CJ_Parker wrote on Mar 20, 2018, 13:33:

Prez wrote on Mar 20, 2018, 10:18:
I don't mind using Uplay and Origin as well as Steam. It's the Windows Store that I have a problem with.

^ this

After the GFWL debacle MS can go and fuck themselves. They can also go and shove anything named 'Xbox' up their asses. I'm a PC gamer. I do not want Xbox shit on my PC.
First thing I did after the free upgrade, I have uninstalled the Windows store and also everything that is named Xbox from my system (game bar and all that retarded shit no one needs) and it will stay that way. Fuck Spycroshit!

Also lol @ this game. It's 2018. This game visually and technically looks like a MMO clone that should have come out 15 - 20 years ago when MMOs were still a thing. Fuck this garbage. Typical MS tho... totally inept to produce anything even remotely interesting.

You're very intelligent and clever. You must be popular here.

Flatline wrote on Mar 12, 2018, 18:10:

Prez wrote on Mar 12, 2018, 15:31:

Cutter wrote on Mar 12, 2018, 15:18:
It depends on the activism, Prez. All the PC clicktivism and outrage today is not only stupid, it's dangerous. The far left is only fostering the far right. They're th

eir own worst enemy. Just look at the recent German and Italian elections. And that's unfolding all over the globe. But there's plenty of good and necessary activism too.

You're example is spot on. I also admit their are causes worth fighting for. I just see no value in activism of any kind. Unless there is a figure head, a true leader. One who is respected and charismatic enough for his or her followers to actually heed what they say. And at that point, said person becomes a general in a revolution. Your run-of-the-mill activist is now a soldier, marching to the orders of the leader. There's actual direction. The body acts as one. That's how things get done. Any movement that lacks a defined and strong leader or leaders is going nowhere at best, or making things worse at worst, exactly as you illustrate in your example.. Today's movements, every single one of them, bare that out completely in my view.

So specific case in point that doesn't fit what you're saying. I'd point to gay marriage rights in the US circa 2010-2011. There was no one single charismatic leader leading that fight but in the span of about 18 months the entire political landscape shifted significantly and then was followed up with Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015 (it seems like a lot longer ago).

If I had to point to any one thing kicking off that 18 month timespan I'd probably put it on Biden going off the reservation in an interview and stating on the record he was in favor of anyone being able to marry anyone, and the Obama administration deciding not to hang him out to dry. It didn't influence Obergefell v. Hodges but that seemed to be a cultural cracking point.

The #metoo thing seems to have legs too. That doesn't have a leader per se, but more of a poster boy for everything the concept is against. Time will tell if it impacts the industry.

I do absolutely agree that coordination and an agreement of goals by different groups that might not otherwise come together are necessary to invoke change, and that with a charismatic leader or a handful of them that it's easier to bridge those gaps and get past the narcissism of small differences, but I don't think it's necessarily mandatory.

The dude literally said "I just see no value in activism of any kind."

Time to start slowly backing away and just let him enjoy his life that where nothing needs fixing anywhere by anyone.

You literally could not find a better example of a wasted effort than to try to convince him off the value of trying to make things better.

Just pity his loved ones and go on with your day.

jdreyer wrote on Mar 10, 2018, 19:32:

Cutter wrote on Mar 10, 2018, 12:23:

People aged 18 are considered adults "for almost all purposes and certainly for the purposes of the exercise of fundamental constitutional rights", the lawsuit says.

So buying assault rifles? Fine. Buying a beer? No. Yeah. Ok. *insert Twilight Zone theme music here*

Can't rent a car until you're 25.

Yeah... it's almost like they said "ALMOST all purposes"

But, since two exceptions exist, obviously, no matter how many examples one can come up with confirming that 18 years is the age in which people get ALMOST all adult rights and responsibilities, it means that the generalization is utterly false.

But yes... society definitely doesn't treat young adults as actual full-on adults. Frankly... they shouldn't. The fully-mature 18-25 year old is the incredibly rare exception.

Also, certain political offices have an age requirement, such as 35 for the President.

Cutter wrote on Mar 10, 2018, 19:07:
I will never buy into the desensitization BS. Point in fact we see a direct correlation in the opposite effect. That with the rise and availability of violent games and porn we see less actual violent and sex crimes in society. Gee, it's almost like allowing people to blow off virtual steam they're less frustrated and need to act out IRL.

Well said, I wish you were more consistent with legitimate points.

edaciousx wrote on Mar 10, 2018, 17:56:

Cutter wrote on Mar 10, 2018, 11:51:
Next time I go to the US I'm going to go to a gun range and try a whole host of weapons because I should be a world-class shootist by now if video games are the problem. Hell, get my cardio up and I should be able to easily win gold in the next Olympics for biathalon. You know, 'cause that's how easily video games translate into real life. And given how much I play 4X games I should also be a major captain of industry and be able to design cities and nations from the ground up without breaking a sweat.

i just started buying guns and shooting irl. the games that are more realistic actually has taught me some about holding guns, reloading, and shooting irl. still it's pretty different though but there's similarities.

you definitely should go to a gun range next time you're in the states.

Congrats on being the only intelligent comment, aside from the HM off densenitivity.

Yes, games do desensitize SOME of us.

I've been playing shooting games for over thirty years now, and I still get upset when I hear of violence or see a displayed gun in a courtroom or bar or school or Wal-Mart or anywhere. Cuz guns make people instantly more deadly.

There are plenty of psychological benefits to violence in games and plenty of problems, just like any other medium.

The problem with this debate is the claim that games have NO positive benefit to someone planning a gun-related crime.

That's f*cking stupid.

A game can be a tool just like anything else.

Want to tell me that well-programmed AI with a properly built map mod won't help a bank robber training in a VR headset? That's stupid. It helps just as much as a case-designed obstacle course on a paintball range.

It ain't perfect, but there's a reason a lot of training is done in simulators, and some videogames have the potential to be really decent simulators.

And go ahead and tell be that World Of Guns: Gun Disassembly has no benefit to criminals or future criminals who see guns as tools for their crimes.

That being said, they WON'T make people shooters. They WILL help those who already are and who want to be.

... just like certain books and TV shows and manuals to can buy or consume with LESS difficulty than you can currently consume videogames about guns.

The problem is the guns themselves. They make killing INCREDIBLY easy. Anyone who disagrees has their head up their ass.

And I still don't know why the discussion is on crime and murder and accidents.

Literally over half of the gun deaths are from suicides. Suicides dwarf all gun deaths combined. And just like murder, suicide is made MUCH easier and MUCH more likely with guns. The success stats for suicide are incredibly way to convey.


Let's say sometime attempted suicide.
Was the method guns? If so, they're almost definitely dead. Was it something other than guns? They're quite likely still alive and most likely NOT going to try again.

If that ain't tragic, I don't know what is.

Full disclosure: I have NOT been witness to or involved in or suffered from a gun-related suicide attempt, successful or not. So there's no personal bias here, just disgust with ignorance, willful or not.

bigspender wrote on Mar 7, 2018, 00:17:

Red886 wrote on Mar 6, 2018, 23:52:
i don't get how single #metoo activists will ever get a bf, unless they consider the only way for courtship and pickups is when the female initiates it.

#metoomens

Um no, you just have to learn how to pick up women without sexually harassing them, verbally or physically. Why is that such a hard concept for people to understand?

All you have to do is read his post history and you'll realize two things:

1) He won't learn, in large part because he has no interest.
2) Women are better off if he continues to overtly signal his character. We all are.

https://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=userinfo&user=58299

I don't think that they realized that marketing as FIRST and JUST FOR GAMERS would result in one of the most contrarian-natured groups calling them out on marketing BS.

VaranDragon wrote on Feb 7, 2018, 17:20:

RedEye9 wrote on Feb 7, 2018, 11:55:
Paradox was much better than I expected.
Altered Carbon, on the other hand, blew me away.

You must have pretty low standards. Don't get me wrong AC is decent. Great art direction and world building, but I get the feeling it could have been much more. Just finished my second episode, and already have some peeves. The dialogue is stilted for the most part, the acting kind of wooden on the part of the lead. Oh and the latino supermodel detective? God....she is cringeworthy. Other than that the story seems like its going somewhere and as I already mentioned the worldbuilding is very well done.

Still not nearly as good as The Expanse, which is how Sci-Fi noir should be done, but its gonna be hard to top that anyway.

Yeah AC was a mediocre delivery of really interesting ideas. I had to switch my brain to Noir mode to accept all the comically over-the-top scenery-chewing moments (I was watching it w/ a friend who was suspicious that I had seen the show already cuz I kept saying stuff at the same time as the characters... no... sorry... it's just THAT predictable) that happen during the blindingly in-your-face exposition moments in the first three or four episodes. I almost expected the characters to turn to the camera and say "just so you know" after they announced things that weren't organically integrated at all.

Interestingly, I watched CP after the first few episodes of AC and the setup to CP is incredibly well-done exposition. The discussions feel natural and normal. In AC, you feel like everyone should say "as you already know but the audience doesn't know" after every fourth sentence. It's exhausting.

As for this syncing... um... maybe everyone else's standards are low, like RedEye's, but... um... okay, neat, but it's not THAT impressive. I'm from an era where you could put on four albums at the exact same time and they were meant to be listened together (Lips ya'll!). That's depth.

If the movies were done in 100% realtime, which CP certainly isn't, that'd be different... but...

"Please try not to compare the game to some other finished game or some idealised version you have in your head... Think of it more like we're leaving Prototyping and entering Alpha."

Just... Wow

Tipsy McStagger wrote on Jan 8, 2018, 12:20:

Creston wrote on Jan 8, 2018, 12:13:
Big Fucking Gaming Display.

I don't imagine too many people have a PC setup where a 65 inch screen is all that useful...

That where you're wrong friend, I play on my 70" TV and have been waiting for something like this.

And since you are the "many people" he refers to...

CES secret? Um... by secret do they mean "completely obvious fact that no one needs to say because it's so obvious"?

CES is basically a tech trade show. Pointing out that most things don't make it is like pointing out that concept cars at auto shows rarely make it out to the roads...

It might just be my overriding cynicism, but why did people ever ACTUALLY believe Silicon Valley was any different? Just because a turd looks unusual doesn't mean it's not a turd...

Creston wrote on Dec 14, 2017, 11:22:
I take it you're not aware the guy actually MADE the Battle Royale theme. So he has some legitimacy here. Even so, he still just comes off as a whiner.

There's a reason you said "Battle Royale theme" and not "PUBG theme"...

Cuz it's an already long-established idea. He didn't come up with anything except the specific combo of already-existing ideas.

I played mods just like it nearly 20 years ago.

Even though he's a complete "insert insult here", Parker's completely right.

Darks - Wanna know why Bungie and EA and Activision and Ubi and the like "still [don't] get it"? It's because they've been doing this for 25 years and they've been getting away with it for 24.5 years.

The negative response and, more importantly, LACK OF PURCHASING that is accompanying these negative responses is an aberration. We grognards have been complaining about this for decades. Literally. Youngins are just now realizing the obvious.

There's no reason for them to change because there's no actual negative consequence... YET... for their actions.

And before someone throws out that idiotics "EA stock is down" crap... that's for this month. Please look at their stock for the year. If I was immoral enough to invest in immoral companies for a profit on the stock market, EA would be near the top of the list, because idiots still pay good money for their horrible games.

Impressive conflation going on here.

Wesp5 wrote on Nov 30, 2017, 06:29:
So no one wants a linear single-player game anymore? Does anyone have numbers on how well the Doom and Wolfenstein remakes did? Because they were classical linear single-player shooters!

Might wanna check the definition of classical. Most of the original 3D shooters weren't remotely linear, you can think CoD and consoler shooters for linearity becoming the standard.

"down 8.5 percent month to date"

Um... yes... and up 1% in the past 5 days, down maybe 5% since the beta started, and up nearly 1% since the release of SW:BF2. It's almost as if they cherry-picked the time period to make it look relevant... I'm a passionate EA-hater, but to draw the comparison is just silly. It's up nearly 20% on the year and up nearly 7 fold in the past half-decade.

EA's doing just fine and anyone w/ a basic ability to read stock info should know better.

Then again, this *IS* CNBC, so...

I'm a lil perplexed that the same-day (as in within 24 hours) deaths of Charles Manson, Jacob Rothschild, and Salvatore Riina wasn't even mentioned. Obviously Blues is part of the Illuminati and doesn't want to acknowledge the proof of this conspiracy!!!

NKD wrote on Nov 19, 2017, 15:47:
CD Projekt Red is such a great company, but I'm so soured on them by the constant circlejerking over them. It's just a bitter reminder that companies like that are so few now that they are literally the only example anyone can ever come up with of a game developer doing things the "right" way.

Might wanna look into Paradox (the dev studio, not the publisher, though they're not terrible).

Rhett wrote on Nov 19, 2017, 16:24:
Yeah... It's so despicably sad that gaming has been turned into a money-milking machine, and true love and dedication rarely gets poured into games anymore.

"Has been turned into"? Might wanna look up the history, or look it up again. I suggest starting with Atari in the 1970s. Don't care what happens in gaming regarding publisher greed, it *IS* just a different version of the same thing, whether you know it or not.

I love that even their apologies are condescending.

And guys, don't celebrate too soon, customers are NOT learning. What % of people do you think will still pre-order the next EA game? WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too high guys. Way too high.

You know what's the most discouraging thing about this? How long it's been blindingly obvious to anyone paying attention. EA's business model is all about the 18 month cycle. There's literally a sucker born every minute, so who cares how many people learn how crappy you are, all that matters is naive people giving them money because they ignore the press and experienced friends. Kids are some of their biggest market because they are, by nature, ignorant. My buddy's kid is a pretty awesome gamer and he was all about BF1. His dad and I warned him about it and explained that he was going to get bored quickly and that they'd continue selling stuff that SHOULD be in the game initially... and then they'd come out w/ a sequel really quickly.

Luckily... he learned quickly. He's picking up on the concept of value pretty decently. Smart kid.

BUT...

All that matters to EA is that they got the equivalent of 90 bucks or so for one boring game. Who cares that he learns... there's a new batch next year.

And then there are the stupid ones... the ones who loved Mass Effect and were surprised by Mass Effect 3's half-ass ending and buggy-ass gameplay... and loved Dragon Age: Origin and were disappointed by DA2's half-ass BS like re-using maps (and I don't mean having the game in one city, I mean actually reusing the friggin SAME map for different locations and not even bothering to hide it or cover it up) and then were shocked by how boring DA:I was, then loved The Sims 1 & 2 and were disappointed by some of the changes in The Sims 3 and were shocked by how Sims 4 was worse in numerous ways as well as the fact that, SOMEHOW, they sell 40 dollar DLC packs that were exactly the same as the previous installments, and then loved Plants vs Zombies and, weirdly enough, were upset by how EA made PvZ2 a freemium crapfest, and then were really confused by the stuff that is going on w/ SF:BF...

Don't even get me started!