Nonek

It is always the middle man whom takes the cream, is it not? Reading of the North American Old West recently and this seems to be very much the case, while panhandlers and miners slaved to bring in a few ounces of (undervalued) gold for provisions and survival, the merchants whom sold to them were reaping rich rewards from the inflated prices they could sell goods and gold at. A fascinating period.

Indeed in my opinion this is one of the side effects of a press that has given up any notion of objectivity and free speech, indeed almost all of the media in those countries were state owned and controlled, making other means of organisation vital. Of course word of mouth is important, but that is a limited and flawed method of communication. One cannot underestimate how important social media was in those countries struggles for freedom. It is worrying to see how Gamergate has been villified and demonised unfairly by the lying media in the west, and a certain sign that they have abandoned objectivity, and are only a step or two from state owned institutions (not least the BBC) that we see the world over. From there it seems but a small step to a Ministry of Truth, and a boot stamping down on a face forever. Then again one does not miss what one has until it is gone.

There are no plans for growth if the venture is successful? A pity. Edit: Good Lord i'm in a Mercurial mood today, I do apologise for the rather heavy handed sarcasm, didn't have my run this morning and I think i'm far too full of beans.

Well I think we can all agree that what is most important is that we are safe to dance, safety dance...everybody look at your hands...we can dance, we can dance...everything's out of control...

I think Mr Fargo has a little more experience than Mr Schilling, however i've no doubt that there are both tax breaks and some degree of taking advantage of lower wages (compared to LA) factored into this venture. Still more high tech skills is no bad thing for any area, especially when those skills are in one of the few growth areas.

If they go by the recently released independent report on supposed harassment by Gamergate, then the miniscule amount of pruned content will probably not amount to a hill of beans. However pinpointing offensive content, well I think we all know that is a fools errand, if one is of a mind one could remove almost everything anyone ever said or discussed. Obsidian are giving away a pig companion pet as a thank you to their backers: Islamophobia. Star Wars hype reaches fever pitch: I don't condone the mass genocide of all the endangered Maori clones that the rebel alliance thoughtlessly slaughter. Good morning everybody: It is not a good morning for me, none is, and how dare you force your diurnal normative privilege on me, I identify as a vampire nightkin. Goodnight everybody: How dare you! Everybody knows that I am both afraid of the dark and an insomniac, I find your post offensive and triggering. Had a very fine meal today: PEOPLE ARE STARVING YOU EXPLETIVE! Popped in the local for a quick pint: Alcoholism is no laughing matter, i'm triggered. I'm quite good at this. I think a determined team of trolls could really wreak havoc on Twitter by highlighting and manipulating this new form of censorship. However I hope that legitimate means of internet freedom of speech remains open for individuals whom are oppressed by their governments, or involved in freedom fighting/bringing to light state secrets such as Mr Snowden.

I hear InExile are expanding with the aid of the good people of New Orleans, opening a developing college or somesuch, help in the regeneration of the area. Can't vouch for the veracity of the rumour but if true it speaks well of Mr Fargo's commitment to gaming.

Personally I suspect the Lord in his infinite wisdom created dogs and their upkeep to save many marriages, taking Fido for a walk and relaxing with a cold pint on a hot day has cooled many a mans temper I expect.

Neal Halford is in my eyes somewhat of a genius.

First fitting for my new winter suit today, and a very pleasant surprise, my tailor has installed a bar and a rather photogenic young barmaid. Returned to the office with a little buzz to speed the afternoon on its way. Quite pleasant indeed.

Finished Age of Decadence, quite short really but very satisfying, and one of the few games that has prompted me to immediately roll up a new character and begin another playthrough. I think i'll explore combat this time.

I'm enjoying myself immensely, finally a game that allows one to have roles other than in combat and takes a step away from the regressive path that games have been following for so long. I have to admit that lately in RPGs it's felt like i'm simply a rat in a cage, pressing a button to get a treat, they have been dumbed down so greatly in aid of accessibility and removed any challenge, strategy or forethought. It's nice to see that AoD is actually innovating and progressing rather than streamlining and degenerating. Quite nice to have a Romanesque setting rather than the bog standard fantasy fayre as well.

The first sign of a good game in my opinion: I've restarted half a dozen times with differing characters and builds, i'm facing a glorious tyranny of choice and am thoroughly enjoying my exploration.

A near sociopathic lack of empathy and hypocrisy, not unexpected or a first from these "people." What astounds me is that they still stick to the false narrative of victimhood and that Mr Bain has tried to harass them in any way, shape or form. Truly pathetic.

Now this is what one has been waiting for, methinks i'll be living decadently for awhile.

Well that's depressing as ****. My thoughts exactly, a pity that one of the few gentlemen willing to make a stand against demonisation and villainisation of the public is so smitten, one hopes that he is one of the few outliers and has a good few years left. Ones thoughts go out to his young wife and son, hopefully they will have the time they need to adjust to this and reach some kind of acceptance.

Mankind has never needed a reason to demonise others, in fact hate speech, self righteousness and lies that damn entire races, groups or whatever has always been fashionable. One will always find people whom are comfortable with this, look down upon their fellow man and just expect them to do as they're told rather than stand up for what is right. One does not need religion for this, one can find any excuse, it's not right but it is a reality. Inhumanities usually begin with this, when lies are accepted and unfounded demonisation is judged as a good thing.

I'm afraid i'm only an hour or so in, and of that i've mostly been wandering the new area. Combat is still a bone of contention to me like in the base game, the levelling mechanic just robs the game of so much viability. I'm seriously thinking of installing the combat evolved mod.

I'm quite enjoying Heart of Stone, it adds a mass of content to the base game (on the Redanian side of the Pontar) and like a New Vegas dlc really sets a high standard that is very much worth the price.

Personally to combat this i'd deploy a solid mass of Celtic auxillaries behind the lines of my mid line infantry, an iron hard core that can be trusted to hold the enemies attack and delay the maniples wishing to punch through our centre. I'd feed reinforcements to the flanks while sending out my elite Nubian cavalry to meet and destroy the Equites who are trying to outflank me on either side. With the enemy maniples thus surging forward at the centre i'd allow the infantry lines to steadily retreat, in a orderly manner and thus create a reverse bow shape to our line as the enemy thought they were making progress in breaking through. Hopefully with the enemy horse scattered and driven from the field I could then bring back my own cavalry, hit the enemy in the rear and close either flank so that the encirclement is complete. Butchery should follow.

Mixed opinions, very mixed opinions. On one hand this seems enormously detrimental to developers whom basically give up their lives to bring projects to fruition during the crunch, and before that spend years working on them, these are the true creators and to prioritise voice actors above them seems simply wrong headed. Especially if the voice actor is Wil Wheaton, i'd pay more to specifically not have him in a game. However one cannot fault a certain group for negotiating for better conditions, especially in the video games market where publishers have an unhealthy amount of control and property rights, perhaps developers should have done so long ago? However as a realist I can see a simple resolution to this: Publishers simply hire voice acting talents from abroad, i'm sure there are voice actors and editing studios in England or Canada that would for instance happily provide this service. Fly the audio director over, keep in touch via Skype and I can't see much difference or unusual problems arising so long as contact is maintained when the usual changes, last minute additions and retakes arise. It will be interesting to see how this develops, and whether it affects the smaller developers for whom voice acting is not such an important factor.

I'm getting somewhat of a Dead Money vibe from that trailer, which is no bad thing as I regard that as the highlight of New Vegas.

I thought that the age of exploration was started by the Phoenicians.

Indeed any hint of consumer advocacy has flown out of the window, their only aim is to demonise people whom play games recreationally now, the cycle repeating itself. Not one word, not one challenge and not one question, the idiots conspire against their own industry. It's quite scary to think that the popular lie is now far more fashionable than the truth, so much for society progressing.

There is one definite drawback to playing Ultima VII, it really does bring into focus how the RPG genre has stagnated and declined in the twenty plus years since this game was released, even the IE games were a step back in both features and quality from this title. A living world, with believable characters who went about their own lives in a realistic manner, absolutely masses of tools with which to explore and interact with that world, interesting content scattered all over the continent drawing on the last three games heritage, an intriguing plot that shows just how an ideology giving cheap, easy answers may appeal compared to the unattainable quest for the virtues, gameplay that is so much more than just a succession of conversation and combat, and most importantly combat only making an appearance when appropriate rather than being a crutch upon which a game stands. Granted the combat system is horrible and automated, with very little one can do outside of preparation and spells to affect it, but it seems that we have gone the other way in making RPGs now, with combat being the default gameplay and every other feature of games jettisoned in favour of it. However the magic system is a far more enjoyable approach to combat than the random flailing of melee, with tools to use and abuse in and out of combat, one really is quickly made to feel like a powerful protagonist because of the spells they can invoke, and massively useful outside of combat as well. Granted the graphics are ancient and basic, but they are colourful, distinctive, and really do the job with a charming aesthetic that is not dissimilar to Poes, which was for me one of the high points of that game. When one is exploring the Deep Forest, taking little trodden paths through the virgin woodland, well one cannot fail to be immersed and uneasy, the beaten path is left so far behind. It is so for most of the landscape, with no loading times at all and once again various means to explore and interact with the land. One has to wonder why this level of detail, the tools to interact with it, and the quality of narrative and themes have not been matched? When first playing it years ago I had rosy visions of the future that could be built upon such a foundation, and why would no one pursue that for the good of the medium? Granted there are games like the Witchers, the Gothics and New Vegas that have come near this level of detail, scale, interactivity and gameplay outside combat, but they only seem to be catching up after more than two decades. It leaves one a little depressed. Of course I do not expect games of that calibre as standard, the Ultimas were the flagships of gaming, the cutting edge which usually required a brand new system and much jury rigging to get running (and bugs, well anyone whom played games in that period will dismiss modern technical problems as beneath consideration in comparison,) but there should be something striving to do the same in RPGs. Little Larian cannot afford to make a modern U7 despite Swen's absolutely sterling efforts. Ah well rant over, feel much more chipper now, thank you for the venting opportunity. Back to Britannia and the endless quest. Edit: Good Lord my spelling and grammar, abysmal.