Conference Call

GWJ Conference Call Episode 432

Evolve Multiplayer Report, Our 2014 Bold Predictions Report Card, New 2015 Bold Predictions and more!

This week Shawn, Elysium, Cory and Julian listen back to their 2014 predictions and boldly go forth and predict 2015!

To contact us, email [email protected]! Send us your thoughts on the show, pressing issues you want to talk about or whatever else is on your mind. You can even send a 30 second audio question or comment (MP3 format please) if you're so inclined.

Chairman_Mao's Timestamps

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Show credits

Music credits: 

Heat Sample 26 - EA Skeezy - https://soundcloud.com/ea-skeezy - 24:16

Golden Hour - Broke for Free - http://brokeforfree.com/ - 59:10

Intro/Outtro Music - Ian Dorsch, Willowtree Audioworks

Comments

Bold Prediction article from the rest of the GWJ staff is live! Head over there to make your 2015 predictions.

Man, we were right so much. We're like the Right Brothers.

...

Sorry.

Glad that Certis also noticed that Demiurge is turning into Michael Keaton from The Other Guys:

If the Witcher 3 had a TLC pack I'd give it game of the year honors by default.

Who predicted ESO would go free-to-play? You recorded the podcast a few days too early...

http://www.gamesradar.com/elder-scro...

Certis wrote:

If the Witcher 3 had a TLC pack I'd give it game of the year honors by default.

I thought that was what they called it when you collected all the portraits.

Muchos Kudos to Mr. Banks for mentioning MUJO. I picked it up a few weeks back when it was the free "app of the week" and I've been enjoying it a lot.

For reference.. magic the gathering has been growing quite a bit for several years now (I think Innistrad block in 2011-2012 was first part of that big swell). For quite some time it's been Hasbro's main cash crop. I believe some of the top people at WotC have credited a large part of that growth to the success of Duel of the Planeswalkers on xbox, pc, and ipad.

One of the other key aspects of that change has been a very deliberate shift in set design tilting the balance in favour of creatures rather than spells. The game now is a lot more about playing dudes and fighting rather than resolving big spells. This appeals to new/casual players quite a bit more and makes for an overall more interactive game.

Funny how Shawn's Cortana prediction for Windows OS came true just hours after the podcast!! That's a good start for the 2015 bold predictions

I really want Game King's prediction of an X-Wing/TIE Figer reboot to come true, but I'm having trouble seeing that happen. I'm not that lucky.

I still think Cortana gets a human body.

South Park recently did an episode about MTG. I wouldn't be surprised if some old hands got a nostalgia kick from it and decided to participate again.

The game haus by my work has a healthy Friday night magic night. But its mainly 20somethings. Hardly any youth.

And I agree with Rabbit. Cortana' gonna need some more realistic jiggle physics though.

Spaz wrote:

South Park recently did an episode about MTG. I wouldn't be surprised if some old hands got a nostalgia kick from it and decided to participate again.

The game haus by my work has a healthy Friday night magic night. But its mainly 20somethings. Hardly any youth.

And I agree with Rabbit. Cortana' gonna need some more realistic jiggle physics though.

I vote that they make you play through the entire game in full armor and at the end your character removes the helmet to reveal that it's been Cortana all along.

PaladinTom wrote:

Who predicted ESO would go free-to-play? You recorded the podcast a few days too early...

http://www.gamesradar.com/elder-scro...

I came here to post exactly the same thing. I love that there's always one prediction that comes true in the days between the recording and release of the podcast.

Great CC, gang, this is always one of my favorite shows.

Certis wrote:

If the Witcher 3 had a TLC pack I'd give it game of the year honors by default.

Needs more waterfalls.

Good episode, these are always a favorite especially getting to hear everyone's reactions to their past selves

Really good predictions this year, compared to some of last year's "classics" (a new Wii U model, seriously? :p). Next year's episode will be a lot of fun I think.

Demiurge wrote:

Man, we were right so much. We're like the Right Brothers.

More like

amirite?

Tyops wrote:

For reference.. magic the gathering has been growing quite a bit for several years now (I think Innistrad block in 2011-2012 was first part of that big swell). For quite some time it's been Hasbro's main cash crop. I believe some of the top people at WotC have credited a large part of that growth to the success of Duel of the Planeswalkers on xbox, pc, and ipad.

Around the same time they also changed the design philosophy for the core sets from "let's print a ton of cards from the recent expansions" to "let's make a nice tight set of good original cards". I did a Core Set 2010 draft at a Con back in 2009 and the difference between that set and 5th Edition (when I got out of M:tG originally) was like night and day.

rabbit wrote:

I still think Cortana gets a human body.

So Halo is just a long-winded reboot of Weird Science?

Eleima wrote:

I love that there's always one prediction that comes true in the days between the recording and release of the podcast. :D

I think Shawn's NMS prediction is dangerously close to coming true: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20... (I still want to play it though)

Evove Multiplayer Report

So uh...I just noticed this.

Snake Oiler wrote:
Evove Multiplayer Report

So uh...I just noticed this.

Look, who can keep track of all the crazy names for games these days?

shoptroll wrote:

Around the same time they also changed the design philosophy for the core sets from "let's print a ton of cards from the recent expansions" to "let's make a nice tight set of good original cards". I did a Core Set 2010 draft at a Con back in 2009 and the difference between that set and 5th Edition (when I got out of M:tG originally) was like night and day.

Very true, but in their latest round of sweeping changes they as much as came out and said the core set itself wasnt really a true driver for new players getting into the game, it was a product that didnt really have an audience. After this summer's core set they are scrapping it.

That's all splitting hairs though, the paper-based MTG game is quite healthy (online it's a nightmare gong show).

Certis wrote:

If the Witcher 3 had a TLC pack I'd give it game of the year honors by default.

I do take bribes for the community vote. Just sayin'.

The Vita predictions (unless I confused GWJ predictions with someone elses predictions) are kind of weird to me. I mean its Sonys main platform in Japan, so Sony abandoning the Vita would be odd.

Virduk wrote:

The Vita predictions (unless I confused GWJ predictions with someone elses predictions) are kind of weird to me. I mean its Sonys main platform in Japan, so Sony abandoning the Vita would be odd.

Sony isn't going to stop making the Vita, but they've already said that they're not planning much first-party support for it, relying on indie games and game streaming to carry the library in the West; and that the "economics don't work" for AAA games on the handheld, which was one of its big selling points during its launch. If you look at the anemic release list, which consists almost entirely of multiplatform indie games and really niche JRPGs, that certainly doesn't look like a platform that's going to get a lot of TLC from its maker.

Tyops wrote:
shoptroll wrote:

Around the same time they also changed the design philosophy for the core sets from "let's print a ton of cards from the recent expansions" to "let's make a nice tight set of good original cards". I did a Core Set 2010 draft at a Con back in 2009 and the difference between that set and 5th Edition (when I got out of M:tG originally) was like night and day.

Very true, but in their latest round of sweeping changes they as much as came out and said the core set itself wasnt really a true driver for new players getting into the game, it was a product that didnt really have an audience. After this summer's core set they are scrapping it.

That's all splitting hairs though, the paper-based MTG game is quite healthy (online it's a nightmare gong show).

Wow, didn't know they were going to axe Core. I really don't play at all these days but that's crazy to hear, although not surprising. I remember in high school the expansions were always what people were interested in and Core was just for getting started (ignoring the Portal set).

I've definitely heard about how horrible MTGO has been lately. Utterly baffling how Hasbro/WotC don't have a clue even with actual competitors on the market now.

shoptroll wrote:

I remember in high school the expansions were always what people were interested in and Core was just for getting started (ignoring the Portal set).

I think Core was always awkward. The recent years' draft environments for Core were great, but it never fit in the "narrative" they were pushing for the blocks, and just didnt work as well as we thought for new players.

if you're curious about it at all this was announced late august.
http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mm/metamorphosis

shoptroll wrote:
rabbit wrote:

I still think Cortana gets a human body.

So Halo is just a long-winded reboot of Weird Science?

STOP TRYING TO SELL ME AN XBONE!

doubtingthomas396 wrote:
shoptroll wrote:
rabbit wrote:

I still think Cortana gets a human body.

So Halo is just a long-winded reboot of Weird Science?

STOP TRYING TO SELL ME AN XBONE!

Wait, is this the movie or the TV show being rebooted?

Much depends on your reply.

Tyops wrote:
shoptroll wrote:

I remember in high school the expansions were always what people were interested in and Core was just for getting started (ignoring the Portal set).

I think Core was always awkward. The recent years' draft environments for Core were great, but it never fit in the "narrative" they were pushing for the blocks, and just didnt work as well as we thought for new players.

if you're curious about it at all this was announced late august.
http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mm/metamorphosis

Interesting and that change makes a lot of sense. For what it's worth, Ascension follows a similar big-small release cadence although at a much slower pace (only one 1 block per year) but it works out pretty well for them.

Steam OS - it is/was an expensive hedge against Microsoft in case it tried to cut in on Steam's primacy as a game marketplace. Windows 8/9 and the possibility it could bring a closed game environment scared the hell out of steam... that was the direction Microsoft was heading a year or two ago...

so if steam os never sees the light of day, no big deal... because it seems that Microsoft is moving away from that direction (of closed market-app system) with windows 10.

Making the upgrade to win 10 free (for a year) will be a big kick in the pants/crotch area of SteamOS. It was already an uphill battle but now it will be even more uphill-er.

I just don't obsess over stats and things anymore like I used to. (Well, I am stuck at deciding my subclasses for Etrian Odyssey III)
I used to write down parts' stats in Armored Core PS1 games.
Even way back when, before the year 2000, and attending crappy local tournaments, Magic is won or lost long before you play.
If only I had an extra 10 hours and $500 a week, and I didn't spend that doing other stuff, Magic would be back in my life.
edit: don't get me wrong, I want to play some right freaking now.

I think SteamOS and the Steam Box has had its day. I'm unconvinced either ever really would have had an impact, but the excitement is completely gone now.

I agree with everyone but Certis regarding Minecraft. I think MC is more important as a platform than a product. MS Office is available on iOS, no reason Minecraft wouldn't be. The new CEO at MS seems to understand that the way to make money is to get your company's products into people's hands. I also don't think you'll see Minecraft 2 for a long time, if ever.