Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

Cain on Games - Tim Cain's new YouTube channel

Joined
Sep 1, 2020
Messages
697

I talk about my most fulfilling game development experience, which led to the hardest lesson I had to learn about game dev.


Tim attributing to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity


Stupid people are often quite nasty. If you're a stupid person in a corporate environment, then there's likely to be a dangerous combination of stupidity and ambition, such as found in many professions.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2022
Messages
213
There's an adage about how people can be classified on two axes: smart/stupid and energetic/lazy. The best combination is smart+lazy - they make everything more efficient. Stupid+energetic is the dangerous combination.
 

ds

Erudite
Patron
Joined
Jul 17, 2013
Messages
724
Location
here
Skyrim is the worst offender I can think of for potion-hoarding, and it's caused by a few factors. One is that the game is generally pretty easy, so you don't need to bother with consumables. The second is that the inventory UI is fucking awful, and players will naturally avoid using it whenever they can. The third is that most potions (especially player-brewed potions) have worthless effects like +12% fire resistance. That shit is going to clog up your inventory for the next 40 hours while you wait for the fight that's actually difficult enough to justify digging through the menu to use it.
Elder Scrolls games (or at least Morrowind and Oblivion) have the additional problem that anyone can use restoration spells and they become more effective the more you use them (even if you are already at full health). Having effectively free unlimited healing makes using the finite potions in your inventory even less attractive, especially when those potions don't advance your healing skill.
 

Wesp5

Arcane
Joined
Apr 18, 2007
Messages
1,669
A usual problem I know from several games it that eating food heals you. So I normally do that instead of using potions or meds which might cause drug addictions :)!
 

Egosphere

Arcane
Joined
Jan 25, 2018
Messages
1,884
Location
Hibernia
A usual problem I know from several games it that eating food heals you. So I normally do that instead of using potions or meds which might cause drug addictions :)!
Instead of healing, rpgs should strive for realism. Make the character really fat and slow the more he eats.
 

Egosphere

Arcane
Joined
Jan 25, 2018
Messages
1,884
Location
Hibernia
A usual problem I know from several games it that eating food heals you. So I normally do that instead of using potions or meds which might cause drug addictions :)!
Instead of healing, rpgs should strive for realism. Make the character really fat and slow the more he eats.
Grand Theft Auto did this twenty years ago
oh yeah, sa, i forgot lol
would be even better in first person. you spend hours running around not knowing why your speed is slowing down, then you find a mirror and there's an obese bastard on the other end :-D
 

Alienman

Retro-Fascist
Patron
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
16,476
Location
Mars
Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy Codex Year of the Donut Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Wish he would talk about greed/monetization sometime, either in publishers or developers themself.
 

Quillon

Arcane
Joined
Dec 15, 2016
Messages
5,115
he just listed the reasons codex been shitting on commiefornian devs for the last...probably 15+ years but called it "caution", well played Tim.
 

Butter

Arcane
Joined
Oct 1, 2018
Messages
6,870
It's definitely caution when programmers pad their schedules by several thousand percent. It's not gross incompetence and laziness.
 

Harthwain

Magister
Joined
Dec 13, 2019
Messages
4,340
A usual problem I know from several games it that eating food heals you. So I normally do that instead of using potions or meds which might cause drug addictions :)!
Instead of healing, rpgs should strive for realism. Make the character really fat and slow the more he eats.
Eh, I am fine with food working as sort of timer. This means you need to plan around it (also makes some spells in certain systems more useful than they usually are in cRPGs) and can't abuse some sort of "sleep to full health" mechanics.
 

Roguey

Codex Staff
Staff Member
Sawyerite
Joined
May 29, 2010
Messages
34,915
Cain calling out Safesidian, yet he contributed to it with The Outer Worlds. :M

Also giving praise to Scorpia and Desslock for saying what was on their minds even if it hurt feelings.

He mentions that some people were seething about missing out on Outer Worlds discussions because they couldn't handle being yelled at or yelling back. :lol: A submissive gay man saying young millennial/zoomer devs are a bunch of pussies.
 

Jaesun

Fabulous Ex-Moderator
Patron
Joined
May 14, 2004
Messages
37,204
Location
Seattle, WA USA
MCA
he just listed the reasons codex been shitting on commiefornian devs for the last...probably 15+ years but called it "caution", well played Tim.
Exactly! It was at least amusing he even brought that topic up.

Welcome to 15 years ago Tim! Glad you could join us.
 

Diggfinger

Arcane
Joined
Jan 6, 2014
Messages
1,182
Location
Belgium
Cain calling out Safesidian, yet he contributed to it with The Outer Worlds. :M

Also giving praise to Scorpia and Desslock for saying what was on their minds even if it hurt feelings.

He mentions that some people were seething about missing out on Outer Worlds discussions because they couldn't handle being yelled at or yelling back. :lol: A submissive gay man saying young millennial/zoomer devs are a bunch of pussies.


Ahhh, Scorpia :-D

Pissed off JVC too after she gave Might and Magic II a harsh review (mostly based on the end-game timed puzzle).


I named a character in my book after her :obviously:
 
Last edited:

Cohesion

Scholar
Patron
Joined
May 14, 2015
Messages
272
Location
Moscow, Russia
Codex+ Now Streaming!
Cain calling out Safesidian, yet he contributed to it with The Outer Worlds. :M

Also giving praise to Scorpia and Desslock for saying what was on their minds even if it hurt feelings.

He mentions that some people were seething about missing out on Outer Worlds discussions because they couldn't handle being yelled at or yelling back. :lol: A submissive gay man saying young millennial/zoomer devs are a bunch of pussies.


Ahhh, Scorpia :-D

Pissed off JVC too after she gave Might and Magic II a harsh review (mostly based on the end-game timed puzzle).


I named a character in my book after her :obviously:
Video game journalists then. :obviously:
Code:
Scorpia was named after a video game journalist who gave a negative review of Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World.
Video game "journalists" now. :bioware:

What is your book about by the way ?
 

Bester

⚰️☠️⚱️
Patron
Vatnik
Joined
Sep 28, 2014
Messages
10,421
Location
USSR

I talk about game development caution and how it seems to be affecting newer games.

He asked the programmers to add a simple aggro mechanic that takes 45 minutes to implement (a map of actors who inflicted damage and how much damage), the programmers gave him an estimate of 4 weeks, refused to elaborate. He said okay I'll write it myself, they forbade it. Obsidian programmers in a nutshell.
 

Alienman

Retro-Fascist
Patron
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
16,476
Location
Mars
Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy Codex Year of the Donut Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Kinda getting the feeling that games are not supposed to have these giant teams. It's not movie-making, it just seems to make stuff more difficult.
 

Poppers

Novice
Joined
Sep 22, 2022
Messages
3
Skyrim is the worst offender I can think of for potion-hoarding, and it's caused by a few factors. One is that the game is generally pretty easy, so you don't need to bother with consumables. The second is that the inventory UI is fucking awful, and players will naturally avoid using it whenever they can. The third is that most potions (especially player-brewed potions) have worthless effects like +12% fire resistance. That shit is going to clog up your inventory for the next 40 hours while you wait for the fight that's actually difficult enough to justify digging through the menu to use it.
Elder Scrolls games (or at least Morrowind and Oblivion) have the additional problem that anyone can use restoration spells and they become more effective the more you use them (even if you are already at full health). Having effectively free unlimited healing makes using the finite potions in your inventory even less attractive, especially when those potions don't advance your healing skill.
Using restoration spells takes time.
Chugging down potions doesn't.
You're nearly dead mid combat? Open inventory -> drink potions -> insta heal
 

Butter

Arcane
Joined
Oct 1, 2018
Messages
6,870
Are super mutants basically trannies? Someone should ask this important question from Tim
tabitha_nv.png
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom