Month: March 2019

Video Games

AAA game industry

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AAA game industry

Video games are big business, biggest source of entertainment spending. Jewel in the entertainment industry crown. Decades video games faced prejudice from executives. Every single major entertainment brand gets a video game tie in these days. Industry has changed over the last decade. Moving towards a service based model, selling the product with services. Cosmetics are now common place. Mobile games pushed the model with free to play games. Practice was picked up in order to push up profits by retail released games.

Downloadable content is common place with months worth of updates promised. Constant updates over months to keep players wallets open. Problem however unclear road maps putting faith something shows up. Studios often promise content, pre ordering future content. Season pass or battle pass acting as content pre ordering. Unclear what content is coming.  Speaking of pre orders something else companies have been pushing. Every game now has different versions offering different content.

Triple A studios have promised giant profits growing year on year. Impossible task to keep growing, profits to keep growing.  Video gaming companies have record revenue, that not good enough. Shareholders are demanding impossible growth on returns to continue.  Only so many customers with limited growth per year. Couple weeks ago major companies began to cut costs during record results. Big triple AAA studios have been aggressive extracting maximum value from every customer.

Turning average buy in from $60 to more $120. Single player games have suffered, online focused content following trends have taken over. Big studios avoid certain genres which not trending. Newest trend at the moment, battle royale focused on player interactions. Before that modern shooters before that crafting games. Best innovation has come from home grown indie titles. Small producers helping to shape or create new markets. Bigger companies focus on what becomes a success. More video games per year are produced competition is high. Don’t forget video games are now fighting for screen time. Media streaming services are fighting video games, who rules the TV.

Competition is driving publishers to create platforms to sell video games. Valves business model is largely video game distribution service, studio stopped producing major titles. PC platform has seen rapid growth in distribution services. Indie titles now have own distribution services. No longer need big publishers. Big budget titles no longer exclusively publish to stream. Valve have taken big freatures from console gaming creating a closed platform. Stream not just distribution service brings together friends under one platform. Even console gaming has seen platforms open up. Cross platform gaming new trend with cross progression.

In the past publishers have used old media video game journalism. Using marketing campaigns, pushing exclusive previews. Big closed door media events have been replaced by social media influences.  Normal people with big enough following becoming free marketing machines. New industry has followed old school media journalism. Getting harder to avoid negative problems. With limited funds many are holding out, waiting for first impressions to come in. 

I started to speak with my wallet, investing into games which value my time. Which offer something and don’t seek to milk my wallet dry. Industry feels like the triple AAA sector is overextend and over producing. 

Brexit, Journal, Politics

Post no brexit day

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Voices of brexit wanted 29th of march to be day we leave the EU. Proud day which we take control, forging a new path forward. Pundits demanded we start the process. Would be easy simple cheap with no real issues. Voices are now silence saying don’t blame us. Project was doomed to fail, sabotaged by it own supporters. Refusing to support the project they started. Attacking loyal MPs who supported this terrible project in key votes. Rewriting history to escape blame. Each time the goal posts moving, towards more extreme pure form.

Voters not given full details what brexit meant in practical terms. Worse still attacking everybody, using aggressive language. Automatic action of law we now leave 12th of April. Parliament with the government needs to find some alternate plan quickly. Behind closed doors EU decides if the plan is viable. Parliament has refused to pass the current withdrawal agreement. Leaving no deal or revoke, both which parliament has refused.  No deal by accident is possible, automatic action of law. 

Need a new parliament to pass this treaty. Options still on the table, another second referendum, unity government. Former members of leave campaign knew having a plan would not let them win. Now MPs are finding out just how impossible creating a policy based on lies is. Everybody shares the blame for this outcome, journalists have failed to inform. 

Voters deserve better, we should reflect why people voted leave how this was possible.

Smite, Video Games

Smite meta snapshot and top picks patch 6.2

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Smite meta snapshot and top picks patch 6.2

Current meta can be described as pressure with burst. Similar to the late season 5, pressure leads to snowballs. Aggressive pressure is valued for duo, jungle and middle. Solo lane about aggressive rotations, less about lane pressure. High pressure supports block invades, helping to keep carries safe. Both damage roles is about safe lane clear and damage. Higher levels of play low mobility mages are super valued. Hybrid items counter burst for the frontline. Designers have said they plan on balancing around diamond plus. Bronze to plat play similar to each other. Ranked is less about picks more how well you can play. Against experienced players, certain gods become weaker.

Here my top picks and pocket picks.  Mainly been playing these gods in ranked and banning these gods.

ADC – Chiron, Cernunnos, Jing wei, Apollo, Medusa

Support – Geb, Cerberus, Bacchus, Fenrir, Kumbhakarna

Middle Ah Puch, Agni, Kukulkan, Poseidon, Raijin

Jungle – Ao kuang, bakasura, Pele, Ratatoskr, Da Ji

Solo – Vamana, Sun Wukong, Xing tian, Zhong zui, Cabrakan

Why is X god not on that list?

I don’t enjoy playing X god at the moment, view that god as over rated. Could be lacking experience with X god due being banned all the time. Obvious examples Merlin and King Arthur, like merlin but so many jungles who pressure him. King Arthur I find difficult to play well.

Grinding my way towards diamond at the moment currently one division below.

Brexit, Politics, Thoughts

Why I can’t support withdrawal agreement

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Why I can’t support withdrawal agreement

Leaving the European union, means to an end. Conventional wisdom mainstream, would developed a plan. Forging a cross party consensus, letting civil servants work. Listening to experts finding a pragmatic solution. Opposite happened no coherent plan, weak consensus based on the end. Article 50 triggered with two years to complete stage one. With full opposition parties support, similar red lines, blaming each other. Not obvious is what the British want, European diplomats are puzzled. Westminster is consumed around British viewpoint ignoring everything else.A task of leaving is not easy, complicated work requires massive amounts of resources. Based on research 760 international agreements need renegotiations completed. So much for quick and easy, ignorance not a defence. Leaving is like riding a unicycle juggling cats plus writing a speech prize winning novel within 30 minutes. Journalists focus on the bubble, failing to explain or inform. Overly focused on the backstop rest of legislation ignored. Blame is shared across the establishment.
Purpose of the backstop insurance against running out of time. Negotiations over the future need to be solved by 2021. Not designed to keep Britain in the EU by the backdoor. Both sides had to agree to the backstop, consent was given. British politics lacks a clear idea what comes next after the withdrawal agreement. Impossible to craft policy based on lies. With many demanding EU membership, no costs or responsibility. Cheerleaders of an exit, saying current offer is worse compared to membership. Certain critics have offered weak excuses saying they would have to support it. Means to an end, without a real plan. Whatever option is picked, downgrade on the current membership. Brexiteers demands influence over regulation, claiming UK had no influence inside but would outside. Further claims made by the Brexiteers, Europe adds barriers to trade. India on record saying UK blocked European trade agreements over migration. Citizens could enjoy freedom of movement with restrictions on everybody else. Short sighted deep rooted highly complacent arrogant disregard. Rude awakenings to happen towards the complacency showed by the British.
Leaving the European Union going to cause red tape for British business. UK needs to build new regulator bodies. Often claimed regulation cripples business, nobody knows which ones. Common complaint is working time directive, workers to 48 hours a week unless they opt out. Labour market already has very weak enforcement. Heard complaints about environmental regulation, again no single piece is named. What regulation do people disagree with nobody knows or why? Important to understand UK can veto any regulation changes under EU membership. UK civil servants at every stage help craft each EU law. Claimed UK lacks influence within the EU but can have more influence outside. Which one is it over regulation, no voice or has a voice? Impossible paradox which underlines the debate, hidden in plain sight like some other uncomfortable truths.
Worse all sides within the debate ignore the consequences. Dishonest to dismiss each warning, claiming sabotage. Adding barriers makes trading harder that a fact. Condescending to say voters understood, with the establishment not understanding the basics. Politicians claim to be against something they want. A framework around regulations is required, food safety exist for a reason. Business facing higher regulation burden to export or import would cost jobs. Companies are already moving jobs and planning less investment. Result in smaller tax base and economy, not difficult to understand barriers cause problems. Willing to gamble everything, risking the economy and people own livelihoods. The prime minster claims the referendum was about freedom of movement. Ending freedom of movement means removing British citizens right to travel and work. European Union necessary but not perfect, not immune to criticism. British politics is experiencing paralysis, caused by the referendum. Unable to pass the withdrawal agreement, unclear what anybody wants. Both mainstream parties desire similar things based on the red lines.
Incapable to defend freedom of movement. Others claim the mantle was in the name of ducks. Referendum acted as a lighting rod against everything people disliked in general. Will of the people defence, just series of mini majorities. Appropriate term is minority views, purely absolute majority is people don’t want to be poorer but richer. Everybody dreams about being a billionaire, money to buy gold houses. European Union does not stop the Government from dealing with why people claim they voted leave. Leaving does not automatic put right burning injustices. The longest period of time ignored why do people suddenly think things would change.
Conventional wisdom has so far been proved wrong. Cheerleaders have been dismissive, ignoring criticism or reality. European Union referendum was meant to settle internal party disputes. Everything was meant to get better but things going to get worse. Issues are never settled by a lone vote. Undemocratic to permanently lock something never to be touched again. Shocking decisions caused by internal politics within the conservative party made it worse. Decided to refer to just the bad decisions from the last three years. Crafting a political crisis that slowly tearing into the unwritten constitutional rules.

1. David Cameron calls a second referendum.
2. Blocking civil servants planning against all outcomes
3. Trigging article 50 before the UK was prepared
4. Blocking legal advice over article 50
5. MPs votes to trigger article 50
6. MPs is supporting the exit regulations.
7. Not seeking cross party support
8. Red lines over FoM
9. Announcing a general election,
10. No solution for the Irish border

We right now experience a period of uncertainty with decades worth of negotiations. No time to deal with legitimate grievances or problems. No extra money to provide for things people wants. Plague on both houses which nobody really wanted. Watch the excuses appear blaming everything including Europe. All resources directed towards limiting the self-harm. I can’t support the project of leaving understanding the exorbitant costs. I held my nose voting remain, because of David Cameron. Hard to appreciate the chaos voting to leave would cause. Never precisely grasped all the issues, but undertook research trying to inform myself. Frank honestly Northern Ireland was at the back of my mind. Like many viewing Ireland as settled, same view of complacency that union holds. A general messaging by leaves caused deep-seated mistrust my right to travel and work was at grave risk. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Admitting bad decisions, initial step to correcting it. In any other line of employment would see you sacked. Making people poorer, adding barriers and removing rights. Undemocratic to allow such appeasement to go unchallenged. Complacency is how we got here more it, not the answer.

What happens next nobody knows, political crisis with constitutional system working.  I fear parliament has failed in it duty. Revoke looks like the only option but political toxic.

Brexit, Journal

Brexit oh noes

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Brexit oh noes

I was unprepared for the rain today, washing machine was meant to be active. Failed to plan for the weather turning, failed to prepare any washing. High amount of rain has stopped that plan. Some respects this could be a metaphor for brexit. British euroscepticism looks ignorance on how the EU works. Failing to understand anything about the EU. Mean to the ends screw details. Worrying trend which is concerning given how we meant to leave late march. Government is not ready to leave without a deal or with a deal. Biggest defeat against a sitting government looks unlikely any deal can pass. Westminster is crippled by self negotiations, negotiations with the EU was done months ago. Things are not looking great MPs are demanding the impossible. Focus has been on the backstop, ignoring the real problem. Why the backstop needs to exist in the first place. Unicorns still alive with less than one month to go.  

MPs should be protecting us from economic self harm. Time is running out with all options looking unlikely. My prediction deal passes with new leaders and some public vote happening. Who know what happens I do worry about the future.

Smite

Jormungandr – Smite

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Jormungandr – Smite

Jormungandr newest guardian in smite, world serpent from Norse mythology. Scale of this god not be underestimated, model is massive. Terms of play style aggressive bruiser guardian who causing back line chaos. Passive is interesting combined with strong area of effect crowd control. Crowd control on offer slow, knock ups and some sort of fear. Briefly played solo lane with some arena, feels like natural fit for solo over support. No sustain within the kit which is one weakness. Don’t think his early game is strong enough for duo lane, more a front line bully. Hard to judge how strong the god going to be. Kit wise knock-ups are super valuable with decent team fight powers. I love the general style, audio is fantastic. Designers have made this snake feel interesting.  Much more than just a monster serpent. Minor things which make require a degree of learning.

First impressions are good nothing like the lane terror that is king Arthur. Completely different beast compared to Merlin late game control mage. Worth the wait I would love to thank whoever worked on him.

WarFrame

Nightwave Wolf of Saturn week 2 tips

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Nightwave Wolf of Saturn week 2 tips

Nightwave challenges are time sinks not that difficult. Just require some time investment to complete each one. Rewarded for spending time doing the challenges. Here some general tips to help you complete this weeks challenges. Obvious example Syndicate missions need 10 which takes some time to do.

Deal X damage to kill X enemy, doesn’t need be the dominate element to trigger. Weapon with corrosive heat builds, toxin or electric or heat would count. Other words specific load outs are not required. Warframe powers count towards this challenge.

10 perfect animal captures can be bit random. Stealth frames make this easier, Irava sleep arrows need be direct hits. Need to be patience watching wind direction, plants give you a general idea. Hunt the lower tier animals without a good sense of smell.

Pick up 8 rare mods, random luck involved here. Normally would be time consuming requiring hundreds of mobs to die.  The index located on Neptune, high chance each enemy can drop rare mods.  Loot table contains rare mods, not that bad in terms of time needed.

Kuva challenge without life support requires some way to generate life support. Nerkos with despoil , atlas or hydroid can also generate more loot. Time sink challenge that not difficult to complete. If you do find this hard I recommend you bring a DPS frame. Converting life support to Kuva also stops accidentally life support usage.  Can convert to kuva without fear of the challenge failing. Bring a friend to do both challenges at once.

Complete three waves of elite onslaught any DPS frame is good here. ESO provides a good source for ducats normally can find public squads without much trouble. Saryn is queen in this mode but not required. Can bring a support frame and help any DPS if you want.  Can complete eximus unit challenge here at the same time.

Other challenges like Assassination missions I recommend phroid invasion mission. Honestly just pick whatever boss you enjoy the most.

WarFrame

Warframe wolf of saturn bye alerts

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Warframe wolf of saturn bye alerts

Surprise update has hit warframe, no fan fair just global platform release. Patch notes can be found here. Introducing nightwave radio show presented by mystery host Nora night. Replacing the alert system and XP related challenges. Alert system was time based random alerts offering players certain rewards. Certain mods would turn up at 1 am just when you wanted to sleep. Nightwave small bits of lore, tier rewarded, quests which unlock rewards and currency to unlock old alert rewards. Designers have hinted that new stories are coming with new rewards. Rewards are meant to be time limited no idea if they are going to repeat. No confirmed length how long each season is going to last. Old alert UI remains so alerts have not fully disappeared. Various game modes are still linked with this UI. Nightwave progress can be viewed at any time during missions. Welcome change which allows you to check in game. Functions similar to the syndicate reward system. Some key differences battle pass like tiers rewards, can pick what reward you want. Goal behind this system giving players some goals after the star chart. Vets have extra content with some big goals to work towards.

Some minor complaints around the UI elements it has replaced. Update has been quite enjoyable.