Cantousent

Okay, I think the environment is a little more hectic because we all work in the same area. However, I've become more and more impressed with the developer. My supervisor on the developer side sat down with me today to do help me with some things and I was quite happy. One of the other testers also gave me a hand getting a feel for how to write up bug reports and how to test them before I actually post them. I'm definitely happier now that I'm starting to get a feel for the job. Something that didn't help was the fact that my dad went into the hospital last week for heart problems. He's out now, thank God, and they'll be putting in a pacemaker this week. No drama over that, though, and I didn't talk about it at work. Anyhow, I'm getting into a groove at work, and that helps my confidence quite a bit. Now, I would like to discuss actual bugs that I've done, but I can't figure out how I'd approach it just yet. Maybe WILL's method? :Cant's ***** **** ******* ** icon: In the meantime, I think it's great that other folks are adding their own experiences. It helps cover the fact that I'm terribly lazy about posting in my own topics.

I hate every prestige class. Period. I despise them with a passion unmatched by mortal men. I truly loath them from the bottom of my endless soul. *Ahem* :Cant's taking a long breath and his blood pressure medicine icon: What I was trying to say is that I've never played a prestige class in PnP or on any of the DnD computer games. Guess they're just not my cup of tea.

I agree with Roshan about the way death works in NWN2. I've often said I don't like it. NWN2 had some good points and bad points for me, but my experiences with the NWN franchise has been spotty all along. Yes, I liked NWN2 better than NWN. Whatever the hell that says about either game or my tastes. However, the thing is that death will be what death will be in MotB. Fretting over death and resting rules in this title doesn't make much sense because most of Obsidz resources will probably go to implementing the new stuff, such as epic rules. What did I hate about NWN2? Warlocks, for one thing. Resting, for another. Talk about wasting my breath on either of those issues. Epic level characters in the expansion? What the hell? Of course, a lot of folks probably didn't get to level 20 in the original game, and so a lot of folks undoubtedly won't peg the level-o-meter in MotB either. Still... epic levels? So, it's not like I'm giving NWN2 a pass here. What I am saying is that, should they deliver the goods in terms of the story, I'll be happy. If it is Planescapesque, I'll be ecstatic. If it is the spiritual successor to PS:T, then I will sing it's praises for years to come, as I have sung the praises of PS:T for some years past. Now, I can't speak for combat or difficulty in MotB, but if it's essentially the same as the combat in NWN2, I'll be fine with it. With Epic level spells and feats, especially with attendant items, I'll mow over the encounters in MotB. So what? I mowed over everything in my path in KotORs one and two and the only difficulty NWN gave me (and that wasn't much) was due to the fact that I hated the henchman AI so much I soloed the whole game. Your rants, Roshan, seem ridiculously long winded considering the circumstances. This isn't like the things that caused uproar before NWN2, in which I sometimes participated. This is your own personal, petty little grudge match against Obsidian.

This is entirely reactionary on Roshan's part. We should give Mask a chance and, if it really can capture some of the beauty of PS:T, then it will be the best game I've played in years. In terms of the combat, I think it's really all just a wash once you get into epic characters and massive damage spells anyhow. You should probably wait until it's out before you judge el Jefe's comments regarding combat difficulty.

Why have a position on games at all, then? Why post on a board if you have no interest? Hell, this forum is the game I play most often, and it's free. The point is, we discuss games here. In the Computer and Console forum of the Obsidian boards, we discuss games. ...And if you think folks are beyond the pale in regards to WoW, don't participate in Console discussions at all. Those are scary.

LOL Xroads ganking. In my defence, someone asked me for help while I was in the area. I didn't know why I was attacking the crossroads, but I helped. It was quite fun, but ultimately I think attacking hordies is a waste of my time. I prefer PvE. The fact that Farb "played pvp because regardless of how you look at it, having someone out to kill you just for the sport adds to the sense of paranoia and immersion" is all well and good, but I don't care about paranoia. It's essentially a game that I enjoy playing with real life friends. It's something we can play together even though we live sometimes thousands of miles distance. That said, I have had my share of PvP, but I'm much more likely to sign onto an RP server than a PvP one. We play on Gilneas, which is a normal server, because most of the members don't want to play PvP. I'm tempted to join an RPPvP server, though.

Why another World of Warcraft thread? Because it

It really depends on what you want to do. If you have a particular film you've wanted to see, suggest that. If not, I'd stall the choice for a bit by initiating a conversation. What are they like? What do they like? What clues in their behavior give you an idea or instinct on the film choice. Then, I'd choose a film that sounds like something they'd like, but also something that you think you can enjoy as well.

coffee with tinned milk.

chocolate milk. One of my enduring faves.

I can't think of a way to write about my actual game experiences without divulging more than I intend. I can say, with all sincerity, that I'm not sure I would have purchased the title if I hadn't had this job. This has the potential to be the best game I've played in years. I will do everything I can to help it reach that potential, meager though my influence may be. It will be worth buying. This thread is about the playtesting experience, not about the game itself. For that reason, I'm going to avoid addressing actual game issue. However, folks who know me best will know exactly why this game appeals to me as much as it does. They'll be able to list reasons at every step.

I managed to get into a couple of conversations with co-workers today and I think they're thawing. I like folks, which makes it easier. Not only that, but I understand that these things take time and patience. Once you get past all that, we've got a friendly team. It was also pleasant to hear from some of you fellow board monkies about your experiences in QA. Overall, I think the developer is pretty much awesome. While I don't have any doubt regarding my place in the food chain, everyone has been respectful to me at work, in all levels of the organization. I just thought I'd add these comments so folks understood that I'm not in a hostile environment. It's a good place to work. No, it doesn't make a lot of money, but I've been learning a lot about game development there.

Fascinating article. The devs should have put man eating plants in the game. :D

Yikes, meta. These are all good folks. I agree with you that the real problem with my fellow temps is that all of them want to advance and we are all in competition with one another. One thing that will help is that I won't steal their bugs or try to make them look bad. It's actually quite a competive atmosphere. No biggie. I really have nothing to lose at this time. Until I advance, I really don't have a lot of vested interest in this position outside the experience and wanting to do a good job wherever I work.

I can't really offer any insight. I wanted the experience, and I know some of the people in various positions at this developer started in QA, but I know how common it is or if it's necessary.

You know, traffic is odd. You can start out at 7:15 every morning and have wildly different experiences every day. Today, being a Friday, I made it to work very quickly, about an hour. That gives me time to write down a little bit about my experiences. Since this is something of a record of my journey on the path of playtesting, I'm going to talk a little bit about my peers and supervisors. First of all, I really don't interact with the assistant (associate?) producer at all since being hired. They sat in on the meeting. They called to offer me the job. Since then, I haven't done anything more than exchange greetings with them. As far as my other two supervisors go, the publisher is really more hands-free. I asked them how my bug logs were going and they said,

Smiley's suck. :Cant's hating icons icon:

Azarkon is such a rat bastard. I only say this because he's always the most eloquent person in every thread. However, I disagree with his points in this case. Laws are highly subjective in the first place. For example, killing, even consensual and for the purpose of ending suffering, is illegal. However, removing a feeding tube is not. Aren't those the same thing. In some countries, the age of consent for sexual intercourse is lower than in others. If there were a state (country) in which the age of consent were eight years old, and there were reasonable doubt that the man had secured consent for engaging in sex with an eight year old, there would be no crime. The crime carries the weight it does in this particular case because there is an overwhelming understanding, subjective though it may be, that the criminal has crossed a "repulsive" line. The country that creates the law also has the right to designate punishment. How did Saddam Hussein reign for years even though he allegedly committed attrocities on his own people? Because other nations recognized the boundaries of his country and recognized the legitimacy of his government. Even after defeat in the first Gulf war, Saddam continued to rule. So, a country has the right not only to create these laws and decide on punishment but also to enforce them. That seems unquestionably true no matter how many "OMG we're all citizens of the world" folks pop out of the shaodws. With that in mind, and this is where Azarkon shows his wiley ways, I agree with him entirely in this statement: "In other words, vegeance is the best form of justice - a notion I find quite chilling given how vengeful some people can be." I would do away with the death penatly altogether, not because it is unlawful or breaks some pie in the sky natural order, but because it is surpassingly random. Justice is not perfect and never will be, but anything so randomly enforced as the death penalty cannot be justice. Vengeance may be capricious. Justice cannot.

Mine would be the theme song from Benny Hill.

Free doughnuts in the break room? No, that's every Tuesday and Thursday. BTW: I love the new avatar. Wistrik's also.

Ah, well then, I think you'd be great at testing, Hades. You'd probably enjoy it. It's a job where being critical truly helps. To be clear, I'm not piling on Sand. I think he's actually well suited to the job. He's got a lot of eye for detail. He wants to get rid of bugs. He's not afraid to speak his mind. These are all imperative. ...And I don't have a sugar momma. hahaha I just have more opportunity to follow my own particular desires. Believe me, my wife doesn't make enough money at her job to be a sugar momma. Unlike her brother and his wife, my wife works for her money. Finally, I had an experience today that makes the crappy drive and other things worth it. It was truly a transcendant experience. I'm going to figure out a way to relate the experience without breaking my "oath of silnce!" dum dum duuuuum In the meantime, I'll cotinue from where I left off tomorrow morning. The drive is a real grind, I'm telling you.

Well, I have to say that it isn't quite so bad as that here, Bok. Also, what you've described is exactly what people here do, Sand. However, if you lack basic interpersonal skills, you probably wouldn't survive in a job like this. I mean, it really depends on what you mean by "sugar-coating." Meta is entirely right. If you are unmanageable, your value is limited. EDIT: QA my own post.

Actrually I think the vast majority of games would benifit from the Sand version as opposed to the glazed over version. Dood. the pathfinding sucks, the camera angles are a joke, the avatars are butt ugly - to a man ! - the engine is less efficient than a seamstress with parkinson's. ...And you don't think that QA haven't said all those things for years about any number of games? If pathfinding sucks for you on the first run, how do you think it sucks for someone who must run through the same areas several times? You think the avatar is ugly on your run? What if you had a run of some months watching the same hated avatar? I don't think Hades would survive well at a job if he were completely obnoxious about the bugs. On the other hand, I don't think he would be. He'd find the line and dance on it, maybe, but he's too smart to get himself fired almost immediately as insubordinate. Also, I think it's ridiculous to make such observations about QA people in general. Me? I'm an intruder here, so you can say what you want about me and I won't much care. I'll just keep posting my experiences. However, you're dead DEAD wrong about the QA people here DO rail about some of these things and go out of their way to find every possible thing they can to log into bug reports. Maybe I'm the glazed over version to Hades' blast them with sand and be formally reprimanded on the first day style, but the other folks here do their jobs very well. With that all said, I've logged everything from suggestions regarding punctuation to potentially game crashing bugs. Why? Because it's my job. I'm going to find every single possible thing to log as a bug because that's what I'm supposed to do. Writing nasty email and making rude comments would only serve to get me fired and THAT would clearly end any positive influence I could possibly have.

Swine. He's my alter ego, not me.

Yeah, I have to say that, when I stepped through the door to the receptionist area, I was happy to see that the receptionist was dressed professionally. I hoped that perhaps I was wrong about being over dressed for the interview. I was wearing a charcoal colored black suit with a silver shirt, black and silver suspenders, a silver, white, and black tie, a platinum tie bar, and black shoes I'd spent some two hours polishing the night before. Shortly after the receptionist returned, they told me that the person I was to meet would be down shortly. I started reading one of the gaming magazines while I was waiting. I happened to be rather ill that day, so I was sweating up a storm. I don't think anyone noticed until I took out my handkerchief during the interview and mopped my face. Wearing that suit was roasting me and, having survived the interview, I went home, promptly went to bed, and slept until noon the next day. At that time, I received a phone call from the associate (or is that assistant?) producer who extended the offer for the job. ...But I digress. Back to the receptionist's office. Before long, one of my interviewers stepped through the door and introduced himself. Hmm, I was clearly over-dressed. Jeans and a t-shirt for this fellow. I mean, they were clean and kempt and acted professionally, but I knew I was a bit out of place. The other two people were dressed likewise in casual attire. haha No big deal. I went upstairs and found out that I was not only going to meet with the two people from the developer, but also one person from the publisher. In fact, as I soon learned, the person from the publisher would be my supervisor. We talked for quite a while about a variety of topics. I tried hard to limit my responses, but we actually got to talking about a lot of gaming issues. At that point, my enthusiasm for the subject got the better of me and I waxed poetic on a number of topics, from the state of Pool of Radiance 2 (may it burn in hell) to fact that I really don't mind a few bugs in my games. YES, I said that during my interview as a playtester. You know why? Because it's true. I rarely curse the design team for minor bugs. Moreover, as I continued, I was angrier most of the time about design decisions. haha It's funny. I literally said,