Jake

Idle Thumbs 48: In Space

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Remember those times you had to re-record podcasts? Because they just derailed and went totally bonkers? Did you delete all of them? Are there things that are hilarious but just weren't relevant for the episode that you cut?

I think all of those things should be compiled into a special Episode 51 Bonus Podcast so we can all have a massive laugh-fest as a nice sendoff for IdleThumbs. :grin:

I agree. You could call it 'A Fistful of Thumbs' or something ridiculous like that. I mean, that sounds like something Jake would mention and then shoot down as a possible episode title. An entire podcast made up of segments like the one that ended this episode ('fucking children') and the like would be immensely entertaining.

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Mh, sad news.

Thanks for all the great casts.

Good luck to all of you.

:tup:[<- There is a 'tup', but nobody can see it. Now can you please make them work again, it's not funny anymore.]

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Pretty good marketing move for Idle Thumbs. Podcasts get exponentially more popular once they end.

I look forward to the inevitable reunion tour.

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This is funny because just this morning I was thinking about game podcasts for some reason and how bummed I would be if Idle Thumbs ended but comforted myself with the knowledge that it isn't like, say, GFW Radio where they podcast because they work together, and someone just getting a new job can throw the show for a loop, someone would have to actually move away, and welp, thanks Nick!

Thanks for the great show, guys. I hope we can at least get the occasional reunion or news casts and blasts or something.

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Aww... What a bummer!!

The week is going to be substantially less fun and less socially uncomfortable for people who can't hear what I'm cracking up about on my headphones.

Best of luck organizing that there community!

I hope everyone still hangs out around the forums once the 'cast is retired! Although I'm a recent addition, I dig it around here.

Thanks for a great show, guys!

:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

also, one more vote for the deleted 'cast blast!

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Oh, you mean Jake?

I mean the guy who sounds a lot like the other guy, but not so much like the third.

uh, I've only been listening for two weeks or so.

Oh yeah, with regards to announcing the end of the podcast two weeks after I find it.

SCREW YOU.

-love Jubwub

Edited by jubwub

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ATTN: Smart people

Stop moving on with your lives. Stay where you are and entertain me instead. I'm looking at you, Consolevania, GFW, OMM, Gamers With Jobs Radio and, sigh, Idle Thumbs.

I suppose there's still the Bombcast, but they don't give nearly as much love to the PC as you do. And the audio quality of the RPS Wireless Show makes it sound as though the cast of "Oliver!" recorded it while trapped inside a 55-gallon drum.

Oh, well. Good luck to all.

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Shit, I only listened to half the episode before reading this thread, didn't realise Nick was leaving! That's a real pity.

Anyway what I wanted to say was that regarding the early stealth section in the museum in Uncharted 2 which Nick had trouble with, and also Tyler on Rebel FM said he had a lot of trouble with, I think the problem arises from the fact that when you enter that room, you are on the left, and the AI character Flynn is on the right. At that point, if you are someone who plays a lot of games, you probably decide (like I did the first couple of times) that you are ready to take things into your own hands, and leap over the wall in front of you to tackle the guards directly ahead. That is the most intuitive thing to do, really, if you trust that the designers know what they are doing, and have finished the previous cutscene with your character facing the direction he is supposed to go in. But if you do go that way, you will almost always be spotted. However, if you hang back for a moment, like a novice gamer might, Flynn will say "head towards the fountain", which is over on the right, past where he is. That is the way the designers want you to go, which means they have started you out on the wrong side of Flynn, and facing the wrong direction, to easily complete the room, which is the main cause of the problems here, I think. The designers have clearly put so much care and attention into the game that you would assume they would be wise enough to start you out looking in the direction you are supposed to go in, rather than having the only path you can take off in a non-intuitive direction, on the opposite side of your partner. (The reason you are on his left in the first place is that in the previous scene he told you to go left, so it is natural to assume you are meant to be there). But they rely on you waiting for Flynn to speak - if you move too soon he won't say anything. If you do wait a few seconds for him to speak, and then do what he says, and go over past him and towards the fountain, this section is just as easy as every other section in the museum. But if you don't wait around, and assume that your character has been placed in a sensible position from which to proceed, or even that the game is flexible enough to allow more than one approach, you will get spotted every time. This is where Naughty Dog have gone wrong, I think, by not making it clear that there is only one way the room can be done, and by not handing control over to you with your character in the correct place and facing in the correct direction to begin the attack.

I guess how you tackle the room varies depending on how experienced you are at games. Someone who plays a lot of games might see the guards directly ahead of them as tempting targets, and also might assume that there is no one correct way to do the room, having probably played games which allow more than one approach to be used to most encounters. But someone who isn't that experienced might see the numerous guards ahead of them and not have the confidence to go in that direction, and so might wait longer and hear Flynn telling them the direction to go. So someone who isn't good at games might actually find the room easier than someone who is.

Anyway I will now listen to the rest of the episode and find out the bad news about Nick departing, hope the podcast can somehow continue...

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Yeah, I went right in that room because I saw a hidden treasure thingy shining in the fountain. Turned out that was the right way to go to get through the room on my first try.

Also, because I was all distraught over the end of the cast, I forgot to mention my favorite manual. It is, surprisingly enough given the number of times it was mentioned this week, Crimson Skies for the PC. The manual was a full-on aviation tabloid from the universe of the game, with interviews and news stories about various pilots and American territories having their political skirmishes. Really well done, and even printed on a non-glossy thick news-standy paper that has still held up to today. Have it on my shelf over my PC. Just really well done and really got me into the feel of the world.

In case I didn't get it across right the first time, thanks so much for casting your pod for this past year. Would you believe it was the first thing I ever bothered to subscribe to on iTunes? Really sorry to see it go, but at least I'll have nothing but good memories of it.

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I just signed up a few minutes ago to also say (and I think everyone here feels the same way):

"Fuck you, Nick." (just kidding).

I meant farewell. It's been an awesome and hilarious series, and I really love the pods and the casts. And The WizaaaAAAAaaaAAAAaaarrrrrddd (sp?).

Back to talking about the episode...when you guys started talking about game manuals, I couldn't help but be reminded of the Microprose game, 'Darklands' (I think it was a 1989 game).

Darklands had this amazingly thick manual with illustrations, and descriptions of weapons, quite a lot of pages dedicated to the history of the Holy Roman Empire, history of the Medici and Hanseatic League, Christianity in the Middle Ages...and tons of other non gameplay-related but well-researched information that you won't find in a game manual these days. So that's my favourite game manuals ever.

Other picks would be the Falcon 3.0 manual which was HUGE. And had crazy info on combat tactics and landing gears and whatnot. I wish they'd make stuff like that again.

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I learned more about ants from the SimAnt manual than any library book or documentary show.

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I learned more about ants from the SimAnt manual than any library book or documentary show.

Now, have you either read a book on or watched a documentary on ants?

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I learned more about ants from the SimAnt manual than any library book or documentary show.

take that teach! i don't need no schoolin' when i got my

Super Nintendo Education System

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I learned more about ants from the SimAnt manual than any library book or documentary show.

Do you apply this method of knowledge attainment to any other aspects of your life?

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What the hell? Congrats Nick. I'm not evening going to congratulate you Nick because I am seriously saddened by this announcement. On the other hand, I'm not sad I'm furious! Jesus Christ you guys don't get how great and refreshing your podcast is when compared to others. It's terrible news that you're stopping with casting the pods. I've listened since episode 1 but always figured the community would sustain itself without me having to get to involved. Looks like I going to have to pull some serious shit out of my ass to save the day. More later.

P.S. Congratulations Nick

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So if you guys are the Beatles Rock Band of Podcasts, does this make Bethesda Yoko Ono?

Congratulations, Nick!

And congratulations to all three of you for being such enthusiastic, entertaining storytellers. You've done great work.

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This is awesome and terrible news... It's an awesome apocalypse?

Anyway, congrats Nick!

I don't think anything will happen to the forums, they've existed may before the word podcast even existed! :oldman:

Damn... One of my favorite gaming podcasts will be gone forever soon... :blink:

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