Conference Call

GWJ Conference Call Episode 453

EU IV: Common Sense, Home Improvisation, TIS-100, Massive Chalice, You Must Build a Boat, Mortal Kombat X, E3 Predictions That Are Already Wrong!, Your Emails and More!

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This week Sean Sands, Julian and Allen deliver their totally wrong E3 predictions!

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.

Thread of The Week

Chairman_Mao's Timestamps

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Show credits

Sponsors: 
Music credits: 

Intro/Outtro Music - Ian Dorsch, Willowtree Audioworks

Living in Reverse - Broke for Free - http://brokeforfree.com/ - 19:54

Our Ego - Broke for Free - http://brokeforfree.com/ - 34:41

Comments

I agree with Sean on the mediocrity of Double Fine's latest installments. Half-baked game mechanics are not what I want from a middle tier game. Shorter stories, stylised or downgraded graphics, absence of (high quality) voice acting, ... I can live with. In other words: lower production values and shorter games are a-ok, unpolished games are not.

Broken Saga and Divinity: Original Sin would be great examples.

You are not calling Rogue Legacy a "Roguelike".... It is the least "Rougelike" thing that has ever been called a "Rougelite".

Yuk.

AT best it's a grind 'em up. Grind experience until you're strong enough that your starting character is strong enough to make up for the tedious unfairness of the hit boxes.

You want a real modern roguelike? Don't Starve is close. Spelunky ISN'T a roguelike but at least has the priciples of one. (Ie unlike Rogue legacy it doesn't get easier the more you play it, you just git gud, and your knowledge increases).

Can we agree that a mediocre platformer, with skill progression that is kept from death to death (If the "descendants" mechanic was just the main character's next try with various injuries or poisonings would you call it RL?) making it easier every time you play is not Roguelike?

It's something. But Roguelike? f*ck no.

GWJCC453 wrote:

Thread of The Week
Words that should be retired from game titles – Kazooka

The same thread of the week two weeks in a row? Shame, shame, shame!

Wow, Julian, your son is impressive! As a (relatively) new listener, I went back to show ~200, but I didn't go back all the way.

It's nice hearing the talk about E3, and I guess I kinda feel the same about being part of the conversation and watching streams rather than being there (not that I've ever been to E3). Although, time zones being what they are, I'm always late to that party.

Looks like we got our ME: Andromeda announcement (which I'm excited about, as a Mass Effect fan). I didn't expect Dishonored 2 at all, totally came out of left field for me. And it looks freaking amazing. At least the CGI trailer does.
I'm not sure how on the mark you were on the other predictions, because I haven't been paying as much attention as I should, but it's always fun to hear your predictions!

Wow, I'm glad Delerat wrote in about the implementation of marriage in a game, that's absolutely fascinating. I love that idea, I love the mechanics they put in there, super interesting.

The next email made me chuckle, because I've never been the target demographic.

Anyhow, that's enough from me, thanks for the CC, gang, always a treat on Wednesday mornings!

tadamson wrote:

You are not calling Rogue Legacy a "Roguelike".... It is the least "Rougelike" thing that has ever been called a "Rougelite".
Yuk.

If I may, I think Rogue Legacy falls in the subgenre of a "roguelike" game as it has procedural level generation, permanent death of the player-character, and has a somewhat high fantasy setting. Just my two cents .

It has rogue in the name. You can't get more rogue like than that.

t

Wembley wrote:

It has rogue in the name. You can't get more rogue like than that.

It's not a roguelike unless your avatar is an @

So dwarf fortress is the truest roguelike?

Maq wrote:
Wembley wrote:

It has rogue in the name. You can't get more rogue like than that.

It's not a roguelike unless your avatar is an @

I wouldn't go that far. But you do at least need success in progressive attempts to be tied to the player gaining knowlege and skill,... not a damage multiplier.

Your quote tags will work eventually. It'seems an antispam measure.

So Pyro was playing IKEA Simulator?

Edit: And for the most part the E3 predictions were accurate, though sub Johnny Cash for a record scratch.

dejanzie wrote:

I agree with Sean on the mediocrity of Double Fine's latest installments. Half-baked game mechanics are not what I want from a middle tier game. Shorter stories, stylised or downgraded graphics, absence of (high quality) voice acting, ... I can live with. In other words: lower production values and shorter games are a-ok, unpolished games are not.

Broken Saga and Divinity: Original Sin would be great examples.

I'm there too, and I would consider myself a fan of double fine. I would suggest that the problem isn't their market strategy, it's their execution. Arguably, xcom is a middle tier release, albeit one with a lot of name recognition. And that's a lot better looking game than anything df has done recently. Double fine should have the resources to put out something more like xcom or divinity or crusader kings. Instead, we're getting what seem more like small studio releases, that do feel unpolished and a little half-baked. But I'm afraid this may be more an indication of double fine's finances than their abilities as game designers.

tadamson wrote:
Maq wrote:
Wembley wrote:

It has rogue in the name. You can't get more rogue like than that.

It's not a roguelike unless your avatar is an @

I wouldn't go that far. But you do at least need success in progressive attempts to be tied to the player gaining knowlege and skill,... not a damage multiplier.

/me points to his sig

tadamson wrote:

Spelunky ISN'T a roguelike but at least has the priciples of one. (Ie unlike Rogue legacy it doesn't get easier the more you play it, you just git gud, and your knowledge increases).

I agree about Rogue Legacy not being a roguelike, it is more of a beat 'em up game which encourages serious grinding to make bigger numbers appear when you hit things.

But what exactly is a roguelike game if Spelunky isn't one?

It has procedural level generation, permanent death, and carries nothing over between games apart from player skill.

There's a reason why "Procedural Death Labyrinth" has caught on in some circles as a term for Roguelikes.

But really, the definition of "Roguelike" has been contentious for at least the better part of a decade. The Berlin Interpretation has its limits, and I've never found policing genre limits to be all that useful.

Pocket Casts just hit me with the last ten episodes. I'm thinking the feed got reset?

Yeah, should only be a one time thing.

Nobody is going to point out how virtually every E3 prediction made was accurate?

tadamson wrote:

You are not calling Rogue Legacy a "Roguelike".... It is the least "Rougelike" thing that has ever been called a "Rougelite".

Yuk.

I'll fix that!

"Unity of Command is a rougelike."

I'm helping, right?

Hemidal wrote:

Pocket Casts just hit me with the last ten episodes. I'm thinking the feed got reset?

Certis wrote:

Yeah, should only be a one time thing.

Same thing happened to me the last two nights, just turned off Auto Download. Will turn it back on in a couple of days when hopefully it's sorted

I am loving TIS-100.