Cain on Games - Tim Cain's new YouTube channel

[Butter]

Is this where we celebrate how many different flavors of shit are available? Mobile shit! VR shit! GAAS shit! I'm so excited to consume the next product!

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

GAAS?

 

[StrongBelwas]

Cain trying to warm the cold, hard hearts of codexers.
Based on his talk of game forums I don't think he's terribly fond of his time on modern Codex.

 

[Chanel Oberlin]

I'm not surprised a guy who loved Fallout 3 & 4 thinks it's a great time to be a gamer. In fact, most western devs seem to have terminal shit taste in gaming. It hits like a truck the realization that all the classics we had happened because of luck/limitations/lack of "codified" gaming design practices (in other words, experimentation). It's so over, man.

 

[Daedalos]

Yes, it is definitely an amazing time to be a gamer.

2023 alone have been fucking PACKED, jam motherfucking packed with good shit all year around and its not stopping.
Colony Ship in november? are u kidding me

Picking a GOTY other than CSG have never been harder.

possibly the best gaming year in decades rivaling stuff like 1998 and 1999.

Can't wait for whats to come.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Cain trying to warm the cold, hard hearts of codexers.
Based on his talk of game forums I don't think he's terribly fond of his time on modern Codex.

Why? Codex is full lovable mugs and hugs and shiz posting.


People like Tom should accept the dex, right?

 

[Lovely Feather Pillow]

Tim sounds out of touch in his latest upload. Either that or he's actively gaslighting.

There isn't a diversity of thought in games these days. It's only leftist ideology being pushed, but that's beside the point. People don't want ideology of any kind being pushed in their entertainment. They just want to be entertained. When the vast majority of major publishers employ people pushing the same ideology (primarily from California), you can't simply ignore it and pick up a similar game that doesn't do that. There are no alternatives.

Tim Cain had a hand in Outer Worlds so I can't say I'm surprised by his shit take. That is one of the most insufferably pozzed games in recent memory.

 

[Roguey]

Tim Cain on woke games: "That's always been the case."

I see a lot of people getting upset about the fact that games are out that have a political or social or moral belief that
isn't reflecting how you feel, and all I can tell you is that's always been the case. You're just seeing it now because there's a lot more games out there, but that's the good thing: you can just buy the games, that if that matters to you, you can just buy the games that reflect your own beliefs back at you.

Good luck with your chud games, Codex.

I know the price of games is becoming a talking point lately which is surprising to me because games cost about 60 or 70 dollars now and they used to cost that much 20 or 30 years ago. I don't know why this is the one thing in the world that isn't being allowed to gradually increase in price.

As Rusty says, these are luxury goods with no scarcity. I don't care if $50 in 1990's money is $120 in today's money, I'm not paying $120 for a game. If you want to shrink your audience and have fewer people pay more, go ahead and do that.

At the end he mentioned that almost no one at Obsidian was invited to the New Vegas launch party.

Why games have release parties with anyone except the developers?

Bethesda's big celebrity-laden release parties are for the benefit of Zenimax/the publishing side. They invite their own employees because sure why not. Inviting Obsidian would be like inviting all the contractors in China or wherever who contributed art. It's not their game, they were just paid to work on it.

There isn't a diversity of thought in games these days. It's only leftist ideology being pushed, but that's beside the point. People don't want ideology of any kind being pushed in their entertainment. They just want to be entertained. When the vast majority of major publishers employee people pushing the same ideology (primarily from California), you can't simply ignore it and pick up a similar game that doesn't do that. There are no alternatives.

The wild success of Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield show that most people don't care. In the past five years you have Kingdom Come Deliverance, Atom RPG, and Black Geyser as counter-examples in the RPG space.

 

[Jacov]

Imagine if people like Tim (grizzled RPG dev veterans of the past) played today's indie bangers. Underrail, ITS games, ATOM, Encased, etc. I'm interested in what Cain would have said about those (I know he has some sort of policy about not critiquing games, and I think it's stupid).

I was baffled when I was watching Sawyer's videos about reputation and armor systems. Dude haven't played Age of Decadence that has an interesting approach to reputation and Underrail that literally uses his beloved DT/DR system successfully.

These people are out of touch, because they don't play games aside from AAA slop.

 

[Lovely Feather Pillow]

The wild success of Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield show that most people don't care.

Disagree. Those games were too big to fail. But I also think people tolerate woke shit if a game is actually good. BG3 is an example of that. Love it or hate it, it's a well made game. Starfield on the other hand got dragged for its woke nonsense and that's because there wasn't anything good to focus on. People were very vocal about their dislike for pronouns, male strippers, frankenstein NPCs, etc.

 

[Roguey]

Those games were too big to fail.

Something with a big production and marketing budget can absolutely bomb.

Starfield on the other hand got dragged for its woke nonsense and that's because there wasn't anything good to focus on. People were very vocal about their dislike for pronouns, male strippers, frankenstein NPCs, etc.

People complaining on the internet doesn't matter when it's a commercial success (gamepass numbers factored in).

 

[Jacov]

Imagine if people like Tim (grizzled RPG dev veterans of the past) played today's indie bangers. Underrail, ITS games, ATOM, Encased, etc. I'm interested in what Cain would have said about those (I know he has some sort of policy about not critiquing games, and I think it's stupid).

I was baffled when I was watching Sawyer's videos about reputation and armor systems. Dude haven't played Age of Decadence that has an interesting approach to reputation and Underrail that literally uses his beloved DT/DR system successfully.

These people are out of touch, because they don't play games aside from AAA slop.

Tim's made mention of Underrail as a game he's played, I'm pretty sure it wasn't a dream I had, but from what little he said, I'm not sure if he didn't namedrop it just because he's seen it mentioned as incline incarnate to pretend he's "with it" or if he has actually played it
I'm having a hard time seeing him engaging in Stygian buildcrafting

Really? I guess, I should binge watch all of his videos from start to finish all over again.

 

[mindx2]

Do you agree, Codex?

I talk about why this is such a great time to be a game player.

He's definitely talking about the Codex now!!

Also, I'm not sure he is talking specifically about it being a great "Golden Age" of games per say. The law of averages in the sheer number of games seem to make him think there are good ones in there for everyone. He talks more on how gamers can connect to developers in ways you couldn't in the past. Not sure I agree with his reasoning here as most channels that are run by developers all seem to be where only great praise and no criticism are closely and diligently censored moderated.

 

[StrongBelwas]

Really? I guess, I should binge watch all of his videos from start to finish all over again.

Probably this, I can't recall an audio mention

Helmet Hair​

What are some fun modern RPGs that you have played and liked? (Like from the last 10 years or so)



Timothy Cain
In no particular order and off the top of my head...Elden Ring, Pathfinder: WOTR, ELEX, Atom RPG, Underrail.

Darth Roxor

Also, this way back when

I don't think that even Tim Cain (along with all the help he would want) could make another game with such a tight world, interactivity and feel.

Well, there is only one way to find out.

I get a feeling some Codexers would not consider Outer Worlds that.

 

[Infinitron]

I was baffled when I was watching Sawyer's videos about reputation and armor systems. Dude haven't played Age of Decadence that has an interesting approach to reputation and Underrail that literally uses his beloved DT/DR system successfully.

Age of Decadence? We can go more niche than that. Josh Sawyer has actually played DUNGEON RATS, but either forgot/didn't pay much attention to the armor system or doesn't think the game is well-known enough to bother mentioning.

 

[KVVRR]

Personally I've had more fun with videogames this year than I've had in a long while, but

I know the price of games is becoming a talking point lately which is surprising to me because games cost about 60 or 70 dollars now and they used to cost that much 20 or 30 years ago. I don't know why this is the one thing in the world that isn't being allowed to gradually increase in price.

I'm surprised to hear this come out of any game dev at all. Videogames have been gradually increasing in price for decades now, it's just that the change is not on the pricetag... until recently. Microtransactions, cut on-disk (or now just cut from release straight up) content to be sold as DLC, countless and countless of artstyle-ruining cosmetics, even basic gameplay features that SHOULDN'T be locked from the player like characters or maps have all been separated from that price and sold separatedly for a good long while now. Not only that but now you're lucky if you even get the option to just buy what you want in the first place, or at all if it's time locked.
This video sums up my thoughts pretty much perfectly.

And hey, this affects me way less than the normal player. Steam already compensates for my country's piss-poor economy, I don't really play videogames with those sort of practices, and even then piracy isn't prosecuted at all here. But this has been ongoing for decades now.

 

[Jacov]

Really? I guess, I should binge watch all of his videos from start to finish all over again.

Probably this, I can't recall an audio mention

Helmet Hair​

What are some fun modern RPGs that you have played and liked? (Like from the last 10 years or so)



Timothy Cain
In no particular order and off the top of my head...Elden Ring, Pathfinder: WOTR, ELEX, Atom RPG, Underrail.

Darth Roxor

Also, this way back when

I don't think that even Tim Cain (along with all the help he would want) could make another game with such a tight world, interactivity and feel.

Well, there is only one way to find out.

I get a feeling some Codexers would not consider Outer Worlds that.

That's cool. I wonder what he thought about the game and its systems. But we will never know.

 

[Vyvian]

The wild success of Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield show that most people don't care.

Disagree. Those games were too big to fail. But I also think people tolerate woke shit if a game is actually good. BG3 is an example of that. Love it or hate it, it's a well made game. Starfield on the other hand got dragged for its woke nonsense and that's because there wasn't anything good to focus on. People were very vocal about their dislike for pronouns, male strippers, frankenstein NPCs, etc.

What BG3 had that Starfield didn't was a more deft hand in handling its "woke" nonsense. It also had plenty of sex appeal and characters that are pleasing to the eye so it offset some of the more egregious examples of it in that game.
Larian also didn't beat you over the head with it like a cudgel. Most of it is in the background and barely noticeable.

Bethesda on the other hand just put it all out there not even trying to make it feel natural. People can ignore "wokeness" when it's handled with care, but when it's blatantly in your face at every turn it becomes insulting and off putting.

 

[0sacred]

Do you agree, Codex?

I talk about why this is such a great time to be a game player.

Tim: it's a great time to be a game player, nay-sayers lack self-reflection

 

[911 Jumper]

I'm not surprised a guy who loved Fallout 3 & 4 thinks it's a great time to be a gamer. In fact, most western devs seem to have terminal shit taste in gaming. It hits like a truck the realization that all the classics we had happened because of luck/limitations/lack of "codified" gaming design practices (in other words, experimentation). It's so over, man.

^ She's right you know (not simping)

 

[easychord]

I think he might have a point, that a lot of internet discussion these days isn't really discussion, but people trying to loudly talk over each other. I've always been sarcastic and snarky, however, because the world is just too annoying, and it is impossible to earnestly explain everything to people who just don't care. The secret about writing "bad" characters who have an attitude of superiority or "snark" isn't such a secret. They also just have to be more charismatic and charming than the regular characters, even though in real life, people who come on like this are normally just boring or depressing to deal with. The best actors get to play the villain.

 

[Silverfish]

Tim seems like an extremely nice guy. No surprise he's not cut out for message board culture.

 

[Pyrite Pachyderm]

Tim seems like an extremely nice guy. No surprise he's not cut out for message board culture.

Extremely passive-aggressive, considering the snippets he's told about newer hires talking back to him or Boyarsky.

 

[NecroLord]

The wild success of Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield show that most people don't care.

Disagree. Those games were too big to fail. But I also think people tolerate woke shit if a game is actually good. BG3 is an example of that. Love it or hate it, it's a well made game. Starfield on the other hand got dragged for its woke nonsense and that's because there wasn't anything good to focus on. People were very vocal about their dislike for pronouns, male strippers, frankenstein NPCs, etc.

What BG3 had that Starfield didn't was a more deft hand in handling its "woke" nonsense. It also had plenty of sex appeal and characters that are pleasing to the eye so it offset some of the more egregious examples of it in that game.
Larian also didn't beat you over the head with it like a cudgel. Most of it is in the background and barely noticeable.

Bethesda on the other hand just put it all out there not even trying to make it feel natural. People can ignore "wokeness" when it's handled with care, but when it's blatantly in your face at every turn it becomes insulting and off putting.

There was woke shit, let's not beat around the bush.
However, it was more of a "lolrandom" type than the egregious Nigger Space Colonization in Starfield, among other degenerate shit.
Good thing you can kill Astarion and send his ass to the Lower Planes where he belongs.
Shadowheart is alright... holy shit, a relatively normal female in modern gaming? Sheeit.

 

[__scribbles__]

I talk about the stages I go through in writing code for a new game.