#which this is supposed to be a dota version of

[rodenka]

[nivq87]

Well... this has NOT been what my intended use of my evening was. but Hey! I found the original DotA Dansen flash. I'd been meaning to do this since DotA got stuck in my head last week. I USED to have it bookmarked but I guess since changing computers over the years it got lost at some point. ANYWAY! Now I am truly able to party like it's 2008 again.

[volskayadottxt]

time to engage in some Speculation*

*seriously, don't pretend i have secret insider info

**i could be booboo the fool here

***thats why im posting this here (no one reads this really) and not on twitter and im already beginning to have second thoughts abt keeping it up so we'll see i guess

i'm not gonna say that aaron's blog post today isn't pr-washed, it totally is (wouldn't get published otherwise). i didn't expect to see any blame laid at the foot of corporate mismanagement. but what i did expect (and did see) is creative mismanagement i've (and others) suspected for a hot minute.

team 4 originally thinking of themselves as an 'mmo team' post-ow launch, with their ultimate goal being the rebuilding of project titan, explains so many strange creative decisions kaplan and the old leadership made prior to his departure. they never really saw ow as we saw ow. we saw it as a fun competitive shooter. they saw it as a stepping stone on the way to creating this massive mmofps.

early in ow's history there were so many weird balancing decisions (example: trying to make each hero equally viable in all situations, balancing around quick play). before the closed beta, im pretty sure they only wanted ow to be playable in dedicated teams of 6. meaning no solo queue. which seems like a REALLY weird decision for a competitive fps, right?

well, now it makes sense. they saw ow as this small part into building this big mmo. chasing that white whale that was project titan. and yeah, in hindsight, easy to think "well they couldn't make it work once, why did they think they could the next time?" well they probably didn't expect ow to be a big runaway success, either. they might've felt like they had the right idea, wrong approach.

it also explains (although i think budgets fall into this as well) why they didn't want to just build a new team for ow2's endgame pve. they saw team 4 as the team that did "everything." that handled the whole franchise.

ironically, we probably wouldn't have gotten archives or (in august) ow2's story missions if it wasn't for that creative vision. we know from former ow producer tracy kennedy that kaplan was thinking of a sequel before ow1 even shipped. that was ow2 and its pve, and eventually... ow3?? the mmo?? so it was something they'd prolly planned to start exploring early in ow1's life cycle.

this also explains why the original ow2 announcement in 2019 was so controversial (thats ignoring the whole blitzchung stuff, which i have zero desire to talk about). i remember kaplan being... kinda hostile in some interviews. like, he was interviewed by nathan grayson during blizzcon 2019 for kotaku. in the published version, grayson expressed frustration that ow1's development had been put on ice for a sequel he didn't really want or expect. kaplan mentioned this first interview in a second interview later (although grayson wasn't mentioned by name). like, he was being professional abt it i guess, but he was clearly upset grayson did not understand the vision and sorta accused him of insulting his team (which i don't think grayson was trying to do, either).

but also--how were we supposed to react? we had no idea the goal was to make titan again. we just assumed ow would function like lol or dota. i guess i can't help but be a little angry. i think the team meant nothing but the best, but a lot of fandom angst could've been avoided if we were told abt what ow1 was (a stepping stone to a larger project) instead of what we thought it was (an always supported online game).

this of course ignores all the corporate mismanagement, which i suspect Jason The Video Game Reporter Guy will cover in the next few weeks. i hold no love for kotick and his goons. but if what aaron is saying is at least marginally true, then the old vision was also a problem. its very easy to lay all the blame at abk corporate and a lot should be, but someone had to pull the creative plug earlier i feel.

at the very least, we now have leadership that's willing to make the tough choices, i guess? i'm certain the mentality of many will be "well they should've done this years ago" but hindsight is 20/20. i'd rather focus on rebuilding now (which is what i think the goal is). and while i have issues w ow2 in it's current state, there's also quite a bit of things i like, and quite a lot of goodwill their narrative team has fostered with me (it helps that the lore/characters/story are my favorite thing perhaps).

i also don't really "blame" aaron or jared. it sucks they've become the face of this when it was a different team, with different members, different structure, different makeup. yes aaron was there but he also wasn't director or ep. jared's been at blizz for like 6 months. i'm not saying trust them wholeheartedly but also... don't treat them inhumanly either.

[holmoris]

the extent of my knowledge about GoT the series mostly learned through teamchat in dota: the simpsons did an opening parody of it with a bunch of clockwork buildings (this is the extent i've seen GoT on TV and it was kinda cool) two other friends (one of each gender) had a crush on a very large man who rides a horse (i have no further details) there is an event called the 'red wedding' that everyone hated presumably because it was a bloodbath

a whole lot of plot-important people die to the point where it feels like the main cast must be several hundred characters. Also one of them was executed by having molten gold being poured on them. That's kind of a neat execution method. there were supposed to be dragons for a long time and they were delayed repeatedly (presumably because the physics code kept bugging out as usual with literally anything that can go from flying to bipedal. quadropedal? i dunno if they're dragons or wyrms in the canon)

a man named 'hodor' can only say 'hodor' and it is somehow a massive lifechanging spoiler that this is a slurred version of 'hold the door'

i'd get compared to some female character whose name escapes me every time i picked crystal maiden and got a kill with her ultimate (she spins around and randomly bombards the area around her with tiny icicles which do a ton of damage but hit completely randomly)

[odaclan]

When even well-cited resources contains bizarre info...

I took a moment to reread Japonius Tyrannus by Jeroen Lamers today. In the first chapter, there was a section describing Nobunaga's handling of his younger brother's rebellion. The narration says that Nobunaga pretended to be ill, then complained to his mother that his younger brother has not come to visit. This led to Lady Dota/Tsuchida and Shibata Katsuie to persuade Kanjuurou to come over and meet Nobunaga (page 27 in Japonius). 

Lamers cited the Shinchoukouki for this section. I turn to the cited section (Book "0"/Pre 1568, section 25), and there is no such event as Nobunaga complaining about his brother not visiting. The Shinchoukouki only said that Shibata reported Kanjuurou's intention to rebel, then Nobunaga shut himself in his castle, and then seemingly unprompted the Lady and Shibata persuaded Kanjuurou to come over and visit Nobunaga. 

I double checked the Japanese copy as well, and it says the exact same thing as the English translation. I am positive I’m not just somehow reading a messed-up copy. I’ve seen the same passages shared by Japanese readers, and it said the same thing.

So where did this additional bit of the story come from? Mr. Lamers can't possibly have been making things up for a scholarly publication.

Even weirder is that Mr. Lamers was a co-translator of the Shinchoukouki, alongside Jurgis Elisonas. Regardless of which body of work comes first, he should have known very well what is or isn't in the text. Was the Japonius text not adequately reviewed by other people? Mr. Lamers had dozens upon dozens of text cited in the bibliography. It would not be easy to verify every single citation in the endnotes. 

Another reason I could think of is that the additional narration comes from an alternative copy of the Shinchoukouki. Other historical reviews has noted that there are rough drafts of the Shinchoukouki that contains things that eventually got cut out of the "final publication". The issue is that Mr. Lamers just cited "Shinchoukouki", implying the standard publication. The section tags specified by the citation also matches the tags in the standard copy of the Shinchoukouki, both the Japanese version and English translation. 

I suppose it’s likely that Mr. Lamers had been reading both the draft Shinchoukouki and the final book, and then while writing, forgot that this specific part of the narration was not in the “final product” version. 

I wish I can pursue this matter further, but the rough drafts of the Shinchoukouki is not public consumptions, it seems. I've not seen digitizations or Japanese modern transcripts of it yet. 

[press-x-tojason]

Giant Bomb is dead, and I care way less than I thought I would. Probably because 83% of the people who I ever cared about had already left or died, or were already relegated to reduced content roles. 

Honestly, though, the writing’s been on the wall for a bit. They haven’t had anything worthy of paying for premium in several years, and, even though they’ve had well over a year to figure out a plan for the COVID era, they maybe made it a month with their plans to have a series of streams daily. I actually managed to forget I followed them on Twitch at all, for about 4 months, because they only streamed the podcasts and the occasional former Harmonix employee (who was literally paid to make content with their games while employed at Giant Bomb, which was funny because he blocked me on Twitter for making a post, addressing no one, back in 2014, which was asking about the legitimacy of the leaked list of “games “””””journalists”””””” who had taken money from publishers for positive reviews, a list which included him and multiple then-coworkers. I didn’t follow him, he didn’t follow me. He was manually searching the keywords, because he was, and is, a prick.) solo Rock Band stream in the last 8 months or so. Even when Jeff would manage to do one of his 20 streams from home a year, it would be on his own channel. There was just no content. And they’re surprised their “pay for our unique premium content!” model failed. They always “feigned” anger at Dan for “making” them do the Mario Party Parties, and literally never promoted his and Drew’s Metal Gear series after the first game... but I bet that, when only those, UPF, and the ad-free versions of the podcasts were premium features, those two series were keeping them afloat. Well, that and the remaining goodwill they miraculously managed to hold onto for a few years after Ryan died.  Shit, I follow several people who are GB staff-adjacent, and... I can’t think of the last time they mentioned anything that happened on-site. Even the people who’ve been directly supporting them for over 10 years were out. 

But yeah, the site is super dead. They pretended in the announcements like they’re going to make a go of it still, but... you’ve got like 4 content people left, and the only one people give a shit about is Jeff. You just saw 3/4 of the side of the site that was still trying these past several months jump ship in a 3 month span. One of those was, by nearly any definition, a founding member. Of which you had already lost one, and are losing another from the main side. Jeff’s been way less active until the last week or two, probably because he heard they were leaving and was like “oops, should probably check on the ship that’s been sinking for years!” Then you have Jason “The Human Mumble” Oestricher, the charisma vacuum, whose legitimate public-facing reaction to first hearing that all but one of his GB predecessors were going to be gone. was, and I quote, “Hoo Boy.” Ben and Jan are the definition of “fine”. They would have been great, as they are today, as secondary members 8-10 years ago. But carry the site, they cannot. They’re down to, what, 5 named members now? It hasn’t been that dire since the beginning of 2009, before they hired Drew, when they hadn’t even started the P4 endurance run. You know, that surprise massive, internet-changing thing that essentially popularized the Let’s Play concept, loosening its definition and making it something that could be as personality-driven as game-driven, made simply to give them something to put on the website, beyond the rare review and, slightly later, quick look. This kinda illustrates the problem with modern Giant Bomb. When they were figuring shit out, flying by the seats of their pants, they came up with great shit, and they gave enough of a shit to make it happen. 0.000% chance they do a 10 hour Thanksgiving Kinect stream if the Kinect was new today. 0.000% chance the core members would have done an endurance run in the last 10 years if CT and Shenmue (which I haven’t watched) weren’t driven by the younger members. And you could see it in the fact that they never made a real, true mobile app. The number one thing that would have made them indispensable this past decade, an app to integrate premium features, the podcast, their video player, etc. all in one place in a mobile-friendly package, that could sync with the website... and they never even raised the idea publicly. I wonder how much of the innovation was the group think-tank of the first 5 years. Beyond Dan’s couple major contributions, I don’t think they added a single new type of content after 2012, which... still means the last 6.5 years lacked any semblance of innovation. I guess that’s a big part of why I fell off tremendously quickly after late 2014. There was just nothing new, and believe me, I was looking. I wanted reasons to stay watching. I supported them with my dollar. I believed in those brave early days. And I went back yesterday to watch the DP endurance run from VJ again. I still miss that rapport. And really, that hurt, too. Vinny moving back east, less than a year after Ryan passed... short term, it was fine. You had more people than ever to cover the gaps. But the spark was gone. The chemistry made the site. When I think of Giant Bomb, I still think of Jeff, Vinny, and Ryan, first and foremost. Those early podcasts, the NintenDownloads, the crazy tangents that everyone could seamlessly follow up on(well, except Brad, because he essentially slept through most of the podcasts, unless he was talking about the thing he did that week), the weird high-concept GOTY stuff... it wasn’t perfect, but you were entertained. You laughed. You were engaged. It never felt like you were watching them working, even though you could see the work they put in. It felt like, when they released something, you were experiencing a group of legitimate friends doing what they wanted to do anyways.(And boy have I seen enough groups do everything they can to NOT be enjoying doing that, and break up as a result due to hating the jobs that they chose to do). 

Part of me would love to make it as simple as “Ryan died, and so did the original spirit”, and... to a degree, it’s true. If you go back to any retrospective they’ve done about the founding of the site, or the podcast they recorded after Ryan passed, you can’t help but recognize that Giant Bomb never happens if these core members don’t all quit their jobs, led by Ryan,  because they respect their boss/manager, Jeff, and know he’s doing the right things(for them, for the reader/viewer, etc.) ahead of what GameSpot management wants him to do. Jeff could have been left in the wilderness, trying find a spot elsewhere, with the rumor going around between executives that Jeff wasn’t going to help them promote anything, essentially killing their revenue. He would have been done in terms of getting employed by a major site. But Ryan first, and soon after, Vinny and Brad, gave up their jobs to make this fledgling little project go. As much as the ERs brought me in and gave the impression that Jeff and Vinny were the long-standing duo, no, it was Ryan who was Jeff’s partner in crime. And, 8 years later, I can comfortably say... Giant Bomb never recovered from losing him. 

But it was so much more. Everything that set them apart slowly went away,  in time. I don’t think they’ve posted reviews for games in consecutive MONTHS since 2017; 2018 at the latest. They have done one Endurance Run in 9 years. They have not had a meaningful live event in 6 years. Unprofessional Fridays were more formulaic and lesser in volume and frequency after the major players started moving east. The lack of coordination between coasts killed the camaraderie, to the point that I think one of the last 5 true gameplay crossovers was their series of 2016-2017 PUBG shitfests. I remember when Vinny starting GBEast was supposed to be the start of a new era of content, and... it was, but not in a positive way, like it sounded. When half of each side seemed to constantly have no interest in making anything, nothing got made. But I guess that’s what happens when your second in command in one of your headquarters is just a former marketing grunt with an attitude problem, and the guy with the biggest ego on the team is the one who refuses to move to join either side, and just pushes out the most self-important drivel as a header to what were literally just copy-pasted articles from other sites every week while sitting at his desk, dreaming of the days Gawker would pay him to plagiarize political drivel instead, because that’s what really gets the soulless clicks. One of your founding members becomes depressed due to losing his two closest work friends, one for real, one to a 3000 mile separation, within a year, while the other one who is left virtually stopped playing anything but DOTA 2 for 2 years. Suddenly your most prominent personalities are the 2 new guys(one the aforementioned charisma vacuum, the other a walking mark) and your previously-mostly-off-camera producer who is best known to the wider Internet for... blinking. So, yeah, lifeless. And NOW, all you’ve got is old melancholy dad, charisma vacuum dad, and the two ADHD kids whose defining trait is that they choose to exclusively refer to their partners as “my partner” in voices that make it sound like they are embarrassed to have partners, while also talking more about what their partners are doing than what they do.  It’s confounding.

But yeah, TL:DR: RIP zombie Giant Bomb. Glad you’re finally getting taken behind the shed. It took 3 years too long, minimum.

[its-grape-juice-i-swear]

"The Death of the Author" is often misused in online spaces. It's got a flashy name and the SparkNotes version of the theory is that the opinions of an author have no bearing on a piece of text, which is comforting to Harry Potter stans. "I know JKR is bigoted, but because of Death of the Author, I can consume her content free of guilt! She's the real problem!"

The problem with this specific line of reasoning is that it's applying Death of the Author wrong. Instead of discounting the Author's opinions in their textual analysis, they're discounting the Author's opinion and then blindly declaring that the book is wholly divorced from the Author's opinions. To put it simply, DotA supposes that the beliefs of an Author have no bearing on how a text should be read. It doesn't matter what JKR has to say about her books. DotA is a tool to force critical analysis of a piece of literature by removing the author's personal interpretation as a supplemental source of meaning. Her reading of the Harry Potter series is exactly as valid of an interpretation as mine. Just because she wrote it, that doesn't give her a higher authority on the meaning of the text. The way this is supposed to work is something like this:

I read Harry Potter and decide that the Goblins are an antisemitic stereotype.

JKR (or her fans) counter that they actually aren't! Why? Because JKR says they are not. They're actually creatures entirely of her own design and have no real world analogue.

If you subscribe to the theory where an Author has a greater voice than the reader, that's the end of it. JKR is right and the Goblins aren't antisemitic.

If you subscribe to the Death of the Author, we simply discount what JRK had to say. It doesn't matter what she's saying now. In reading Harry Potter, the Goblins can easily be read as anitsemitic characters (please do not argue with me on this. Google is free). Because of what's in the text I can read the Goblins as antisemitic and it doesn matter what JRK has to say about it. Because it doesn't matter who wrote the book. It's here and we can analyze it for the content within it, not what "the author" thinks is the "correct" way to interpret her novels.

The real reason why Death of the Author is not applicable to Harry Potter is because the Antisemitism and Racism and Fatphobia and all that other shit is baked into the text. Killing Harry Potter's author doesn't do anything. The problem with Harry Potter (as a work of fiction) isn't JKR being a raging bigot, it's the ethics and the beliefs that Harry Potter's characters embody. The Antisemitism in HP isn't a rogue post hoc interpretation based on some obscure footnote, it's the fucking text. There isn't a different way to spin this. Who gives a shit what Rowling thinks? Her books are bigoted and a reading of Harry Potter as anything other than bigoted is not a fair and critical reading of the text. There's no salvaging this.

Divorcing Rowling's personal bigotry and shittiness from Harry Potter doesn't make it any less bigoted. The bigotry in Harry Potter comes from the text itself, not from any supplemental information by Rowling. That's not how Death of the Author works.

In conclusion: stop treating Death of the Author as a blank check to consume media from bigots. You're misusing the theory. Additionally, stop trying to find some critical theory to justify liking Harry Potter. It's bad. Rowling is a bigot and stop giving her your money. Trans Rights.

it’s really disappointing how people’s critique of jkr starts and ends with her transphobia, and they completely ignore her blatant antisemitism, racism, homophobia, slavery apologism, sympathy for the wizard nazis, (the wizard nazi incel) snape’s redemption, the villain of fantastic beasts trying to stop the holocaust, and the new game literally being a rehash of the blood libel myth.

[adreusplaysvanguard]

A new Cardfight!! Vanguard anime is coming that’s a better reboot of the original series with some renewed rules and retrained versions of old cards.

Also there are going to be 3 fight formats for Vanguard now.

“Standard” Which allows only card from the new series.

“Premium” Which allows both old cards and the cards from new series.

“G Standard” This format only allows cards before the new series. Though this format will disappear later this year.

The anime is supposed to start on the 5th of May and the rule changes are coming to OCG around that time.

Then we are getting English release of the Trial Deck of Aichi Sendou and Trial Deck of Kai Toshiki at the start of July. And the first main set Q4 will be released in English during July as well and it contains Kagero, Royal Paladin, Nova Grappler and Oracle Think Tank. 

1. Mulligan procedure has changed into: Choose X amount of cards to return back to deck from hand, put them at the bottom of the deck, Draw X amount of cards, only then shuffle the deck.

2. G-assist, you no longer need to exclude 2 cards from your G-Zone, only 2 cards from your hand will be excluded

3. Guardian, you can now Normal Call guardian regardless of your VG Grade (you can now guard with G2 and G3 vs dust)

4. Stride, you can now normal stride during your stride step if you fulfill either of these conditions: - Your VG was G3 AT THE BEGINNING OF THAT TURN (regardless of your opponent’s grade) OR - If both fighters vanguard is G3

5. 1/turn. Abilities with [1/turn] can now be used as long as they haven't been resolved this turn. This changes from before; whereby [1/turn] abilities have to be used the first time they are Triggered/Activated and goes on Standby

Example Before ruling change: Nightrose GB2 had to be resolved on the first retire that happens, cause the first retire that happens will trigger/activate and standby Nightrose's GB2, hence regardless if you resolve her GB2 effect or not, the GB2 will no longer be Active for that turn

Example After ruling change: Nightrose GB2 doesn’t need to be resolved on the first retire that happens, yes the ability will trigger/activate and standby, however if you decide not to resolve it, the ability will stay active and can still be used upon the next retire .

Q&A: 1. How does front trigger work with Ultima? - Ultima cant change it to “choose all your unit, +10k” because Front trigger itself does not have “choose” in its wording

2. How does front trigger work with Brandt? - Nothing happens, Front trigger isn’t specified on Brandt's text

3. I Paid Dragonic Overlord The Ace ACT ability twice, and gain 2 Auto 1/turn ability that allows him to restand, can I restand DOTA 2x? - Yes, after the first attack, you can resolve one of the 1/turn ability and not resolve the 2nd one. At the end of the resolution of the 1st restand ability, the 2nd ability to restand will stay active cause it was not resolved. Hence, at the end of the 2nd attack by DOTA, you can still resolve the 2nd ability to ONCE AGAIN RESTAND DOTA (This previously was not possible as both 1/turn restand ability would've gone Inactive after DOTA's first attack to the vanguard, regardless if you resolve them or not)

4. "This skill cannot be used for the rest of the turn" is this considered a 1/turn ability? - Yes, considered the same as this is the reminder text used prior to 1/turn existing in g-bt02

5. If you play the old triggers along with the new 10k triggers in Premium format, the old trigger will still only provide +5k power .

IMAGINARY GIFT: - What is "Imaginary Gift"? When you ride to a unit with "Imaginary Gift" (below their drive Icon there is a new Icon), you get one of the designated Gift: Accel/Force/Protect (Read their effects here: https://en.cf-vanguard.com/…/cardfight-vanguard-new-series…/).

- There isnt "gift zone", so before it activate, place it in a place that wont disrupt the field.

- You may bring as many gift as possible. You dont need to reveal them before the game but only may bring 1 type of gift, so in extreme you still cant bring all 3 type of gift

- You may use sleeve on gift, but must be different one from the main deck's

- You are not required to have a gift card, and can still use the gift effect. However, it will be subject to penalties at official · certified tournament (proxies might be allowed depending on the judges and organizers of the tournament)

- Even if your vg is retired or changed, the gift bestowed wont go anywhere

- If the vanguard that bestow gift also have on place ability, Activating the gift will take priority.

-Imaginary gifts has no limit. Please prepare the necessary number of cards in advance.

- Power up by force/accel Imaginary gifts are not counted as "increased power due to card effect"

- Imaginary gifts will not be excluded from Ultimate striding Gyze

- Protect Imaginary gift card is a hand card, and a guardian on the guardian circle, but it does not have a grade. Hence, it can be retired by Daikaiser, can be used against guard restrict card such as Balaam, and can be used as a "discard 1 card from your hand". However, it still cant be used for somethings such as "discard g3 card from hand" or "your opponent cannot call cards to the guardian circle from hand"

[led123123]

ok. today maybe I’ll learn this command line..

do I have it installed already..

yes.. I have it 

https://www.ffmpeg.org/general.html#AMD-AMF_002fVCE

and this option also is available already without installing anything

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/45181730/ffmpeg-encode-x264-with-amd-gpu-on-windows

options

https://opensource.com/article/17/6/ffmpeg-convert-media-file-formats

“The command ffmpeg -codecs will print every codec FFmpeg knows about. The output of this command will change depending on the version of FFmpeg you have installed.”

“h264                 H.264 / AVC / MPEG-4 AVC / MPEG-4 part 10 (decoders: h264 h264_qsv h264_cuvid ) (encoders: libx264 libx264rgb h264_amf h264_nvenc h264_qsv nvenc nvenc_h264 )“

so if I use the.. hardware acceleration command.. it should automatically detect the.. hardware codec?

why handbrakes doesn’t support.. I mean.. I still don’t know if there is this option available in command line

“ External wrapper decoders are used by setting a specific decoder with the -codec:v option. Typically they are named codec_api (for example: h264_cuvid) “

damn.. for decoding and encoding.. there’s 2 codecs..

ffmpeg -hwaccel_device 0 -hwaccel cuda -i input -vf scale_npp=-1:720 -c:v h264_nvenc -preset slow output.mkv

ok.. so.. decoding codec.. is specified.. before the -i parameter.. and encoding is specified after input parameter

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/45181730/ffmpeg-encode-x264-with-amd-gpu-on-windows

there are all the options

all the options that handbrake doesn’t have.. can I use them in handbrake?? no.. they weren’t on the list

https://handbrake.fr/docs/en/latest/technical/video-vce.html

there’s less options

this encoder options are a lot more different

https://github.com/HandBrake/HandBrake/issues/1762#issuecomment-450376269

“We had a similar issue with NVENC where an encoder option needed to be set to force IDR frames whenever HandBrake needed a keyframe at a chapter boundary. Looking at the AMD amfenc code, there isn't even a way to force a keyframe. It ignores the frame flag we set that forces one of these. I don't know the amf encoder api well enough to say whether this is fixable or not. “

why they add some weird options.. instead of just.. letting people use the ffmpeg options.

why won’t they just let people use ffmpeg options instead of adding their own customized options that nobody understands.. god..

why they have to make a bigger mess out of this.. it’s like.. using ffmpeg.. so why are they making it 2 times more complicated.. by creating more of their own commands..

https://support.medialooks.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000210192-H-264-encoding-options#AMD%20AMF

so like.. these are the ffmpeg options??

ok like.. which one is the.. keyframe interval option

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_compression_picture_types

this may be.. the.. “delta qp” parameter maybe

for B-frames

one of these options has to be keyframe interval

“ B-Picture Delta QP “ means.. b-picture quality difference

so.. my brain was melting.. so.. like.. this.. pumpkin.. actually turned out to be a melon.. what the.. so I made french fries instead.. that’s 3rd day in a row eating potatoes.. but. I’m like.. who doesn’t like french fries.. 

those are melons.. they taste disgusting..

national squash day date moved to the next year

they’re good with ketchup. haven’t eaten french fries with ketchup for long time

https://youtu.be/Ur8Mpgc53ts

https://youtu.be/Ur8Mpgc53ts?t=98

https://youtu.be/Ur8Mpgc53ts?t=118

https://youtu.be/66dmNlOCpY0?t=117

https://youtu.be/66dmNlOCpY0?t=231

poreiro

nuber seben

and I wanted to get better at peelling potatoes

so I had a little bit more practice

https://youtu.be/7ZYcb57btNU?t=9

https://youtu.be/7ZYcb57btNU?t=38

https://youtu.be/7ZYcb57btNU?t=153

https://youtu.be/7ZYcb57btNU?t=171

https://youtu.be/7ZYcb57btNU?t=210

https://youtu.be/7ZYcb57btNU?t=239

it looked like a pumpkin but it’s a melon

https://youtu.be/hfiPI540DFI

it’s so bad

and then I grabbed something to drink.. and it appeared to be also a melon.. juice..

https://youtu.be/0AzVPH4HC6k?t=128

do they have more videos with this dude talking on the phone??

https://youtu.be/hfiPI540DFI?t=343

https://youtu.be/hfiPI540DFI?t=446

https://youtu.be/yM9z-h2vIPo?t=10

https://youtu.be/vyr6oqU-0gs

https://youtu.be/9uFtaOICl7c?t=52

https://youtu.be/W-N5HkbZpT0

https://www.youtube.com/c/%E7%BE%85%E5%B0%8F%E7%99%BDSwhite%E5%AE%98%E6%96%B9%E9%A0%BB%E9%81%93/videos

https://youtu.be/vyr6oqU-0gs

https://youtu.be/04pwoYzbVjk

https://youtu.be/Y8YL29QcAs4?t=20

https://youtu.be/XMIMehEBubo?t=233

https://youtu.be/hfiPI540DFI?t=475

this melon is so disgusting..

I’m getting sleeping after eating

https://youtu.be/O7DNZuDigNA?t=93

https://youtu.be/O7DNZuDigNA?t=106

xD

https://youtu.be/kkg4pO8RgWM

https://youtu.be/bsS_7EEYx1Y?t=22

I had broken mixer.. I mean.. it was getting.. like.. it works but it smells bad.. when it’s being used for like.. few minutes

https://youtu.be/eeXXz_qTXVM

national squash day postponed by a year

which parameter.. means frametime interval..

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=41

they didn’t ban me yet..

but I like killing noobs.. in low rank games..

I mean.. they’re not bad.. 

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=229

easiest is gold

nice landing.. -36

not bad I removed some of the stuff

another team..

26k kills

somebody has no life

finally normal platinum 4 squad

how the f*ck did I get arced..

he f*cking arced me?? what the.. 

damn ninjas.. 

how

it is just not possible..

why they hit me every single time like.. one clipping.. arcing..

I do play caustic though.. he has a big hitbox..

how is it possible..

and these idiots spamming text chat.. 

jumping in between 2 squads.. 

literally.. arcing me..

literally arcing me and I can’t move my cursor

like.. wingman.. is like.. it was impossible to hit any shots.. they had snipers.. and.. like.. I was shooting.. like.. in a straight line.. so the bullet drop was the highest.. so I couldn’t hit anybody

ok.. so like.. what is the gravity slow effect on bullets.. in this

if I shoot up bullets don’t seem to slow much

how far does a bullet fly if it’s shot up

this can be calculated by knowing initial speed of the bullet and bullet weight

or like.. no.. do I need bullet weight??

no.. I guess not.. like.. speed is.. like.. 0.7km/s

with sniper rifle.. with other weapons.. it’s.. like.. 300 or less.. with wingman.. it would be like.. less than 200

lets say 150m/s

gravity is.. 10m/s^2, so.. it would stop after.. like.. 15 seconds.. 

wow.. that’s a lot of time

15 seconds.. really??

it would also be slowed by air.. so it would be less

if there was no air slow then it would be 15 seconds

damn these people with 26k kills

I’m easier to hit with caustic

and I’m losing rades.. with snipers.. because it’s easier to hit me

I can bunker up I’m easier to hit in trades with snipers

I’m like.. 2 times easier to hit

snipers can hit me more easily

I wanted to play more.. but.. like.. games.. are not going too well

what else to do..

every single game is with teams..

I’m like.. 80 hp.. so he has.. like.. g7 scout.. so he needs 3 shots on me.. and I have highground.. so I though that I should get him.. and then he starks me.. and mouse is getting slowed.. so I can’t move aim

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=223

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=199

it’s a painted sponge..

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=224

https://youtu.be/Q2meWkWqc-I?t=76

she kinda looks like her

https://youtu.be/Q2meWkWqc-I?t=135

I mean.. the use similar colors in the video.. purple.. 

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=226

https://youtu.be/v3kyYoDdtb8

these apples are not sweet..

red prince?? really??

it’s not a prince.. it’s peasant at most

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=223

lol.. she made a shocking expression.. and she hit him second time a second after.. that’s so funny

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=270

no... I finally know how she looks like.. a-yeon

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdld7SHk9IyYSkNrHA9B6Dw

finally.. figured out..

finally figured it out

https://youtu.be/vyr6oqU-0gs

https://youtu.be/-6w_3P_l5FA

https://youtu.be/9b6lWVqSXgo?t=24

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=222

https://www.youtube.com/c/%EA%B1%B8%EB%BD%80/videos

I was sleepy and I still haven’t slept.. after eating

https://youtu.be/zdoB2TPqWxs?t=195

these songs are so short..

I should have slept

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=223

what the heck.. like.. eating sleeping.. where is time for playing games..

I don’t even have time to play games.. damn.. right.. I was learning this.. command line today.. that’s why time went by so fast and I didn’t even have time to play

this is why I didn’t have time to sleep..

damn I should have slept like.. I think it would be like.. 20 minutes or something.. 

now I feel kinda.. still want to sleep 

I should have just.. gone to sleep.. jesus christ..

damn..

how am I supposed to compete with people who have 26k kills 

should I go back to wraith.. or.. any other champion with smaller hitbox??

I got really close to the solution with this command line.. but.. like.. still don’t know which parameter.. and.. what value I need to set..

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=223

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=222

I wanna get back to dota more and more.. thinking more and more about getting back to dota

I don’t know.. it kinda.. drives.. me.. like.. people that are there.. like.. I don’t know.. 

muting text chat every time..

15% damage reduction.. and.. like.. -5% damage reduction.. or.. like.. 45% hitbox reduction..so like.. trading like.. it’s like.. 22% damage reduction vs 45% smaller hitbox.. which is  like.. actually.. like.. damage reduction.. because you get hit less times.. especially at long range

damn snipers.. 

and.. like.. ye.. I just.. get hit almost 2 times more times 

because of the hitbox..

imagine me shooting at wraith.. across the map

with wingman

I would miss 2 times more often

and this dude starked me.. like.. that’s just mindblowing

ninjas

https://youtu.be/04pwoYzbVjk?t=299

https://youtu.be/0AzVPH4HC6k?t=43

https://youtu.be/7ZYcb57btNU?t=239

https://youtu.be/7ZYcb57btNU?t=171

ye I was looking for this part where he was talking to a ruler

https://youtu.be/7ZYcb57btNU?t=209

yes. I didn’t watch to the end.. 

but caustic has gas

and I don’t have to hear this loud slowing effect..

https://www.gamesradar.com/apex-legends-hitboxes/#:~:text=The%20confirmed%20Apex%20Legends%20hitboxes,44%20square%20cm%20%2D%2033%25%20increase

omg.. bloodhound has such a tiny hibox now?? omg.. 

watson and crypto the same as wraith??

no.. lifeline and bloodhund the same.. wattson.. the same.. omg.. ok.. I’m gonna maybe play bloodhund.. everyone is playing bloodhund now.. 

so many people are playing bloodhund

so many bloodhounds in the game

caustic is 105%.. that’s even worse

I though it was 90%.. 90% is pathfinder..

bloodhound lifeline wattson or wraith then

gameplan

plan works

again.. 2 headshots in a row.. with wingman

they were shooting a lot at me but they didn’t hit any shots.

omg. watson lifeline wraith

they shot at me 3 people at the same time.. and I died in like.. half a second

and they hit all wingman shots

how did they all had line of sight on me

lol wraith is really short.. I knew that it’s a stupid idea to go outside zone.. and.. they didn’t even wanna push them.. like.. they let them res the one that I downed.. jesus.. like.. why were they not pushing..

when I downed one dude.. they didn’t push.. I killed him with 2 wingman body shots and one headshot

https://youtu.be/8cRBO8bDn6Q?t=40

my squad didn’t move at all

so I backed

lifeline wattson again

https://youtu.be/3idAooHqySw

people who chase forever.. I just turn on them and kill his teammate

https://youtu.be/3idAooHqySw?t=55

2 headshots but with lvl 3 helmet it’s only 61 damage.. not that much more

https://youtu.be/u6K6kQFASUc?t=93

https://youtu.be/u6K6kQFASUc?t=28

xD

https://youtu.be/u6K6kQFASUc?t=104

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=259

and she looks like 

https://youtu.be/WIPhgoockNA?t=12

https://youtu.be/q_eo5j5sib8?t=64

I guess she looks the most like this girl

they make videos without pauses.. 

and.. like.. their videos are longer.. and.. there’s more happening

there are no long solo vocal parts

or long solo instrument parts

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=200

like here I mean.

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=213

and there’s a lot of repetitions 

in that song

like she doesn’t have enough lyrics to sing. I mean.. I don’t understand korean

a lot of repetitions and like.. the intro ends too fast.. it starts with chorus.. and there’s no verse right away

I think there should be verse

it shouldn’t stop right after it started

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=252

repetitions.

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=113

music video is interesting

makes more sense to me after seeing it few times.. 

https://youtu.be/q_eo5j5sib8?t=161

yes she looks the most like her.. she looks a lot like her

right? she looks a lot like her really similar

ok I guess the pagefile on hard drive works

https://youtu.be/7ZYcb57btNU?t=238

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/786484419?t=1h42m9s

saidy

https://youtu.be/HGFh4IjX5Pk?t=235

this sounds like one other song

https://youtu.be/cz6kwiDsfcc?t=52

with wraith they can’t hit me now.. 2 times less chance that I get hit

what legend is she playing.. 

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=222

ok like.. condensed milk is like.. what? sugar and milk??

I had like.. low blood circulation in arms.. so I laid on bed for a while

and stretched.. I should have stretched more.. but.. 

it’s getting late.. and I need to go to sleep soon.. I guess. so.. I did it fast..

yes. and a f*cking disconnect.. 

what the f*ck..

what a f*cking joke. why do I get a disconnect so often at night

what the fuck

I had like.. 3 times disconnect at this time recently

this time it was 1 minute.. but previously it was.. like.. sometimes hour sometimes even like.. few hours

what a joke.

this was my game.. I had wingman on the start

with lvl 3 heavy mag

and a lot of loot

and volt

now I lost all remaining points and wait 10 minutes

https://youtu.be/ghuwJmRJr7k?t=3

she looks like her

f*ck this game.. jesus.. like.. plaing solo.. because team dies in the first 5 seconds of the game..

there’s no point of playing solo

they literally died both at once.. in like.. 2 seconds

they took all guns.. went and died

without any armor

https://youtu.be/NUApAvB8XSk

that’s my team guys. 

знакомтесь

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=252

https://youtu.be/XNUkw5M1514

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3819946/I-t-make-happy-YouTube-star-Miranda-Sings-sobs-admits-divorcing-husband-just-one-year-heart-wrenching-video-watched-SIX-MILLION-times.html

https://youtu.be/XNUkw5M1514?t=53

I was saying that pitbulls are not like.. safe..

it looks like it’s old dog

https://youtu.be/XNUkw5M1514?t=352

https://youtu.be/XNUkw5M1514?t=380

https://youtu.be/XNUkw5M1514?t=402

imagine people who treat these dogs like normal dogs

https://youtu.be/XNUkw5M1514?t=453

he could kill her

https://youtu.be/XNUkw5M1514?t=525

she has some scratches

cerbers look the same

https://images.app.goo.gl/E1MwaqqvfghpwrNS9

cerbers in harry potter looked the same

https://youtu.be/W3wYABF20lo

esplod

https://youtu.be/W3wYABF20lo?t=797

https://youtu.be/W3wYABF20lo?t=873

australian maybe

https://youtu.be/W3wYABF20lo?t=901

https://youtu.be/W3wYABF20lo?t=1007

https://youtu.be/E4TygUpWUTQ?t=221

https://youtu.be/FZfFjvTEW_I

I wish I would buy 2nd monitor.. it’s not expensive

I’m like.. do I need anything else.. for this computer.. and I’m like.. like.. it’s kinda.. it has everything I actually don’t need anything

I could get 2nd monitor.. it’s cheap upgrade

I used to be like.. I felt like I will always want something else for it.. but.. well now it’s actually like.. has everything.. next thing that I would get.. would be.. like.. I would want like.. 64GB of ram.. but I would have to replace motherboard..

[swade-art]

hello :) very nice work on the dota cards! :) what is the ace of diamonds supposed to be again? Thanks! :)

Thanks for the question!I’ve had to keep all this quiet for months so you’ll forgive me if I expand on your question a bit.  Work on the aces and also the suit pips (diamond, spade, etc) came fairly late in the process.  Most of the character cards were done, the color scheme was decided etc.  We could have easily just shipped with normal suits but I had been trying for months to come up with a theme so I was stubborn about it.I kept working with the idea of a lightning theme for blue (thinking mostly about Double-Damage runes) and the Heart of Terrasque for hearts was a given.  But it was Valve who recommended using items for all the suits.  So Mjollnir was easy (bonus, it still has lightning!), butterfly for green, HoT for red…but purple??Purple is used generally in dota for invisibility but also vision (dust, etc).  The problem is that ‘invisibility’ is about as abstract of a concept as you can get when you’re doing graphic illustration.  And in order to match the other aces I needed the “biggest” purple item you can get. Which is arguably Silver Edge.The downside is that Silver Edge is super asymmetrical as a design so finding ways to fit it into a diamond are…difficult at best.  Also I was able to get hi-res of the in-game icons but those don’t include the whole blade.  So I had to try to logically deduce what the rest of it looked like.  I even tried a lot of versions of it matched with Shadow Blade (Lothar’s) which has a much more regonizable shape to help even it out but it wasn’t successful.

So in the end I remembered that Dota2 uses the ‘eye’ icon to help imply vision/visibility and I thought that was a good balance and it helped give some symmetry to the design.  Version 3 you can see there is close to what the final design was (I removed the mottling on the blade but that’s about it)If anyone has any other questions about the cards feel free to ask, you can also see more in the interview I did with Valve here.tl;dr It’s Silver Edge :P

[fallintolife]

One Hour With: Final Fantasy IV

after finishing Final Fantasy III the other night, I decided now was the time to dip my toe into the Steam port of Final Fantasy IV. thoughts under the cut. no significant spoilers.

disclaimer: I have already played and beaten FFIV. it was about a decade ago, and I played the PSX version. the PC adaptation is different than I remember, so this shouldn’t have much of an impact on my playthrough.

the world already has nods to the other games in the franchise. a Water Crystal is mentioned, which leads me to believe there are others. there’s a Chocobo Forest to the west of the starting castle&town. Cecil is a classic Dark Knight, and his bro Kain is a classic Dragoon. we’ll see about other stuff. there aren’t any big discrepancies, and that’s all I ask for from the first hour of a game.

the main characters mostly interest me so far. I say mostly because, well, more about Rosa in the visuals section, but her character model put me off really hard. her VA isn’t great, either. certainly not the worst I’ve ever heard, but considering how well-done Cecil and Kain are, Rosa is disappointing. Cecil intrigues me; he’s aware that he’s doing terrible things in the name of a king who isn’t the man who first earned his loyalty, but he won’t stop. he calls himself a coward, and I agree. I still want to find out where he’s going. and Kain... well. there’s an interesting comparison here in how Kain’s face is always covered, whereas Cecil takes off his faceplate when he’s in the castle. they both have edgelord armor, but being able to see Cecil’s face humanizes him. Kain stays covered, shrouded.

I haven’t dug much into the plot, as I’m only an hour in. it makes sense and everyone has motives that seem human enough. the only worry at the moment is the king. yes, send two of your commanders away on a monster-hunting quest with no backup, while you’re in the middle of a major power grab. give them time to really think about questioning you further, while you deprive yourself of two of your best. it’s not to the point where I think he’s just a plot device or caricature, but his idiocy is a little concerning. I’m willing to give it some slack for now.

musically it’s better than I remembered. Theme of Love is engaging, and the overworld theme keeps me from resorting to youtube.

I have 99 visual complaints, and they’re all Rosa. the new menu screen is much to my tastes:

look at that delicious, delicious angst. also the character model is acceptable. they even have recognizeable facial expressions. but then you see Rosa:

I have looked into the Rosa, and the Rosa has looked back into me. her face is so flat that it looks like someone badly photoshopped her into this screenshot. her body is... okay. not sure I agree with the clothing design. but the face. the face. also, I lied, only 98 of my complaints are Rosa:

one of them is Cid’s lips. why are they like that? why is his outfit terrible? I’m really hoping that the edgelords don’t have the best outfits in the game.

I haven’t seen much of it just yet, but the gameplay is acceptable. I don’t like the way it runs on my PC - this PC runs both Civilization VI and DOTA on full-tilt, don’t tell me it shouldn’t run a port that’s almost three years old - and that’s going to make grinding a chore. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there, I suppose. for now, everything works, if sluggishly.

overall, I like it enough to keep playing. I’ll be back for another review at ten hours in, or 10% of all achievements, whichever happens first.

[timetocode]

Sharkz.io as of day 47

For those interested, I’m publicizing some of the data for http://sharkz.io/. It is now 47 days since the ‘launch’ which is a somewhat arbitrary point... it is just the day that the exp system went in and I listed Sharkz.io on http://iogames.space/.

The game may have recently been played 1,000,000 times. I don’t know for sure, because my data collection is very minimal. I do know that for quite awhile players would play the game roughly 2.4 times per session.

Generally speaking the game enjoyed quite a bit of popularity for a couple weeks, and then slowly declined thereafter. I think the game, thanks to the scale + speed of nengi, the fish schooling ai, and the distorted underwater aesthetic was a bit of a novelty for awhile there. There were some pretty bad bugs, some hackers, and some generally unfun balance problems during the first few patches. These problems don’t really show up on the graphs because they occurred during periods of very strong growth and were corrected as fast as I could.

Overall traffic is far lower these days than nearer launch. These days there are about 4,000 to 6,000 unique players per day. This is down from what was for 10,000 to 25,000 unique players. I’m hoping the next patch (more on this later) can breath some new life into the game.

Revenue

Revenue for the game took forever to establish, and some ads have now been in place for ~25 days. At current traffic levels, the game earns a little under $10 per day (anywhere from $6-$18 so far). The server bills are $1.33 per day, and can handle roughly 3x the current peak volume before I would need to add more servers. I may need to add more servers just for the sake of improving player’s ping. I probably should’ve done this ages ago. If there is a significant increase in interest for the game after the next patch, this will be one of the first things I do with the new revenue. The ads are also infrequent compared to other io games that I’ve played. I should probably show a few more ads.

How much does the game need to earn? What kind of potential is there for it? Well everything I have to say is subjective and speculative. The game pays its own server bills easily (they are cheap thanks to nengi) but couldn’t afford much of anything else. The game would really need to make *a lot* more money to pay a developer’s salary.. something like 20x as much as it currently earns. Do I think it will earn that? No, not really. I think my upcoming patch is pretty fun, and I could imagine it maybe quadrupling the player base (and revenue) if successful. I also imagine a featureset that would be the end-all most awesome io game ever made. It isn’t even that crazy, I could finish it in 6 mo. But I can imagine that about pretty much anything, and I think I just need to chillax and favor smaller iterations and more variety to my work. The current patch is big enough.

Missed opportunity due to misunderstanding the server load

I missed out on unknown amount of traffic during some of the popularity spikes. I had managed to get the game fairly stable fairly quickly, so as traffic increased I didn’t experience many crashes. Nengi.js was more of a survivor than I had expected. What I did experience was a gradual degradation of game quality.. nengi wasn’t crashing, it was just gradually slowing down.  Now that I have the data and can analyze it, it has become clear to me that there were plateaus in the concurrent users where instead there should’ve been spikes. My guess is that servers would lag, and the more lag-accustomed players would stay as the more lag-sensitive players would gradually leave. Basically, the system (thanks to it having humans in it) would auto-correct itself without any drastic changes in population. There were probably several tens of thousands of first-time players lost over time. On future releases I think I’ll have to cap the server populations well-below this ambiguous zone, and add more servers instead. First impressions are important, and a lot of people’s first impressions were no doubt during these popularity spikes.

Future (very long wall of text)

As for the future of Sharkz.io, I’m working on a pretty big update to the game. So big, that I’m just calling it Sharkz.io v2. I’m preserving a “classic” version of the game, but I would be really surprised if people disliked the newer stuff. This next patch divides up all of the existing abilities in the game and spreads them across a tree of different sharks that players can evolve into. Players no longer end up unlocking everything, instead they have to make choices. This was my original goal, so I’m glad to be working it back into the game. I’m also adding active abilities, which is pretty intense for an io game with this many players. Having a few castable abilities is quite an ambitious feature.. but it is the kind stuff nengi is supposed to do easily so I gotta prove it. The fact that I’m overlaying RPG-esque archetypes over a game about sharks eating each other is ridiculous. I hope its fun :D If it isn’t at least I’ll have a huge amount of the work done for a game that has abilities like Diablo or DoTA, but it can be tuned for 50-300 players. I could basically copy and paste myself an mmorpg after this. I’m upset and excited at my own ridiculousness. My real concern is getting a playable prototype out on a test server while there’s still anyone around who still likes the sharks game.

The rogue-tree now begins with stealth. Stealth is a classic rogue ability. But sharks with a mutation to camouflage? That’s just cool. It also goes with the theme of stalking prey or avoiding a predator. And then also in the rogue-tree, is a mutation that lets the shark spray ink. It is basically a ninja smoke bomb. I’m just happy that the parallel of video game rogues and underwater sea creatures lines up so magically. I haven’t finished the rest of the rogue-tree, but it is going to focus on poison. Once again, classically archetypal, and totally believable for ocean creatures. I guess it is no surprise though, the ocean has so much variety.

The warrior-tree now begins with a charge ability. Charge is difficult steer but gives speed and extra damage. Specializations allow for temporarily hardened carapace, becoming spiky like a puffer fish, gaining extra life while biting (vampire archetype), growing massive like a megalodon, and manually triggering adrenaline rushes (berzerker).

The pet-related-tree gets pets. One path follows the archetype of a summoner, and is inspired by whale sharks, and the Protoss Carrier from Starcraft. This one gains a fair amount of life and a large symbiotic swarm. The other path is inspired by the archetype of a beastmaster or ranger, and instead gets 2-3 larger specialized pets with usable abilities. So far there is a medium-sized combat shark, a tiny jellyfish that poisons enemies, and a cleaning-fish that enhanced regeneration.

I have the underlying system and approximately 1/3 of the new abilities implemented, and I hope to have a few of them complete enough for testing with real players next week.

The design of a lot of the new abilities will hopefully give players the tools to survive a bit longer. In the current rendition of the game it can be hard to hold onto #1,  or get away from #1. Sharks after about 10-15 minutes essentially find themselves fairly equal, and there is an indicator that always points towards the leader. Eventually the leader can’t recover fast enough from being hunted, and the crown passes. It took me awhile to get the game to play this way, and at the risk of unbalancing everything, I want to tweak this dynamic. I still want this to be the overall behavior of the game, but I want to increase the potential for a skillful player to have a longer run.

Adrenaline was always the core mechanic that let a player get away once. But adrenaline has a lengthy cooldown, and in v1 could also be used offensively by every max level shark. In v2 only a few sharks can still use adrenaline offensively, the rest must rely on other tricks.

In the new system, it is much easier to bite while chasing, so everyone needs escape mechanisms.

Stealth and ink are of course good for getting away. This should help players get away a few more times before they are eventually caught. What stops these from being overpowered? Well it takes time to go into stealth, so it can’t really be used to stop a chase, only to hide fully after having truly escaped. Ink on the other hand only obscures vision temporarily, which might help gain distance by making a tricky maneuver but won’t permanently break a chase either. Stealth and ink are good for ambushes, but don’t help much for chasing.

Meanwhile the warrior has a charge ability. Charge is very hard to steer, which makes it better for escaping than for chasing. Right when someone starts to charge, all you gotta do is make a sharp turn and the warrior will have lost distance. But the warrior, while fleeing, just purely gains distance by using charge. The warrior’s other abilities also allow for blocking small bursts of  damage or for dealing small bursts of damage -- basically fight or flight, with the player getting to choose.

The pet-related builds don’t have an escape mechanism, but they have higher sustained damage than most other builds and a few abilities that allow for burst damage. Basically, a pet-related build has to deter other sharks with damage. Variance in the builds allows for better sustain or better burst. Being caught with no pets is a death sentence. Likewise, sharks that go all-in on a pet-build shark will die quickly unless they have an anti-pet strategy. Some sharks, like the devourer can try to out-sustain a pet-build by eating the pets. Other sharks, like the puffer, can pretty much ignore the pets because they’ll die to the spikes. Meanwhile a low-damage rogue who picked only escapes has very little they can do against full-level whale shark other than hope to sneak up on them at a bad time.

[kuwaiti-kid]

The 35 Best PC Games to Play Right Now (2020)

Consoles make up a large portion of the video game market, but they are not the only way to play them.

There are mobile and PC games, some of which can be played on both consoles and PC. There have been endless debates about whether consoles or PCs are better for gaming.

This article doesn't address this debate, but it will provide you with solid options for gameplay that will help you settle the dispute for yourself.

Here's the list of 35 of the best PC games.

The 35 Best PC Games to Play Right Now

Control

Ever wondered what it would be like to be a psychically powered agent of a secret government agency?

Even if you've never had that particular Fantasy, Control is definitely worth playing. Players get to play, Jesse, a young woman looking for her brother. Her search takes her to the Bureau of Control and its headquarters, The Oldest House.

As Jesse explores the building, she encounters more mysteries, enemies, and gains new psychic powers. This is a fantastic game, with a unique and riveting storyline.

The Witcher 3

The Witcher is one of the most popular video game series ever.

The adventures of Geralt are legendary! Between the books, the Netflix series, and the games themselves, few people haven't at least heard of the series. Enjoy all the things you love about high Fantasy in this epic game.

Grand Theft Auto 5

Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the most popular Grand Theft Auto games out there.

The game is expansive and allows players to explore some of the best things about the series.

A massive open world and the kind of storyline GTA is known for gives this game instant classic status.

Fortnite

When Fortnite came out, it took the world by storm. The game remains wildly popular to this day, with significant features like a Star Wars reveal and a Deadpool cameo, it is no wonder why.

Players can spend hours running around this battle royale style game. The ability to strategize and build custom forts are the hallmarks of this game and offer players an endless array of battle possibilities.

Overwatch

Overwatch is a team-based, first-person shooter, which focuses on avatars (aka heroes), each with a specific skill and fighting style.

There is a sequel to this game in the works and is supposed to feature new heroes, new powers, new skins, and all-new settings.

Elder Scrolls

Elder Scrolls is a monolith in the high fantasy video game genre. This series is one of the most expansive open-world RPGs of all time. Magic, elves, dragons, and epic quests are the hallmarks of this series.

Regardless of which game in the series you choose to play, players will be guaranteed weeks of fun and adventure.

Minecraft

Minecraft is a game unlike anything else on the market. It has completely shaped a generation. Its name recognition is off the charts.

This pixelated build your world is perfect for endless fun. There's always something new to try or explore in the marvelous world of Minecraft.

Disco Elysium

Ever wanted to be an amnesiac who solves murders? Yeah, I didn't know I wanted to be one until I played Disco Elysium.

This game is one-of-a-kind. It has no combat whatsoever. The game progression is determined by a player skill tree development and dialogue choices. The game offers true mind games.

Elite

The Elite series is one of the longest-running series in video game history. This space adventure has always been iconic.

There are multiple games in this franchise, and each one of them is worth the playthrough. Battle aliens and travel through space in this exciting out-of-this-world series.

League of Legends

League of Legends is a significant player in MMOs.

It is a classic multiplayer online battle arena (aka MOBA). Team battles are the name of the game here, and League of Legends does the game very well. There have been plenty of expansions on this already comprehensive platform, and it is definitely a fun game to play.

Half-Life

Half-Life is a dystopian post-alien invasion survival series.

It even has a VR title, Half-Life: Alyx, which is the most recently released game in the series. The titles focus on the struggles of working outside the law in a post-apocalyptic society.

This game is good for gritty sci-fi fun.

DOTA 2

DOTA 2 is the perfect game for fans of League of Legends, just, you know, free (mostly anyway). The game is a multiplayer online battle arena (aka MOBA). It features a battle between two teams of five.

Players get to control a powerful hero, each with its unique abilities. FYI, the free version doesn't offer heroes, but the paid version does. Either way, the game is loads of fun and is excellent for those looking to enjoy a good team battle.

World of Warcraft

One question: Horde or Alliance? World of Warcraft is another open-world RPG derived from a high fantasy background.

Play solo, join a guild, or team up to hit dungeons. WoW is always adding new content, and players can enjoy an increasingly expanding world with endless quests. Either way, WoW is an excellent addition to any video game library.

BioShock: The Collection

BioShock: The Collection is actually a remastered version of all three BioShock games. These three games are all first-person shooters.

The first two games are set in the underwater city of Rapture. The third is a prequel. The games all feature custom weaponry and a passing critique of politics. What's not to love?

Doom Eternal

Doom is retro video games at their finest. The game is a first-person shooter that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. Gamers get to play the Doom Slayer, a demon hunter looking to eradicate the demons that have taken over.

Doom Eternal is the newest installment in the Doom series, and it is loads of fun. It is well worth playing, even for those of us who aren't the best at first-person shooters.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 is loads of fun. Fulfill all of your cowboy fantasies, ride around on your horse, track down criminals, and explore the Old West.

The game is an RPG, but it feels refreshing, given its historically realistic take on historic America. Red Dead Redemption 2 is perfect for RPG fans who want to focus on an open world without high fantasy aspects.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a gorgeous computer game. The graphics are stunning, and the story is both uplifting and heartbreaking.

The cute little forest spirit character is absolutely charming, and the score is haunting. This is a beautiful game, and everyone should try it at least once.

Call of Duty

Call of Duty is yet another team-based first-person shooter, although this one is meant to be based in realism. This means that the weapons, ammo, abilities of the players, and the environment are based on the weapons, ammo, abilities of actual humans, and environment found in real life.

The newest addition to this series is called, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Grab some friends and raid some ammo caches, Call of Duty has a version for everyone.

The Sims

The Sims have been around forever. It is a completely unique RPG, and when it came out, it was one-of-a-kind. Operate a completely customized avatar and create a customized setting from a city to a neighborhood to a house. The Sims offers tons of options, so there's always something to do there. It's a great game, and if you like Minecraft or Animal Crossing, there are probably elements of The Sims that will excite you as well.

Apex Legends

Apex Legends is a battle royale game set in the same universe as Titanfall. Sixty players are divided into 20 teams and set loose on each other. The exciting thing about Apex Legends is the way it lets players communicate. The ping system is rather unique and very useful. If you like battle-royale games, then you'll like Apex Legends.

Outer Wilds

Players looking for a real challenge can check out the Outer Wilds. This game is a real challenge. The game starts with an astronaut stranded on a planet where the sun is about to go supernova.

Gamers get 22 minutes to discover everything they can about the world they're on, why the sun is going supernova, who the natives are. After 22 minutes, the supernova occurs, and the game starts from the beginning, with players getting to use the information from their previous playthrough to further their progress. It is nail-biting, satisfying fun.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege

Rainbow Six Siege is a tactical shooter game. Players get to play a spec-ops anti-terrorism unit. The unit takes various missions such as diffusing bombs, rescuing hostages, taking on terrorists.

This is an excellent esports, multiplayer game. Fans of military tactical games are sure to love this game.

Divinity

Divinity is a turn-based fantasy RPG. The series is dark and action-packed, making it a fan-favorite. The game offers a one-of-a-kind situation where gamers can operate two avatars in single-player mode and one avatar a piece in co-op mode.

Destiny

PvP and PvE games are all the rage, and few games capitalize on their popularity more than the Destiny franchise. This first-person shooter is one wild adventure. Given how much fun the game is to play, it is little wonder that it was named Game of the Year back in 2014.

All three expansions are worth playing.

Mass Effect

Mass Effect is a military sci-fi MMORPG set in space. This trilogy is fantastic, despite criticisms of the third installment (the first and second games are universally loved). The games are classic MMORPGs.

Intriguing dialogue and dynamic characters make Mass Effect a series for the ages. Mass Effect is an absolute delight with hours of gameplay for players to indulge.

Dragon Age

Dragon Age is a favorite fan, MMORPG. It is another high fantasy powerhouse, known for its complex plots, and in-depth lore. The series has three games released thus far, but news of a fourth installment is already out.

Each game is fantastic; the characters are engaging; the plot is riveting, and the setting of Thedas is beautiful. There is absolutely no reason why fans of fantasy games shouldn't love this series.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Star Wars: The Old Republic is a wildly popular free RPG and for a good reason. The game has been around for ages, and there are few games as massive as this one. The game takes all the best things about Star Wars and puts them at players' fingertips.

Join the Jedi or the Dark Side and explore the galaxy. May the force be with you.

Dishonored

Dishonored is a gritty industrial action-adventure series. This first-person shooter is perfect for fans of action-strategy RPGs. Players get to enjoy the challenge of infiltrating target locations and gaining magical abilities.

Uncover the truth behind those who betrayed you and clear your name. With a star-studded cast and gorgeously rendered recreations of major global cities, Dishonored is a great series, and everyone should play it at least once.

Portal

Portal is a fascinating puzzle game. It features a cute stick figure named Chell, who uses a special device called, “the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device”. The device creates portals between two flat planes.

The puzzles in this game are loads of fun, and they're great for hours of fun. Battle the evil AI, GLaDOS (aka Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System), and reward yourself with cake!

Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy is an iconic series. The characters and storyline are beloved the world over. The series has over 15 games in the main storyline alone, and even though not all of them are available on PC, the ones that are, are amazing.

The games aren't light on playthrough times either, with the average game requiring 30+ hours to complete the main questline. Final Fantasy is a fantastic franchise, and all of its games are worth playing.

Baldur's Gate

Baldur's Gate is a unique RPG with an interesting origin. The game gets its start from the popular tabletop RPG, Dungeons & Dragons. The major races and settings are pulled from the Forgotten Realms, which is a particular ‘world' within D&D.

It is a delightful cross-section between the tabletop world and video games. Explore the world of D&D like never before in Baldur's Gate.

Bayonetta

Bayonetta is a sleek, cool video game that hails from Japan. It features a wickedly powerful witch whose name is, you guessed it, Bayonetta. Bayonetta is an angel-slaying, demon-summoning, gun-slinging enchantress.

This game is all about style, the flashier the fight, the more rewards you get. Players will get to up their noir fantasy game with Bayonetta.

Left 4 Dead

Who doesn't love a good zombie apocalypse survival challenge? Left 4 Dead has all the hallmarks of an excellent survival horror series. It is a first-person shooter with its twist on the historical genre.

There are four protagonists, and the game requires no small amount of teamwork to succeed. It is an excellent game with a unique take on a favorite fan subject.

Mafia

Ah, the old school mafia. Who wouldn't want to play an old fashioned mafia member, from the golden age of the rat pack? The whole series is engaging and worth every minute of gameplay.

The gameplay is fun, and the dialogue hearkens back to all of those mafia movies we all saw as children. Nostalgia with a dash of chaotic evil anyone?

Tetris Effect

Tetris is a true OG in computer games. It even comes pre-loaded on some of them. Recently, Tetris was given a facelift called the Tetris Effect. This reboot is even more addictive than the original.

The game has psychedelic backgrounds and a track tailor-made for the rhythms of this puzzle game. This game rockets up the nostalgia and ups the fun of this truly timeless classic PC game.

Bonus: Horizon Zero Dawn

Horizon Zero Dawn started as a PS4 exclusive, and it remains one of the most popular PS4 games to date. However, it was announced recently that the game would come to PC in the summer of 2020. If the game is half as popular on PC as it is on PS4, then it will be one for the ages.

The Bottom Line

Any one of these games is perfect for days of immersive fun. With the right PC and graphics package, players can take some of their favorite console games to a whole new level. Fans of games from all across the spectrum will find something enjoyable on this list. Whether you're a PC purist or a console addict, any one of these games is guaranteed to entertain.

from Your Money Geek https://ift.tt/3fA6Iry via IFTTT

[waynekelton]

The Year in Mobile Gaming 2019

The years just blur by, folks, so if you’ll indulge me I’d like to mark the occasion by noting some high and lows 2019 has sprung on mobile gaming, as well as some trends. We’ve had a banner year for perfect-scoring games, with thirteen diverse games snagging full points from our picky reviewers here at Pocket Tactics. Roughly speaking most of these fivers are strictly in our wheelhouse: tactical and strategic games, many of them adaptations of tabletop games. Water is wet, Pocket Tactics loves tactics, and the genre continues to produce many strong and notable entries.

On the board game adaptation front, we have Santorini, Evolution, Aeon’s End and Castles of Burgundy. Some of these apps are so good they legit spoilt the ‘IRL’ tabletop versions, especially games which shine in two-player like Castles of Burgundy or Santotrini. Santorini in particular has been my jam for most of the year. Just like with a fighting game or a MOBA, playing with the same god or hero on Santorini feels like learning a whole new skillset. I have grown to loathe the slogan ‘easy to learn, hard to master’ but must grudgingly admit Santorini fulfills this phrase to a T.

To summarize, the usual suspects are wonderful, we love the stuff we expect to love, by and large. As the resident narrative weirdo, though, I simply must pipe up and plug once again the merits of games like Astrologaster, which was an immaculate experience I would soon repeat, mainly for its wry sing-song sensibility. It’s difficult to manage the flood of game releases, even when you winnow out the so-so entries, and even more so when you look at the cream of the crop. No bad options here, though I suspect the annual awards are gonna be a bloodbath this year.

Aside from individual releases, we’ve seen a few forays into innovative monetisation and platform options. It’s hard to escape the shadow of Apple Arcade, which I still believe is in an incredible value and has a decent chance of fully growing into a Netflix-but-for-games type service. Many of the games there feel like true passion projects, wherein the creator has tried to create something as interesting as possible without sacrificing broad appeal. Some of them already feel classic, despite being only a few months old. The only question is whether it will continue to serve up surprise hits or whether everyone’s high esteem of Apple Arcade settles down into the opinion that it is a safe, enjoyable time sink. Reliable, good value, sure, these qualities Apple Arcade will have for the foreseeable future. Whether it’s a trailblazer for anything other than budgets remains to be proven. It has a mixture of offerings, a killer value, a free trial and huge discoverability problems.

The landing page is such a pain to navigate, constantly shunting you towards its own clusters of games. I suppose it’s ‘curated’ but a simple search function is often all you need. Google Play Game’s Pass is also a good showing, but its star appeal is more about resurrecting old standards and rallying gamers around the nostalgia factor of bygones. If I had to pick three single standout entries, I would choose Card of Darkness which reignited my dormant solitaire passion; NeoCab for its humorous and humanistic take on techno-precarity; and finally Cat Quest II for being cattier and good standard RPG fare.

Speaking of innovation, the expansion of the Steam Link app’s functionality and the launch of Stadia mean that the line between mobile and console (or desktop) gaming continues to blur.

These services get more accessible and less finicky with each passing year, though they continue to be relatively niche. Still, the continued dominance of the Nintendo Switch means that flexibility and versatility are just as important as raw gaming power to consumers. There’s a constant refrain amongst gamers: when will X game come to Y platform, and it remains as relevant as ever. But it bears noting that both in terms of raw creative output and flexibility, modern gamers are spoilt for choice. Fortunately, between the constant influx of quality ports and the aforementioned cloud gaming/streaming services, people can mostly play what they want, when the want.

Mostly. Apple Arcade’s exclusivity has echoes of the console and now PC store-front exclusives that are run-of-the-mill. I don’t see mobile gaming fragmenting to the extent that PC and consoles have, mostly because Apple is still the majority player by a much larger margin than other markets. The only possible friction which might generate different release windows and exclusives is the Nintendo Switch. Mobile gaming has shifted from a stable binary: iOS or Android to something a little wonkier. The Switch is its own hybrid thing and will continue to be a popular way to play games on the go.

2019 trends can be broken down into genre and franchise. AR games have proliferated, what with Minecraft Earth and Howards: Wizards Unite both launching, as well as Pokemon Go deepening its appeal with seasonal events and and fresh ‘mons. Their popularity is no longer explosive, but this category of games is pretty much part of the establishment, for good or ill. Gameplay systems grow more sophisticated, many alternatives crop up.

The other big genre trend is auto-battlers, which sprung up much more rapidly overnight and might have been a flash in the pan. They’re conceived as zen strategic battlers but surprisingly chancy to play. Since the original Dota Auto Chess spawned a host of similar games, the hype has died down significantly. Franchises and branded games continue to go strong, though, with new games pairing established IPs (Mario Kart, Harry Potter) with conventional gameplay and monetisation options. Truly these represent the lowest common denominator of gaming, but not objectionable per se. It’s rather like staring at one of those computer-generated ‘pretty faces’ which is an eerie average of a thousand photos. Nice but a little empty. Analogies aside, Mario Kart Tour has been undeniably fun.

Nothing earth-shattering to boast of in 2019, but nothing to sniff at, either. Personally I would still champion Apple Arcade as the single most important development of the year. While the mobile platform gets plenty of good games, period, many of these quality games are secondhand goods, passed to iOS and Android from other platforms. Apple Arcade showcases quite a few games natively designed and implemented just for its own hardware, and it shows.

For 2020, I predict a slight refocusing on quality and innovation in smaller releases alongside the continuing trend of the largest, splashiest franchises churning out the most staid and worn-out gameplay tropes. ‘Spire-likes’ will become more of a thing, surely. We’ll be seeing Diablo Immortal, hopefully. I can only dream of what Pokemon Sleep will do to make shut-eye playful. New things will disappoint or eke by on mediocre expectations, but the very best things will come like a bolt from the blue. As always, watch this space. Games are good and getting better once you sort through the drek. Come here to find the best.

The Year in Mobile Gaming 2019 published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[componentplanet]

How an Article on Game Difficulty Explained My Own Modding, 18 Years Later

A game’s difficulty level can make or break the title. Games that are perceived as too difficult become boring, depressing grinds, while games that are too easy become boring and tedious, with little challenge. One of the most profound differences between World of Warcraft Classic and Retail is the difference in difficulty. Of course, every player has their own ideas about how hard a game should be, but there’s no arguing that the difficulty of a title is important.

But according to game developer Jennifer Scheurle, game developers think about game difficulty very differently than players do, which may be part of why conversations on this topic sometimes seem to break down. Her piece resonated with me, partly because it reminded me of the reasons why I became a game modder, once upon a time. According to Scheurle, difficulty is all about trust.

“At the core of the difference between how game designers and players speak about difficulty,” she writes, “is the fact that we discuss it in terms of skill progression. All difficulty design is essentially that: crafting how players will learn, apply skills, and progress through challenges.”

Graphic by Jennifer Scheurle for Polygon

She then walks through examples of how this plays out in games, using the Dark Souls series as an example. DS games ask you to accept that you will die (frequently) as part of learning how encounters function. You aren’t simply being killed by mechanics you can’t master, beat, or counter, you’re learning how the game functions and how to counter incoming attacks. The game, in turn, obeys its own internal rules. Players often become angry at a game if they feel it isn’t holding up its end of the bargain in some particular, whether that refers to drop rates, spawn rates, boss difficulty, or the damage you take versus the damage you deal. She also discusses the importance of how a game teaches players to play it, and the various in-game ways that developers communicate game difficulty and associated rules. It’s a very different view of the topic than simply boiling it down into whether a game is “hard” or “easy,” and it leads to a much more nuanced view of how and why different titles may put difficulty in different places.

The article resonated with me in part because it describes part of why I became a Diablo II modder and taught me something about my own motivation. I don’t want to seem as if I’m hijacking Scheurle’s excellent discussion of game difficulty because it’s worth a read in its own right, but I’m going to switch gears a bit and talk about my own experience. To put it simply: I was pissed.

Diablo II’s Trust Fail

This was the early days of Diablo II, before the Lord of Destruction expansion had even come out. Patch 1.03 dropped not long before I started modding, to put a date on things. On Normal difficulty, Diablo II worked pretty well, but as you progressed into Nightmare and Hell difficulty modes, deficiencies became apparent.

Back then, Diablo II used a linear leveling curve in which the amount of XP you needed to gain for each additional level increased by a flat amount — the amount you needed for your previous level, plus a flat modifier. This was exacerbated by a leveling penalty, introduced in Nightmare, in which you lost XP gained towards your next level if your character died. You couldn’t drop a level due to this XP loss, but you could theoretically be 99 percent of the way to Lvl 50 and fall back to 0 percent at Lvl 49. The net result of this was that the amount of time required for each additional level increased sharply, and this became increasingly noticeable as you moved into the later game.

Now for the coup de grace: The game was poorly balanced outside of Normal difficulty. I became a game modder specifically because my Barbarian character with maximum Fire Resist was being one-shotted by mini-bosses with Fire Aura even when he used abilities that temporarily increased his HP. These mini-bosses and bosses could one-shot a character virtually as soon as you saw them. Death meant losing a portion of gold and dropping equipped items. Attempting to retrieve those items (using whatever alternate gear you had access to) was virtually guaranteed to get you killed at least once more because you’d have to drag monsters away from your corpse in order to try and retrieve what you originally had. Mini-bosses could also spawn with these modifiers in critical areas, where it was exceptionally difficult to move them away from a critical spawn point. There was no way to see the exact location of the fire aura on the ground; you knew you’d touched it when you died.

It was cheap. That’s what I called it. I didn’t consider it any kind of legitimate difficulty spike. It just felt like a way for Blizzard to make the game harder by killing players in a manner they couldn’t even fight. I became a modder because I was angry about the way that these imbalances had changed the game. I felt betrayed.

Looking back (and using Scheurle’s article for reference), I’ve realized that I was angry because Diablo II had broken trust with me. Some of these flaws existed in Normal as well, but they weren’t as apparent due to the influence of how other scaling factors impacted the title. Some of the changes between Normal and later difficulties that impacted how poorly the game scaled included the much-slower pace of leveling and the fact that there were no unique items in-game for the Nightmare and Hell difficulty modes. This made it pointless to spend gold on gambling (since gambling, at the time, only produced normal weapons). The slow speed of leveling meant that one of a player’s primary means of gaining power was substantially curtailed. There were also notable power imbalances created by the use of percentages for some metrics (like life steal). In original vanilla D2, life steal was absurdly overpowered — and absolutely essential to surviving the late game. Certain classes were locked into endgame strategies as a result of bad math and poorly balanced game mechanics. It grated on me.

The changes to Diablo II from Normal to later difficulties weren’t just the result of Blizzard trying to be jerks. It’s common for RPGs to have poorly balanced endgames because most people do not play them for long enough to actually experience the endgame. This was a topic of discussion around Skyrim when that game was new, and it explains much of what happened with Diablo II way back then.

I developed the Fusion 2 mod for Diablo II, followed by a much larger overhaul, Cold Fusion. I and a team of three other people — Justin Gash, John Stanford, and Matt Wesson — cumulatively poured in several thousand man-hours of development time into Cold Fusion. I led the effort, which was a core part of my best friend’s senior project in computer science and consumed no small chunk of my own senior year in college. I’m not sure the game files exist on the internet any longer, but you can see the original website archived by the Wayback Machine. Fair warning: I was not a web designer. Still, it gives some idea of the scope of the project, if you’re familiar with Diablo II.

While I don’t expect anyone reading this to have ever played the mod — I never released an LoD-compatible version of the project — it was a pretty major part of my life for the time I worked on it. We overhauled the entire title, tweaking drop rates, fixing bugs, and implementing a new leveling curve, a new difficulty curve, new monsters, and new unique items intended for both Nightmare and Hell difficulty levels. We developed new audio effects, visuals, and skills using pieces of code that developers had left in place in the engine and audio effects another friend created. We pulled certain unique items over from Diablo I (with Diablo I art) and reworked the skill trees to better balance the game. Our goal, in every scenario, was to build a more consistent Diablo II that didn’t just funnel characters into a single endgame build but allowed other skills to compete as well. I was quite proud of the fact that when Lord of Destruction came out, it adjusted Diablo II in some of the same ways we had, and even introduced new spells that were similar to some of the ones we built. I’m absolutely not claiming that Blizzard took inspiration from our work — it was just neat to see that we’d been thinking along the same lines as people at the company.

For example: We implemented a logarithmic curve for CF’s level scaling — one that was designed to allow a player to run the game once at each difficulty level and finish “Hell” near maximum level. Blizzard wanted a game that would require many, many, many runs through maximum difficulty to reward Lvl 99 and used a differently-shaped curve to do it — but they still moved away from the linear curve they used in the early phases of the title when they launched the expansion, Lord of Destruction.

Until now, I never really understood why I was so unhappy with the base game in the first place. Now I do. I felt as though the collective changes to Diablo II that happened after Normal weren’t just the result of making the game harder — they made the game different, in ways that felt like they’d broken the trust Blizzard had established in building the game.

It’s not often that you discover the explanation for why you spent a few thousand hours rebuilding someone else’s project in an article written 18 years after the fact. I suppose Cold Fusion has always felt a bit like a road-not-taken path for me. It had its fans, but it was one reasonably popular mod among many, not a DOTA or a Counter-Strike. Either way, I appreciate Scheurle’s discussion of difficulty and how developers think about the topic. It shed some light on an episode of my own life.

Now Read:

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World of Warcraft Classic vs. Retail, Part 1: Which Early Game Plays Better?

PC Gamers Who Didn’t Play Classic Console Games Missed Out on Great Experiences

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/299138-how-an-article-on-game-difficulty-explained-my-own-modding-18-years-later from Blogger http://componentplanet.blogspot.com/2019/09/how-article-on-game-difficulty.html

[kurtty-drabbles]

Fighting Side By Side (DoTA SIM)

N/A: Because I headcanon each individual group of X-Men have their own personalized SIM based on the games they play.

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“Computer,” Kitty addressed the Danger Room mainframe. “Activate DoTA SIM... which SIM do you want a crack at, Fuzzy?” she looked at her training partner.

“Classic version, I suppose.” Kurt shrugged. “We've already beaten AllStars.”

“Right.” Kitty nodded. “Activate DoTA SIM, Classic version.”

“Initiating...” the mainframe droned.

****************************************************************************

In the training area, Kurt and Kitty found themselves playing the roles of two heroes on the Sentinel team, complete with outfits and weapons; Kurt was playing a druid while Kitty took on the form of a Night Elf Warden.

“Looking good, Katzchen.” Kurt gave his girlfriend a goofy grin.

“Shut up.” Kitty rebuked. “Game on, Fuzzy.” she reminded as the first wave of Sentinel treants came face-to-face with the enemy ghouls.

“Right.” Kurt nodded and the pair dashed out of 'camp' to engage the enemies.

****************************************************************************

“New item, Kurt.” Kitty reminded, her last arrow taking out the necromancer as they slowly advanced to the Scourge's main camp.

“My inventory slot is full.” Kurt replied. “Take it.”

“Woo, new unit.” Kitty remarked, as a Glaive Thrower ended a ghoul and the enlarged group pressed forward. “And stay down!” she snapped, as she, two Druids of the Talon and three Huntresses took out a newly produced Abomination, the now much larger group has stormed the Scourge's stronghold.

Kurt, on the other hand, with the help of three Druids of the Claw and four Mountain Giants, finally demolished the second barrack.

Elsewhere, two more barracks were already destroyed beforehand, the defending towers were long taken down.

“Liebes, a little help here!” Kurt shouted as his group started tackling the Dire Ancient.

“Let me wrap this up first.” Kitty shouted back as her group continued demolishing Barrack No. Four; Barrack No. Five was already halfway destroyed by a group of archers and dryads. Leaving two of Huntresses to finish off the barrack, she led the rest of her group to back Kurt up.

“Finally...” Kurt sighed in relief after one of his Mountain Giant dealt the finishing blow and ending the SIM.