#old repost from twitter that i somewhat abandoned

[odddaze]

[rosebloodcat]

Changeling Nelson Tethers

I’ve been playing and enjoying the game Nelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent but I can’t help noticing just how odd Nelson himself is. Like some of his antics, shown in his facebook page, seem a little bizzar for a normal person to do. I started wonder if, maybe, Nelson wasn’t as human as he thought he was. And I started writing his odd quirks in-game/universe and basically started puzzling it all out.

So here is my argument that Nelson might actually be a Changeling and not fully human. This got pretty long, so Imma put it under a Read More. Feel free to throw in your own ideas!

I feel like Nelson Tethers is kinda toeing the line between being a “normal” human and being distinctly “ab-normal”.  He’s saner and more down to earth than most of the people seen in Scoggins, but when back in DC he doesn’t quite seem as normal as everyone there.  I point out the little images and notes posted by Grickle on Nelson’s twitter and Facebook pages (and reposted on @majorpepperidge ‘s blog on Tumblr)

Nelson might not be a changeling himself, but he could be the descendant of one that was never discovered by their human “parents” and he grew up as a mix of human and a fae. He may even be completely unaware of his heritage.

His ability to out think people so often, to have such advanced critical thinking (for puzzles) and to be able to manipulate people’s uncontrolled “impulses” to his advantage could be seen as Fae or Changeling traits. And he seems to be more athletic, or at least more resilient, than most people.

But, at the same time, he doesn't seem to see himself as unusual. Despite doing a lot of odd, quirky things (like cover his office in post-its then trying to find patterns in them, and not leaving his office until he figured them out. Or releasing chickens into the vents and then finding and catching them again). He's very bright and intuitive as seen in his knowledge, understanding, and ability to solve puzzles. Especially at the level and complexity we see him have and solve in the game.

And he seems to understand people more than most believe. He's able to figure out the quirks and personalities of the people of Scoggins and then use them to his advantage when he has too. (Like when he's being held at gunpoint by the sheriff and is able to escape by tossing aside his unfinished crossword.)

Nelson also seems to be the sort to meddle when it isn't strictly needed. You could argue that it's related to his sense of Justice (like him going back to solve Isaac Danvers' disappearance) but that's not what I mean.

I'm actually referring to his habit of hunting down puzzles and solving them even when they have no relation to the case he's solving. Although his need to know everything and get into places he's not wanted seems very Fae-like to me.

Another thing that stands out is his encounters with the Hidden People. More specifically how obvious and often they happen.

One would assume that Hidden People were more equivalent to urban legend. Something the locals believe in but never actually see or have proof of. Yet Nelson, in just his first visit to Scoggins, has more run-ins with them than anyone would normally have as a resident of the town. And for a few, he meets more Hidden People at once than anyone else. Something especially strange when you consider that Nelson is basically an outsider. He's not from the forest or the town or even the state and yet he has more close-encounters than anyone else. (Except maybe the puzzle-crazed guy from the Inn, but that's debatable.)

If he was a Fae, it would make their openness to him understandable. It would mean that, despite being an outsider, he's "one of them" or least he was somewhat "like" them. Enough that they would decide there was no real reason to put a lot of effort into avoiding him. And it would even give enough wiggle room for some of them to decide to help him. (Which they do.)

Most of these examples are from the first game and from Nelson’s Facebook page, but more evidence of this theory (in my opinion) is seen in the second game where Nelson seems to show some superhuman/supernatural powers of his own.

Like being able to reach people in the grips of insanity/lunacy and bring the back (mostly?). The two puzzles where he’s “solving” the insanity that had been afflicted on two different people in Scoggins. Not only does he reach them, but he also is able to get somewhat coherent responses from them.

And when the Hidden People do use their powers on him, he’s able to recover from it on his own. And not just from the Hidden People, but from the Lunacy Ray too.

At that point, it seems like both things are supposed to be permanent. Once afflicted by either one, it’s implied the person is supposed to be gone for good. They’re not going to recover. But not Nelson. He returned to coherence after the whispers AND from the ray. He never stayed insane, unlike every other human affected.

It could mean that maybe, just maybe, his mind isn’t completely human. It doesn’t quite work the same as a human’s does and, therefore, can shake off outside forces trying to change it.

When he was running around in his skivvies in Scoggins he didn’t seem to be too affected by the cold. Most people would have frostbite of some kind from that. And he didn’t seem too beat-up when he came-to at the landing, surrounded by FBI agents. (That could be argued as hard to show in the artstyle, but still.) And that’s without bringing in the strength needed to lift, carry, and run with the Lunacy ray itself.

It all just seems like more than a (mostly) ordinary human man could do. So, maybe, he isn’t human. At least not fully. So I think either he, or someone further back in his family tree, might actually be a Changeling.

Changelings are a type of Faerie; specifically they’re a faerie child left to be raised in a human home.

The stories about Changelings vary, but the most common version is that a faerie stole a healthy/pretty, human baby and swapped it for their own sickly/ugly baby. Some stories also have them as an old fae that was dying and wanted to be well cared for before passing, and others have them actually being objects magically altered to look/act like a normal human baby before “dying”.

Versions of the stories say that they do it because they couldn’t raise their sick child and that they felt a human house would be able to give them a good life. So they made the swap to ensure their child could live a good life, however long or short it was.

Other versions say it’s because their child is too ugly for them to stand, and they wanted a pretty baby instead.

In some of the tales, the faery child always knew it wasn’t human and that their original parents had abandoned them and wouldn’t get along with their new family because of that. But some Changelings forget that they’re actually fae and spend their entire lives as mostly-normal humans, and have good relationships with their human families.

With all of this, I think Nelson might be the descendant of a Changeling that forgot they weren’t human or he’s one himself.

If he’s a descendant, maybe the reason he’s so odd by most people’s standards is due to his old fae genes being more active than the rest of his family. As if he was on the edge of being a Fae, but was still mostly human. And, maybe it would be possible to push him over that edge.

(Like, say, finally meeting and being exposed to the presence of other Fae? Like the Hidden People?)

I suppose the only question left is: Which type of Fae was Nelson/his ancestor?

[aion-rsa]

Why the GoldenEye 007 Remaster Was Cancelled

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If you’ve been keeping an eye on video game social media over the last few days, you’ve probably spotted this video of a YouTuber playing a remaster of GoldenEye 007.

While many people were quick to call this remaster “fake” or merely a fan-made tribute, recent evidence strongly suggests that this is the remains of an official attempt to remaster GoldenEye 007. Naturally, that information has left many people wondering why such an incredible remaster of such a beloved game never saw the light of day despite the fact that it appears to be nearly finished.

The answer to that question is complicated, controversial, and heartbreaking for legions of GoldenEye 007 fans who have been waiting for the chance to play one of the best multiplayer experiences ever released on a Nintendo console. Ultimately, though, it’s a story you have to hear.

What is the GoldenEye 007 Remaster?

The GoldenEye 007 remaster is an updated version of the 1997 N64 classic. It appears to be the same game content-wise (aside from a few additional multiplayer maps and a couple of relatively minor features), but it has been updated to feature 60 FPS gameplay, a 16:9 ratio, and various visual improvements. It’s been said that the remaster was designed similarly to the Halo remasters, which is to say that a team essentially just swapped out a few parts of the original ROM. Like those Halo games, the Goldeneye 007 remaster even offers the ability to swap between the old and new visuals on the fly.

The reason we know so much about this remaster (and the reason it’s been in the news lately) is that a YouTuber called Graslu00 uploaded a full playthrough of the seemingly lost project. While footage of the remaster had been uploaded online before (more on that in a bit), this was the first time that most people outside of Rare had seen it played from start to finish.

The extent of that footage (as well as the quality of the remaster itself) inspired many fans to ask new questions about this canceled remaster that many people long suspected had been abandoned before it could be completed.

When Was the GoldenEye 007 Remaster Developed?

Before we go further, now is the time to clarify that some of the answers to these questions are based on loose information and more than a little speculation.

With that out of the way, the public conversation about this remaster really heated up in 2008 when EGM’s rumor mill turned out a brief mention of a GoldenEye remaster that had seemingly been canceled by Rare. A 2008 article from 1UP elaborates on this story by suggesting that the game was just a couple of months away from being released on XBLA for Xbox 360 before the plug was pulled. Uncovered files suggest that work on the remaster began as early as 2007.

However, there are a couple of details in that story that don’t gel with what we know now. For instance, the 1UP article notes that the “XBLA version would have featured the same graphics, maps, and weapons from the N64 version” and that the big selling point would have been the “crucial addition of online multiplayer over Xbox Live.” That doesn’t seem to describe the footage of the remaster that we’ve seen years later.

So far as that goes, there are two things to consider. The first is that some of the information available in 2008 was simply incorrect. This really seems like the most likely factor given how much information on this subject was known at that time.

It should also be noted that the remaster itself has been improved in some ways by modern emulators. While I won’t name drop some of the emulators and uploaders involved with this process, it’s clear that some of the visual fidelity that we see in these uploads wouldn’t have existed in 2008.

Still, the bulk of the remaster footage certainly seems to be based on the game that Rare quietly worked on sometime around 2007 and ultimately had to abandon just a few months before it could have been released.

Read more

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By Rob Leane

Why Was the GoldenEye 007 Remaster Cancelled?

Unlike some of the details regarding the GoldenEye 007 remaster’s development, we actually know quite a bit about why it never got released simply due to the fact that Rare has talked about it a lot over the years.

For instance, in a 2008 interview with Videogamer.com, Rare engineer Nick Burton clearly stated that the game’s cancellation ultimately came down to licensing:

“I kind of wished that the differences got sorted out, but obviously there’s the licensing issue for Bond, even if it’s something that’s already come out,” said Burton. “It’s incredibly hard to solve because there are so many license holders involved. You’ve got the guys that own the license to the gaming rights now, the guys that have the license to Bond as an IP, and there are umpteen licensees. Me, just personally, I thought, ‘God, that’s a difficult problem to solve.'”

Over the years, the narrative regarding those licensing problems boiled down to the idea that Nintendo and Microsoft (who owned Rare by the time this remaster was in development) simply couldn’t agree on a deal that allowed either to re-release GoldenEye. This story is seemingly supported by a 2006 MTV interview with Reggie Fils-Aime in which the former Nintendo of America president stated that he’d “love to see [GoldenEye 007] on virtual console” but that “there are a lot of issues there.”

That quote reinforces the idea that between Rare being a Microsoft owned company, Nintendo publishing the original GoldenEye 007, and EA and Activision controlling the gaming rights to the Bond franchise in later years, there were just too many moving pieces that had to come together for the remaster or a re-release to ever happen.

What’s interesting is that many people seem to think that the reason Rare couldn’t release the GoldenEye 007 remaster on XBLA or as part of the Rare Replay collection is simply that Nintendo ultimately failed to give the port their blessing. That idea makes some sense as it would seem that Microsoft and Nintendo would be the two major players involved in a deal over that specific Bond game. On top of that, a remake of GoldenEye 007 that was published by Activision was released exclusively on Nintendo Wii in 2010. That remake reinforced the suggestion that Nintendo ultimately blocked the Goldeneye 007 remaster from being released.

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Is Nintendo Really to Blame for the GoldenEye 007 Remaster Never Being Released?

While Nintendo does seem to be a factor in this story, leaker Graslu00 shut down the idea that this is all Nintendo’s fault in an extensive message that they recently reposted on Twitter.

I've updated the pinned comment on my longplay video regarding "Nintendo and the cancellation of XBLA". I'd appreciate it if you gave it a read before saying that Nintendo is the main issue and I misunderstood or simplified the problem, I did not. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/79wPyHEU8r

— Graslu00 (@Graslu00) January 31, 2021

If you can’t read that message, it basically says that even if Nintendo and Microsoft had struck a deal, they’d still have to deal with MGM and Eon Productions who had their own concerns about James Bond video games. Those concerns may have required Rare to alter the original GoldenEye in ways that would have almost certainly hurt the game in the minds of many fans. The idea of a remaster of GoldenEye with “no cheats, no use of Bond theme, and no good vs good characters in multiplayer” certainly doesn’t sound appealing.

While there is some debate regarding the exact content restrictions placed on Bond games, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard of such restrictions. In a 2020 interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Adam Foshko (Activision’s director of story development when they controlled the Bond gaming rights) explains that making Bond games requires adhering to certain ideas of the character.

“Bond is unique because the IP holders have a very particular view on Bond as a character and how he should be used,” said Foshko. “Having worked with them, it’s more about: ‘How does Bond get out of a situation?’ rather than: ‘Can Bond shoot a guy in the face?’ It comes down to the goals and things that are unique and special about Bond in particular — even though people would like to play Bond in a situation.”

Restrictions aside, the other factor that doesn’t get referenced all that much is Rare’s interest in such a project. In a 2015 interview with Polygon, Rare operations director Drew Quakenbush noted that one of the reasons GoldenEye wasn’t included in the Rare Replay collection is that the studio chose to focus on “characters and worlds that Rare made independently” when selecting the games for that collection. He says that the issue “wasn’t necessarily licensing” and that “GoldenEye doesn’t really fit tightly in with that particular boundary that we put on there.”

Even if licensing is more of an issue than Rare was willing to suggest, this idea that Rare wants to somewhat distance themselves from GoldenEye certainly isn’t new. In that 2008 interview with VideoGamer.com, Nick Burton is asked “Does GoldenEye almost haunt the studio?” Here is his response:

“No, not at all. I wouldn’t say indifference. It’s nice to see people still talk about it. But I also think, and a lot of us think this, that you look back at it and it’s still good fun to play, but if I played it now with my gaming tastes as refined as they are now, would I still have the same reaction or have I really got rose-tinted spectacles on? It’s almost impossible to separate one from the other. I still look at it and think, no, it’s got great level design for instance, but then you think I’m saying that because maybe the control feels really good, but it’s not perfect. But it’s not perfect because the frame rate wasn’t high enough. It’s very difficult to separate your memory. As someone coined at work the other week. ‘You need some brain bleach’ so you can get rid of the memory.”

From everything I’ve seen, the issue basically comes down to a combination of licensing problems, content restrictions, and willingness. The long and short of it is that many people see GoldenEye 007 as a time capsule that has proven to be especially difficult to dig up and preserve.

Can You Play the GoldenEye 007 Remaster?

Recently, outlets and players have revealed that a full, working version of the GoldenEye 007 remaster has been leaked online and is currently playable.

While the process of downloading and playing the game is complicated and almost certainly wouldn’t be approved by anyone with controlling interest in this game’s license, it’s already clear that the game files are rapidly spreading online and is generally well-received by fans so far despite its obvious rough edges.

It should also be noted that those interested in playing a more modern version of GoldenEye should absolutely check out the GoldenEye: Source fan project which remakes the N64 game using Valve’s Source engine. It’s a brilliant experiment that almost perfectly captures nearly everything that made GoldenEye 007 special while updating the game in ways that even this remaster necessarily does not.

The post Why the GoldenEye 007 Remaster Was Cancelled appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[gta-5-cheats]

Here’s how Vine replacement v2 will work

New Post has been published on http://secondcovers.com/heres-how-vine-replacement-v2-will-work/

Here’s how Vine replacement v2 will work

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First, don’t call it “Vine Two”. Details are starting to emerge about v2, the forthcoming video app built to replace Vine by its former co-founder Dom Hofmann. TechCrunch has learned that v2 has begun reaching out to former Viners and social media star managers in hopes of establishing ties with some top content creators to get feedback and fuel the app’s eventual launch.

Twitter acquired Vine before its launch in 2013 but never gave the short-form video sharing app the support it deserved. Eventually, facing economic struggles, Twitter opted to kill off Vine, leaving users only with an archive of old videos and a Vine Camera app for shooting but not sharing new videos. Instagram is focused on photos and longer clips up to 60-seconds, so there’s still no viable home for browsing punchy 6.5 second videos.

Hofmann decided to step up, and since announcing a plan to build a Vine successor in November, has been slowly trickling out plans for v2 scattered through the company’s recently launched community forums and on his Twitter. “Some things will be very familiar to people who have used vine, but what we’re planning is equally an homage, follow-up, remake, and brand new thing” he writes. 

Here’s what you need to know about v2, in a list we’ll keep updating as facts surface in the run-up to the launch:

The Name

“Please refer to the service only as v2 or V2” says Hofmann, though he mainly uses the lower-case version. He explains that Twitter still owns Vine and it’s not technically associated with v2, so basically he’s looking to avoid being sued. Hofmann tweeted the logo you see above, which at first glance looks very similar. But note the lighter green, how the letters are rounded, that they don’t connect, and the lack of a drop shadow. That could be enough for v2 to escape trademark infringement, though it might design something more refined for the launch.

A block of the bright green is the current app icon, http://v2.co is the company’s website that currently hosts the forums, and it has set up the Twitter account @v2app but nothing of merit has been tweeted. Still, Hofmann will have to tread carefully, as he probably doesn’t want to fight Twitter in a legal battle. Even if v2 doesn’t constitute infringement, Hofmann’s acquisition and employment deal from Twitter might still prohibit building a copycat.

The Launch

There’s currently “no firm release date” but Hofmann notes v2 will debut “definitely in 2018, hopefully when it’s warm in the northern hemisphere, so that implies a Q2 Spring or Q3 Summer 2018 launch. The app is currently in a “very very very limited alpha” testing stage, and there will eventually be both an iOS and Android version. There’s currently no open beta or way to reserve usernames, though Hofmann says that stuff might happen through the forums so users should get active there if they want first dibs.

The Videos

Videos will range from 2 to 6.5 seconds, and smoothly loop over and over. They can be captured with your phone or uploaded from your camera roll — permitting clips edited in other apps or professional software.

Hofmann says there will be no color filters, face filters, or geo filters, so you won’t be able to create perfectly manicured selfie videos, don dog ears, or highlight where you are. Prototypes have shown videos captured in vertical full-screen, and users will be able to flip to and from selfie mode while recording. Unlike Vine, v2 will be a bit stricter about copyrighted content and take down videos that include major record label music or movie scene if it receives a DMCA notice. On the plus side, whether through optional watermarks or another solution, v2 wants to prevent people from stealing and reposting each other’s videos.

In v2, “at the very least, there will be a chronological timeline” says Hofmann. However, there’s likely to be an algorithmically filtered feed or ‘Popular’/’Explore’ page to show you the most best and most relevant posts as well. Hofmann tweeted the idea of adding a “A ‘nope’ button that lets you shape your timeline”. That means rather than just showing more of what you Like or watch, v2 can steer away from videos or artists that annoy you.

The Community

v2 will take a stricter approach to moderation than Vine. Hofmann writes “It’s okay to disagree with or be critical of someone’s work, but name calling, facetious attitudes, or any other form of indirect harassment won’t be tolerated.” That could give the app a more positive vibe, help retain content makers, and make it a more welcoming place to share for people of all backgrounds over age 13. In fact, v2 will offer the ability to select your gender pronouns.

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Vine’s old categories

You’ll be able to disable comments on a per-post basis along with other controls. v2 will be somewhat lenient about letting your show off links to your other artwork or social presences, with Hofmann noting “spam is the main issue, but I promise we’re going to be a lot more open on this than instagram/fb”. The team is still making a decision about where to draw the line on nudity, erotica, and offensive content. Though Hofmann writes “i personally don’t have a problem with it”, he plans to use a combination of staff moderation and community flagging to keep the app clean.

And to stoke collaboration between content creators that v2 calls “artists”, there’s a Team feature. “A Team’s profile page will list its members, and the members have the ability to promote and repost Team posts to their own timeline (even with alternate captions)” Hofmann explains. The collaboration behavior, where artists appear in and promote each other’s videos, was popularized on Vine since videos took so little time to create and many artists lived close to each other in LA. The team-ups led to some of the app’s most creative content, so v2 is hoping to facilitate co-starring.

The Founder

v2’s Dom Hofmann

Before getting serious about v2, Hofmann was working on Interspace, which is making some mysterious and trippy 3D/VR/AR world thing. In response to whether he’d abandon v2, this week he wrote that “I run another startup which is essentially my ‘day job’, so i’m pretty fulfilled on that front. v2 is being built out of love and i’d like for both the service and my involvement with it to live on for a long time.”

That also means keeping control, rather than handing it off to corporate overlords for a quick pay-day. Those excited for a revival of their favorite app will be heartened to know Hofmann says “there are no plans to sell v2. Never say never, but it’s nowhere close to consideration right now.”

The Reception

Vine’s shutdown was met with a global outpouring of support and nostalgia. But the stars that made their names on Vine quickly moved on to YouTube and Instagram, and their audiences followed. Influencers have grown more savvy, with a focus on audience size and monetization where YouTube rules, even despite recent changes.

Plenty of former users and smaller Vine stars that never made the jump elsewhere are eager for v2. But a social media talent manager told me they’d rather see their clients add 1 million subscribers on YouTube or Instagram than 5 or even 10 million on v2, because no one wants to “start from scratch” and “Instagram and YouTube are here to stay.” Multiple social content execs told me that it’s all about how v2 treats creators, and that was what Hofmann and his Vine co-founders were never good at.

v2 will need to recruit great content that can’t be found elsewhere, stars who deliver their fans, and plenty of loyal users to survive. v2’s competitors are much stronger now than when Vine launched. Gaining traction in this social app landscape is like capturing lightning in a bottle, and Hofmann will have to make lightning strike twice.

The best thing about Vine was that there were no news links, few boring selfies, and lots of creativity. It was a place to relax and be entertained with endless comedy, art, absurdity, and micro-storytelling. In an age where social media is getting a bit too serious and intense, v2 could bring the joy back to playing around on your phone.