Humor Random Comments Thread

[MattBaker]

And then a battlefield was rediscovered at the Harz mountains.

If you're looking for any military stuff from any nation: The moment they had a war against Germany you find their stuff there. Just dig a bit.

Also the "hostile Germanic lands" weren't neccessarily that hostile. Mind that Germany back then was tribal and while some tribes indeed fought the Romans a lot didn't and even had trade relations with them. As long as some asshat didn't bring a couple of legions or wanted a lot of money from them Germans were like "I don't care, more beer please!".
As opposed to the continual warfare with the Parthians. If you don't mind the towels lying around your limes forts Germans aren't that bad...

 

[Urwumpe]

Also the "hostile Germanic lands" weren't neccessarily that hostile. Mind that Germany back then was tribal and while some tribes indeed fought the Romans a lot didn't and even had trade relations with them.

Well, the closer you came to the Elbe, the more people didn't know that the roman empire is something important and not some strangely clothed victim

 

[MattBaker]

and not some strangely clothed victim

To be fair when being in Rome, in the summer and without air condition I would appreciate the extra fresh air for that section.
Of course with what would become Lower Saxony in January it's a bit different. Then you can measure temperature in centimeters...

 

[jedidia]

So, a friend gave me the "game" (interactive expierience would be a more proper description) "Dear Esther" for christmass, and I finally had the time to play it while my wife is at a conference in germany and the kids are sleeping soundly.

For someone who was suicidal during a period in his life, and whos wife's name actually is Esther, the thing pulls quite a few uncomfortable strings...

It wasn't too healthy for my whisky reserve, either.

 

[PeterRoss]

So, a friend gave me the "game" (interactive expierience would be a more proper description) "Dear Esther" for christmass, and I finally had the time to play it while my wife is at a conference in germany and the kids are sleeping soundly.

For someone who was suicidal during a period in his life, and whos wife's name actually is Esther, the thing pulls quite a few uncomfortable strings...

It wasn't too healthy for my whisky reserve, either.

Judging by its description it's something like depressing Stanley's Parable.
Somehow I suspect you wasn't playing this game for joy, don't you?

 

[jedidia]

Well, I am a melancholic, so I can't exactly say that I didn't enjoy the ride, although I cried at the end... psychology is funny that way.

Also, it isn't quite as procedural as stanley's parable. You can take a few different paths (it seems) and thus get to hear different things, but at the end of the day it is pretty linear.

 

[PeterRoss]

Well, I am a melancholic, so I can't exactly say that I didn't enjoy the ride, although I cried at the end... psychology is funny that way.

The last computer game which (almost) made me drop a couple of tears was Mafia 2, but it's of course a different matter.
It's pretty much enough sad stories around me IRL to use computer games for getting the same experience. I'd rather blow up few sectoids instead :lol:

 

[MattBaker]

L.A. Noire, although a few seconds later I remembered that they were in the Armed Forces and thought "Well, now they maybe don't have to go to Korea in a few years, so...that's nice!".

 

[PhantomCruiser]

There's a scene in Homeworld that caused me a bit of sadness, the cutscene was moderately sad, but coupled with the music piece Adagio for Strings made the whole thing a sucker punch to the midsection.

 

[Linguofreak]

Also, it isn't quite as procedural as stanley's parable.

Stanley's parable isn't procedural. It does have quite a number of paths the player can take, but procedural(ly generated) means that the game world (or elements of it) is (are) generated randomly by some algorithm (aka, procedure). As far as I can tell, there is zero procedural generation in Stanley's parable, everything is hand-crafted. Procedural generation is one way of making a game that doesn't railroad the player onto one path, but it isn't a blanket term for any non-linear game.

 

[mojoey]

This comment is the result of procedural generation.

I too, am the result of procedural generation.

 

[jedidia]

As far as I can tell, there is zero procedural generation in Stanley's parable, everything is hand-crafted.

Ah... somehow I was of the impression that a procedurally generated narrative was the whole point of stanley's parable (never played it).

 

[PeterRoss]

Ah... somehow I was of the impression that a procedurally generated narrative was the whole point of stanley's parable (never played it).

No, in fact the point was the predictability and determinacy of every step you're making in a game which seemingly allow you to chose your way as you like it. Of course there's no proceure generation of the narrative, but it's made in the way making you understand that game-makers knew your every step before you made it. It even recognize if you're playing the game for the first time or not and changing the narrative correspondingly.
The game is a nice mix of paranoia and fun (narration actually made me laugh several times, it's really great), and the main idea of the game is that the only freedom you have in a computer game is to quit.

 

[n122vu]

I'm trying to recall any video game moments that took me by surprise in that way. Right now the only one that comes to mind is a certain scene in Uncharted 3. Totally unexpected and completely devastated me for a moment.

And there was that one cut scene in Metal Gear Solid with Sniper Wolf....

 

[Linguofreak]

Ah... somehow I was of the impression that a procedurally generated narrative was the whole point of stanley's parable (never played it).

I'm not sure that a procedurally generated narrative is possible without human-equivalent AI. And at that point, it's not procedural generation anymore, it's a person writing a game.

 

[RisingFury]

I'm not sure that a procedurally generated narrative is possible without human-equivalent AI. And at that point, it's not procedural generation anymore, it's a person writing a game.

It won't quite take a human equivalent AI, but it will take quite a sophisticated one. Think Watson. It can form basic sentences and understand context. Narrative is a level above that. It's possible to generate sentences that are grammatically correct, but make no sense otherwise.

 

[MattBaker]

It's possible to generate sentences that are grammatically correct, but make no sense otherwise.

Procedurally generated RTS game: In the Stone Age the Soviet Union attacked the Malian Empire due to disputes over the island of Formosa. You are the leader of the Praetorian Guard and fight for the polis of Athens. Resolve the conflict in favor of the Soviet Union and its leader Abraham Lincoln.

Am I doing this right?

 

[Pipcard]

Procedurally generated RTS game: In the Stone Age the Soviet Union attacked the Malian Empire due to disputes over the island of Formosa. You are the leader of the Praetorian Guard and fight for the polis of Athens. Resolve the conflict in favor of the Soviet Union and its leader Abraham Lincoln.

Am I doing this right?

Sounds like Civilization.

 

[Ghostrider]

The last computer game which (almost) made me drop a couple of tears was Mafia 2, but it's of course a different matter.

For me it's Silent Hill 2, the ending punches you in the kidneys and then stomps on your jaw while you're down. And I'm talking about the good ending.

 

[mojoey]

For me it's a bit of a tie actually

First one (and perhaps this sits a bit ahead) is Red Dead Redemption. Everything was going so well

Second is yet another R* game: GTA IV. Yet again, everything was looking up and going well...