Does anyone know if they ever fixed public matchmaking? The last few times I tried to play followed the same pattern

- wait for the game to load (because I feel like playing Dustbowl)
- wait for the server list to load
- click to join a server and wait to load
- finally load into the match
- select a class
- within the first spawn hear the end of match notification
- back to loading screen
- server changes map
- back to main menu (because all I wanted was a run through Dustbowl)

I've literally had that process happen three times in a row before the last time I deleted the game. After a solid 30 minutes of load screens I'd managed maybe a whole 30 seconds of in-game action in the maps I actually wanted to play.

Has Valve even managed to get remaining match time to display when populating the server list? Maybe show the amount of details they used to before the MvM / Menu update? It seems like the easiest ways to avoid that kind of load screen frustration. Last time I tried you couldn't even find out if a server was a 24/7 single map or a rotation without loading it up.

I don't want to bother reinstalling unless I know I can actually get into the matches I'm looking for. Yes I know it's infested with bots but as long as there's no spinhack brat I can deal with it.

eRe4s3r wrote on May 13, 2019, 02:15:
And either way, on FIG you are not a backer and have zero rights unless you are classified as an investor... and who is investor is not even public.

FIG is imo one of the scummiest platforms out there.

I think the main issue with Fig is that the intention is to crowdsource investors rather than just public interest and the public is just expecting it to cater to them like Kickstarter.

If I remember correctly when Harmonix tried to get Rock Band 4 ported to pc they went with Fig and to be an "investor" required a minimum $2500 contribution. Which can easily seem rude when compared to the attention any contribution gets from KS - but when you're looking for venture capital do you really want to give a voice to every nickle and dime contribution?

jacobvandy wrote on May 9, 2019, 21:21:
having spent a few hundred hours with GD already, which is also getting a new expansion soon.

Yeah, it's so soon it's been out for about six weeks now....

I'd like to see them try the same for sports cards.

It's essentially a physical loot box. You're not guaranteed a high value card in a pack even though they exist. You're not guaranteed your favourite player even though they have a card and might even be featured on the packaging.

How is it different?

You pay money. You have a random chance of getting what you actually want.

Ironic that politicians who are routinely measured by their ability to raise campaign donations as indication of their chance to win are decrying Pay to Win....

Scottish Martial Arts wrote on May 2, 2019, 22:00:
I was pretty let down by it when it came out back in '98 and I have a hard time imagining that it has aged well in the intervening 20+ years.

Thanks for the info. If it was disappointing back then, I can't imagine it aged well either.

So in addition to Battlefront all Star Wars games seem to be on sale this weekend. On that note did anyone play Rebellion back in the day? I don't ever remember even hearing about it but it's apparently a 4x / grand strategy. Kinda curious.

Steele Johnson wrote on May 1, 2019, 01:23:
I’m not sure why they don’t make games like that anymore.

It's not like they didn't try. Even specifically with Tribes (though I preferred Starsiege but whatever).

I think the main issue is the modern attitude of gamers and a weird fixation on a facade of elitism in latching onto "challenge".

It's not that a skill based shooter can't work, but it has to be accessible too. There are too many options today for anyone to tolerate having to slam their face in the wall for a week only to be told "git gud" at any suggestion to improve the on-boarding experience. To me, the clearest way to do that is to implement a better "assist" system / reward. Incentivize the elite players to help the noobs.

When Tribes:Ascend came out I tried giving some similar feedback (I was coming over as an old Starsiege player who was currently having lots of fun in TF2). I'm also educated in game design and have some experience in development (mainly casual garbage but it's still experience) so I tried to be as objective as possible. I wrote a good screen and a half of text and submitted it. I got loads of responses similar to "I stopped reading after the first line HURRR". One "valid" reply basically explaining that because I didn't think TF2 was the worst thing ever that the rest of my opinions were essentially tainted at best.

Well... you get what you give and you can only reap what you sow.

On one hand I'm surprised it hasn't been completely shut down. On the other I'm not surprised its population is apparently about 45 people give or take a dozen as of last summer.

jdreyer wrote on Apr 29, 2019, 21:48:
Burger King plans to roll out Impossible Whopper across the United States.

I laud them for rolling out a more animal and planet friendly burger, but you have to wonder who might order it. Burger King is probably the last consideration for people that eat vegan.

Total anecdote but I had a friend that I played music with about a decade ago. Nothing serious, Friday night jams after work. Right after work - so we'd routinely pick up fast food on the way to our practice space.

He ALWAYS wanted to go to BK for their veggie burger and called it the best veggie patty he'd tasted.

And A&W here in Canada came out with an impossible burger last summer that seemed rather popular. It might not change our minds / perceptions of fast food grease pits, but for younger generations they might start seeing those places as a bit more than the stereotype.

WaltC wrote on Apr 29, 2019, 12:36:
Remarkable to see such anti-science propaganda in the 21st century!

I'm just reminded of the tagline Something Awful has been using since it started 20 years ago.

The internet makes you stupid.

jdreyer wrote on Apr 29, 2019, 05:01:
Wow, these Bluetooth earbuds have 80 5 star reviews! In fact, they have no reviews below 5 stars! They must be amazing!

Strange tho. All the reviews are on April 22, without a single review before or after that date...

They're all gone now. My guess is employee bonuses were tied to reviews.

It reminds me of the indie developer I worked for a few years ago. We'd release casual crap and the CEO would encourage the staff to add their own reviews. His reviews were always a mashup of |33t speak and I can haz cheezeburgerzlololol - from a middle aged man with frosted tips and a total lack of irony. He really thought the review would be appealing to the cool kids, while releasing a product targeted at their oldest aunts.

Muscular Beaver wrote on Apr 28, 2019, 02:51:
There isnt more extreme weather.

Then please explain how its becoming more and more common every winter to get slammed with a blizzard and super cold (like -30Cish) for a couple of days. Then a complete flip to +10Cish for a couple of days and repeat all season. This is not how it was when I was a teenager. I don't need studies to know it's different when I go outside. Yes, there was temperature variance and fluctuation, but not +/- 40C every couple of days.

And I'm sure it's not fully happening everywhere and I'm sure that's great - for you. But just because you're not noticing it doesn't mean it's not happening to millions of people caught in those zones where the climate can't figure out if it's temperate, tropical, or tundra anymore.

[VG]Reagle wrote on Apr 27, 2019, 09:25:
I cannot recommend this steaming pile high enough for its unique take on a blend of walking and picking things up. It is not an easy game but I have worked harder pumping out a large log. The obstacles and challenges you face are similar to those you face during go time on the throne It's a game I tend to play when I want to just chill out and focus on taking a dump.

This should not have made me laugh as much as it did, but it did. So thanks

Creston wrote on Apr 26, 2019, 20:32:
EA and its ilk are going to keep fucking RAPING YOU because you FUCKING LET THEM.

LET???

No no no no. "Beg for the opportunity". The attitude of the kids going into college and university right now are what needs to change the most. It's their attitudes and their willingness to be seen as part of the industry that has them saying yes to terrible deals.

And every executive knows this. You don't like how it is at the company? Fine. Leave. There are at least a dozen new grads that won't just accept less than you took but will actually compete for your old role with less reward.

Acleacius wrote on Apr 26, 2019, 13:19:

panbient wrote on Apr 26, 2019, 11:44:
Hard to claim you don't owe people something when you take their money.

(will this comment be removed from here like it was from there as well? )

Yeah sure, that's one abhorrent comment. It's hard to believe it's still here.

Turns out it just took them a couple of hours to decide it was fit to post. I think I need a new 2nd game site to accompany Blues. PCGN is going the way of RPS in my eyes. Was good while it lasted.

Hard to claim you don't owe people something when you take their money.

(will this comment be removed from here like it was from there as well? )

Slush54 wrote on Apr 26, 2019, 07:45:
valve .... stealing half-life

This might be the most out of touch thing I've read on the internet since 2004.

Sacrifice wrote on Apr 22, 2019, 23:06:
This was the first thing that came to mind: http://www.zombo.com/

Glad I'm not the only one. Classic hahaha

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Funny. I typically play 'melee' characters.

I also typically stop using any sort of melee skill by the time I turn in the Medicine Chest.

50+% of the people who responded to a Reddit poll say they've quit the game is not the same as "over half the playerbase at launch has already quit the game for good"

Not even close.