The Bad Explanation Episode

[fishbang]

Another confused mess is available at this link.

The show has been spread thin since our last episode. This time, like so many other times, it’s completely my fault. I’ve been sick from a kind of horrifying something that I ate near the beginning of the week, and that put me right out of the mood to record a show or to play a game, or even to sit up straight and eat a food or two. I had only just recovered my senses by the time of this session, and I’m sure that’s going to be clear.

Even if everyone’s physical and mental well-being had been at a healthy level, it’s unlikely we would have done any better discussing Noby Noby Boy. Clearly this is not the sort of thing that should be discussed without a hookah in the room, or - more realistically - without everyone present having played the game. Maybe we worked a bit too hard to pick up what Scott was putting down (to no avail), but Jeremy and I both found as much funny in the trying as we would have in the understanding.

[kyrieee]

I feel exactly the same way about TF2

I also consider myself to be pretty good at FPSes, CS and Q3 in particular, and even though I'm not horrible at TF2 I'm usually not above top 5 on my team. I don't particularly enjoy any weapon in the game, and the fact that the game is balanced through the classes means that sometimes you die because you are supposed to die because of game balance.

The way they designed that game is that they kind of gimped everyone's ability to accomplish a lot on their own so that you have to work more as a team and so that the skill gap is smaller.

I started playing TFC again when TF2 came out just to compare them and I enjoyed TFC a lot more even though I was worse at it (the people who still play are really good). I've always liked DoD too even though I've never committed to it. The games I liked now I liked even more when I was crap at them, that's why I kept playing them

Also, the way they designed the sniper in TF2 is moronic. It's fine that they kept the charge-up, that's a decent mechanic, but the fact that you can't move once you've charged it up is stupid. What it means is that in sniper battles, whoever charged up first will win because you can't jump out and peek with a charge and if you haven't charged you need a headshot to get a kill. What it means for defense is that you become a super easy target and all you end up shooting is the other snipers.

They're just limiting your options. In CS I can be much more mobile as a sniper, and much more effective too. It takes more skill though, but in TF2 they just said 'nope, you can't do that'. They kinda did with CS too though, because they added this firing delay whenever you equip the AWP. It's also stupid as hell, makes no sense at all (your weapon is drawn, finger on the trigger but you can't shoot). It's extremely frustrating to die from it, because there's nothing you can do. It used to be that skilled players would switch to their pistols a lot to be more mobile and more ready for surprises but the reason they changed it was actually a massive whine thread from pubbers thinking that the AWP was overpowered. Limiting the skill potential = fail

Btw, Return to Castle Wolfenstein was awesome
Probably worth going back to

[Iron Past]

I need to make a list when I listen to the show so I remember everything I was going to reply to. Oh, well.

Anyway, I hear you guys touching again on this wholly downloaded games thing and no retail, and I need to say, it will not happen for a long, long time. You know what would happen if the next gen of consoles came out with only DD? I wouldn't get one. Because I can't high-speed. Not because I choose not to, but because it's not available. This is the case for a significant number of people (but no, I don't have any numbers; last I saw looking around, about 1/4 of dial-up users don't have the option and about 50% of Americans use broadband). You could also go into the argument that you're paying your service provider a monthly fee for equipment and service, and that total you might not save very much money, but that's something else entirely.

Also, Bioware/EA have been very shy about saying whether or not Mas Effect 2 will appear on the PS3. They refuse to confirm/deny it, so maybe a timed exclusive for the X360? I don't know, but don't assume too much just yet; Xbox and PC is considered multiplatform.

Last thing, did you know that 1 in 3 Americans contract food poisoning every year? Most people don't even realize that they have it.

[Spigot]

I LOVED the Noby Noby Boy discussion. I think there is a relation between how much you've eaten and how far you've stretched... or at least something that speeds up the stretching if you've eaten more.

I like to wrap myself around trees and use the tension to stretch further... yeah... that's enough of that.

Oh, if you guys are still working on Everything's A Gun, I think my son just made up the theme song. We were playing with the lego blocks and, of course, he has to make a gun. So he sang "Making a gu-un... making a gu-un... making making making a gun" to the tune of La Cucaracha...

Sigh...

[Psykoboy2]

Glad you enjoyed the talk, but if you could have seen the faces of Strax and fish while I was trying to go over this damn thing.....confusion isn't the word.

You should record lil' spig singing that song and send it to us.

[Straximus]

Originally Posted by Spigot

Oh, if you guys are still working on Everything's A Gun, I think my son just made up the theme song. We were playing with the lego blocks and, of course, he has to make a gun. So he sang "Making a gu-un... making a gu-un... making making making a gun" to the tune of La Cucaracha...

I love it.

[Spigot]

Originally Posted by Psykoboy2

Glad you enjoyed the talk, but if you could have seen the faces of Strax and fish while I was trying to go over this damn thing.....confusion isn't the word.

You should record lil' spig singing that song and send it to us.

Sadly, I can envision the looks being given. It sounds like the kind of looks I get whenever I attempt to explain a strange game to my wife.

And I'll see if I can get him to sing the song again, but I make no promises. It was one of those spontaneous things that I doubt will ever recur...

[Phil]

Well, if you hear it two, three times, it's starting to make sense.

I actually liked Scotts explanation because there's literally not much more to Noby Noby Boy's gameplay. You stretch, you eat, you report your length, you repeat.

You could explain Katamari by pointing out that you roll around with a ball which picks up stuff and your ball gets bigger that way.

But I also can see the fault in such explanations. Especially with these more... crazy kind of games.

[Spigot]

I'd like to posit that the time where it became incredibly apparent that the holiday crunch was hurting good games was the year that Sands Of Time and BG&E came out and were lost in the flood. Ever since then, I've griped and grumbled about the holiday sales rush.

[Spigot]

Oh, I figured you guys might like my little home-made video of Noby Noby Boy eating his own butt.

Enjoy.