Posts by blackdog

  • What are you playing now?

    Quote from will2k

    On 11/18/2020 at 12:57 PM, will2k said: Haven't played much this year; currently started playing Tomb Raider (2013 reboot).

    Got it back in March for free as part of a free weekend promotion on Steam.

    [Blocked Image: https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.a5swcmoirfMAOGgUl-S6agHaD_%26pid=Api&f=1]

    Bought this and Rise on PS4 Store last night. I already had the reboot on Steam, pretty sure I paid at least £12 for it ? but wasn't running smoothly so I never started it again after the first session. Also I struggle to connect the PC to the TV to play these so might as well have it on the PS.

  • Music of Half Life

    Quote from ┌HP┘

    22 hours ago, ┌HP┘ said: Loved this random video I found about the games music! The nostalgia is real.

    Interesting angle, hadn't seen this kind of analysis before.Pity the guy spoils the ending of Alyx without any fucking warning! ?

    Talking about the content though, I feel this Liam guy is reversing the production pipeline... correct me if I'm wrong, the pacing of a map is not based around a music track: it comes through the narrative and gameplay beats, so is the result of the work of writers and level designers.

    Also, way too much artistic appreciation is given to silence. I don't want to take anything away from Bailey, but I would guess the stretches of silence were due to budget limitations rather than artistic choice... except the choice of not going for looping themes that is. The analysis suggests the silences are carefully studied and paced, but the way soundscapes are setup don't support that theory for me.

    Personally, I always found HL lacking in the sound department, with the tracks triggering too suddenly to punctuate certain events, breaking immersion in a sense, rather than pushing me further in... they would clearly inform you that "something is gonna happen now".

    This especially around the time HL2 came out (2004), as other games evolved in either direction, layering looping soundtracks (Splinter Cell, 2005) or accentuating the environment (Doom 3, 2004). It is only with the HL2 Episodes delivered what HL2 should have from the start, and we kinda have the proof of that straight from the mouth of the devs, because it's when they were working on the Episodes that all the talk about "peaks and valleys" came about, as everybody recognised HL2 had been stretched out in terms of levels.


    Quote from Radu

    20 hours ago, Radu said: Gotta say I've never heard in all these years someone to match Kelly Bailey despite all the mods and people trying to replicate the music.

    figure my surprise when I read in the comments that some tracks are mostly made of samples from packs.

  • What are you playing now?

    I couldn’t bring myself to get back to Control after that first mini-session ruined by being too tired. Too serious of a game I guess.

    I started Uncharted 3 last night. Starts well, I noticed that’s when Naughty Dog added the “character probing the environment” thing where Nathan touches walls etc. I wonder if that’s why the controls feel a tad sluggish compared to #2.

  • Cyberpunk 2077

    Quote from Beck

    3 hours ago, Beck said: No doubt they'll be asked to crunch/work over the Christmas period to get hotfixes and patches out when upper management knew what state the game was in.

    How does this crunch work anyway? I mean this is one of the things that scares me if I ever got into the industry… I know from reading around there’s lots of peer pressure and so on, but there are also lots of mothers and fathers, it’s not the Wild West of 1990 id Software… so if there’s no contractual obligation, how does it not happen that people walk out for this essential/basic life balance reasons? (but they do walk out for stuff like the Blitzchung episode).

    I heard enough moaning from my partner for a few hours of overtime, can’t imagine if I was at work on weekends for months at a time, when she gets one we off every other week.

  • Watch Dogs Legion

    External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

  • Cyberpunk 2077

    Quote from ┌HP┘

    3 hours ago, ┌HP┘ said: Point is... their certification department is historically known for being very strict and with very high standards, specifically to prevent shit like this, so I don't know wtf happened here.

    We’ll never know for sure, but you put together the most awaited game of the decade, a game that shines on new hardware, millions of preorders… maybe it really went like in the article I linked above, despite how impossible it seems

  • Overwatch

    Quote from Minos

    16 hours ago, Minos said: Was super fun to work on this one, the first map we made completely WFH. It is a truly Mapcore special.

    External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

    Oh my, when the Jeff mentions Mazy joined the team I was like "what is he talking about, Mazy has worked there since forever"... in my head I had swapped Mazy for Philip ?

    Very cool looking map, as usual. Some areas are really inspiring

  • Star Wars

    Quote from ┌HP┘

    5 hours ago, ┌HP┘ said: Hot take: Apart from mandalorian, rogue one is the best thing Disney did with the franchise since they bought it

    I agree, in the sense that it didn’t suck ? Characters were quite dry for me, apart from Paul Mendelsohn, he magnetises each scene he’s in.

    It’s funny/sad how they were planning to have lots of these “one off” spin-offs, and they crapped in their pants after Solo, halting everything on the spot… you couldn’t imagine a giant like Disney to stand in the middle of the road like a blinded deer. And now “betray” that idea, cashing in on that success.

    What is George Lucas doing these days? Is he out of the frame completely, is he at least trying to create something new on his own again?

    PS: they lost their magic/ingenuity

    https://youtube.com/shorts/LDorWh58h7c

  • Cyberpunk 2077

    For those that are playing probably not news, although haven’t seen anyone commenting on it. Interesting point on the traffic/pedestrian (non-existing) AI in this Twitter thread. Maybe a bit too heavy handed on judging the reviewers though.

    PS: forgot to say that further down comments seem to suggest this optimisation is dynamic and depending on the machine (read on PC is not as aggressive)

  • Black Mesa Source

    Interview with some devs

    External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

  • Cyberpunk 2077

    Quote from PogoP

    15 hours ago, PogoP said: How is this acceptable? What went wrong?

    External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

    Aaaand clicking this brings up an AD for the game on Xbox One showing super fluid gameplay ?

  • Cyberpunk 2077

    Quote from dux

    7 hours ago, dux said: I'll reiterate: Dumb to port to ps4. Guy whining that a 2020 game runs badly on his 1980 console. I dunno how plainer to put it. "sounds like you didn't do much do address how horrible this game looks on console" who's he referring to then when he said that?

    I don't understand why you keep talking about porting. The game has been in development for 8 years, surely PS4 and Xbox One were the main target throughout, unless they always expected to be release after this long?

    If that was true though, they would have released as next-gen launch titles, instead of taking advantage of back-compatibility to run on the new consoles, right?

    It's totally in the player's right to expect a game to run decently, we are not talking about a PC gamer with an old machine hoping for the best, but a box with fixed spec the developer decided to release for: you owe to your customers to release a playable title. Since when it is normal to include a "fuck you peasant" card in each game box at the end of a generation? If not on a matter of principle and good customer service, you should recognise that often the best looking games are released at the end of the generation. Last of Us 2 is gorgeous and doesn't run like shit; Valhalla and Legion are sandbox games and I haven't heard complaints.

  • Corona Virus

    Quote from Minos

    13 hours ago, Minos said: It's incredible the amount of bullshit agendas that are being advanced in the name of "science", "public safety", "democracy", or whatever else.

    I do agree with this, I know we weren’t prepared for pandemics but jee, the response from the governments were ridiculous.

    Ive just read yday in Italy they not sure who’s gonna teach in school last couple days because they are enforcing a travel ban within the country two days BEFORE the holidays. Many teachers come from the south and will go back early then… fucking genius ?

    PS and we have to suck up and comply with all this, whilst them politicians and advisors do whatever they want, getting businesses to open just for them, seeing family and friends…