Games you're playing: The 2009 edition.

[Dark Holy Elf]

The PSP does have sleep mode. I know I made extensive use of it in XF.

[Cotigo]

Eh, plots can be described easily in RPGs.  What comes through more in music, camera angles, the rhythm with which dialogue gets displayed, the speed in which things happen in the game needs to be filtered through and come through in style, pacing, level of diction, variations in grammar, or even simple descriptions or explanations, as with what NotMiki said.  It won't be very good fiction, unless the author takes so many liberties that jesus christ why aren't you just writing something original instead, but it isn't unpublishable.  Just... well, you wouldn't find it discussed with even the depth WoT gets discussed around here.  Usually.  Hopefully that will change more as the genre develops, because really what would make it a shallow piece of writing is that the source material is shallow. Better prose interpretations of RPGs requires better source material, which would mean more interesting plots than the shallow dreck most RPGs pass off as plot.

[Hunter Sopko]

The PSP does have sleep mode. I know I made extensive use of it in XF.

I don't usually trust myself with sleep mode. I've accidentally turned it off more than a few times.

[Veryslightlymad]

Zenny:

I figure the Sandvich has to be completely useless, unless it gives you an assload of health. It replaces the shotgun, which seems to be your only way of effectively dealing with Demos. Trying to minigun them to death is a great way to get all blown up. So far, the only special weapon I use on a regular basis is the Flare gun. Mmmmmmmmmm. Flare gun.

[Ryogo]

DDS: Beat Bat, finally. I discovered that none of my characters had any earth spells learned, except for Heat and Argillia who couldn't be in the party for my grindfest. Wooo. Learned at least 2 levels of the Earth Mantra chain with everyone, and the battle became infinitely easier. I won my first attempt after.

Blew up the ship, etc. Now I'm in the sewers trying to attack the Brutes. Saved at the first karma terminal and turned it off right after, so we'll see what the sewers have in store for me.

Dragon Quest 8: Started playing this again as well. I want to get a few of these finished that I have backlogged. Played again for the first time last night, Was left off in Ortuska. I did what I had left to do there, and went on my way to the Cathedral, where the panzy little dog flew off in the direction of. Found out about some sea chart that Cap'n Crow had that led to the island of the Godbird, so I went down back to the Eastern Continent to find that. Cap'n Crow was a jerk to fight, and naturally, kills off Jessica one move before I kill him, so she missed out on all the exp.  Then again, she had just run out of MP, along with the rest of my party, so I guess I should be happy it ended then.

Found my way to the island of the Godbird and into the World of Darkness. The Godbird promptly raped me when I tried to fight it. I assume some grinding and equipment rehauling is in order, since it's been forever since I've done so. Damn, I wish gold was easier to come by... Ugggg... Mass magic cheese production again it is while mindlessly killing bad guys. Unless anyone else has better suggestions?


EDIT for VSM post:

Sandvich I do like to use. It restores 120 hp, and its unlimited. Good when you need a quick heal with nothing else in site. But its slow and the shotty is a must for demomen. Really up to you. One of the achievements for heavy is to eat 100 sandviches though, so keep it for a bit and spam the eating while during setup and victory time if you wanna get past it quicker.

Flare Gun I use a lot, but switch off and on for the shotgun at times. Especially when there's a lot of water around.
Axtinguisher is good at times, depends on the situation, and how you like to play. I stopped using it here at school though because UNB throttles my ping. I'd flame thrower someone quick, switch weapons to the axe, only to realize after I switch that the hits didn't register... >_>

Blutsauger I use no matter what. It's just better, I find. The extra health you gain from hitting enemies is key.


I don't have the KGB or the Ubersaw yet, the other weapons I find are meh.

[Grefter]

I kind of meant unpublishable due to quality, which is what I thought the Elf originally meant there.  How many times do you want to read about the heroes failing amazingly and handing over yet another crystal to the bad guys after just making it to it in time?

And... PSP sleep mode is easy to turn off with by accident?  Found it the opposite myself, really easy to not hold it up long enough to turn it off when you are trying to pack up in a hurry.  Quick tap puts you in sleep.

Edit - As always forgot actual game relevancy.

Blue Vegeta - About to get back to the starting town.  Actually making really good time in this, closer to where I was up to than I thought.

[Cotigo]

Zenny:

I figure the Sandvich has to be completely useless, unless it gives you an assload of health. It replaces the shotgun, which seems to be your only way of effectively dealing with Demos. Trying to minigun them to death is a great way to get all blown up. So far, the only special weapon I use on a regular basis is the Flare gun. Mmmmmmmmmm. Flare gun.

You don't use any of the Medic special weapons?  Now that's stupid.  >_> (Well, OK.  Kritzkreig sucks.)

Anyway, Sandvich is situational.  Is health really easy to come by on the stage? (Lots of full heals, or you're attacking on a PL map) If yes, Shotgun is way better.  I find it most useful for guarding the intelligence on a CtF map and anytime you're strictly defending.  Granted, if it's a map that Demomen pop up enough (like points 1 and 2 on Badwater) then the Shotgun is far more useful, but there are situations where it's a good choice.  The KGB are worth switching to, because, well, fists.  Yeah.

I think the Flare gun really ends up being more of a liability for pyros than anything else.  They have no good long range damage, or anything that deals with other Pyros as well as the shotgun.  It's situational, as well, but I'm inclined to say it's not that great.  Makes it harder to deal with scouts, as well, since they can sometimes get out of your line of fire if they're good.

[NotMiki]

I kind of meant unpublishable due to quality, which is what I thought the Elf originally meant there.  How many times do you want to read about the heroes failing amazingly and handing over yet another crystal to the bad guys after just making it to it in time?

Oh heavens, there's plenty of variety in the ways in which they fail to protect the crystals, you know.  But you do touch on the broader problem: RPGs are written with the idea of gameplay in mind.  In other words: long stretches without fighting, and generally dungeons and bosses, are out.  As are plots without a strong antagonist, for the most part.  Also tends to mean nothing important happens without the PCs being there for it.  I don't hold any of that against them in terms of writing, as long as they sell it (so Cecil and co. searching for the sandruby in a monster-infested cave where it's made = ok, Chaz and co. searching for the Alshline in a monster-infested BASEMENT of a TENT = no.)

EDIT: I mean, how the hell did the old man manage to put it down there without getting killed?  That dungeon is brutal!  And why the hell does a tent have a third basement approximately 50 times the tent's size, anyway?

[Dark Holy Elf]

On the other hand that monster-infested basement is something I have no problem with at all. Plotwise, you could say it was a small basement with no monsters at all, but a little space between plot and gameplay means that the gameplay can put a big dungeon there if it wants, and make it challenging because an easy dungeon is a waste of gameplay.

Generally I am a fan of keeping that space, because it keeps the two from interfering with each other. A dungeon or boss fight can be placed where it does not progress the storyline, and key story developments can take place (like a character losing a certain power or whatever) without negatively affecting gameplay. Granted, finding a good way to synergise the two might well be even better.

[metroid composite]

TF2 weapons?

Blutsauger: good; generally the weapon of choice, although giving up crits is a bigger deal than a lot of people realize (critting needlegun is like an infinite range Heavy gun; it's seriously nasty).

Kritzkrieg: Good if your opponents aren't expecting it, and if you have a very competent Demo/Soldier (probably noscope Sniper too now that that's been updated).  It basically has two weaknesses: can't deal with sentries (which don't take extra damge from crits) and can't deal with enemy ubers (which take no damage from crits).  Enemy sentries are more of an issue in pubs, and enemy ubers are more of an issue in league play.  Though regardless, it can deal a whole lot more damage than an uber, and it charges faster, so it clearly has a niche, it's just easier to counter.

Ubersaw: Duh.  Bonesaw sucks and should never be used over the needlegun.  Unless you're sneaking up behind someone and need to OHKO crit-kill them or they'll spin and kill you...in which case Ubersaw and Bonesaw are equally valueable.

Backburner: I personally don't like to use it, mostly because I find the airblast too much fun and I don't really play Pyro seriously.  Regardless, deals more damage.

Flare Gun: In a vacuum it's terrible; single worst damage output in the game (they recently upped the damage by 50%).  Outside of a vacuum...it's the only long-range weapon Pyros can have, and combos well with the Axtinguisher.  Shotgun is a short-range weapon, which is a little redundant, but on the other hand it's also a very, very good short range weapon.

Axtinguisher: Should basically always be equipped; possibly excepting if you're on a water level and you aren't equipping the Shotgun.

Natascha: Is a teamwork oriented weapon; if you slow down a Scout, they're dead, for instance.

Sandvich: If you have a dedicated Medic, you don't want it.  If you don't, you really do want it.  And wtf with trying to fight Demos as a Heavy?  Yeah, you can do it, the same way I've taken down Sentries as a Scout/Medic, but for the most part this is what teammates are for.

KGB: I don't even use them because I'd prefer the ability to taunt-kill >_>.  They have uses of course; definitely seen Heavies KGB a spy, then turn around and deliver horrifying crit death.  Just...not useful enough for me to really care.

[NotMiki]

On the other hand that monster-infested basement is something I have no problem with at all. Plotwise, you could say it was a small basement with no monsters at all, but a little space between plot and gameplay means that the gameplay can put a big dungeon there if it wants, and make it challenging because an easy dungeon is a waste of gameplay.

All I'm saying is...sell me on it.  At least make it a big tent or something.

[Hunter Sopko]

On the other hand that monster-infested basement is something I have no problem with at all. Plotwise, you could say it was a small basement with no monsters at all, but a little space between plot and gameplay means that the gameplay can put a big dungeon there if it wants, and make it challenging because an easy dungeon is a waste of gameplay.

All I'm saying is...sell me on it.  At least make it a big tent or something.

Maybe the big basement makes it so the tent doesn't need to be big!

[Dark Holy Elf]

Yeah, the basement is all, like, UNDERGROUND. It spans underneath the entire village, judging from the size. The tent just happens to be the entrance to it.

[DjinnAndTonic]

I had never put much thought into it before, but now I have this image of the old man hiding the Alshine in the enormous tent basement in the same way Roger Bacon hid the Emigre manuscript in that ridiculously long puzzle dungeon in SH2. At least you only have to get the Alshine once...

On the subject of RPG dialogue, it has been steadily improving as time goes on. I'd hazard to say that games like Soul Nomad and FFXII even have -good- dialogue. (Where 'good' is defined as snappier or more immersive, respectively). Sure, you won't make a masterpiece of fantasy writing out of something like Shining Force, but you could certainly work Valkyrie Profile or the Suikoden series into something epic. Things like FFX or even TotA could make fairly good light-hearted fantasy works. And I personally found the dialogue in Disgaea to be a really refreshing and amusing bit of tongue-in-cheek wittiness, though it wouldn't really work outside of its medium. I don't think a self-referencing joke like 'Mid-Boss' works as well in print when you don't actually have to fight him. Awesome item descriptions could be included in print, but it would be hard to justify talking about that many items...

-Djinn

[Excal]

Light hearted isn't exactly what I think when I hear FFX.  I mean, sure, a lot of it is light hearted, but not the stuff at the core of the plot which is usually what sets the tone of a work.

[Anthony Edward Stark]

RE5 demo.

The chainsaw guy in RE4 you could at least escape from. You have to fucking KILL this one, and... yeah, he takes more hits to the eyes than Frank Horrigan.

[Jo'ou Ranbu]

XS2 - Baal Zebu ate 70k damage Erde Kaiser and died. And it only took me five tries! Brutal little fucker.

[DjinnAndTonic]

Light hearted isn't exactly what I think when I hear FFX.  I mean, sure, a lot of it is light hearted, but not the stuff at the core of the plot which is usually what sets the tone of a work.

Well I think of FFX and TotA as more light-hearted than VP or Suikoden, though yes, they have srs plot too.

[Anthony Edward Stark]

When FFX tries to be light-hearted, it usually makes you want to shove a knitting needle in your ear, though. I don't even care for the game and I don't want to remember it like that.

THE LAUGHING SCENE.

[Ryogo]

When FFX tries to be light-hearted, it usually makes you want to shove a knitting needle in your ear, though. I don't even care for the game and I don't want to remember it like that.

THE LAUGHING SCENE.

I do honestly love FFX, I find it a great little game. But then again, I don't critique my games, I just play them. I never really think about how terrible the plot or writing is unless its REALLY bad.

But my god...... That one scene drove me up the wall when I saw it.... All I can hear now is that god forsaken forced "laughter" at Luca now... Please... Make it stop... My brother came into the room because he thought some one was dying...

AH HA   HA   HA    HA   HA    HA   HA   HAAAA

AH HAH  HAA      HA   HA      HA   HAAA

[Ultradude]

... it reminds me of the sort of thing I'd do with a friend or something to cheer them up.

Granted, I guess hilariously forced sounding laughter is probably a 'you kinda have to have been there' sorta thing.

[Dark Holy Elf]

Everyone is aware that the laughter is meant to sound horrible and forced, right? (until the end)

Never had a problem with that scene at all; in fact I consider it rather good. Oh look, actual storytelling. I guess it sucks that it means the characters are being uncool for a few minutes, though; they should have continued to be inoffensive cardboard cutouts incapable of that.

[Ryogo]

Everyone is aware that the laughter is meant to sound horrible and forced, right? (until the end)

Never had a problem with that scene at all; in fact I consider it rather good. Oh look, actual storytelling. I guess it sucks that it means the characters are being uncool for a few minutes, though; they should have continued to be inoffensive cardboard cutouts incapable of that.

No, its not that. The scene itself was fine, and I like the idea of it, showing Tidus trying to cheer Yuna up and all. It did give the characters some life, its just the sound of them when they do the forced laugh is stuck in my head now, and it won't leave XP

[Dark Holy Elf]

Oh okay, that's entirely fair!

[AndrewRogue]

RE5 demo.

The chainsaw guy in RE4 you could at least escape from. You have to fucking KILL this one, and... yeah, he takes more hits to the eyes than Frank Horrigan.

This.

Dear lord. I belted that got with 10 or so rifle rounds and a couple of hooks and the son of a bitch still didn't die.