Baldur's Gate 3. Man, I love this game. It has returned me to Hermit ways I've not experienced in a decade. Not eating real meals, not answering the phone, not opening the curtains, not even checking the gaming news. Total addiction. I'm in my element. I'd have to go all the way back to Skyrim to recall a time I've so thoroughly isolated myself and left reality behind. It's perfect, and it's beautiful.

Blue wrote on Aug 1, 2023, 09:10:

LordSteev wrote on Aug 1, 2023, 06:08:
EA seemed to actually be on a path of (somewhat) healing itself. Hope this doesn't mean they drive the whole single-player revival van straight off a cliff.

I don't know much about the "Positive Play Group", but it sounds like PTA moms sticking their noses into something they don't really understand. I don't know what I'm talking about, but it really has a Bible School ring to me. Not going to miss it.

https://www.bluesnews.com/s/212185/ea_s-positive-play-charter

Help us help you:

• Treat others as they would like to be treated - Don't engage or promote harmful behavior including attacks on race, sexual orientation, religion, heritage, country of origin, etc. or unwelcome sexual advances and messages.
• Keep Things Fair - No cheating or giving yourself an unfair advantage
• Share Clean Content - Create and share stuff that's appropriate
• Follow Local Laws - Keep it legal in our games and services, just as you would wherever you are IRL

Thanks Blue. Like I said, I don't know what I'm talking about.

RogueSix wrote on Jul 31, 2023, 16:32:

- No day&night cycle. This potentially reduces immersion and makes obsolete some neat racial D&D traits like elf/half-elf infravision.

Um...caves. The whole underground thing.

I watched some of the interview, he basically said the goal posts are always moving, and todays new standard should be swiftly overtaken by tomorrows. I think it's going to be a great game for me, which is really all that matters. I'll agree with you about the archaic inventory system, it's a pain in the ass to manage, and slightly mars what otherwise is a fantastic experience for me.

EA seemed to actually be on a path of (somewhat) healing itself. Hope this doesn't mean they drive the whole single-player revival van straight off a cliff.

I don't know much about the "Positive Play Group", but it sounds like PTA moms sticking their noses into something they don't really understand. I don't know what I'm talking about, but it really has a Bible School ring to me. Not going to miss it.

ha HA ha!

It's a big game. No shit.

Awesome game, enjoying it greatly. If you like turn based, jump!

fujiJuice wrote on Jul 28, 2023, 18:07:

Silent Bob wrote on Jul 28, 2023, 17:15:
Hopefully Rockstar learned their lesson and didn’t outsource the port to a cheap mobile games developer. The way they treated the GTA Trilogy was a travesty.

If there is one thing giant corporations learn, its lessons.

Thanks for the coffee spill.

At least for me ER has been perfectly stable for some time now. Curious about this patch, but I'm just waiting for the DLC before jumping back in at this point.

Hallways may have to be redesigned wider to allow 2 way traffic.

Not exactly a replacement for Fort Knox, is it?

I think I'll start using "Mustard Skittle" as a derogatory term for games that just blow chunks.

Example: Ubisoft's latest open world thriller promised to innovate in several ways, stoking the imaginations of gamers everywhere. However, on release, it turned out to be just another Mustard Skittle.

RogueSix wrote on Jul 28, 2023, 13:06:

Yes, that would be a great side effect. Larian did not have it easy on their way up. They were almost out of business at several points throughout their career. In the early days, their side projects (work for Belgian TV stations like the creation of little jingles/intermissions etc.) saved their bacon because their German partner attic failed to pay them for work on LMK. The whole period from 1998 until their first Kickstarter in 2013 was one big quest to secure funding, living off scraps in between projects, rinse, repeat.

I guess you could definitely say that Larian is an anomaly. They persevered against many odds. Swen was able and willing to take risks. They have grown their company from (almost) a garage to a huge multinational studio (aside from their HQ in Belgium, they are also in Barcelona, Dublin, Kuala Lumpur (MY), Guildford (UK) and Quebec (CA)).

This level of success, still being independent and self-publishing, is definitely an anomaly as is Swen's unique personality which is a marketing factor in and of itself. This is certainly not easily replicated as much as I wish we had more huge indie studios like Larian.
Yeah, I guess if you are planning on playing multiple times it might be "safe" to play on release. The Original Sins, however, were also in EA for a pretty long time and they still received humongous updates. I mean, Larian even "totally reworked" (their words) the story of the first D:OS for the Enhanced Edition.

I hope that will not be necessary for BG3 but that they nailed it from the get-go . Regardless, I'm sure that there will be many updates and patches that will much improve the game. I'm probably a one time player. I don't usually replay such huge, long, epic story-driven games so I want to have the best experience with the Enhanced or Definitive Edition.
I will certainly dabble with the character generator and maybe play a little bit into the story for shits'n'giggles. I already took a small glimpse into the early game in EA. But a full playthrough is going to have to wait until the "complete edition".

Yeah, most independent houses fail, and the perseverance shown by Larian has been amazing. My hope is, let's say, you get ten new studios formed by people who get good game envy. Maybe 8 fail before even releasing a game. No funding or whatever. The remaining 2 pick up new employees from the fallout. I don't know. If it happens enough times, more Larians will emerge. And some of them will bite off more than they can chew, and probably fail as well. It's the age old question almost: Would you rather have freedom or security?

I probably wouldn't play such huge, epic games more than once, either, except I love the Larian style of gameplay and there's just not many other games like it. At least not with near the high quality. Larian's a unicorn, for sure. Hope we can at least partly repopulate Unicorn game makers. I'd hate to see them go extinct!

RogueSix wrote on Jul 28, 2023, 00:06:

LordSteev wrote on Jul 27, 2023, 23:16:
Because whether they admit it or not, if BG3 sets a new standard, they'll have no choice but to step up and play ball.

Actually they don't. They'll just carry on churning out their mediocre garbage. Take 'The Witcher 3' for example. Did everyone else all of a sudden up their game in terms of writing, narrative, characters, quest design, exploration etc.? Nope. They sure did not.

The clickbait "BG3 is an anomaly" drivel will be forgotten in a few weeks. BG3 is way overhyped at this point and I think reviews or post-mortems of it in a few months will be a lot more realistic than the dumb levels of hyperventilation we're witnessing now.

I preordered the CE as well but I will not dive into a sincere playthrough before there is the usual (for Larian) Enhanced or Definitive Edition. Going by Larian's track record, I would be very surprised if the release version is bug-free. With an epic RPG like this, I'm not exactly a fan of game-breaking bugs or save game corruption 50+ hours into a playthrough.
Larian are also well known for patches that require a fresh start/save if you want to benefit from everything new that is introduced in some of their (QoL) feature-packed patches. I'll play it in full when they are done patching.

Look, you're probably right, it won't have any real effect on the quality of what other corporations release. Just looking for a ray of hope in my hobby of choice. Maybe it will make some talented individuals take a good look at themselves and decide they don't like what they see. Maybe give them a nudge to leave the big houses and start up more independent studios again.

I'm just finishing up my 3rd playthrough of DOS2, with all the trimmings they added, and you're right, it's substantial. And way less buggy (almost perfect, in fact). I'm thinking maybe BG3 is going to release in pretty good shape just because it's been in early access for what, 3 or 4 years now? I'll give it a playthrough, and even if it's a little buggy, that's ok. I know for a fact my first playthrough won't be my last.

I pre-ordered BG3. I never pre-order, don't believe in today's developers enough to do so. But I pre-ordered BG3. What turned the tide for me was when all the other developers started panicking and saying it's not fair to accept the same level of quality from them. Fuck them, try harder.

Everything else is wait for a review, a sale, and multiple patches. Maybe I'll be proven wrong and once again reminded of why I don't pre-order. But I've gotta say, I want Larian to have my money for this game, even if it's not perfect on release. Anyone that can drive the big publishers into a frenzy state is worth spending some cash on. Because whether they admit it or not, if BG3 sets a new standard, they'll have no choice but to step up and play ball.

Prez wrote on Jul 26, 2023, 17:26:
I haven't heard of someone legitimately still wanting closure for the Half Life story in a long time. Like most fans, I stopped caring over 10 years ago.

I'll co-sign this bill.

yonder wrote on Jul 26, 2023, 17:14:

LordSteev wrote on Jul 26, 2023, 13:29:

eRe4s3r wrote on Jul 26, 2023, 12:34:

How else you think someone gets rich in capitalism? It ain't by being a nice sensible person.

I'd say there's more ways to measure whether or not your 'rich' than money alone. Cash is nice to have, sure, but there comes a time where unless you suffer from other shortcomings, you can reach a point where you have enough money. If you lose the ability to be a nice sensible person in the pursuit of wealth, you have made yourself poor in several other ways. It's a trade-off, I guess.

Personally, I'd rather have just enough money, and keep my ethics, empathy, and conscience intact. That brings me more happiness in life than a boatload of cash would. Milage may vary.

You do realize it's POSSIBLE to make a billion dollars through non-immoral means right? Or do you hold, for example, Peter Jackson to be on the same morality level as Elon Musk?

People need to quit stupidly hating *ALL* rich people and just hate *MOST* of them, and base in on *HOW* they got rich. It's almost like hating an entire group of people based on a single shared demographic is................... a bad thing.

Yes, I realize that. Not sure where you arrived at the conclusion I didn't. Nor will you find ALL anywhere in anything I said. People need to quit stupidly reading what they want into what people actually say.

eRe4s3r wrote on Jul 26, 2023, 12:34:

How else you think someone gets rich in capitalism? It ain't by being a nice sensible person.

I'd say there's more ways to measure whether or not your 'rich' than money alone. Cash is nice to have, sure, but there comes a time where unless you suffer from other shortcomings, you can reach a point where you have enough money. If you lose the ability to be a nice sensible person in the pursuit of wealth, you have made yourself poor in several other ways. It's a trade-off, I guess.

Personally, I'd rather have just enough money, and keep my ethics, empathy, and conscience intact. That brings me more happiness in life than a boatload of cash would. Milage may vary.

RedEye9 wrote on Jul 26, 2023, 11:51:

LordSteev wrote on Jul 26, 2023, 11:50:
And billions on Golf, with the NBA to follow shortly. Human Rights Violations just aint what they used to be.

That blood money don’t wash itself.

I watched a vid of the commissioner of the NBA using double speak to justify possible Saudi investment, and it just made me sad. What is it with rich people that makes them willing to shed any decency they may of had left to chase even more money they don't need? I digress.

MoreLuckThanSkill wrote on Jul 26, 2023, 11:41:
Ironically, Shaq streaming, even playing like complete shit in whatever video games, would probably be very successful. Not nearly as lucrative as his TV analyst stuff probably is, but I'm sure millions of people would watch him based on name alone, plus he's reasonably funny for a pro athlete.

I'd watch. I actually find Shaq entertaining. Unlike most streamers.