Random Video Game Crap

[Bubble181]

A) I definitely consume my ice cubes, unless I'm in some third world country where water can't be trusted
B) I'll also happily eat or ingest most botanicals in my gin tonic
C) things like apple sauce, or gravy, or whatever, are all somewhere on the spectrum between solid and liquid, I'll eat 'm all

 

[ThatNickGuy]

I don't know if this is gaming "news" or crap, so I'll throw it in here.

I don't fully understand what's going on, but GameStop stock prices are skyrocketing basically out of spite for something called "hedge fund" businessmen who tried to tank it? Or something? And Redditors jumped on it and now purposely pushing the stock price up. Both it and now AMC, apparently.

 

[Dei]

Best summary ever.

 

[bhamv3]

The world of stocks and derivatives is very complex and convoluted (as Ultron put it succinctly, "Finance is so weird.") but as I understand it, you have the hedge fund managers and the people on WallStreetBets, and one side wants the stock to go up, and the other side wants the stock to go down. This has led to shenanigans.

 

[PatrThom]

Best summary ever.

She's not wrong.
(i.e., that's their exact complaint: "Hey! Only WE get to do that!")

--Patrick

 

[Frank]

Shorting really shouldn't be legal.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

This whole insanity makes me wish I understood how the stock market worked, at least enough to jump on board one of the stocks the Reddit community is going to jump on and maybe make a little bit of money?

 

[bhamv3]

This whole insanity makes me wish I understood how the stock market worked, at least enough to jump on board one of the stocks the Reddit community is going to jump on and maybe make a little bit of money?

While I understand how you feel (hell, I'm feeling it myself), you should understand that this event is a massive anomaly in the history of WallStreetBets. As the name of the subreddit implies, it's basically just a gambling sub, where people will post about their investments in certain stocks based on their "clever" analyses and "insider" information. Sometimes people will earn money, but just as often people will lose money, occasionally to life-ruining degrees.

So this GME hubbub made some people some money, yes. Just like how Bitcoin made some people some money, or how Tesla stock made some people some money, or how farming gold in Everquest made some people some money. But it could easily also have become a "buy Beanie Babies to make money" situation, and there's no way we could've known in advance.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

While I understand how you feel (hell, I'm feeling it myself), you should understand that this event is a massive anomaly in the history of WallStreetBets. As the name of the subreddit implies, it's basically just a gambling sub, where people will post about their investments in certain stocks based on their "clever" analyses and "insider" information. Sometimes people will earn money, but just as often people will lose money, occasionally to life-ruining degrees.

So this GME hubbub made some people some money, yes. Just like how Bitcoin made some people some money, or how Tesla stock made some people some money, or how farming gold in Everquest made some people some money. But it could easily also have become a "buy Beanie Babies to make money" situation, and there's no way we could've known in advance.

Yeah, I was just talking about this with Dad. He's a retired bank manager and has some stocks in Canadian companies (he doesn't do US because of the exchange rate). He said that if I wanted to make any significant returns on, say, the AMC stock which looks to be the next thing to explode like Gamestop, I'd have to invest at least $2,500 or something. And that's...just too rich for me.

 

[bhamv3]

I heard from someone that pretty much the only way to be certain you'll make money from stocks is to pick a company that you're absolutely sure won't go bust in the next few decades (let's say Disney for example), buy their stock, and then sit on it for 30 years.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

I heard from someone that pretty much the only way to be certain you'll make money from stocks is to pick a company that you're absolutely sure won't go bust in the next few decades (let's say Disney for example), buy their stock, and then sit on it for 30 years.

That's more or less what Dad was saying, too. He's looking at buying some stock in Telus, because they looked like a healthy long-term investment.

 

[Frank]

And fuck Telus too. Telus was the government privatizing Alberta's telecommunications and selling off the assets and giving away the infrastructure for free. Now they're like every unethical telecom. Fuck the Conservatives and Ralph Klein in general.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

And fuck Telus too. Telus was the government privatizing Alberta's telecommunications and selling off the assets and giving away the infrastructure for free. Now they're like every unethical telecom. Fuck the Conservatives and Ralph Klein in general.

I'm sorry. This is all stuff that goes way over my head. I didn't know.

 

[Frank]

No, you're totally right if your investing to go for something like Telus. They're just a huge gross Canadian telecom, leading the world in cell prices.

 

[GasBandit]

 

[Tinwhistler]

I've never played a hitman game. But this really makes me want to.

 

[GasBandit]

I've never played a hitman game. But this really makes me want to.

And they're all like this. At least, from the second one on.

 

[grub]

No, you're totally right if your investing to go for something like Telus. They're just a huge gross Canadian telecom, leading the world in cell prices.

Telus is a good investment but also evil. I should know, I worked for them for 9 years.

 

[GasBandit]

After eons... the new episode of Space Engineers Bullshittery arrives.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

After eons... the new episode of Space Engineers Bullshittery arrives.

I don't know what it is, but I find I don't enjoy Soviet's other videos as much as the Arma Or DayZ ones. Not that the others are bad, but there's a certain passion he puts into the Arma ones that's different. There are a few exceptions, like the Viscera Cleanup Detail.

 

[AshburnerX]

After eons... the new episode of Space Engineers Bullshittery arrives.

It only took so long because he was doing the long-ass video series on the Day Z mod.

I don't know what it is, but I find I don't enjoy Soviet's other videos as much as the Arma Or DayZ ones. Not that the others are bad, but there's a certain passion he puts into the Arma ones that's different. There are a few exceptions, like the Viscera Cleanup Duty.

He actually spent extra weeks on this video in-particular because he felt very passionately about the dog fighting bits. Not only did he need to shoot a bunch of extra footage for the breakdowns, he had to make all the various graphics for them by hand and animate them. He'd actually been annoyed by how long it was taking, he meant to have it out weeks ago, but his perfectionism wouldn't let him release it half finished.

 

[GasBandit]

It's given me the itch to play Space Engineers again... I don't want to relapse into that particular drug >_< Especially since I know that multiplayer with randos will only serve to disappoint me, after it's eaten up all my free time.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

It only took so long because he was doing the long-ass video series on the Day Z mod.



He actually spent extra weeks on this video in-particular because he felt very passionately about the dog fighting bits. Not only did he need to shoot a bunch of extra footage for the breakdowns, he had to make all the various graphics for them by hand and animate them. He'd actually been annoyed by how long it was taking, he meant to have it out weeks ago, but his perfectionism wouldn't let him release it half finished.

I get that. I can't put my finger on what it is that I don't enjoy his non-Arma videos as much, honest.

 

[PatrThom]

multiplayer with randos will only serve to disappoint me, after it's eaten up all my free time.

But... that's every game. KF2, TF2, OW, PUBG, LoL, WoW, even Minecraft.
It's like BTO says--you'll go far IF you get in with a good bunch of fellows. With randos you either carry or get dragged down. Or both.

--Patrick

 

[AshburnerX]

It's given me the itch to play Space Engineers again... I don't want to relapse into that particular drug >_< Especially since I know that multiplayer with randos will only serve to disappoint me, after it's eaten up all my free time.

I say the same thing about Space Engineers that I say about 7 Days to Die: it needs a fucking "win" condition. Every game of Space Engineers boils down to...

- Land on planet
- Build small base to facilitate getting into space.
- Get to Space
- Get to the Moon/Asteroids
- Build up for... nothing.

7 Days is the same problem.

- Find shelter near trader
- Fortify shelter
- Make weapons.
- Make transportation.
- Work for trader until max rep.
- Basically just build up to fight tougher and tougher Blood moons.

Without a "win" condition, there's nothing to shoot towards after a certain point except to fuck with other players.

 

[GasBandit]

But... that's every game. KF2, TF2, OW, PUBG, LoL, WoW, even Minecraft.
It's like BTO says--you'll go far IF you get in with a good bunch of fellows. With randos you either carry or get dragged down. Or both.

--Patrick

Not necessarily. All those first person shooters have a MUCH lower time investment. It's not even close. You can get in and out of KF2, TF2, OW, etc in 20 mins to an hour and still have a full experience.

Space Engineers, typically my commute from my base to the resource field was 20+ minutes, and to really get the full experience of a playthrough can take days or weeks.

It's not as time intensive as an MMO, but it's also much more reliant on other players for the endgame - an MMO gives you NPCs and missions and bosses to fight - Space Engineers has almost no NPCs at all. Its endgame is entirely reliant on other players, and in particular, PvP - the point at which even Soviet has arrived by starting to have fighter duels with his friends.

Basically, Space Engineers stops being fun after about 10 hours of play unless you're playing with other players, and even then, usually only with friends.

I can play Vermintide or TF2 or minecraft with friends.

I don't have any friends who play Space Engineers.

 

[PatrThom]

Without a "win" condition, there's nothing to shoot towards after a certain point except to fuck with other players.

I disagree.
It's true that some games need a cheese to make it "worth" running through the whole maze, but I don't feel like games NEED to have a cheese, so long as there are other interesting things to do. And I don't just mean stuff like "100% all the achievos," either. But I realize that takes a whole lot more doing on the part of the devs.

--Patrick

 

[GasBandit]

but I don't feel like games NEED to have a cheese, so long as there are other interesting things to do.

And therein lies the rub. There isn't any in SE. I discovered that the last time I relapsed into it, when planets were implemented. Once you've gotten to the point where you can build anything you want, you start to wonder what your motivation is to actually build anything else at all, since there is no conflict, or challenge, or goal, if you don't have other players to interact with (and usually fight with).

At least Empyrion has Zirax and stuff. Imagine Empyrion with no real survival aspects, and no NPC factions or wildlife, but a much better physics engine. That's basically Space Engineers.

 

[Dei]

That said, there's a whole group of people out there who play games like that for nothing more than the joy of building things for fun.

 

[GasBandit]

That said, there's a whole group of people out there who play games like that for nothing more than the joy of building things for fun.

This is absolutely true. Unfortunately for these people, Space Engineers starts to fray around the edges as you push the envelope for "reasonable" builds. The people who like to build things for fun often continue to build larger, and more complex, and larger, and more complex, and Clang disapproves of size and complexity, and his wrath is merciless.

 

[Bubble181]

Minecraft started out without win conditions or an endgame...and it's a cultural juggernaut.
That said, once the endgame boils down to "repeat the same thing, but maybe with slightly higher numbers" I tend to lose interest.
I like diablo 3, for example, and I've played almost all seasons (I think 17 or 18 out of 22?). And every season again, when I finish the Journey, all that's left is pushing the same rifts with the same builds, going to do it all just slightly faster or at a marginally higher difficulty, and I completely lose interest.

 

[figmentPez]

Drinks can have solid parts in it. Bubble tea, for instance.

 

[PatrThom]

I still miss 'em.
Both for the edible drinkification and for the wide-mouth bottle it would leave behind.

--Patrick

 

[Frank]

Grade 7. That's when Orbitz existed for me in Canada. We had them in the cafeteria.

On another subject, I just started playing Tropico 6 for some reason (I've never played the series before) and I'm looking at the traits as I start my first game. Qult Leader which gives you bonuses to conservative factions, negatives with intellectuals and efficiency of conservative media. SUBTLE. Heh, the Narcissist trait is equally subtle.

 

[Bubble181]

Grade 7. That's when Orbitz existed for me in Canada. We had them in the cafeteria.

On another subject, I just started playing Tropico 6 for some reason (I've never played the series before) and I'm looking at the traits as I start my first game. Qult Leader which gives you bonuses to conservative factions, negatives with intellectuals and efficiency of conservative media. SUBTLE. Heh, the Narcissist trait is equally subtle.

I personally preferred 4 or 5, have played a little bit of 6 so far.
The game play is fine, but with no overarching storyline, it loses a bit of fun for me, even if the missions themselves were in practice more or less as unconnected as in 6.
Well, 5 had you continue playing on the same islands and picking up where you left off, which could really screw you over
I'm happy 6 got rid of dynasties, though.