• A new LGBTQ+ forum is now being trialed and there have been changes made to the Support and Advice forum. To read more about these updates, click here.
  • Hey Trainers! Be sure to check out Corsola Beach, our newest section on the forums, in partnership with our friends at Corsola Cove! At the Beach, you can discuss the competitive side of the games, post your favorite Pokemon memes, and connect with other Pokemon creators!
  • Due to the recent changes with Twitter's API, it is no longer possible for Bulbagarden forum users to login via their Twitter account. If you signed up to Bulbagarden via Twitter and do not have another way to login, please contact us here with your Twitter username so that we can get you sorted.

The Situation Room 3.0

Status
Not open for further replies.
Feelings... especially how you feel about a company and their actions *glares at EA* should always be the factor

Either way, I don't see why you're so hurt that I am boycotting this trash. It doesn't harm you in anyway, so why care if I never play another pokemon game?
I didn't say feelings shouldn't be a factor. I said it shouldn't be the only factor. Sure, you don't like Let's Go, but boycotting Pokémon entirely just for that is extreme.
I'm not hurt over it, but your reasoning is merely flimsy.

So, just an update for everyone...

I just got back from my end of school trip to the beach, and I have set up half of my new computer's software. I am still lacking Discord and Microsoft WIndows, so unfortunately, I cannot contact anyone on Discord or receive messages on there for a while. Furthermore, I can't access my current mafia projects until the software is downloaded, which should be within a week. So I apologise now for those who have tried to contact me, specifically @Returnofmastercrazyhand. The laptop should be in full operation within the coming week, so I can get back to regular activity from there :)
Welcome back! :)
 
They're 100% toxic slot machines, and illegal in two countries so far... With Australia, the United States, and other countries taking a serious look at banning them too.

There is a reason why I said WoW's cosmetic - while a little pricey - was the system done right, and Overwatch's was the system done wrong. There is no gambling with WoW... You buy what you want and you're done.

Overwatch's is designed to prey on the addiction and... Go watch Sid Alpha's video on the subject.

Every game with a random number generator is designed to prey on addiction. So has every collectible card game, both physical and electronic, since collectible card games have been invented. It's been well-known for decades. It's a rather poor excuse for hating one particular item when you're giving all of the others a free pass. It's also a rather poor excuse for making one item illegal.

And that's before you get into the games that have literal slot machines or actual gambling in them, even if the gambling is purely of fake money.



These media clips are getting annoying. And I'm not really a fan of them. Not when they have certain issues with logic or reason.

That's already been in the plans for a while. The moderators are well aware of why I'm leaving, so there isn't much more to say.

But I do want to finish off the couple of Mafia game series I've been working on. Including the Bonanza series.

2niuk4.jpg

Remember what I said about indulging bitterness? You're doing it. You're letting it drive a wedge between you and others, and you are letting it get in the way of gaining information that would aid you and help ease the bitterness.

I've been down this path. It's not one you wish to walk.

The only games they publish is their own games.

Here.
View: https://store.steampowered.com/app/9900/Star_Trek_Online/
Star Trek Online, published by Perfect World Entertainment, is sold on Steam.

Steam isn't a publisher. It's a shop.


Did you even read the bit about Steam Direct? It's a publishing platform and a shop. This has been well-known for years.

Star Trek Online is also an example of Games as a Service done almost right... They do have loot crates in the game, but I believe loot crates aren't directly purchasable by the consumer... To get lootcrates, you have to play content, and then buy master keys to unlock the loot boxes... Which is the only part of the game I don't like. Everything else you can buy with real currency is a direct purchase.

You can purchase them in-game. Certain loot crates are even for sale year-round.

World of Warcraft is an example of Games as a Service done right. Yeah, they have micro-transactions... but EVERYTHING in the shop are direct purchases. The game has no loot boxes... And the game is not balanced around stuff you buy in the shop... The ONLY money you spend are on the sub fee, and the purchase of the box.

You can buy subscription time for real currency and sell it for in-game currency. It's an easy way to make loads of money and the in-game economy is currently balanced around this.

The only references I can find of Sony publishing Minecraft is in relation to the Sony platforms. I wasn't aware that they did that... but it doesn't change what I said though... Minecraft started as a small indie project before being bought by a large publisher. Probably due to how this random small indie game just exploded in popularity.

Now, to be clear... I'm not a minecraft fan... I like Terraria better (Also an indie project)... I'm just using it as an example of the difference between independent and published.

By your definition, Terraria isn't an indie game. It's published by 505 Games, which is one of the larger handheld games publishers. Not AAA, but also very much not an independent due to who they're owned by.

Well, it's an independent game if you focus purely on the developer, and 505 Games did win an award for its willingness to publish independent games...

Looking at the new releases on Steam... there are quite a few games I might like.

Okay, good. Enjoy them!

Dev_Me looks like an interesting game. It's not designed to milk me for every last cent I have. It's not designed to be dumbed down to the point of flicking your wrist to catch a pokemon, and it's published by a small publisher.

Now, I could be wrong and they could turn out to be dirty devs (Go watch Sid Alpha's dirty devs series for that) but at first sneeze, it looks like the sort of game I want.

Ah, I hadn't heard of them! Good find! I'll have to check them out!

Moving on from there, I see stuff like Deep Rock Galactic that... again at first sneeze... looks like a good game. It sounds like a game I might be interested in playing.

Deep Rock Galactic isn't an indie game. It's one of THQ Nordic's products. THQ owns Coffee Stain.

Being published isn't the problem... Conducting themselves with objectionable business practices (EA, Ubisoft)... putting no care into the quality of their games (Bethesda, Activision), or just plain dumbing down the game (Nintendo) is the problem.

Coming back to Pokemon, and my hatred of Let's Go for a second... There is a big difference between ORAS (My favourite pokemon games) and Let's Go. ORAS doesn't have all it's complexity removed . Held items, abilities, and wild pokemon battles, just to name a few. ORAS even added more complexity.

In Nintendo's defense, their games are primarily aimed towards children and families. There's going to be a certain amount of "this feels dumbed down" to their games because of that. They're assuming people ten and below are going to be playing the game, most likely with their parents in the room.

And, I don't think you should count Pokemon out just yet.

I have a feeling I know what you mean, but I just can't recall it off the top of my head.

I do know I am very unimpressed with Batman Arkham Knight.


For those that don't know, Arkham Knight is the game that broke the camel's back and forced Valve to stop being a sleeping giant, and actually create a proper refund system.

I'm told the game actually ran well on consoles...


I just looked it up, and Arkham Knight released on the same day as Steam's refund system. Interesting timing.

As I said, I've pretty much given up on EA... I won't buy from them again, and I doubt there is much that could happen that will sway me...

Thankfully, EA is easy to avoid.. as they publish all their games on Origin now... I don't think they've published a game on Steam in years. Steam tells me that the last time they published a game on Steam was 2013.

It is a shame too, as I loved all 4 Mass Effect games, and even defended Andromeda when EA didn't deserve that kind of loyalty. Enjoyed Dragon Age and it's sequels.

There were ones after that, but EA pulled them from Steam. It's a complicated spat over money, of course. It's the same dispute between Activision and Valve over the Blizzard games and why Nintendo refuses to bring titles over to the PC.

Apparently, from the large studio side, Valve somehow manages to be worse than EA or Microsoft.

Nintendo? Eh... Doubtful... I mean, they've been casual focused for years... the gamecube, Wii, and Wii U were all designed with casual in mind... and that's fine for them... but I'm not in that group. I'm not their target audience.

My nintendo switch is now mostly just a youtube player, since they released the youtube app.

The N64 was designed for casual gaming as well. Nintendo found their niche and stuck to it because it works.

Activision? Meh. I can't really think of a recent activision title that I played, let alone liked (Blizzard games don't count as they still manage themselves, rather than be managed from Acti)

I get the feeling you don't pay any attention at all to what the Blizzard studio is actually doing. Activision has started moving their games over to Blizzard's Battlenet distribution platform; both Destiny 2 and the latest CoD can be found there. And there's signs Activision plans to move more games over in the months and years to come as they continue to cut ties with Valve.

Like I said, Valve has angered a number of big studios, and I've seen a number of indie developers outright state you need a deal with a big publisher to survive on Steam. Some feel Valve is engaged in practices even more unethical than EA is, only with the difference being they don't target the consumer. But, yeah, I've seen Valve described in terms even EA is not subjected to.

Also, I checked your link about the sales figures and saw this statement:

"This makes the latest Pokemon Go game the fastest selling title on the Nintendo Switch since its launch in March 2017."

And then, further down, they don't list it at all as a good-selling Pokemon-franchise game. They just say it's doing well as a Switch title.

So, just an update for everyone...

I just got back from my end of school trip to the beach, and I have set up half of my new computer's software. I am still lacking Discord and Microsoft WIndows, so unfortunately, I cannot contact anyone on Discord or receive messages on there for a while. Furthermore, I can't access my current mafia projects until the software is downloaded, which should be within a week. So I apologise now for those who have tried to contact me, specifically @Returnofmastercrazyhand. The laptop should be in full operation within the coming week, so I can get back to regular activity from there :)

Welcome back!
 
I did read on. Though I have to ask, @AussieEevee, did you?
No. It's a Pokemon Let's Go post. The title tells me all I need to know.

Every game with a random number generator is designed to prey on addiction. So has every collectible card game, both physical and electronic, since collectible card games have been invented. It's been well-known for decades. It's a rather poor excuse for hating one particular item when you're giving all of the others a free pass. It's also a rather poor excuse for making one item illegal.
There is a difference between RNG, and charging money for exploitation boxes.

Loot boxes are illegal in belgium because they violate the gambling laws of that country.

Here's the thing though, it's not just governments acting on their own: Gamers urge government to act on "gambling" loot boxes in video games

These media clips are getting annoying. And I'm not really a fan of them. Not when they have certain issues with logic or reason.
That's because Sid Alpha is a consumer advocate. His logic makes sense when you factor in that he's in the industry to protect the consumer.

emember what I said about indulging bitterness? You're doing it. You're letting it drive a wedge between you and others, and you are letting it get in the way of gaining information that would aid you and help ease the bitterness.

I've been down this path. It's not one you wish to walk.
This makes no sense, but okay.

Did you even read the bit about Steam Direct? It's a publishing platform and a shop. This has been well-known for years.
EITHER WAY, that's not relevant.

You can purchase them in-game. Certain loot crates are even for sale year-round.
I didn't know that. Good thing I don't play the game anymore.

You can buy subscription time for real currency and sell it for in-game currency. It's an easy way to make loads of money and the in-game economy is currently balanced around this.
WoW's in-game economy isn't balanced around buying gold though. I mean, what you can use gold for is very limited, and has been limited for years. You can use it to buy basic items, level professions, get heirlooms (Which admittedly can break the levelling curve... Bad Blizzard)... but the most valuable items are either RNG drops or bought with non-gold currencies.

It's one of THQ Nordic's products. THQ owns Coffee Stain.
THQ closed down as of 2013.

I get the feeling you don't pay any attention at all to what the Blizzard studio is actually doing. Activision has started moving their games over to Blizzard's Battlenet distribution platform; both Destiny 2 and the latest CoD can be found there. And there's signs Activision plans to move more games over in the months and years to come as they continue to cut ties with Valve.

I've seen Destiny 2 and CoD... I admit I played about an hour of Destiny 2 when it was in open beta. It was okay, but nothing to write home about. The stuff I've heard since makes me glad I didn't play, as the developers have been copping quite a lot of flack for bad decisions.


The N64 was designed for casual gaming as well. Nintendo found their niche and stuck to it because it works.
I never owned a N64 for anything before the game cube... But the Nintendo handheld titles up until this point have always... even X and Y... been exactly what I need from a non-PC platform.
Apparently, from the large studio side, Valve somehow manages to be worse than EA or Microsoft.
Valve isn't perfect, and I have a long list of complaints about them too (let's start with being a sleeping giant, and not moderating the Steam store... let's talk asset flips.), but they are definitely not as bad as EA.

Valve is also like Apple, and Google. It takes far too much effort to get them to take action against toxic developers, or toxic users. Also, their support system is shockingly bad. Seriously.

Microsoft Game Studios hasn't appeared on my radar in years... I'm not even sure if I have any games published by them. Not sure and I can't be bothered going through my Steam library to find out.


I just looked it up, and Arkham Knight released on the same day as Steam's refund system. Interesting timing.
Cause and effect.

By your definition, Terraria isn't an indie game. It's published by 505 Games, which is one of the larger handheld games publishers. Not AAA, but also very much not an independent due to who they're owned by.
I think you missed the point where I said that it's not about being published.

I had said that I TEND TO focus on indie games, because none of the games from the big name publishers really interest me anymore (And I won't touch EA)
Deep Rock Galactic isn't an indie game.
Same here... Being published by anyone doesn't mean I'm avoiding it... Except for stuff published by EA... but for all other publishers - including Ubisoft, Activision, Bethesda - it's irrelevant if it is published or not. It's about if the game is littered with shoddy design, or uses exploitation.

In Nintendo's defense, their games are primarily aimed towards children and families. There's going to be a certain amount of "this feels dumbed down" to their games because of that. They're assuming people ten and below are going to be playing the game, most likely with their parents in the room.
And that's fine for them, but as I said, they're not really a publisher that develops stuff I'd be interested in.

Though, I will give Nintendo credit... as far as I know (And I could be wrong... Please don't disappoint me, Nintendo)... They haven't fallen into the loot box craze yet. And to Let's Go's credit, there are AFAIK, no loot boxes in the game. Pokemon Go also has some minor microtransactions (Microtransactions are fine if they are direct sales) but AFAIK, no loot boxes.

And, I don't think you should count Pokemon out just yet.

As I said, I'm no longer enjoying the franchise, so I want out... I'm done with Pokemon. Why do people have a hard time accepting that?

Other franchises I loved but no longer want anything to do with include:
Mass Effect
Dragon Age
Star Wars
Star Trek
The Sims (Sims 4 sucked IMO... Sims 3 was 100% better... even though, as I said, it's full of bloated DLC, and microtransactions)

Except for Star Trek, amusingly all of those are published by EA.

And although I did mention Ubisoft and Bethesda, as I said, I am willing to buy from them again if their games are acceptable to me. Far Cry 5 was a horrible mess... Good gameplay, but the story is just an utter disappointment and even frustrating at times.

And Bethesda... it's mostly a problem with the number of glitches in their games... It's almost like playing a beta game.

Now... do I have any Microsoft Game Studio games...? *goes to look*
 
No. It's a Pokemon Let's Go post. The title tells me all I need to know.
'Never judge a book by its cover' as the saying goes.

Compared to other Pokémon games, sales of Let's Go are rather lackluster. All other Pokémon games mentioned in the post are double-digit millions.
 
That isn't the issue. You're adding assumptions to it.
So what?


I'll say this one more time, and hopefully someone will listen... I'm not enjoying the franchise anymore... I'm not going to enjoy it in the future... so why subject myself to constant disappointment? I'm done with the franchise.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom