RedHerb

I had a good time listening to this episode. I was laughing to myself about Chris’s story about why he stopped playing Metro 2033. It’s funny how memory works or how inconsistent it is. I remember Chris telling that same story back a few years ago, I believe the ending was a little different. I specifically remember that story because it simultaneously made me want to play and never play Metro 2033. I guess you could blame Nick Breckon for completely stomping all over it. It got me thinking about how I do that kind of thing too. Something happens, an event or crazy thing, and your recollection of it to a friend completely works, knocks it out of the park, you get the energy right, the pace, your friend gives you great feedback (via excited gasps and other empathetic responses). Anyway, it gives you a buzz, and you think "Yes that's a good story!". However, the next time you tell it, it's less fresh, maybe whomever you’re telling it to responds less empathically (maybe's heard it before), you compensate by exaggeration, inadverently "changing events", but it still misses and you end up flailing around in a disappointing anticlimax. Anyways, chin up Chris!

Speaking of SWAT 4, just having played it recently, it has a pretty cool "dialogue" button use when attempting/forcing criminals to surrender. Listening to you guys on this week's podcast talk about dialogue branches and other verbal interaction in games, this one sprang to mind. It's pretty rudimentry of course, but if someone would expand upon this idea, maybe instead of one voice button have mulitple, it could allow for some negotiation type situation or just a new dialogue system akin to that of alpha protocol.