimately what we remember down the long road ahead.
Ultimately, it is still a game and thus information needs to be conveyed in a quick, easy manner. They have something that already works, so why mess with it? Granted, they could have given it a slight re-texture to make it 'fit the preconceived ideas of ancient times' but honestly, the fact that it's clean and easy to find, standing out from the rest of the world quickly, makes it easier to spot. But it also makes it easy to ignore because your mind is conditioned to know what it is and thus ignore it when you don't want to see it. (Also, it vanishes for cutscenes of any type so you're focussed on the actual scenes themselves, which is great.)
It is there to provide knowledge of where you're going, what your HP is at and what your quest objective is without having to go in and out of your menu constantly. This allows you to spend more time actually roaming around instead of checking a map.
That said, you can ignore the map completely and track on your own using something akin to the sense used in Witcher games, which is neat, too. It allows for people who want to roam themselves and those who aren't good at spacial awareness to find their way and focus on actually playing the game without worrying about losing themselves in forests (and yes, you can lose yourself because that is what being in a forest is like. That's not a bad game design because it is part of the play to be able to travel most places you see.)
I think it looks fine and works well without cluttering up your screen or making you check things a million times to make sure you're not getting lost in prehistoria. Also, gosh damn the game is so pretty sometimes~<3
Also, you can tame various beasts, use them to scout out land you haven't seen, attack enemies... and pet them. Wolves, tigers, sabre tooths, bears, owls, etc.
It is there to provide knowledge of where you're going, what your HP is at and what your quest objective is without having to go in and out of your menu constantly. This allows you to spend more time actually roaming around instead of checking a map.
That said, you can ignore the map completely and track on your own using something akin to the sense used in Witcher games, which is neat, too. It allows for people who want to roam themselves and those who aren't good at spacial awareness to find their way and focus on actually playing the game without worrying about losing themselves in forests (and yes, you can lose yourself because that is what being in a forest is like. That's not a bad game design because it is part of the play to be able to travel most places you see.)
I think it looks fine and works well without cluttering up your screen or making you check things a million times to make sure you're not getting lost in prehistoria. Also, gosh damn the game is so pretty sometimes~<3
Also, you can tame various beasts, use them to scout out land you haven't seen, attack enemies... and pet them. Wolves, tigers, sabre tooths, bears, owls, etc.
In case it wasn't clear: I know what a UI is and what it's supposed to do.
I'm dropping this now, since I can't be bothered to discuss something with people who are too busy trying to circumvent the point or talk down to me.
I'm dropping this now, since I can't be bothered to discuss something with people who are too busy trying to circumvent the point or talk down to me.
Also, "interesting experience" is actually something most developers are aiming for, and it's not really a bad thing. Believe it or not, all games provide an experience, whether they have pretty atmospheric settings or not. The experience a game gives us is ultimately what we remember down the long road ahead.
Mmh. What I said was not aimed at games or developers. It was aimed at this heightened idea of what an "interesting experience" is. And you have to remember that in this case this "experience" was conditioned to the removal of complementary game elements, such as subtitles for a fictional language. As if their presence alone was enough to erase the effort that went into crafting said language; or the player's ability to appreciate it, and finding it "interesting" or "memorable" in their own terms.
In short, what people expect and get out of games is different. If you wish a game did something you wanted to see, that's Ok. That can be a discussion. But let's not be so hasty about dismissing them entirely if they don't do that. I think there comes a point in which is better to enjoy things for what they're, rather than to hate on them for what they're not.
