Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

 Ratius wrote:
Never had those issues tbh.
What let BF down was the tedious outside the animus in the office bits.

Yeah I still don't quite the the point of that. First time it happened its jarring and then you are sort of led around and you do the whole "walk after someone whilst they talk at you because pressing the w key is more fun than just watching a cinematic..." and then you're back to the game you actually want to play. Esp as the out of animus bit didn't add any mystery or content or game.

Aye a real break in immersion =/

I have vague recollections that the out of animus sequences in each of the AC games told you a bit more of the overall AC plot but didnt play enough of them to confirm/care

Not Online!!! wrote:
Fallout? Or skyrim?
From no advantage for gameplay bethesda?




Automatically Appended Next Post:

Over the years I've been pretty lucky, so far I've yet to have a major issue with FO4 or Skyrim. Fo3 a few times axed my save files, but I always made backups so, I've never really been into the whole "bethesda makes bad bugs" memes, because I just don't think they're as bad as most people claim.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Overread wrote:

 Ratius wrote:
Never had those issues tbh.
What let BF down was the tedious outside the animus in the office bits.

Yeah I still don't quite the the point of that. First time it happened its jarring and then you are sort of led around and you do the whole "walk after someone whilst they talk at you because pressing the w key is more fun than just watching a cinematic..." and then you're back to the game you actually want to play. Esp as the out of animus bit didn't add any mystery or content or game.

The style of the AC games just doesn't interest me. I get the point, it's just, not my cup of coffee.

I stopped giving a gak about AC when Ubisoft stopped giving a gak about coherence.

The Assassin's Creed movie was the perfect adaptation of the franchise. No one knows what's going on. No one has any clue why anything is happening. The plot is nonsensical from start to finish and oh hey look someone just stabbed someone lets go do some stabbing.

AC in a nutshell

 BrookM wrote:
If you play through the series you can see the decline. Personally I quit after the third one, though it was more due to "HEY, HERE'S ANOTHER HISTORICAL GIANT YOU JUST HAPPEN TO MEET" than anything else. For me personally the second game is still the best one in the series. Ezio, oh Ezio~

It's sad though the way Ubisoft is killing everything I love. I really, really like Wildlands and whilst it has become a lootbox palooza, it is still playable without them and best of all, all the single player content post-launch (barring the two DLC "campaigns") has been put out for free. So, having them thoroughly kill off my hype for the sequel with their horrible practices is just blargh.

Only relief is that Siege is played on high level and is something you can't put pay 2 win into. So, just cosmetic dickery there.

I picked up Black Flag, but didn't really play it. AC3 where I dropped off as well, though technically I gave up half way through 2.2 and didn't play 2.3. I finished AC3 for some reason I the experience just kind of burned out what interest remained.

 LordofHats wrote:
I stopped giving a gak about AC when Ubisoft stopped giving a gak about coherence.

The Assassin's Creed movie was the perfect adaptation of the franchise. No one knows what's going on. No one has any clue why anything is happening. The plot is nonsensical from start to finish and oh hey look someone just stabbed someone lets go do some stabbing.

AC in a nutshell

Specaking of, what is the basic story of this franchise? Why are you assassinating all these people? And what's with the weird history jumping stuff and the really weird high tech scenes I've seen.

Over the years I've been pretty lucky, so far I've yet to have a major issue with FO4 or Skyrim. Fo3 a few times axed my save files, but I always made backups so, I've never really been into the whole "bethesda makes bad bugs" memes, because I just don't think they're as bad as most people claim.

You lucky Son Of a gun.
I had nearly all of them.

 Togusa wrote:


Specaking of, what is the basic story of this franchise? Why are you assassinating all these people? And what's with the weird history jumping stuff and the really weird high tech scenes I've seen.

I don't know what it is now. Which is the joke.

TLDR;

Assassins and Templars are secret orders waging secret wars against one another all over the globe throughout history to control various alien artifacts. Yes the series spirals into ancient aliens by the end of the first game completely randomly with zero foreshadowing and then proceeds to make less and less sense as each new entry contrives new reasons to keep telling the story.

To be fair though I'm not sure anyone is in it for the story anymore.

 LordofHats wrote:

 Togusa wrote:


Specaking of, what is the basic story of this franchise? Why are you assassinating all these people? And what's with the weird history jumping stuff and the really weird high tech scenes I've seen.

I don't know what it is now. Which is the joke.

TLDR;

Assassins and Templars are secret orders waging secret wars against one another all over the globe throughout history to control various alien artifacts. Yes the series spirals into ancient aliens by the end of the first game completely randomly with zero foreshadowing and then proceeds to make less and less sense as each new entry contrives new reasons to keep telling the story.

To be fair though I'm not sure anyone is in it for the story anymore.

Frankly put, regard it as flashback- of - your - last - reincarnation - stabbyMCSTAB-SIMULATOR.

Also something, something order vs. freedom or whatever. But I have no idea which side is supposed to be which, and both sides appear to be manipulated by different factions (or the same faction) of the dead aliens, who are mostly holograms or something.

The more recent games (especially Odyssey), have living aliens and their creations running around, and the modern day past lives flashback bit is even more nonsensical and a pointless digression from the main plot. [And the assassins and templars don't even exist in any meaningful sense at the time of the game] It's a framing device that isn't even vaguely necessary at this point and a meta excuse as to why you get back up when you 'die'- you've actually just de-synced from the past life computer and have to log back in again.

They'd improve the games immensely by dispensing with all the [cult/alien/past life] garbage and just focusing on the story of the game's protagonist.

Voss wrote:
Also something, something order vs. freedom or whatever. But I have no idea which side is supposed to be which, and both sides appear to be manipulated by different factions (or the same faction) of the dead aliens, who are mostly holograms or something.

The more recent games (especially Odyssey), have living aliens and their creations running around, and the modern day past lives flashback bit is even more nonsensical and a pointless digression from the main plot. [And the assassins and templars don't even exist in any meaningful sense at the time of the game] It's a framing device that isn't even vaguely necessary at this point and a meta excuse as to why you get back up when you 'die'- you've actually just de-synced from the past life computer and have to log back in again.

They'd improve the games immensely by dispensing with all the [cult/alien/past life] garbage and just focusing on the story of the game's protagonist.

again, regarding the plot that supposedly is there and contrasting it via what the game is actually.

It remains a stabby-mac-stab Simulator.

Oh and often a Tower climb Simulator.

There is also a deadly solar flare or something that is going to wipe out all live, but requires a sacrifice to the aliens to stop it from happening, which is part of the larger arc the first three games go through.

To backtrack slightly with the CCG's are just as much gambling with loot boxes. If I recall correctly there was actually a lawsuit for this during the Pokemon card game craze. I believe the lawsuit was thrown out because "Card packs give a tangible product that can be resold at a value". So if you go by that, another lootbox solution is a Steam marketplace style thing where you can resell what you get in your lootboxes to other players.

Except a 'steam marketplace style thing' doesn't yield a tangible product, let alone one that can be resold at a real value.

Voss wrote:
Except a 'steam marketplace style thing' doesn't yield a tangible product, let alone one that can be resold at a real value.

Except that's exactly what the steam marketplace does. it gives the individual rewards from your Lootbox rewards from TF2 and CS:GO real value. Now that value is laughably small. However, you can sell that duplicate skin or unwanted Hat on the steam marketplace.

You can argue its not a tangible product. However, it for sure gives the lootbox resale value.

I'd rather they just get removed entirely. I don't really want a steam marketplace of lootbox rewards being offered up for sale in every game. However, it is a possible way to avoid weird government legislation.

 BrookM wrote:
There is also a deadly solar flare or something that is going to wipe out all live, but requires a sacrifice to the aliens to stop it from happening, which is part of the larger arc the first three games go through.

I'd argue the AC3 ending is worse than ME3; it just benefits from aggressively not making you care about the story by the time it happens so you're more accepting of the stupidity.

Keep in mind, ME3 is one of my like.... 3? Real nerd rage moments. I can only think of one other, but I'm sure there was probably at least one more.

 LunarSol wrote:

 BrookM wrote:
There is also a deadly solar flare or something that is going to wipe out all live, but requires a sacrifice to the aliens to stop it from happening, which is part of the larger arc the first three games go through.

I'd argue the AC3 ending is worse than ME3; it just benefits from aggressively not making you care about the story by the time it happens so you're more accepting of the stupidity.

Keep in mind, ME3 is one of my like.... 3? Real nerd rage moments. I can only think of one other, but I'm sure there was probably at least one more.

ME was a removed bar none.
Well alteast the 3rd iteration.

Please do not circumvent the language filter

 BrookM wrote:

I mean, what did you expect.

I think I might be one of the few who really likes the AC meta-plot at Abstergo, and moving around the offices discovering the modern-day conspiracy. It was heaps of fun in Rogue where you joined the bad guys at the end.

Anyway, I have a concern with a new GTA Online update that's about to hit. The long unused casino in Los Santos is about to open in a big way, and, as you'd expect, the casino has loads of casino games - blackjack, roulette, slots, etc.

Presumably you pay for this using in-game currency. In-game currency, which you can purchase for real currency.

So you can pay real money to be part of virtual casino gambling.

Is this not raising any red flags?

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
I think I might be one of the few who really likes the AC meta-plot at Abstergo, and moving around the offices discovering the modern-day conspiracy. It was heaps of fun in Rogue where you joined the bad guys at the end.

Anyway, I have a concern with a new GTA Online update that's about to hit. The long unused casino in Los Santos is about to open in a big way, and, as you'd expect, the casino has loads of casino games - blackjack, roulette, slots, etc.

Presumably you pay for this using in-game currency. In-game currency, which you can purchase for real currency.

So you can pay real money to be part of virtual casino gambling.

Is this not raising any red flags?

Not red no, but it's weird. Someone spilled blood all over the white flag

I'm sure Jim or one of the other ones out there will tackle it sooner or later. I'd be surprised if Jim didn't talk about it at some point.

 BrookM wrote:
I'm sure Jim or one of the other ones out there will tackle it sooner or later. I'd be surprised if Jim didn't talk about it at some point.

The massive difference beeing that this time it is an Grey area casino in a propperly marked game for the age.
Still though, no checks on gambling addicts.
And no license.

Unless they make it a casino with its own internal currency that has no value outside of it?

 Overread wrote:
Unless they make it a casino with its own internal currency that has no value outside of it?

So long you can buy the currency, so long it is one.
Ergo yes, an grey area Casino.

Not Online!!! wrote:

 Overread wrote:
Unless they make it a casino with its own internal currency that has no value outside of it?

So long you can buy the currency, so long it is one.
Ergo yes, an grey area Casino.

You know, this might sound crazy, but maybe we should hire Jack Thompson. Remember him? Just tell him to lock in on loot boxes and in-game gambling and go at it. Maybe he'll actually get somewhere on a topic he has a leg to stand on with

On the one hand, as someone who has struggled with real gambling addition, my initial thought is "just learn self control like the rest of us" and "stop being such bad parents and take responsibility for once in your life."

On the other, I wish PEGI/ERSB would stop capitulating to the game publishers and make any game with microtransactions an 18+/Adult Only game. That would help curb the excesses. If they don't then the governments will get involved which is never a good thing.

 BaconCatBug wrote:
On the one hand, as someone who has struggled with real gambling addition, my initial thought is "just learn self control like the rest of us" and "stop being such bad parents and take responsibility for once in your life."

On the other, I wish PEGI/ERSB would stop capitulating to the game publishers and make any game with microtransactions an 18+/Adult Only game. That would help curb the excesses. If they don't then the governments will get involved which is never a good thing.

Roffle, again, these "rating controllers" or however you want to name them are purely voluntary and financed by the most eregious exemples of the gaming industry. Do you honestly think they have enough baseline integrity to grow a spine?
That is wishfull thinking. And it still does not solve the issue of underaged unlicensed gambling. Which is very much a problem.

So yes, imo the hammer has to fall, else nothing happens and we get more AC odyssees and SWBF2(EA) then we allready have, and i for one am sick and tired of this gak, especially when you talk to people that work in the industry and basically confirm the hire and fire practices, crunch etc. whilest the big publishers roll in so much dough for zero actual investment.

 LordofHats wrote:


You know, this might sound crazy, but maybe we should hire Jack Thompson. Remember him? Just tell him to lock in on loot boxes and in-game gambling and go at it. Maybe he'll actually get somewhere on a topic he has a leg to stand on with

It's a crazy idea. It just might work. Shame he got disbarred.

 BaconCatBug wrote:
On the other, I wish PEGI/ERSB would stop capitulating to the game publishers and make any game with microtransactions an 18+/Adult Only game. That would help curb the excesses. If they don't then the governments will get involved which is never a good thing.

They're a paper tiger.

If they rated FIFA 20[current year] R18+ for gambling, you can bet that loot boxes and in-game real money stores would be patched out overnight. But they won't, because they're an industry regulator and they masters are the people they're rating.

But that's something Jim keeps bringing up: The longer they ignore this and fail to take action, the closer we get until the government steps in. They won't like that.