Flynn

I also wonder why we don't see more 2v2 in the competitive scene. The lone example I can think of is the CSL (collegiate league) which has single 2v2 match built into the best of 7 format. During the CSL finals there was actually a 2v2 match played with 40 thousand dollars on the line (Berkeley vs a Korean University). In terms of playing I have to gear myself up every time I do 1v1 ladder. I feel like I'm getting read to take a math test. I know it's going to be exhausting lonely hard work for the next 30+ minutes. But 2v2 is totally different. It's just hanging out and playing some games. Most of my friends who sill play starcraft (as opposed to just watch it) play only 2v2. I don't think is usual either, my guess is that most people who play starcraft casually (aren't studying build orders, watching videos online, etc) play mostly team games. This could perhaps be a bridge to bring more casual players in if Blizzard pushed it more.

I love the Introversion guys. They just choose the craziest themes. Nothing like that uncomfortable feeling in Defcon as you annihilate millions of people from behind a console, listening to the awkward coughs in the background. Here's an interesting interview with them on how they think about Prison Architect: http://www.pcpowerplay.com.au/2012/01/chris-delay-the-pcpp-interview/2/

Starcraft leagues are essentially lagging indicators. Breaking into a new league is still a measure of skill progression. You will match against Diamond players before getting to diamond yourself. It can indeed be a rush when your MMR jumps high enough that you start seeing matches with leagues you've never seen before.

Just to counterbalance the haters a bit: I personally don't mind Sean talking DotA now and again. Enthusiastic stories are a good listen even if I can't understand the specifics.

The themes I liked in Infinite: There's something dehumanizing about believing you can be absolved of sin, about believing sins can be washed away. It's much more human to believe sins can't be washed away. American exceptionalism from the rest of the world; Columbia exceptionalism from the rest of America; Comstock's exceptionalism from the rest of the Universe, etc. I'm enjoying listening to the Infinite spoiler casts all over the web. It's fun to be part of the zeitgeist I guess! My second favorite after Idle Thumbs is the PC Gamer UK one: http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/04/10/pc-gamer-uk-podcast-special-bioshock-infinite-spoilers/ "Sorry I'm chain-gunning your ghost-mom Elizabeth!"

I love Preston's (the hunter guy) logs. It's easy to miss some of his story too, like these parts: Great environmental stuff in the rooms you find them too.

Game changing disruptions are common, even expected, in roguelikes. The expectation is that you will have to deal with whatever adversity you face the best you can, and it can vary wildly between runs.

I used to think I was pretty good at this game. Then I watched this guy: http://www.twitch.tv/lethalfrag repeatedly win on normal... without ever pausing the game. !!!

There is no permadeath in 1999 either, it works the same as other difficulties. However the monetary penalty is so much harsher that the game is easier if you cheat-it by choosing to restart from checkpoint rather than accepting the save from Elizabeth when you die. The first time I tried 1999 I ended up wiping out 1000 dollars of banked currency a few times -- and basically never being able to afford an upgrade. The most 'ironman' run of 1999 Bioshock is the one where you never restart from checkpoint and always pay the money when you die.

A couple of hours into Infinite and I decided to restart in 1999 difficulty. I was enjoying the combat a ton until I locked onto a vigar combo that just rolled through every encounter and it got repetetive. I just can't stop myself from min-maxing when I have a good power! I tried the same combo in 1999 they had an extra restriction on the vigar the prevented what I was doing. Awesome. If you normally play shooters on the hardest difficulty I'd recommend starting in 1999, it feels right so far. Do this on main menu to unlock the setting without having to finish the game first:

I'm not sure I agree that LoMa games are more toxic than others. Certainly not Dota 2. Ever played Call of Duty on an Xbox?

Dota/League/Starcraft is nothing at all like that. Even when Navi is playing a match worth 2 million dollars. Very different scenes I guess. Hell, it's a minor scandal if a starcraft player quits a match without a 'good game' at the end.

Maxis has also acknowledged a bug -- water towers and pumps near rivers or the ocean should be essentially infinite but are not. The sewage treatment plant should be populating the water table with water and should be visible on the map (not the outflow pipe). Though you still want to use filtered water pumps instead of basic. I think the best we can hope for with the fundamental simulation is mod support. I'd love to see what the community could do with an agent based system like this.

Agreed. I also find some joy in acknowledging the stakes of a particular moment in a match I'm putting so much effort into, and occasionally this comes out as a FUCKFUCKFUUUUUCKRUNRUNRUNRUN or whatever.

Bioshock 1 is essentially 100% combat -- it's a shooter. At least in this one it looks like there is SOME interaction with NPCs that isn't shooting them. Bioshock 1 felt so damn lonely.

Trees and parks clean it over time.

Mass Effect 3 as a free game is weird -- I'd almost say it needs the DLC for the story to hold together. The ME 2 DLC was decent but easier to separate from the rest of the game. From Ashes because it shows us that Protheans are dicks, Leviathan so the overall plot makes at least a little bit of sense, and Citadel just because it is awesome. I guess 25 bucks for all those isn't that bad if the game itself isn't free but meh.

With the bolded part, go for it, that's exactly the attitude I have and I have enjoyed the heck out of it. Also... SO PRETTY. I have also been impressed by how active numerous SimCity devs have been on twitter -- responding directly to complaints and bug reports. I wouldn't count on much for the free game though, it's probably a 'pick 1 of 3' of a bunch of older games. Anno 2070 is a good game but it doesn't play much like SimCity and doesn't hit the same spot.

Yes, including a video of the updated traffic:

The title is not a lie... Nick is really back? Nice.

Casinos are heavily dependent on specific wealth types. Don't build high wealth casinos unless you have an airport, for example.

This might be the best overview video I've seen: He builds a 400k city with no mass transit and no region purchaes, talks about all the bugs and quirks mentioned in this thread, showcases interesting strats, just all around a great summary of the game in its current state.

How much of previous Sim City games have you guys played? I don't think the 'seems' are hidden any better in Sim City 4. Perhaps Sim City 4 modded out like crazy, but certainly not vanilla.

Nah, the hallmark of an low level simulation is in surprising and complex results, not necessarily comprehensible. From the PC Gamer review: This also means the problems can be more interesting... if they can get it all to work.