Chronicling the inability of gamedevs to make video games

[Rand]

The level of quality put into these games really should be appreciated

[rusty_shackleford]

you don't know a secretary when you see it?

[logincrash]

I'm mostly annoyed about everything related to the mursaat and Palawa Joko.

See, the Guild Wars world already had a bunch of antagonists factions AND the dragons around. Yet they felt to need to sideline them or kill them off quickly to introduce their own, new whatevers.

Palawa Joko and the Kormir shilling is what ended my interest in the game. They took one of the most amusingly evil antagonists in existence and turned him into a generic dictator who gets sidelined in his own storyline, all the while forcing you to help the followers of the most hated and idiotic god: Kormir.



I actually liked the flying mounts and explorability of the maps. I will always hold the opinion that the base game and HoT were excellent. Everything after that... no, miss me with that ****.

My first experience with the Arabian Nights expansion of GW2 was having to sit through a billion lines of dialogue in HL2 style "cutscenes" when I just wanted to rush through the story as quickly as possible to get the mount. I was sitting at my laptop, blood boiling and hands shaking in rage over having to listen to this nonsense WHEN THE BASE GAME HAD PERFECTLY FINE SKIPPABLE CUTSCENES!!! And then there was a big speech at the end, so I went to make myself tea. Except when I came back with my cup of tea, there was a choice of dialogue options for my character and then I had to sit through the entire ******* speech that my character gave.
And to top it all off there was a lesbian wedding with mandatory attendance and the same ******* unskippable dialogue ******** that went on for like half an hour. Honestly, this one ******* quest made me homophobic towards hot fantasy lesbians.

you don't know a secretary when you see it?

Aren't secretaries supposed to be hot?

[rusty_shackleford]

Honestly, this one ******* quest made me homophobic towards hot fantasy lesbians.

GW2 is even worse. I tried to play it for the story and after the base game it just becomes entirely about two women who are LESBIANS!!! AND THEY'RE IN LOVE!!! LESBIANS!!!!!!!! and a child genius

Vaguely mixed race Norn(you know, the race that's just fantasy vikings? Yeah), an alright-I-guess charr, an annoying as **** child genius, and two lesbian lovers whose writing is they're lesbians who love each other. Yeah, it was at that point in gaming where they realized they could put gay romances in by having two attractive women kiss each other. I'm sure they're replaced with gay males as you go further into the content.

[DDC]

I bought the discounted FF7 Remake/Rebirth bundle on Steam and realized that I'm a lot more excited to play a PC port of a 2020 game than any new JRPG released in 2024. In terms of graphics and world immersion, this old game is several generations ahead of 2024's supposed JRPG standard-bearer, Metaphor Refantazio.

In a similar vein, I had started playing Indiana Jones on gamepass because it had high hardware reqs and I wanted to flex the 4090. I start and the game doesn't look nearly as good as it should to justify how choppy it runs on a 4090. but I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt because the first level strikes the right tone. Play some more, and before I get to raid any actual tombs (I was told this was a first-person uncharted?), I get tossed into a drawn out open-world slop "vibrant city" level with jank and ****** guard AI pulled straight from an xbox 360 game. And I ask myself what the **** I am doing, because I had been planning to buy the cyberpunk expansion and replay the game with raytracing and all the other fixes since launch. And in fact I realized that I would much rather pay to replay a 2020 game than play a 2024 so-called "AAA" new release game for the first time for free, and that the 2020 game has much better graphics and world immersion.

How is it possible for an entire industry to make zero (or even negative) progress in four years? This is like buying an RTX 6090 in 2026 and it's 30% slower than the 4090 and twice as much.

[Rand]

How is it possible for an entire industry to make zero (or even negative) progress in four years?

That's DEI working for YOU!

[rusty_shackleford]

I bought the discounted FF7 Remake/Rebirth bundle on Steam and realized that I'm a lot more excited to play a PC port of a 2020 game than any new JRPG released in 2024. In terms of graphics and world immersion, this old game is several generations ahead of 2024's supposed JRPG standard-bearer, Metaphor Refantazio.

In a similar vein, I had started playing Indiana Jones on gamepass because it had high hardware reqs and I wanted to flex the 4090. I start and the game doesn't look nearly as good as it should to justify how choppy it runs on a 4090. but I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt because the first level strikes the right tone. Play some more, and before I get to raid any actual tombs (I was told this was a first-person uncharted?), I get tossed into a drawn out open-world slop "vibrant city" level with jank and ****** guard AI pulled straight from an xbox 360 game. And I ask myself what the **** I am doing, because I had been planning to buy the cyberpunk expansion and replay the game with raytracing and all the other fixes since launch. And in fact I realized that I would much rather pay to replay a 2020 game than play a 2024 so-called "AAA" new release game for the first time for free, and that the 2020 game has much better graphics and world immersion.

How is it possible for an entire industry to make zero (or even negative) progress in four years? This is like buying an RTX 6090 in 2026 and it's 30% slower than the 4090 and twice as much.

Don't worry, FF7 remake gets worse the longer you play it.

[DDC]

I bought the discounted FF7 Remake/Rebirth bundle on Steam and realized that I'm a lot more excited to play a PC port of a 2020 game than any new JRPG released in 2024. In terms of graphics and world immersion, this old game is several generations ahead of 2024's supposed JRPG standard-bearer, Metaphor Refantazio.

In a similar vein, I had started playing Indiana Jones on gamepass because it had high hardware reqs and I wanted to flex the 4090. I start and the game doesn't look nearly as good as it should to justify how choppy it runs on a 4090. but I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt because the first level strikes the right tone. Play some more, and before I get to raid any actual tombs (I was told this was a first-person uncharted?), I get tossed into a drawn out open-world slop "vibrant city" level with jank and ****** guard AI pulled straight from an xbox 360 game. And I ask myself what the **** I am doing, because I had been planning to buy the cyberpunk expansion and replay the game with raytracing and all the other fixes since launch. And in fact I realized that I would much rather pay to replay a 2020 game than play a 2024 so-called "AAA" new release game for the first time for free, and that the 2020 game has much better graphics and world immersion.

How is it possible for an entire industry to make zero (or even negative) progress in four years? This is like buying an RTX 6090 in 2026 and it's 30% slower than the 4090 and twice as much.

Don't worry, FF7 remake gets worse the longer you play it.

I played it on the PS5 so I know exactly what it is. Other than some length padding and departures from the original story that should not have been made, I think it's a near-perfect JRPG. The battle system in particular is best in slot. It's the only action-based battle system I've ever seen in a JRPG that still manages to capture the feel of playing a 1990s turn-based Final Fantasy game, and actually be better. I don't get how they finally made something that works so well in FF7 Remake, then went for God of War Lite for FF16.

[Roguey]

Don't worry, FF7 remake gets worse the longer you play it.

I liked the entire thing.

[Zothique]

I bought the discounted FF7 Remake/Rebirth bundle on Steam and realized that I'm a lot more excited to play a PC port of a 2020 game than any new JRPG released in 2024. In terms of graphics and world immersion, this old game is several generations ahead of 2024's supposed JRPG standard-bearer, Metaphor Refantazio.

In a similar vein, I had started playing Indiana Jones on gamepass because it had high hardware reqs and I wanted to flex the 4090. I start and the game doesn't look nearly as good as it should to justify how choppy it runs on a 4090. but I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt because the first level strikes the right tone. Play some more, and before I get to raid any actual tombs (I was told this was a first-person uncharted?), I get tossed into a drawn out open-world slop "vibrant city" level with jank and ****** guard AI pulled straight from an xbox 360 game. And I ask myself what the **** I am doing, because I had been planning to buy the cyberpunk expansion and replay the game with raytracing and all the other fixes since launch. And in fact I realized that I would much rather pay to replay a 2020 game than play a 2024 so-called "AAA" new release game for the first time for free, and that the 2020 game has much better graphics and world immersion.

How is it possible for an entire industry to make zero (or even negative) progress in four years? This is like buying an RTX 6090 in 2026 and it's 30% slower than the 4090 and twice as much.

Don't worry, FF7 remake gets worse the longer you play it.

FF7 was always bad.

[Marcus]

Why did you guys stop chronicling the inability of game devs to make video games? You could probably post a new news article in here every day.

[Oyster Sauce]

Why did you guys stop chronicling the inability of game devs to make video games? You could probably post a new news article in here every day.

Takes 10+ years to make a game now. Very few games in development have anything to talk about.

[rusty_shackleford]

~18 years between Starflight 2 and Mass Effect




~18 years between Mass Effect and uhh…

[Stack of Turtles]

~18 years between Starflight 2 and Mass Effect




~18 years between Mass Effect and uhh…

36 years of decline, sad.

[Tweed]

You can't heckin' crucherino anymore, developers aren't enthusiastic anymore, and everyone is ******** now.

[Roguey]

~18 years between Mass Effect and uhh…

Outer Worlds 2, this October.

[Oyster Sauce]

~18 years between Mass Effect and uhh…

Outer Worlds 2, this October.

Oh no no....

[Norfleet]

Getting a game to interface with all the annoying proprietary systems that are needed these days is just a pain in the ***. Graphics APIs, Steam APIs, blah, blah, blah. I miss when games were just in ASCII and all it had to do was read and emit to a telnet or console.

[Unhelpful Contrarian]

~18 years between Mass Effect and uhh…

Outer Worlds 2, this October.

Not only game of the year materiel but game of the decade.

[KnightoftheWind]

I'm sick to ******* death of Unreal Engine 5, I truly am. Just look at this trailer for the "remaster" of Syberia, an old puzzler from the 2000s. Just look at how generic and "Unreal Engine" it looks compared to the original. Art is being lost as a result of every ******* developer using this engine and flicking the same switches.

wr6wpe8wol1f1.png

[Unhelpful Contrarian]

I'm sick to ******* death of Unreal Engine 5, I truly am. Just look at this trailer for the "remaster" of Syberia, an old puzzler from the 2000s. Just look at how generic and "Unreal Engine" it looks compared to the original. Art is being lost as a result of every ******* developer using this engine and flicking the same switches.

wr6wpe8wol1f1.png

I’m guessing why developers are using it so commonly because of its ease of use and being relatively affordable as engine compared to proprietary engine which is the exact opposite.

[LemonDemonGirl]

Code Vein 2 is going to run on it, ****

[Tweed]

Seems like the time is ripe for studios to start making their own engines again, not that that will happen.

[Decline]

Seems like the time is ripe for studios to start making their own engines again, not that that will happen.

Economically not viable.

[Vaako]

Seems like the time is ripe for studios to start making their own engines again, not that that will happen.

Economically not viable.

Also unlikely that there are enough people arround still which are capable of making new engines.

But yeah cant stand unrealengine anymore. Usually looks too clean.

[J1M]

Seems like the time is ripe for studios to start making their own engines again, not that that will happen.

Economically not viable.

Also unlikely that there are enough people arround still which are capable of making new engines.

But yeah cant stand unrealengine anymore. Usually looks too clean.

I wish games looked too clean. Everything is smeared and there's garbage and dust everywhere to hide the upscaling problems. Mass Effect and Deus Ex were Unreal Engine after all.

My biggest issue with Unreal is actually performance related. People seem incapable of making a game with modest polygon counts and modest requirements. And it's a pain to work with in terms of load times, compile times, and such.

[Vaako]

Economically not viable.

Also unlikely that there are enough people arround still which are capable of making new engines.

But yeah cant stand unrealengine anymore. Usually looks too clean.

I wish games looked too clean. Everything is smeared and there's garbage and dust everywhere to hide the upscaling problems. Mass Effect and Deus Ex were Unreal Engine after all.

My biggest issue with Unreal is actually performance related. People seem incapable of making a game with modest polygon counts and modest requirements. And it's a pain to work with in terms of load times, compile times, and such.

Maybe clean isnt the right word. The worlds look steril and the protagonist or monsters dont blend/hide well with the environment and too much detail can also be distracting for the eye. That sometimes lower poly games with fog are just more to my liking. Even tho I had no huge issues with the oblivion remaster and RE4 remake if that was also unreal cant remember. Or maybe its just the ****** art direction of most modern games.

[Tangerine]

Also unlikely that there are enough people arround still which are capable of making new engines.

But yeah cant stand unrealengine anymore. Usually looks too clean.

I wish games looked too clean. Everything is smeared and there's garbage and dust everywhere to hide the upscaling problems. Mass Effect and Deus Ex were Unreal Engine after all.

My biggest issue with Unreal is actually performance related. People seem incapable of making a game with modest polygon counts and modest requirements. And it's a pain to work with in terms of load times, compile times, and such.

Maybe clean isnt the right word. The worlds look steril and the protagonist or monsters dont blend/hide well with the environment and too much detail can also be distracting for the eye. That sometimes lower poly games with fog are just more to my liking. Even tho I had no huge issues with the oblivion remaster and RE4 remake if that was also unreal cant remember. Or maybe its just the ****** art direction of most modern games.

Unreal looks passable to most people out of the box, so devs don't spend a lot of time/effort tweaking the lighting, post-processing, etc. That's assuming they even know how they'd go about it.

[rusty_shackleford]

Selection_037.webp

Selection_038.webp

[rusty_shackleford]

Every engine definitely has a distinct 'look', very few people are customizing the rendering shaders for off the shelf engines because so much of the engine will assume the shaders(referring to basic ones people take for granted e.g., perform things like light calculations) work in a very specific way and changing it will mess up a bunch of things that make certain assumptions.

It's why, for example, most isometric games made in unity/unreal don't actually use isometric perspective but a perspective camera with a very low field of view(you pull the camera very far away — but this can cause a bunch of issues with LOD/shadows/etc., because again, the engines aren't designed around the camera being so far away from what it's looking at and you have all these assumptions around what the default game is doing.) Most rendering features simply don't work with an orthographic projection matrix as they're implemented in unity/unreal because most games don't use one.
You can see this in action with the ATOM games, they offer a true orthographic mode but it disables certain rendering features that don't work with non-perspective cameras in Unity.

Once you start doing things the average game doesn't do you start breaking a bunch of stuff you need to fix yourself