Thursday, May 14, 2009

IRC Shit

Oh wow, I completely forgot about this.

A little while back, Phil and I were talking about posting insightful discussions we'd had in IRC (#scurvyworms at irc.calindora.com port 49233), just because we get into some interesting stuff sometimes.

Phil actually sent me a txt file with a few quotes in it, and I just completely forgot about them and never posted them. So, here they are.

IRC Shit #1: Ichimonji, Jibril and Mirage discuss Final Fantasy X and XII

[13:41] [~Ichimonji> i forgot how fucking awesome and addictive FFXII is
[13:43] [~Jibril> yeah man
[13:44] [~Ichimonji> i think when i lost it and went on that rant a couple months ago about the game was because i was in the ogir and nam-yensa sansea at the time
[13:44] [~Ichimonji> and it's the lamest area of the game
[13:44] [~Ichimonji> and at that point there really isnt too much to do
[13:45] [~Jibril> yeah that part kinda sucks
[13:45] [~Jibril> though i like it, purely because of the place you're in
[13:45] [~Jibril> i think it looks cool
[13:45] [~Jibril> but i'm also a sucker for desert environment
[13:45] [~Jibril> s
[13:46] [~Jibril> there's a huge desert on roak that i think i'll be crossing soon and i'm all psyched about it
[13:49] [~Ichimonji> haha
[13:50] [~Ichimonji> also, yeah it looks cool. but the length and how you maneuver through it is stupid
[14:06] [~Ichimonji> man, when you dont try to get 3 quickenings for 3 characters right off the bat, the game is pretty tough
[14:06] [~Ichimonji> well, to fight hunts and stuff
[19:17] [~Ichimonji> Mosphoran Highwaste -> Salikawood -> Phon Coast -> Tchita Uplands -> Sochen Cave Palace -> Archades
[19:18] [~Ichimonji> man. that's a the longest streak of fields/dungeons to get from one plot point to the next
[19:19] [~Ichimonji> that's the only part of the game where the pacing is really drunk.

[08:40] [~Ichimonji> man. FFX looks so low budget after playing FFXII
[08:47] [~Jibril> FFX did come out fairly early in the ps2's life cycle
[08:47] [~Jibril> and FFXII was like right at the end
[08:47] [&raiden> FF12's environment isn't as stellar
[08:47] [~Jibril> not artistically no
[08:47] [~Ichimonji> yeah i know, i'm not saying that it doesnt make sense
[08:48] [&raiden> not technically either!
[08:48] [~Ichimonji> i'd say the same if i was playing FFIX and then went back to play FFVII
[08:48] [&raiden> but characters look better in FF12
[08:48] [&raiden> and i find FF8s graphics to be better than FF9s
[08:48] [~Ichimonji> i find everything looks better in FFXII, even the environments
[08:48] [&raiden> FF9 has got too many details for the resolution
[08:49] [~Jibril> FF8 and FF9 were in development at the same time
[08:49] [~Jibril> there's only slight improvements in 9
[08:49] [&raiden> in many cases, FF9s details look like noise in the image
[08:49] [&raiden> unless you're stupidly close
[08:49] [~Jibril> but obviously there's a huge difference between 7 and 8/9
[08:50] [&raiden> 7 graphics suck
[08:50] [~Ichimonji> i bet it would look good on the PC. like how FFVIII looks amazing on the PC
[08:50] [&raiden> audio quality isn't too good either
[08:50] [&raiden> FF8 looks rotten
[08:50] [~Jibril> rotten? >_>
[08:50] [&raiden> cause the backdrops aren't re-rendered
[08:50] [&raiden> they make the 3d objects stick out a lot
[08:50] [&raiden> but in battle, it looks goood
[08:51] [~Ichimonji> that's true. VII and VIII's pre-rendered shit are horrible on the PC
[08:51] [&raiden> and CG movies are rerendered
[08:51] [~Ichimonji> but the character's are very smooth
[08:51] [&raiden> In ff8 they used direct 3d to smoothen it out
[08:51] [&raiden> but on FF7, not even that

[01:50] [~Ichimonji> the cool thing about FFX is that you actually feel like you're on an adventure
[01:51] [~Ichimonji> added by the fact that Tidus is basically the player. he's as new to the world as we are so whenever he's surpised by anything it's reflecting our feelings. so we can relate to him more
[01:52] [~Ichimonji> and that you have a set goal from the get go so it's like you're acomplishing something
[01:52] [~Ichimonji> also, FFX is like the most japanese Final Fantasy created
[01:53] [~Ichimonji> not just the look of the characters and some of the places and story elements, but how the characters react to things
[01:54] [~Ichimonji> it's more japanese than FFVII and they have fucking anime faces in that game as well as Wutai is japan.
[01:55] [~Ichimonji> i find that the FFX battles are really quick for a turn based battle system
[01:55] [~Ichimonji> it feels quicker than the ATB
[01:56] [~Ichimonji> probably because battles happen almost immediately and when you input your commands they happen right then and there too
[01:56] [~Ichimonji> now comparisons between X and XII
[01:57] [~Ichimonji> There are like no puzzles in FFX. Well, obviously you have your cloister of trials, but that's about it.
[01:58] [~Ichimonji> one thing i noticed in XII was that you do something new in almost every area, including towns. You're always doing these weird little puzzle things to advance in the story
[01:58] [~Ichimonji> with the exception of the phon coast and the mosphoran highwaste
[01:59] [~Ichimonji> although the pacing and narritive in FFX is pretty much perfect
[02:00] [~Ichimonji> they know how much scenes to give you and when you show them to you. the areas in FFX arent very long, but they feed you a healthy dose of scenes that you're content with that area
[02:00] [~Ichimonji> and not too long too
[02:00] [~Ichimonji> also, there is a lot more casual dialouge in X
[02:00] [~Ichimonji> the party really does seem like a tight group of friends/co-workers
[02:01] [~Ichimonji> whereas in XII it was all about the task at hand
[02:01] [~Ichimonji> it felt very straight and norrow
[02:01] [~Ichimonji> narrow*
[02:02] [~Ichimonji> of course FFXII is better than FFX in most aspects, there's no question
[02:03] [~Ichimonji> they handle exploration really well in XII.
[02:04] [~Ichimonji> i like the story in XII, but in retrospect it's actually extremely short
[02:04] [~Ichimonji> but everything that you do in that game is very long

IRC Shit #2: Tidane hates game designers

[23:16] [Tidane> a game programmer is a developer :(
[23:16] [Tidane> designers are just
[23:16] [Tidane> there
[23:16] [Tidane> to be useless and make crappy games.
[23:16] [~Jibril> a few years
[23:16] [~Jibril> and yeah
[23:16] [~Jibril> a designer is like
[23:16] [~Jibril> peter molyneux
[23:16] [~Jibril> shigeru miyamoto too
[23:18] [~Jibril> the guys who
[23:18] [Tidane> Programmers did it.
[23:18] [~Jibril> put their name on the cover of a game
[23:18] [~Jibril> even though
[23:18] [Tidane> Designers just take good ideas and turn them into shit
[23:18] [~Jibril> the programmers, artists, audio people etc
[23:18] [Tidane> or they take terrible ideas and make them worse.
[23:18] [~Jibril> did all the work
[23:19] [Tidane> I'm not even kidding about this shit
[23:19] [Tidane> designers are like
[23:19] [Tidane> Mac users.
[23:19] [~Jibril> the majority of what they do is just
[23:19] [~Jibril> sit around
[23:19] [~Jibril> and come up with shitty ideas
[23:19] [~Jibril> right
[23:20] [~Jibril> and then tell all the programmers to go make it
[23:20] [~Jibril> because I'M THE DESIGNER GUYS
[23:20] [~Jibril> or is that director
[23:20] [Tidane> It is more like
[23:20] [Tidane> Hey guys, let's do this.
[23:20] [Tidane> "That will not work for X, Y, and Z"
[23:20] [Tidane> But that's my artistic vision! Make it work
[23:21] [~Jibril> yeah
[23:21] [Tidane> Then people try to say a game has bugs
[23:21] [Tidane> but it doesn't have bugs
[23:21] [Tidane> (well, sometimes it does, but we ignore those times)
[23:21] [Tidane> it has designer wanting to do too fucking much.
[23:21] [Tidane> like the project I'm on now
[23:22] [Tidane> The Gold version of the game is due in August
[23:22] [Tidane> and the designers just keep saying "we should do this, we should do this"
[23:22] [Tidane> Yeah, how about we fucking get some of this other shit done you hairbrained monkey.
[23:22] [~Jibril> that is one thing that pisses me off
[23:22] [~Jibril> when games are compromised for the sake of some asshole's "artistic vision"
[23:23] [~Jibril> xenosaga has that written all over it
[23:23] [Tidane> It isn't just that
[23:23] [Tidane> designers are morons
[23:24] [Tidane> not in the sense that they're idiots
[23:24] [Tidane> they're like children.
[23:24] [~Jibril> like, everything has to be their way
[23:24] [Tidane> Yes.
[23:24] [~Jibril> even though it doesn't work from a developent standpont
[23:24] [~Jibril> standpoint*
[23:25] [~Jibril> see
[23:25] [Tidane> This thing is on the 360
[23:25] [~Jibril> a game has to be playable first
[23:25] [~Jibril> then you can think about whatever bullshit you want to throw into it
[23:25] [Tidane> and the designer keeps saying he wants to be able to edit a script to change "stuff"
[23:25] [Tidane> which I would say it ok
[23:25] [Tidane> if we were doing a goddamn PC title.
[23:25] [Tidane> but he has to have it
[23:25] [~Jibril> you mean like how pc games have console commands and shit?
[23:25] [Tidane> so we have to take extra weeks to track down something like Xlua
[23:26] [Tidane> xnua*
[23:26] [Tidane> and get that working
[23:26] [Tidane> Kinda.
[23:26] [Tidane> I'm trying to think of a game, hmm
[23:26] [Tidane> Well, ok
[23:26] [Tidane> Think of it like a configuration file
[23:27] [Tidane> so you can change things in that file
[23:27] [Tidane> to test gameplay without having to recompile the project
[23:28] [Tidane> The problem is the time it takes us to put this in, which will only be used for testing, is greater than the time saved using it.
[23:28] [Tidane> Idk, this project is going to piss me off for a long time.
[23:28] [~Jibril> what kind of game is it, anyway?
[23:28] [Tidane> lol, no idea.
[23:28] [Tidane> We've got a few ideas, but there's been no decision.
[23:29] [Tidane> One of the guys is pushing a game that would be no fun at all
[23:29] [Tidane> So I've been trying to push something that would actually be enjoyable.
[23:29] [Tidane> He wants some weirdass racing game
[23:29] [Tidane> I've been pushing for a physics-based platformer-esque game.

LJ

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

this is me sick of things by Jibril

Oh god, not this again. (see: comments)



Look.

The console war is over. If you weren't paying attention, blu-ray won the format war. Otherwise, most of us who were watching came to the conclusion that, and I hate to burst your bubble: everybody is getting fucked in the ass this generation, regardless of what console you own.

Xbox 360 is plagued by faulty hardware.

Playstation 3 has a pitiful library of exclusive games and less than desirable online performance.

Wii has an even worse library of exclusive games (sadly, the non-exclusives are largely inferior versions of PS3/360 games), has worse online performance and the diabolically bad friend code system to wade through just to play with friends. Not to mention the mountains of shovelware.

Nobody is winning. Every time I hear someone say they "don't want [insert PS3/360/Wii exclusive here] to be on [other console here]", my skin crawls and my eyes burn crimson with the flames of the devil himself.

Look.

It doesn't matter. You know what would happen if Halo 3 was ported to PS3? I know it couldn't happen, because Microsoft owns the Halo brand, but really? Nothing. Nothing would happen. Bungie and Sony would make more money. Microsoft wouldn't lose anything; I know what you're thinking, but the game has been out for almost two years for the 360, they've sold enough god damn copies of the game, shut up.


This image has about as much to do with this post as console-exclusive games going multi-platform does to a negative impact on sales


If you somehow consider it "betrayal," please chug a full glass of bleach, right now. You are the problem.

Look.

If you're one of those fucksticks who cried and cried and cried about FFXIII coming to 360 because Square-Enix was somehow "betraying Sony," please tell me all about how Nintendo and N64 owners felt when Square abandoned them for Sony and their CD ROMs. I can only assume you call it "betrayal" when it's convenient for you and selectively ignore it when it's not. That's what I thought. Sit down, shut the fuck up and eat your cotton candy, short bus.

The worst part about people forgetting about this is that FFVII wouldn't have revolutionized JRPGs the way it did if it was on the N64. This is where some 30 year-old balding loser tugs on my shirt and says "BUT JIBRIL, FFVII IS OVER-RATED AND IT RUINED RAWL PLAYIN GAEMS."

Look.

Shut up. Without FFVII, JRPGs would never get published in America or Europe or anywhere but Japan anymore. Whether or not you like the game is largely irrelevant; it's not the quality of the game, it's the fact that it showed everyone how well JRPGs could sell in the western market.

There is no such thing as a game development company betraying a publisher, or a console. It's physically impossible for them to betray a fan base, even, because they didn't sign up for your loyalty. All they want is your money, stupid. It has always been that way, and it will always be that way. You can't go into game development with the attitude that you're going to create some kind of indie masterpiece that's just for the hardcore gamers and expect to get published. If you do, you can't expect to be making more games after that, because you almost certainly will not turn a profit and publishers will avoid your shit like Mark McGwire avoids talking about steroids.

Look.

It has always been this way, but it has become more blatant in recent years. You can blame Nintendo for this; for turning gaming into a mainstream thing. Isn't this what we always wanted, though? I despise the label of "hardcore gamer," but I probably am one, even if I hate it like Ian MacKaye hated to be called "emo." As a reluctant "hardcore gamer," I've always harbored sentiments like "I wish games were appreciated more." Well, now they are.

If you ask anyone who knows anything about music, they will tell you that none of the good stuff is in the "mainstream," regardless of which genre you're looking for. Games are getting there. You have to realize that the "hardcore" demographic is now a fairly small percentage of the whole picture. You know all the horrible shovelware on Wii that you chuckle at as you walk through your local game store? That's Nickelback, and Britney Spears, and Rhianna, and T-Pain. People eat that shit up; it's what grandmothers who have no idea what their grandkids want buy for them.

No, seriously. Equivalency. Killzone, Halo, Call of Duty? Slayer, In Flames, a million other meat head metal offshoot bands. The quasi-underground-but-not-really metal laced with instant gratification that everyone name drops when trying to bump their indie cred, and all the real mother fuckers laugh them out the door.

I've been quoted comparing Final Fantasy to Radiohead, and it's still perfect: in both cases, people love to comment on how they "used to be awesome" and then pinpoint the exact spot where it all "went to hell" -- FFVII and Kid A, respectively -- but open-minded people find amazing experiences in the works beyond.

Of course, it's still hard to compare the two in other ways, for the simple fact that a random person can't download a program, spend a couple weeks learning how to use it, then make a video game in a couple months. With music, you can do that. It goes without saying that games take far more effort, skills and time to create, especially considering the average music album is anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour long, and the shortest video games will give you upwards of 10 hours of play time -- the longer adventures shooting all the way up to over 100. I'm not going to tell you that video games are exactly like music; they're vastly different in nature. I shouldn't have to explain why. They are, however, becoming very similar in the aforementioned way.

I could go on, but you get the point: by lifting gaming up, this is what we've been reduced to. I'm cringing at my own pretense here; I find it disgusting to make these comparisons because it feels so god damn wrong. This isn't what we're supposed to be doing. This isn't what I'm supposed to write about. This is supposed to be what we wanted. I guess it's the circumstance that makes it so bitter: I always envisioned gaming becoming more exposed and people learning to understand it. Instead, gaming has changed in a way that gets everyone's attention. You know what that means: dumb it down, simplify, make it as unintellectual as possible.

So, look.

Every time you lose a game of Madden, call the other player a "cheap faggot" and throw your controller across the room, you're contributing to this. Every time you post on Gamespot kicking and screaming about your console being "betrayed," you're contributing to this. Stop it. If you assholes are so insistent on painting yourselves with the "hardcore gamer" label, do you really need to be at each other's throats like this? You're in the minority here, folks. Maybe you should do something positive instead of doing your best to alienate everyone who owns a console you don't have. If you don't want 80% of the next generation's library to be "Bratz Get Knocked Up on Prom Night," you'd better shape the fuck up and stop being a bunch of fucking babies.


lol u cant fit mgs4 on dvd guys


If you love MGS4 and your dusty ass PS3 so much, and Kojima decides to port it to the broke ass 360, this is how you react.

"Oh, cool, I'm glad Xbox 360 players will get to play one of my favorite games. I hope they appreciate it as much as I did. I'm curious as to how they'll overcome the storage issues, but if they can do it with FFXIII, I'd think they could do it with MGS4."

Anything else is wrong. Stop.

War's over. You lost.

-Jibril | LJ