Social NintenZone Social 5 - Thanks, Everyone

[Coricus]

Not really, stuff like the Korok Seed radar, the map marking, and even Hard Mode, don't require extra assets. They should be free updates. Plenty of other games add those as free updates.

Horizon: Zero Dawn has had a bunch of free updates so far, most recently adding the ability to play your own music while playing the game. They've also been teasing New Game+ as a free update coming soon (which has been a requested feature).

Like I said, some of the things they are bundling with the DLC aren't new content. They're fixes for legitimate issues the game had. So they should be patched and not bundled in with the DLC.

It's like if Smash bundled it's character rebalancing and bug fixes in with the new DLC characters.

Zelda actually is fixing bugs and patching out exploits for free without attaching it to the DLC, there's probably a comparison to be had there but it's not quite that specific one.

The map marking is an asset of sorts even if not a very heavy one. Technically they didn't -need- to make anything heavier than the map asset for the other two, but they decided to roll with that anyway by making the Korok radar attached to a mask that indicates location via motion and by adding what I'm pretty sure is a new Octorok model to a certain tweak in Hard Mode. . .which itself would have required additional work to position.

. . .Wait, you couldn't already play your own music during that game? I thought that was some kind of standard PS4 feature or something.

Again, if it weren't for the fact that you don't seem to care about it I'd recommend Splatoon 2. They've been taking a lot of care to pay attention to what people are asking for and the original had a pretty long and loving update tail to the point that it's part of the reason people don't realize everything that has changed with the sequel.

 

[ChikoLad]

Zelda actually is fixing bugs and patching out exploits for free without attaching it to the DLC, there's probably a comparison to be had there but it's not quite that specific one.

The map marking is an asset of sorts even if not a very heavy one. Technically they didn't -need- to make anything heavier than the map asset for the other two, but they decided to roll with that anyway by making the Korok radar attached to a mask that indicates location via motion and by adding what I'm pretty sure is a new Octorok model to a certain tweak in Hard Mode. . .which itself would have required additional work to position.

. . .Wait, you couldn't already play your own music during that game? I thought that was some kind of standard PS4 feature or something.

Again, if it weren't for the fact that you don't seem to care about it I'd recommend Splatoon 2. They've been taking a lot of care to pay attention to what people are asking for and the original had a pretty long and loving update tail to the point that it's part of the reason people don't realize everything that has changed with the sequel.

The Korok Mask isn't even a new asset, it's just taken from an actual Korok model that's already in the game. Just chopped off the face of one and boom, it's a mask for Link. Even then, they could have made it an option in the Options menu without any aesthetic tie in the game.

I'm not gonna get into a back and forth over "this or that is a new asset", the point is about half of DLC Pack 1 is just infrastructure updates and fixing issues with the game and not new content. Other games have that stuff ready at launch or as a free update. Besides, Nintendo's a triple AAA company, if creating one small new asset is a enough for them to take a hit in their budget then I worry for their competency as developers.

IMO, stuff like the Korok Mask should be free updates if all they do is fix legitimate issues with the game, while the other outfits like the Tingle one and the gauntlet mode thing can be part of the paid pack.

And you don't need to try and act like you need to offer an alternative where Nintendo does it better...I mean for one, I wouldn't buy a game just because Nintendo handles their update policies better with it, what ultimately matters is if the game looks interesting. I plan to get Splatoon 2 but not because of the online infrastructure but because it's a new kind of game to try and while I do think it could stand to be more differentiated from the first one a little bit more, it doesn't have a lot of bearing on things for me personally because I missed out on the first one.

 

[N3ON]

Why is the super horn not instead the POW block? v_v

 

[Baskerville]

http://splatoon.nintendo.com/squid-sisters-stories/#chapter-2
This is truly a dark timeline.

 

[ChikoLad]

http://splatoon.nintendo.com/squid-sisters-stories/#chapter-2
This is truly a dark timeline.

This is literally like the aftermath chapters of a Waifu Wars fan fiction.

It's brilliant.

 

[PLATINUM7]

Why is the super horn not instead the POW block? v_v

Because that was already an item with a different functionality.

 

[Coricus]

The Korok Mask isn't even a new asset, it's just taken from an actual Korok model that's already in the game. Just chopped off the face of one and boom, it's a mask for Link. Even then, they could have made it an option in the Options menu without any aesthetic tie in the game.

I'm not gonna get into a back and forth over "this or that is a new asset", the point is about half of DLC Pack 1 is just infrastructure updates and fixing issues with the game and not new content. Other games have that stuff ready at launch or as a free update. Besides, Nintendo's a triple AAA company, if creating one small new asset is a enough for them to take a hit in their budget then I worry for their competency as developers.

IMO, stuff like the Korok Mask should be free updates if all they do is fix legitimate issues with the game, while the other outfits like the Tingle one and the gauntlet mode thing can be part of the paid pack.

And you don't need to try and act like you need to offer an alternative where Nintendo does it better...I mean for one, I wouldn't buy a game just because Nintendo handles their update policies better with it, what ultimately matters is if the game looks interesting. I plan to get Splatoon 2 but not because of the online infrastructure but because it's a new kind of game to try and while I do think it could stand to be more differentiated from the first one a little bit more, it doesn't have a lot of bearing on things for me personally because I missed out on the first one.

I feel that the conversation can't really go any further than it has, so I should probably just let it be. . .

. . .but because I found the detail hilarious when I noticed it, I'll add one more thing. It doesn't have any bearing to the discussion because it's another recycled asset, but since you likely haven't noticed it I want to point it out because I found it funny.

It's not -just- the mask.

Spoiler: Large Image

Link has a pinwheel tucked into his hair.

Byutiful, LOL.

I wonder if it blows in the wind.

 

[redfeatherraven]

The Korok Mask isn't even a new asset, it's just taken from an actual Korok model that's already in the game. Just chopped off the face of one and boom, it's a mask for Link. Even then, they could have made it an option in the Options menu without any aesthetic tie in the game.

I'm not gonna get into a back and forth over "this or that is a new asset", the point is about half of DLC Pack 1 is just infrastructure updates and fixing issues with the game and not new content. Other games have that stuff ready at launch or as a free update. Besides, Nintendo's a triple AAA company, if creating one small new asset is a enough for them to take a hit in their budget then I worry for their competency as developers.

IMO, stuff like the Korok Mask should be free updates if all they do is fix legitimate issues with the game, while the other outfits like the Tingle one and the gauntlet mode thing can be part of the paid pack.

Sorry Coricus , but I'd give this one to Chiko.

Most of DLC 1 is QoL updates, aside from the Trial of the Sword and the armors. I'm still pumped for them, and the execution is pretty well-done, but paying for QoL is typically bad form, and I'm wishing this pack had more substance too.

Still pumped.

Link has a pinwheel tucked into his hair.

Byutiful, LOL.

I wonder if it blows in the wind.

God I hope so.

Bet it will.

 

[ChikoLad]

This is the first time I've won a Lunatic Grand Hero Battle since FemRobin, and it was for Xander so I'm satisfied.

Spoiler

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Several things in the update should be for free, but the new armor, trial and hard mode are fine imo.

That said, this is just a warm up. The real meat of what people are paying for will be coming soon.

 

[redfeatherraven]

http://splatoon.nintendo.com/squid-sisters-stories/#chapter-2
This is truly a dark timeline.

Would you say it's the darkest timeli-

That's it, I need a new phrase.

Several things in the update should be for free, but the new armor, trial and hard mode are fine imo.

That said, this is just a warm up. The real meat of what people are paying for will be coming soon.

Agreed.

The non-QoL parts of of DLC1 still feel like a $5 option still though. Don't know what we'll get but, talking Magical Christmasland here, I'd like to see something worth $15 out of DLC2.

 

[Curious Villager]

Pretty sure that Korok Mask is based off Makar's leaf mask from the Wind Waker, which I don't think is anywhere in game. Then again, I haven't collected all the Korok seeds so I don't know if there is one around that wears the same mask as Makar's.

 

[Schnee117]

Darksiders 3 leaked and it'll probably be out next year seeing as it's placeholder is December 31st 2018.
The playable character is Fury this time (War and Death were in the previous games, Strife would probably be playable in a fourth game) and the main villains are the Seven Deadly Sins.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-05-02-darksiders-3-leaked-with-screenshots-and-details

 

[Coricus]

Sorry Coricus , but I'd give this one to Chiko.

Most of DLC 1 is QoL updates, aside from the Trial of the Sword and the armors. I'm still pumped for them, and the execution is pretty well-done, but paying for QoL is typically bad form, and I'm wishing this pack had more substance too.

Still pumped.


God I hope so.

Bet it will.

I suppose the point is there. I perhaps slipped into a bit of denial in embarrassment, although I think part of it was also an objection on the grounds of nuance.

I just see far too many people on the internet making arguments on grounds that seem to work under the assumption that everything developers do comes out of thin air and everything they don't do is them deliberately snubbing the userbase. I doubt even the simplest things could just be done on a single coffee break or whatever, at the very least because the UI probably wasn't. . .serviceable.

I think there's a certain sense of me just being shocked they even went to the trouble of going back and adding in dual audio. The QoL could have offered more for players for free, but it hasn't really been HORRID and the actually fixable complaints that have been the most vocal without the announcement of the DLC itself setting them off are the ones that have been fixed for free. It's less a comparison to a hypothetical Smash that puts all the bug fixes in the DLC and more a comparison to other games on the market that make a service of themselves.

I still like to keep a sense of perspective and not jump to conclusions until everything is laid out in front of me, though, so in terms of the emptiness factor I have in the back of my mind that there's another dungeon being worked on that they're probably pretty busy with. I think Aonuma personally might actually be juggling this with at least one if not two other projects, but I'm not sure how much influence that would have.

It's worth keeping in mind where the game came from in the first place. This game rose to the heights it did because the devs paid attention to what people were concerned about and I can't reasonably expect a group of the most idiotic sapient species we know of to get everything right the first time, so I find it healthier to see each weak point they have as an opportunity for them to learn for the next time since they already did a pretty good job learning some things this time. Considering the aforementioned dual audio, I get the impression they're still taking notes.

Improving if Flawed Nintendo is better than Not Even Trying Nintendo. The game was partially in development hell because Aonuma forgot to give the devs positive reinforcement, I see that as an opportunity to learn from that as a fan as well and give the game credit where it's due while also making sure that any complaints that are there are carefully selected and simmered in the cookpot of debate and analysis to proper taste. There's a care to make sure no particularly bitter opinions are mixed in to one's critique recipe, otherwise you're just going to get Dubious Food.

. . .Mmm, BotW cooking.

 

[WeirdChillFever]

I just hope the new BoTW armor is upgradable because it'd be pretty useless if it wasn't.

I'll also have more fun finding the new stuff in the overworld than using it because it's aimed at those with a social life who haven't found all shrines.

Because with all Shrines there's no place I can imagine that needs a Travellers Medallion (Unless you want to be super lazy and place one right next to Kilton)

EDIT:

But let's break down the price:

Armor €2 (€4 if upgradable)
Hero Trail €5
Hard Mode €3
Other stuff like Hero's Path, Travel Medallion and Kork-finding function is free

And even then it's 20€ when coupled with the bloody new dungeon and story, probably coupled with new armor and function as well, so in the end it's absolutely worth 20€ for me.

Smash DLC and Hyrule Warriors was more expensive really

 

[Deleted member]

I've only played Revelations out of the Fire Emblem: Fates trio, so after hearing all the hubbub about Conquest's difficulty, I gave it a go on the Hard difficulty.

DISCLAIMER: I am a filthy Casual mode player.

So with that said, here are some of my impressions.

Holy crap is this game difficult, I really feel as if I'm being tested unlike I had been before. I have to go in with a clear cut strategy for practically every map so far (5 hours in). I do notice that a huge portion of the difficulty is that they have you facing a bazillion troops in comparison to the other games, but it's still fun since you have to play wisely due to this. As someone who played Revelations, I legit cannot stand the story in this game as it doesn't feel legitimate enough. Like, It really makes more sense for Corrin to not pick a side than for her to pick one, but I suppose it does give a unique flavor, although I wouldn't say it's great story telling at the same time.

At one point I turned the settings down to Normal as my mental endurance was lowering from all the struggling, but the second I did, it felt too easy. Now I'm just itching to get back on the Hard difficulty as I feel that's where the real gameplay is. Def wouldn't recommend Conquest for a new player, but as someone who's only really played Awakening and Fates, this is a nice change of pace gameplay wise.

 

[Robertman2]

Darksiders 3 leaked and it'll probably be out next year seeing as it's placeholder is December 31st 2018.
The playable character is Fury this time (War and Death were in the previous games, Strife would probably be playable in a fourth game) and the main villains are the Seven Deadly Sins.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-05-02-darksiders-3-leaked-with-screenshots-and-details

Sweet. Wonder if it'll hit the Switch. I also hope the Warmastered edition of the first hits the Switch too

 

[Coricus]

I just hope the new BoTW armor is upgradable because it'd be pretty useless if it wasn't.

I'll also have more fun finding the new stuff in the overworld than using it because it's aimed at those with a social life who haven't found all shrines.

Because with all Shrines there's no place I can imagine that needs a Travellers Medallion (Unless you want to be super lazy and place one right next to Kilton)

I have a PERFECT place in mind for the Traveler's Medallion, actually. And no, it's not Kilton, he jumps around and you can always get to him pretty easily from a walk from the local shrine, give or take some agility upgrades at times.

There's a SUPER Shrine-barren spot on the map that also serves as a sidequest goal location, a good farming spot, and a nice place to pick up an extra weapon. And that farming is gonna be something you'll still want after you finish all the Shrines for a certain reason.

There's always been exactly one spot on the map that I've found myself going "Man this is a long walk to keep making, wish there was a Shrine here." If you have a magical teleportation genie that can grant one wish. . .

 

[Curious Villager]

The only places I can imagine the Travelers medallion being particularly useful for is either near Ganon's room in Hyrule Castle (If it can be placed there) the Kara-Kara Bazaar or Tarrey Town (Although you can simply glide down to it from one shrine for the latter and use the sand boots or that shield seal ride for the former) or some boss/weapon/rupee farming spot. There are shrines pretty much all over the world though, especially near more important location's. So unless you're still missing some shrines nearby some important place you need to be, I don't think the Travelers medallion will be that useful. But still neat to have.

 

[WeirdChillFever]

I have a PERFECT place in mind for the Traveler's Medallion, actually. And no, it's not Kilton, he jumps around and you can always get to him pretty easily from a walk from the local shrine, give or take some agility upgrades at times.

There's a SUPER Shrine-barren spot on the map that also serves as a sidequest goal location, a good farming spot, and a nice place to pick up an extra weapon. And that farming is gonna be something you'll still want after you finish all the Shrines for a certain reason.

There's always been exactly one spot on the map that I've found myself going "Man this is a long walk to keep making, wish there was a Shrine here." If you have a magical teleportation genie that can grant one wish. . .

Ravioli ravioli send me a PM with general locationi
EDIT: Oh man what if they give me a Ravio mask in the next update plsplsplspls Nintendo you'll get all my rupeemonmoney if you do that.

But yeah the price is not a problem for this filthy Nintendrone they got me at Phantom Armor.
Now I can pretend it's the Adult Timeline even more in the face of all the Child Timeline evidence (Bloody love the Zora Historia for this one)
Oh **** Kara-Kara Bazaar's a ***** but I'm prolly gonna be lazy and put one next to Kilton's Hateno spot regardless

 

[Coricus]

Ravioli ravioli send me a PM with general locationi

But yeah the price is not a problem for this filthy Nintendrone they got me at Phantom Armor.
Now I can pretend it's the Adult Timeline even more in the face of all the Child Timeline evidence (Bloody love the Zora Historia for this one)
Oh **** Kara-Kara Bazaar's a ***** but I'm prolly gonna be lazy and put one next to Kilton's Hateno spot regardless

I don't think we need a PM, the traditional double-wrap from the good old days should do if it's a secret. Triple wrap on a big image if I find a general map to point it out on.

Spoiler: Here we. . .

Spoiler: Go!

It's Eldin Great Skeleton.

You take a picture for one sidequest, there's a Fiery Greatsword sitting under the skull (which is also good for lighting campfires and in my experience will last indefinitely for such, important for the main attraction), and the reason I keep going over there in the first place is because an internet guide pointed out Dinraal dips low enough to shoot at pretty consistently if you sit at a campfire until night and wait a few in-game hours.

Spoiler: Map

So you see the Shrine on there that's in the middle of the pitch black forest? And you know how there's a Shrine in the middle of the lava lake? Those are the two closest, LOL. The two closest that are reasonable to WALK from are the Woodland Tower and Skull Lake whoops forgot Gut Check Rock was closer. Not MUCH, though. Anyway, you know how those are pretty much on opposite ends of Eldin? That says about how remote the area is.

. . .LOL I forgot about Kara Kara Bazaar. That's bad, but it's still not as bad as my spot.

 

[ChikoLad]

I just see far too many people on the internet making arguments on grounds that seem to work under the assumption that everything developers do comes out of thin air and everything they don't do is them deliberately snubbing the userbase. I doubt even the simplest things could just be done on a single coffee break or whatever, at the very least because the UI probably wasn't. . .serviceable.

I want to make it clear that I've done two years of coursework in video games design & development, and I've done plenty of independent upskilling and research on my own time. Looking to get into development with Unity soon.

Anything I say regarding anything like re-using assets or commenting on how much work went into something, is based off that experience. I actually do understand what goes into programming, modelling, and designing a game.

I actually think a lot of people overestimate what goes into development these days, especially when it comes to taking a defensive stance when people are critical of something. There are many time saving and cost saving techniques that even independent novices like myself make use of to make their projects easier to make than at first glance. Middleware developers are constantly pushing their applications to be more streamlined, making development easier and easier, and allowing the industry to become more accessible. Truthfully, anyone can make a game nowadays, they just have to make the time to learn the tools and tinker around with them, and have some well formulated ideas.

You'd be surprised with what people can accomplish using re-used assets, and you'd also be surprised with how easy it is to update low-poly models into something that looks completely modern using a subdivision modifier and other similar tools. I've done it plenty of times myself. It's honestly something developers have to do a lot more these days because creating brand new, high-quality models for the same characters and objects over and over is just not cost or time-effective. Even Nintendo has directly stated that they want to re-use assets more often now (they started doing it with Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker).

At the end of the day, the main criticism of the BotW DLC is that half of the changes in the first pack are just fixes (not necessarily bug fixes, but more like, fixing design issues or things that were lacking in the original game). It doesn't make a lot of sense to charge for those - regardless of whether or not they are tied to a cute accessory they probably made in literally (again, speaking from experience) five minutes using an existing asset (even if Makar isn't specifically in BotW, they could have still made a mask like his either from his WWHD model, or from another Korok model). They should really distribute those kinds of changes for free as it means late adopters have an even more positive impression of the game, as they get to play with free improvements that wouldn't have been there if they had bought the game earlier.

 

[WeirdChillFever]

I don't think we need a PM, the traditional double-wrap from the good old days should do if it's a secret. Triple wrap on a big image if I find a general map to point it out on.

Spoiler: Here we. . .

Spoiler: Go!

It's Eldin Great Skeleton.

You take a picture for one sidequest, there's a Fiery Greatsword sitting under the skull (which is also good for lighting campfires and in my experience will last indefinitely for such, important for the main attraction), and the reason I keep going over there in the first place is because an internet guide pointed out Dinraal dips low enough to shoot at pretty consistently if you sit at a campfire until night and wait a few in-game hours.

Spoiler: Map

So you see the Shrine on there that's in the middle of the pitch black forest? And you know how there's a Shrine in the middle of the lava lake? Those are the two closest, LOL. The two closest that are reasonable to WALK from are the Woodland Tower and Skull Lake whoops forgot Gut Check Rock was closer. Not MUCH, though. Anyway, you know how those are pretty much on opposite ends of Eldin? That says about how remote the area is.

. . .LOL I forgot about Kara Kara Bazaar. That's bad, but it's still not as bad as my spot.

Yeah, reminds me of when I had to get to the shrine closest to your spot, that was a long walk.
Grinding spots might be the best use for the Medallion late-game.

EDIT: What if we could paint the new armors! I'd definitely go for Purple!Majora's Mask or Purple!Helmet (JUST to get that Ravio aesthetic really)

 

[Coricus]

I want to make it clear that I've done two years of coursework in video games design & development, and I've done plenty of independent upskilling and research on my own time. Looking to get into development with Unity soon.

Anything I say regarding anything like re-using assets or commenting on how much work went into something, is based off that experience. I actually do understand what goes into programming, modelling, and designing a game.

I actually think a lot of people overestimate what goes into development these days, especially when it comes to taking a defensive stance when people are critical of something. There are many time saving and cost saving techniques that even independent novices like myself make use of to make their projects easier to make than at first glance. Middleware developers are constantly pushing their applications to be more streamlined, making development easier and easier, and allowing the industry to become more accessible. Truthfully, anyone can make a game nowadays, they just have to make the time to learn the tools and tinker around with them, and have some well formulated ideas.

You'd be surprised with what people can accomplish using re-used assets, and you'd also be surprised with how easy it is to update low-poly models into something that looks completely modern using a subdivision modifier and other similar tools. I've done it plenty of times myself. It's honestly something developers have to do a lot more these days because creating brand new, high-quality models for the same characters and objects over and over is just not cost or time-effective. Even Nintendo has directly stated that they want to re-use assets more often now (they started doing it with Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker).

At the end of the day, the main criticism of the BotW DLC is that half of the changes in the first pack are just fixes (not necessarily bug fixes, but more like, fixing design issues or things that were lacking in the original game). It doesn't make a lot of sense to charge for those - regardless of whether or not they are tied to a cute accessory they probably made in literally (again, speaking from experience) five minutes using an existing asset (even if Makar isn't specifically in BotW, they could have still made a mask like his either from his WWHD model, or from another Korok model). They should really distribute those kinds of changes for free as it means late adopters have an even more positive impression of the game, as they get to play with free improvements that wouldn't have been there if they had bought the game earlier.

Don't forget Mr. Pinwheel!

Anyway, when I'm reading this, my mind oddly focuses less on the topic at hand and more on many people's insistence that veterans and newcomers in Smash take the same amount of effort. Considering they were already blatantly recycling material for the veterans, what you state goes a lot to show that it does in fact cut down on time and it should get even easier to recycle that material as time goes on, making veterans even safer of investments compared to newcomers even aside from the established fandoms, creative processes, and the fact that most of them are more well known than the hypothetical newcomers that might replace them. It also shows that clones that recycle assets take significantly less time than normal characters and would take a lot of effort to equal a single regular one.

Not sure why I felt the need to repeat that since it was both common sense already and Sakurai's even told us as much, but my mind flashed back to the endless flawed arguments of Smash speculation. Existing assets do make a difference.

Of course, even assets aside, there's still another issue at hand. Something that can, should, needs to be, and is currently in the process of being fixed, but something to keep in mind. Changes to Nintendo's work process can only happen as fast as messages travel up the pipeline and the company can adapt in turn. Since they already planned out the DLC by the time they announced it, they couldn't really go back and make all those things what people wanted them to be because less preferable decision or not it was already set in stone and to an extent advertised.

That's a thing Nintendo needs to polish up, and to an extent as long as they want to have any element of surprise it's always going to be a problem. But since they said they were working on paying more attention to feedback and on being able to change more quickly as a company, I'm willing to watch and see how they work on that.

. . .I do think that while Zelda has some pretty heavy recycling that anything Splatoon related is pretty much consistently mistaken for recycling assets wholesale when it at the bare minimum has to make tweaks, though. I know I'm not hallucinating the Female Inkling's tentacles being shorter in Mario Kart and practically every other thing in Splatoon 2 that got a new model flies under the radar because two years isn't long enough for much artstyle evolution. Obviously Splatoon was used as a working base for both because that's how sequel development often works, but somebody did more than just crack open copy-paste-enhance.

 

[Aurane]

Tfw you drink a cold smoothie and you're talking to a friend and then you get brain freeze.

Yeah so I'll be free when E3 starts. We gonna waaatthfdhvfjwfc-

Silver lining- that drink tasted great.

 

[WeirdChillFever]

I am so setting myself up for disappointment by hyping up these armors that are probably not upgradable or paintable.
Which doesn't leave a lot of stuff honestly, since I don't really care for Hard Mode or Even-Twice Island Dungeon (Upgradable Master Sword's nice though, saves a lot of its durability and thus other weapons' durability as well)

 

[ChikoLad]

Changes to Nintendo's work process can only happen as fast as messages travel up the pipeline and the company can adapt in turn. Since they already planned out the DLC by the time they announced it, they couldn't really go back and make all those things what people wanted them to be because less preferable decision or not it was already set in stone and to an extent advertised.

The issue then is more that how Nintendo thought it was appropriate to sell content updates like that in the first place.

It was probably executive meddling most likely, or just a case of older developers like Aonuma and Miyamoto not understanding the standards for these kind of things, but it goes back to that tone-deafness that is a constant nuisance for some more critical Nintendo fans like myself, where Nintendo just makes decisions that really shouldn't have even been considered. It goes beyond being an internal communications issue at that point, I think.

That being said, I do acknowledge that they are starting to give their younger members, like Koizumi, more prominence in their affairs. I've wanted to see that for a long time and it's good that it's happening, I hope it leads to some great stuff, and that Nintendo will start to feel less tone deaf going forward with the Switch. I can only hope for that at this point.

 

[Deleted member]

Things not to google:
-Pokemon fanart
-Weird japanese words which you don't know what they mean
-Rules 3 and 4 of the Fight Club
-Anything related to fungi
-Your own symptoms

No, seriously, do not google your own symptoms unless you've already accepted death
I've been learning these the hard way

I've only played Revelations out of the Fire Emblem: Fates trio, so after hearing all the hubbub about Conquest's difficulty, I gave it a go on the Hard difficulty.

DISCLAIMER: I am a filthy Casual mode player.

So with that said, here are some of my impressions.

Holy crap is this game difficult, I really feel as if I'm being tested unlike I had been before. I have to go in with a clear cut strategy for practically every map so far (5 hours in). I do notice that a huge portion of the difficulty is that they have you facing a bazillion troops in comparison to the other games, but it's still fun since you have to play wisely due to this. As someone who played Revelations, I legit cannot stand the story in this game as it doesn't feel legitimate enough. Like, It really makes more sense for Corrin to not pick a side than for her to pick one, but I suppose it does give a unique flavor, although I wouldn't say it's great story telling at the same time.

At one point I turned the settings down to Normal as my mental endurance was lowering from all the struggling, but the second I did, it felt too easy. Now I'm just itching to get back on the Hard difficulty as I feel that's where the real gameplay is. Def wouldn't recommend Conquest for a new player, but as someone who's only really played Awakening and Fates, this is a nice change of pace gameplay wise.

Fates in general seems to have been designed to be played on Hard, Normal is just too easy, specially with all the Skill removals

Which chapter are you in? Chapter 10 is where it really begins to show the great map design.
Conquest is a game who favors Player Phase over Enemy Phase so it's good to get used to being able to kill most enemies on your turn.
Earpy on it translates to "if you don't kill these now, they'll gang up on you later" and there's not a single unit who can be simply put in the middle of a bunch of enemy units and get out alive while killing them.
Later on, maps punish you with its mechanics like Ch.24 where you'll NEED to kill those Pegasus before they can get to you

 

[Chrono.]

Anyone here watch the new GameXplain discussion on the Zelda DLC? Damn Ash and Andre went at it, Derrick stayed quiet for like 6 minutes when things started heating up. lol

Darksiders 3 leaked and it'll probably be out next year seeing as it's placeholder is December 31st 2018.
The playable character is Fury this time (War and Death were in the previous games, Strife would probably be playable in a fourth game) and the main villains are the Seven Deadly Sins.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-05-02-darksiders-3-leaked-with-screenshots-and-details

Oh nice. Never played the first game but the second one was my first Wii U game and I liked it a lot despite some hiccups.

The 7 Sins theme does feel a little overdone though, but that might be because I'm in the middle of Persona 5 still.

 

[redfeatherraven]

I don't think we need a PM, the traditional double-wrap from the good old days should do if it's a secret. Triple wrap on a big image if I find a general map to point it out on.

Spoiler: Here we. . .

Spoiler: Go!

It's Eldin Great Skeleton.

You take a picture for one sidequest, there's a Fiery Greatsword sitting under the skull (which is also good for lighting campfires and in my experience will last indefinitely for such, important for the main attraction), and the reason I keep going over there in the first place is because an internet guide pointed out Dinraal dips low enough to shoot at pretty consistently if you sit at a campfire until night and wait a few in-game hours.

Spoiler: Map

So you see the Shrine on there that's in the middle of the pitch black forest? And you know how there's a Shrine in the middle of the lava lake? Those are the two closest, LOL. The two closest that are reasonable to WALK from are the Woodland Tower and Skull Lake whoops forgot Gut Check Rock was closer. Not MUCH, though. Anyway, you know how those are pretty much on opposite ends of Eldin? That says about how remote the area is.

. . .LOL I forgot about Kara Kara Bazaar. That's bad, but it's still not as bad as my spot.

Spoiler

Weeeeeell.

If all you want is elemental Greatswords, or elemental weapons of any sort for that matter, I'd advise the Coliseum Ruins just east of Outskirt Stable. You'll leave that place with a whole pile of whatever element you want.

Or, if you'd rather not fight for it, you can run for the Flameblade stuck in the center of the log in the middle of the lake just west of Central Tower. Sure, there's some mobs guarding it, but none of them are holding the blade, so not much stopping you from gliding or dashing in, swiping it, and fast-travelling back to the tower before they get a good swing on you.

Things not to google:
-Fanart of any franchise ever

Fixed.

 

[Aetheri]

View attachment 128630


Still haven't listened to anything but Hallelujah Money because I'm waiting to listen to it until I can grab a physical release.

I know reviews are positive-to-mixed but I'm still pretty excited to hear it all.

Also I trust Demon Days is in that binge.

Demon Days is one of my favourite albums in general! So yeah, of course it is!
But I've been listening to pretty much everything from Gorillaz (also a great album) to Plastic Beach (underrated imo)...their B-sides albums are pretty good as well with songs like Ghost Train, Left Hand Suzuki Method, 68 State, and Bill Murray...

Personally I found Hallelujah Money to be one of the weaker songs on the album, but I do think the new album still has some decent stuff to offer...

 

[Robertman2]

Anyone here watch the new GameXplain discussion on the Zelda DLC? Damn Ash and Andre went at it, Derrick stayed quiet for like 6 minutes when things started heating up. lol

Oh nice. Never played the first game but the second one was my first Wii U game and I liked it a lot despite some hiccups.

The 7 Sins theme does feel a little overdone though, but that might be because I'm in the middle of Persona 5 still.

If you only have a Wii U the remastered version of the first one comes out later this month. Fun game, even if it's a total ripoff of Zelda and God of War, with some Portal thrown in.

 

[Coricus]

The issue then is more that how Nintendo thought it was appropriate to sell content updates like that in the first place.

It was probably executive meddling most likely, or just a case of older developers like Aonuma and Miyamoto not understanding the standards for these kind of things, but it goes back to that tone-deafness that is a constant nuisance for some more critical Nintendo fans like myself, where Nintendo just makes decisions that really shouldn't have even been considered. It goes beyond being an internal communications issue at that point, I think.

That being said, I do acknowledge that they are starting to give their younger members, like Koizumi, more prominence in their affairs. I've wanted to see that for a long time and it's good that it's happening, I hope it leads to some great stuff, and that Nintendo will start to feel less tone deaf going forward with the Switch. I can only hope for that at this point.

IMO the fact that Breath of the Wild even exists is a massive step forward, at least for those that worked on it. The development of the Switch likewise was focused on actually bringing change and creating an attractive product.

Neither of them came out flawless, of course, but you can't expect a company to completely get the swerve from being in their own bubble to taking note of what people actually want right in a single go, they simply don't have the practice.

And then there's the fact that the fans due to not being a single entity are an utter incoherent mess of contradicting and half the time incompetent opinions and they have to figure out which ones actually have valid opinions that need to be listened to and which ones just need to be ignored. Since sometimes stupid ideas sound good on the surface, this means they also have to be more transparent in order to show why those ideas are stupid. Sharing the fact that they shipped extra Switches by air is a good example of them using transparency to shut down stupidity, so that's hopefully a good sign that they're working on that as well.

I'm seeing a Nintendo that saw their last system flop and are looking to change. Change is not an instant thing, and I think a lot of people are going to be upset at them for a long time for them not being able to get it perfect right off the bat. There will be hiccups. There will be questionable things. And it will go on for a while. But I have a strong feeling that the company is moving into more of a three steps forward one step back phase instead of the one step forward fifty steps back phase that people are endlessly terrified they'll end up in and constantly Flanderize their every action into being.

They're only human. They're as flawed as we are, as stubborn and at times blinded by bias yet also as capable of change and seeing past such. Sometimes I feel like people forget that there actually are human beings making this stuff, or somehow think that if there are that someone halfway across the planet has a personal vendetta against a person they have never even met or that they're simply static entities incapable of actually changing their minds about something. It's their job to give us what we want, yes, but to assume that it being their job means they have to be infallible or else on their first try every single time is to set standards absolutely no one can reach.

And TBH, I think the old guard of now is more reasonable than the old guard of 25 years ago. The video game industry of that time period in general was insanely spiteful, and even the blind old men of now are pretty mellow and open to change compared to what was going on before. This is already the improved product of passing over the torch previously, and that product is going to refine itself again over time just as it did before, as we're starting to see.

 

[Chrono.]

If you only have a Wii U the remastered version of the first one comes out later this month. Fun game, even if it's a total ripoff of Zelda and God of War, with some Portal thrown in.

That's cool. Unfortunately my Wii U is basically paperweight because I got no place to set it up right now.

I mean I could set it up but that'd be more work than I'm willing to do for it at the moment.

 

[Robertman2]

That's cool. Unfortunately my Wii U is basically paperweight because I got no place to set it up right now.

I mean I could set it up but that'd be more work than I'm willing to do for it at the moment.

Well, if you have a PC/PS4/Xbox One it's already out on that

 

[Professor Pumpkaboo]

Several things in the update should be for free, but the new armor, trial and hard mode are fine imo.

That said, this is just a warm up. The real meat of what people are paying for will be coming soon.

wait that map traking isnt free? Well the Mini map for MK8 was free update, why not that

Female Inkling's tentacles being shorter in Mario Kart

Well I mean, she is in a Kart. You cant have long hair when you are in a tiny cart pf

 

[Chrono.]

Is anyone else here not superstitious but, like, "stitious".

Like you don't necessarily believe or know if myths or urban legends are real but you ain't gonna be going inside "haunted" houses or chanting Bloody Mary to find out.

 

[ChikoLad]

Is anyone else here not superstitious but, like, "stitious".

Like you don't necessarily believe or know if myths or urban legends are real but you ain't gonna be going inside "haunted" houses or chanting Bloody Mary to find out.

I mean I don't go out of my way to do those things because I'd look like a fool anyway.

But I've done stuff like that in the past when people were joking about it. I'm still alive. I think, anyway.

 

[MF Viewtiful]

Is anyone else here not superstitious but, like, "stitious".

Like you don't necessarily believe or know if myths or urban legends are real but you ain't gonna be going inside "haunted" houses or chanting Bloody Mary to find out.

Man if someone made the opportunity to stay in a haunted house for a bet, I'd totally would. I'm never been big on the super natural in any sort of way, though graveyards/cemeteries do give me an odd vibe that I can not shake off.

 

[Professor Pumpkaboo]

What colors can be counted as "holy and pure" colors? Im coloring two angel units on Disgaea