Kenogu Labz

Very much agreed. I'm just trying to view the discussion from a high-level perspective. The reasons you list are the primary ones I've run into when considering this; similar reasoning can be used when looking at Linux game development, a bridge that's only recently being gapped by industry developers as standard platforms become stable. No developer would want to spend months - or even years - accounting for every possible fine-tuned environment Linux users may have. A PC or a Mac would have similar potential issues, corresponding more with the hardware. Consoles are certainly unique in their ease of development and usability. That's why I'm hoping the two worlds can be merged at some point, using the age-old software engineering method of abstraction. Remove the complexity of the underlying system from the developer's hands, and allow them to build on a stable system: console, PC, or even mobile devices. Abstract the interfaces away from the machines, so users can view and control their games without needing to understand every detail about how they need to be connected. A pipe dream? Perhaps, but that's the high-level reason many people are arguing that PCs are the 'master race': eventually, given time and years of progress, it will subsume the very concept of consoles. You can see companies pushing that way now, with remotely streamed games, systems such as the OUYA, or even products like Steam for Linux. Inherently, they're devices that perform the same tasks: Consoles are your specialists, PCs are your generalists.

It's GOG again, but this deal could be pretty attractive to people who've been looking into these games: D&D Dynamo Stacking Promo The more of the games you are purchasing or already own, the bigger the discount. It pans out such that if you're getting half of the games or more, it's likely cheaper (!!) to get all of them.

But why not develop those same games for a PC? The only reason is that of consistent hardware with concrete capabilities. That is the defining point of a console: the hardware and architecture are known. Once we can safely abstract these architecture differences away from the game developers without causing a loss in performance or flexibility, consoles will be a moot point. Will that day come anytime soon? Perhaps not, but many of the issues are already dealt with. Another aspect could be the market. The market for consoles is alive because there used to be a niche to fill; it could be that many do not realize that the niche is very small, and could be filled by their other devices just as well. Either way, the console creators can still thrive on that niche because the PC isn't seen as a viable competitor, even when it has the capacity to be.

The point isn't that no-one does hook up their computer. It's the fact that most people will already have a PC they can use for both games and other applications, hence the need for extra investment into gaming hardware is $0. PCs are capable of being hooked up to the TV; the only issue is with common system placement and the relative inconvenience of cabled utilities (keyboard, mouse). As people realize that the PC can do all a console can - and more - and as it becomes easier to remotely connect displays, the gap consoles fill is becoming narrower and narrower.

This happens every year, and people legitimately freak out every time. Never gets old. Also, laughed a little too hard at the '70s funk opera.

Sequence was a great game, and the music to it ended up being pretty catchy. Awesome to see they're working on something new, and even more so to see you on board as well! I'll definitely be looking into this.

Cid was hammy, but he also had one of the best voices of the entire cast. The game's story wasn't the best, but it managed to capture that sense of grandeur in its world. FFX's cast feels like an anime cast, which has its ups and downs. It's a good story that didn't quite have the voice acting capacity to match it; the hard-hitting serious moments have their impacts somewhat blunted by bad voicing. I don't think it hurt the game too badly, but it did occasionally dampen the mood. I also feel the same way about its soundtrack. A few memorable tracks, but often not quite grandiose enough to fit its surroundings. This point of view is also tempered by a few years' distance, so it could be it wasn't as bad as I remember it being.

This is certainly one of the most beautiful Korean MMOs I've seen. The Unreal Engine really does wonders. Well localized, too, which is a big plus in my book. Rolled as 'Fellshard'. Don't think I'll sink too much time into this, but it'll be a nice break from GW2 once in a while.

There's a few benefits I can see coming from this: Easily transportable Fast set-up Should work with both TVs and monitors (making Big Picture even more attractive) Gives a static target for Linux developers to aim for (as opposed to the relatively mutable and nebulous foundation of general Linux development)

ohyesohyesohyesohyesohyes Forget about keeping an ear out for coworkers, I know what I'll be listening to this afternoon. Edit: SNESTale is a gorgeous interpretation and blending of sources. Chills-down-the-spine good.

Tabletop Forge is still too unpolished to use as of yet, last time I checked.

Hah, yes! This track most certainly is an excellent example of using minimal source material in a clever way. The orchestration is delightfully rich, varied and well-crafted - love those woodwinds! Been a fan of the soundtrack since it came out, and glad this track was posted here.

That sounds like Avien! Great track. Also, welcome to OCR!

I'd certainly be interested, despite never having had the opportunity to play before.

A round of applause from world leaders? "Congratulations!" "Congratulations!" "Congratulations!" ...

That's certainly one place to start! Just put it in your toolbox as something to look up and fiddle with later. I'll take a look at your Soundcloud pieces later, when I'm back from work. Lookin' forward to having a listen!

I expect you'll find more variation in different modes and/or scales than transpositions. For example, take the Phrygian mode, formed by taking the third note of a major scale as the root. A Phrygian mode based on the scale of C major would have E as its root and proceed through the rest of the notes in the C major scale. This gives chords commonly associated with Flamenco. Try building some chords around E minor as your tonic and it'll be pretty clear. That's just a starting point to maybe point you in another cool direction to look. I've noticed that most powerful melodies I notice generally bend the standard musical structure, either occasionally 'ignoring' chord structure or bringing the chord with it into a temporary key shift. Strong Hollywood-style melodies also tend to be quite sweeping, using simple and mildly varied cues that take up one or two octaves, using the space liberally. And for each example I'm giving, there's also many, many counter-examples that are effective as well. While some of your development will come from learning what your tools are, the other part comes naturally from creative experimentation and finding sounds you like. Find a platform, but don't just latch onto it and stick with what's safe; mess around, try to tweak and twist facets to create your own sound. </ramble>

Just imagine the trauma when she grows up and realizes she's the only one who thinks Link is a girl. Man, that'd be almost as bad as saying the player character is Zelda.

To be honest, this whole thing smells like troll all over.

The Lost Shores event is happening this upcoming weekend. As part of it, players will be able to invite some of their friends to play for the duration of the event for free. Players will be side-kicked for the event (which usually means everyone's effectively level 80 in stats). It may just be a grand publicity stunt, but it's also a great opportunity to give people a chance to try the game, especially if the price tag's been holding them back. And if nothing else, maybe it'll just be a fun weekend for you and your friends. More info: [Link] Also, maybe we could get a topic title change so non-players can hear about the event? I'm sure some of us will be able to send invites.

Spent a fun night trying to get up that thing. It was worth it. So much fun.

Yeaah, but even then, most people jumped the Guild ship. I know several of us are actively in Crimethink right now; having the OCR tag is still good for events and the like, though.

The only reason someone would give something like that out for free as part of a promotion unrelated to the developers or publishers is because they're getting something in return. Yes, you may be getting a copy, but at what cost? You'd have been better off buying it, for both ethical and security reasons.

This may be a bit sidetrack-ish, but could it be that the real root irritation is not so much the quality of music, but rather the perceived growth in people who prefer and 'enjoy' lower quality of music?