Nonek

It's surprisingly fun and immersive (sorry couldn't think of another word) so far, the raw world of the wasteland is brought to life exceedingly well and the strangeness of that setting, and its characters, is captured masterfully. Probably one of the best TV/movie adaptions since South Park: Stick of Truth. We wouldn't want players to stop playing would we and we certainly can't come up with a good in game way of gathering fuel that would encourage players to play differently. So you come up with a mediocre way of balancing the game. Yes accessibility strikes again, that was my exact thought, and it's a pity because there is room for more walking and scouting on foot in that environment. I think Fallout 2 did this in a viable manner, simply mark ones map and go and get fuel on foot to top up the tank. There are enough little settlements, wrecks and ruins out in the wasteland to make this a real method.

One minor gripe about Mad Max, there's a dissonance in gameplay and narrative, because i've yet to find myself running low on fuel except when forced to at the beginning. Petrol seems bounteous.

So it looks like the FTC has implemented its authority and slapped down Machinima for several violations of terms, a good day for Gamergate, disclosure, ethicality and disclosure. If only we could have game journalists brought to heel in a similar fashion for their years of blatant corruption and abuses.

Mad Max is rather spiffing, it feels decidly Fallout-ish (or should that be vise versa?) and though I can see some of the mechanics becoming rather old hat eventually, for the moment i'm enjoying fairly much everything. Unfortunately Max himself is a little...dull so far, though pleasingly Australian and violent.

Azar Javed came from far off Zerrikania, a land of jungles, deserts and deadly fauna. Incidentally his name translates as Eternal Fire, which was a pretty big clue as to who he was a puppet of. The only other Zerrikanians seen as I remember were two warrior women, fairer gendered fighters being common in Zerrikania, who were accompanying Borch Three Jackdaws, who we otherwise know as Saesenthesis' dad. It's telling that only a mighty mage and two adventurers under the protection of a Dragon could reach the distant and barbaric Northern Kingdoms, travel was not easy in such a time nor safe.

The reason given for not including campsites seems a little...light, I mean yes a campsite in the middle of a castles corridors is stupid, but an abandoned storeroom, a secret passage, a bolt hole, a barricaded watchtower or other such sites would seem eminently viable. Post the usual guards, perhaps a few illusions or warding spells (though you'd have to attack the Wizard to allow him to cast,) and it would make sense so long as one maintained stealth and subterfuge.

The school holidays end later this week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUZEtVbJT5c

You're not really surprised are you Mr Fighter? I mean by now the fact that SJFs are hypocrites, engage in toxic hate speech and would mock the infirm is hardly news, after all these are the people who lie about harassment, mock the victims of bomb threats and support genocide, as well as argue for unethical behaviour and corruption. They're scum and they will always rise to the top as scum does. There is not an ounce of empathy, decency or humanity within them.

So if I wish to buy a complete copy of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided with all of the content, pre-order exclusives, bug fixes and expansion at a far cheaper price then I should simply wait a year for the inevitable game of the year edition on a Steam sale, rather than buying new? That is the message all of this publisher nickel and diming seems to give me, then again i'm old, patient, and tempus fugit.

Hark I hear the sound of Tumbler being triggered.

An ombudsman? Good luck getting a supra-national ombudsman going, as that is what would be needed- especially for games journalism. And most bloggers and the like can hide behind 'opinion' and being Schrodinger's Journalists- if they want embiggening they're journalists, if they want to hide from consequences they're bloggers or just stating an opinion with their free speech rights. Unfortunately good journalism doesn't sell as well as bad journalism does, hence used toilet paper like the Daily Fail or The Scum being the highest selling brit papers. It's not surprising that most media is following their example, it's cheap and easy and financially viable to write sensationalist tripe, actual journalism is hard and may piss off powerful people to boot. Yes it's a very distant dream, that I realise is extremely unlikely, however given the state of journalism I can't see much else fixing it. There are the rare examples of journalists whom want to do their jobs, and recognise the importance and value of the profession but as you say, there is also the tabloid pit which far too many are diving in. Why they do not see that they are devaluing their profession to the point of making it pointless, well that I cannot understand. Edit: I think the amusing thing about the above young ladies video is that it can be encapsulated by the last few seconds, she states that she wants these guys to "shut up" and give someone else a chance, this is at the Oxford debating society. The whole idea of that institution is that no one is "shut up," that there is a free exchange of ideas and dialogue from everyone. She is simply arguing for censorship of white men, the ethnic majority of England whose privilege has been earned through the blood, sweat and tears of their mothers and fathers back into history. It says a lot when a supposed intellectual wants to roll back an advancement in society and constrain a group so that others can take their place, when of course the reasonable would simply state that everyone should be lifted to the same position rather than be gagged.

A third, not to be sniffed at, but it's clear that consoles will take even more priority for CDPR from now on.

I think it is a bit more complex than that. I have a problem with the idea that every yahoo with a website or a youtube channel is a professional journalist. I take the industry very seriously, but the people who play and review games are rarely deserving of such status. If you want me to point to a journalist I take seriously when it comes to the game industry, I am going to point to a guy like David Kushner. I used to read Gamasutra pretty regularly, so they were about the only one I was disappointed in when this whole gamergate stuff came to light. They used to be a pretty decent source of information about the actual industry, instead of reviewing games. I have no idea what happened to them. I'm of a similar attitude, even those with journalism degrees are generally not undertaking the work they are supposed to, as i've said before the industry needs overhauling and an Ombudsman. At the moment it's a joke. On the subject of Gamasutra, at least its non professional blogs sometimes have legitimately interesting and in depth subject matter (though I have to wait for the archived version,) such as Mr Felipe Pepe's articles on the curation of the games industry. Or rather the lack of it.

Well...erm...well...think i'll just back out of this thread slowly, close the window and try to lock it.

This is probably very true, however there is also the factor of those whom take being offended and supposedly harassed as a professional vocation: For instance there was a fun run I sponsored recently where the fathers of terminally ill children dressed in drag and had a little fun raising money, so that their little ones had a better time before they passed away. This was condemned as a hate movement by a transgender charity, grieving fathers trying to ease their childrens suffering and taking a little break with a harmless activity that has been carried out in England for centuries, simplified into an attack on trans-whatever people. There was no understanding, no reason and no thought of dialogue, just a rude condemnation. Utterly moronic. This is what lies at the heart of this I think, a total lack of empathy, a selfish determination to be righteous and the victim which SJFs fetishise. When those whom play games were attacked by the Gamers are Dead articles we did not cry victim or harassment, as we are not simpletons who are looking for an easy answer, we knew that this was a counterattack (based on the old adage,) and that the press were desperately trying to cover up their own misdeeds, which were legion. They knew that we were right, that they were ethically compromised, and that their profession was unfit for purpose as it remains. Of course you still have idiots whom state that ethics are not important for journalism covering a multi billion dollar industry, but the sheer stupidity of that statement does not really need to be pointed out, and only a simpleton believe it. There is not one simple answer, as it is not a simple matter, but on the whole Gamergate is still campaigning for ethical reform, a fit for purpose press and respect for consumers rather than fashionable demonisation by hipster SJFs. In my opinion, of course.

I think it's worth noting that a lack of anonymity does not guarantee good behaviour or even civility: Look at Ms Leigh Alexander spouting her childish toxic insults and demonising a certain recreation, or the writers of Rock, Paper, Shotgun whom advocate and celebrate terrorism and bomb threats, all of these people use their real names and are in no way admirable or ethical. They are morally devoid scum, one wonders what they would be like with anonymity but I suspect that it would be no different. At the end of the day I believe that they are in large part responsible for any recent increase in so called "toxic" behaviour, and have been perpetuating it for a long time from a position of influence. However personally I believe in the better nature of individuals, and that reasonable moderates will in the end seize the day in almost any sphere.

I'm afraid not, the last I heard the PC was doing quite well in taking almost half of the sales, however I expect that can't last. CDPR said themselves that the game would not be possible without console sales.

Six million copies sold at the end of June apparently, seems to have reaped the rewards it deserves.

Well most of the harassment is a lie, we have seen that it is used to tar innocent millions whom happen to play games with the same brush, but that is really par for the course. The SJWs are by and large morally repugnant, sick, twisted individuals whom support censorship, criminality, genocide and are perpetuating an agenda that is built on hate and lies, the harassment they claim is really a projection of their own hostility and nothing more. One should expect no more from these people, their lies will be parroted even when disproven, they are becoming laughing stocks to anyone reasonable.

I didn't know Fallout ever went away, I had them for the duration as I did a playthrough of both, strange. That said I hope New Vegas comes out eventually, at that point I think Steam might go the way of the Dodo, it's just so irritating and cumbersome with how little I use it in comparison to GOG.

If I may ask a couple of questions: Will it be allright to wait for the second expansion to download all of this at once? What is the in-game explanation for re-speccing characters, how does one lose and gain years of experience and training, I assume Animancy and awakening old lives or somesuch?

I imagine the scene of Mr Avellone's departure proceeding somewhat like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLakgUosAsM Well not really, i'm sure the parting was far less dramatic and far more amicable, I just like to post Mr McGoohan brilliant statement from time to time.

Might it be prudent to add that the SPJ are currently investigating the whole movement in your introduction Mr Neutral?

Reading the newspapers this morning over breakfast with Mrs Nonek, the usual sad tale of a cultural treasure destroyed by ISIS and I must admit I had a heavy heart at such relentless ignorance and barbarity, so far removed from what Islam teaches. My beloved wife seems quite contemplative, seeing her quizzical expression I ask what seems to be the matter, she replies, "Don't you think Shia Sunni sounds like a porn star name?" I must admit I found this hilarious, cheered me up to no end. Not sure whether it will be funny to anyone else, but one tries or is trying, not quite sure which.

If you think the public side of the Hugo business has been rather dramatic, well you really should overhear some of the calls between publishing houses, authors and panelists. Polite intensity of a near thermonuclear level.