The REO Lounge

[Sloth Tonight]

Thanks, all.

@Vapefiend get well soon man. It might not be Shingles I'm facing, doctor wasn't sure - weird case. Either way, something isn't right. But it's given me an excuse to just sit down for a minute and edit some photos from BC. (Sorry, I'm no longer sure how to post the pics as anything but an attachment here - the "insert as full image" thing doesn't seem to be working right)

 

[oplholik]

Wow! Great pics. I hope you get everything worked out soon.

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

@Sloth Tonight

We got chatting about games in another thread. Thought I'd steer it to here so as not to be OT too much in that other thread.

AC Origins is tres cool. I know a bunch of peeps involved in making it. The French have a unique perspective on most things, game making included. It's a bit different than the other games in the franchise, but I like it. Less skulking, more attacking. Beautiful world, too, but seems to be the case for most all AAA titles in the last 2 years.

I just finished RDR2 and I think you'd like it for the story, which is very involving. Lots of moral questions you have to answer and the NPCs around you feel like actual people. You can just follow your gang members around all day and be entertained.

Hope your <not>shingles is clearing up and you and Chrissy are well. We have a winter wonderland here at the moment... well, at least by our standards.

If you zoom into the snag in the middle of the pic you'll see two bald eagles. They are loving this weather - must be better to hunt in. Two or three of them overhead all day long, every day. Our owl (I call him "our" - he may beg to differ) is active during the day in this stuff, too. Magnificent creatures.

ETA: BTW, the pic is looking out to the Salish Sea, which you cannot see due to the blanket of cloud and snow

 

[Robinowitz]

@Sloth Tonight

We got chatting about games in another thread. Thought I'd steer it to here so as not to be OT too much in that other thread.

AC Origins is tres cool. I know a bunch of peeps involved in making it. The French have a unique perspective on most things, game making included. It's a bit different than the other games in the franchise, but I like it. Less skulking, more attacking. Beautiful world, too, but seems to be the case for most all AAA titles in the last 2 years.

I just finished RDR2 and I think you'd like it for the story, which is very involving. Lots of moral questions you have to answer and the NPCs around you feel like actual people. You can just follow your gang members around all day and be entertained.

Hope your <not>shingles is clearing up and you and Chrissy are well. We have a winter wonderland here at the moment... well, at least by our standards.
View attachment 797739

If you zoom into the snag in the middle of the pic you'll see two bald eagles. They are loving this weather - must be better to hunt in. Two or three of them overhead all day long, every day. Our owl (I call him "our" - he may beg to differ) is active during the day in this stuff, too. Magnificent creatures.

ETA: BTW, the pic is looking out to the Salish Sea, which you cannot see due to the blanket of cloud and snow

What am absolutely amazing photo made even sweeter by the bald eagles! Am so grateful they are coming back from the brink of extinction. “We” have one that hangs out a couple miles from here. It brightens my day when I see our glorious friend atop a tree in its nest. His/her nest must weigh a ton (or a few hundred pounds).

Hey, if we are getting some unusual dusting of snow in these coastal parts, Im betting you are getting hammered up there. Heard schools were closed in Seattle today. You all know how to deal with lots of rain but snow is a different deal huh? Stay warm and keep snapping those photos.

 

[Sloth Tonight]

@Sloth Tonight

We got chatting about games in another thread. Thought I'd steer it to here so as not to be OT too much in that other thread.

AC Origins is tres cool. I know a bunch of peeps involved in making it. The French have a unique perspective on most things, game making included. It's a bit different than the other games in the franchise, but I like it. Less skulking, more attacking. Beautiful world, too, but seems to be the case for most all AAA titles in the last 2 years.

I just finished RDR2 and I think you'd like it for the story, which is very involving. Lots of moral questions you have to answer and the NPCs around you feel like actual people. You can just follow your gang members around all day and be entertained.

Hope your <not>shingles is clearing up and you and Chrissy are well. We have a winter wonderland here at the moment... well, at least by our standards.
View attachment 797739

If you zoom into the snag in the middle of the pic you'll see two bald eagles. They are loving this weather - must be better to hunt in. Two or three of them overhead all day long, every day. Our owl (I call him "our" - he may beg to differ) is active during the day in this stuff, too. Magnificent creatures.

ETA: BTW, the pic is looking out to the Salish Sea, which you cannot see due to the blanket of cloud and snow

Great photo, love those Eagles! The shingles-esque thing is fading thankfully, but now Chrissy is bedridden with a stomach bug. It's the worst season for illness I've seen around here - everybody is sick, time and time again. I'm doing ok for now.

I'm very interested in hearing more about your work in the gaming industry if you wouldn't mind sharing, Bill. I'm particularly interested in what brought you to that line of work - a love of programming? Something else?

I've always thought highly of games as a form of media. Never cared much for movies, personally - but well-designed games can be so highly engrossing, combining the narrative elements of good films with choice-making, etc. These newer RPGs are blowing my mind - it's evolved so much since my days as a kid playing things like FF7 (which was my favorite game of all time until Witcher 3 buried it 10 feet deep under ground).

I'm about a mission or two away from completing ACO, and I plan to play Odyssey next (hmm, also "ACO" - hah). If I can ever tear myself away from the amazing AC mechanics, I'm excited to play the RE2 remake as well (always loved horror, and holy moly these recent horror games are incredible). I only played one AC game in the past - either #1 or #2, can't remember, so I'm not overly familiar with the franchise. But between the fun-as-hell gameplay and the absolutely gorgeous depiction of Egypt, ACO has blown my mind for about 90 hours on end now.

As for RDR2, that looks simply outstanding - hope they port it to PC in the future, though that seems a bit unlikely.

 

[Doffy]

 

[Robinowitz]

Awww Thank you @Doffy! Such moving yet peaceful photos. B&W photos are so rich. Is this near your home?
Happy Summer to you from your wintering friends up North.

 

[Robinowitz]

Oh yeah. @Sloth Tonight, I keep meaning to tell you thanks for sharing those gorgeous photos from your BC trip. Nature makes my heart sing! The 2nd photo with the fall colors is dynamite! Oh yeah, did you know that sloths are now the new cool? Yep, I was going thru a catalog of stuffed animals and yep, there you were! Glad your no-way shingles are improving but no fairsies that your girl has the tummy flu. IMHO, stomach flu is the worst...... Heres to an early healthy Spring.

 

[Doffy]

Awww Thank you @Doffy! Such moving yet peaceful photos. B&W photos are so rich. Is this near your home?
Happy Summer to you from your wintering friends up North.

Yeah, a few miles away in your terms.

 

[Sloth Tonight]

Oh yeah. @Sloth Tonight, I keep meaning to tell you thanks for sharing those gorgeous photos from your BC trip. Nature makes my heart sing! The 2nd photo with the fall colors is dynamite! Oh yeah, did you know that sloths are now the new cool? Yep, I was going thru a catalog of stuffed animals and yep, there you were! Glad your no-way shingles are improving but no fairsies that your girl has the tummy flu. IMHO, stomach flu is the worst...... Heres to an early healthy Spring.

Stomach flu is seriously the worst. I feel bad, but I've been avoiding her at night and sleeping in another room. I'm terrified of getting sick again - this is the first time I've felt well in roughly 2 months. Luckily, she understands and doesn't shun me for it. My immune system is shot. But it's been over a week now and I miss her - she's staying home from work for the third day in a row today, super sick. I feel really bad for her and just hope she gets well ASAP.

Sloths are definitely the coolest and BC is gorgeous. I've got more pics to go through sometime soon!

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

What am absolutely amazing photo made even sweeter by the bald eagles! Am so grateful they are coming back from the brink of extinction. “We” have one that hangs out a couple miles from here. It brightens my day when I see our glorious friend atop a tree in its nest. His/her nest must weigh a ton (or a few hundred pounds).

Hey, if we are getting some unusual dusting of snow in these coastal parts, Im betting you are getting hammered up there. Heard schools were closed in Seattle today. You all know how to deal with lots of rain but snow is a different deal huh? Stay warm and keep snapping those photos.

Yup - the snow is something to be reckoned with right now. We got about a foot on the island, but fortunately most all residents have 4WD vehicles.

Precipitation around here is a love/hate thing. We hate gloomy, rainy days in Nov-Feb, but it literally fills the island back up with water for our wells. Summers are long and sunny - a pleasant change from the city. 2300mm (90 in) of precip where we lived on the north shore of Vancouver, 1300mm (51 in) on the island with nary a drop for 3-4 months. None of this is overly impressive other than it makes for abundant and diverse flora and fauna.

The snow thing, tho, is a climate change. I can remember going 5 or 6 years between snows not that long ago. this is now 3 years in a row we've been hammered and it's starting to have an effect on some plants. Some animals, too. I woke up last week to 4 humming birds sitting on a window ledge and leaning against the window for warmth. Bats, apparently, are dying and that's very bad for the ecosystem.

It is, however, drop dead gorgeous (IMHO).

This is a little bay about 5 minutes from our place where I catch the seaplane to the city every week. Pic was taken just before another 2 more belts of snow dropped.

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

Great photo, love those Eagles! The shingles-esque thing is fading thankfully, but now Chrissy is bedridden with a stomach bug. It's the worst season for illness I've seen around here - everybody is sick, time and time again. I'm doing ok for now.

I'm very interested in hearing more about your work in the gaming industry if you wouldn't mind sharing, Bill. I'm particularly interested in what brought you to that line of work - a love of programming? Something else?

I've always thought highly of games as a form of media. Never cared much for movies, personally - but well-designed games can be so highly engrossing, combining the narrative elements of good films with choice-making, etc. These newer RPGs are blowing my mind - it's evolved so much since my days as a kid playing things like FF7 (which was my favorite game of all time until Witcher 3 buried it 10 feet deep under ground).

I'm about a mission or two away from completing ACO, and I plan to play Odyssey next (hmm, also "ACO" - hah). If I can ever tear myself away from the amazing AC mechanics, I'm excited to play the RE2 remake as well (always loved horror, and holy moly these recent horror games are incredible). I only played one AC game in the past - either #1 or #2, can't remember, so I'm not overly familiar with the franchise. But between the fun-as-hell gameplay and the absolutely gorgeous depiction of Egypt, ACO has blown my mind for about 90 hours on end now.

As for RDR2, that looks simply outstanding - hope they port it to PC in the future, though that seems a bit unlikely.

Very happy to hear you're on the mend, but sad that Chrissy is stricken. Stomach things are the worst. Just the worst. Hugs to her.

I was working at the Canadian Research Center in AI when I was recruited by a gaming company. At that time, the tech was nascent and real time AI applications were a blank slate in games. They gave me a team and we were left to be imagineers. From there, I got into 'mainstream' development as a creative director and then on to exec work.

Games have always yearned to be more than movies - to make a visceral connection married to your actions, your choices... your wishes (allusion to genie in a bottle intended).

The early product was laughably immature in so many respects, but the intent was there, and that was what drove all the graphic advancements towards today's game worlds. It also drove the behavioural advancements, which arguably got purchase sooner. FF7 is a perfect example. Simple sprite characters with 3 cell motion cycles, yet you really felt for them. I loved that game. It made me do better work; made everyone I worked with do better work.

Today, games have the potential to engage people on so many levels, even forcing us to make ethical, moral, and cultural choices - to stand for something. Movies take a stance. Games let/force/entreat you to take a stance.

 

[Sloth Tonight]

Very happy to hear you're on the mend, but sad that Chrissy is stricken. Stomach things are the worst. Just the worst. Hugs to her.

I was working at the Canadian Research Center in AI when I was recruited by a gaming company. At that time, the tech was nascent and real time AI applications were a blank slate in games. They gave me a team and we were left to be imagineers. From there, I got into 'mainstream' development as a creative director and then on to exec work.

Games have always yearned to be more than movies - to make a visceral connection married to your actions, your choices... your wishes (allusion to genie in a bottle intended).
View attachment 798253

The early product was laughably immature in so many respects, but the intent was there, and that was what drove all the graphic advancements towards today's game worlds. It also drove the behavioural advancements, which arguably got purchase sooner. FF7 is a perfect example. Simple sprite characters with 3 cell motion cycles, yet you really felt for them. I loved that game. It made me do better work; made everyone I worked with do better work.

Today, games have the potential to engage people on so many levels, even forcing us to make ethical, moral, and cultural choices - to stand for something. Movies take a stance. Games let/force/entreat you to take a stance.

Very well said, brother

Fascinating. Yes, FF7 was simply incredible and moved me in many ways. It really was quite profound for its time. I hear they're making a remake of it, which could be fantastic (or could be awful...).

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

Very well said, brother

Fascinating. Yes, FF7 was simply incredible and moved me in many ways. It really was quite profound for its time. I hear they're making a remake of it, which could be fantastic (or could be awful...).

FF7 is considered a treasure in the biz. It was also one of the first games to get an advertising budget worthy of any blockbuster movie. These days, that's commonplace for AAA titles (as the biggest games are called), but back in the day it was a watershed moment, and resulted in a significant increase in platform (PSX) sales. Many say it was the game that made playstation.

Of all the FF games, 7 is especially revered, especially by Sony. They've leveraged it for multiple products since its release - half a dozen subsequent games, a tv show, several movies, etc.

Why was it so successful? It wasn't the graphics, which were good for the time, but don't explain the continued interest to this day. It wasn't the gameplay mechanics (JRPG turn-based combat was never a fan favourite). It was the story telling - specifically the emotional journey. Who didn't hate Sephiroth, feel dread as the Cloud's history was exposed, wish success for Barret, or (most impressively) feel gutted when Aerith is murdered. I had to put down the controller and take a moment at that last event.

As for the upcoming remake, it's risky. Really risky. I personally feel that the original game engine was used brilliantly - it's limitations used as strengths. For example, simple sprite animations are very limited in a game like that. They are to real life as email is to conversation - stilted, wooden and greatly reduced in emotive context. FF7 used this help create a fractured distopia. Some of Cloud's regained memory scenes were chilling because of this. Modern state-of-the-art will fail in this respect - graphic flourishes will be used where stark economy carried the scene in the original.

We'll see.

BTW, some fellow REOnauts were also in the biz. MamaTried and Unsure are both veterans.

 

[Vapefiend]

Checking in; hope everyone is well.

 

[Robinowitz]

Doing swell here @Vapefiend. Certainly appreciating electricity more since we lost ours for 3 days. We had some minor flooding in our little neck of the woods which caused a landslide, hence broken electrical lines. Luckily we are having some good rain (our norm in our little micro climate is 60”) but due to several years of draught our flora is stressed and more trees fall. I hear you @Papa_Lazarou regarding climate change. It’s visible and hard to miss. Serious snow on an island? Those poor hummingbirds. I hear you about the love/hate relationship with rain but hey, we tend to need water for ummmmm.....life. I’m a bit of a curmudgeon when I hear local folks complain about the rain. Why live in a rain Forrest if you don’t like the wet stuff AND the diverse beauty it creates. Uh oh, I’m preaching to the choir. Haha

Am hoping your family is on the mend. @Sloth Tonight. Rough winter!

Just had book club at our house today (yes, I’m seniorish) and life is pretty darn good.

How about you?

 

[Sloth Tonight]

Doing swell here @Vapefiend. Certainly appreciating electricity more since we lost ours for 3 days. We had some minor flooding in our little neck of the woods which caused a landslide, hence broken electrical lines. Luckily we are having some good rain (our norm in our little micro climate is 60”) but due to several years of draught our flora is stressed and more trees fall. I hear you @Papa_Lazarou regarding climate change. It’s visible and hard to miss. Serious snow on an island? Those poor hummingbirds. I hear you about the love/hate relationship with rain but hey, we tend to need water for ummmmm.....life. I’m a bit of a curmudgeon when I hear local folks complain about the rain. Why live in a rain Forrest if you don’t like the wet stuff AND the diverse beauty it creates. Uh oh, I’m preaching to the choir. Haha

Am hoping your family is on the mend. @Sloth Tonight. Rough winter!

Just had book club at our house today (yes, I’m seniorish) and life is pretty darn good.

How about you?

Yep - snowy, cold conditions in areas that aren't used to it, and warm/wet conditions in areas that should be cold and snowy. It's back-and-forth up here, specifically the last two years. Tons of flooding in a time of year where everything should stay frozen solid. Right now, though, we're back to "normal" skiing conditions etc - and, I hate it. I simply can't wait for that first 80 degree day with sunshine and a gentle breeze.

Everybody is back in good health, finally your book club sounds fun. You host that regularly?

 

[Sloth Tonight]

FF7 is considered a treasure in the biz. It was also one of the first games to get an advertising budget worthy of any blockbuster movie. These days, that's commonplace for AAA titles (as the biggest games are called), but back in the day it was a watershed moment, and resulted in a significant increase in platform (PSX) sales. Many say it was the game that made playstation.

Of all the FF games, 7 is especially revered, especially by Sony. They've leveraged it for multiple products since its release - half a dozen subsequent games, a tv show, several movies, etc.

Why was it so successful? It wasn't the graphics, which were good for the time, but don't explain the continued interest to this day. It wasn't the gameplay mechanics (JRPG turn-based combat was never a fan favourite). It was the story telling - specifically the emotional journey. Who didn't hate Sephiroth, feel dread as the Cloud's history was exposed, wish success for Barret, or (most impressively) feel gutted when Aerith is murdered. I had to put down the controller and take a moment at that last event.

As for the upcoming remake, it's risky. Really risky. I personally feel that the original game engine was used brilliantly - it's limitations used as strengths. For example, simple sprite animations are very limited in a game like that. They are to real life as email is to conversation - stilted, wooden and greatly reduced in emotive context. FF7 used this help create a fractured distopia. Some of Cloud's regained memory scenes were chilling because of this. Modern state-of-the-art will fail in this respect - graphic flourishes will be used where stark economy carried the scene in the original.

We'll see.

BTW, some fellow REOnauts were also in the biz. MamaTried and Unsure are both veterans.

It was the first game I played that totally blew my mind. I had played a few RPGs before, including FF6 which was my first introduction to the genre, but no game had caused me to re-examine a lot of long-held beliefs I had, or feel strong emotional connections to the characters. The scene where Aerith was murdered shattered me. I had to take a breather as well. Also, the music in that game was marvelous - Uematsu is brilliant. If you've never listened to orchestral versions of that score, I highly recommend looking some up on YT.

I'm so glad that I took a 10-ish year break from gaming, specifically from RPGs. Because now, seeing what they have evolved into, I feel like a kid again - drawn into another world entirely, in a way that no movie or book can take me. Yet, a lot of these games are clearly made for adults - something I greatly appreciate. The mature concepts and complicated story lines are just so immersive.

Think this is the golden age of gaming? Seems like it might be. My list of interesting RPGs to tackle in the future is getting so long that I'll never, ever get to them all.

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

Think this is the golden age of gaming? Seems like it might be.

Heh - this has been said about every 5 years in the industry. Fact is, it's still a new field. I worked in it for 20 years before I met someone in the biz whose father/mother made games before them. There have been countless generations of plumbers, artists, lawyers, doctors, etc., but we're just now entering the 2nd generation of game makers. Without question, they will take it to new heights and successive epochs.

 

[Sloth Tonight]

Heh - this has been said about every 5 years in the industry. Fact is, it's still a new field. I worked in it for 20 years before I met someone in the biz whose father/mother made games before them. There have been countless generations of plumbers, artists, lawyers, doctors, etc., but we're just now entering the 2nd generation of game makers. Without question, they will take it to new heights and successive epochs.

Exciting perspective! I'm fascinated to think of where the industry will be 10-20 years from now!

Tell your friends at Ubi that I loved AC:O. Loved every moment of it. I've started Odyssey now and honestly, it's blowing my mind all over again. I didn't expect to like it as much as Origins. I know it's controversial in the sense that it's yet a further departure from the franchise's norm. But man do I love it. The only thing I didn't like about Origins was the storytelling - and by that I refer specifically to the flow of the story, which, in my perfectly honest opinion, was just terrible. I did enjoy the story and particularly enjoyed Bayek as a character. I just thought the flow was a mess, so I never got into the story at all, or cared about what was happening.

Odyssey, while still not great flow, is much improved IMHO. I see little improvements here and there - including the way in-game cutscenes are handled. I like the fact it's moved closer to a full-fledged RPG with choices and a more intriguing skill tree. I find the combat to be a bit smoother, perhaps. I'm in love, and I look forward to it very much.

I did play RE:2 a little bit the other night and it's amazing, but I can't bring myself to play it again yet - it's just too much fun sneaking around in the shadows of ancient Greece.