February Games Chat: The Year of Hoverkitty, Ch. 3

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > February Games Chat: The Year of Hoverkitty, Ch. 3

What is the greatest love story in video games? This poll is closed.
Tidus & Yuna (Final Fantasy X)	14	7.37%
Wakka & Lulu (Final Fantasy X)	8	4.21%
Wakka & Yuna (Final Fantasy X)	1	0.53%
Lulu & Rikku (Final Fantasy X)	13	6.84%
Rikku & Tidus (Final Fantasy X)	3	1.58%
Kimahri & Yuna (Final Fantasy X)	2	1.05%
Tidus & Ifrit (Final Fantasy X)	16	8.42%
Yuna & Rikku (Final Fantasy X)	16	8.42%
Wakka & Wakka (Final Fantasy X)	70	36.84%
Auron & Kimahri (Final Fantasy X)	23	12.11%
Kimahri & Tidus (Final Fantasy X)	15	7.89%
Yuna & Tidus (Final Fantasy X)	9	4.74%
Total:	190 votes

[Edit Poll (moderators only)]

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

Blankspace posted:

somehow I feel like spending a kajillion dollars to make a live-service version of just the ship combat from Black Flag with none of the other gameplay elements feels like a boldly terrible decision. it sounds like they spent years and years to just end up reinventing the mobile game spinoff of black flag they shut down god knows how long ago.

but what do I know, nobody is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in any of my projects, so there must be some sort of brilliance here I don't get... I'm sure the Ubisoft execs got to go on a lot of fun vacations so I guess maybe it's worth it in the end?

Sleeping on it, I feel like the open beta didn't really do anything to convince me that this is going to be a game worth getting next week when it officially launches. UBISoft said that for their 1st year road map that S&B will get a lot of quality of life updates, but its like, if you already know the game needs quality of life updates then why didn't you just work on getting those implemented before launch?

The end game as well is going to just be killing a single NPC world boss, a new one is being added each season and there are four seasons planned so far. That sounds really boring. And I guess there is also settlements, and trade routes / NPC ship convoys you can manage that will be added to the game later this year too. So there's some management aspects coming that might be interesting, but probably not? And PvP territory stuff.

Buy it if its really cheap and on Steam basically.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 17:24

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# ? Jun 10, 2024 23:55

Feels Villeneuve: Oct 7, 2007; Setter is Better.

there are a lot of GAAS and gacha successes they just arent games people on here post about

# ? Feb 8, 2024 17:25

exquisite tea: Apr 21, 2007; Carly shook her glass, willing the ice to melt. "You still haven't told me what the mission is."

She leaned forward. "We are going to assassinate the bad men of Hollywood."

Small blessings.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 17:28

haveblue: Aug 15, 2005; Toilet Rascal

External Organs posted:

There is probably an interesting discussion to be had that compares the big gaas failures with ones that are/seem successful. You could also probably argue that TF2 is one of the first successful ones, not counting mmo's.

The funniest example of the genre is Splatoon, where it feels like a monetized game but isn't really.

I am actually curious why subscription-based MMOs are not generally considered GAAS. They fit the template of repeatedly paying to support eternal development, but no one really thinks they're scum that's ruining the industry

It's probably that GAAS and F2P overlap so closely that it's hard to distinguish them

haveblue fucked around with this message at 17:34 on Feb 8, 2024

# ? Feb 8, 2024 17:28

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

There are a few popular GaaS titles that get discussed a lot on SA, but I can count on one hand the number that are actually good games.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 17:30

sirtommygunn: Mar 7, 2013

roomtwofifteen posted:

I have 33 hours in the Balatro demo, that's how good it is

I had to uninstall the demo immediately after my first run because I knew this would happen to me if I didn't. I fear the day it releases.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 17:36

Waffleman_: Jan 20, 2011; I don't wanna I don't wanna I don't wanna I don't wanna!!!

Yeah, MMOs are absolutely an example of a service game, but because many of them tend to subsidize their costs through traditional purchase price and subscriptions, they mostly avoid the really annoying monetization of F2P types

# ? Feb 8, 2024 17:40

Morpheus: Apr 18, 2008; My favourite little monsters

A GaaS game wants to sell you things in the game - cosmetics, boosts, whatever. To do that, they want you to feel like you're going to be playing this game for a very long time (because why would you buy new flippers for a game that's just 30 hours long then you're done?). To do that, they introduce a roadmap that promises constant updates to the game such as events, planned updates, new content, etc. Battlepasses also facilitate this as a way to bring you back to the game frequently, to hunt 5 fish a day in order to make progress to unlock a new scuba mask. Paid battlepasses are common because it's another way to pull more money out of the player, enticing them with things they -could- have right now if they just gave up some more money.

It's almost all trash.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 17:43

haveblue: Aug 15, 2005; Toilet Rascal

Waffleman_ posted:

Yeah, MMOs are absolutely an example of a service game, but because many of them tend to subsidize their costs through traditional purchase price and subscriptions, they mostly avoid the really annoying monetization of F2P types

Yeah it's probably that in MMOs you are very clearly paying for game content and experiences while in most GAAS/F2P games you are paying for cosmetics and removal of friction

# ? Feb 8, 2024 17:43

ErrEff: Feb 13, 2012

Whatever the case, Subnautica was a big success overall - 5 million copies sold in 2020, before Krafton bought it, and 4.5 million free downloads in EGS giveaways. That's some nice exposure, makes sense they'd want to try and convert a known brand like that into a Big GaaS Thing. The slides show that they're also aiming to turn PUBG into a "10B IP".

# ? Feb 8, 2024 17:44

Volte: Oct 4, 2004; woosh woosh

haveblue posted:

I am actually curious why subscription-based MMOs are not generally considered GAAS. They fit the template of repeatedly paying to support eternal development, but no one really thinks they're scum that's ruining the industry

It's probably that GAAS and F2P overlap so closely that it's hard to distinguish them

The problem isn't really with the concept of live service games, it's with publishers turning existing non-service-game franchises into service games to try to create the next Fortnite. It's basically a continuation of the old trend of every successful franchise getting its own failed MMO offshoot.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 17:44

Sakurazuka: Jan 24, 2004; NANI?

MMOs have also kind of consolidated into their own separate genre so there's less trying to force its design into everything.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 17:45

Jerusalem: May 20, 2004; Would you be my new best friends?

Thanks for the clarifications everybody.

So is Hitman a "gaas" game? It has regular rotations of slightly adapted content for all its maps, skins and weapons you can gain by doing certain challenges or special time-limited elusive targets etc, and it's a game I've played for hundreds of hours past just beating the single player storyline, but I don't think I've ever heard anybody call it that? I love that game but I'm guessing it's missing some core aspect that would make it a gaas, like maybe in a gaas you'd have a much lesser chance of actually getting those skins/weapons unless you just straight up bought them?

# ? Feb 8, 2024 17:55

Hwurmp: May 20, 2005

Does Hit the Men: Worlds of Assassassination coerce you into buying stuff

# ? Feb 8, 2024 17:55

Feels Villeneuve: Oct 7, 2007; Setter is Better.

Jerusalem posted:

Thanks for the clarifications everybody.

So is Hitman a "gaas" game? It has regular rotations of slightly adapted content for all its maps, skins and weapons you can gain by doing certain challenges or special time-limited elusive targets etc, and it's a game I've played for hundreds of hours past just beating the single player storyline, but I don't think I've ever heard anybody call it that? I love that game but I'm guessing it's missing some core aspect that would make it a gaas, like maybe in a gaas you'd have a much lesser chance of actually getting those skins/weapons unless you just straight up bought them?

i would call hitman a GAAS game by like any possible definition

# ? Feb 8, 2024 17:59

Jerusalem: May 20, 2004; Would you be my new best friends?

Based on the convoluted way ioi sell the game, they seem to be actively trying to discourage people from spending their money to get the game! :argh:

They have some dlc packs that offer cosmetic stuff and a couple of overpriced "mission" packs that are completely separate from the main game, which I've never bothered with, but for the most part everything in the game is just free extra (well, adapted) content every 1-2 months.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 17:59

Feels Villeneuve: Oct 7, 2007; Setter is Better.

like all sorts of games do the infinite update treadmill/limited-time-events/cosmetics stuff, it's just that "GAAS" is more a pejorative term people use when that stuff gets added into games they don't like, or if it's a particularly predatory instance of it

# ? Feb 8, 2024 18:01

homeless snail: Mar 14, 2007

FrickenMoron posted:

from https://www.krafton.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/KRAFTON-4Q23-Earnings-Release_vF_ENG-1.pdf

I hate videogames sometimes.

the vince mcmahon meme but he gets arrested at the end

# ? Feb 8, 2024 18:03

RBA Starblade: Apr 28, 2008; Going Home.

Games Idiot Court Jester

Jerusalem posted:

Thanks for the clarifications everybody.

So is Hitman a "gaas" game? It has regular rotations of slightly adapted content for all its maps, skins and weapons you can gain by doing certain challenges or special time-limited elusive targets etc, and it's a game I've played for hundreds of hours past just beating the single player storyline, but I don't think I've ever heard anybody call it that? I love that game but I'm guessing it's missing some core aspect that would make it a gaas, like maybe in a gaas you'd have a much lesser chance of actually getting those skins/weapons unless you just straight up bought them?

Yes absolutely, especially Hitman 1, which released maps monthly/routinely (I forget which now), along with ETs, challenges, and escalations. Future games weren't episodic like 1 but still had roadmapped releases of everything else. All had new missions pop up now and then too.

The big thing about Hitman though is that besides the ETs being one-shot and time limited (and now just in the game forever through the Arcade mode), it never took anything away or had FOMO. When something came out it was just there. The Elusive Targets were unique as a gimmick but also regularly had them through the whole lifespan.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 18:04

Khanstant: Apr 5, 2007

RBA Starblade posted:

They did do that, but no one cared https://store.steampowered.com/app/845890/Moonbreaker/

Haha I kind of want to try this, it looks kind of fun. Painting fake minis was the highlight of whichever Warhammer videogames I played. Setting up a team can be fun. Tactical turn based games can be fun. This looks worth a steam rental if nothing else.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 18:07

goatface: Dec 5, 2007; I had a video of that when I was about 6.

I remember it being shit.; Grimey Drawer

The FTC are a bit annoyed with Microsoft after their recent post-merger layoffs

# ? Feb 8, 2024 18:17

JollyBoyJohn: Feb 13, 2019; For Real!

I don't know what an MMO Rogue like would look like but i wanna find out

# ? Feb 8, 2024 18:25

ErrEff: Feb 13, 2012

RBA Starblade posted:

The big thing about Hitman though is that besides the ETs being one-shot and time limited (and now just in the game forever through the Arcade mode), it never took anything away or had FOMO. When something came out it was just there. The Elusive Targets were unique as a gimmick but also regularly had them through the whole lifespan.

Hitman's ETs are a special case because they sort of fit the theme of having one chance at a target that will flee if you mess it up, so I respect IOI's treatment of the concept even though I still think there should just be a goddamn reset button somewhere in the menu for people that don't care about that level of immersion.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 18:27

homeless snail: Mar 14, 2007

JollyBoyJohn posted:

I don't know what an MMO Rogue like would look like but i wanna find out

it's called realm of the mad god

# ? Feb 8, 2024 18:36

Volte: Oct 4, 2004; woosh woosh

Hitman is definitely a fully live service game, though at least it's mostly about new content and not a FOMO treadmill, though it's pretty much done at this point. The worst thing about Hitman's live service elements is that the offline mode of the game is so crippled that it's essentially unplayable. You can technically play the campaign but you can't make any progress whatsoever. You can't unlock anything - items, shortcuts, disguises, level mastery bonuses, nothing. You can't even play for Silent Assassin rating because the whole concept of ratings and scoring is an online-only thing. It won't even give you the green guns icon if you play offline.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 18:39

Jay Rust: Sep 27, 2011

the Hitman menu ux design is fail and i blame its initial live-serviceness

# ? Feb 8, 2024 19:12

mutata: Mar 1, 2003

goatface posted:

The FTC are a bit annoyed with Microsoft after their recent post-merger layoffs

Very concerning. Gonna look into this.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 19:21

Feels Villeneuve: Oct 7, 2007; Setter is Better.

mutata posted:

Very concerning. Gonna look into this.

Thank you OP.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 19:22

Feldegast42: Oct 29, 2011; COMMENCE THE RITE OF SHITPOSTING

mutata posted:

Very concerning. Gonna look into this.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 19:23

Toxic Mental: Jun 1, 2019

Help me remember a game

I believe it was PS2/Xbox generation. It's a 3rd person shooter where you take out various cartel and gang leaders (50 in total I believe) in a semi-open world and one of the options you have is to use huge surface-guided bombs to blow up the enemies. Sort of like a gun-and-bomb based Shadow of Mordor or something.

I wanna say it was something like "Renegades" or "Vigilantes" or something like that. I remember one of the playable characters had a blonde mohawk or something.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 19:33

Arzaac: Jan 2, 2020

Isn't that mercenaries?

# ? Feb 8, 2024 19:34

thebardyspoon: Jun 30, 2005

Yeah that's definitely mercenaries.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 19:35

RBA Starblade: Apr 28, 2008; Going Home.

Games Idiot Court Jester

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEbE3fGfF-o

# ? Feb 8, 2024 19:36

Toxic Mental: Jun 1, 2019

Yesssssss, thank you

# ? Feb 8, 2024 19:37

Monkey Fracas: Sep 11, 2010; ...but then you get to the end and a gorilla starts throwing barrels at you!; Grimey Drawer

https://twitter.com/Genki_JPN/status/1755623969573707990

Lol

Embarrassing Gamer poo poo

# ? Feb 8, 2024 19:37

Khanstant: Apr 5, 2007

goatface posted:

The FTC are a bit annoyed with Microsoft after their recent post-merger layoffs

quote:

Microsoft’s recently-reported plan to eliminate 1,900 jobs in its video game division,
including in its newly-acquired Activision unit, contradicts the foregoing representations it made
to this Court. Specifically, Microsoft reportedly has stated that the layoffs were part of an
“execution plan” that would reduce “areas of overlap” between Microsoft and Activision,2
which
is inconsistent with Microsoft’s suggestion to this Court that the two companies will operate
independently post-merger. Moreover, the reported elimination of thousands of jobs undermines
the FTC’s ability to order effective relief should the pending administrative proceeding result in
a determination that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision violated Section 7 of the Clayton Act.
The reported layoffs thus underscore the FTC’s need for injunctive relief pending completion of
the administrative proceeding.

Seems like they done been turds as expected. How much can the FCC get em for over this? Is there even a theoretical outcome where people get unshitcanned for this greedy nonsense? Plus someone should probably rework the FCC since they allowed this merger where the obvious consequences followed, even though the company protected its best interests by saying it wouldn't do that while everyone tacitly understands it will be done.

Khanstant fucked around with this message at 19:40 on Feb 8, 2024

# ? Feb 8, 2024 19:37

Feels Villeneuve: Oct 7, 2007; Setter is Better.

Robot asses ftw.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 19:38

RBA Starblade: Apr 28, 2008; Going Home.

Games Idiot Court Jester

Toxic Mental posted:

Yesssssss, thank you

I kind of miss that AA level of shooter like Mercenaries. Army of Two was also a blast for that kind of thing.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 19:40

Vermain: Sep 5, 2006

Monkey Fracas posted:

https://twitter.com/Genki_JPN/status/1755623969573707990

Lol

Embarrassing Gamer poo poo

this dude in the interview's just straight up like "yeah we're making a game with hot rear end babes, deal with it" and, hell, i salute him

# ? Feb 8, 2024 19:40

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# ? Jun 10, 2024 23:55

mutata: Mar 1, 2003

Khanstant posted:

Seems like they done been turds. How much can the FCC get em for over this? Is there even a theoretical outcome where people get unshitcanned for this greedy nonsense?

FCC is communications. FTC is the Trade Commission.

And no, you can't unring that bell. Nothing will happen, and if anything does, it will be a $25 fine or whatever.

# ? Feb 8, 2024 19:41

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > February Games Chat: The Year of Hoverkitty, Ch. 3

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