General gaming discussion

CastorTroy

I still have to play Return of the Obra Dinn, but that Sinking City looks cool.

For me I'll likely be getting Luigi's Mansion 3, Mario Maker 2 and Link's Awakening.

Mr Crispy

Games on my radar for 2019*

April: Days Gone, Imperator: Rome
May: A Plague Tale, Rage 2, TW Three Kingdoms
June: The Sinking City, Judgement
July onward/TBD: Age of Wonders Planetfall, Wolfenstein Youngblood, Control, The Outer Worlds, Doom Eternal, Wasteland 3, Psychonauts 2, Code Vein, Desperados 3, Phoenix Point.

I may pick up a Switch at some point too...

*games I want to be good, but the majority will end up being a bit poo

Doctor Nick

Cuphead is getting a switch release next month so I can't wait to play that. Any news of a release date for Luigi's Mansion?

CastorTroy

There was a possible leak before for a July release date for Luigi

TitianGerm

CastorTroy wrote: »

There was a possible leak before for a July release date for Luigi

I need to go trade Division 2 against that before the trade prices drop.

aaronjumper

Only announced game I might be interested in so far would be Rage 2.
If I lose interest or it gets pushed back I might make a dent in my backlog.

Zero-Cool

DriveClub on PS4 having its servers shutdown in 2020, single player still available but it's mostly an MP game so careful if you're buying it. Being delisted from psn store.

https://www.facebook.com/273824104039/posts/10157286892959040/

Jerichoholic

There's still an awful amount of single player stuff to do in driveclub, don't think I ever did multiplayer on it. Get it while you can.

EoinMcLovin

Interesting article on how Bioware went wrong with Anthem
https://kotaku.com/how-biowares-anthem-went-wrong-1833731964

Zero-Cool

EoinMcLovin wrote: »

Interesting article on how Bioware went wrong with Anthem
https://kotaku.com/how-biowares-anthem-went-wrong-1833731964

Such a great read, devs finding rooms to cry in, regular stress leave for 1 to 3 months, sometimes people not coming back. Wow, that sounded like a ****ing awful Dev cycle.

I'm still hoping for a ME trilogy remake as I'd love it but also should be handy money for bioware. Great story and gameplay already in place instead of spending 7 years on a new game that devs will hate making and gamers will hate it when it comes out.

Was interesting to hear how devs wished DA Inquisition would fail to show bosses their crunch process doesn't work but the games success reinforced it.

Zero-Cool

EoinMcLovin wrote: »

Interesting article on how Bioware went wrong with Anthem
https://kotaku.com/how-biowares-anthem-went-wrong-1833731964

Bioware's reply.

http://blog.bioware.com/2019/04/02/anthem-game-development/

nix

Zero-Cool wrote: »

Bioware's reply.

http://blog.bioware.com/2019/04/02/anthem-game-development/

"who did their absolute best to bring this totally new idea to fans"

LOL They just ripped off warframe and destiny :rolleyes::D

kunst nugget

EoinMcLovin wrote: »

Interesting article on how Bioware went wrong with Anthem
https://kotaku.com/how-biowares-anthem-went-wrong-1833731964

That's a brilliant article

I like BioWare stuff but don't love it. The whole squad aspect in Dragon Age and Mass Effect never felt right to me, they were either stealing my kills of not doing what they should be doing and felt like I'd have preferred their games as a solo character. Out side of combat though the characters were great.

J. Marston

I adore the Mass Effect trilogy (even 3) but I never liked anything else from Bioware.

EoinMcLovin

Bioware released that press statement just after the article went live so they clearly never read it. Also response from the writer of the article
https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/1113254146067402752?s=09

Potential-Monke

That is a really good read. Seems like the project was screwed from the beginning tbh, and it wasn't helped by the alleged internal fights and disagreements. Seems it was all due to someone not being the Chief and making the calls. BioWares response is a typical corporate response, I don't take anything from it.

What I wonder, is why people still allow employers to treat them this way. My bosses know, without any doubt, that I will not work beyond my scheduled hours, regardless of how busy it is. I know that's not the way a lot of companies are, but it's the people still agreeing to these long hours and crap conditions and doing it that are the problem. The entire staff working on this game should have just got together, and said 'Our working day is finished at x time, we're going home then'. But, I don't have an insight into games development, and this may just be the way it is, but it's wrong. I personally think 39 hours a week is still too long to be working, but no one should be working more than 39 hours if they're employed. Just my opinion on it. There's a reason 39 hours is considered the max, and troubles aside, working these long hours definitely takes its toll.

I do look forward to the game that this new studio that all the veteran BioWare devs went to. Should be good. Also, seems like it's infinitely easier to make a SP game than a MP, especially a loot shooter by the sounds of it!

Zero-Cool

Honestly, game devs sound like they have an awful job for the most part. I have no idea of wages but nothing could be worth sleeping in the office during 'crunch' and taking regular stress leave, that is just not normal. Then to pour a number of years into your work for it to be sabotaged by mismanagement and publishers and be shredded by reviewers on launch. I saw a video the other day of the ****ing eejits on YouTube saying why they were wring about Far Cry New Dawn and it's actually a fun game. Apparently they slated it to all their subscribers without even playing it. At least they made a follow up vid saying they were wrong but that's the kind of **** you have to deal with when making a game.

Potential-Monke

Yeah, working in the gaming industry for these huge companies seems like it's not worth it. I know CDPR are lauded as the company to be like, but I heard they had some of this crap happening too. I know close to a launch it would get busier, but that should only happen really close to the launch, and if the game is that bad that it needs this crunching and long days, the release should be put off. I can't understand why they rush to put out a game, knowing that it will be a buggy mess and get slated. Would the shareholders not be happy with 'Well, it's not finished yet, and if we release it now we'll probably lose money, but if we delay it for a week/month/whatever we will make money off it'.

No wonder there was so many Indie devs popping up over the last 10 or so years, seems easier to make and release an indie game where you won't have the stresses of one of the leading players in the gaming market! But again, I know nothing about it so I could be wrong there too.

Retr0gamer

Happens in small Devs and indies as well. Had a short stint doing game Dev and by the end we were talking about how our partners were worried about us cheating on them as we were in work for hours. On the launch party the guy I was working with on the programming wife came up to me and said you must be the guy my husband was cheating with. It was funny but really not so great as it nearly ruined everyone's relationships on that team.

pixelburp

Early in my professional career, I was quite focused on getting into the games industry as a dev / artist. Came quite close to moving to England with a job at a company all lined up, only for it to fall apart at the 11th hour. kinda stopped looking after that and went on a different trajectory in IT. In retrospect, given what I've since learned of that industry's working conditions, that falling through was ultimately a blessing in disguise. I've since found my niche and given how easily I let stress get to me at work anyway, I shudder to think of what state I'd be in had I kept searching for a route into games Dev.

There's clearly not enough of a critical mass to properly unionise, and as a consumer group gamers can't be relied on for support either (arguably they're part of the problem). Much of the culture if self inflicted too - managers expecting 90 hour weeks cos that's what they did if the EA Spouse was a yardstick - and I think it's going to take actual stress-induced deaths as seen in Japan before serious actions are taken. Until then it'll remain a horrible churn of an industry that chews through people.

gizmo

Update in the form of an interesting tweet chain...

https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/1113552882731765763

"Don't talk to the press."

Indeed.

Shiminay

It's common in some other areas of software development, but it seems to be rampant in the games industry as they seem to have some sort of aura of "yea, but you get to make GAMES!" around them that people seem to be willing to just get on with it.

You also need to remember that employment laws in North America seem to give all the power to the employer and almost zero protection to the employees. People can be let go on a whim and it's not so big an industry that a vindictive manager can't spread the word that you're "trouble" to work with (where trouble means you don't want to work 60+ hour weeks) via back channels.

It's difficult to know what to do as consumers in wanting to support the humans who are killing themselves for our entertainment. Not buying the game means the company just lays more people off and makes the problem even worse for the next project and the next team working on it. Rally support for unionisation? The only real thing you can do is buy enough shares to have a voting impact at AGM time and good luck trying to make that happen.

pixelburp

Shiminay wrote: »

It's common in some other areas of software development, but it seems to be rampant in the games industry as they seem to have some sort of aura of "yea, but you get to make GAMES!" around them that people seem to be willing to just get on with it.

You also need to remember that employment laws in North America seem to give all the power to the employer and almost zero protection to the employees. People can be let go on a whim and it's not so big an industry that a vindictive manager can't spread the word that you're "trouble" to work with (where trouble means you don't want to work 60+ hour weeks) via back channels.

It's difficult to know what to do as consumers in wanting to support the humans who are killing themselves for our entertainment. Not buying the game means the company just lays more people off and makes the problem even worse for the next project and the next team working on it. Rally support for unionisation? The only real thing you can do is buy enough shares to have a voting impact at AGM time and good luck trying to make that happen.

Absolutely it should start with not buying the games, because you're still in effect rewarding that work practise. As consumers we should be willing to draw the line somewhere, even if it means losing out on an optional (luxury?) hobby. Unless of course you just don't care, in which case ... that's ones personal choice I suppose. The companies are only supplying the demand that they perceive to exist, and that demand is reflected in the manic (pre) purchases of iterative games, or latterly these games-as-service packages. If that demand disappears, companies will be forced to reevaluate the market and how they make games.

K.O.Kiki

Potential-Monke wrote: »

That is a really good read. Seems like the project was screwed from the beginning tbh, and it wasn't helped by the alleged internal fights and disagreements. Seems it was all due to someone not being the Chief and making the calls. BioWares response is a typical corporate response, I don't take anything from it.

What I wonder, is why people still allow employers to treat them this way. My bosses know, without any doubt, that I will not work beyond my scheduled hours, regardless of how busy it is. I know that's not the way a lot of companies are, but it's the people still agreeing to these long hours and crap conditions and doing it that are the problem. The entire staff working on this game should have just got together, and said 'Our working day is finished at x time, we're going home then'. But, I don't have an insight into games development, and this may just be the way it is, but it's wrong. I personally think 39 hours a week is still too long to be working, but no one should be working more than 39 hours if they're employed. Just my opinion on it. There's a reason 39 hours is considered the max, and troubles aside, working these long hours definitely takes its toll.

I do look forward to the game that this new studio that all the veteran BioWare devs went to. Should be good. Also, seems like it's infinitely easier to make a SP game than a MP, especially a loot shooter by the sounds of it!

39 hours max would be nice...

I'm on average 45hrs and yet not even making €30k
Yet my boss is a billionaire.

johnny_ultimate

Jason Schreier‘s work alongside equally compelling reporting from outlets like Eurogamer have been immensely impactful in opening up a meaningful conversation about working conditions in the gaming industry. Hopefully it prompts meaningful and sustained change from the companies that have come under the less than flattering microscope, rather than just statements acknowledging the issues. Really encouraging example of how robust, campaigning journalism still matters and can have positive impacts on public perception.

Dyr

gizmo wrote: »

Update in the form of an interesting tweet chain...

https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/1113552882731765763



Indeed.

If I was in the business of selling games, I wouldn't be wasting my time talking to the frustrated political columnists that are stuck in games journalism.


They couldn't help you sell loads of games, even if they wanted. Which they don't

Varik

Remember reading something that I can't find right now during the voice actor strike that someone brought up. It was on the differences in VA work in games to TV/Film, especially the secrecy. Writer made the point that the people making games or a new iphone/ect are cut from the same cloth when it comes to it.

Some Journalist with an art degree can argue the benefits of unionising within the industry all they like but it's not limited to just there, with the exception of the public sector and some parts of health care the majority of people in stem don't belong to unions. We get associations, societies, and professional bodies.

Instead of striking, we get CPD talks we won't go to.

Nerdkiller1991

Nerdkiller1991 wrote: »

https://twitter.com/AnchormanV2/status/1113420760666779649

I never really understood the issue here. All I have to do is download a different client to access these exclusives. It's not a big deal.

gizmo

Bambi wrote: »

If I was in the business of selling games, I wouldn't be wasting my time talking to the frustrated political columnists that are stuck in games journalism.


They couldn't help you sell loads of games, even if they wanted. Which they don't

The people who are in the business of selling games aren't the ones who are talking to journalists, it's the folk making them that are doing so and, in the process, highlighting the problems they've faced during development which management would rather not be in the public domain.

This is why they're being told not to talk to the press.

These people can get ****ed.

At least Hudson has actually recognised the existence of the issues raised in his follow up email to staff which is a start.