sephfire
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Posts posted by sephfire
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Are you guys really getting that much negative feedback? It's a topic that needs to be addressed badly -- the only critique I have is that I found myself looking forward to the indepth episodes covering just one topic instead of a lit review episode (geez did I just type that? Grad school is killing me) that was largely to identify the problems.
Sadly so. It didn't take long for the comments on the Escapist to get hostile. It may be that we didn't explain our argument well enough.
It's definitely not going to stop us from doing those follow-up topics, though.
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I'm actually looking forward to seeing how we handle it myself. We aren't going to do these follow-up episode immediately or all in a row. They'll be spread out over future weeks. Which is probably for the best, given how much negative feedback this one has been getting.
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It wasn't so strong at first. Maybe if the number of videos made pre-Escapist were as many as they are now, it would've happened then too. Given the manner it occurred, it was probably bound to happen anyway.
Now that I give it some thought, I'd have to say the exact point my opinion changed for the worse was the moment James recommended that any indie branch producing games for a bigger company would have all their completed intellectual product given solely to the parent corporation. I understand that's how business works these days, but it's another thing to just be so branzenly uncritical about it.
It makes sense for a corporate institution to exclusively own a triple-A product, because often it would be designed by committee, with the creative process widely spread out over a large number of people. This way, even though everyone did work on it, the only own the final product as a collective, not as individuals. This is how, say, Toy Story 3 is considered a "Pixar film" rather than "a film directed Lee Unkrich," like auteur theory would state. Most video games have this given to them, like how a Zelda game is a Nintendo game, not strictly speaking a Miyamoto game. (There have only been a few exceptions to this, like Tim Schafer, Hideo Kojima, and Shigesato Itoi. They're a very small minority, as we can understand.)
However, Indie games work oppositely. They're more directly linked to the creative prowress of a smaller group of people, or sometimes even a single person. If a bigger employer is to lay absolute claim to anything the indie group makes during their work period there (even if the product is the result of years worth of experience previous to the employment), the indies would essentially be screwing themselves if they actually bothered to come up with a good idea and work on it themselves, especially if their resources are too limited.
Maybe I'm just a n00b here with no industry experience, but I instantly thought that James' idea there wouldn't work because the disincentive from good product is just too strong. I've been looking at these videos more critically ever since.
(There's something very odd about gaming this regard as whole. When I first heard about Indie Brawl, it was in the news that Pixel couldn't let them put any Cave Story material in it because it would somehow violate the WiiWare game's contract with Nintendo. Then same thing happened with La-Mulana, and they soon found out that nearly every indie Wii game was off limits, yet somehow XBLA games were still safe. It sounds like Nintendo's been shafting them like crazy. I mean, we all agree that a book is the product of its author and not it's publisher, right? What's the rationale in making video games so different?)
If it helps to put things in perspective, Portal is what it is today thanks to an indie/AAA relationship very much like the one we described.
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I too think they will fail. Optional peripherals are rarely successful (R.O.B. and Eyetoy being the exceptions)
Even if I usually prefer Nintendo's consoles, I do hope this doesn't turn into a disaster for either Sony or Microsoft. Competition is good, and can always bring something different for the table. Sega's demise was bad enough already.
I seriously doubt this could turn into a disaster of that scale for either company. But it could mean losses, which would still have an impact on the industry as a whole.
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That was one of the most fun podcasts I've ever done. Thanks for making me a part of your monstrous lives for a couple hours.
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Maybe I'm missing the point, but I think that digital download systems fix the issue pretty well. It subverts Gamestop entirely, and the lack of physical materials could possibly help with the initial price.
But then there's the whole issue of a portion of the population that "needs" to have a physical copy of the disc/cartridge...
Save for that issue, isn't it a win/win situation for consumers and developers?
When we finally get there, it will be. But I still think those days won't be here for a while yet.
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A solid rebuttal. Honestly, our specific plan is far from ironclad. But I still think the overarching principal still stands: find a DLC model that feels more like a reward for the customer than a punishment or inconvenience. More money for the game makers happier customers. Everyone wins but Gamestop.
You're right, though. Finding a feasible way to do this where customers can't find something to complain about is going to be tough.
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Dunno if anybody already mentioned this at The Escapist, but Gregson-Williams actually didn't compose the MGS theme. Tappy composed the track for the first MGS (and even he might not be the original composer).
Well yeah, but he sure as hell made it shine for that MGS3 theme.
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Also, thanks for the shout out at the end, Dan
Hey, you did help.
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Guys guys ... let's just agree to hate each other.
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At the risk of being unpopular, that looks pretty badass. I've played all four DMC games, but not one of the characters in the series has ever looked half that interesting.
And DMC 4 felt kind of stale anyway, so I'm interested in seeing a new take on the game.
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Yeah, finally worked for me. Guess they had a hiccup earlier tonight.
You totally should have used AnSo's Mass Effect 2 ReMix as the credit music though
Ooo, that would have been a good one too. Ah well, I'm sure we'll be talking Mass Effect again eventually. And given his output, there's no way AnSo won't end up in the end credits someday soon.
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Since we're on the subject of VGMix and its remixes, does anyone have the FFX-2 mix Under a Full Moon (or know where I can get it)? I know it got remixed and posted over here, but I used to have the original and I really enjoyed it in correlation to the new remix over here.
I gotcha, good buddy.
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sephire, I would recommend re-doing them. Sure it would be a lot of annoying work considering you already did it once but here are some things to consider:
1-the research was already done and you have a lecture model to follow
2-you could improve on any old/rough/rusty things you didn't like and improve upon them in the updated version.
3-you wouldn't have to break the canon of your new series; one wouldn't need to go back and watch your 'talking about these' material to see all of your material, they could get all of the finished rants in one place.
and 4-it's a gimme; because I'm sure you'll run out of stuff to talk about at SOME point.
Yeah, that's sort of what we're thinking. We've got a lot of stuff we want to cover soon, but that's the "sort of rerun, but not really" plan I had in mind.
True, there is no law saying minors can't see an R-rated movie without a parent. But the effect is the same. The entire industry adheres to the MPAA rating system and all movie theaters enforce ratings. To me, the video seemed to be saying (in part) that we shouldn't have ANY restriction on mature content for minors, because minors deserve to be able to decide for themselves. I don't believe that is right - I think the argument should have stayed focused on the legal aspect of things, not a child's right to free speech via buying things.The fact that minors might not be able to buy M rated games isn't an issue. I don't think it's the federal government's place to enforce it, but I'm totally fine with kids not buying GTA.
The real issue is that, to pass a law restricting it, they have to convince the Supreme Court that games are like a controlled substance and aren't covered by the first amendment's free speech protection from federal regulation. If the Supreme Court passes this and sets the precedent that games aren't protected, that could be disastrous for this medium.
P.S. Had fun seeing some of you guys at PAX!
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Alright. off to PAX! I'll be attending the OCR panel and moderating the "Game Writing" panel on Saturday. See you guys there!
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I am really liking that we are getting weekly eps. Hopefully you guys don't run out of things to talk about because of it, though.
If the number of questions we've seen in our inbox are any indication, I think we're going to be pretty set for a while.
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You didn't mention Eternal Darkness
That's really the only horror game I've ever played, but it was all about psychology. The graphics also hit that good balance of defined enough to recognize what we're looking at, but also vague enough to be confused and have to fill in the blanks ourselves.
Unfortunately, Eternal Darkness' graphics hit a little closer to the "Too ugly to look at" mark for me. I've tried playing it on three separate occasions, but no luck. I feel shallow, but I can't help it: the animation in that game just hurts me to look at.
It's a bummer, given how much praise the game gets. It's a rare game that is so visually lackluster that I can't look past it, but oh well.
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May I extend another congratulations towards everyone involved with Extra Credits? Well, I am right now.
This is probably not the best place to ask, but could we see an episode devoted towards the issue of Digital Distribution? I sense that we will all be forced into using it exclusively in the near future, and I'd like to see what you have to say about that.
Thanks! Yeah, I could see us doing that sort of topic. It seems like the kind of thing James would have some ideas for. Shoot us an email just to be sure James sees it.
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Yay, official show thread!
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Good enough. Welcome to North America's better half. Enjoying our multi-coloured money? Have an addiction to Tim Hortons yet?
Those things have both happened.
Also, episode is up!
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/1906-The-Future-of-MMOs
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AND you're Canadian!?
Sort of. Just moved up there last week on a work visa, so I have officially graduated to barely Canadian. Maybe after a few years I can apply for citizenship and finish the job.
But I do live like right across the street from the Canuck's stadium, so that has to count for something.
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I'm curious is to the NATURE of your position at pixar, sephfire
plz enlighten me
I'm an animator up at Pixar's new branch in Vancouver. Technically, an Apprentice Animator for the first year.
Thanks for all the kind words guys. New episode will be live in 12 hours!
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I get to go for the first time this year. And I may be sitting in on one or two of James Portnow's panels in game design.
Can't wait.
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Awesome dude! Also holy crap you are in Animation mentor as well?!
Yep, just graduated a few months ago! Didn't realize there were other AM students here. What term are you in?
Game-ending Bugs
in General Discussion
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Far Cry: Instinct
Game was awesome and played beautifully until the final boss. He was undefeatable. No matter how many times you shot him, he never died. I even turned on an invincibility cheat and emptied every bullet I had into him. No luck.
A real sour way to finish an otherwise fun game.