zircon
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Posts posted by zircon
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In this case it'd probably be good to split into a new name, maybe not even bother with twitter, because the issue of corruption in games journalism has been all but forgotten, and gaming websites know this. They snarkily post shitty articles still, to this day, with no sense of remorse or apology for anything.
Can you give me three concrete examples of shitty articles that demonstrate corruption in games journalism?
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That's an excellent question. There's a lot of talk about "ethics and journalism" but I've seen virtually nothing anywhere about what SPECIFICALLY they are doing, or what they want to change, beyond vagueries. Today on Twitter I suggested that GamerGate folks should start their own news site, or at least, start writing their own game reviews, and share them with like-minded people. But that seemed to really offend people, who evidently care MORE about the hashtag than actually achieving something.
I don't want to derail TOOO much (I find myself saying that a lot... maybe that's a bad sign? ), but... couldn't one use this logic to say that Christians should abandon the name of "Christianity"? Or Muslims Islam? Or (secular example), feminists feminism? Or, based on North Korea being the only officially atheist country and being terrible, that atheists should look for a new banner, too?The problem is that the gamergate movement was essentially born out of the Quinn harassment "movement" - which itself was based on the (proven false) allegations that Quinn slept with journalists to get better reviews. Sure, it may have grown since then, but it was essentially toxic from the start.
Here's the recap of what happened when someone suggested that GamerGate supporters show that they DO denounce harassment by donating money to some of the people that were actually harassed - Anita, Zoe, Brenna. After all, GG supporters have donated to other causes, right? Well, literally NOBODY thought it was a good idea.
https://storify.com/ShadowTodd/why-i-do-not-believe-that-gamergate-actually-conde
Anyway, the issue is that the tag is viewed SO negatively by SO many people that even if it didn't have the poisonous history that it does, it's a moot point now. The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and basically every major gaming website have all posted articles about the harassment and abuse that has come out of the GamerGate camp. That, combined with the lack of any central message beyond "ethics in game journalism", makes it look REALLY bad from the outside.
IF the goal is to try to effect changes in game journalism, I see two ways of doing that.
(1) Start your own websites and gaming blogs, enforce your own standards. If the corruption is as bad as people say then surely a corruption-free blog will attract lots of attention. I haven't seen anything like this happening in the gamergate camp - people are more concerned with defending gamergate itself. But this would be an excellent solution, right? If you don't like the narrative on other gaming blogs and the opinions expressed by their writers, make your own and share your own.
(2) Make persuasive arguments and suggestions to writers & staff at existing gaming websites. The problem here is that some portion of people using that tag has given the rest of it a really, really bad name, and now nobody in game journalism wants anything to do with it. So this option is very much off the table. Even if this weren't the case, where are all the positive, constructive suggestions on specific things that could be improved in game journalism?
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Thank God, djp. Just had a bit of a dance with zircon over Twitter and the terribad GiantBomb gamergate article. I thought he vaguely implied there was broader support here for that narrative, but I see that my thoughts were mistaken. Glad to see some clarity.
Dude, that's what the whole point of my initial tweets was. We have good, civil discussion here and that can happen elsewhere too. Dave changed my opinion (and others') about Anita's videos from an initial state of agreement, to disagreement with most of what she says. And that's totally cool. We don't need to associate with gamergate to have these conversations, and you don't either.
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Yes very nice work! You're tearing it up. Get that upper body strength.
Neblix: Soreness is not NECESSARILY an indicator that you're training too hard / not hard enough. These days I don't get as sore as I used to. Of course you do want to be challenging yourself in each session (otherwise, you won't benefit nearly as much) but just because you're not sore doesn't mean you're not working hard.
What's your routine like?
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Haha yes, seconded. I didn't take any good 'before' pics and that makes me sad
BTW weight update: last month I was at 178.2, currently at 173.2. Though some of that might be dehydration due to the heat being on now... but hey, I weighed that two days in a row so it must be true! I am really looking forward to going to MAGfest with, essentially, a new body
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You know you love it.
Here's a walkthrough video!
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By now you may have heard of the game Dungeonmans, the heroic 2D roguelike currently available on Steam Early Access. It was Kickstarted last year, Greenlit, and now it's slated for official release this December.
You can read more about the game at the other OCR thread, or check it out on Steam.
I've had the pleasure of writing ALL the music for the game - over 60 minutes in total - as well as designing all the SFX. The score is inspired by some of our favorite game soundtracks like Final Fantasy Tactics, Suikoden II, and Final Fantasy 12, among others. I can say without hesitation I am more proud of this soundtrack than any other I've done yet.
Now, I'm inviting everyone to remix and arrange the soundtrack and maybe win something in the process! Here's how it works.
Rules
2. Listen through and pick one or more tracks you like, and arrange them however you want. Transcribe it, or use the original audio, or add vocals... be as creative as you want. Take it in a new direction, or just do an awesome cover. It's up to you!
3. Finish your remix(es) by November 15th and send them to me via email - aaversa (at) gmail (dot) com, with the subject line "Dungeonmans Remix". Include MP3 + WAV. You can also post your mixes in this thread.
4. Everyone who enters will have a shot at getting on the bonus remix disc of the soundtrack. Anyone who is invited to be on the bonus disc will also have the right to SELL their remix and keep 100% for themselves.
5. The people who make our top three favorite remixes will each get to pick any TWO Impact Soundworks libraries of their choice.
FAQ
How do you decide which remixes get invited to the soundtrack, and who gets the prizes?
Jim Shepard (the developer) and I will listen to everything and select the tracks that are fun, creative, and well-executed. This isn't an OCR submission - you can be very close to the original or sample the audio extensively. What ultimately matters is the end result. That could be an awesome heavy metal cover of the final boss theme, or an interpretive solo piano arrangement. There's no strict guideline, and if ALL the music is good, then we'll invite everyone!
Can I make more than one remix?
Yes.
Is there a limit or restriction on length?
Please keep your remix under 10 minutes.
Can I submit my remix to OCR?
Yes! In fact, ideally, I think it would be cool to have a bunch of Dungeonmans remixes posted when the game launches. Of course, that's up to Dave.
Can I post my remix on SoundCloud, YouTube, etc?
Yes, once the game is released, and provided you credit me as the original composer and link to the game.
Can I sell my remix?
Yes, if you're invited to the soundtrack. Otherwise, you can share it for free.
Will you be selling my remix?
If you're invited to the soundtrack, your remix will be included as a BONUS DOWNLOAD to purchasers of the soundtrack. Also, the entire disc will be provided for free - streaming & download - to everyone. The tracks will NOT be sold individually.
Will I get any royalties?
No, but that's because the bonus disc will be available for free. While people who buy the full soundtrack will get a copy, they don't NEED to buy the soundtrack to get it. As the name suggests, it's a bonus! On the other hand, if you're on the bonus disc, YOU can sell the remix through whatever channels you want - iTunes, Bandcamp, Amazon, knock yourself out and keep 100%.
Deadline
Please email your tracks by November 15.
RESULTS
Well, I'm pleased to announce that we loved ALL the remixes and they will ALL be on the Dungeonmans remix album! The album will be available on OCR on December 16th, at which point you'll be able to hear all fourteen mixes. Besides the contest entries you'll also hear works by artists like Inverse Phase, McVaffe, Joshua Morse, Willrock, Dj CUTMAN and XPRTNovice, who created their own spins on the soundtrack.
So, if you entered the contest, THANK YOU and feel free to sell your mix with my blessing.
As for our top three picks from the contest entrants... it was a tricky choice, but the winning mixers are Sir J, Timaeus222 and Ivan Hakštok! Congrats guys! Please email me and let me know your library picks.
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I don't do kick tuning because if you have a changing bassline, it won't sound good. I prefer kicks that don't really have a strong 'pitch' but more of a bassy thump and a nice midrange click. Of course, most all kicks DO have some kind of pitch, but ideally (IMO) it should be in the <30hz range with most of the transient being a sweep down to that final point. I DO tune snares and hihats a bit to get them to sound brighter or darker/thicker, but not to actually get them in tune with my song.
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Hey man, thank you for the kind words. The days of #soundtempest seem so long ago, but will never be forgotten
When I first got to OCR, I looked up to remixers like McVaffe who at the time seemed so far ahead of me, and that was a big inspiration. I had plenty of rejections myself. I'm just glad that in the same way I was inspired by other remixers, I've been able to inspire and motivate you. Couldn't ask for more -
New squat PR 300x6
New deadlift PR 200x8 (I'm still new to deadlifting)
No new bench PR
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The hits just keep on coming! If you're in the market for a new, deep ethnic instrument for your collection, you might enjoy the newest ISW library. I did not have the pleasure of producing this one but I'm very very happy to have it under our umbrella of world sounds.
Product Page - Plectra Series 4: Turkish OudIn 2012 we unveiled the first of our Plectra Series instruments, the 8-string acoustic bouzouki. This Kontakt library, produced by Dimitris Plagiannis, has become one of our most popular products and set a new standard for depth, playability, and realism in non-Western sampled instruments. We're now delighted to announce a new library produced by Dimitris, Plectra Series 4: Turkish Oud, available NOW!
Background
The history of the oud (sometimes spelled ud or 'ud) extends back to antiquity, having been referenced in writings over a thousand (!) years old. It is a fretless, stringed acoustic instrument that has been used in both Middle Eastern and European music for many centuries, and is now played all over the world. The instrument we sampled for this library is a custom-made, double soundboard Turkish oud by master craftsman Faruk Türünz. The instrument was performed by Stelios Varveris and recorded using pristine Neumann and AKG mics through an SSL console in a treated studio room.
The Library
To achieve the goal of creating the best oud library possible, Plectra Series 4: Turkish Oud was recorded using an impeccably crafted instrument, with the best recording gear, in a top-notch studio, by a virtuosic player. Now that the instrument is almost done, it is not hyperbole to say that Plectra Series 4 is the most deeply-sampled, best-sounding virtual oud - period.
With over 3,800+ WAV samples, true legato, and meticulous RR+dynamic layers, no details were spared in the recording process. Much like the 8-string acoustic bouzouki, our oud is very easy to play. No keyswitches or MIDI CCs beyond the modwheel are necessary to achieve very realistic performances. With the built-in UI, you can use either Western tuning, preset microtuning (non-Western) scales OR create your own tuning/scales.
Feature List
* 6 course / 11 string fretless Turkish oud w/ 3,800+ detailed 24bit WAV samples
* All notes on all strings sampled + triggered via intelligent positioning script
* Sustain (up/down picks), hammer-on/pull-off articulations
* Glissando and tremolo articulations
* Two microphones for top + body with independent mix controls
* Elegant user interface with easy & straightforward playability
* Advanced tweaking options for position/finger + string behavior
* Powerful microtuning script for authentic non-Western music + performances
* Chords patch with major, minor + fifth chords
* Built-in EQ, compressor & reverb controls
Demos
https://soundcloud.com/isworks/sets/plectra-series-4-turkish-oud/
Price & Release
Release Date: AVAILABLE NOW, click here!
Price: $99 intro / $119 MSRP
Library Page / Purchase
http://impactsoundworks.com/products/world/plectra-series-4-turkish-oud/
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I hesitate to use the term 'real professional', since it's so nebulous, but it is probably most apt here... real professionals don't care one way or the other. The only thing that matters is the end result. Whether you're using loops, phrases, presets, etc. is just unimportant. There are plenty of composers (particularly for TV) that rely on premade phrases and the Lost TV show theme is famously a single sound from Atmosphere. So, put any concerns about professional elitism out of your head - such worry is misplaced.
With that being said, there are perfectly legitimate discussions to be had about how PLAY functions vs. Kontakt for example, and whether a $200-300 phrase-only library is worth your hard-earned money compared to one that is far more versatile. When people say PLAY sucks it's not because of elitism (Hollywood Strings debuted at nearly $1600, that's pretty 'elite') but because so many people have trouble with it and they're frustrated that improvement on the software side has been so slow.
On the other hand, Kontakt - for MOST people - is a way more reliable platform with superior tweaking/editing controls, more efficient CPU/memory allocation, and better stability. But YMMV. Likewise if you want to get a phrase library, knock yourself out. I think they're very useful tools that fit well into any setup. I just wouldn't use them exclusively because I would have a harder time realizing full melodies, chord progressions and so forth.
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Ahh no wonder. You weigh more than me but you're about 5x as ripped, haha. I'm at 175.2 right now but 5'9 so I'm still kinda fat. Very very nice progress though, grats!
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Wow that back progress is insane!! How tall are you?
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Do imgur, it's easier.
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Makes sense to me. I'd ideally like to have EVERYTHING streaming-friendly and just have a general policy note on one page.
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Orchestral sampling is expensive... seconded :[ Someone.... should do a good job creating a $200-300 library....
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New personal records at the gym today!!! So happy, especially considering I've been cutting for ~150 days now.
* Bench press: 6 reps @ 180
* Squat: 6 reps @ 280
* Deadlift: 8 reps @ 190 (first time doing them, so PR by default
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Calm down folks, no need to get hostile.
I feel like I should figure out what their budget is, but then again they could be buttheads and lowball me and claim a lower budget than they actually have which would then leave me undercharging if I based my flat rate off their "budget". That is, if they have an established budget. Some people (like YouTubers) simply want music and they often don't really have a game plan together, which is usual for YouTubing, from experience. Ha.Well, this is a good point. It's very hard to figure out what a project's budget is. You can try to figure it out using a few criteria like...
* Has the company released any other games? Do they seem successful? (i.e. lots of Facebook likes, YouTube video views, ratings in the app store)
* Are they releasing simple flash/mobile games or console/boxed titles?
* Are they greenlit?
* Is there a kickstarter or other crowdfunding involved?
* Does the team have any prior credits or are they just a group of internet friends?
Keep in mind that no matter what rate you quote, keeping the rights to your music is important. If a developer wants to do a "buyout" or work-for-hire deal, than you need to charge significantly more, as you have no way of monetizing that music going forward.
Another consideration is the amount of music. If you're only writing one minute of music, you might want to charge your full rate, whereas if you're being contracted for 60 minutes, you can (and probably should) expect a lower per-minute rate since the project itself will be more lucrative overall.
So, with all that in mind....
I would personally recommend NEVER accepting buyout for less than $300 per minute of music, UNLESS you're doing a larger volume of music, and/or getting some sort of backend or other compensation. That is a rule of thumb. If an indie developer wants to OWN your music, they need to pay, period. But they don't *need* to own your music.
If you're just starting out, $100-200/track is a fine place to begin for a non-exclusive thing. This assumes you retain the right to sell the soundtrack yourself and earn some extra money.
If they can't afford your standard rate (let's say, $150/track, or $75/min, or whatever) you should absolutely ask for backend royalties. ~10-15% is a good number. If they're doing a Kickstarter or other crowdfunding, same deal.
To put it in perspective, the 'base rate' I have in my head for my own work is $375/min. For an AAA project I would ask more. For indie projects, I still list that rate, but I rarely get paid that much because they usually don't have a budget like that. Instead I might accept $100 or $150/min and negotiate royalties instead.
Another option you can offer to devs with low budget is licensing. You could write them a little bit of custom music, and then let them license something you've already written for $50, $75, $100, $150, etc. That is competitive with music libraries and you're still getting credit.
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I read and thoroughly enjoyed the selection by Pinker. I have no objections!
Not to derail too much further, and don't have a lot of free time at the moment after reading that excerpt, but I DO agree with what Paglia is saying about how you can't legislate away the difference in sexes... the evolutionary biology stuff... all good. And there is definitely a line between victim-blaming and common sense advice as we talked about earlier in this thread.
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Again I take issue with her first point, that modern feminism's dramatizing of the prevalence of rape is somehow making women more vulnerable. This is JUST as speculative and baseless an argument as the one you've been arguing against consistently here, Dave (tropes of women in games causes societal views on / behavior toward women to change). You persuasively made the point that you can't just say something like that without data to back it up.
Likewise, the author can't make these wild statements about how feminism is making women more vulnerable without backing those statements up. In my opinion, it makes far more logical sense - and describes human behavior better - to speculate that IF women are MORE afraid of being raped, i.e. if they think rape is far more likely to occur than it actually is, then they would be MORE careful, cautious, aware, etc.
I understand why you like her thoughts on evolutionary biology and the difference between sexes being rooted in biology, since you've talked about that at great length here. But in the context of her argument, it doesn't make a lot of sense.
She keeps talking about how modern feminism is misleading women... she talks about the good old days, small towns, small villages, how the old double standard protected women, etc etc. But this is all baseless, factless, purely emotional, speculative bullshit. It's the kind of argument-from-emotion that I'm REALLY surprised to see you supporting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_statistics#mediaviewer/File:Rapes_per_1000_people_1973-2003.jpg
According to the DoJ, the rape rate has significantly declined over time. That flies in the face of all of Paglia's points about how women were more protected before, and how modern feminism has made them more vulnerable. And if we are to believe that modern feminism is causing rapes to be over-reported or the statistics to be overblown, inflated, etc., then the ACTUAL stats make her argument look even worse.
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On a side note I found that article offensively stupid, but not really for the parts you quoted... those were probably the most reasonable bits in the whole thing. The stuff about how the "majority" of campus rape is false (source?), and how the definition of rape being 'diluted' (how?) makes women more vulnerable to abduction & murder (why?) - a crime that is almost impossibly rare on college campuses... makes my head hurt.
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Yes count me as interested as well! And I'm excited to see what PRs you get, OA; it's been over 140 days of cutting for me... I must bulk vicariously through you.
Speaking of cutting, last update I posted I was at 181.8. Now I'm at 176 pounds and still dropping (though 176 has been a tricky plateau). I'm also ecstatic that size 36 pants are way too big for me now. I'm easily a size 34 - for the first time in my adult life - and even with that I need a belt.
Other fun news: I came in 1st place in the mixed doubles tournament at my local badminton club. Last year I came in 15 out of 16 so I'm very happy about that. I attribute it partially to improvements in general skill, hand-eye etc, but mainly to way better conditioning.
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Just checked Google Maps... 10 hours is driving distance?! I swear, anything more than like 45 minutes is too much for me... grats on the move though!
Tropes vs. Women / #GamerGate Conspiracies
in General Discussion
Posted
I'm aware of issues like that, but I was responding specifically to what Brandon said - that ARTICLES have been posted in the last few weeks that demonstrate corruption in games journalism. That's what I want to hear about. I actually agree 100% that there are tons of issues with games journalism, mainly having to do with big publishers/developers. But I'm interested in hearing specific examples of ARTICLES that have been posted recently, since that is what was said.