Nonek

Ah so no answer again, even when I honestly and explicitly answered your question, I expected as much. As for questions of etiquette, you infer that we are lying in our honest and reaonable goals of asking for ethical reform, and that we are instead only acting against social justice. Hardly a polite or normal thing to do, and it was you whom raised the issue of your use of sex workers. I will answer your two statements with three of my own: I have no interest in your need to visit strip clubs to interact with women, that is your own decision and none of my business. Your use of prostitutes is also your own business, and the authorities if they discover it of course, as well the women you are having to force yourself upon. However while abusing sex workers like this I will not accept that you are interested in SJ issues, as that is a hypocritical lie. As for understanding my points i'm afraid that if you cannot understand the intentionally plain English that I use then there is no hope that I can get through to you, perhaps some further education as i've suggested before is in order or a doctors appointment.

You wont agree with my view because you can't agree to it because to agree with me would undermine support for the GG movement but I'll make it anyway You say that gaming websites like Eurogamer and RPS need to maintain journalistic integrity. Yes I agree with this because its the principle that matters and they represent a serious revenue generating industry...even if it is gaming. But the reality is I doubt any of you guys use to use those websites, I visit them but maybe once every second day. Now the fact that you guys never use to use them is also not a issue because an argument could still be maintained that its the principle But you also cannot ignore that fact that certain websites on your consumer boycott list also happen to be websites that raise SJ issues and have been very vocal against GG So I guess what I am trying to understand is what is the real reason you boycott these websites? Is it because they lack integrity or is it because they push SJ issues which tend to annoy you ? Its fine to say you don't visit certain websites because of there view on SJ issues, I dont go to RPGCodex for exactly that reason but lets be honest? I am being honest when I say that the sites I boycott are unfit for purpose and not worth reading, they have proven themselves to be untrustworthy and unethical, with repeated attacks against innocent cosumers, totally unproven accussations against Gamergate, and endemic corruption, thus as a reasonable, moderate consumer I avoid them. Their tendency to preach on social justice matters is hypocritical and a lie, just like yourself Bruce, saying that you support social justice and then boasting of using sex workers, propogating a harmful criminal enterprise and saying that there is nothing shameful in doing son at the expense of the women you have to pay. You and they are free to say that you support social justice issues, but when this is a hypocritical lie and you use sex workers, while they abuse and lie about innocent consumers wanting ethical reform, then I will not accept their falsehoods or accept their preaching at me when they are immoral scum. If you don't believe this that's fine, because I don't look for approval from an individual whom openly and proudly uses prostitutes, but I would in return ask that you be honest with yourself and why you hate women and see it as alright to force yourself upon them for cash? Is that why you try and interject SJ issues in this thread all the time, and interrupt the usual talk of ethical concerns and good journalistic practices, is it guilt for your actions against the women you have to pay for sex?

Apparently Mr Galloway is contesting his resounding loss in this election, should be worth a chuckle or two.

Journalists should abide by journalistic ethics, when advising people on how to spend their hard earned money in a multi billion dollar industry, or when reporting from a war zone. This is once again childishly simple, and trying to render ethical concerns as unimportant because they are advising on an entertainment product is a moronic argument. Edit: I've always thought that moral relativity is a particularly pathetic argument, yes I may tell my children to clean their plates because children are starving in Africa, but in a mature discussion it really has no place. To dismiss real and releavant issues of proven corruption, nepotism and unethical behaviour is to dismiss and demean all of journalism and ethical reporting, game journalists are literally tarnishing the entire professions reputation. At a time when that reputation has never been at a lower ebb, well I can't see why anyone would not take such issues seriously. Though after RPS mocked the victims of the recent bomb threat against a Gamergate party, and insulted the victims of that hoax for no reason whatsoever, well I care even less about the scumbags opinions or their publication.

well it's mostly a question of technical difficulty. how do you make it flop around realistically? and then the aesthetic question. cut or uncut and how long? there is a multitude of problems when making the 3D model of a naked man that are not there for a woman's. I dunno, after seeing an entire article devoted to how hard it is to properly animate breasts I'm not so sure making someone's dong flop around realistically is that much harder (or easier, depending on how you look at it)... To be fair one doesn't see that much of female genitalia in the game, mainly because it's quite discrete compared to a mans, with the exception of a woman whose gone through repeated childbirth after which things down there get a little messy if childbirth is natural. However i'd say that we see far more bare mens chests in the Witcher 2 than we do bare womens, especially if one is doing a berserker playthrough, which necessitates bare chest, trousers and axe rather than armour and swords. Then again i'm not really concerned with virtual nudity.

I think we need a separation between editorials and reviews(subjective) and news(objective), with different standards for both. Obviously disclosure should occur, and there should be some standards implemented to maintain professional distance. It seems strange to me that game journalist cannot implement this, it is so simple to have an acknowldegement before the piece speaking of ones contact with a publisher and developer, along with any ties. It is not an onerous or complicated thing. Then make the review in two sections, one an objective critcism focusing on features, tech and issues etc, and one a subjective review. A simple process, and yet the game journalists refuse to disclose or acknowledge the plethora of objective points that any game has. It's pathetic really, and emphasise how reasonable these demands are, and how unreasonable and arrogant the game journalists are being. Then again they've had many years of railing and preaching at their audience to become accustomed to it, must be hard to let go of their self righteous posturing. Edit: More than ever I believe that a regulaory board is needed for game journalism, as well as a period of sharp adjustments and heavy fines for those whom flagrantly flout journalistic ethics such as Kotaku.

Anyway on to a matter relevant to journalism and ethics: Does anyone feel a slight suspicion with the almost perfect review scores that the Witcher III: Wild Hunt is recieving across the board? This seems very similar to the initial reviews of Skyrim, where major bugs were ignored and any problems were glossed over by clearly hyped players. I'm a fan of the Witcher games, but I cannot believe that the Wild Hunt realistically deserves such high scores, after all both of the previous two games were extremely buggy on release and required much patching, though the Enhanced Editions were a gesture above and beyond in my opinion. I hope the game is as good as these reviews are stating, but I seriously doubt it is so perfect, even now i'm hearing that the game struggles to maintain 30fps on console. What do you think is contributing to these reviews? Is this merely the fashionable game to like, and the hype has reached critical mass, so that reviewers are ignoring the problems in the enjoyment of playing the game? Or could it be that we are seeing a game that does actually live up to the hype? If I were a betting man however I would lay down odds that we see secondary reviews from game journalists, reviewing the game again with a far more critical eye within a few months. Do you think that this is a side effect of the gaming journalists lying that objective criticism is non existent, and everything is subjective, when journalism should of course be striving for unbiased objectivity at all times? In prioritising their feelings and enjoyment are they losing the ability to judge and criticise, after all we have seen what kind of regressive games they prioritise, that actively try and limit interactivity and jettison features and content, ironically enough under the guise of innovation. @Bruce: Justify your using sex workers however you wish Bruce, you raised the subject not me, and it is hardly baseless when discussing sex workers stating that you are a hypocrite whom lies about supporting social justice. The reason why you cannot explain why sex workers being any different from other victims of crime is that there is no difference, as i've stated repeatedly anybody can be a victim of crime, no matter their profession. To argue otherwise is infantile.

No I have no shame, should I? I go to legal strip clubs, why should I be ashamed ? None of the girls are trafficked..they work there as it pays well...they aren't forced. You don't seem to know much about strip clubs ? But Nonek please stop pretending you actually care about the plight of girls who work in the sex industry. I doubt you do considering your contempt for women who wear revealing clothes..like when you said that young girls going out partying where you live were dressed looking like whores....nice choice of words there to describe a liberated and confident young women...very progressive And you still missing the point, hookers in RL can be victims due to there lifestyle choice ...what crimes are you talking about You can go to however many strip clubs you wish to Bruce, you're right I have no need to pay women for their company and would not think of doing so, as I do not see women as pieces of meat to buy. However that is different to the prostitution you boast of indulging in, which is illegal and harmful to women across the world, and certainly makes your claims of supporting social justice hypocritical and two faced. I do care for and respect women, and do not have contempt for women whom wear party clothing, I actually like the modern trend of dressing outrageously, though I do not wish my daughters to do so. As for when I said whores, that was in response to you calling Volourn's niece a whore, you brought that up not me, and i'd prefer such a term to be used rather than a politically correct term that abusers find comfortable such as escort. Anybody can be a victim of crime in real life whatever their lifestyle choices or jobs, not just sex workers, a child could understand this.

Pardon, people shot, tortured, killed and such are not victims in real life? You're not actually seriously stating this are you, if so then there's no point arguing with you because that is flat out denying reality. Anyone can be a victim of crime in real life, anyone, this is not limited to sex workers. Whether you are embarassed or not about using sex workers is your choice Bruce, if you have no shame about forcing yourself on young women, breaking the law and propagating a harmful and vicious trade in womens flesh, then bully for you. However i'll still think you're hypocritical and saying you support any kind of social justice is a slap in the face to the women you've bought. As a father of daughters and a married man whom respects women you sicken me.

Are we back to this idiocy again, arbitrarily picking one victim of crime to exclude from a game, and totally ignoring and being fine with including the rest. In a piece of virtual reality where nobody is hurt, unlike the real world where sexual predators buy womens bodies and abuse them for a handful of cash, then hypocritically justify it to themselves with whatever lies they want to believe. Honestly this is the most moronic argument seen yet in this thread, and it has featured the Full McIntosh.

Flashbacks to Betrayal at Krondor and discovering the En Passant move from the brothers at Sarth, so much nostalgia.

Playing the Witcher 2, have the pre download of 3 squared away on GOG and am wondering which side I should choose as my canon playthrough. Roche seems far more neutral, and a more trustworthy companion, but there's no doubt that the camp of Henselt is in no way a match for Vergen. There's also the great end game quests that were added to Loc Muinne with the enhanced edition, Iorveths is the most interesting of the two without a doubt.

Dates and times.

I strongly doubt Kickstarter's viability as a business practice will be forever tarnished by a product its funders are largely happy with. By the same logic, Harebrained Schemes (creators of the excellent Shadowrun Returns games) should also be exposed as scammers because in the kickstarter pitch, they promised us that every class will see the world fundamentally differently, which they not only refused to deliver on, but also failed to notify the backers about in advance. So should Larian Studios, because they cut the megadungeon from Divinity: Original Sin, also without consulting with their backers. Such immoral practices clearly have no place in a funding model so fundamentally reliant on consumer trust... ahahaha no, as long as the majority of the backers is happy with the final product they received, I doubt any project will seriously seriously harm Kickstarter's reputation. This sounds like such a weird way to refer to Sarkeesian. Could you explain why you do so? There's quite a large difference between having to cancel some stretch goals and content that cannot be reached in the funding, some give and take is allowed. However to not produce content such as Ms Sarkeesian's videos, which largely use borrowed or stolen assets is entirely different, and will obviously undermine public trust in Kickstarter. Then again if the naive are fine with this then they are welcome to accept not recieving what they paid for. I certainly think I got my moneys worth from both D:OS and SRR, they gave me a full product rather than less than half of one, while Ms Sarkeesian's backers are still waiting to recieve theirs years later. Ahahaha. Sock puppet is simple, she echoes what Mr McIntosh says with alarming regularity, strange to see a Feminist Frequency controlled by a spoiled fat white man whose never worked a day in his life or faced any real tribulation. Oh no it's not strange at all is it?

If Ms Sarkeesian can successfully con those whom kickstarted her videos out of their money, without producing the content she promised, then good luck to her and shame on the people whom fell for it. However I have to point out that I want Kickstarter to have a good reputation so that it remains a viable method of funding games, obviously we have the good examples that folks like Obsidian have set but when we have people like Ms Sarkeesian and Tim Schaefer whom take the money and run, well that is bound to be talked about and effect Kickstarter in the long run. Then we may not have good games made, for the sake of poor arguments from Mr McIntosh's sock puppet. Edit: Though i've never really seen the fuss raised about Mr McIntosh and Ms Sarkeesian as being warranted, they're a pair of idiots spouting inane tripe: One saying that games should not have any interactivity, the other actually thinking that, "I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus" was about infidelity. Such people shouldn't be allowed to ruin Kickstarter for everybody else, still I defend their right to con the naive out of their money.

Had Ged facing the great Dragon of Pendor tonight, with appropriate snorts and booming pronouncements it's fair to say that I scared my offspring half to death, they absolutely loved every minute of the story however, at least I think so considering their big eyes peering out from the covers at me. Heard them fiercely whispering about it when I came to my study. I may make a few well placed edits after this however, the story gets quite horrifying when the Shadow finds Ged and a little levity may be required. Edit: Thought i'd posted in the wrong thread for a moment.

[citation needed] [citation needed] [citation needed] First citation, twenty years of undeniable demonisation by almost every form of media. The cherry on the top of course being the twelve articles attacking gamers as being dead late last year. Second citation, numerous studies showing that games have no effect on real world behaviour, thus her series is bereft of its main purpose. Third citation, Evicting the Honey Badgers for asking a question and the following demonisation of them, the gamergate women whom are derided as being indoctrinated and the women whom were exposed to a bomb threat for the crime of partying and not swallowing their hateful agenda, numerous other examples easy to find.

I had a frightening urge to post the wrestling scene between Oliver Reed and Alan Bates in Women in Love, but I resisted.

Personally I think such self righteous preaching, based upon Ms Sarkeesian's lies and half truths is a direct consequence of the many years of demonisation consumers have been subject to, with game journalists having grown used to abusing the millions of innocent and mainly apathetic (to their drivel) masses whom play games recreationally, the lies and false narratives were easily embraced and used when actual controversy and wrongdoing reared its head. Now with Ms Sarkeesian's work statistically and scientifically disproven, themselves shown to be the wrongdoers, misogynists and regressive elements in gaming and the consumers actually making a stand against degenerate practises, while self funding games that actually are progressive and innovative, they are outraged as they become increasingly irrelevant. Of course they will still abuse consumers, state they are dead, lie about them being harassers and women haters, or that the truly diverse masses of gamergate wish to stifle diversity, but their lies are ringing more and more hollow, as they become obsolete. They are after all just a group of lying hypocrites whom are no longer relevant, whom oppose diversity of opinion as well as race and gender, and wish to censor and distort the truth to their own ends, morally reprehensible and so desperate as to make bomb threats against a bunch of people just having a party.

Gaming. Description: You have always been drawn to the roll of the dice, the turn of the card or the placement of the playing piece, and have at times won a fair amount of coin in such pursuits. In truth though your talent extends further than mere games however, you have an innate grasp of strategy and tactics, a calm calculating grasp of odds and chances, and how one may influence them. Effects: Now this is where I come unstuck, I really can't think of a reasonable bonus for this skill, that slowly increases over time and doesn't unbalance anything. There are of course many chances to use such a skill, games of chance in a tavern for instance, but I can't think of any mechanical advantages. Perhaps something to do with the stronghold, or maybe a very small experience bonus? Any ideas?

Dirk here with an exclusive for all you Futureheads out there, Bioware have today unveiled their latest consumer survey and you will be among the honoured few to gain access to it. Please complete and e-mail to Bioware HQ: Do you wish the game to be called: a, Dragon Age: Let's play dress up. b, Dragon Age: Magic fantasy kingdom funtime. c, Dragon Age: Lots of blood and dramatic music, we're trying really hard to be mature. d, Dragon Age: Dry humping the dating sim. e, Dragon Age: A pony. f, Dragon Age: A platform for cheap and profitable DLC. Do you wish the protagonist to be : a, Male. b, Female. c, A sexless but must be pretty thing with the barest hint of personality, spouting our god awful "humour". d, Romanceable. e, A pony. Do you wish armour and weapons to be: a, Oversized. b, Needlessly and hideously ornate. c, Romanceable. d, All of the above. e, A pony. Do you wish companions to be: a, Morons. b, Useless. c, Romanceable. d, Pretty. e, Cutesy and Snarky. f, All of the above. g, A pony. Do you wish the plot to be: a, Blah, blah, blah - skip, skip, skip. b, A steady progression of ever more bland loot. c, Illogical and insultive to the reasoning ability of a foetus. d, Romanceable. e, All of the above. f, A pony. Do you wish the primary antagonist to be: a, A cliched big bad. b, The tool of a McGuffin. c, Romanceable. d, A pony. e, A reaper. Do you wish the game DLC to be: a, Content gouged out of the main plot, so that you can never just buy a full game. b, Never ending. c, Romanceable. d, Other-Please purchase the "Discussing DLC bonus questionnaire pack" from the Bioware store to register any other options, yours for only $14.99. Do you wish the possible failure of the game to be blamed on: a, You. b, 4chan. c, EA. d, Metacritic. e, Bitter old trolls, who just don't understand our innovations and artistic integrity. f, Gamergate. Edit: In all seriousness Luzarius just get over it and play other, better games, the market has not had so many superior quality alternatives in quite some time. Or go back and play some old games that are packed with far more content, features and innovation than any new ones.

This is why I stressed that there should be secret entrances unlocked by the main quest, so that those whom choose not to take advantage of the opional content can still enter the Paths at key points, without having to complete all of the levels of content. A secret stair, passage or somesuch, running parallel to the Paths but apart from it. Thaos' own entrance perhaps? On the subject of the Strongholds visitors and attacks does anyone else feel that these would be a perfect opportunity to use and expand upon the illustrated sequences we find throughout the game? So that we have a minigame somewhat similar to the fantastic story sequences found throughout King of Dragon Pass, that we solve through our attributes, skills or reputations. I was a little underwhelmed by how little the illustrated sequences were used when their versatility is clear for all to see, and they might offer so much more choice and more importantly consequence.

The very epitome of modern journalism, absolutely laughable.

Rather than make a traditional review I thought i'd indulge in a spot of backseat developing, share with the Obsidian devs my invaluable (read worthless) opinions and query the ladies and gentlemen on some of their choices. I would have done this on a dedicated review/feedback thread, but couldn't find one. Firstly a little praise, with this game I got exactly what I was promised, and Obsidian should be praised for this when so many Kickstarters have cheated their backers even when massively overfunded. I am more than satisfied with my purchase, and count Poe as a good game. On my personal old fashioned scale of 1-10 I would attribute Poe a 7, bearing in mind that 10 is an unattainable perfect score (and perfection is impossible) and five is a perfectly average game that is fit for purpose. I have some problems with the game; The MMO classes that are infecting all RPGs now, the fact that a Rogue is misnamed as roguishness has no connection to brutal combat whatsoever. The stash reinforcing the tyranny of loot that has to be included in all games now rather than worthwhile content. The amount of copy pasted combat encounters scattered over maps, that is somewhat necessitated by making an IE successor game, as they were similarly combat heavy. However all of these are little things that do not detract from the game too much. However to get to the meat of the matter, I question some of the design choices: For instance the massive amount of content invested in the Endless Paths, that is totally dispensible and seperated from the game itself. I would have merged a good deal of this in one of my pen and paper campaigns. Caed Nua I would have made Raedric's stronghold, and Gilded Vale the demense that a character may rule over and tax upon seizing the paths. If the character wished to. Furthermore the Endless Paths themselves (and the giant Adra statue within them) I would have made into the machine that created the Gods of Eora, and contain hints, histories and visions of Thaos that could be accessed through exploration and keys available through the main quest. However this would restrict the players whom do not choose to explore the paths, so I would have secret entrances and portals into each level of the paths that are unlocked upon the main quest path. Defiance Bay I would largely leave untouched apart from making the end of Act 2 reactive to the player in some way, perhaps have Thaos take control of the protagonist to murder the Duc, but in so doing reveal much of himself, the Endless Paths and the secrets that the Glanfathans hold. A give and take situation, though that is just spur of the moment thinking. I would start the game in the blasted ruins of the Godhammer crater, as this seems an area that cries out to be shown to and explored by the player, and have a little travel and adventure before the protagonist stumbles upon the incident that awakens him. Or even have it occur there. Two further settlements are needed in my opinion, one frontier township somewhat like the Dyrford but with stockade, defences and a more military demeanour to show the tension between the Dyrwood and Eir Glanfath. This should lead of course to Twin Elms, the path to confronting Thaos and the endgame content that will lead the players back to the Endless Paths eventually and the vast statues that breathed life into the gods. There would also be numerous adventuring areas connecting these of course, but perhaps a few less with a little more worthwhile content. Also i'd make Gilded Vale a depressed ghost town barely clinging on to life when the protagonist stumbles into it, and through the characters decisions i'd make it grow, adapt or be dispersed over time. For instance if the protagonist takes the stronghold, rebuilds the castle and village, rules fairly and justly then i'd have Gilded Vale become a bustling township and an important destination in the Dyrwood. If he disdains rulership but takes a home in the manorhouse of the stronghold, and defends the village then the people endure and become stronger, taking their cue from the local hero to carve out their mark upon the land and remain independent and strong. Etc. However hindsight and detatched observation is flawless as they say, and I am not faced by the struggles and problems that arose for the Obsidian staff, so my theorising is hardly a condemnation of them. I'd prefer to think of it as an alternate form of review, and an indication of how much the setting made me think and become invested, and therefore prove itself both as a game and a piece of art.

The strategic challenge lies in a number of factors: One. my choices are limited due to the four man party I typically use. Two, I don't rest or resupply once i've entered a dungeon and try to complete in one attempt. Three, my spells, abilities and items must be carefully rationed and used at appropriate times. Four, my party members health and viability in their roles must be carefully monitored and maintained. Tactically I like the lay out of the undead in Kresselack's tombs, one cannot simply use a chokepoint or rush the enemy. One must scout, clear traps, make careful advances and disable key enemies while hindering the onrush of the undead, using the Druid or Mages most potent abilities. One must also stay on ones toes and be aware of the self destructing, or more harmful enemies and retain the abilities to destroy or incapacitate them at range. Add to this the wonderful descriptions scattered throughout the tomb, the oppressive feeling of being watched that the carven faces of Kresselack transmit, and the sense that one is stumbling into a tragic backstory, well this elevates the dungeon into one of my favourites. Especially when one adds in the factor of Mr Jays wonderful voice acting as the Black Wolf, an underused character in my view. Loot I simply prioritised, and left the rest behind to disappear, a realistic and sensible strategic option. However this is simply my opinion.