Nonek

C'mon, dude, Dear Esther was way more innovative than any of the more commercial games you mentioned. Also, "blatant preaching and obvious examples" it contained not. (It was also kind of a horrible game, but creative bankruptcy and enforced PCness are not accusations that could be levied against it.) I'm sorry but i'm not aware that walking around and solving basic puzzles is particularly innovative, I was doing that in games twenty plus years ago. With the games I listed you get much more, this is simply an objective fact. If games followed Dear Esthers path we would be removing what little content is left in them. I agree that Dear Esther did not suffer from political correctness, but it would almost certainly have been forced to if Silverstring media and their consultants were mandating content. That is their avowed aim, to push their currently fashionable agenda.

I dont want to sound paranoid, but I've heard guys like Richard Garriot and Chris Avellone complaining that there are too many white people in their games and that they should be more inclusive yada yada yada. I completely disagree but it's not that bad if they want to do that of their on volition, what bothers me in when devs and artists are harrassed, pressured and strong armed into doing this things things by SJW, feminists and the nutjobs at Gaming Media, like what happened with Divinity Original Sin What Sven ought to have done there is simply ask the backers with a public poll, and let democracy decide, he'd have still faced attack from these fanatics but he would be in the right. Meh, it's not like there's a huge emphasis on artistic expression in gaming right now. Personally, I see no difference between freedom of artistic expression being curtailed in the name of profit by risk-averse publishers and what you propose these people are getting up to. I disagree, yes there are many creatively bankrupt publishers twisting the arms of developers out there, but there are advances made and innovations tried with even the most mundane of games. The surprising choice and consequence of Black Ops 2, the startlingly original and yet simple use of co-op madness in Dead Space 3, the pleasing difficulty and narrative subtlety of the Souls series, the branching narrative of the Witcher 2 etcetera. If controlled by these untalented and unimaginative people, who want blatant preaching and obvious examples in every game, as well as seemingly spitting upon any form of challenge or fun, we would be mostly getting non games. Graphical picture books like Dear Esther and Gone Home. I would be utterly against that personally, these are not to my liking at all, i'm too old to be preached at by wet behind the ears children. Edit: Also their central premise is simply wrong, sexism, racism and violence in games does not cause copycat behaviour in the real world, mankind can and does easily tell reality from the simulated, it's is one of our most basic senses. There is no causal link between such things and there never will be, violence, racism and sexism fall steadily year after year.

Personally I find Mr Salvatore's prose to be quite torturous, i'm afraid that free is not quite good enough, i'd have to be paid to listen to or read his works.

Now let's just hope that your favorite Game Dev Studio (like Obsidian or InXile) is not beign adviced by the lunatics at Silverstring media or someone like them. I doubt old industry veterans like Mr Urquhart or Fargo would be taken in by these frauds, it would more likely be a younger less sceptical demographic who fall for such chicanery.

It does make sense that these, lets face it, untalented and unscrupulous people would try and leech onto one of the largest, growing industries in the modern world. In print media, television and film they'd be eaten up and spat out by the professionals, who maintain somewhat of a stranglehold. However with the relative newness of this medium, and the lack of representation, responsibility and oversight that gamers and developers have, it must seem like an open biscuit jar.

Yes the case does seem to be forming that this is their endgoal Messr's Chaz and Fighter, especially with their current vocation as Game Journalists being so undermined and devalued at the moment, and this may have been their goal for some time. I'm just naturally sceptical when it comes to conspiracy theories however. Certainly it does not herald a bright future if this succeeds, with corrupt, unethical, liars paid to enforce a code of conduct upon artistic expression, Mary Whitehouse obviously springs to mind, though these people are far less palatable or moral.

So does anybody else think that these zealots are trying to enforce a politically correct creative checklist for games, with jobs built in for "consultants" (i.e. themselves) and their agendas, in other words to try and censor and control any kind of artistic output according to their own currently fashionable sensibilities?

Well, this is kind of condescending and very similar to the arguement "its just games, who cares?" a lot of us care, we spend our hard earned money in our hobby, both hardware and software, and it's not just us, many developers are afraid to lose their job, are afraid to have their careers ruined because this agenda driven journalists will go after anyone that doesnt conform to their worldview, not only I have heard of a lot of cases, two of them have been personally messaging me. And this has been happening for a while because the majority of gamers were silent about it, either they didn't know or they did know and wanted to "stay neutral". Well if someone doesn't want to get involved they have all the right in the world, but don't paint the people that care about this as extremists. Do I condemn death threats? (weather they really happened or not) absolutely. But is not cool to be called extremists just because you want to discuss this. I do apologise if that's how you read that Mr Chaz, but i'm for discussion, for highlighting of the corrupt practises being revealed and for a better press who are held accountable. I'm simply against sinking to the level of death and rape threats, that the extremist elements on both sides are taking part in, i'd say that it's better to be moderate and judge objectively according to what has occured, not buy into the hate train that the extremists are riding. After all that just paints us all in a negative light. Wanting to discuss this does not make you an extremist, and at no point in my post did I say this, in fact my position was in direct opposition to that, I would say wanting to discuss this makes you a moderate. Edit: Once again if you found this preachy or condescending I do apologise, because that was not my aim. It's most certainly not my aim aim to stifle or censor discussion, as I believe in free speech and belive that those who try and oppose it are villainous and immoral.

This is a vicious, inhuman and disgusting law, one needs a certain level of power to achieve...erm...cleanliness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40rKfJw4EVU

Isn't this a part of the Riggsthula? The Thralls, Carls, Hersir and Jarls are all buried according to their status in that Saga poem. Even a woman who never went to war, or lifted a weapon would be given the armed burial of a daughter of Odin, because she was of the warrrior aristocracy. There were warrior women though such as Hairy Breeches commander Lagertha, and was it Aud the Red or the Deep Minded who fled to Iceland? They also seemed to have many rights that Christian women did not, freedom to divorce, to claim the home and all they put in it, to rule and command men in the absence of their husbands, and even attend the Thing (Assembly) so that they might have a say in governance. From the Sagas we certainly do not see many shrinking violets amongst them, and it was hardly a surprise to find out that Margaret Thatcher (Hammer of the Miners) was descended from Viking stock. Even now northern English women are a fiery breed, which I know all too well. Edit: That said there have been some very big and strong Viking male skeletons excavated, and one suspects that with manhood and its responsibilities beginning at the age of twelve (lest they be called a coal chewer,) that these lads grew strong and hard pulling an oar over the North sea, hauling goods and cargo, practising their warcraft and bearing their warriors panoply. Certainly the amount of pre death wear and tear on the skeletons found suggests that they were very adventurous and warlike, with some horrible wound sustained and yet survived.

Finished New Vegas, Legion ending. Simply to halt the path to the old world atrocities that the new world is stumbling down, stave it off for a few more years. At least that's how I justified it to myself, still felt like a cad and a bounder as the ending slides were playing however. Fantastic game.

Perhaps as a meeting in the middle ground one could recieve a quest upon first fighting an opponent, to fill up the details of that creature in the Lore screen, through successfully fighting against them? Have the quest track the number of these kind of opponents you defeat, (10/250) or whatever, and upon that number being met, and a full lore description being unlocked, XP is rewarded as well as perhaps a small combat bonus against that creature type. Thus we gain something from each combat, have a goal to aim for and a reward at the end of it, that uses mechanics already in the game. Just a thought. Edit: Would a low Lore skill mean you have to kill more to gain information? Seems a reasonable trade-off, but many may see it as degenerate and overpowered however. Similar complaints to those raised about Durability I imagine.

Why buy into the hate train that the extremes of both sides are riding? They're clearly fanatics. One side over attached to the games they play and overreacting when it is threatened by lying extremists who wish to restrict gaming to their own personal flawed vision, so much so that they resort to threats of violence and rape. They are quite clearly upset by the threat to their style of living, which is admittedly unhealthy, no one should be that invested in an entertainment product. The other side equally upset that they have been caught out, that their corruption, lack of ethics and symbiotic relationship with those whom they are supposed to remain impartial about, has been highlighted. So they demean, dismiss and launch impassioned diatribes to defend the indefensible. They take the opposing extremist minoritys words and label everybody critical of them as the same, painting themselves as self righteous victims whom are truly doing good, and all others as subhumans. This was inevitable, for the longest time they hated and looked down upon their audience, so much so that they decided to no longer represent them and feel free to lecture and bully them like they are children instead. Pushing their own fashionable agendas, while their own actions deteriorated and their complicity in misleading the public became ever more entrenched. As a moderate I don't wish to buy into the polluted atmosphere of either side, i'd rather watch and judge impartially and hope that fellow moderates representing the vast majority of us subhumans, whom partake in games as a recreational distraction, finally stand up and call for some integrity, objectivity and fair representation of the public interest. As it stands game journalism frantically trying to dimiss the majority of moderate gamers as villains, while defending their own lack of ethics and objectivity is only harmful to themselves. They have become the villains they were fighting, and a laughing stock for anybody who is tired of being hamfistedly designated as subhuman. In the end the side whom made and still make this industry profitable will win, those subhumans (male or female) whom just want to play games, and do not wish to be lectured, portrayed as evil or ridiculed for simply having a few hours fun after work and before family commitments call. This is just my personal opinion however.

Speaking objectively, they're simply not offering me enough in this "enhanced edition" to make a purchase viable. I would want more than they're offering to buy the game yet again, as it is I already have the collectors editions, the complete bundle and of course a copy on GOG, which on a recent playthrough was most enjoyable. If the developer wants my custom they'll have to offer more than I already have i'm afraid.

Ah what a perfect example of symmetry, game journalists, white man hating feminists and corrupt developers riding the waves of this current controversy on one hand, all saying that anybody whom considers themselves a gamer (i.e. plays games recreationally) should die and not be catered to. While on the other hand we have an even smaller minority, making death and rape threats against the people who are trying to restrict and reshape the hobby that these people are too attached to. Sowing the seeds of hate, I wonder when those first seeds shall bud and reap a bitter harvest? Edit: Of course in the midst of this game journalists corruption and their symbiotic relationship with the developers whom they should be objectively criticising is forgotten, as they frantically try and divert the story into a different sphere, realising their corrupt perch is a tad unstable.

Schoolyard name calling while prioritising gradations of victimhood, utterly pathetic, who the devil educated or employed these people?

Relevant. http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=257887508 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOoXwxqeVzg

Putting the languages you named together makes sense, since they are all found together in a relatively small area and have certain common characteristics. My problem with throwing languages together which aren't related at all, only makes sense when the games' world is extremely large. In a sense, you portray an "international" community if you mix latin, english, norse, and all kinds of other ancient languages such as mayan tongue with "itxl" affixes. In Baldurs Gate, for example, you had a feeling for how much time it takes to travel by foot from one city to the other. In an environment like that, a multicultural melting pot doesn't appear convincing to me. Many different races, make sense, yes, but here the problem is that every race has a different place on the fictive planet on which PoE is staged from where they come. Why would they all come together? Why would they have travelled half around the world to hang out in the places the player appears? Maybe I'm overly critical here, but most fantasy universes offer better explanations and background than what I've seen so far. I don't believe that every species and race of humanity has come together in the Dyrwood Mr Bu, one assumes that there has been an inrush of peoples to a thriving newly born colony, but there certainly seem to be a few missing from what we know of the world. Compare it with the new born colonies of America, where folk from all the races of humanity came to try and make their fortune, certainly with Vaillia to the south, Aedyr to the north and the Dyrwood mainly being formed by Aedyrean settlers that seems a more than logical comparison. However apart from the protagonist and his party, whom by their very nature will be exotic and out of the ordinary, I doubt we will see many representatives of far off races and species. Old Vaillian's, Boreal Dwarves, Oohmama's of Rootytooty, the Itchyscratchy's ecetera will probably be foreign faces, exotic adventurers and roisterers come to see if the streets of Defiance Bay really are paved with gold. Most likely we will see mainly Aedyrean's using their Old English/Norse tongue in the Dyrwood, Glenfathan's using their Celtic/Gaelic tongue when we venture into Eir Glenfath and of course Vaillians using their Latin-ish language from the neighbouring republics, come to trade and what have you. In the cities there will be far more exotics and travellers, in the villages and countryside a far more dominant racial grouping if this is anything like our cultures at all. However this is all supposition, and I have not played the game nor do I seek to defend it from criticism, so I may well be wrong. This is what i'd like to see personally however.

I asked the wife, yes i'm a disgusting subhuman apparently, but i'm her disgusting subhuman. It feels quite nice to have ones identity embraced by the comforting anonymity of a group, I wonder if there's a subhuman gentlemans club I can join? I really thought my opinion of game journalists and SJW's couldn't get any lower, I was wrong. Edit: The funny thing is for the life of me I can't remember doing or saying anything wrong, strange it's almost as if someones condemned me for the actions of a minority, whom are not representative of the majority. Wonder what that is called?

Damn and blast the wife quite enjoyed Assassins of Kings, have to tell her she wasn't supposed to. Much obliged for the information Ms Qistina, I just hope we haven't voided the EULA.

Yes, rather unfortunate what.

Celtic/Gaelic, Old English/Norse and Latin are fairly much the industry standard, usually mixed together without thought or care. Poe seems to be taking a more in depth look at these languages and their heritage, personally I find that refreshing. Obviously it's not on par with professor Tolkien as Mr Ding points out, but he was a world respected authority on the subject. Edit: Still not sure how to pronounce the Ooh Mama species however.

Mrs Nonek was always a little depressed at how few men there were in her chosen fields of work, dancing and then nursing, as she said that men had quite a different physical style and were on the whole very efficient and fastidious nurses. Personally i'm glad that most of the few she met were gay, as i'm an ugly chap and remain extremely lucky to have bagged her, don't think i'd have fared well against stiff competition. I suppose men generally just didn't want to work in those professions, though of course I don't know the ratio now.

Not snarky (I think this means sarcastic, like the English sarky, not sure) or mean as far as I can percieve Mr Crashed, I would disagree on voice acting because I don't see this as being an indispensible part of games at all. Destructible terrain I very rarely see in an rpg or most any other types of game, which leaves physics, particle effects and lighting which seem to be fairly much a necessary part of modern presentation I agree. But even so with the inflated budgets, massive teams and decades of previous experience it seems rather depressing to say that modern developers simply can't do what they did twenty years ago. And yet when we ask for games resembling past ones, we are told we are wearing nostalgia goggles, when instead we want a return of content, features and value. We are constantly told that modern games are far superior and innovative, yet they mostly pale in comparison. Ah maybe i'm just a bitter old grognard, but the comfortable lies of publishers and their game journalist toadies seem to be a little difficult to swallow of late.

The main narrative of the Ultima games was fantastic and their living worlds far superior to the Elder Scrolls, all they missed was good combat and apart from that their gameplay was eminently playable and fun. I say why not have it all. I realise that games have degenerated a lot in the last twenty years, but surely what was possible two decades and more ago can and should be replicated easily on an everyday basis now. If not what exactly has gone wrong, and why is nobody talking about it? Just my personal opinion however.