Wrath of the cringefinder compilation thread

[mondblut]

telling a good story that connects the reader to the setting and the characters

Are we still in Pathfinder thread?

 

[Serus]

People unironically loving Le Guin (couldn't even stand reading first few stories of the "A Fisherman of the Inland Sea", ugh, this obsession with sex and bodily fluids) or Heinlein of his CIA-affiliated period and shitting on this game

I don't know nothing about "loving" her but she was at least decent writer*. "Was" being the operative word. The first book of Earthsea is a good and original fantasy. Which is damn rare. Some stories/books in her main SF setting were readable too.

Spoiler

*Despite being a woman.
And a leftard but she wrote her best works in a time when many leftards weren't fucked up in the head. At least not completely.

 

[Serus]

telling a good story that connects the reader to the setting and the characters

Are we still in Pathfinder thread?

No.

 

[dacencora]

post all that you can find

To get the thread back to its original purpose. I don't understand how anyone can read all of those and then honestly believe that Pillars has worse writing than that? Pillars isn't top-tier or anything, but people ITT saying this game is head and shoulders above Pillars is baffling.

 

[Drop Duck]

Yup. In the last chapter of the book the main villain puts a collar on the main female protagonist, and makes her walk around on her knees and bark like a dog and eat food off of the floor. Empowering feminist fiction.

Yes?

To get the thread back to its original purpose. I don't understand how anyone can read all of those and then honestly believe that Pillars has worse writing than that? Pillars isn't top-tier or anything, but people ITT saying this game is head and shoulders above Pillars is baffling.

For some players being boring and flat is a far worse offense than being cringy when it comes to writing. I'm inclined to agree with that notion generally. As you notice in this thread posters feel strongly about Pathfinder, either enough to defend it or to mock it and that is much better than to be forgotten and unspoken of like is the case with Pillars. I almost don't see anyone talk about Pillars 2 in RPG communities online.

 

[dacencora]

For some players being boring and flat is a far worse offense than being cringy when it comes to writing. I'm inclined to agree with that notion generally. As you notice in this thread posters feel strongly about Pathfinder, either enough to defend it or to mock it and that is much better than to be forgotten and unspoken of like is the case with Pillars. I almost don't see anyone talk about Pillars 2 in RPG communities online.

Ok that's fair enough. You given me a new perspective on it. Thanks!

 

[jackofshadows]

For some players being boring and flat is a far worse offense than being cringy when it comes to writing. I'm inclined to agree with that notion generally. As you notice in this thread posters feel strongly about Pathfinder, either enough to defend it or to mock it and that is much better than to be forgotten and unspoken of like is the case with Pillars. I almost don't see anyone talk about Pillars 2 in RPG communities online.

Being just cringy is one thing. Being cringy because of intense wokeness - is another. Sure, sex related stuff by itself is almost always trigger some folks around here since many of them think that simply doesn't belong to games like this but that's a different story. Woke themes, various agendas and insertion of political views into goddamned mass cult entertaiment products however isn't just a cringe writing - and the forms in which that stuff appears in the subj are amusing only for so long. That's why "strong feelings" arise, not because of how exactly writers wrote this or that.

 

[Humbaba]

post all that you can find

To get the thread back to its original purpose. I don't understand how anyone can read all of those and then honestly believe that Pillars has worse writing than that? Pillars isn't top-tier or anything, but people ITT saying this game is head and shoulders above Pillars is baffling.

I like the Anevia example because it means that her and Irabeth are a biologically straight couple. Lesbian erasure is great.

Those are all optional for one. Others, like the Hand example are consistent with the setting since outsiders do not in fact have a gender but idpol addled snowflakes read gender and chimp out. Wrathfinders writing may not be great but it is not because there is queers around and nothing is worse than the plot and loredumpy writing of Pillars.

EDIT: Time to triggered: 22 minutes.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Sure, sex related stuff by itself is almost always trigger some folks around here since many of them think that simply doesn't belong to games like this but that's a different story.

Only thing I dislike is explicit sex scenes. I don't see the point and they're always awkward.
Innuendos, fade to black, love stories are fine.

 

[mondblut]

Only thing I dislike is explicit sex scenes. I don't see the point and they're always awkward.
Innuendos, fade to black, love stories are fine.

Sex cards ftw. Witcher did the right thing for once. Make the broads you bang in game into achievements to unlock!

 

[Drop Duck]

Being just cringy is one thing. Being cringy because of intense wokeness - is another. Sure, sex related stuff by itself is almost always trigger some folks around here since many of them think that simply doesn't belong to games like this but that's a different story. Woke themes, various agendas and insertion of political views into goddamned mass cult entertaiment products however isn't just a cringe writing - and the forms in which that stuff appears in the subj are amusing only for so long. That's why "strong feelings" arise, not because of how exactly writers wrote this or that.

When it comes to WotR I would say it is a mix between the two. How does the fecal succubus relate to politics for example? Or furries. Yes, there is political signaling in there but on the whole there is more in WotR that stands out in comparison to PoE than just that. One might very well make the case that PoE is even more political, only nobody noticed because of how bland and boring it is.

 

[jackofshadows]

Only thing I dislike is explicit sex scenes. I don't see the point and they're always awkward.
Innuendos, fade to black, love stories are fine.

Among RPGs it's really hard to remember where it was indeed not awkward to watch and most of all wouldn't look needless. However, porn games proved (to me at least) that explicit sex scenes can be fun and not awkward at all to watch, it just takes special skills. For one the scenes should be meaningful, at least in terms of characters development and not just there as a "fun-service". Games like DA:O or Witcher 3 took an efford in that regard but the outcome wasn't good enough.

I'm not against this stuff in RPGs but if it's included it should be done properly and fit 100%. Problem is, while the technology now allow this to happen, the woke plague which infect all big budget games resulting in triple cringe when it comes to fictional relashionship and sex as we all perfectly see on the example of this very thread's content. Just imagine how otherwise things could be - some RPGs are power fantasy in the very essense and naturally making all of this strictly optional.

Anyway, can't wait to see where exactly draw the lines on that matter Larian with BG3

Sex cards ftw. Witcher did the right thing for once. Make the broads you bang in game achievements to unlock!

Some nice middle ground right there but that was hardly a design decision and rather a compromise due to tech limitations.

When it comes to WotR I would say it is a mix between the two. How does the fecal succubus relate to politics for example? Or furries. Yes, there is political signaling in there but on the whole there is more in WotR that stands out in comparison to PoE than just that. One might very well make the case that PoE is even more political, only nobody noticed because of how bland and boring it is.

On the whole? I see how people like the combat system and build porn much, much more in WotR than in PoE but other than that? Who the fuck plays WotR for the story? That's the thing, people want to play it but the stuff we're talking about gets in the way. As for the fecal succubus/furries inclusion - does Overton window tell anything to you? Basically, they normalise that stuff. It's all part of the setting I suppose but well, fuck this setting.

 

[Drop Duck]

On the whole? I see how people like the combat system and build porn much, much more in WotR than in PoE but other than that?

Aren't most CRPGs played for their mechanics and not the story? I can count the number of the ones with worthwhile writing on one hand. You are correct that the build variety in PoE is about as exciting as its writing though.

 

[FriendlyMerchant]

Aren't most CRPGs played for their mechanics and not the story?.

Yet developers keep putting thousands of lines of dialogue I end up just skipping through because most of it isn't interesting and irrelevant to whatever I actually end up doing.

 

[Commissar Draco]

Being just cringy is one thing. Being cringy because of intense wokeness - is another. Sure, sex related stuff by itself is almost always trigger some folks around here since many of them think that simply doesn't belong to games like this but that's a different story. Woke themes, various agendas and insertion of political views into goddamned mass cult entertaiment products however isn't just a cringe writing - and the forms in which that stuff appears in the subj are amusing only for so long. That's why "strong feelings" arise, not because of how exactly writers wrote this or that.

When it comes to WotR I would say it is a mix between the two. How does the fecal succubus relate to politics for example? Or furries. Yes, there is political signaling in there but on the whole there is more in WotR that stands out in comparison to PoE than just that. One might very well make the case that PoE is even more political, only nobody noticed because of how bland and boring it is.

I don't remember details since it was so bland but it was basically British bad Americans good trope but with American being double plus good cause they did not genocided nor put natives in reserves. It had even its own Washington but here he was not slave Master of course. Had a bit of fun RP-ing Gentleman from POE Britain and taking fun at rebels, Helping Woedica, making Companion Leaden Key Boss. and rebuilding loyalists country capital but that is.

 

[mondblut]

Aren't most CRPGs played for their mechanics and not the story?

In good old times, yes. Once normies took over, though...

 

[mondblut]

For one the scenes should be meaningful, at least in terms of characters development and not just there as a "fun-service".

Uh, what kind of "character development" do you expect from a random one night stand? Some XP? Temporary morale boost for the few games that feature it as a stat? Slightly uncomfortable disease that doesn't actually affect your day to day murderhoboing?

Maybe sex in games should be treated like food (where food is done properly, i.e. URW or Kenshi). You don't get anything from having it regularly, but skip it for a while, and you are in the world of hurt.

 

[Fedora Master]

Funny how the Shitcubus really revived the thread. Codex sure can't help touching (and lovingly carressing) the poop.

 

[Fedora Master]

post all that you can find

To get the thread back to its original purpose. I don't understand how anyone can read all of those and then honestly believe that Pillars has worse writing than that? Pillars isn't top-tier or anything, but people ITT saying this game is head and shoulders above Pillars is baffling.

PoE is so uninspired and trite that even literal fetish writing comes off as more interesting. At least the latter is offensively shit.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Whitemarch has decent writing. Then dumpsterfire goes back to being terrible. No idea if it was separate writers for WM, never bothered to check.

 

[dacencora]

PoE is so uninspired and trite that even literal fetish writing comes off as more interesting. At least the latter is offensively shit.

I can understand why people feel that Pillars is dry, but I personally didn't find it boring. It definitely had low points, like Twin Elms, but overall I felt positively towards it. The best parts are absolutely the first city with the people hanging in the tree and White March. In hindsight, putting the "muh twist" right before the final showdown is pretty lame and cheap. Contrasted to PST, where the twist with TTO was essentially the culmination of the plot.

Whitemarch has decent writing. Then dumpsterfire goes back to being terrible. No idea if it was separate writers for WM, never bothered to check.

Probably true that White March has heavily influenced my positive memory of Pillars because I played it long after release and I played White March right after getting to Defiance Bay.

 

[Fedora Master]

"White March has good writing" is the Western equivalent to weebs saying their nip garbage gets good "50 hours in".

 

[dacencora]

"White March has good writing" is the Western equivalent to weebs saying their nip garbage gets good "50 hours in".

JRPGs get good like 10 hours in, come on be reasonable!

 

[mondblut]

I dunno, I'd take boring over cringe any day. If I want unintentional comedy and hate boners galore, I can simply open the news.

 

[Tyranicon]

Time to shitpost while I wait for cringe to be compiled.