Idle Thumbs 104: Emblematic of the Dissonance

[BigJKO]

Wow, I thought AFK players were locked out from the game once they've been out for too long (when the game removes their profile picture..)  Them being able to log in whenever they want and suddenly be an active part of the game is kind of shit.

 

When you guys first started talking about this I thought maybe the admin had outright cheated and fast-forwarded the game 6 hours (as he is apparently allowed..) to screw someone over. That would be the worst and make me rage quit that shit immediately..

 

It's a bummer when something like this happens and just ruins people's fun (and despicable, vile tactics).

[Roderick]

Can we have the last ten seconds of the podcast on Youtube as an inspiration Zombo.com thing? Great episode, gang, enjoyed the talks about Monaco, Neptune's Pride and your crazy new intern? You have an intern? How did that happen? How big is Idle Thumbs Industries nowadays?

[thestalkinghead]

well sorry guys i was in an asshole mood, i wouldn't want to play a game the way you were playing it, it is way too stressful (i would be setting alarms and staying awake for way too long so i didn't miss anything) and i guess it was only a matter of time before ruthlessness crossed the line (even if that line isn't specifically breaking the rules) maybe a non-anonymous game would be less ruthless and more light hearted but i guess it will be awhile before you guys start another game like this

[Colourful Stuff]

This week saw my KSP landing their first two Kerbals on the moon. I set myself the challenge of doing this without any external information except for what I could glean from real NASA history. Nick is right in his observation that this makes for a more satisfying experience than following a guide. Maybe the 12 heroic scientists sacrificed to this end would have preferred I seek expert guidance.

[SecretAsianMan]

I agree with Henroid and Gormongous about Monaco.  There's a lot of information in the game that isn't obvious and left to the player to determine.  I normally wouldn't mind taking my time and learning it myself, but when you're trying to plan a heist/escape it really helps to know how the world works and what your character can do.  For instance I learned last night that the redhead can charm dogs in addition to people, which seems really weird to me but was very useful at times.

 

I also kind of like the Rashomon style of storytelling that's going on.  It's a neat way for the game to change up levels you've played before.

[I_smell]

You guys talking about Neptune's Pride sounds EXACTLY like GiantBomb talking about Eve Online.

 

The fact that it has a really simplistic set of mechanics, and all the douchey subterfuge happens outside of the game is exactly what they were talking about this week, when they went to an Eve convention.

Oh except everyone in that game plays for thousands of dollars.

[barichnikov]

About Neptune's Pride 2 : It's funny to me that you guys were AMAZED that the dude you singled out based on who you thought he was in real life and no other reason whatsoever took it personally.

[Sententia]

It's interesting hearing the beginning of the podcast where they bear down on that particular AFK tactic.  It seems to me completely the fault of the players in the game, that they didn't respect the military strength of this tiny country that was supposedly neutral.  Not saying it's an honorable move to make, but from my point of view it's entirely using the resources available to the game so it's not cheating or even against the spirit.

 

About Neptune's Pride 2 : It's funny to me that you guys were AMAZED that the dude you singled out based on who you thought he was in real life and no other reason whatsoever took it personally.

 

The whole point was that they wanted to take down Wolfcop because of Wolfcop's position in the game not because of who he was, but they thought Wolfcop was Pierre, and upon Pierre finding out that they thought he was Wolfcop and they wanted to kill Wolfcop, he took that personally, and also the real person who was Wolfcop took the attack personally as well.

[BigJKO]

The weird thing is that according to the official Google Plus discussion group AFK players can't rejoin a game because after an amount of inactivity players are kicked out.. So either the admin somehow "unkicked" the player (which is pretty much cheating) or this is a bug.

[Berzee]

Did the admin / cheatyman get into a position to unassailably win the game by his sneaky tricks (did he win, even?), or was it just that moment where you realize "Ok, the fact that someone's started acting this way is a pretty good indication that everyone's too tired to keep playing this match properly"? That happens with me sometimes in all sorts of games from TF2 to card games, where I'm in the mood to cause surprise or dismay more than actually trying to win the game. (I try to confine this sort of behavior to 32-man 24/7 insta-respawn 2fort games, where it belongs =P).

[mikemariano]

When you first started telling the story I thought the person who stopped playing was in on the tactic from the start, that it was like the magician from The Prestige who goes through his entire life in disguise just so he can pull off his fishbowl trick.

 

So obviously, the next step is to have David Bowie build you a machine to let you play Neptune's Pride in two places at the same time.

[Argobot]

The talk about the smug, goofy jokes that fathers make to their children got me thinking about who will be listening to these casts in the future.

 

I can easily imagine a future where a Dad Thumb forces their children to listen to old episodes of the podcast. Or even better, a future where some precocious Thumbs grandchildren do a little Internet searching and stumble across Idle Thumbs episodes. They'll ask their grandfather, "who were the Idle Thumbs?" Their grandfather will smile, and get that wistful look in his eye that people get when they remember past experiences. Then the grandchildren will ask, "Also, why did they talk so much about animal sodomy in a game called Dragon Age?"

 

Good cast guys.

[Henroid]

I just now remembered that years ago when the first Neptune's Pride Telltale game happened, Sean talked about getting a player (Bonnie, I still remember the name) (aka Princess Meatflaps apparently) involved in his schemes when she was down to a single star but had a big fleet amassed. But getting a player in that position involved in the game again is way different than just prodding them to make a single action you alone can take advantage of.

[Nappi]

Great Kickstarter pitch, Sean! I hope you get funded.

 

 

I was initially put off by the kerbals as well, but fell in love with them the moment I started playing the game. When after many fatal disasters (and much help from the Internet) I was finally able to land a single kerbal, with his stupid grin and useless limbs, safely on the moon, I felt like bursting into laughter and tears at the same time. I zoomed out to see what a tiny fraction of that lifeless rock he and his spacecraft were occupying, and further out still to see the extent of his journey. What drives these insignificant, inept, ridiculous little guys to such majestic undertakings? Why all the effort to send a man in a can into space, when their own world must be riddled with problems and they know nothing about anything? Then I was struck by the obvious. That is us! That is exactly like us!

 

Game of the year. Any year.

[soggybagel]

Good news Thumbs. It sounds like the new GTA will actually have background music during game sequences even if you're out of a car. 

[sclpls]

The AFK thing sounds annoying. I like all of Iron Helmet's web games a lot, but they all do suffer from the same problem that if a player decides to just give up that can really tip the scales of the game. That can happen in board games too, but its less likely when everyone is together at the table as opposed to a weeks long game played over the internet. I remember playing Blight of the Immortals, which is their semi-cooperative fantasy game where you are fighting off hoards of undead monsters, and the object is to get the highest kill score. I remember playing a game where one of the players who had a substantial army decided he/she was dropping out of the game, and sent a message saying whoever responded first would get those armies transferred. I was the first person to respond, and was able to wipe the board pretty easily at that point, but it was definitely a hollow victory.

 

I'm glad you mentioned Sleeping Dogs. I picked the game up a couple of weeks ago, but I haven't taken a crack at it yet. Looking forward to checking it out since I've heard so many different evaluations of the game.

[sclpls]

Also, happy Dishonored 4/20!

[Zeusthecat]

So how many minutes/hours past 4:20 on dishonored 4/20 is dishonored 4/20 4:20? I need to know when to make a trip to my garage.

[Max Ernst]

Hey, remember when GTA IV did the big Koyaanisqatsi thing for its first trailer, right down to the Glass score? Oh man, I was so hyped. No indications of fart-cops satire or ridiculousness there.

 

 

Also, I would argue that along with being out of place, the satire is also really bad. "America is fat" "People are stupid" "Ass is a funny word" "Have we made fun of gay people yet?" The Cohen brothers suggestion would solve their dissonance problems, I think, yet I would argue that a Catch-22, "the world is absurd" attitude, which fosters comedy as well as fundamental human truths, would serve just as well. Also, it is crazy that game doesn't have a female protagonist yet.

[Roderick]

There better be a goddamn dick joke in there!

[melmer]

I'm totes going to get wolf hall on audible, because

1) for some reason I've got it as an actual physical book which is mightily uncomfortable to hold, and

2) EVERYONE'S CALLED FUCKING THOMAS who the fuck is talking?

[melmer]

Yackety sacks?

Anyone else picturing Arnold schwarzenegger in a towel

DON'T TALK BACK

[BigJKO]

Also, Iceland totes has that geniology app.

[tegan]

The genealogy app reminded me of a thing. The trial of a serial killer from my hometown was the first use of DNA fingerprinting as curt evidence in Canada, but was criticized because the local gene pool was so small. Yeah.

[Badfinger]

It's a funny thing, growing up. When I was little, the popular thing (oft referenced 'round these parts) was the relative who "worked at Nintendo" who could hook you up with non-broken copies of Battletoads. Then the thought that you would run a game company one day. Then perhaps that you'd get a job at a game company. Then maybe I'd just work at a regular company, but have contemporaries who I could hang out and game with. Now I live in a world where my reality is that it would be really nice if someone where I worked played games, at all. I don't even need to play with them, or have a massive company wide conspiracy game insanityfest. Just knowing they're there would be enough.