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Easy Allies |EZOT2| Love & Respect

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Hasney

Member
Damn, I feel for the podcast/FT - the YT comments get worse and worse. Bums me out that a significant amount of the community of these social/artistic mind-sets.

I don't even read the comments. You know it's gonne be mainly garbo. Seen the same crap in GB and KF YT comments.

Youtube is a cesspool no matter where you go. Generally, comments there should be ignored and not taken on board. However, I went to see what was so horrible this time.

N3ELM4f.png


I'm not scrolling any further
 

WarRock

Member
Still watching FrameTrap and listening to Huber talk about Prey... All I can think about is "damn, Prey looks so generic and lifeless, but all the mentions of multiple paths, upgrade choices, alien invasion, intriguing story and rewarding side stuff is making me itch to play Iji again".

Lo and behold, Iji got its first upgrade in seven years recently, adding new content and optimizing performance for newer machines. Hope this means no sub 20 FPS in a certain boss fight anymore.
 

Bahorel

Member
Youtube is a cesspool no matter where you go. Generally, comments there should be ignored and not taken on board. However, I went to see what was so horrible this time.

N3ELM4f.png


I'm not scrolling any further

Honestly I'm wondering if that person did that on purpose knowing what kind of thread it would make but ah well
 

MrMette

Member
Listening to FT, I really want to try What Remains of Edith Finch, but I have a tendency to get motionsick from First Person games and I got really sick while playing Unfinished Swan (which makes me scared of this one).

I didn't have a problem with Gone Home, The Witness or No Man's Sky, but I had it a bit with The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter and The Talos Principle (even in 3rd person, which is weird).

The first time I had this (and I had to stop playing that game after 20 minutes and was sick for a few hours) was with Antichamber. I felt like I had to puke.

I like the idea of those games (and have quite a few of them in my backlog), but there is always a chance I can't finish the game (like I had with Unfinished Swan and I haven't finished Ethan Carter, The Talos Principle or Antichamber either).
I will probably take the plunge when it is in sale and hopefully I won't feel like I have to puke after half an hour (Unfinished Swan took 30 minutes, but I finished the first 2 levels, but I was really sick after that and never touched it again).

After having this problem a few times, I am really scared of buying games like this. Games which have a gun or something else on screen are usually fine (Portal 2 wasn't a problem at all), but it seems that games with no cursor or a small dot are more of a problem. I am still not sure what's causing it.
 
Oh shit. Bloodworth just straight up starts talking about an idea I've had for a thread about exploration/quest rewards and how they can be used to integrate skill trees in a natural way.
 

Bahorel

Member
I need to remind myself not to look or participate in the YouTube comments. I used to do it all the time when EZA first started but of course everyone there was an ally so to speak. Now I only end up getting rather heated and upset seeing them and it's just hard not to want to bite off a few heads. But I really do need to just not look, it's not fun being angry when I try to watch my favorite content.
 

wapplew

Member
I need to remind myself not to look or participate in the YouTube comments. I used to do it all the time when EZA first started but of course everyone there was an ally so to speak. Now I only end up getting rather heated and upset seeing them and it's just hard not to want to bite off a few heads. But I really do need to just not look, it's not fun being angry when I try to watch my favorite content.

It's a shame, some legit good comments barried within.
 

Bahorel

Member
With the Nier discussion and Ian saying he accidentally got the wrong ending right away, I want to ask as someone who is going to play it:

Should the endings be played in order (A,B,C, etc), and is it evident which path you should be on at the time to do that? Or is it like trial and error and you get whatever ending comes up based on choices and you have to look up a walkthrough later on how to get the others?
 

Hasney

Member
With the Nier discussion and Ian saying he accidentally got the wrong ending right away, I want to ask as someone who is going to play it:

Should the endings be played in order (A,B,C, etc), and is it evident which path you should be on at the time to do that? Or is it like trial and error and you get whatever ending comes up based on choices and you have to look up a walkthrough later on how to get the others?

People get weirdly uppity about Nier """"spoilers"""" so I'll tag it.
You can only do A & B in order. C & D is based on an obvious choice and doesn't matter the order. E is only doable after first 4.

The only wrong endings involve you dying
 
With the Nier discussion and Ian saying he accidentally got the wrong ending right away, I want to ask as someone who is going to play it:

Should the endings be played in order (A,B,C, etc), and is it evident which path you should be on at the time to do that? Or is it like trial and error and you get whatever ending comes up based on choices and you have to look up a walkthrough later on how to get the others?

Don't think of them as endings. They are more likes parts. You cannot get C before B for example.

A bad ending in Ian's context I believe is just an actual bad ending but is unrelated to the main paths the game takes you on. They are non-cannon and you don't have to worry about them.

You might need a guide for the final true ending but you can get A,B,C all by playing the game normally.
 

Bahorel

Member
Okay, thanks guys, that helps! I definitely want to play it, it's just one of the few that I've decided to wait on during the crazy game blitz and I'm on Zelda right now.

(Also I'm carving away at my first time at kingdom hearts 2, which im a bit grumpy about. I passed the turning point where now you have go back and visit each world a second time, and I miss how kh1 felt more streamlined. I would prefer not to do what feels a bit like backtracking for these battles, because I hate the organization people and I have trouble telling their X names apart :X)
 
Okay, thanks guys, that helps! I definitely want to play it, it's just one of the few that I've decided to wait on during the crazy game blitz and I'm on Zelda right now.

(Also I'm carving away at my first time at kingdom hearts 2, which im a bit grumpy about. I passed the turning point where now you have go back and visit each world a second time, and I miss how kh1 felt more streamlined. I would prefer not to do what feels a bit like backtracking for these battles, because I hate the organization people and I have trouble telling their X names apart :X)

God, KH2 felt like a fever dream. I played and finished it and felt like I knew less about that world having completed the game than before hand.

The whole organization stuff was a big, fat mess.
 
I love Automata and i would agree with Ian (and Jeff Gerstmann) when they say that the combat doesnt force you to get creative with combo's or anything, it also doesnt do a good job of explaining how much crazy stuff you can do with the combat in this game.

I was shocked when i watched combo videos of the game, in my 50 hours i only discovered a single launcher attack (and it was a counter), apparently you can do it at any time, with any weapons. But the game doesnt explain how.
 
I love Automata and i would agree with Ian (and Jeff Gerstmann) when they say that the combat doesnt force you to get creative with combo's or anything, it also doesnt do a good job of explaining how much crazy stuff you can do with the combat in this game.

I was shocked when i watched combo videos of the game, in my 50 hours i only discovered a single launcher attack (and it was a counter), apparently you can do it at any time, with any weapons. But the game doesnt explain how.

Can you name any games that force you to be creative in combat?
 
Can you name any games that force you to be creative in combat?

Prey just came out and basically requires you to approach combat with a more creative mindset (than say mindless shooting) both because the player character is weak and the enemies really powerful. Combined with a limited tool set, resources and power base early on, the game basically funnels you into using a vairety of methods to defeat the enemies so that you don't become needlessly resource starved.

I'd juxtapose that with BotW, which is a game you can play with minimal creativity despite having a creative sandbox. Because of the way the game is designed, you can pretty much just go up to everything and whack it.
 

Visceir

Member
FrameTrap overall was good, but thought the Hottake was more like a three-times microwaved leftovers meal. Huber and Ian specifically going on about story and their preferences gets a little bit old after a while.

Pretty much agree with this and felt like the hottakes have been like that for at least the past few episodes. Ben is trying to tackle these topics, but it feels like they lead to the same answers from the same people. All their arguments and discussions feels very surface level without much thought put into them -- which most often seem to be followed up by examples or occasions when that doesn't apply when they themselves have thought about it a little, leading to just watered down points being made.

I miss the ramen days of delicious broth and noodles. More fun games, less topics you'd find on a slow day on neogaf.
 

Bahorel

Member
Pretty much agree with this and felt like the hottakes have been like that for at least the past few episodes. Ben is trying to tackle these topics, but it feels like they lead to the same answers from the same people. All their arguments and discussions feels very surface level without much thought put into them -- which most often seem to be followed up by examples or occasions when that doesn't apply when they themselves have thought about it a little, leading to just watered down points being made.

I miss the ramen days of delicious broth and noodles. More fun games, less topics you'd find on a slow day on neogaf.

I believe Ben has stated they will only play ramen after a press conference (or just e3) but I can't wait for this years :)
 
Prey just came out and basically requires you to approach combat with a more creative mindset (than say mindless shooting) both because the player character is weak and the enemies really powerful. Combined with a limited tool set, resources and power base early on, the game basically funnels you into using a vairety of methods to defeat the enemies so that you don't become needlessly resource starved.

I'd juxtapose that with BotW, which is a game you can play with minimal creativity despite having a creative sandbox. Because of the way the game is designed, you can pretty much just go up to everything and whack it.

I was talking more about action games like DMC, Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden, MGR, God of War etc.
 

Auctopus

Member
Pretty much agree with this and felt like the hottakes have been like that for at least the past few episodes. Ben is trying to tackle these topics, but it feels like they lead to the same answers from the same people. All their arguments and discussions feels very surface level without much thought put into them -- which most often seem to be followed up by examples or occasions when that doesn't apply when they themselves have thought about it a little, leading to just watered down points being made.

I agree, I was sort of getting at this in my comment from the last page. I think it might be because of their current discussion environment being so casual (and I am NOT saying that Frame Trap shouldn't be casual) but it feels like some of the Allies have developed 'safe zones' when it comes to discussion.

I think Ben (and other Allies but Ben is the one who's always gonna be there on FT) need to press the Allies if they wanna have a more meaningful conversation/discussion about these topics. Like, you're on a Hottake about video game stories and Ian begins to wax lyrical about Souls then somebody needs to challenge him on the decisions that are made in that game's story presentation that can be seen as shortcomings. Again, as I said in my last comment, DS1 is my favourite game of all time but DS3 and BB certainly have issues when it comes to storytelling.

Again, Huber, Resident Evil has clearly been highly influential in his life but whenever he brings it up - it sort of ends the conversation because everyone just agrees that game is great (which it is).

This isn't about Allies having favouritism, I don't mind that. Everybody has favourite games but no game is perfect and no game does everything. I think if these discussions aren't going to repeat themselves and feel like "microwave dinners" then the Allies should rely on each other to push the envelope, even if it's as minimal "Ian, could you see how someone would feel the Souls games are too ambiguous with their story?" or "Huber, how do you feel Resident Evil's story writing and dialogue has aged in the modern era? Has its campiness/translation funnies allowed it to remain timeless?"

Quite a different subject but I feel this is what really made the "Sketchy Palmer Luckey connections" FT the best one you guys have done.
 
I was talking more about action games like DMC, Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden, MGR, God of War etc.

Well, I think one example is within that list. Ninja Gaiden 1 (or Black) pretty much forces you to use the full extent of your weapons and arsenal for the normal playthrough.

You can bypass that if you get gud but that's typically not on your first play through of NG or NG:B unless your a gaming wizard.
 

Fou-Lu

Member
Youtube is a cesspool no matter where you go. Generally, comments there should be ignored and not taken on board. However, I went to see what was so horrible this time.

N3ELM4f.png


I'm not scrolling any further

Why did I scroll further? Ian and Ben are the two allies I relate to most and seeing the hate for Ian always frustrates me.
 
Yikes, Ian and that Nier section. Oh boy. Man those Souls games don't have exploits, those crazy speedruns are all done without exploits...yup. lol
 

Ultimadrago

Member
Playing NieR:A myself. On the third path (~25hrs) and I have mixed feelings about it, somewhere in between. Wanna get through with so I can move on. Combat is great at times, and then kinda boring, especially when it comes to doing side missions which also vary wildly in quality. Story is interesting and engaging but brought down by the game's structure.

I'm actually at the same part in Nier:A at the moment (having played 36 hours with about 93% of quests completed) and feel very similarly. The world itself, on more surface level, is also too uninteresting to survey for all of the ho-hum fetch quests and backtracks it provides. The perceived context of most activities being suspect at best in terms of entertainment value. There are certainly some optional content very worth the effort, but not nearly enough.
 
Pretty much agree with this and felt like the hottakes have been like that for at least the past few episodes. Ben is trying to tackle these topics, but it feels like they lead to the same answers from the same people. All their arguments and discussions feels very surface level without much thought put into them -- which most often seem to be followed up by examples or occasions when that doesn't apply when they themselves have thought about it a little, leading to just watered down points being made.

I miss the ramen days of delicious broth and noodles. More fun games, less topics you'd find on a slow day on neogaf.

I appreciate Auctopus digging in and offering concrete examples of how he felt the discussion could have been better. So thank you for that.

EDIT: I realize that initial post probably super came off the wrong way, which I don't want. I do like that people are trying to help. I'll push back more on the next hottake and hey, maybe it will be better.
 

Visceir

Member
I believe Ben has stated they will only play ramen after a press conference (or just e3) but I can't wait for this years :)

Yea, I don't neccessarely mean exactly the same game, but maybe come up with something more...spicy and fun rather than the drab topics so far.

I understand Ben wanting to have more meaningful conversations, but it's not exactly working out the best with their current setup.
 
Well, I think one example is within that list. Ninja Gaiden 1 (or Black) pretty much forces you to use the full extent of your weapons and arsenal for the normal playthrough.

You can bypass that if you get gud but that's typically not on your first play through of NG or NG:B unless your a gaming wizard.

Even in NG you can spam Izuna Drop and Flying Swallow. The game pretty much leave it up to the players to be creative so I don't really buy Ian's comment on "You can just spam the down attack". Of course you're not gonna have fun with a play style like that.
 

ShaithEatery

Neo Member
Maybe a bit random, but I thought I saw somewhere on Twitter that there was an EZA Injustice 2 guild. How would one join if it exists and isn't already full?
 

ShadyK54

Member
Maybe a bit random, but I thought I saw somewhere on Twitter that there was an EZA Injustice 2 guild. How would one join if it exists and isn't already full?

Not sure how you find it, but they set the guild to free join on stream earlier. You can try searching & joining if it isn't already full by now.
 

Visceir

Member
While I feel like this is trying to be helpful, it's ironic how vague it is. How are these discussions watered down? I can't fix it if people don't get specific.

I appreciate Auctopus digging in and offering concrete examples of how he felt the discussion could have been better. So thank you for that.

Would probably have to go back and re-listen to the whole segment for specific examples.

I think the podcast for that kind of more serious discussion on a broad topic is already slightly compromised due to having 3 members of the podcast being guests rather than having a set of 4 core members (where you would know they'll feel strongly about the subject and have meaningful things to say rather than digging deep to fill the quota). It might be worth to look into presenting the discussion to the panel in a different manner, with perhaps more strict rules and limits or even playing devil's advocate yourself.

You've also got Kyle in your group who seems to have a knack for that kind of stuff -- could always just ask him for input or have a brainstorming session together. Doesn't neccessarely mean you have to make huge changes, but you yourself might get some good ideas out of it.
 
Would probably have to go back and re-listen to the whole segment for specific examples.

I think the podcast for that kind of more serious discussion on a broad topic is already slightly compromised due to having 3 members of the podcast being guests rather than having a set of 4 core members (where you would know they'll feel strongly about the subject and have meaningful things to say rather than digging deep to fill the quota). It might be worth to look into presenting the discussion to the panel in a different manner, with perhaps more strict rules and limits or even playing devil's advocate yourself.

You've also got Kyle in your group who seems to have a knack for that kind of stuff -- could always just ask him for input or have a brainstorming session together. Doesn't neccessarely mean you have to make huge changes, but you yourself might get some good ideas out of it.

I think one of the biggest issues is that since I myself tend to get wrapped up in the conversations, sometimes I'm just Ben when I need to be a more neutral voice. A devil's advocate as stated. I also don't want to betray my own opinions, but after thinking about it I probably worry about that more than I actually need to. There's nothing wrong with presenting a different view even if I don't agree with it as long as it contributes to a healthier conversation.

But I honestly think I can fill that role more ably as long as I actively work on it.

Thanks for the thoughtful words. I do hope people can actively see how criticism does translate into better shows over time. The timestamps are a very small example of that. I've been unable to visit this thread as often because of time constraints, but it's nice to see this kind of stuff and then immediately start thinking of ways to improve.
 

mishakoz

Member
I would love to call out Ian sometime.

"So why is it okay for you to play Nier in a way that exploits a certain move to make combat easier, against creators intent probably, but Dark souls and bloodborne aren't allowed to be easier games because of creators intent? What if I don't care about the combat and just want to play for the story/world"

I don't necessarily believe that but I would love to hear his response.
 

Maiar_m

Member
I would love to call out Ian sometime.

"So why is it okay for you to play Nier in a way that exploits a certain move to make combat easier, against creators intent probably, but Dark souls and bloodborne aren't allowed to be easier games because of creators intent? What if I don't care about the combat and just want to play for the story/world"

I don't necessarily believe that but I would love to hear his response.
"You do you" would be his response I guess? Ian's opinions about games are interesting as they are almost as surrealist as Bosman's in their logic. Once I've accepted​ that he's just expressing how he personally feels (really feels, like, it's almost a reflex at this point) about games but doesn't really care about having you adhere to that perception, I found that I could listen to Ian's interventions without any qualms.
 
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