#selling me more on the game

[bbnibini]

In my retirement phase with my equally geriatric husband 🥰

[okkennymay]

One of the commissions I received last year introduced me to the utterly amazing game, Control, which I cannot recommend enough! In that game I fell in love with Dr.Darling, who you get to know through various recorded videos and text, and ugH I CAN'T GET HIM OUT OF MY MIND (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

I'm just utterly obsessed! Ooooh god if we don't get more of him in Control 2 I'm going to rIOT- Speaking of said commission, I've just finished one part of it! A whole sketch page of Dr.Darling and Jesse~ which i'm about to post! (Another wonderful client who waited an age and a half 9w9") The 2nd part is a NSFW sketch page, which will eventually be posted onto my patreon~

Then there will be more because oh my god I haven't been able to stop thinking about this amazing game, it's world and the remedy-verse as a whole!

[goobie-goobert]

Nintendo try not to make autistic cephalopods challenge (impossible)

[icewindandboringhorror]

... why he sit like this

[ichabodjane]

My beloved (the sewing machine) is finally healed of her grievous wound (broken needle clamp) after I went on a quest to find the rarest of medicines (a replacement part from eBay) and a visit to Elrond of Rivendell (Reese at the indy sewing machine store).

[sotiredmostnights]

when i first played pokemon conquest i really loved it, but i couldn't help but wish there was more emphasis on the relationships between the different characters. later on i discovered fire emblem awakening and my god, the way it took everything i loved about conquest and dialed character relationships up to an 11 truly captivated me and i haven't been the same since

[ladytabletop]

thinkin bout that "too many hats in game design" post.

I love to collaborate. most of my game design career has been collaborative. the problem is everyone's a game designer, and far fewer people are layout artists and editors and marketers and the like (in my experience). and at a certain point of collaboration, if you're the only one with a certain skillset, you ONLY get to use that skillset and there's no time for anything else.

not sure where I'm going with this except that I've been thinking about how much I love layout design but how I also don't love it enough to give up the part of game design that is actually designing the games.

[ganondoodle]

(this went on to be a longer ramble, talking about shrines and the abilities in totk i had more thoughts about the overworld repetition but im putting this into a separate post)

something i havent seen anyone mention before is also that it is a problem that you can skip nearly any puzzle in the totk "temples", some of which just by climbing walls ... and that wasnt possible in botw bc the titans were made of the same material as the shrines and prevented you from climbing on them, which feels like they knew making them climable would reduce the amount of puzzle you had to do and make it even less impactful, surely there are some glitches or movement tech that can make it easier, but at least you had to think about it a little?

but i guess that went against their newly adopted "more freedom equals better" way of thinking .. but then ..

the thing that i find confusing is that the shrines interior in totk are once again, NOT climable, but similar sonau buildings in the overworld ARE climable, they even restrict how you can use the tech in shrines, so ... they arent actually against restrictions? but then dont restrict anything else? not even in the main dungeons?? its kinda inconsistent and conflicting (like everything else lmao)

and that kinda extends to the abilities too, both the ceiling jump and ultrahand make alot of puzzles obsolete bc theres always a way easier way to skip everything; i know they kidna based it around people doing crazy thigns in botw, but there it felt like you were actually kinda missusing the mechanic of stasis for example in a smart way, YOU came up with that and it felt rewarding creating your own solution to shrine puzzles bc there were multiple ways to do it in this engine (like isntead of aligning blocks to lead electritiy to one end to the other you put out your weapons and place them there instead, and it WORKS) it felt more non intended, even if they had thoguht about it, it still FELT like you just came up with that, and sometimes it really was the only way your mind worked with and everyone had their own way of thinking

while in totk, they kinda tried to encourage that way of thinking, but it doesnt feel like your own idea anymore really, and, while its not every single one, in alot of totk shrines .. or even overworld puzzles you were just .. literally given the puzzle pieces for you to put together, but the pieces were like .. in parts of 6 at most so putting together the picture was both obvious and also kinda boring, like you were treated like you are a 4 year old and they were giving you 4 piece puzzles over and over- and fine you CAN just glue the two fans together and stand on them to fly high enough to just glide over to the end instead of building the flying thing they gave you the pieces for BUT its still .. expected, like you dont feel like you are working on it your way but seeing what the devs obviously planned for and then knowingly circumventing it i dont think its good either that in combination with the ceiling jump you really can just skip almost anything, take out a fly thing and fly near the end to spam the jump until it works, instead of using the building blocks they gave you for the obvious solution you build some platform and just ceiling jump to it, theres a rocket here? fuse it to your shield and fly high enough to glide to the end, its both too easy and obvious for the intented way and then you can even entirely skip that too, and you dont even feel smart about it bc it doesnt feel like you came up with it on your own and instead feel like a child that is way too old for the toys its given and the adults giving them to you stare at you while they wait for you to solve the puzzle- and alot of the solutions were either build something with these three pieces or fight something with these pieces-

i still remember that one (or more?) botw shrines were it lead you to a button to press and once you stand on it the wall slides open and reveals some fun and unexpected challenge, over and over- there was a hallway you had to glide through but there were big moving spiky metal balls hanging from the ceiling, maybe one has a normal rope on it and you can shoot it down if you notice it but the others dont so what do you do, stasis them so you can avoid it in time, grab it with magnesis to make it swing harder and then hope for the best as you fly there or dont do anything of that and just jump in- the one were a spiked wall was chasing you and as you run more obstables are put in your way right before you get to it, you stand on a button and the wall opens greeting you with an immediate guardian laser to the face? it felt more creative and fun to me, tho granted i havent done all shrines in totk bc i grew too tired of the everything to play more

(at least thats how i felt like, like i was treated like i was stupid for alot of totk, not just in the shrines sometimes .. which were one of the more enjoyable things in it, but also in the story .. like you dont have to think at all to get everything before its said to your face over and over)

and that thing with the abilities and the tech also makes the world less like a world and more like a playground bc you can just skip to every point of interest, you dont have to walk or climb or fight your way anywhere really bc you can just go up and fly to whereever you want, the new weird ass towers only make it worse bc .. of course youd make use of them to get everywhere even quicker, its also kinda in the combat, they might give you the tools to be creative (with arguably very simple things .. like a wheel, a rocket a fan and flamethrower arent realyl that interesting to begin with) why would you build a laser firing tank maschine to fight some bokblins you can just .. clobber like you usually do way quicker and easier

i do like the abilities in botw more than in totk too, but its got multiple reasons, like the world felt built around it without putting it into your face all the time, and the shrines were more built around giving you fun challenges, or just .. a fun experience, with often more subtle puzzles and not always forcing you to make use of the shiekah stone runes, plus the totk abilities feel more like the same thing .. or less interesting? fuse and ultrahand really are one and the same thing but separated into two for .. some reason, the time reversal is like stasis but with less ways to apply and use it (and kinda clunky how everything freezes in place when you prime it), and both it and the ceiling jump are a skip button from one location to the next (even tho we already have the fast travel) so you dont even need to climb, like those weird towers in the underground i thoguht looked cool and interesting when i first saw them only to realize its just a way to get to the surface via ceiling jump and nothing more .. you could fast travel up with the same amount of loading time, and more often than not it wasnt even in an interesting spot or somewhere you couldnt get to otherwise; the autobuild too even lets you skip building!! the thing thats the supposedly focus! i know its annoying to build something for a long time with its clunky function but isnt it yet another skip button

... another random ramble, much more incoherent too, again i want to mention im not trying to hate on everything, jsut kinda communicate or ... spill out my thoughts and feelings; i do absolutely agree that ultrahand is a very impressive mechanic and i did have fun with all the abilities for a while ..... i still like botws more bc its more diverse and is more restricted (which i LIKE) while also having more ways to use them

[sleepingfancies]

so fucking fascinated by how long sindri’s resentment of atreus was building tho like that was written so well. from “we’re sick of hearing about little people’s little problems” to sindri noticing the mistletoe arrows were thrown out to atreus refusing to listen to sindri warning him about freya and odin and tyr to atreus hitting him aside as a bear and finally culminating with brok’s death. yes sindri is mad at kratos too but the primary target of his anger is atreus and why shouldn’t it be when atreus has walked all over sindri since he was 11 years old without a single apology

[goldensunset]

i don’t think palworld’s success is proof that people are disillusioned with the quality of modern pokémon games i think it would have been incredibly popular even if the general consensus on stuff like sv was overwhelmingly positive. because people who are drawn to that kind of thing are simply drawn to that kind of thing. they like creatures but they like more complex gameplay than what standard pokémon has always been. if anything it proves that a solid chunk of pokémon complainers could be made a lot happier by moving on from the franchise because the comfort and nostalgia won’t do it for them anymore. or at least they should have been trying more stuff in addition to pokémon in the first place

[shallowseeker]

In a way, the events of 12x19 The Future kinda happened, just not for Cas.

(This is so awful, I’m sorry. ) He saw the future through Jack’s eyes, but Cas interpreted it through his own psyche, needs, motivations, and imagery:

From above (12x19):

Kelly, standing on a BEACH— in the surf— looking out at the ocean.

Sam, racing across an OPEN FIELD. Chasing something.

Dean, in tight closeup. A look of relief— of happiness on his face.

DEAN: Cas— thank you.

Castiel. Shirtless. Standing against a wall, as his WINGS FLARE. But they’re not broken anymore. They’re full and majestic.

These images are script only, but they're a fascinating window into Cas's mindset.

///

Full wings:

Jack did get his wings back, full-glory, when he ate Michael in 14x14 Ouroboros.

From above (14x14):

Jack drops his arms, opens his mouth, and inhales the grace! All that’s left of Michael. He consumes it. As Jack closes his mouth and swallows, everything goes quiet. Jack’s eyes return the normal, and Michael is finally dead.

DEAN: Jack—

JACK: Michael… he’s dead. (he turns to our guys, calm and emotionless) I’m me again.

Suddenly, he bursts in a golden, fiery glow. His eyes flare hold, and his wings flare behind him. Jack has his powers back.

The shirtless majesty in the 12x19 vision was just Cas’s perspective/reinterpretation, superimposing a psychosexual component on top of the vision— his need to be strong and protect his human family.

///

Thank you (script only):

And Dean did say, with relief, “Jack…Thank you,” in 14x17 Game Night.

From above (14x17):

On Dean. Knows how much he owes this kid, he got there in the nick of time.

DEAN: Jack, I— thank you.

Jack smiles, so happy to be needed, so loved.

Again, Cas’s 12x19 vision tightened that image into an intimate, close-up, because it’s filtered through his desire for Dean to be relieved and safe. (Remember, in 12x19, Cas comments that he didn’t mean to ignite “Dean’s distress.”) That’s why this vignette directly triggered the shirtless Cas/protector-driven imagery in the script. They’re one after another-> Kelly at peace -> Sam (supposedly) running free -> Dean intimately relieved & thankful -> Cas majestic, healed, and strong. Seeing Dean like that made Cas feel like that.

///

Open field:

Sam did run through a small field, when rushing to stop the Equalizer confrontation in 14x20 Moriah.

From above (14x20):

EXT. ROAD - DAY

The road outside the cemetery. A car rips up—

And Sam bursts out— racing for— (Through what looks like an open field, Sam enters the cemetery)

///

Beach:

As for Kelly and the beach, this is a loose allusion to Jack’s place of birth: Washaway Beach in North Cove, Washington.

///

The future vision was a tragedy. Perhaps, Jack wasn’t making promises at all.

Perhaps, it was merely Jack’s power surging, tapping into the potential of the cosmos, and Cas saw what he wanted to see because he has trouble facing his own desires.

That’s the problem with seeing the future, Missouri Moseley might say, even when you see it, it’s hard to interpret, and it can be out of order and wrong and misleading in so many heartbreaking ways. You might not even be getting your own perspective.

/////////////////////////////////

(Text Attributions// Supernatural scripts here via @spnscripthunt. Transcripts are located here via SPNWiki. Visit their Tumblr to donate.)

[randomnameless]

easy explaination of why most if not all the characters have ended up flanderized in FEH: it started as a gacha game for FE fans and now is a FE game for gacha fans. That's why Alphonse won over Sigurd or why Gullveig won last year's cyl with only 2 lines of dialogue too.

This is why I don't want the jugdral remakes to happen, bc look at engage, using FEH's mechanic and FEH using its ring mechanic in order to sell more lyn, camilla and marth alts. I don't want jugdral to end up with another silly gimmick that isn't necessary on the game or the story but can be sold as another gatcha powercreep thingy. As long as FEH is on service, the main franchise is going to be directyl affected by it.

2 lines of dialogue? You're charitable anon!

But... yeah, with time, FEH became its own thing and is apparently even considered a main FE Title given how Vero was added, albeit through a DLC, to Engage and I mean -

If Vero's writing is supposed to represent FEH, I have to inform you I found my new least liked FE game lol - which brings the main question : what is an FE game?

TBH, to me, FEH OCs are barely characters (Vero needed heavy retcons and ignoring elephants in the room which were there since book 1 to become remotely close to one) which makes me completely baffled at how they can even be "picked" for events like CYL, but if we are talking about popularity contests, then people will vote for their faves... aka the most recent characters they like or have seen - sure it doesn't help that Siggy'n'Leif are from jp only games, but CYL1 saw Roy being picked, even when his Smash Bros popularity dwindled. Can you imagine, in 2024 if Roy wasn't picked for CYL1, him competing with the non-entity that is Alfonse as "the most beloved FE characters voted in by the fans?".

I mean, I can get liking OCs in gacha/crossover games (I'm not pointing at someone in particular about Crestoria lol even if i prefered kanana to vicious) but I can bet you 2 kebabs that if a Tales gacha organised the equivalent of CYL, Leon and Yuri would be picked before any Male OC, and I'd bet 1 kebab about Alicia or even Milla being added before the Kanonos.

In FEH, Book 2 Vero (or was it 3?) was picked over... Elincia. Recency bias is a thing but... yep, it has been a long time now since FEH stopped being a gacha game for fans of FE, but became its own thing with sometimes FE characters being referenced.

I agree with your last remark though, as long as FEH exists, evil will - I mean, as long as FEH exists, it will have some sort of influence in the main games - even if I reiterate, FE15 managed to dodge its influence, only to fall in some other pitfalls.

Jugdral remakes can play like SoV, "additional" characters will be in a DLC and not have any relevance to the story, I mean, even if you can roll for Sharena on a NG+, she might not even have one line.

But, tbh, it's not the gacha aspects that worry me the most about Jugdral remakes, it's the state of the franchise/fandom post FE15 and especially post FE16, but I'll make a separate post about it.

[yenpondering]

Bought myself a mimikyu yesterday from build-a-bear and its so cute next to dedenne 😭

[konfizry]

ahhh i just remembered alphen and shionne are gonna be at the next tales of festival again and damn that's three times in a row for them!!! that's amazing (for me specifically)!! like genuinely i assumed last year would be the last time they were gonna have both of 'em on, bcause, well it can't be the arise Celebrity Couple all the time, everybody's probably sick of them already and the hype's gone down and all that, and heck they even hinted at that in one of the kagenare, but!! against all odds i get yet another year or shimoji and satotaku performing together

[mortellanarts]

2023 go bye bye

[crescentfool]

going to keep this vague on purpose but playing reload has reactivated brain chemicals in me that i forgot i had.

i think i'd want to make a more thought out post later, but i think my favorite thing about reload (aside from seeing minato in full HD glory) is how much it's made me think about video games as a storytelling medium- specifically with what mechanics and game design imply for characters.

there's a lot of quality of life features added to reload that help players easily enter a flow state and get immersed in the gameplay (most notable with tartarus)! which is so dope! reload has been such a nice blend of the mechanics from both FES and portable and it feels like a love letter to persona 3 fans.

there are definitely mechanics i miss from FES (minato's ability to wield multiple weapons being one of them). i can't deny that FES has some dated mechanics that don't necessarily feel fun for the player experience... but!

i think i mostly miss things from FES because i feel like so much of minato's characterization (for me) was informed by the gameplay experience and mechanics (e.g. fatigue system). obviously there's still other ways you can put together his personality (his dialogue responses), but i think game mechanics are a bit part of it, for me.

but in spite of that, i think reload is a really nice introduction to persona 3, it's so much more accessible and has a bunch of things to help make it more fun :) so far i think i'd recommend it to people :D