Giant Bomb Thread The Third: #TeamBrad

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I honestly don't understand how DNS servers would mess up video performance. You click on your video and it would do a DNS lookup to know what IP to go to. If that is slow, it would take longer to even start the video. However, once it starts, it's not like it's going to keep doing DNS queries the whole time (or ever again for that video, for that matter). Therefore it should not affect streaming performance.

As far as I understand, some Content Delivery Networks use DNS data to determine where to direct content, which in turn determines which server is used to deliver video to the user: Such CDN locate the users region by to the IP address of the users DNS server.
 
Right, okay, so away from this CoD Vita stuff for a moment. I'm not very net literate so what does Jeff mean by Google DNS making the site slow? And how would one go about fixing it?

The site hasn't been great for me for the last few days, but it's still been useable, to the extent that I managed to watch the CoD Bo2 QL without any hassle, but when I try to watch the DBZ HD QL it takes absolutely ages to load maybe 10 minutes and then just stops making progress as though it has timed out. I tried direct downloading but the HD version just hung after downloading a few percent, I even tried the high quality to see if the smaller file size would make a difference but it still ended up hanging after a small percent was done.

Would what Jeffs saying it the problem account for such a major performance loss in just a few hours?

I was having this problem all week and then I tried closing the P4 ER video that I'd had open for a few days. Haven't had problems since.

Edit: Boy, sure did click on the wrong "post" button.
 
As far as I understand, some Content Delivery Networks use DNS data to determine where to direct content, which in turn determines which server is used to deliver video to the user: Such CDN locate the users region by to the IP address of the users DNS server.

Ah, that makes sense. Weird it wouldn't just use the requesting IP instead of using a DNS server IP as the user IP is right there in the request. I would think the CDNs would have to have some direct interaction with DNS servers to do that which means relationships with the DNS server admins.
 
Kinda OT but I'm standing in line right now. Made the mistake of going to gamestop on blops day. 1 .5 he's to get super paper Mario
 
Man, that bodes well

So, VLR QL in, what, three months?

What's the odds on him getting one ending and never playing it again?
I predict Knife
 
Man, that bodes well

So, VLR QL in, what, three months?

What's the odds on him getting one ending and never playing it again?
I predict Knife

i think he will get
axe or sub

can you get the safe ending on first try

also i agree with him, the text speed can be really slow
 
Yes, the only
lock is on Coffin
. 999 is frustratingly unintuitive with regards to how you get the endings you get, though, at least until you see the bigger picture.
 
I'm quite baffled how Jeff can give blops2 and halo 4 the same score. His read from the quick look and bombcast sounds like the two games are massively separated in his eyes. But both are 4's

I know they aren't the same game but seriously, Jeff clearly sees cod is a better light than halo, it's really weird to me that it isn't reflected in the score.
 
I'm quite baffled how Jeff can give blops2 and halo 4 the same score. His read from the quick look and bombcast sounds like the two games are massively separated in his eyes. But both are 4's

I know they aren't the same game but seriously, Jeff clearly sees cod is a better light than halo, it's really weird to me that it isn't reflected in the score.

That's one of the problem with the 5 star system. I mean, for example, I'm playing through campaign right now and he's right, those strike force missions are TERRIBLE. It's really bad and doesn't work but it's only like 4-5 missions in the whole game. It's a bad thing but is it worth taking "20%" off the score? I dunno. On a 10 point scale it would definitly lowers the score.

Not saying that a 5 point scale is bad necessarly but it's far from perfect too.
 
I really like five point scales. They're enough to give a general indication of quality, but not so minutely granular that you end up trying to work the mathematics like a crazy-person. That said, I don't really think GB uses it all that well, but hey - that's why they're personality driven, so you just automatically subtract one from Ryan's score if it's on this franchise, or add another to Alex for certain types of games, or automatically agree with anything Vinny says
 
@ Dany M

I think the five star system has its points.

When things start to drift into the three star category - MOH: Warfighter, Doom 3 BFG Ed, recently - I trust the GB guys to say this is a "steer clear" or at the least wait for a severe drop in price, unless I simply love the genre.

Four or five stars, from them, usually is a "get it" if you have the interest and capital to do so.

I guess I am burned out on the Metacritic of games getting a very specific score like 8.7!!!

I read the text and see what shortcomings are in games I truly want to play.
 
i think jeff was more dissapinted with halo more than anything. its a well made game but he just wanted 343 to go deeper than play it safe.

Blops 2 seems to be a well made game as well while doing some cool things. also jeff hates zombies so minus 1 star
 
That's one of the problem with the 5 star system. I mean, for example, I'm playing through campaign right now and he's right, those strike force missions are TERRIBLE. It's really bad and doesn't work but it's only like 4-5 missions in the whole game. It's a bad thing but is it worth taking "20%" off the score? I dunno. On a 10 point scale it would definitly lowers the score.

Not saying that a 5 point scale is bad necessarly but it's far from perfect too.

Yep. On a 5-point scale there's less wiggle-room. It sounds as though Jeff would give BLOPS an 9/10 and a 8/10 to Halo 4. But that negligible of a difference in a score is harder to communicate on a 5-point scale. There is a considerable difference between a 3/5 and a 4/5, a difference that don't get the impression that Jeff believes exists between the two games enough to warrant a 3/5.

In most cases I'd say a 5-point scale works better than 10-point one, seeing as it's more straight to the point (and what exactly is the difference between a 3/10 and 4/10? Come on).

But there have been a few cases in the past where one of the guys obviously would have given a game a score of 3.5/5 or a 4.5/5 if they could have.
 
I'm quite baffled how Jeff can give blops2 and halo 4 the same score. His read from the quick look and bombcast sounds like the two games are massively separated in his eyes. But both are 4's

I know they aren't the same game but seriously, Jeff clearly sees cod is a better light than halo, it's really weird to me that it isn't reflected in the score.

The point of their score scale is not to tell you which game he liked best between any two games, it's not granular enough for that. That's what the review text is for.

Their FAQ has a more in-depth explanation.
 
Granularity of that level I feel is way best conveyed by actual words
Quite. Number counters are going to complain whatever.

5 star scale is only there to PSS information to the consumer better.
Just straight up - is it good or it?

1 star = lol
2 star = bad but some qualities, still not worth buying
3 star = decent, worth thinking about
4 star = very enjoyable but not perfect
5 star = perfect at what it is wanting to do, and what it is doing a is awesome - highly recommended
 
Quite. Number counters are going to complain whatever.

5 star scale is only there to PSS information to the consumer better.
Just straight up - is it good or it?

1 star = lol
2 star = bad but some qualities, still not worth buying
3 star = decent, worth thinking about
4 star = very enjoyable but not perfect
5 star = perfect at what it is wanting to do, and what it is doing a is awesome - highly recommended


The word perfect has no place in a 5 point scale. The game may very well be perfect (if that is possible) but perfection is certainly not a requirement for a normal 5 point scale. And it isn't for Giant Bomb's 5 star rating.
 
The word perfect has no place in a 5 point scale. The game may very well be perfect (if that is possible) but perfection is certainly not a requirement for a normal 5 point scale. And it isn't for Giant Bomb's 5 star rating.

It means no major or noticeable flaws to speak of, not literally perfect. Still, perfect isn't the best choice of words to use in a review. And I wouldn't say that Syndicate and Diablo III had no major or noticeable flaws to speak of...
 
It means no major or noticeable flaws to speak of, not literally perfect. Still, perfect isn't the best choice of words to use in a review. And I wouldn't say that Syndicate and Diablo III had no major or noticeable flaws to speak of...


Well, for Giant Bomb it means they would recommend the game without reservation.

Major flaws would perhaps cause them to have reservations about recommending the game. If this major flaws (if they even agree that they are flaws) don't cause them to have any reservations for recommending the game, then it is still a 5 star review.

Anyway, my only point was that a game doesn't have to be perfect to get 5 stars in any reasonable scale, which is good.

I like 5 point scales because they allow a full usable spectrum for the reviews.
 
I was actually talking to someone about the 5 point scale recently and I feel like the 4 star rating has gotten to the point where it is used like 75% of the time. Because the scale is obviously not granular enough and you realistically only have 3 options to rate a game, and maybe a 2 star for a really disappointing title (like RE6), you tend to hover around the 4 star as a sort of base metric for games that either slightly exceed your expectation, or slightly disappoint you.

Indie games that might have gotten a 4.5 may end up on the 4 side just because of lack of polish and other things, or triple A titles that might have gotten a 3.5 may end up on the 4 side because of the weight of a franchise or other extraneous factors, like the reviewer's love for X or Y. As such, I think it's unsurprising to see a lot of 4s around, in a 5 point scale, and it shouldn't be used as a base for arguing over a specific person's opinion.
 
That's one of the problem with the 5 star system. I mean, for example, I'm playing through campaign right now and he's right, those strike force missions are TERRIBLE. It's really bad and doesn't work but it's only like 4-5 missions in the whole game. It's a bad thing but is it worth taking "20%" off the score? I dunno. On a 10 point scale it would definitly lowers the score.

Not saying that a 5 point scale is bad necessarly but it's far from perfect too.

Knowing he likes COD and Halo less so, I got the opposite impression from him somehow. Him saying Halo is the only game he plays on harder difficulties and that he spent time with Spartan Ops made me think he enjoyed this version. He also mentioned the story in the back half was to his liking.

Meanwhile, he's dropping COD multi on day one like a bad habit. I wasn't focusing much on the quick look but no one went nuts for zombies. He kept noting changed, but kept saying everything is the same without your glasses on.
 
I've always liked the idea of a 4 star rating system where 4 = excellent/must buy, 3 = good/buy, 2 = okay/passable and 1 = garbage/avoid
 
I've always liked the idea of a 4 star rating system where 4 = excellent/must buy, 3 = good/buy, 2 = okay/passable and 1 = garbage/avoid

Roger Ebert style? Or just 4 point scale? I think purely 4 point could be interesting where by you would have a large number of 2s and 3s and a couple of 4s, but it most likely remain the same and be mostly 3s with a couple of 4s and 2s.
 
Roger Ebert style? Or just 4 point scale? I think purely 4 point could be interesting where by you would have a large number of 2s and 3s and a couple of 4s, but it most likely remain the same and be mostly 3s with a couple of 4s and 2s.

I've always assumed that's essentially how Roger Ebert's scale works, but I don't read enough of his reviews to know for certain.

I just think it makes the most sense, and is straight to the point.
 
[PREMIUM]Design chat with Dave and Alexis

Looking forward to this. As an aspiring designer the discussions about the site redesign fascinates me.

Also regarding scores, I like the 5 point system because of how clearly segregated it is, but I'd say get rid of scores all together just so people can stop focusing so much on it. Which is why review discussions are so boring because the majority always bicker back and forth about the score.
 
I got the
Sub
ending in 999 the first time I played it. I wouldn't blame him if he put it down after that. I did for a long while,
it was worth it for that feeling that you screwed everyone over, and then realizing the only person you screwed was yourself.
 
I got the
Sub
ending in 999 the first time I played it. I wouldn't blame him if he put it down after that. I did for a long while,
it was worth it for that feeling that you screwed everyone over, and then realizing the only person you screwed was yourself.

Yeah I think I got the same. I was... surprised at how little closure it gave and it only motivated me to get the other endings because this game is fucking taunting me.
 
Man, that bodes well

So, VLR QL in, what, three months?

What's the odds on him getting one ending and never playing it again?
I predict Knife
I predict that one as well. I think I got the
Axe
ending first. But he's right; the text speed is far too slow, and even if you get the skip text option, you still need to sit through a lot of the stuff and redo puzzles sometimes.

But I'm really glad he's at least giving it a chance, even if there's a chance that he mightn't like it.
 
Are there video reviews for call of duty vita anywhere? I need to see this game for myself.
No and because capture gear is like impossible to get.
I think you have go and watch youtube with camera on the vita videos for now.

Its bad as far as I can tell, pick it up in a sale.
 
No and because capture gear is like impossible to get.
I think you have go and watch youtube with camera on the vita videos for now.

Its bad as far as I can tell, pick it up in a sale.
By the time it is on sale, the MP will be dead... and that looks like the only reason to pick it up.

(But, at that point, why aren't you playing the real game instead?)
 
I finished 999 for the first time last night. Got the
knife
ending.
Thank god the text speeds up and you can just skip it all, even if it hurts my finger hold the fast forward button, because goddamn the text crawls.
 
I finished 999 for the first time last night. Got the
knife
ending.
Thank god the text speeds up and you can just skip it all, even if it hurts my finger hold the fast forward button, because goddamn the text crawls.

I basically used a weight to hold down the button to skip. Bad design there I agree.
 
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