We Need To Talk.

[Harpalyce]

SWEET BABY JESUS YOU CAN'T JUST POST A TITLE LIKE THAT. FOR LIKE HALF A SECOND SOME PART OF MY BRAIN WAS DEATHLY AFRAID ALL OF THE ESCAPIST WAS ABOUT TO BREAK UP WITH ME OR HAD FOUND MY BROWSER HISTORY OR SOMETHING

Okay with capslock panic over, on to the actual content

I actually don't quite get grits either, which by all rights should mean me getting kicked out of the south. But I will gladly take a stand for buttermilk biscuits and sweet iced tea. Oh, and fried okra, dipped in ranch dressing.

Grits do have an interesting place in historical cookery and such though. They're pretty closely related to hominy, and are kind of a european adaptation of that dish. Hominy is/was a huge staple in the Americas among native societies, mostly because they figured out a key process in getting corn to give up its awesome nutrients - a process called nixtamalization which is quite frankly a damn badass word in its own right. Basically you soak the corn kernels in an alkaline mixture (wood ash is traditionally used) and that breaks down barriers so you can get to the tasty delicious nutrients in the middle. It also explains why things didn't work out so great when the Europeans tried to take corn back with them and grow it there - even if they ended up with a huge crop, none of them knew about the essential step of nixtamalization, so everyone in Europe was critically malnourished when they tried to mimic the crops the Native Americans were using.

If I was CEO of a major gaming publisher... hm. Well, at risk of being ~controversial~, the one command I would pass down from on high would be "no more average ablebodied cis straight white dude protagonists". Because we have a lot of those. Too many of them. And honestly they bring nothing to the table that can't be covered by something else. If you shake it up just a little - he's gay, he's asexual, he's not white, he's disabled - you suddenly get a much more interesting character with new nuances to explore. And if we can have things like a pink blob or a blue hedgehog as protagonists of games, I think we can move away from Average White Dudebro #1529 and into some characters where we're forced to sit and think and give them some depth.

Also, baby seals are pretty cute. But have you ever considered viscachas?

Spoiler: Now is a good time to consider viscachas.

 

[AdagioBoognish]

Well, I for one think it's attitudes like this that are dividing the forums. The competition for cutest animal is fierce and should be open to debate ;p

First, I very much approve of this thread, and it's making me all warm and fuzzy inside. I'll be sure to really give the topic(s) some thought, once I have the proper amount of time to do so.
But as of today, let me share with this fine community a bit of an outsider in the cutest animal competition. Ladies and Gents, the tiny snake in a pullover.

Spoiler

No, I don't know why it exists either. But isn't it cute?

LOL. That's amazing.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Also, baby seals are pretty cute. But have you ever considered viscachas?

Spoiler: Now is a good time to consider viscachas.

It's... it's a Rabbit but also a squirrel...

A Squibbit...

IT'S A GOD-DAMN SQUIBBIT!

WHY DID I NOT KNOW THAT THIS WAS A THING?!

 

[Harpalyce]

If you shake it up just a little - he's gay, he's asexual, he's not white, he's disabled - you suddenly get a much more interesting character with new nuances to explore.

I can only imagine a character in a wheelchair would bring a whole new dimension to the chest-high-wall-based shooter.

2/10 for the attempt; execution needs more style, possibly more memes. Consult the Strunk and White Trolling Handbook for further information.

Slightly more serious edit: C'mon, dude, this thread's supposed to be friendly, remember? Maybe try the concept out first before using sarcasm to dismiss representation of disabled people in video games. Or if you think I'm nuts, just, idk, roll your eyes quietly to yourself instead of jumping in with sarcasm. Besides, disability =/= wheelchair. Just think about maybe reflecting things like severe dyslexia or chronic fatigue in gameplay. It'd be a good way to maybe introduce people to the concept, getting them to realize that it isn't just a problem of "trying harder" but that it does actually take that person this long to read or that for somebody with chronic fatigue energy seriously is a limited resource. Not everything needs to be a shooter, not every protag needs to be a generic white dude. As with many creative endeavors, limits actually often help people become *more* creative, not *less*. I think it could be a cool thing to see happen.

 

[zerragonoss]

Snip

Ah yes good plan, lets hope it works. I also propose a new thread rule if your the third or so person to reply to a thread idea you must go make that thread.

as for thread ideas,

1)do you play video games dreams if so what ones?

2 Some discussion of core game mechanics. Such as possible variations on turn based combat, and what is possible to to within said systems.

 

[Harpalyce]

Edit: Good call on the Strunk and White reference, though we don't see so much use of it over here.

It was an off the cuff joke and was in no way meant to be offensive. I apologise if it came across as such - it wasn't directed at what you suggested but rather more at the chest-high wall issue. Was not sarcasm, was dry humour - pretty sure those are different. Re: disability - does not equal wheelchair but can, and was the type of disability I was referencing, otherwise the joke wouldn't have made sense.

Oooh I see now. Sorry dude, joking is kinda strange to sense over the internet sometimes. The kneejerk reaction is my fault there, I just kinda get twitchy knowing how many people would be ready to mock a game where somebody *was* in a wheelchair, whatever else the gameplay might be.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

The trouble is the same one that has plagued the Internet since the era of bulletin boards, usenet, chatrooms and the like. Being behind a screen people can say and act in ways they likely wouldn't in real life. Without repercussion, people can and will go to extremes in ways that are unfathomable. It is fine to discuss and debate, to have an opinion and argue a case civilly, but name calling, death/assault threats, releasing RL addresses/phone numbers, suggesting suicide and circulating intimate photographs are completely beyond the line.

The Zoë case is the current topic du jours and in fairness is relevant to a gaming community. Whatever people's opinions, views or even the facts, it has undoubtedly cast a shadow of disrepute among many journalists and developers. It raises the question of how much of what news/reviews sites say can be trusted. Consider further issues such as press embargoes, bullshots, scripted demos, Jeff Gerstmann/Gamespot, Lauren Wainwright, all the other scandals as well as the issues with Greenlight and Indie development in general. It all adds up to a sad state of affairs for game's journalism.

Cynics might say it's par for the course and the same in every industry. Apologists might tut and say the ex shouldn't be airing dirty laundry in public. Whatever people say, the games industry does suffer for this stuff. And there are conversations to be had about these things, awareness of sites and people to avoid and judgement to be reserved. Marketing and PR you expect bullshit from because it's their job to make gamers believe their game is good when it might not be. But journalists are supposed to be on our side; if they prefer to be in bed, literally or figuratively, with a developer or manufacturer, then they aren't a journalist any more, they're a marketing dept.

 

[Mikeybb]

Baby seals are cute until they grow up into seals.
Corgis remain cute forever.

my input?
uh.

-What task can you currently do with your hands that you wish you could do with equal dexterity using your feet?

 

[Battenberg]

It's a nice idea but surely it would be more productive to actually make these threads? Otherwise you'll just end up with a long list of threads and, likely as not, some very jumbled and confused discussion. Particularly as a lot if possible thread ideas might not hold much discussion value after they've been posted a few times.

That said there's a couple of threads I'd love to see come up in place of, for example, all the Sarkeesian arguments:

1) The 'make a game' threads where one person suggests a basic framework (e.g. genre, setting, that kind of thing) and everyone else posts their ideas to flesh it into a full game concept. It's always very cool to see a huge group of strangers working together to create something, definitely the kind of thing to balance out the less positive threads that sometimes make their way onto The Escapist.

2) There's a game I've seen played on other websites where people take it in turn posting a screenshot from a film. Everyone guesses what the film is and the first person to guess correctly posts the next screenshot. It could potentially be played with video games as well and, unless I've somehow missed it the whole time I'm here, I don't think it's currently played here. Seems like something that would fit in well with The Escapist community.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

It's a nice idea but surely it would be more productive to actually make these threads? Otherwise you'll just end up with a long list of threads and, likely as not, some very jumbled and confused discussion. Particularly as a lot if possible thread ideas might not hold much discussion value after they've been posted a few times.

I may still do just that. However, you know what they say? Give a man a thread, and he'll post for a day. Teach a man how to thread, and he'll never run short of stretched metaphors again. xD

The point is. This thread isn't just about what I wan't to see more of on the forums, it's about what everyone feels they're missing in an sea of threads that apparently nobody likes and yet still somehow dominate the forums. Maybe my ideas will inspire other people? Maybe their's will inspire mine? At the very least, there can be one thread where ideas are exchanged and discussed without everything going crazy.

 

[klaynexas3]

- 'Americans... explain the appeal of Grits to me.'

Well, they just have that right texture to them and they fill you up pretty well. They aren't particularly tasty on their own, but they're a nice base if you just want to add a bunch of shit to them. Basically, I'd say they're like mashed potatoes for breakfast. Also, since they are just crushed up corn, they can be somewhat healthy. That is until you cover it in cheese, enough salt to make a cow cringe, and throw in some bacon for good measure. Welcome to southern cooking.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

I kept miles away from the thread mentioned by the OP because I just couldn't stomach it.

We're called the Escapist, let's motherf*cking escape!

Who else here is looking forward to Aerostream's Super Smash Escapists? I haven't forgotten about it.

- 'If you became the CEO of a major gaming publisher of your choice, who would it be, and what would be the first thing you'd change (you can only pick ONE thing, no cheating )?'

I am now the CEO of EA. I am selling off every IP the company owns, effectively ending the business.

NO MORE EA! Let someone else be the target of our hate.

[sub]And hopefully Maxis can reclaim its glory days.[/sub]

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

'Americans... explain the appeal of Grits to me.'

As an American who lives north of the Mason/Dixon line, I can't help you. God only knows what the Southerners see in those things.

We Northerners have our own abomination to explain.

Pan-fried hog offal. Yum?

 

[Protocol95]

I want to thank you for making this thread. I pretty much only post in forum games now because a lot of stuff in the other forums either frustrate me and/or scared me into not posting. So to you I give you an internet hug. You know what? You all get internet hugs!

But stuff I'd like to discuss? How about how do you translate your thoughts into posts? I have a lot of trouble with that one.

I'd also contribute to the cuteness debate but I wouldn't end up siding with one choice but instead flooding it with nominees.

 

[Callate]

Somehow I managed to not be around when "that" topic started; 3700+ posts in, I can only be glad I dodged that bullet. No one, however peripherally involved, is going to come out of that mess in grace and glory. I can only hope that "I am not going to demean myself by responding [proceeds to throw down a wall of invective]" becomes an appropriately ridiculous meme.

...So, moving on before I become what I roll my eyes at...

It would be interesting to have a topic about how to improve games in the era of bloated AAA publishing and ramen-and-generic-soda indie games without causing a budget to skyrocket.

Ways to "gameify" dialogue that don't involve standard conversation trees/wheels or interrogation topics.

How to empower a player without eliminating challenge; how to dis-empower a player without trivializing agency and choice.

The relative merits of having a strongly pre-defined protagonist versus a cipher- either a character who can say nothing, and do nothing beyond a linear path (Gordon Freeman) or one who is created by the player but has limited opportunity to express individuality or agency within the context of the game (Saints Row, Skyrim, yes I know your mileage may vary.)

What eras and settings for video games remain largely unexplored? (Could you make a game about, say, the British vs. the Zulu that wouldn't become a political nightmare for everyone involved?)

As to the OP:

My guess is Antman, Dr. Strange, and Avengers 2. After that, I think they would be wise to do a Black Widow movie, particularly if one of the above proves to be a failure.

What is the appeal of any local grain-based mush? It's a warm, filling starch into which other things can be added for additional flavor. Oatmeal, cream of wheat, polenta, rice porridge, whatever. Though I do have a recipe for grits with cream and smoked mozzarella that would knock your socks off.

I'd be tempted to pick EA just to cut all the "pay now and pay later" initiatives off at the neck.

Patience, politeness, and hospitality; hopefully, my conduct doesn't make any of that seem out of question.

Baby seals are pretty darn cute, but off of the pictures I've seen recently, I might have to give the vote to baby hedgehogs.

 

['Record Stops.']

Alright, I'll bite. This thread looks solid enough to me.

So let's see here...Hmm...
AH!

One of my all time favorite JRPG's and the first one I ever enjoyed was Shining Force. It was a brilliant shining diamond at a time when JRPG's were just starting to come out of Japan in hesitant numbers, wondering what this strange new Western world would be like and what adventures might be had with the odd beings there. On the SEGA Genesis no less, I had a Sega CD collection that was quite awesome if I do say so myself. Containing Comix Zone, Kid Chameleon, at least one another thing and the game I loved the most Shining Force. It was one of those games that combined a fun steampunk fantasy story with gameplay that we would not see replicated for years to come until Fire Emblem made its way to the US.

I enjoyed it, and it's one of the only games I can say these characters join your party with a straight face. An intellectual jellyfish alien with ice magic. An Armadillo wearing power armor that turns into a Tank-mech suit. A flying man who gets to become a Helicopter pilot. A deer woman who becomes a healer. And a wolf lady who can use thunder magic.

So here's my topic.
-What JRPG do you folks have that you really love to play and why? Extra points for obscure JRPG's or none Squaresoft/Enix RPG's. Extra extra points for something that you find charming despite its flaws if any.

 

[WindKnight]

Also, baby seals are pretty cute. But have you ever considered viscachas?

Spoiler: Now is a good time to consider viscachas.

It's... it's a Rabbit but also a squirrel...

A Squibbit...

IT'S A GOD-DAMN SQUIBBIT!

WHY DID I NOT KNOW THAT THIS WAS A THING?!

Cabbits have it beat. Cabbits can turn into spaceships.

 

[Varrdy]

- 'Americans... explain the appeal of Grits to me.'

- 'If you became the CEO of a major gaming publisher of your choice, who would it be, and what would be the first thing you'd change (you can only pick ONE thing, no cheating )?'

I second the grits motion! From the name, I thought they were rugged and crunchy - something manly and American, like the food equivalent of a pick-up truck. When I was served them I thought that the waitress had just given me a plate of frog spawn in lemon juice!

If I were the CEO of a major gaming publisher I would go for EA and begin using a rolled up newspaper to administer thwacks around the heads of anyone who ever thought that Origin and rushing out Mass Effect 3 was a good idea.

 

[Barbas]

Pan-fried hog offal. Yum?

Try haggis on pizza with cheese and black pudding. Surprisingly good, but rather filling.

(...)Who else here is looking forward to Aerostream's Super Smash Escapists? I haven't forgotten about it. (...)

Dat dude does a good remix.

OT: Favourite scenes from a comedy? I don't think there's been one of them in a while.

...And yeah, baby seals are baby seals and hedgehogs are hedgehogs, but sugar gliders...

Spoiler: ...are sugar gliders.

 

[Th37thTrump3t]

I miss the more personal threads, they were always fun.

First kiss, "how X are you," what kind of traits to you look for in a partner, "the first time you X," that kind of stuff.

Every once in a while you'll get a "What kind of music do you listen to while playing X." Bout as close to those kind of threads as we've gotten in the last couple years.

*looks at join date*
Weeeeeeelll sheeeeeeet. I'll just show myself out the door then

You think OP has been here a while? I've been here since '09. And some people have been here since '08.


OT: Well... one thread I don't think we've seen in a while would be "What do you miss about the Escapist." I think that could be a pretty safe thread for the oldies to reminisce about the old days.