Topic: The Chit Chat Thread

@kyleforrester87 wow the world of mortgages sounds like fun fun fun 😅. I'll be dealing with that all at some point in the next few years. Can't wait 🙄

I think my default is that nothing is fair. The goalposts for what's fair to an individual can't move. The only thing that should be negotiable is how much better than the bare minimum you can get is.

I think things are simultaneously worse and better than they used to be in previous generations. As a simplification, I'd say being worse off is probably better than it used to be but being well off is much much harder to achieve. If that makes sense lol

@get2sammyb Hi, quick question about review embargo’s - specifically FF16 in this case, but this is just a general question and I know what you can say may be limited.

Is it a condition that you’re not allowed to say when reviews will go live, exactly? I assume so, as it never seems to get mentioned anywhere, even though people are eager to know. Perhaps this rule changes from publisher to publisher. Or maybe you’re erring on the side of caution, which also makes sense. I’m somewhat surprised this sort of basic info doesn’t seem to “anonymously” leak, too. Maybe it does, and I am not looking hard enough. Cheers!

Dont want to be negative but its intresting how bad job most of the established media does to cover how things are for most people. Guess they are many things they simply dont want the public to know.. Which is kind of unfounate… Or they dont want to cause to much stress which is I guess is the only good about it…

@kyleforrester87 Some publishers allow review embargoes to be disclosed, others forbid it. All depends on the game/publisher.

My favourite thing about review embargoes are the ones that have ludicrously specific things you can say and do. Like some are just like you can put your review up on the 16th! Cool. Others are like, you must not mention that you're playing the game, you must play the game on a profile that has been newly created, has no friends attached to it, isn't connected to the internet, etc.

Like I'm not sure how much damage it could possibly do to know that a person is playing the game but it's interesting seeing how wildly different some review conditions are.

@johncalmc I guess it doesn't hurt them any to impose those conditions, so why not. I have not really given it any thought but if a family or friend saw you playing an early release could they convince you to talk to them about it, or screen share with them, or whatever. I dunno. I also don't really believe that people don't go home and discuss all kinds of confidential work stuff with their partners either haha.

@kyleforrester87 Yeah this is true. Also people can track you through your trophy data and ask you stuff. Back before I just left my trophies hidden I recall someone messaging me on PSN asking how I'd gotten a trophy in a game I was reviewing.

@johncalmc It does seem odd that they would embargo the time that reviews will drop though - you would think this would help build excitement for the release, if anything.

Another fun one

@Kidfried I like reading your thoughts there and I agree on your points about the two services and the potential effects on smaller games being gobbled up by larger AAA games. So I too feel that the Sony approach to the PS+ service is more in harmony with a healthy industry - a place for smaller titles to flourish and smaller studios to have the option for less risk if they take a guaranteed contract to release on the service, and yet larger big-budget games will still have a place in the market to make their millions.

However my prediction is that the GamePass approach with expensive AAA game launches on the service won’t last. I don’t think it will endure to the point that the smaller creators will be pushed out of the service by large studio creations. A lot of that prediction is dependent upon what happens with ABK and COD, but if things continue as they are now, I think I agree with J Ryan that this model is not sustainable in the long run. Microsoft can take large losses for a while but eventually they will owe it to their shareholders to correct course and modify the program, as we’re already seeing them charge GamePass subscribers for early access to Starfield. In a way it’s already one step closer to what Sony is doing, except that “early access” is about 1 year early — $70 to play their games a year early vs. $35 to play their games 5 days early.

I think if the deal goes through, it does change things and MS can survive with their current model for a while because of the huge COD money that will trickle in from PS players, but if the deal is axed then they will need to course-correct and do something to directly monetize their big budget games like Starfield and Elder Scrolls, whether it be charge for early access, release special deluxe versions, launch with lots of MTX, or something.

@TheBrandedSwordsman
Hi! Sorry for the late reply, I don't visit so often. Very much into the painting miniatures, yes. I haven't had any games of chess for quite some time. But I do get to use play various tabletop games using the miniatures, which tend to require quite a bit of turn based strategy so that's a great result for me , I feel.
Still working your way through Elden Ring?

I hope everyone in Scotland enjoyed the parades today! 😉

@KAIRU It sounds like a funny thing when you say it like that but it’s a profoundly terrifying prospect growing up in a city with marches every July actively calling for your community to be murdered in their thousands. We make fun of it but from the outside looking in, it must seem rather mad to just accept that every year you have to stay indoors several weekends in case a mob of nutters smell the Catholic off you.

@nessisonett Guess you may stay in then.

@KAIRU It should be banned, crazy that you can march about celebrating murdering people.

@nessisonett @KAIRU Sounds like something out of The Purge films!

So I find it very interesting that there is so many games today, even modern ones which I feel are very underappreciated or basically unknown to most people.. Even among gamers.. Its really feel like almost all games deserves a community of its own. On another note it fleet very cool that I today learned a 50 year old lady to play Chinese checkers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_checkers). She had never played that board game before but seemed really delighted to learning it. Felt so glad that I had the chance to learn her a little bit about the game at least.

I guess it has something to do with there are like a few franchises that are so big today that it is also easy to miss out on many games..

@oliverp Yes we are spoiled for choice. Which ones in particular are you thinking of?