Ral's recent activity
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Comment on Squadron 42 | CitizenCon trailer in ~games
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Comment on FBI is investigating Florida company where Whitaker was advisory-board member in ~news
Ral LinkI really hope we can continue to expose this rot, and that we're facing a full generation (as in decades) of reform and anti-corruption. For us Americans, we have a ton of maintenance to do, after...I really hope we can continue to expose this rot, and that we're facing a full generation (as in decades) of reform and anti-corruption. For us Americans, we have a ton of maintenance to do, after decades of little-to-no reform and allowing the ultra rich to infect our system to their own benefit.
Seriously, root to stem, let's gut this corruption, punish those harming others for their own benefit, and salt the earth of this propaganda-fueled extremism.
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Comment on Microsoft is acquiring Obsidian Entertainment and inXile Entertainment in ~games
Ral LinkI have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, it can be empowering for a studio to have a parent with deep pockets. If the acquisition allows Obsidian access to capital to develop games that...I have mixed feelings about this one.
On one hand, it can be empowering for a studio to have a parent with deep pockets. If the acquisition allows Obsidian access to capital to develop games that truly manifest their take on games, I'm thrilled to see what comes of it.
On the other hand, if MS takes the helm and treats Obsidian as another internal group to work on games built around a business goal (as opposed to games made on their own merits), the folks at Obsidian may end up basically being an in-source studio for ports, expansions, etc. It'd be a waste of good talent and a studio that has proven they can ship original, well-received games.
From what I've heard, Microsoft is putting a lot of focus on content in order to course correct Xbox as a gaming platform. It's become as much media center as gaming platform, so at the least, I hope they're fleshing out the game library.
I haven't heard great things about how MS treats studios post-acquisition, but I sincerely hope this move is based on a new strategy, and that we can look forward to great games that Obsidian and InExile can come up with when empowered with a massive influx of resources. Their game pedigrees would hint at games I would really enjoy.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? #6 in ~books
Ral LinkI'm re-reading Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series this Fall. Most people I know laugh at how comically detailed the books, like describing character clothing and the like, but I genuinely enjoy...I'm re-reading Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series this Fall. Most people I know laugh at how comically detailed the books, like describing character clothing and the like, but I genuinely enjoy the story and how massive it all is. While flawed in some ways, I consider them a guilty pleasure I don't have to feel guilty about. They are also less dark than George R.R. Martin's work.
On the non-fiction side, I'm slowly working my way through a business book-
Pitch Anything - a book recommended by an investor, I'm finding it far more useful for focusing the strategy of my company than just for pitching. It goes into detail about the adversarial approach people take in business deals. At first I was pretty disgusted by the idea of using power and leverage so blatantly, but have since embraced the idea of knowing how some people treat business as warfare, which helps me navigate the bullshit, or flat-out avoid working with them. -
Comment on What is a childish thing you still do while being an adult? in ~talk
Ral LinkI won't step on cracks in the sidewalk, don't want to harm my mama..I won't step on cracks in the sidewalk, don't want to harm my mama..
I have high hopes for Star Citizen and Squadron 42.
I keep a close eye on Cloud Imperium, because I am so excited to see a studio doing it the right way. Regardless of whether one agrees with the way they raise money, they use that money to develop the way most AAA developers would choose to if they had the freedom to. Their work is also feeding the industry with better workflows and tools, which is already benefiting small studios. I hope their work sets a new bar for gamers as well, fueling a demand for better tech that powers storytelling and gameplay.
The (subjective) downside for me is that I've never been all that impressed with Chris Roberts' storytelling, it always feels super campy to me. I hope his lore team fills that gap..
Finally, the evolution of their transparency with the backer community has been glorious. To see them balancing their vision with feedback from backers is encouraging. It's also been clear that Chris Roberts himself had a strong tendency to blow up scope and make classic EP / Visionary mistakes like committing to delivery dates without alignment with his team and adding features independent of his team. The past year has been great, as they've implemented an open roadmap and release schedule, which has helped curtail some feature creep (in that anything added publicly impacts the roadmap), and CR seems more disciplined.