#its just so restrictive when it comes to gameplay

[bill-gates-hate-blog]

the sims 4 has so many systems because theres so many fucking expansion packs and NONE of them mesh well or interlock in ways that are satisfying or deep. Half the time they straight up contradict each other, the other time they end up completely redundant. Modders do their best but they can't fix whats broken underneath. ARGH

[jhugas]

‘BE A GOOD GIRL’- Jeon Jungkook

✿✼:*ﾟ:༅｡.｡༅:*･ﾟﾟ･⭑

Genre: smut

Pairing: gamer! Bf! Jungkook X afab! Reader

Summary: You decide to try cock warming while he plays a game, but it doesn’t go as planned…

Word count: ~1k

Warnings/tags: cock warming, teasing, praising, restriction (f cums when he wants to), penetration, lil aftercare.

✿✼:*ﾟ:༅｡.｡༅:*･ﾟﾟ･⭑

Jungkook, your boyfriend, is a famous streamer. That means, he plays a lot of video games, and very often. Usually, it wasn’t a problem. But sometimes, he was too much into the games and wouldn’t give you any attention.

In the end, you’d just sulk and he’d always come talk to you again. But today, you wanted to do something different…

You always wanted to try cock warming. So today, you’re planning on cock warming him while he plays on his ps5.

You watch him as he’s concentrated on his gameplay and talking to his friends.

Then, you gather your confidence and decide to finally make your move and get closer to him. But with his gamer headset, he cannot hear you. Though it didn’t take long for him to notice you standing behind his expensive gaming chair, thanks to his screen’s reflection.

Standing there, you slide your hands down his torso and give him a kiss on his neck. And when he felt your soft lips against his sweet neck, he smiled and rose his eyebrows to ask you what you’re doing, before taking off his headset.

‘you know what I wanna try?’

You ask him.

‘What?’

He says amused, looking at you and the screen back and forth.

‘I wanna try cock warming.’

You say confidently. You were a bit scared of his reaction, but you knew he was usually open to try new stuff so you knew it’d be fine. After hearing your confession, his eyes widen in shock as he mutes his mic immediately.

‘Baby everyone could hear you!’

He sighs.

‘When? When do you want to do that?’

He finally asks, curious since he’s never done that.

‘Now. Just keep playing the game I’ll sit on it.’

You answer. He slowly nods before fully consenting to it and takes his pants and boxers off in one go. Quickly, he comes back to the game as he was afk for too long, and since his teammates were yelling at him, he had no other choice but to unmute his mic and insult them back.

While he insulted his friends, you had the time to take off your pants and panties. Then, you look at his tall, thick and veiny cock standing on its own. He was already hard and it couldn’t look better.

‘You stupid!! Behind yo-‘

He yelled before feeling your warm walls surrounding around his cock. He keeps cursing under his breath and gets one of his hands off of the controller, to grab your hips.

You, relaxed, let your back fall on his chest, then, you let your head fall back on his shoulder and you close your eyes to feel every inch of him. You can feel his hot breath on your neck, and you can feel him holding himself back from thrusting into you.

‘You alright?’

His friends ask.

‘Yeah yeah…’

Your boyfriend lies, he clearly couldn’t handle being in you without doing anything. The more time passed, the harder he got.

And to tease him even more, you decide to move a little bit, bend over, and slightly jump when he kills.

‘Fuck…’

He whispers, then act like everything is normal after his friends ask him what’s wrong. Later, since you see him struggling and you want to please him, you decide to give him a chance to fuck you. You get closer to his ear.

‘Win the game and I’ll jump on it.’

You tell him. You words motivate him and he starts playing way more seriously. He doesn’t let anyone touch him and kills them all.

You occasionally praising him with ‘good boy’ or ‘good job’.

Once it was only him and another player on the game, he went on full try hard mode. He loved the adrenaline.

But it didn’t last long since he saw the other player, and killed him in a second. ‘Top #1’ appearing on the screen. He’s happy that he won but is even happier about what’s going to happen.

He throws the controller on the bed, mutes again his mic and grabs firmly your hips. Hands sliding to your ass from times to times.

You start jumping on him easily thanks to your wetness and his pre-cum, as he moans in relief. All you can hear now is the sound of your ass slapping against his hips, the wet sound of your pre-cum mixing together, and your moans.

Every time he lets you take the lead while making love it always reminds you of when he came late from work, tired, and he’d just beg you to fuck him or suck him off. It was one of the few times he let you take the lead, or be a top.

You do your best to fuck him good. You go deep, then fast, then aggressive, then slow…

The game was still on and Jungkook’s friends were still calling for him. So loudly that you could hear them even without having the headset on. But he didn’t care, he was too busy and you were his priority.

Suddenly, you feel like your orgasm approaching and making you weaker. Consequently, you’re getting more sloppy.

But he feels it and with his hands already on your hips, he helps you jump up and down on it and guides you to rock your hips against his.

‘I- I’m gonna cu-cum!’

You cry out. Your walls clenching around his thick cock.

‘Hold it. Be a good girl and only cum when I tell you to.’

He says in a deep voice.

‘O-okay!’

So you do your best to not disappoint your lovely boyfriend, and do your best to not cum. His moans get louder and harmonize with yours. He also gets more and more aggressive, faster, and keeps on hitting your sweet spot, like usual. But it doesn’t take long for him to reach his highest point.

Then suddenly, a long moan slips off in between his lips as he fills you up. Painting your walls with his white semen. He throws his head back and breathes heavily.

‘Now… cum for me baby girl.’

He says, tired but he still gathers his energy to give you his best performance. Without any surprise, in less than a minute you find yourself cumming all over his cock. Your juice mixing up with his, and as you get off of him, it slides down on Jungkook’s dick.

You still go back on his lap then to kiss him lazily but passionately, whispering sweet words to each other.

‘Good girl. You did a good job today.’

He whispers with his lips against yours.

Then, later, after bringing you to the toilet, he played two last games with you napping on his lap, your head on his shoulder and arms around him. Then after, he lifted you up and brought you to your bed, and let you sleep until he finished cooking dinner.

Thank you for reading! Likes are veryyyy appreciated, but be aware that reblogs and comments truly help the writes get more exposure<3 thank you!

Masterlist

[danandphilplay]

ok last sims poll for a minute lol

i believe this poll has been done before and i know if u google dan and phil sims reddit a post comes up telling people to stop discussing how they play (as well as other posts from people talking about whether they like dnps sims gameplay style)

now in my opinion i believe u should be able to discuss any content ur fav creators make and i don’t think discussions should be restricted i think you should be able to just be like yeah love dnp but this content isn’t for me

as long as you aren’t being straight up mean to dnp or anyone in the phandom and like you keep stuff about them playing ‘wrong’ lighthearted then i genuinely see no issue with this discussion. i fear that is basic decency but ,,,

anyway my dnp sims thoughts are below

i don’t think they play the game wrong bc there’s no specific way to play and actually i find their sims series refreshing bc i always get fixated on building and CAS that i end up playing so quickly. i just hit gen 26 of my almost 2 year save file and sometimes i just extend the family so i can make a new build or make new outfits so watching dnps series is nice bc i feel like theres a lot more world/story building,, their sims kinda have personalities to them which i feel i ignore in my game bc i focus on building or CAS.

but i will say yesterdays vid when they kept saving and exiting CAS and making each sim open a wardrobe rather than doing the entire household at once ,,,, a LITTLE bit grating. but then i have to remind myself its for youtube so that probably added in a bit of time waiting for those slowww slow loading screens.

and i think some people genuinely find their gameplay too slow to watch which is fair enough i rly don’t see issue with expressing that you don’t like some of their content (whether that’s related to dnp or the specific game like generally not liking the sims). i’ll truthbomb that i don’t care about their heartthrob videos and that’s fine. i’ll still watch the vids it’s just when it drops i’m kinda like eh about it

[cadaveerie]

ignore this post if you're tired of reading anything abt transphobes complaining about trans ppl (and top surgery scars) in dragon age, but:

David Gaider, the creator of the Dragon Age setting and veteran writer at BioWare (no longer working there, he didn't write for DATV), has given some reasoning as to why top surgery scars can be justified in the world of Thedas. Here are his posts:

"You want this to be about the top scars? OK, let's go. 1) There's no evidence that shapeshifting can selectively, and permanently, alter body parts. Even if it could, shapeshifters can only alter themselves. Morrigan cannot turn other people into spiders." "2) Even if other magic could alter body parts permanently, and there's no evidence this is the case, not everyone has access to it. One cannot walk into a Circle of Magi and go "remove boobs plz"." "3) If your issue is "why not heal?", healing magic also does not do everything. Scars exist. Why does Cassandra have a scar on her chin? If anyone could go "heal scar plz", it'd be her. Recognize there's a difference between the way it works in gameplay and lore, with healing as many other things." "4) If your issue is "how surgery exist?", you're probably looking at our own medieval world. Thedas is, at best, quasi-medieval. There are SO MANY instances of things that, in our world, didn't exist until the Renaissance or even later. It's not our medieval world and never tried to be." "But it's not about the top scars, is it? You've been presented with new information and you just don't like it. You don't want it. Like anyone who balked at the qunari change in DA2. So you try to make it about inconsistency because you feel that's stronger than this just being about YOUR biases."

source: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

I know that if you're pro-trans (or just normal) you understand all of this, but still. This is literally coming from the person who created Dragon Age. He defends the existence of both top surgery and its scars with a watsonian reasoning. At least this in-world explanation might be valuable for some people. That such a significant person behind Dragon Age justifies to you directly why this decision can make sense in such a world. And even from a POV that's pro-trans, it's cool to hear the in-world reasoning from someone that knows the setting better than anyone.

Overall I'm glad he's openly defending it because even if it's logical it's also nice that he speaks about it when he doesn't have to, especially since he's not involved in this project anymore. Idk if all of them, but it's nice to see that the devs are overall so trans-friendly. And nicer to see that there are trans devs to start with involved in the game.

And this whole thing is bigger than it should be, but the reality that not only people are still transphobic, but most big games simply don't have top surgery scars at all. Some have trans options, but they're still incredibly binary and restrictive, like BG3 and Cyberpunk 2077 (I like both of those games a lot, but being able to give a very stereotypically masculine character a vulva and vice-versa, or even worse, having that situation but the character's voice be directly related to pronouns, is not good enough. It shows a lack of care and understanding of trans people. And in BG3's case at least you can independently change voice and also go by they/them, but even then. Overall, it's good that those games went in that direction and that you could in that way be trans at all, but it was still not good at all. It was like saying "you are allowed to be trans, but only in this very passing, gender-conforming way and binary way." I feel like in this case, DATV's approach is one of the best I can think of so far, so in that sense I'm grateful (and apparently you can also say in the game that you're trans, which if that's true, that's great.) And this doesn't mean that the CC couldn't be better and more inclusive in a lot of other ways, but this is decent at least for trans characters.

So anyway, it's nice to have top surgery scars in CC. I hope at some point trans people will stop being targeted in this way and that it can be just something that's in the overwhelming majority of games, and done respectfully, and that people just leave us alone. Also wishing the same for POC, women, and people with any condition they decide is woke like... having vitiligo I guess.

[82mitsu]

{18Trip} <CHAPTER 001 SIDE-A: Sun will R1ze!> 001-A02 Proof of determination

A translation of 18TRIP's CHAPTER 001 SIDE-A by 82mitsu. ENG proofreading by sasaranurude.

TL note:

金転がし (kanekorogashi) is an alternate name for まわり将棋 (mawarishogi), a traditional Japanese children’s game using the four Gold General shogi pieces and the pawns move into an anti-clockwise direction. The rules and gameplay elude me, but this website described it as Snakes and Ladders, which I am more familiar with, thus I went with that.

Kafka: HAMA will fully cease accepting special financial support from the prefecture of Tokyo!

Hakkei: …Wha- what is the meaning of this, Kafka! No- 0th Ward Mayor!

Kafka: Ah, you recognized me as the 0th Ward Mayor. Thank you very much ♪ It’s a given, though. 

Hakkei: Leave the trifling matters aside. Refusing funding from the capital? What are you planning to do with HAMA’s dwindling budget!

HAMA ward resident A: S-seriously, what is the plan here…

HAMA ward resident D: A stop to financial support… A declaration of a full stop to HAMA… 

Kaede: (...Kafka, just what in the world are you thinking?)

Kafka: Please be at ease. Now that I’ve been inaugurated as the 0th Ward Mayor, I’m intending to fully restore all of HAMA. Hence, the current method of doing things is no longer applicable.

Kafka: Rather than being restricted by insufficient funding and having our hands tied, I must go as far to propose a temporary termination in order to be able to enforce more drastic measures. 

Hakkei: And instead of that trifling amount of funding, from where do you intend to procure your capital?

Hakkei: This isn't child’s play- do you even comprehend that these politics are intertwined with the foundation of a whole city? 

Kafka: Towards these ends, I’ve invested every single penny to my own name into establishing a travel agency that will have direct control over the 18 wards of HAMA.

Kafka: Its name is HAMA Tours!

Kafka: It will be in charge of directing all general tourism affairs of HAMA,  and arranging package tours which haven’t been done before now. Proceeds will in turn serve as financial support for tourism.

Hakkei: Hmph! A mere pipe dream fabricated by some anklebiter. Tourism is not to be underestimated! Is your purpose to smash all of HAMA with that company of yours to pieces, Kafka!?

Hakkei: If you’re using your legal obligation as the 0th Ward Mayor to play house, then I will not allow this in a million years!

Kafka: …Who’s the one playing house here?

Hakkei: …

Kafka: Let me make it clear how I’m putting my life on the line.

HAMA ward resident A: The president of the biggest bank in all of HAMA!? And… they’re shaking hands!?

Kaede: (Kafka… Just when did you meet up with the president of the bank!?)

Hakkei: This is…

Kafka: A few days ago, fundraising for HAMA Tours found itself in a rough spot, so we were able to come to an agreement about receiving a loan♪  

Kafka: Incidentally, as a safety net, we have all that is in my possession, and everything under the name of the Oguro Family. Not only our estate and plot of lands we own, but the colossal amount of intellectual property left by mother is included too. In other words—

Kafka: When HAMA sinks to the depths of the ocean, I too sink. I am mentally prepared to lose anything and everything. Still feeling inclined to describe this as playing house?

Hakkei: ……

Kafka: Of course, sinking to rock bottom is not in my agenda. Therefore, the days of receiving financing will not come back. To all ward residents of HAMA…

Kafka: Together with me, we’re facing a big gamble to bring our HAMA back to life. So you’ll place your bets, right?

HAMA ward resident B: I changed my mind! If he’s willing to go that far, then I'm onboard!

HAMA ward resident C: “HAMA Tours”, eh?- Good luck! Come partner up with our joint!

HAMA ward resident D:  The new Ward Mayor’s top of the grade determination… Gleefully accepting resolution…  One chance of HAMA’s regeneration…

Kaede: (The whole venue’s mood flipped completely…! Kafka… you went as far as putting everything you own into this. You really are out of this world…!)

Kaede: (I also have to contribute with all I can! We’ll absolutely make HAMA Tours a success!)

Hakkei: …Hmph, you've gotten the extent of your determination across. If you’re willing to declare that much, then you'd better show it with your actions. On the other hand!

Hakkei: I won’t cut any corners. Reviews will not get higher ratings out of compassion. I have not a single clue about how many times you’ve succeeded with your investments, but I’ll have you know tourism differs from a game of snakes and ladders. At most, you’ll flail hopelessly. 

Kafka: …Please continue to enjoy the view as a spectator. We will show you achievements beyond your expectations. …Uncle Hakkei.

Hakkei: Hmph!

Kafka: Good work out there, Kaede-chan. How was the inauguration? I gave it all I got, right?

Kaede: Kafka… I was anxious, to be honest. And I was relieved everything turned out well. When I heard that you’re cutting off funding, everyone around me was shaken to their core, you know. 

Kafka: Eeeeh~ That’s noooooot much praise. Especially when I did my oh-so best out there too~

Kaede: I thought you were amazing! I really did! It was just such a risky bet…

Kafka: Well, can’t deny that. But there were a lot of people passionate about the tourism industry from the ward residents that gathered, and I wanted them to properly accept HAMA’s situation and make it a personal problem. 

Kafka: Hospitality isn’t viable if only those at the top put in the effort. I wanted each and every single ward resident to consider contributing to HAMA. But, ultimately, I wanted to show there’s hope. You get me?

Voice of newscaster: “Furthermore, as declared by the new 0th Ward Mayor Oguro Kafka, the establishment of the travel agency HAMA Tours was made public.”

Kafka: Ah, look at that display over there! Our company logo is being shown on it!

Kaede: That’s… our new company’s…

Kaede: …. It is cute, but why a dog?

Kafka: Because I’m a dog person ♪ Which you already knew, yeah? Ah, I also have plans for a company song to be made.

Kaede: You are not going to put dogs in the song too, right?

Kafka: It’s a surprise for when you listen ♪

Kaede: (....Kafka, you look like you’re having fun. The inauguration today gave me chills all over, but if he can smile like that, then I have a feeling it'll be okay.)

Kaede: (Maybe the reality of all this is starting to sink in for me too. I’m going to be working for the sake of HAMA going forward…!)

(Kafka smiling)

Kafka: …

Kafka: Okay, I’ll send you the location of our company office building and schedule on PeChat. Work begins immediately starting next week! And, as for Kaede-chan himself~

Kafka: Given you're the first commemorable employee, the role of chief goes to you! 

Kaede: Chief!? Are you suddenly shoving me into an executive position!? 

Kafka: I'm the company president, after all. I’m looking forward to working with you, right, Chief-chan ♪

Kaede: Eeeh~.... Geez, still pushy as always..… 

Kaede: (But, I’m not complaining. There’s an incredible feeling in my chest. I want to try it. I feel like this is what I’ve been truly wanting to do…) 

Kaede: (If I take this one step forward, the radiant sun will be ahead of me.)

Kafka: As if it’s a morning where the sun rises from the depths of the dark sea. There is hope for the future. 

Kafka: Don’t you believe we can convey that through our work? At least… that’s what I want to believe.  

Kaede: …Yes!

Kaede: (I’m sure that a lot of new encounters await me from now on. And… I want to believe that they’ll bloom into something beautiful!)

<<previous chapter / next chapter>>

chapter 001 side A directory: TBA upon completion

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Tenshi

Debut: WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!

I know what you're thinking. It's been four grueling days since the last post about some kind of fictional cube. Don't worry! Cube delivery right here! Even the most humble of gray blocks is a beautiful and valuable thing. Far too valuable for some schmuck like ME to touch with my oily, mortal, mammal skin. Only the divine can be trusted with delivering this block!

This gray block is the ground for our feathered friend Pyoro! He needs to eat those Beans, and if he can't stand on a solid surface while doing so... well, I can't stand to imagine such a calamity! The beans are ruthless. Just a single gently drifting bean can obliterate a poor block, making a gap Pyoro cannot cross, restricting his movement! What Bad Beans!

But even among Bad Beans, there are some Blessed Beans! When this funny bird eats the right bean, something happens. The heavens are notified. God must intervene. Even if He may have been watching over the entire universe, He knows something dire has happened in one small area. He can't let the beans prevail. He must send His angels!

That's what Tenshi means! It means Angel. This is one of those funny situations where an entity's name is just a regular word in Japanese, but it has never technically been referred to in English, so we gotta just accept the Japanese name as official until further notice. They come bearing gray cubes from above for Pyoro to scuttle atop! Anything to let him eat some more beans! It's a very important matter!

In WarioWare Gold's remake of Pyoro, as well as Super Pyoro, the Blocks have received a makeover! Please let me know if you were a Gray Block Enthusiast who is miffed about them now being made of real dirt and grass and looking kinda Minecrafty! I feel neutral to good about the change, though. It's a handsome block. Maybe it can be argued that it lessens the strange ambiguity of Pyoro's whole situation for the blocks to be more "realistic". But if that is a concern to you, then maybe you should think about other things. Sorry. Look, Tenshi now has a halo in game! Yay.

Super Pyoro introduces a few new mechanics to the classic gameplay, including a new Hidden Bonus Area in space! Here, beans abound on conveyor belts, being put there by food service Tenshi wearing little uniforms! Retail workers are the real angels!

To get to this stage, you must allow a beanstalk to grow by letting a bean fall through a hole in the ground... will you sacrifice one of our beloved Blocks to let this happen? Is it worth it? Does the presence of unique Cloud Blocks in the bonus area make up for it? It is up to you! And up to Anubis when he inevitably weighs your heart someday! I hope you made the right decision!

Tenshi is a very Ko Takeuchi character design, by which I mean it is one of those very simple Little White Guys he is always drawing. All the time! Rhythm Heaven is full of them, not nearly limited to just the Chorus Kids, and WarioWare gets its fair share of them, too! What can I say! The man just loves to draw Little White Guys!

[sharkfoodstore]

One thing i always appreciated about hisoutensoku in particular was the way it used characters bullet hell styles of fighting in their fighting game movesets.

Like, historically the difference between reimu and marisa is an easy to play low damage character who doesn't need to bother aiming versus a high-speed high-execution character. When bringing them to a fighting game, you'd usually want the series protagonist to play kinda like ryu, being the default character with a tool for everything. And indeed, AoCF does this exact thing, making reimu a jack-of-all-trades character.

But soku instead makes you make this exact decision between the two of them. Reimu's still got her homing shots, but she can also put up walls and has amazing anti-airs, meaning that like in her bullet hell games she can control the screen very well. They couldn't make her homing bullets just hit you from anywhere, so instead they turned her into a really easy to pick up zoner who captures the feeling of playing bullet hell reimu by encouraging her to play less aggressive manner. In both games, you don't need to chase down your opponents, and are instead responding to the threats they're posing and forcing them to make the first move.

In an more basic fighting game, with reimu being the defensive beginner character you'd expect marisa to be a similarly easy character, but with a focus on aggression. But instead, like in the bullet hell, she's kinda both easy and hard at the same time. She's got very simple tools that are really effective, and is extremely fast, and has high damage. But like in touhou, marisa takes high execution. Marisa's combos are way harder than usual. She also can't control the screen as well as reimu, forcing her to use her movement to put herself in really favourable situations. In touhou, i feel like reimu is the basic easy character and marisa is the basic hard character, and most other characters are usually based around a gimmick. So it fits that Reimu and Marisa are both really basic fundamentals-heavy characters, though Marisa asks for a mastery of movement and execution to be played at her best.

but its not just the protagonists, i feel like so many other characters have their gameplay accurately reflect their fights. The big standout for me is Reisen. Her fight in IN is so cool because of the way she uses really really slow bullets and tries to trap you. In Soku, she has bullets that match many of the ones she uses in IN. Her basic B bullets remind me a lot of the ones she uses in her first phase, traveling really fast at you before slowing down when they reach around 3/4ths of the screen. And when it comes to trapping the opponent, reisen's okizeme game is one of the best. And her mixups are amazing thanks to a lot of her fakeout teleports that are reminiscent of the way she teleported her bullets in IN.

There's details like that in most of the characters. Loads of Cirno's bullets in EoSD are fired in shotgun style bursts, and she spellcards like icicle fall that shoot out to the side before moving towards the player. Similarly, Soku cirno's bullets are often fired in similar spread-shot bursts, such as her memorable 5C. And she has some bullets she can ricochet off the ground to control space like icicle fall. Sanae's most memorable spellcard is the one where she traps you between two really wavy beams and forces you to dodge bullets while also trying not to get hit by the moving waves. In soku, one of her strongest aspects is her okizeme, setting up wind tunnels to chase you and read your tech rolls and restricting your options in a similar way. Aya is the fastest touhou character, and uses her speed to get in and take pictures in her home game. Similarly, Aya's main strength in soku is her mobility, and while she suffers at longer ranges she's one of the best characters up close.

I really appreciated just how well touhou characters gameplay translates into their Soku counterparts. This is done so well that i don't even really notice it at first, i pick up a character I've fought or played as in the bullet hells and intuit how im supposed to play them here. This feels pretty obvious, characters in a fighting game spinoff should feel like they do in their home series, but its interesting because the other main touhou fighter doesn't do this as gracefully. I do think AoCF is an excellent game that is outstanding in both gameplay and aesthetics, but moveset wise i find it doesn't translate character gameplay quite so well. I didn't fight nitori in mountain of faith, with her array of unpredictable spell cards with really unique patterns that control the screen, and expect her to focus more on fighting you up close. Reisen's gameplan has completely changed and now uses poison damage and fast melee, and her teleports are now used as mobility tools too instead of strictly mixup tools.

And this is all fine, in my opinion. AoCF feels like the devs looked at the characters' designs and power sets and drew inspiration from that, rather than their in-game spellcards. And I personally think it's very cool having two fighting games based on the same property showing the strengths of both approaches. I love how each games movesets are designed. But I feel like what Soku did when designing its moves is rarely discussed despite being insanely cool and showing incredible attention to detail.

[paragonrobits]

so i was thinking about world of darkness' takes on vampires and werewolves from a worldbuilding angle and what the general implicit slant of intended character is for the settings of Vampire the Masquerade and Werewolf the Apocalypse; what the gameplay encourages without outright restricting it, and it occured to me that in many ways Vampire and Werewolf flip the script for what is often expected, nowadays, from a vampire and werewolf story.

Vampire takes the approach of vampires being undeniably romantic, but its a veneer. Vampires SEEM romantic, powerful, a walking power fantasy of sorts. They consume as they wish and are immortal, able to look over the ages as they come; all power and undeniably tough compared to just about most other character types, and they're as close to human from a psychological angle as you get. even a young and weak vampire is likely more powerful than any normal human can ever be, treating blades and bullets alike as minor inconveniences even if they don't specialize in pure defense.

They seem purely cool, something ideal to be. It would be pretty cool to be an immortal predator, wouldn't it?

But its a veneer. Beneath the skin of what looks like a beautiful human (for the most part), there's a monster. They're not human. Not any more; beneath that skin is something hungry, craving and thirsting for death, to consume. A vampire has certain instincts; to forge territory, to fight and hunt, and they put pretty faces on it, they give it nice titles and imagine themselves as divinely ordained predators to bring fear to mortals, but in the end... its all something they tell themselves. There is a Beast inside them, and it feels like the Beast is the real thing, and they're just pretending otherwise to feel better.

Vampire's narrative generally focuses on an assumption encouraged by the gameplay mechanics: that people start out as young vampires trying to manage the hungers of the beast and reveling in their own power while navigating cutthroat vampire society. But a lot of it is about denial; denial of the Beast, denial of their desires to feed, denial that they can still care about things like love, and friendship and ideals when every fiber of their being screams to kill, knee-deep in gore and sucking out the blood of dead people like a wild animal. Its a constant battle between the desperate lingering shreds of Humanity and the demands of the Beast; and sooner or later, a bit at a time, the Beasts. How long can they keep it up?

Vampire is about the masquerade; both the literal conspiracy to conceal their existence from humanity as a whole, and pretending that they're not ravening monsters in denial of what they've become.

So what about werewolves?

Werewolf, unusually for most depictions, does NOT depict them as infected creatures, or afflicted by a curse. Being a werewolf isn't something inflicted on you, or spread; they're not made. A werewolf is born; they simply are what they are, whether born as a human or a wolf, either too fierce to feel entirely comfortable around humans or too smart to feel right around wolves. And then one day, the First Change happens, whether in liberation or in tragic bloodshed, and whatever else happens, its a revelation:

A werewolf is not something created, or a transformation done to you. It's seeing the world of spirits revealed, the compulsions to hunt and fight given a purpose. You're not something that shouldn't exist, but a part of the world, a living function to protect it. Your jaws itch and your fingers itch to rip and to tear, because there are horrible things in the world that must be slain. Corruption and violation incarnate, whether as malicious spirits or powerful humans who don't give a damn about the world dying as long as they have a good time in the here and now.

There are things that need to die, and you were born to hunt the things no one else can.

You're not a human that becomes a wolf, or a wolf that can become a human. You're both. You're neither. You're a spirit creature, walking between both the physical world and the realm of spirits, fueled by the rage of a world rejecting its own inevitable destruction. You're not human, not because something changed you...

But because you were never human. You simply are what you are; this is who and what you always were. And you can't just ignore what you were made for; to rage against the dying of the world, to rage against the inevitable extinction of all things.

Vampires are monsters, clinging to humanity and playing their games of politics and trying to feed their ravenous hunger without losing themselves in the prospect, maintaining a masquerade inside and out. Werewolves might be monsters, depending on your point of view, but they're not losing themselves, they're fighting against an apocalypse.

If Vampire asks "What are you willing to do to feed the Beast, lest you become that beast", Werewolf asks "When will you Rage?"

[pixelnrd]

Now that the decades are coming to a close, did you have a decade you loved playing with?

From a purely play-based perspective (as opposed to storytelling), I have several decades I have love love loved to play and these are:

1890s: I really enjoy the overall challenge of starting up a Decades Challenge with all the limitations of the first decade - no money, lots of restrictions, etc. This kind of gameplay gets me super invested and immersed in the family I am creating and navigating my way through all the difficulties.

1930s: when I played the 1930s Cottage Living had just been released, and I crafted the family story of that generation around rural farm living so I could play through the gameplay of the pack. Hands down my absolute favourite EP, I loved the soft slow rural vibes for the generation and its story as a whole, and I enjoyed the new challenges of playing with cottage living features. It was a throwback to the challenges of the first decade, which I loved (for above reasons!)

1950s: the previous generation had been very disjointed because of the war, and I loved the 50s because it went back to more of a family-focussed decade. I also loved just indulging in the vibes of the era, including the baby boom, and all the different character types I was able to explore with the kids born in this generation. Maggie's difficult personality and her big brood of kids always hold a special place in my heart.

1980s: possibly a bit random, but similarly to the 1930s I used the 1980s to explore the Growing Together EP and hone in on those family-dynamics vibes, especially in a generation where I planned marriage failure and divorce. Also, at this point I had came back to actual gameplay after a long hiatus and it was so much fun to explore the 1980s and all its aesthetics and vibes.

[friendlyengie]

HIIII i NEED to know more about The Decoy he's so awesome. Did he do something to get kicked out of the circus he previously worked in or did he run away for personal reasons ? How do he and Scout get along, if at all ? Does he have any restrictions for what he refuses to do on a battlefield or is it all game ? I have So Much Interest in this clown its unreal

ohhh these are all very fun questions. Cracks my knuckles

1. Armani, for about a decade or so, used to work at a place me and my friends have lovingly entitled “the murder circus.” Which was a shady front for a whole lot of bad shit in the background that he had to help with. He did not have fun! He is currently on the run from the murder circus (TM) and somewhat actively being perused by them.

2. I think they get along pretty well! They’ve both got an attitude about them such that I think they’d definitely get on each others nerves and yell a lot but. Also the type of guys to just straight up forget about an argument if its been a couple hours.

I think they’d work good together on the field! And. Gameplay wise i feel like they’d be miserable if you ever had to come head-to-head with both of them at once. Two very maneuverable and hard to hit guys about to make your life Miserable.

3. The number one rule of being a decoy is to have fun and the second rule is to be yourself. When he was younger, he had a lot of anger issues. As he got older and worked at Mann Co, hes learned to keep those anger issues mostly not really in check and release them all in a violent surge of adrenaline on the battlefield, where he becomes like a type of angry, feral street dog. He Will bite people if he’s out of ammo.

[indie-ttrpg-of-the-week]

Animon Stories

When am I gonna get my digivolution into Indie TTRPG of the Month?

Genre: Shonen, Mon Catcher (kinda)

Touchstones: Digimon, their new expansion seems to be pokemon themed

What is this game?: Animon Stories is about kids and their monsters exploring a strange and mysterious world

How's the gameplay?: Animon works on a system where players have to roll multiple D6 and count how many results of 4 or more they've rolled, then check the amount of 4+s they rolled against the task's difficulty, the amount of D6s is based on Traits and Talents, Talents are the abstract terms that represent specialized knowledges like academics, sports skills, juggling, etc, while Traits are less abstract numeric abilities, specifically Reflex (Physical aptitude), Logic (smarts), and Spirit (Willpower and Charisma), Kids are defined by their playbooks which show which role they'll take in the story, a brainiac, a jock, an older kid, a rich kid, etc, kids also get Bonds (which represent how close they are to their critter), and a Virtue (a positive quality they embody, think the crests from Digimon Adventure). Meanwhile, Animons are a different story, creating an animon is a whole thing, but the main things are Classification (what their design most resembles, demons are Infernal class, ghosts are Nightmare class, flowers are Plant class, etc), a Type (there's 3 individual type advantage triangles that don't interact at all, they're pretty simple to memorize), Nature (their personality, always has an upside and a downside), Base Stats (self explanatory), Qualities (physical traits that give them advantages), and a Signature Attack, Animons will also evolve throughout the campaign gaining new qualities, so don't sweat your first quality too much!

What's the setting (If any) like?: The setting isn't hard-set, but there's 3 universal constants: 1: Animon are intelligent and can speak to humans just fine 2: Animon can evolve into stronger (but temporary) forms with the power of friendship 3: Animon are not from this world, but an interdimensional other otherwise, everything is for the players and GM to decide!

What's the tone?: Well, its digimon, its cute, kid friendly, hopeful fun! That's not to say darker stories aren't possible, those who have played Digimon Survivors know that Digimon stories can get quite dark! but overall, its fun all around

Session length: Animon is not a particularly complex game, so 1-2 hours is realistic

Number of Players: 4-6 is recommended

Malleability: Animon's lack of setting mean that as long as you're willing to abide by the baseline rules it has, you can run any number of stories in it, the focus on child characters might also be restrictive but honestly the only thing aging up the cast would do is make two of the playbooks feel a bit weird

Resources: Foundry VTT has an add-on for Animon, so i'm sure you could find a sheet on Roll20, there's also form fillable sheets and a book coming out that focuses more on catching multiple animon instead of just one

the vibes of Digimon are usually less popular than Pokemon, since Pokemon is by far the more popular franchise, but if you're willing to go outside your comfort zone for a little bit, Animon is a great game to replicate the vibes of early Digimon, even if it falls short in a few places

[spiribia]

i'm thinking of getting into gw2, is it true that it feels less addictive than other mmos? i want a game where i can have fun exploring like in botw but i don't want to feel like i have to spend all my free time doing dailies and upgrading gear and stuff

the good news for you is gw2 has no 'gear treadmill' - reaching maximum level is its Prologue, and any gear you can equip at that point will remain just as optimal as it is then for the rest of the game, for all time. you can equip the best gear, go on hiatus for several years, and come back, and it will still be the best, most relevant gear in the game. so it's not beholden to the situation in many mmorpgs where progressively 'better' gear is released in the interim, meaning you will have catch-up work to do.

a lot of gameplay progress also unlocks account wide (vs. being restricted to individual characters), so if you grind once to obtain a cosmetic, mastery skill, or mount on one character, it will automatically become available on all your alt characters, regardless of their own level or progress. if you're someone who enjoys multiple characters in an mmo, there are many tasks that you will never have to repeat in order to have them on a different character unless you want to experience them again.

though it's not a game bereft of the potential for tedious grinding. these things are more intended by the devs to be optional long term projects, but there are dailies and weeklies or optimal farming areas where abiding by these can shorten what already may be a literal months long grind for your project, so you may feel compelled to follow these routines. this is mostly endgame content that players seeking stuff to do will pick up, and i don't think this really clips into the first time story / exploration experience of a newer player. in fact, a lot of the currency for stuff like this can be accumulated by just spending time around the maps doing whatever you like, so by the time a lot of players decide to pick up legendary crafting, for example, they'll find they already have passively accumulated a nice chunk of what they need.

largely it's stuff that is not mandatory to the game. my biggest grievance is that flying mounts are locked behind moderately rough grinds because they were meant to be a sort of high-end, optional novelty, but with so many years elapsed since their release, so many players have them that they have become optimal for keeping up with the group in a lot of farming maps. this is one case where though you can technically navigate the maps without a flying mount, you may feel obligated by the social landscape to do this 'optional' grind anyway.

SORRY my long post. the game itself is quite casual and lenient. it wants anyone to be able to participate in its story and maps. whether or not there is time-eating grind in the game will ultimately depend on what you choose to pursue in it. it's definitely possible to play without it, but where it's there, it is definitely there. i would encourage new players to not even look into farming until they're all caught up with the storyline etc., as the more perks / skills / maps you unlock over the course of it, the easier and easier efficient farming will get. it will feel much more hostile when attempted by someone just starting out, and you don't need that stuff to play through all the content.

[feronaville]

im deep down on megamassikalove's blog cc shopping n saw her participate in an ask game thingie n i wanna do it too even tho its like a year old LMAOO bc it looks fun n i rarely see them on my dash!

1. What’s your favourite sims death? old age ,, boring answer but i love my sims man they my babies fr any other death genuinely upsets me

2. Alpha CC or Maxis Match? maxis match altho i do sorta uhh maxis mix i think it's called sometimes, really i download whatever i like (mostly maxis match) i just want everything in simlish fr

3. Do you cheat when your sims gain weight? i like when my sims gain weight bc that's how i get my body diversity but if their outfit doesnt have fat morph n i dont wanna change their outfit i do cheat it sometimessss but not very often

4. Do you use move objects? move objects is enabled in my game alwayss

5. Favorite mod? honestly im not sure! im def a big acr fan but that's just the first one that comes to mind, there's soooo many must haves imo!

6. First expansion/game/stuff pack you got? both sims 2 pets n sims 2 seasons! my auntie bought them for us, i got soooo excited about pets n lil ol me asked her, "woah can we get monkeys??" LMAOO

7. Do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing? i pronounce it like aLIVE

8. Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made? REESE BULLARD!! he was in my very first bacc years ago, he had more personality than any of my other sims ever had he was so silly

9. Have you made a simself? i have! i made one in sims 2 back in like 2018 but she didnt look like me fr haha, i made one some years ago in sims 4 n she actually looked a lotttt like me but i have lost all her pics unfortunately. now i just have a sim in one of my current 'hoods that's named after me

10. What sim traits do you give yourself? dang if only i knew myself better fr ,, hmmmm ima say animal lover, loves the outdoors, artistic, childish, socially awkward. maybe

Which is your favorite EA hair color? hmm i don't think i have one? i'll just say red

Favorite EA hair? i don't see ea hair in my game fr anymore but as a kid i think my favorite one was meg i think

Favorite life stage? im not sure honestly! i might have to go with child, or adult idk tbh

Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay? i only started getting into building fr last year i think, building is a struggle for me but i really enjoy it! i think i'm def more of a gameplay person tho i just feel pretty restricted building for sims 2

Are you a CC creator? i am! pretty much just recolor things but i wanna try my hand at making terrains to share, and i'm slowly starting to upload lots n want to upload sims as well. i've made splash music and loading screens too, kinda wanna get back into doing that actually

Do you have any simblr friends/a sim squad? i consider @gir-sims to be my friend! yall should check out her bacc, its both on youtube n dreamwidth!

What’s your favorite game? (1, 2, 3, or 4) the sims 2 is my favorite game in the world, been playing since i was like four/five!

Do you have any sims merch? i have a social bunny sweatshirt that i adore! i tried to google for it but it seems the shop is closed now, i got it from etsy by littleplumbobdesigns. i found this shirt it's the same design, except what i have is a pink sweatshirt with a pink social bunny!

Do you have a YouTube for sims? i do! i currently just have my port taylor bacc series on it, it's linked on my blog :^)

How has your “sim style” changed throughout your years of playing? i spent the first manyyyy years of simming without cc ,, idk how i did it man. i used to use alpha cc for sims 4 then i ended up switching to mostly maxis match! for sims 2 i switched hair systems twice (started with new hair system, then simgaroop, now it's mostly poppet v2). i can recall switching eye defaults too. that's all i can think of

What’s your Origin ID? i think it's behindthesea00 (my mom made me the account to buy me sims 4 for christmas) BUT i share that account with my younger sister. i dont think she plays sims anymore so idk if she still gets on it, i dont either tbh i dont need origin/ea play/whatever to play my game anymore YAY

Who’s your favorite CC creator? oh gosh there are soooo many!!

How long have you had a simblr? hmmmm i think i've had this one for 3-4 years? but it's been longer than that bc i have a sims 4 simblr that i completely abandoned as i no longer play sims 4, i havent played it since right before infants came out

How do you edit your pictures? for gameplay pics i just cropped them for the most part, occasionally adding a silly lil detail to it. i add woohoo heart to censor nudity when needed. for cc i honestly seem to just do whatever i feel like doing, lately i think i just take the pic, crop it, n add text to it

What expansion/game/stuff pack do you want next? i only play sims 2 so no more packs for me! other than cc packs that our lovely community makes!

What expansion/game/stuff pack is your favorite so far? for sims 2 hmmmm im honestly not sure, ahh this is a hard one! sims 2 has such great packs idk if i can choose! hmmmm def pets for sure n i really love open for business too

[felassan]

Some thoughts on things like lyrium and narrative design from David Gaider, on Twitter:

"One narrative design issue I've run into is what I call the "lyrium problem" (for obvious reasons). If you have something in your setting which can technically do anything ("magic" often qualifies, also eezo in ME) then it will, eventually, do *everything*. And that's not good. Why is it not good? Because it becomes this shiny, easy solution for every issue that prevents the team from doing the work to do anything *else*. Weird thing happens? Lyrium. Need a mechanic for a cool gameplay thing? Lyrium. Something that breaks all existing rules? Lyrium. You can try to put limitations on your Anything Thing, but for many members of your team it's SITTING RIGHT THERE. It's the equivalent of narrative jazz hands... why do we need to restrict ourselves to a stupid box when anything is *technically* possible, right? "The multiverse" is another current example. It can do anything. We can tell any story. We can resurrect characters, break every existing rule of the universe... and what other explanation do we need? Multiverse. Easy peasy. Thing is, eventually you turn around and that Anything Thing has turned into narrative crack filler. It's lost all meaning on its own. So be careful if you use it. It needs strict, clearly-communicated limitations established from the outset or it will grow like a weed. Since it's come up in the replies, I should mention that this issue doesn't automatically render settings with an Anything Thing bad or unenjoyable. People like magic. It's fine... for a time. The problem is with long-term narrative cohesion. Eventually, once your Anything Thing becomes the answer to everything, suddenly it's a task to explain why it *isn't* the current answer. You have "It's Not Lyrium This Time I Swear" and it's cousin "No Lyrium Is Not the Solution" to contend with if you try to do anything *else*. "No, we can't go to the multiverse to bring this character back because... uh, reasons." "No, magic won't help you solve this riddle because... uh, reasons." "No, the holodeck won't give you the answer this time, even though it did last time, for... uh, reasons." I don't claim to be better. I created the "lyrium problem" for myself in Dragon Age, as I was the Lead Narrative Designer. I agreed to everything each step along the way. It was a trap I fell into by inches, mainly because convenience was the Order of the Day. All I'm saying is that, if you want to save yourself long-term headache, you need to put in the work on cohesion early... assuming you have the support of the rest of your team. Sometimes they don't want to be bothered by your narrative nonsense, and who can blame them? ;)"

[thread, source]

Some further snippets from the replies (respective source links can be found by clicking on "DG" throughout):

User: "Do "lyrium ghosts" qualify as such?" DG: "Indeed. I started out the setting saying there should be no proof of an afterlife. But then we need ghosts (apparently), so if they weren't *really* ghosts then... lyrium? Because lyrium!"

User: "Great advice aside, I’m immediately adopting the term “narrative jazz hands” into my lexicon." DG: "It's probably unfair for me to reference it in a negative since, considering "narrative jazz hands" was my go to response anytime we'd written ourselves into a corner that was too costly to get out of."

User: "the more constraints you can put on your magic the better. you need solid uncrossable lines with what it can do, what it can’t, and what it won’t" DG: "Magic is especially egregious, as many team members can bring existing ideas and assumptions about "magic" from other settings... so you need to be extra clear right from the start about what it can and can't do. Even then, you'll have problems. Because magic!"

DG: "I should mention that just because an Anything Thing exists and might be a problem for the long-term narrative cohesion, that doesn't render everything automatically un-enjoyable for the audience. People like multiverses. People like magic."

DG: "Magic and, to a larger extent, fantasy itself, can be a real issue when team members bring elements that are actually from other settings into the current one... not on purpose, but simply because it's so omnipresent. You have to try really hard if you want to set boundaries."

User: "There's the opposite of this though: our Warden and our companions can take Lyrium and have no after effects whatsoever - most likely due to programming limitations." DG: "That's easy to explain, actually. Me: *explaining all the narrative things involved with lyrium use in the lore* The Rest of the Team: Or not." User: "At least they did cover lyrium addiction with Cullen later on. It would have been a fun mechanic though if it had been implemented." DG: "Yeah, I agree. I remember once presenting how we could do a lyrium addiction mechanic in game terms, and it was cool... but ultimately seemed like a system the player would find annoying/limiting with no real upside. So it was on us writers to paste over that with words." User: "As you said in any old post on the BioWare forums, you're meant to get dimishing returns from lyrium the more it's taken. So the more your mage chugs down, the less effective it'll eventually be, due to dependency. With addiction added on top, that actually would have been fun." DG: "Honestly, if I could go back now, I would have worked with the other designers to see what they could do and were willing to do before I tried to make an end run to create lore that would force them to do something they couldn't or weren't. Lesson learned!"

User: "[scrolling through this thread] ...What?" DG: "Look, when you gently try to explain to a stressed-out team member why the Cool Thing they just made doesn't actually comply with the lore as-established, and it needs to be redone even though there is No Time, sometimes you gotta accept "just fuck OFF" as the final answer."

User: "not including lyrium addiction could be considered as a plot contrivance. It's the opposite of the usual Macguffin issue, inasmuch as something is supposed to do something but isn't shown doing that said thing. In Meredith's case, it was." DG: "Much the same as mages struggling with demonic possession vis a vis the lore, but it’s not something the player contends with. Less plot contrivance and more gameplay convenience, honestly, except whenever we try to explain away the difference."

DG: "Me: "I hate time travel stories. They never work! They're the worst!" Also Me: "So there's this plot in Inquisition where you travel to the future, right? Because it's cool."" User: "“I hate everything about this trope so I’m going to write it differently, but still earnestly” mixes well with people who have read their beloved trope a hundred times and are ready for something novel." DG: "And then you fall into exactly the same traps as everyone else did."

User: "that quest [time travel quest in DA:I] was so good, I barely knew them but seeing them suffering and choosing to give me all the time they can is so heart wrenching. and then you come back and they have no idea you are now terrified of losing them. genius" DG: "In retrospect, I felt bad we didn't make it crit path, as it did the best job of demonstrating to the player why Corypheus winning was Definitely a Bad Thing."

User: "'How do we account for a player having killed Leliana in DAO if she's a critical character for DAI? Lyrium.'" DG: "That was SO Mike Laidlaw’s fault, but yes… one more inch into the pit"

[respective source links can be found by clicking on "DG" throughout]

[fulgursmediaanalysisdrama]

Hot take, but after replaying it again I think Majoras Mask kinda sucks

The three day time limit feature does not aid it very well, the game is too large making the time insufficient, but the time is also too much and too long for you to wait out the times where you can do nothing not even explore.

The bombers handbook is kinda helpful, but the timeframes given in it are unhelpful without clear objectives. And all objectives are purposely unclear. I know I can always run back to the Sheikah stone, but I wanna be able to play the game not have another Rotomdex. At least the handbook notes when something is finished, but mostly I wanna reset my days quick which just seems like a waste of time. Generally I don't appreciate having quests split into three parts separated by nothing but waiting, unless you know what else to do. I'm sure if you know everything that's to do and how the game is quite satisfying to optimize, but figuring it out is awful for me. I never finished it as a kid after getting stuck with the Gorons

The map is horrible to navigate, large and mostly useless. You can't even find hints for when exactly to come back later to get into inaccessible areas.

The Witch in the woods requires a healing item, but there's no way to gain any heals.

All the minigames are frustrating to outright unfair, even beyond the waiting to do all three instances of them element, like at least don't make me do them on the same cycle if you can give me the handbook without catching the bombers a second time already. The bombchu one sucks and is unskillful as the bombchus can just veer off and move randomly, the fishing one is useless, the deku one with the moving platforms is hard to practice burns through your money fast as the 3D isn't great so it's easy to miss platforms as you don't cast a shadow on the stones. And it's not just time intensive through retries or like all the other games because it suffers from not giving more money than you earn so you have to keep farming but your rupee bag is also small so you can't carry many tries and- but also because its gameplay is waiting. Waiting is never good gameplay, it makes tedious tasks full of trial and error feel even slower than they already are, and once again this one is already hard to practice. Falling down would mean the end even without the time restriction, it does not make much sense to pretend like it's carnival game where you have a loss condition. The loss condition is not getting the time, you need to play again.

And the one with the "maze" of walls that move up and down. Terribly disorienting, you end up boxed in by three walls all the time and if you ever need to backtrack it means you've lost, the timers to short and there's no strategy to employ. (Yes hugging the wall and always turning the same way, like any other maze, but that's too slow you can't finish this way)

Another thing is I have notes about when to speak to Anju, but I can't. She doesn't react.

I have info about that madams missing son, I don't have info for her because apparently the only info will be having found him? I have been given a deadline but I can't interact with him in that deadline despite having talked to any npc I can find with the mask on. Including the shopowner of the place where he's hiding.

I can't reach any spirit, I can't reach any dungeon, nothing. Idk maybe I can use the bombs in the ice area? But that one had the strongest enemies, it should be last, haven't yet tried this though.

I've been playing for 6-7 hours, I should be much further, like fr it sucks. There's no wonder, no fun, it's just bad. Nothing I have "figured out" so far has felt smart, it's definitely not challenging and it doesn't feel rewarding. The most fun I had so far was getting the heartcointainers from trade quests and such, because they didn't waste time beyond the actions I had to take and aren't limited to very specific time frames or other anti-gameplay-limitations

I'll come back if I find a dungeon and they're better. Or worse, then I'll come back too.

I don't think playing the ds version matters, I can only think of upsides the different hardware would have. And I will not purchase a GameCube just to reexperience this game

[achromant]

Ranking all GW2 Specializations

by 1) Gameplay and 2) Visual

based on over 15k hours of playtime, supported by badly drawn Elite Spec Icons.

Feel free to make your own version and reblog or @ me. I wanna see your reasoning :3

Explanations, sorted by classes, below:

Elementalist

Base Elementalist: Pretty sturdy gameplay. Features both interesting interactions, as well as great utility. Versatile, and visually okay. Attack animations desperately need cleanup.

Weaver: Elegant gameplay. Flows smoothly during combat and offers great utility. Also has nice defensive options available. Requires experience and thinking ahead to pull off. Visuals are okay, and feel like a great fit for the aesthetic without being too overwhelming. Especially love Weave Self.

Tempest: Really cool playstyle. Requires a similar amount of attention as Weaver, but in a different way. Unmatched breadth of utility within elementalist classes. Could even be a contender for top spot at visuals, but Fire Overload visually drags the whole spec down.

Catalyst: This class has no right to exist. It feels like someone said "Elementalist doesnt deal much damage, let's give it some numbers." and then stopped halfway through. There is no utility, no elegance, no cool interactions with the gameplay. The whole class feels restrictive and clunky to use. If you like the hammer cata playstyle, better play Weaver. If you like nice interactions, play Tempest. Jade Orbs dont feel like a mechanic, but a punishment. Visually boring, horrible UI, aweful animations.

Mesmer

Base Mesmer: Elegant gameplay, but lacks flow in certain edge cases. Kinda wish greatsword was more melee, but with range capabilites. Needs some more fun interactions with its own mechanics.

Chronomancer: Essentially Mes Plus, when compared to Base Mesmer. Great gameplay, fun and flowey. Slightly choppy in some millisecond cases, but still amatzing to play. Visually striking, absolutely mindblowing sound design. Continuum Split could use a more impactful visual design, like a giant illusiory asronomy clock that ticks down.

Mirage: The self contained version of Mesmer. Lacks a bit in support options for allies, but offers elegant gameplay if timed correctly. Visuals are adequately unique, sparkly but still not overwhelming. Does not have the visual Boom that Chrono has, but feels just that more natural.

Virtuoso: What if took anything that that means Mesmer and just. Didnt do that. This class feels not like a Mesmer anymore, mechnically speaking. Lacks support options, and is outshined by Mirage when it comes to PvP gameplay. Also I'm so fucking pissed at the daggers floating constantly above my head. Animations are kinda cool, though a bit overwhelming. Fun Fact: I divined the coming of the Virtuoso in some sketches a while before EoD previewed. Though in my head it was a Guardian Spec, shooting small silvery stars with its Virtue skills. AND it had double Daggers.

Necromancer

Base Necromancer: It fills its role as master of death. Even the base version of Necromancer has impactful gameplay, and both okay utility, damage, and support for allies. Lacks elengance at some points, especially in Shroud. Visually okay, could use more explosions.

Reaper: Death Knight, here i come! Reaper offers amazing visual effects, and both impactful and flowey gamplay. Reaper Shroud has just the right oomph to make it feel like the steamroller it is. Even when playing without quickness during shroud, it feels amazing. The slight sluggishness just adds to the experience. Did you know that when you enter Reaper Shroud, the character grows giant feathery wings that explode within the fraction of a second? So fucking beautiful.

Scourge: As the absolute opposite of Reaper, this spec offers exactly what Reaper lacks: impactful gameplay at range. Though Scourge can absolutely hold its own in melee, this version feels like a true death mage. Only issue i have is that it's yellow. Horrible choice.

Harbinger: Why does it exist? Ugh, this thing feels so boring. Harbinger would've been a better fit as an Engineer spec. I don't even care about the utility of those damn potions, they lack uniqueness, aesthetic, even the skill icons look like placeholders. What does it have to offer? Well. It gives quickness. Though you could just use a Chronomancer Relic and play another spec. And why am i a black cloud midfight? hello?

Engineer

Base Engineer: The epitome of improvisation. Toolbelt, weird inventions. Explosions, potions, flamethrower. Engineer feels like Elementalist without the magic. There's amazing interaction between skills, great offensive and defensive options. Engineer feels like a hectic class at times, but with some experience it can just be as chill as any other class. Could use some more striking visuals, but still okay.

Holosmith: What if we take an Engi and give it just a smidge of magic? Holosmith feels like an extension of Engineer that pushes it into a slightly different direction. It's just as versatile as the base version, but has even better options for agressive gameplay. Playing a Holo feels elegant and has just the right amount of sparkle and whoom. Still has good interactions with other players, but can easily hold its own. 10/10 design.

Scrapper: Essentially the opposite of Holosmith. What if Engi, but even LESS magic? Though Scrapper can feel a bit sluggish at times, it still has a nice gameplay. Same issue as Base Engi though, it needs more sparkles.

Mechanist: Why put training wheels on something that already has so many levels of gameplay? Mechanist feels like the worst option in any situation. The only saving grace may be the alacrity (which is applied in the most horrifyingly braindead way possible). There's no visual connection between Base Engi and Mechanist, neither in color nor in shape. Why is the mech so that? The gameplay would feel more fluent if you just kidnapped a new player from Queensdale and gave them a gun. Would also be easier to handle than that damn mech.

Thief

Base Thief: There's elegance here, but it's quiet. The visuals underline the subtle beauty of this class. Even a base Thief offers nice utility and okay interactions with other players. The only reason i placed it that low is because how stealth works. A better idea would be to replace it with something like Blur, maybe granting a 50% chance to automatically evade an attack and avoiding being directly targetable in competitive modes.

Daredevil: This is the oomph Thief needed. it feels like it hits hard, but with deadly accuracy. You lose a bit of stealth capabilities, which is a plus in my opinion. Essentially, this is what a monk class in other games would be. It doesn't even need much utility by itself, base Thief already has a bunch. Only issue i have is that i would love it actually using fists to fight, preferably in addition to a staff. Maybe could leave weapons unequipped to swap to an unarmed fighting style? Fun though, great design.

Deadeye: The absolute opposite of Daredevil. This sharpshooter class prefers intelligent positioning rather than quick reactions. It offers great damage and okay support capabilites. Visual effects appear perfect for this class, though the sound design is only okay. Definetely needs a better interface for displaying Malice stacks. And maybe remove the casting time of Deadeye's Mark?

Specter: What if Necromancer, but. Not. Playing Specter feels like playing Core Necro, but with more teleports. Wells are, well. They exist, but only barely. Visual effects are underwhelming, the while class lacks the feeling of impact or elegance that even a base Thief has.

Ranger

Base Ranger: I can see how people like playing ranger, but only through a vaseline treated camera lens. The class itself has okay utility, but lacks in interaction with other players. Though a Ranger's defining feature is the pet, it's also its biggest flaw...

Soulbeast: ... which Soulbeast 100% solves. I will continue to ignore Base Ranger and just pretend that Soulbeast is what Ranger was always supposed to be like. Soulbeasts have the option to just. Not do the whole minion managing thing. Stances feel elegant and unique, and bring fresh air to a moldy base class. Really cool visual effects, though i wish i could turn off the green swirlies while merged.

Druid: I was in Druid Jail for most of my raiding days, so i know what i'm talking about when i say "Urgh." The base mechanic of a Druid is the Astral Avatar, which by itself is probably the best thing Ranger has to offer. It's pretty, it has boom, it's actually useful and elegant. The issue here is swapping in and out of it, which feels clunky and more of a hassle that a reward. To heal with the Avatar, you need people to take damage, so you can heal them, which fills the Avatar, which allows you to. heal. them? Better solution would be to make it similar to Firebrand Tomes so that it still needs energy to use skills, but allows you to spread out your healing a bit.

Untamed: What if Soulbeast, but. Thief. Well, the result is a clunky mess that looks like a swampy lump of bonk. Probably makes a wet smoph when it his a wall. There is no way for me to enjoy this class. The supposed flow of a good Untamed rotation is completely unknown to me, simply because it's so damn ugly. Play Soulbeast.

Warrior

Base Warrior: Hello, yes, it's the bonk class. Love it, have it, it still bonks. What looks like a braindead brick only people with a real life play, is actually an ornate pattern of golden filligree. A base Warrior offers elegant and flowy gameplay at a minumum of effort, and can with some experience still weave itself through the flow of battle. Wish it had more fun interactions with allies, aside from Shout skills. Could go great with Wells.

Berserker: Warrior, but with more bonk. There's exactly two issues i have with this spec. One, its visual effects feel lopsided. Needs more boom toward the target, and less burning man on myself. Two, it lacks utility. However, any rotation that's done on Berserker flows perfectly, it feels fast paced and has absolutely perfect sound design. Executing a perfect Axe/Axe feels like playing a rythm game in the way it bonks.

Spellbreaker: Less bonk, more tshink. Spellbreaker feels like someone took the best about a Thief and put it on a Warrior. The playstyle between Daggers and Full Counter feels elegant and smooth, but requires good reaction. Spellbreaker shines versus players rather than against monsters, which is probably the only issue i have with this spec. Beautiful shiny glitter sparkle capacity though.

Bladesworn: Okay, it says on the tin that it contains Flow, but no. Bladesworn trades movement for maximum bonk. Could use more elegance in its skills, but it makes up for it with great bursts, so much that you can almost feel pixels being cut. The absolute worst about this spec, and the reason why it's not in the legendary tier for me, is that damn Gunsaber. It either needs to be broader for more bonk (with a powerful downward strike as Dragon Trigger), or about 50% longer for ultimate tshink (with a ligering silver sparkly line where the blade sliced your pixels), you know what i mean? As is, the class feels like the definition of blue balls.

Guardian

Base Guardian: The first time I solo'd Twilight Arbor's Aetherblade Path was on a base guardian, some time before HoT. I used a mace and a shield and just slowly pummeled my foes to death. Base Guardian has the feeling of a true paladin class, with just the right amount of sparkle and utility. Only reason it's not way higher on my tier list is that it cant do much on its own.

Dragonhunter: Such a beatifully executed class! There are aesthetic parts that make Dragonhunter feel like a holy warrior, but without the support capabilites of a true paladin class. That's a good thing, by the way. Its playstyle feels unique, at most comparable to a Warrior, but just barely so. Dragonhunter has some small group support, but shines with utility and bonk. If it wasnt for the Traps' visual effects, i wouldnt even care for those (excep Dragon's Maw, like wow). The whole class is perfect. Would've been higher on the list if the rotations felt just a bit smoother.

Firebrand: This one is a more support oriented Guardian. It overflows with utility and support skills. Factually speaking one of my favorite classes. Speaking from a balancing standpoint, it can do way too much at once with its Tome skills. There's elegance in this class, mostly due to it being filled with skills to the point it overflows. Visually, amazing work, same goes for the sound design.

Willbender: A movement based version of Guardian. Willbender feels like it tries to be a monk class, but somehow misses still. There's something lacking from the whole design. You could probably slap this spec onto any other class and it would still work. Together with base Guardian skills, it's fun to play though. Still a balancing horror, for the same reason as Firebrand: It can do way too much for a single class. Aesthetically i find it absolutely revolting. I get that the Virtues are supposed to be movement skills, but they feel choppy to use and leave red-blue scorch marks on the ground. These weird trails look like an accident and are outshined by most other base Guardian skills. All over, a meh rating.

Revenant

Base Revenant: I am regularly confused when i see this spec's icon. There is absolutely no reason to play a base Revenant. There's not much reason for me to play Rev anyway, but hey. What i love about it are the Legends. What i hate about it. also Legends. There's utility and versatility, but both are locked behind Legends, which makes the whole class feel rigid and choppy. I am a fan of the energy mechanic though, and the visuals are also kinda pretty. Could use more sparkles though, maybe more in the Necromancer direction.

Herald: Since Rev came out with HoT, it released with its elite spec from the start. And to this day, Herald is the actual Base Rev to me. It sparkes, it bonks. It feels fine to play, not under- or overwhelmingly so, but just. pretty okay.

Renegade: This one feels like a base Rev (not Herald, in this case). It had the advantage of using a shortbow when it released, but since SotO it lost its usefulness to me somewhat. The Renegade Legend's skills are fun; somehow like Well skills, but visually more striking. The rest of the spec is only meh.

Vindicator: Another one with more bonk! Equip a Stamina Sigil and go stomping! Vindicator feels fun to play, has nice visual effects and great sound design. Similar to Reaper, you can really feel the bonk. Absolutely hate the double Legend thing though, it feels choppy and sluggish to use, similar to playing Elementalist while affected by Chill. I would love Vindicator on another class, like Warrior for example. But since it's a Rev. It's a No.

Conclusion, Expansion based:

EoD specs generally feel the worst of the bunch. booooring. There's no EoD spec in the game that i can really enjoy playing.

HoT specs feel bonky, but slower. On par actually with the whole maguuma jungle (except Pocket Raptors. wtf was anet thinking there)

PoF specs feel less bonk, but more elegant. Also matches the Crystal Desert (except Hydras. THOSE feel more HoT than PoF)

Elementalist is my favorite overall, followed by Mesmer, Engineer, Guardian and Necromancer in that order. Revenant and Ranger can dissolve into brown slidge for all that i care.