Panickd wrote on Mar 6, 2013, 11:13:

siapnar wrote on Mar 6, 2013, 11:04:
Also, I play BF3 all the time and never encounter hackers. If I do, they don't have an effect on my enjoyment, since it's not all that noticable. Or maybe I play on great servers.

I was once killed by knife while driving a tank. Yes hackers exist in the game, yes DICE sucks at anti-cheat technology and relies on even suckier third party technology and no, they don't give a shit since every single time I have ever seen anyone reported for hacking the most that happens is their stats get reset, which only makes them want to cheat more to get their stats back up. That being said, the game is old and most of the hackers have moved on to grief in newer games now so you don't encounter them as much anymore. But when the game was new it was a nightly battle to find a server without some asshat ruining the game for everyone.

On to 2143: given EA's new "we're going to monetize the shit out of every possible thing" business model, I don't think a Battlefield 2143 game would turn out all that great. In fact, quite the opposite.

Beamer wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 16:10:

RollinThundr wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 16:03:

Beamer wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 16:00:
Wanting all my games in one place isn't a reason to hate Origin, but certainly a pretty valid reason not to use it.

As someone that uses precisely 0 of Steam's social features, it's the one that matters most to me. You get so used to seeing that list. It makes it easy to figure out what you want to play next (idea for Valve: let us order games by priority, so I don't have to scroll through every Alien Shooter game to get to the ones I forgot I bought 5 years ago but really want to play!)

Honestly, clicking play via steam or Orgin or a desktop shortcut really matters that much? I guess I'm just not as anal as some of you guys. Though then again I like console games too so I prolly don't fit into the PC Master Race level of elitism to begin with.

Steam is always open on my PC. It's there. It's convenient.

So yeah, it is a bit of a hassle to have a second option. Switching costs are more real than you think.

Beamer wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 16:00:
Wanting all my games in one place isn't a reason to hate Origin, but certainly a pretty valid reason not to use it.

As someone that uses precisely 0 of Steam's social features, it's the one that matters most to me. You get so used to seeing that list. It makes it easy to figure out what you want to play next (idea for Valve: let us order games by priority, so I don't have to scroll through every Alien Shooter game to get to the ones I forgot I bought 5 years ago but really want to play!)

Creston wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 15:02:
Verno, will you please stop engaging the troll? How much more evidence does he have to provide that he's a troll? He literally repeats the exact same fucking thing over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. Stop giving him the satisfaction. Save yourself the 5 minutes and do something cool with it, like ogle a hot secretary or something.

Creston

Darks wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 14:46:

RollinThundr wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 14:11:

Darks wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 12:58:

RollinThundr wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 12:06:

Darks wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 11:52:

vacs wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 11:44:
Maybe they will now consider selling DS3 on Steam? Idiots

That’s in in a nut shell dude. I have not and will not buy any of their games as long as Origin is a prime evil.

Put it on Steam and let people make a choice. I would love to see the statistics on this if they did a comparison to how many buy it on Steam vs. Origin.

I think EA already knows the answer to this and that’s what their afraid of.

What I don't get is why people hate so much on Origin and praise Steam in the same breath. They're the same fucking thing.

Seriously dude, do you or have you used Origin? It’s an over inflated conglomerated piece of shit. Its slow, their friends list blows. EA put little to no thought into this client. Not to mention some of the back end bullshit EA has been accused of with their client monitoring and scanning peoples pcs for info.

Jesus PC elitists are douchebags.

No dude, you have that honor all to yourself. I think it’s been stated many times why most people don’t like Origin, but I guess you need a ton of bricks dropped on you to get the point through that thick head of yours.

Verno wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 14:17:

RollinThundr wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 14:11:

Yep use both, have actually had more issues with Steam over the years than Origin/EA Downloader. To me all it is is another store front. I don't understand what's so difficult about clicking a different short cut. OH NOES I NEED MY 300+ games ALL ON STEAM! Jesus PC elitists are douchebags.

That's because you just want to rant and don't actually listen to the reasons, you do this in pretty much every EA thread now its become a forum trope

Darks wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 12:58:

RollinThundr wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 12:06:

Darks wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 11:52:

vacs wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 11:44:
Maybe they will now consider selling DS3 on Steam? Idiots

That’s in in a nut shell dude. I have not and will not buy any of their games as long as Origin is a prime evil.

Put it on Steam and let people make a choice. I would love to see the statistics on this if they did a comparison to how many buy it on Steam vs. Origin.

I think EA already knows the answer to this and that’s what their afraid of.

What I don't get is why people hate so much on Origin and praise Steam in the same breath. They're the same fucking thing.

Seriously dude, do you or have you used Origin? It’s an over inflated conglomerated piece of shit. Its slow, their friends list blows. EA put little to no thought into this client. Not to mention some of the back end bullshit EA has been accused of with their client monitoring and scanning peoples pcs for info.

Quboid wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 13:27:

Dagnamit wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 13:13:

Burrito of Peace wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 13:02:

Creston wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 12:59:
Come on, they made DE:HR and it was awesome. Give them a little faith.

Creston

You mean like the boss fights?

No. Faith is earned.

That game didn't even need boss fights. Why on earth would you switch gears in the middle of the game from, get from A to B however you want, to, your only option is to kill this guy. Ignore the boss fights, because they were from an entirely different game that sucked. They only put them in there because they thought that people would be disappointed if boss fights weren't in the game. They were wrong. I doubt they make the same mistake again.

Besides, they outsourced the boss fights.

Didn't they also make Hitman Absolution? I still haven't played more than about 30 minutes of that thanks to the save system. When you load a checkpoint, the level is reset and guards are back ... including the guard RIGHT BESIDE the checkpoint. I can't fathom what the thinking was there. I assumed it was a bug but it seems no, this is intentional.

DX:HR was excellent and the rubbish boss fights were only 50% their fault, in that they didn't make them but they should have paid more attention. I didn't like the expansion but that's a relatively minor complaint.

Axis wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 12:36:
They should keep making Star Wars games to put the final nail in Bioware's coffin.

I've said it 1000 times the last several years, the SW IP is worn and done, don't count on fanboys making it work.

Darks wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 11:52:

vacs wrote on Mar 5, 2013, 11:44:
Maybe they will now consider selling DS3 on Steam? Idiots

That’s in in a nut shell dude. I have not and will not buy any of their games as long as Origin is a prime evil.

Put it on Steam and let people make a choice. I would love to see the statistics on this if they did a comparison to how many buy it on Steam vs. Origin.

I think EA already knows the answer to this and that’s what their afraid of.

HorrorScope wrote on Mar 4, 2013, 21:23:
I'm convinced that all the BS blah blah we here and all the talks about being bankrupt have all got to do with tax evasion. They muddy the waters complaining about being taxed too much, because they know they are getting away with money murder. Gov't spends too much... divert them away from our tax evasion.

Cutter wrote on Mar 4, 2013, 20:57:

Update: Here's reaction from Sina Kahnifar, a leader of the petition effort: "I'm really glad to see the White House taking action on an issue that's clearly very important to people. As the White House said in the response, keeping unlocking legal is really 'common sense,' and I'm excited to see them recognizing this.

"This is a big victory for consumers, and I'm glad to have played a part in it. A lot of people reacted skeptically when I originally started the petition, with lots of comments to the effect of 'petitions don't do anything.' The optimist in me is really glad to have proved them wrong. The White House just showed that they really do listen, and that they're willing to take action.

"While I think this is wonderful, I think the real culprit here is Section 1201 of the DMCA, the controversial 'anti-circumvention provision.' I discussed with the White House the potential of pushing to have that provision amended or removed, and they want to continue that conversation."pdate: Here's reaction from Sina Kahnifar, a leader of the petition effort: "I'm really glad to see the White House taking action on an issue that's clearly very important to people. As the White House said in the response, keeping unlocking legal is really 'common sense,' and I'm excited to see them recognizing this."

Yeah and? Obama says lots of shit doesn't mean it's true. In fact we've seen he's a lot more talk than walk. So until they actually tke definitive action it's so much hot air there guy.

Rattlehead wrote on Mar 4, 2013, 10:44:
It wasn't a masterpiece (no game is but Ocarina of Time), but it was fun, and definitely got my $60 worth.

No I'm kidding I haven't played it yet.

Jerykk wrote on Mar 4, 2013, 02:07:

PropheT wrote on Mar 3, 2013, 23:56:

Jerykk wrote on Mar 3, 2013, 18:32:
It seems like you guys haven't read any of the reviews yet. As expected, the reviews confirm that the platforming and puzzle-solving elements have been greatly simplified and are no longer the focus of the game. Combat is now the focus, as is the case for any game that's trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Personally, I would have gone the opposite route and removed the combat entirely. Nobody ever played TR for the combat. Nobody. However, they aren't trying to appeal to fans of the series. They're trying to appeal to people who never liked the series in the first place, hence the shift in focus. These are the people giving the game the highest scores.

TR may still be a good game but a good Tomb Raider game? Not so much.

Out of curiousity, what was the last great Tomb Raider game, and why?

I get the impression that if they'd kept making more of the same there'd be a big collective "meh" going around, but instead there's people whining that it's different than a series practically everyone was bored with (but who are now suddenly huge fans of it). The combat was a fairly significant part of the other TR games, too, and I disagree that people played them just because they were really fans of pushing blocks about.

I don't think making the game into Portal minus a portal gun and sci-fi elements would have made for something worth playing. Given that current technology allows for nothing much newer than align the blocks, re-order the runes, direct the ray of light, or raise/lower the water puzzles, that doesn't even sound fun. When was the last time you saw a really original puzzle in a video game other than Portal and what its gun allows, and why would you want an entire game made out of them?

The last great TR was Anniversary, though Underworld was pretty good too. They both had some really great level design and puzzles. Lots of huge, complex rooms where you had to figure out where to go, how to get there and then have the skill to actually pull it off. The greater the difficulty, the more interesting the challenge. Overcoming these challenges required both intelligence and dexterity and provided a great sense of accomplishment. That is the core appeal of the franchise and why millions of fans enjoyed it. Said fans would be happy about a new TR that improves and expands upon on the core strengths of the series, as all sequels or reboots should do. Taking away what fans loved about the series is the exact opposite of what they should do.

Out of curiosity, what was the last TR you played? What was the last TR you enjoyed? Do you even like puzzle-platformers aside from Portal?

I don't think making the game into Portal minus a portal gun and sci-fi elements would have made for something worth playing.

Do you think Portal 3 would be great if they significantly reduced the amount of puzzles and platforming and put a far greater emphasis on shooting dudes? If not, you should understand why TR fans take issue with the new game. If you still don't understand, imagine that a sequel to your favorite game is released. Now imagine that the sequel removes and/or dumbs down everything you enjoyed about the first game.

Also, for what it's worth, Underworld sold over a million units, so obviously there are still people who enjoy the traditional TR formula.

Jivaro wrote on Mar 3, 2013, 15:22:

RollinThundr wrote on Mar 3, 2013, 14:34:

PHJF wrote on Mar 3, 2013, 14:32:

Fantastic Tombr Raider game, with a pinch of Uncharted.

Excuse me? Wasn't that "Fantastic Uncharted game, with a pinch of Tomb Raider"?

So you've played it already and know it's all gun fights? From what I've seen of the game, there's more to it than just shooting everything that moves.

Personally I think it's about time a TR game has combat in it that didn't feel like an afterthought during development.

This. I am not saying PHJF is wrong, I haven't played it yet either, but for all we know the marketing team wants the mainstream to compare the game to a highly awarded and recognizable franchise like Uncharted and thus focuses on those aspects with the marketing. The full game itself may not be as similar as they are presenting it. That may or may not be a good thing. I mean, I love the Uncharted games but only because they aren't as QTE based as the marketing videos make them out to be. If they were they would be boring.

When I watch the videos of TR I definitely see Uncharted presentation and gameplay elements, but I see elements of many other games as well. I am hoping that doesn't make it into a boring game with a lack of identity, but time will tell I suppose. First game I have pre-ordered in 5 months. Sometimes my "want" of a game to be good just overrides my common sense. You would think I would have learned my lesson about pre-ordering any mainstream title by now. :/

HorrorScope wrote on Mar 2, 2013, 13:59:

Creston wrote on Mar 2, 2013, 11:49:

HorrorScope wrote on Mar 2, 2013, 11:13:
If EA is so right about micro-transactions, why can't the company make a profit? To some, their consistent losses would state they are wrong all the time about something, reminded every quarter of that to.

I work at a large company to, I'd shutter to think what we would be slashing if we actually lost a lot of money instead of made a lot. We're already squeezed and making more profit per quarter than ever.

How do companies stay in business losing 10's, 100's of millions a quarter? There are quite a number of them, I never really got it. Do they just pile up debt like countries? JCP lost 427 million last quarter, that is probably like 10 years worth of profits in good times for them, so why even bother? GM rec'd like 20 billion a couple years ago, how can your books be that far off without lying for decades about your financials?

They just lose money on paper. They don't actually lose money, they would have been out of busy for a long time by now. No company the size of EA can lose money for ten years straight and still keep running. (You can if you get REALLY big, like GM. GM CAN do so, because they just cry for more money when it runs out. American Airlines is exactly the same.)

It's called Creative Accounting, or "Arthur Andersen 101." By not making a profit, they don't have to pay taxes, AND they don't have to pay dividends.

Realistically the IRS should do something about this kind of horseshit, but the government gets too much grease money to make corporations pay their fair share. Much easier to tax the average citizen more to make up for the difference.

Creston

Now I won't say you are wrong at all, because bottom line I do not know if it's a paper loss or not and your beliefs are not all that uncommon. But then we don't want to hear from others in rainbow land:
Since their public they have to report accurate financials.

Because what you are saying is not only are they not, it's not even close. Instead of hundreds of million in losses (approaching a billion) it's actually making money. I mean really if that is true there has to be an investigation. As Marv from Sin City would say "that's a whopper". Sarbanes oxley right out the window along with another 1/2 dozen laws.

And if true, who in their right mind would own their stock? You own stock in a company that wants to lose money aka it's not going to produce the results you want. Are you that stupid?

All these mofo republican ran corporations and their tax whining aren't even paying their taxes any way, that is why we are bankrupt. Over spending is but just a smaller part of the issue, that spending was budgeted/planned for by everyone paying their share, fair or not. When they don't pay their taxes this isn't gov't over-spending it is tax evasion. My how we spin our webs.

Creston wrote on Mar 3, 2013, 14:01:

wtf_man wrote on Mar 3, 2013, 11:05:
Personally, I think he's washed up after Ultima IX and Tabula Rasa... but maybe he can do something better as an indie... we'll just have to see.

Ultima IX wasn't really his fault. EA had bought them, and EA put Ed DiCastillo (I think that's what he was called. Something similar) on as senior producer. Ed's previous claim to fame had been producing Command and Conquer. Because apparently, in EA's world, if you make an RTS, that makes you the PERFECT guy to helm the next installment of the world's most favorite running RPG series.

I was heavily involved on Origin's own forum in those days, and the howls of outrage when Ed famously said "Ultima is not about baking bread!" were pretty incredible. To the point where he actually quickly backtracked and said that baking bread would be in the game. It was clear he didn't really get what the whole point was. (which was that Britannia was a living, breathing world, and the Avatar simply existed in that world and tried to right its wrongs. He obviously believed Britannia was just a map for the Avatar to do fucking jumping puzzles on.)

But yeah, Tabula Rasa was terrible. TERRIBLE.

Who knows. I think he may still be capable of making an interesting RPG, but it's just as possible that he's truly just done.

Creston

PHJF wrote on Mar 3, 2013, 14:32:

Fantastic Tombr Raider game, with a pinch of Uncharted.

Excuse me? Wasn't that "Fantastic Uncharted game, with a pinch of Tomb Raider"?

Flatline wrote on Mar 1, 2013, 14:53:

RollinThundr wrote on Mar 1, 2013, 13:32:
I mean hell Obama can't even man up and take responsibility on a sequester HE asked for, you honestly expect him to make appropriate choices when it comes to gun violence?

John Boehner on the Sequestration saying "I got 98 percent of what I wanted" courtesy of a CBS interview:

http://tinyurl.com/blqrjwl

If we're going to blame Obama for not manning up, can we blame Boehner too for trying to change history?