Cain on Games - Tim Cain's new YouTube channel

[Infinitron]

I talk about how to stress test games to make sure they work with a wide variety of different machines, beyond just the minimum specification.

 

[Ashen_Shugar]

Despite being a Fun Friday video, he dropped a couple of juicy bits.

First item is that he thinks the reason why a lot of games these days have a short shelf life is because the devs don't have fun making them anymore, and that people can naturally tell whether there was passion behind the project. Notes how that even though ToEE is his worst-reviewed game, its fans still see the passion behind it.

Second item is that even though he liked both Fallout 3 and 4, he liked 4 less and thought it was the wrong direction to go in. Meanwhile, he liked New Vegas more than 3 and thought that was the right one. Bethesda's surely not thrilled.

He is of course correct. Number 1 rule for life is do something you actually enjoy. If you don't really like or have a passion for designing games then get out of the industry and pass on to someone that loves doing it. ToEE had everything right just was simply too short. Can we go on a codex drive and raise enough money to lure Cain back to producing kickass games i.e. not the Outerworlds? The industry needs people that really love making games - otherwise just more turds like Avowed will be churned out.

Correct also on Fallout 3 v 4 even though 3 ended up a snooze fest halfway in. Definitely no F1/2 tier engagement on both.

 

[Ashen_Shugar]

5e has its obnoxious aspects, but I like this design much better. Being scary and sinister fits her concept better than being lust-bait.

I don't care for TOEE, but a quick google search reveals that it had tits, that's where its attractiveness ended. If a pair of boobs on a villain in a video game is problematic for you, you are part of the problem.

Yes, it had tits.
There is a corset which can be worn by female characters and it will reveal their tits.

Boobs are good. There should be more boobs in games and less tranny shit. Games were better when this was so.

 

[NecroLord]

I talk about how to stress test games to make sure they work with a wide variety of different machines, beyond just the minimum specification.

Devs these days just do not put much effort into serious playtesting.
Or has something changed?
You can never have enough playtesting.

 

[Ashen_Shugar]

Fast Travel is 100% decline. Limited, very limited mark and recall (gate) can be ok. Thats the limit though. Abundant Fast Travel and Horse Armour are two easily identifiable points of real serious decline.

Mark and Recall were alright.
Also very useful for escaping near death situations.
Also limited the Fast Travel cheese, you could only teleport back to the mark you previously placed on the map.
Been that way since Daggerfall.

If the game merits fast travel (due to large open world sandbox design) then impose a modest cost for it's use. Restricts spamming early game when funds are tight and encourages exploration. Makes sense late game with wads of cash and everything explored. Thinking back to how it was elegantly implemented in BAK via paid for temple teleportation.

 

[NecroLord]

Fast Travel is 100% decline. Limited, very limited mark and recall (gate) can be ok. Thats the limit though. Abundant Fast Travel and Horse Armour are two easily identifiable points of real serious decline.

Mark and Recall were alright.
Also very useful for escaping near death situations.
Also limited the Fast Travel cheese, you could only teleport back to the mark you previously placed on the map.
Been that way since Daggerfall.

If the game merits fast travel (due to large open world sandbox design) then impose a modest cost for it's use. Restricts spamming early game when funds are tight and encourages exploration. Makes sense late game with wads of cash and everything explored. Thinking back to how it was elegantly implemented in BAK via paid for temple teleportation.

Daggerfall has Teleportation but it can only be accessed by high level Mages Guild members.
Of course you could also just use the Recall spell. First casting sets the "anchor" and the second casting teleports you back to where you set the anchor.

 

[Sweeper]

Temple of Elemental Evil got snubbed in an art history book of D&D and he's seething.

Disgraceful that The Temple of Elemental Evil was excluded; at a minimum, that book should have prominently featured Keith Parkinson's classic cover:

Augh... I think I'm gonna...
Ooooffff I'm gonna...
AAAAAAAAAAAA I'M NOOTICING!

 

[NecroLord]

Temple of Elemental Evil got snubbed in an art history book of D&D and he's seething.

Disgraceful that The Temple of Elemental Evil was excluded; at a minimum, that book should have prominently featured Keith Parkinson's classic cover:

Augh... I think I'm gonna...
Ooooffff I'm gonna...
AAAAAAAAAAAA I'M NOOTICING!

Varg was a D&D player and Tolkien enjoyer.