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[MillionStabs]

the tracking number was actually the steam key ... WTF Namco ?

Spoiler

That is really stupid.

 

[rtcn63]

You know what would be great? Going to a party, meeting a great guy or gal, and when they go to write their digits across the meat of your palm, it later turns out be a steam key for Half-Life 3.

 

[Shadownet]

You know what would be great? Going to a party, meeting a great guy or gal, and when they go to write their digits across the meat of your palm, it later turns out be a steam key for Half-Life 3.

But wouldn't you notice it's not a phone number the moment they write it down?

 

[rtcn63]

But wouldn't you notice it's not a phone number the moment they write it down?

No one's ever given me their phone number before, I wouldn't know

 

[JaseC]

Misread that as "I miss GFWL" for a second and was about to ask if you'd lost your mind. >.>

Hey now, GFWL did some things right, like

 

[lashman]

Hey now, GFWL did some things right, like

you're just cruel

 

[Freedom = $1.05]

Hey now, GFWL did some things right, like

Back in the day, you could load up fallout 3 and use the console for instant cheevos. Lets not get carried away with this irrational hate.

 

[JaseC]

Back in the day, you could load up fallout 3 and use the console for instant cheevos. Less not get carried away with this irrational hate.

Using a game's console to unlock achievements isn't something I'd label a feature of GFWL itself.

 

[iosefe]

Like this?

Fuck I miss GFW.

that was intense

 

[spindoctor]

I don't think it's particularly 'weak' design, I think it's common for a reason. Say you have 1 minute of character dialog you want to convey to move the plot forward, so you need to have Joe NPC talk to the protagonist.

You have three basic choices --
1) Allow the character to do whatever they want. The problem here is an unaware player can be far from the NPC, never hear the dialog, and either proceed to the next area unaware, or simply get lost. They may not know where to go to proceed, or may miss a vital plot point.

2) Lock the protag in step with Joe NPC during the dreaded 'slow walk'. Has the benefits of guaranteeing the player character hears the vital dialog and doesn't get lost.

3) Allow free roam. Player character has faux-freedom of movement, which feels better to many than lockstep. However, in order to make sure the player character doesn't get lost, you have Joe NPC stand by the door only he can unlock so the player will know where to go to proceed when they're done exploring.

Of course, there are infinite variants, like having Joe NPC stop walking/talking whenever the player roams too far away, only to talk/walk again when you get close. But essentially, that's just a minor mutation of #3. Alternately, the player can hear the conversation wherever they are, etc.

Trope? Sure, but every common solution is. Weak game design? Not really. It solves a number of issues in one fell swoop, and is common for a reason. The reason many devs use tactics like this is because it's the best solution to a complex problem they (and many others) can come up with to give the player character freedom while both advancing plot and ensuring the next zone is well marked.

Most games used to just have cutscenes with all that dialog, and then you'd have to run to the next section. Joining travel time with dialog conveyance is the gameplay advancement that solved other tropes.

This trope is the solution to the general problem of designers not trusting players to actually be able to play the game without handholding. A game's narrative should be good enough for me to want to stop and listen to what someone is saying instead of the game itself stopping and forcing me to. Levels should be designed where getting hopelessly lost isn't a possibility and/or exploration is rewarded. The objectives should be logically presented so that I don't need a diamond pointing me to where I need to go at all times.

It is weak design because using it frees the designer from creatively thinking about how to make the game engaging to the player without severely curtailing or simply removing player agency. They don't need to do intelligent scripting when they know that they can just take camera control away from the player or block his progress whenever it suits them. So no, this is not a solution for a complex problem as you call it.

 

[Braag]

Remember when GFWL used to require gold membership in order to play online...
Then MS scrapped it cause no sane person would pay to play online on PC.

 

[IamAwake]

So, today I noticed that several Steam games have disappeared from my library. They still show up on my Steam profile. Should I contact Valve about this?

 

[Freedom = $1.05]

Using a game's console to unlock achievements isn't something I'd label a feature of GFWL itself.

Back then, cheevos were a hot commodity. Plus, I really was grasping at straws to find something positive.

 

[The Dear Leader]

GFWL did have control navigation on it's UI before anyone else did, so that's something, I guess...

 

[Ozium]

GFWL = Good Fun While it Lasted

Spoiler

in bizarro land

 

[iosefe]

GFWL = Good Fun While it Lasted

Spoiler

in bizarro land

stahp


also, whats with the Horseman of the apocalypse?

 

[JaseC]

So, today I noticed that several Steam games have disappeared from my library. They still show up on my Steam profile. Should I contact Valve about this?

They weren't the Free Weekend games, were they?

 

[Oneironaut]

So, today I noticed that several Steam games have disappeared from my library. They still show up on my Steam profile. Should I contact Valve about this?

It may be a silly suggestion, but have you check your hidden games section of the library?

 

[Hero Prinny]

They weren't the Free Weekend games, were they?

always gotta be a wise guy, eh?

 

[MayMay]

Just got an email from Playfire

Thanks for playing Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel with Playfire Rewards. Playfire and 2K have teamed up to grant you exclusive access to the Alpha for Evolve, the 4v1 monster multiplayer from Turtle Rock Studios.

And it's guaranteed access. Uhm.. thats pretty nice.

 

[RavenValor95]

Oh god damn it, In The Legend of Korra I thought for some reason you unlocked an outfit for completing the pro bending missions on Ace difficulty, but no, you get a talisman instead.

I WANT TO DRESS UP KORRA IN KAWAII OUTFITS, WHY WON'T YOU LET ME HAVE THIS GAME?!

 

[EdmondD]

Dustforce is almost worth playing just for the music alone. The soundtrack is dope. Pretty cool game.

 

[IamAwake]

It may be a silly suggestion, but have you check your hidden games section of the library?

This was it!

Somehow, multiple games of mine were put under hidden... Valve really... hid that option well...

 

[maneil99]

GFWL (PS3/360 aswell) achievements > Steam Achievements

 

[Tellaerin]

GFWL (PS3/360 aswell) achievements > Steam Achievements

I don't follow achievements all that closely, so what makes the GFWL/PS3/360 ones better than the ones on Steam?

 

[DillonMabry]

I don't follow achievements all that closely, so what makes the GFWL/PS3/360 ones better than the ones on Steam?

I'm guessing because they have point values. Gamerscore and whatever the PS equivalent is.

 

[Syphon Filter]

I'm guessing because they have point values. Gamerscore and whatever the PS equivalent is.

PS is trophies and xbox had achievements and points. Never cared for the points, i did enjoy that sound from the 360 though.I never wanted to clog my xbox stuff with repeats of gfwl so i still didn't care for gfwl.

 

[dirtywhirlwind]

This is new information to me

 

[Oneironaut]

There are websites for Steam achievements that give each achievement a point value and allow people to compete for high scores. I haven't used one in a while, but they can be fun.

 

[Jawmuncher]

This is new information to me

It was barely mentioned but no one seemed to noticed awhile back.
I know for the steamgaffer playthrough i'll be going this route.

 

[Ozium]

stahp


also, whats with the Horseman of the apocalypse?

the real question is why is his horse depicted as being white (like that of Conquest) when it should be a greenish-yellow...

A.E. Waite pls

 

[ModBot]

This is a scheduled automated repost on behalf of Hinomura, who is running this raffle.

I am giving away 18 Steam keys. To enter this giveaway, send a PM to ModBot with any subject line. In the body, copy and paste the entire line from the message below that corresponds to the game you want. (if you include more than one game, you will be blocked from entering). Confused? Watch this GIF tutorial or ask for help.

ModBot Basics:
- No need to thank me. Please don't post thank you messages in thread or in PM.
- Do not trade keys you win off-site to enrich yourself. Don't try to claim games you have no interest in collecting or playing. Don't claim games to give them to friends off-site.
- If the key is already taken you will not receive a reply. Replies may take a minute or two.

Rules for this Giveaway:
- This is a free for all! You can enter for multiple games on the list below. Send an individual PM for each game you'd like to win.
- This giveaway is a raffle. The winners will be selected by random draw 3 hours after the draw was created. Any games not claimed after that point will be given away first come first serve.



White Noise Online -- MB-DEB79A3DE50C2A98 - Taken by factorone. 6 entrants total.
Project Temporality -- MB-2F2732DD556D9E27 - Taken by drakaenae. 9 entrants total.
The Culling Of The Cows -- MB-57003D8BC982C28E - Taken by nja. 1 entrants total.
Chip -- MB-B77BAB06A1BF79F2 - Taken by Aitor. 5 entrants total.
Them The Summoning -- MB-BF4720D5D19F5B0A - Taken by TheMadMan007. 2 entrants total.
Depths of Fear Knossos -- MB-042E85424DEFE249 - Taken by spindoctor. 9 entrants total.
Doorways Chapters 1 & 2 -- MB-1E26277061892414 - Taken by Haunted. 3 entrants total.
Glacier 3 The Meltdown -- MB-5444D1E210BE4758 - Taken by anastef. 3 entrants total.
Larva Mortus -- MB-32765406D1EEE6AE - Taken by Diedac. 3 entrants total.
Haegemonia Legions of Iron -- MB-A262F124B385B116 - Taken by S1n1st3r. 3 entrants total.
Splatter Blood Red Edition -- MB-DB1B94CA6CAF290B - Taken by crimsonheadGCN. 6 entrants total.
Shadows Price For Our Sins -- MB-A5B1399876D0BBF4 - Taken by Abomination. 3 entrants total.
King Arthur's Gold -- MB-0B3FFBCD99408A8E - Taken by Lomax. 8 entrants total.
The Book of Unwritten Tales Digital Deluxe Edition -- MB-E8C40BAAC2FF2439 - Taken by Mr. Poolman. 5 entrants total.
Haegemonia The Solon Heritage -- MB-4A4ED08F53EC707A
Rhiannon Curse of the Four Branches -- MB-1ACAD63832D9C75E - Taken by Pakkidis. 4 entrants total.
SpeedRunners -- MB-D83D1B71BAB15635 - Taken by Mengy. 18 entrants total.
Lone Survivor The Director's Cut -- MB-A24AEFBA737D54DC - Taken by gaiadyne. 6 entrants total.

 

[dani_dc]

This is new information to me

Does this change the "scenes"?

Very interesting....
I mean, for the lesbian crowed of course, more games should consider options for them.

 

[JaseC]

People who care about achievements are almost as weird as those who buy two or more editions of the same game.

Edit: I was supposed to post this 10 minutes ago.

 

[Ozium]

People who care about achievements are almost as weird as those who buy two or more editions of the same game.

Edit: I was supposed to post this 10 minutes ago.

god damn that australian internet is really slow as hell, isn't it?

where's fibre

 

[louiedog]

People who care about achievements are almost as weird as those who buy two or more editions of the same game.

Edit: I was supposed to post this 10 minutes ago.

What about people who buy multiple editions to get different sets of achievements?

 

[dani_dc]

I really don't care for gamer score, its just a meaningless value,

Trophies are better since they can assign acheivements of varying doffoculty to different categories.

I basically use achievements to compare what I did in the game!e versus my friends, and in that category Steam is the better one.

 

[JaseC]

god damn that australian internet is really slow as hell, isn't it?

where's fibre

I was optimistic about getting it early next year, but now it looks like I'll be lucky if my area is live before 2016.

What about people who buy multiple editions to get different sets of achievements?

They're covered, too.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Fiber.

Not fibre.

fy breh.

 

[Ozium]

Fiber.

Not fibre.

fy breh.

I was trying to be sensitive to the way Australians talk, you bloody bogan...

GFWL (PS3/360 aswell) achievements > Steam Achievements

Do you work at Klei Entertainment?

 

[Grief.exe]

I don't follow achievements all that closely, so what makes the GFWL/PS3/360 ones better than the ones on Steam?

Some arbitrary metric I'm sure.

 

[Atraveller]

Did anyone else ever have a gamebreaking crash issue on The Bureau: X-Com Declassified?

I'm like 80 mins into the game and kinda enjoying it, then this fucking freeze/crash happens every time I go up an elevator as required by the story. Restarting the mission don't help either.

I'm assuming nobody else played the game.

I had similar problem with loading in Alien Isolation, I was using 344.48 driver, worked fine after rolling back to 344.11.

 

[dirtywhirlwind]

Does this change the "scenes"?

Very interesting....
I mean, for the lesbian crowed of course, more games should consider options for them.

Well, I don't think they every show the protagonist? So probably only some small dialogue changes at most I reckon.

 

[Asgaro]

Is it okay to ask for friends and an invite to that Steam Group here? If so, this is me.

Just finished Legend of Grimrock in Hard Mode and Old School Mode. Wasn't that hard actually. I never had to use potions and didn't die. Resting is OP. Also had basically all bombs and special arrows/quarrels left when the last boss fell. Huh.
Still one of the best games I have ever played. Crazily intense and atmospheric.

And I can't post here without giving away stuff, as usual. Modbot will know my name well Not the best one but I hope someone wants this.

Thank you, Spyware, for the opportunity and for me winning Thief
Also PMed you of course.

 

[zkylon]

This is new information to me

whoa big deal alert!

 

[maneil99]

I prefer the console's achievements/trophies because they accumulate into a total score. If steam secured their achievement system they could tie it into the leveling mechanic

 

[Jawmuncher]

Well, I don't think they every show the protagonist? So probably only some small dialogue changes at most I reckon.

They already showed the NSFW CGs.
So they probably just don't show the ones with mayonnaise.

 

[BinaryPork2737]

heyyyyy ... I'm the one avatar-quoting Copons here!!

You don't have a monopoly on it though

This is new information to me

I also just saw the menu options. The difficulty options are pretty great.

If steam secured their achievement system they could tie it into the leveling mechanic

That's actually something I wouldn't mind seeing, as long as it's not made mandatory to increase Steam levels.

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

Dustforce is almost worth playing just for the music alone. The soundtrack is dope. Pretty cool game.

It can get really fucking hard too.

I'm guessing because they have point values. Gamerscore and whatever the PS equivalent is.

My guess Steam doesn't give points or whatever is because how easy is to cheat achievements. Download SAM-->have all achievements.

 

[dirtywhirlwind]

They already showed the NSFW CGs.
So they probably just don't show the ones with mayonnaise.

Ah yeah, of course. I forgot the reason people played these games for a minute.