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Post by Friendly Person :) on Apr 20, 2019 12:24:12 GMT -5
It's very easy to identify what things you like about your favorite games and even abstract out a general trend, but it's another thing altogether to apply said trends in practice. Someone once told me that there's a common trend where the best critics often create terrible content. No idea if this is true, but I think it comes down to one huge difference: form versus void. I've used the metaphor of 'form' to describe beginnings and endings, to argue that the latter is more important because without it something lacks a complete 'form'. This metaphor applies here because it's much easier to be critical of a thing which already has a shape. You know what things should look like, so you can easily pick out the ways it does or does not conform to your ideas. Inversely, you have what I call 'Blank Page Syndrome'. Have you ever been in class, or a meeting, bored out of your head? You have paper and a pencil, and you could easily distract yourself by drawing something. But what the hell do you draw? You have before you a blank page: a canvas containing infinite possibility. It's the difference between colouring in a picture and actually drawing one.
What you said about 'being in the trenches' is true as well. With any project you lose perspective over time. It's particularly challenging with writing. The trade-off of having sole control over your project is that there will be nobody possessing that intimate knowledge with whom you can discuss your thoughts. Whenever there's a plot element I'm not sure of, I'm essentially stuck trying to describe it in vague terms to people who only marginally care. When I was writing my YA mystery, I was trying to make a puzzle that I always knew the answer for. Even now, I feel like the entirety of part 1 of Fantasy Novel happens far too quickly, even though when I put it on kindle its 'location count' is roughly in-line with what I believe it should be. This is why I get endlessly frustrated when I ask people for feedback and just get a general 'mmm, yeah, it's good'. No it bloody isn't! You know how I know it isn't? Because I just spent 6 hours fixing it!
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Post by Youngster Joey on Apr 20, 2019 21:41:32 GMT -5
Yeah, it's true--it's a lot easier to critique something that already has form than to create that form yourself. Hell, it's not unlike watching someone else play Tetris--you make the perfect move in your head every time, but when you take over the controller, you bungle stuff and eventually die much faster than backseat driver you would've.
What do you mean by a "location count"? I'm uncertain how a plot's progress can be quantified?
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Post by Friendly Person :) on Apr 21, 2019 20:07:15 GMT -5
Because you can change fonts and font sizes on e-readers, traditional pages cease being an accurate way to mark progress. In turn, they have a 'location number'. Admittedly I never knew what exactly it represented, but I just looked it up, and it seems 1 location = 128 bytes of data. Which... it works on an individual basis, but on judging book lengths against themselves, that's uh... wow.
Word count will always be king for that.
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Post by Youngster Joey on Apr 22, 2019 0:12:53 GMT -5
Hmm, I'm not sure if I would go by bytes or word count or pages. A short story can pack in a lot in very few words; other authors take forever to get to the point, or never even get there at all. The feel is a lot more important, and that's not very tangible.
I'm pleased to note the second episode of Game of Thrones did not repeat the stupid. It was normal, if slow.
I have a hypothesis that the Night King is actually a JRPG villain. He wants to return the world to nothingness, after all. And the entire episode was the night before the final battle, wherein different people just conveniently stumbled upon the other half of their unofficial "pairing" waiting pensively in some location in Winterfell... hmm definitely played these scenes before.
I'd also like to say I could have done without seeing Arya in a sex scene? I don't know how old she is--I'm assuming probably only a few years younger than me--but her face/body just screams kid. Felt gross to watch. Also unnecessary from a plot perspective imo. Anyone getting boned at this point is just extra fanservice fluff; it does nothing to advance the plot. If characters with tension were going to get it on, they'd have done it already. (Arguably, Arya's was most fan service-y of all because it was with Gendry, who has done f**k-all in the plot and has barely seen her in ages. Would the Hound have been more repulsive? Probably. It just didn't need to happen with anyone, really. It's okay to die a virgin!)
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Post by Friendly Person :) on Apr 22, 2019 12:35:36 GMT -5
It's just a tool for measuring length, not quantifying plot. Word count is the best: so-long as you use universal rules (e.g. do contractions count as one word or two?)and the same language you'll always have the same measurement regardless of print-size. Thing is, word-count is really only relevant to writers, but it is a very important tool. General wisdom puts most novels published these days at ~90k words. Obviously there's variation depending on genre, hence why my fantasy novel's first draft can be ~125k and not have me sh*tting the bed. The important thing is that it gives a metric for when things are either being rushed or dragging on. Because I already know the plot (and because it's in my own writing) I will never read at a 'standard' pace. As a result it generally becomes very difficult to get a sense of whether or not something is too long or too short. Again, it's like trying to determine the difficulty of a maze that you made yourself. If part 1 feels overly quick to me reading, I can take comfort in the fact that at 18.5k words it's just a little shy of standard. Of course, this doesn't mean that it *isn't* too short: it's just the best measurement I have. Considering how subjective length is in general, it's probably one of the more challenging aspects of writing for me. In other news, my grandmother on my dad's side really went all out for my birthday gift this year (before it comes up, my birthday isn't for another 2.5 weeks): an already-opened box of as-seen-on-TV Shamwow towels and a pedometer she got for free at some rally. Good heavens! Usually we just take the stuff back to the Goodwill it came from, but this year we're at sub-Goodwill levels!
-edit- I finished Civ 6 on Epic. To be honest, I feel like I need to play one more game at this speed before I pass any judgement, because the way it panned out was so strange that I'm not unconvinced I just had a really good game. FWIW, in terms of turns, it was actually 400-450 turns, which is perfectly in-line with what my standard speed games are, so yeah, this merits more investigation before conclusions can be drawn.
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Post by Youngster Joey on Apr 22, 2019 22:18:51 GMT -5
Wow, that's some class, haha. I didn't know anyone actually bought Shamwow? At least the pedometer's kinda useful, I guess.
My grandma's a similarly poor giftgiver. Not that bad, but there have been some questionable gifts. My brother is into collecting vinyl, and so one year she got him like 10 or 15 vinyl records she picked up at a garbage sale for like $5. They were, uh, at the garbage sale for a reason. According to my mom, who threw them out as soon as my grandma left, the artists in question were total nobodies who could have been at the garbage sale at the same price back in the 70s. But it was a really good deal!
Usually, I think the drivers behind her gift giving are either it was a "good deal", therefore it's a good gift, or she buys for other people the things she'd like to have. I've gotten a lot of Wilma Flintstone-esque jewelry over the years. I have never worn/would never wear jewelry... have said as much... meanwhile she loves jewelry. It's the thought that matters, of course, but it is a little annoying since it's year after year... where you have to think in the back of your head, "what on earth made her think this fit that person's personality/interests...?" I swear my immediate family is not that hard to get gifts for :-)
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Post by Friendly Person :) on Apr 23, 2019 1:59:25 GMT -5
It's so bad that it borders on an intentional slight. Unfortunately, her gifts are always sh*t, so if it was intended as such, well...
In general though, I don't understand giving someone a gift they obviously don't want. I understand maybe getting a little over-zealous with sharing your hobbies, but to just put 0 effort into it... what kind of message are you trying to send? Contrary to what consumerism might have you believe, gifts are NOT necessary. Hence, you are actually going out of your way to give someone some trash. "I like you just enough to give you a gift, but not enough to actually put any thought or effort into it". Goody.
USPS is so random. I'm dying to know the condition of this book, but it's been in "pre-shipment" for nearly a week. After doing some googling, that could literally mean anything from 'they haven't received the package yet', to 'a third-party carrier is delivering it to USPS', to 'they forgot to scan it and it'll just show up someday'. Unfortunately I can't really do anything (and still be in the bounds of good taste) until after the estimated delivery date... which is May 7th. Remember that whole thing about "I'll stop using Amazon when other businesses can compete"? I'm gonna throw out here that this is 'expedited' shipping, and the ETA is still 3 weeks from the order.
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Post by Youngster Joey on Apr 23, 2019 11:45:24 GMT -5
Yeah, I don't like giving gifts most of the time for this reason. I'd rather give someone nothing at all than a trite gift out of obligation. If I can find something they'd really enjoy, great, but I don't like getting people gifts for the sake of giving gifts. So, if you don't receive a gift for me come the holidays, it's nothing personal. I liked you enough that I didn't want to give you literal shit. I've given my brother giftcards to restaurants for like the past five or six years. It's pretty impersonal, but at least he's actually going to use it.
I think in the case of Amazon, they partner with a lot of 3rd party sellers who may or may not be able to ship right away, or may not have it immediately in stock. If Amazon has it in their warehouses, it's a different story.
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Derman
Oracle Knight
I still don't have a knife tag on my golden birth knife
Posts: 194
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Post by Derman on Apr 23, 2019 11:46:51 GMT -5
I'd honestly be offended if I got a gift like that. If you don't feel like coming up with a good gift for me, then I'd rather not see you even try. So many people feel like it's their responsibility to give gifts, even if they don't like the person. By giving the bare minimum you are basically saying you are only buying something because you have to, not because you want to.
The worst part about getting gifts like that is when you are starting to wonder if they are trying to tell you something. I used to get a lot of plates, forks, glasses etc. from different people on Christmas one year, until I finally moved out. Maybe your grandmother is telling you to clean your s**t?
I liked the second episode a lot more than the first one. The scene at the fireplace was basically pure fanservice, but at this point I don't mind. The show has already peaked a long time ago, and the only reason I'm still following it is the characters. Although have mixed opinions about some of the characters, or rather the way they are showed in this season. Tyrion is supposed to be a really smart guy, and everyone is going on about that. But it's been a while since we heard anything smart, or even a witty one-liner, from his mouth. And he just blindly believes Cersei, with no backup plan. Arya is... a generic badass now, I guess? It's like after growing up she's lost everything that made her character interesting.
Maybe it's just the general lack of focus that makes me feel this way. Either way, I preferred the previous seasons where every character didn't have to have their moment with other characters. I'm hoping they'll get rid of bunch of the characters in the next episode so we can have more focus on the remaining episodes.
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Post by Friendly Person :) on Apr 24, 2019 2:05:54 GMT -5
Got Civ 5 for my dad. Decided to play a co-op hot-seat game to show him the changes. The following happened later in the night:
Dad: You need to make more units. Me: Fun fact Dad, I'm not Germany. I don't get ten bazillion f*cking warriors just by clearing out bandit camps. Dad: Which is why you need to make more units, hue hue hue.
God dammit dad...
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Post by Youngster Joey on Apr 24, 2019 16:36:23 GMT -5
I liked the second episode much better than the first as well; it was a "normal" (for the past few seasons) episode, as opposed to the saccharine BS of the first. I do think the meeting-up-with-everyone thing is fan service, and I could have done without. I agree that the show has really declined in quality. I think it's a worthwhile watch for the first four seasons, and after that, not worth it. I'm pretty sure if I had started watching the show much earlier like everyone else, I would have dropped off midway, similar to what I did for Harry Potter*. As it were, it's the final season, so I might as well finish?
*I should note that I don't dislike Harry Potter or think it declined in any way. I just don't find them interesting. J.K. Rowling's world is clever, but the characters and plot do nothing for me. I read the first four books in 4th grade and was lukewarm at best. I bought and read the 5th and 6th because everyone else was, and those evoked the same "meh" sentiment. By the time the 7th book rolled around, I had long since moved on. No trace of FOMO.
I consider Harry Potter like FPS. I find FPS games boring to play, so I don't buy them. But my disliking them is a matter of taste, rather than an evaluation of quality. Some FPSes are probably really well-made, and I respect people who love them. It's just not my cup of tea.
I came on here to say something else, but now I can no longer remember what it was...
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Post by Friendly Person :) on Apr 24, 2019 16:43:44 GMT -5
Persona 5: Royal doesn't have a FeMC. Praise christ.
I feel like I'm to the point with Harry Potter where I don't really care one way or the other. I think it's cleverer than a lot of YA fantasy, but as I've mentioned in the past, I think a lot of people need to move on. Enjoy what you want, but if you're in your late twenties and still swear by Harry Potter, forgive me if I'm silently shuffling away. What I find most interesting nowadays are all the comparisons Rowling is getting to Lucas. Surely the new films can't be THAT bad?
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Post by Youngster Joey on Apr 24, 2019 16:52:13 GMT -5
Oh, now I remember what I was going to say.
I was talking to one of my coworkers earlier today. She's incredibly smart and easily one of the more capable people I work with. She also has young kids, one of whom is autistic. I find this all the more impressive because she, unlike me, can't spare her evenings coding, and yet she's still excellent at what she does.
We're diverging into separate teams; I'm moving into software development, whereas she's remaining in the role both of us were in previously. She admitted that, realistically, she wouldn't learn much more in that role--exactly why I left--and long-term, she'd want to do software development, too. Maybe when her kids were older--it made more sense for her to continue in her current role because her kids are young.
And, you know, that drives home an important point that's often left unsaid. Is it really the case that women are paid less in the workplace because of their sex? Or is it children? She and I are the same age, and our ability levels are very similar. Where do we diverge? Kids. I will outpace her in technical skill, not because of ability, but because I am not a parent. Now, you can make a case that perhaps women shouldn't be doing the bulk of childcare, and maybe that's true, but that's not how it's positioned in the "gender wage gap" argument. It's really not about being a woman.
People make the trade-offs they do because they make sense to them, and I won't begrudge her her choice. It's totally possible I'd be making the same call if I had kids. But part of me thinks it's a damn shame, too, that careers get put on hold when someone's talented.
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Post by Youngster Joey on Apr 24, 2019 19:49:36 GMT -5
George Lucas?
I've heard people complain about her making up lots of stuff on Twitter before, but whatever. Don't like it, don't read it.
I have to say, Facebook got a lot of sh*t over the years for people announcing inane things, but I don't mind the things people post on Facebook, really. Most people are restrained in what they post because their audience is people they know. Twitter, it's kind of semi-anonymous? The quality kinda goes downhill with that.
I've no use for Twitter except for occasionally going on to read POTUS tweets and laughing and then remembering he's president.
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Post by Youngster Joey on Apr 25, 2019 19:15:06 GMT -5
Slay the Spire is EVIL.
So, the only time I play Slay the Spire is when I'm tired as shit, because I put my coding endeavors above gaming. If I'm too tired, then I can't focus, so coding goes out the window. The past few days, I haven't slept well, so yesterday evening, I decide, you know what, it's too early for me to fall asleep, but I'm exhausted, so I'll while away the time playing Slay the Spire.
And then I... get on a roll... and I don't stop playing... just a little bit longer... and all of a sudden it's late, really late.
Excuse my absence while I start up Slay the Spire again, because for some reason I feel like tired sh*t again today too. Wonder why.
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