Cain on Games - Tim Cain's new YouTube channel

[Jacov]

On the other hand, modern developers don't even try. Merchants have infinitely replenishable goods, they have infinite money, and they buy all that crap that you've found in dungeons with no hesitation.

This design has existed since the 80s.

Styg put a bunch of annoying restrictions in Underrail that a lot of people hated, resulting in a parody character of them in the game (the guy overburdened by junk loot who slowly walks from merchant to merchant to offload it). The restrictions were phased out in most games because most people find them annoying and would prefer an economy that favors the player over nuisances.

And it didn't work. I'm a loot goblin at heart, and even with minimal strength and no mercantile skill I always have thousands of charons.

What I'm saying is I think RPG economies should be more restrictive (if it's appropriate). It can be beneficial for the overall design. Look at these hypothetical situations:
1) An opportunity to backstab your employer for more money, but you lose reputation.
2) A hard fight, where you can use a certain consumable to make it easier, but this consumable is rare and can be useful in other, harder fights.
3) A trapped chest that has treasure inside, but requires you to waste resources to open it and not die.

Mundane stuff. However, if you are broke and in constant need of money, the decision making process while dealing with these situations will be more engaging for you. You'll need to think more about what you do.

 

[Roguey]

Mundane stuff. However, if you are broke and in constant need of money, the decision making process while dealing with these situations will be more engaging for you. You'll need to think more about what you do.

Not really.

1) If I don't care about the group I'll lose the rep, otherwise I won't.
2) Almost everyone hoards consumables and will never use one under any circumstance.
3) Open the chest of course, there's stuff inside.

Most developers are against "you should be able to brickwall yourself and not be able to complete this game if you make too many poor decisions." VD does that with his games, and now one of his big concerns is how he'll have to close shop if Colony Ship doesn't sell a lot more copies than it has been.

 

[Jacov]

Mundane stuff. However, if you are broke and in constant need of money, the decision making process while dealing with these situations will be more engaging for you. You'll need to think more about what you do.

Not really.

1) If I don't care about the group I'll lose the rep, otherwise I won't.
2) Almost everyone hoards consumables and will never use one under any circumstance.
3) Open the chest of course, there's stuff inside.

Most developers are against "you should be able to brickwall yourself and not be able to complete this game if you make too many poor decisions." VD does that with his games, and now one of his big concerns is how he'll have to close shop if Colony Ship doesn't sell a lot more copies than it has been.

It's up for interpretation of course. One can come up with numerous other situations like that.

I just like games that actually punish me for making poor decisions (it's not a kink, I promise) and reward me for being smart. I obviously can't expect this from AAA — everyone is smart and special in those games. So I get my dose from indies.

As for VD, I'm forever grateful to him and his colleagues. AoD is one of the best modern RPGs I've played. And if he dies of starvation even despite our efforts to not let him do so, he will be remembered

 

[mindx2]

I want to watch these videos but there's just something about Tim Cain's mannerisms. He's so offputtingly smug and bitchy. Like a lot of poofs who try to emulate bitchy high status women. And he can't tone that down to be informative because like all bum bandits he feels the world simultaneously owes him tolerance just for existing and attacks him for not being straight. It makes him unwatchable for me.

I agree. I've met poofs like him who somehow get positions of power and have a huge grudge against anyone who doesn't think arse buggery is a great pass time. Which manifests as this very petulant bitchy personality that comes out whenever these people feel threatened. Which is all the time. I absolutely get that vibe from some of Tim's videos. Especially when he talks about how people are "allowed" to critique him and his work as if he has any actual power to stop me from saying Outer Worlds was shit that proves Cain was carried by better people.

Disagree. I've actually met the man and he was very pleasant during our conversation even when Codexian questions were asked. Never came across as anything but passionate about his craft. Even his short time back here on the Codex was nice and wish he would have stuck around.

 

[Infinitron]

I talk about the design and coding of the system I use to structure and implement quests in role playing games.

 

[Wesp5]

Tim never cared about economy all the way back in Fallout, but that's not something to be proud of.

I felt this during my foray into The Outer Worlds. I began to buy lockpicks whenever I saw them at a vendor but discovered very quickly that there was no point in actively trying to collect them because those vendors' stock replenished infinitely and I would never be at a loss as a result.

That's not the worst thing about TOW. As far as I remember lockpicks and hackitems were lying around all over the place, no need to buy anything! It would do a lot for my immersion when stuff could only be found in logical places.

 

[Cohesion]

I want to watch these videos but there's just something about Tim Cain's mannerisms. He's so offputtingly smug and bitchy. Like a lot of poofs who try to emulate bitchy high status women. And he can't tone that down to be informative because like all bum bandits he feels the world simultaneously owes him tolerance just for existing and attacks him for not being straight. It makes him unwatchable for me.

I agree. I've met poofs like him who somehow get positions of power and have a huge grudge against anyone who doesn't think arse buggery is a great pass time. Which manifests as this very petulant bitchy personality that comes out whenever these people feel threatened. Which is all the time. I absolutely get that vibe from some of Tim's videos. Especially when he talks about how people are "allowed" to critique him and his work as if he has any actual power to stop me from saying Outer Worlds was shit that proves Cain was carried by better people.

Disagree. I've actually met the man and he was very pleasant during our conversation even when Codexian questions were asked. Never came across as anything but passionate about his craft. Even his short time back here on the Codex was nice and wish he would have stuck around.

This. Tim is a cool dude, why are you piling on him ?
He is not dangerhair nor promotes globohomo. He is just a coder wishing to be left alone.

 

[cdx]

I want to watch these videos but there's just something about Tim Cain's mannerisms. ...

Tim doesn't annoy me, but similarly I've noticed that I find this guest repulsive due to his mannerisms. It's more about unpleasant experiences I've had than about the person himself, he's reminding me of unpleasant people who behaved similarly. "This guy behaves like that other shitty person, probably he's shitty, too".

A tip for NwNgger and anyone who can't watch stuff because of the way people talk, at double speed you can still get all the useful info while any mannerisms a lot less noticeable.

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

Making fun of someone because of their mannerism is so unnecessary mean.

 

[Infinitron]

I talk about the pros and cons of levels caps in role playing games.

 

[Roguey]

"Interestingly though, from the same camp of people who hate level caps and really want unlimited advancement, those are often the first people who complain about level scaling."

Cain is obviously a level cap guy. A couple of people in the comments note that he doesn't mention soft caps, when the xp requirement to reach the next level becomes so large that you would have to grind for an incredibly long time to reach it (if the game even allows for grinding; you could simply run out of content that gives xp). And Bloodlines was an RPG with no levels whatsoever, but gaining xp was not systematic, so you couldn't reach a point where you had five dots in everything (unless you're cheating).

 

[Trans-Financial-Man]

"Interestingly though, from the same camp of people who hate level caps and really want unlimited advancement, those are often the first people who complain about level scaling."

Cain is obviously a level cap guy. A couple of people in the comments note that he doesn't mention soft caps, when the xp requirement to reach the next level becomes so large that you would have to grind for an incredibly long time to reach it (if the game even allows for grinding; you could simply run out of content that gives xp). And Bloodlines was an RPG with no levels whatsoever, but gaining xp was not systematic, so you couldn't reach a point where you had five dots in everything (unless you're cheating).

I'm a level cap guy too. As someone who's dabbled in games design I understand that design is finite. As a designer you will reach a wall in CRPGs where you just can't think of or anticipate an outcome. So it's sensible to have a cap. I can predict what a tenth level paladin from 3.5 might do. But I will very rarely be able to predict what a twentieth level paladin/tenth level ranger dual class will do. I think it's good to design an RPG for a level range and keep the player to that. You'll always have them do unintended things no matter what but you can at least limit that.

 

[0sacred]

you want level caps if characters get interesting stuff on level up, like D&D and other class based systems.

 

[Morgoth]

Tim just really got an opinion on everything.


Kinda wished he would do a weekly rather than a daily on his vlog, but in exchange go

 

[v1c70r14]

He is not dangerhair nor promotes globohomo.

He is and does, but videos of that nature are censored and no discussion of them are allowed. If I posted his globohomo video here I'd probably get banned.

 

[__scribbles__]

I talk about what a generalist is and why having fewer of them in the game industry is causing some issues.

 

[Roguey]

As a generalist himself who worked with teams full of generalists naturally Tim misses them.

 

[Jack Of Owls]

I can't keep up with Tim's almost daily YT entries these days so I only catch him when I see him in my YT sidebar in something new discussing a subject (or incident) that I'm really interested in, which is once in a blue moon. He does seem to know what he's talking about though. It's not like he's some armchair game designer like so many codexers. Well, these days he is.

 

[Alienman]

It's not like he's some armchair game designer like so many codexers. Well, these days he is.

I'm not so sure. Have you heard some of his suggestions? And, the game that he made that were good, were all happy accidents.

 

[__scribbles__]

I talk about my experience at The Temple Of Elemental Evil press event that Atari held in the UK in 2003.

 

[Chuck Norris]

If someone could do a TLDR version of every Tim Cain video (preferably in bullet points, chronologically summarizing the points he makes), they would be doing God's work.

 

[Silverfish]

He is just a coder wishing to be left alone.

Which explains his youtube channel with his name and face front and center.

Making fun of someone because of their mannerism is so unnecessary mean.

You're absolutely right, but it's still fucking funny, though.

 

[Roguey]

Tim got pranked by a British guard.

At the end he tells the four-month kidney stone story.

If someone could do a TLDR version of every Tim Cain video (preferably in bullet points, chronologically summarizing the points he makes), they would be doing God's work.

Rusty used to have AI do summaries of the videos at the HQ, but he stopped bothering after the two gay ones. You can always try that yourself.

 

[Vyvian]

"Hi everyone, it's me, Tim."
This stupid line has grown on me.

 

[Jaesun]

"Hi everyone, it's me, Tim."
This stupid line has grown on me.

What should he say?