Like a lot of people, I'm deeply excited about what the lovely folks at Larian accomplished with Baldur's Gate 3, but I want to gently, pre-emptively push back against players taking that excitement and using it to apply criticism or a "raised standard" to RPGs going forward
1/10 You can't separate a game from the process used to build it, so let's look at what Larian is taking into the development and final version of this game:
2/

I had an interesting experience at a metal show that is making me reflect on community, and the spaces we inhabit.

Because I have now become That Guy, this is a thread about moshing.
1/ I’m new to the punk scene. I’ve always loved the music, but never participated until recently.

One of the things that surprised me most is that despite moshing taking several forms, many of those forms were not… violent. Physical, yes, but not intended to harm.
2/

HOT TAKE:
beer cans are just juiceboxes for adults

we would cut alcoholism by over 70% if we normalized adult juice box consumption

everyone just wants a juice box, man organs are just juice boxes *inside of your body*, if you really think about it. there's a synchronicity in the meat. like attracting like.

we wish to consume that which we already have.

in recognition of the commercial conditions under which we make our art

i have made your fiancee in dog airport game

Big
store.steampowered.com/app/1246250/An… please make this sin worthwhile

please wishlist our open-world comedy game about stock photo dogs
store.steampowered.com/app/1246250/An…

So, I understand the frustration around Hitman 3 server weirdness--I'm dealing with a lot too--but I want to very quickly list the factors going into what's being done here, because I've been in games nearly a decade, and I have literally not seen a single thing on this scale.
1/ In the five years since HITMAN (2016) we've got:
1) Publisher change
2) A mix of episodic and non-episodic releases
3) Customized DLC scenarios (pre-orders, retailer bonuses, etc.)
4) 2 console generations
5) Physical releases in several territories

2/

Heya! The thread I did earlier today ended in a pun, but the reality of unstable (and/or terrifying!) work conditions in games is based on real experience. My own, and those of every developer I know.

Keeping it quiet is the standard. I don't know a single dev who HASN'T gone through something buck-wild/awful.

I've spent hours joking with folks in DMs about the fictional creative director, or the whims of corporate fate wiping a project off the map, because we've all been there.
If we didn't laugh, we'd cry.

Okay, I just had a VERY interesting DM conversation.

With permission from the developer (who will remain anonymous), I'm sharing it.

1/ A little context:
For 2 years, I ran a column for PC Gamer magazine called 'Inside Development'.

Every month, I'd talk to a bunch of developers about an invisible part of game dev, and write it up to give an insight into the awful, beautiful miracle that is game development.

2/

I think I just played the most surprising game of 2019.

No one would expect THIS game to have the content and form that it takes.
It's ambitious as hell, in an entirely unexpected package.

I am going to double-check the embargo and make sure I can talk about this. Okay, I can't upload screenshots from my Switch, but I can shout about this game without getting in trouble.

Okay.

Okay.

I am deeply excited by the model EA is using for Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville.

Not just because we got a Garden Warfare 3 (yay!!), but because it reflects a wider cultural acknowledgement that the way we've been releasing things...doesn't quite work. There was a quite long period where more meant better, right? Pack in as much content as you can. Drop all your episodes at once. Binge culture.

That isn't going to go away entirely, but combining that attitude with the sheer amount of work out there incurred heavy fatigue.

Welcome to the #NelsonVR Steam Summer Sale thread!

I'm going through the entire catalog of discounted VR games to chat about trends, consequences of the Almighty Algorithm, bizdev implications, and games That Look Pretty Cool.

Some disclaimers before we start: The Summer Sale just gives us an inherent microcosm to discuss stuff within. There are many incredible VR and non-VR titles that don't go on sale for a bunch of reasons, including hit shooter H3VR, and you should look for ways to support those folks too.
store.steampowered.com/app/450540/Hot…

Hail to the Chief nothing but respect for MY president that desperately wants me to feel the suffering of every developer who participated in his foul, delightful creation

https://twitter.com/WritNelson/status/1138223089391681537

You know that The Good Place episode where Jason and his family are making a Very Illegal Energy Drink And Shampoo Combo?

I laughed at it at the time, but it turns out that was based on a REAL FRICKING COURT CASE IN FLORIDA.
There were corpses involved.

Thread: The trouble started when Putnam County residents Odinson (36) and Ymir (52) Valkyrie began to believe that they were vikings.

Okay: you know how I was soliciting stories about developer experiences working with licensed games?
I got a *really* juicy one that, after a lot of back and forth, they realized they didn't exactly want published in PC Gamer magazine.

HOWEVER ...The company (which isn't huge, but has a reputation--you'd know their games immediately) did say I could share the story publicly as long as I did not provide identifying details about either of the parties in the story.

So, I won't do that.

Okay, serious question:
Captain Marvel crashed into this place called Blockbuster. Is that an obscure reference?

I looked it up and there's a villain called 'Blok', but he's from the DC universe.

Trying to figure out what a Blockbuster is and I honestly have no fudging clue. Ah! May have found something. There IS a Marvel supervillain called Blockbuster.
Was that his lair?

If so, why is it just...out in the open? And blue?

Maybe it's creative license?

Okay, confession time--I'm the 'wrong' person in this meme!

I meticulously outline plots, campaigns, and character relationships (among other things) long before I build them. It hasn't just made my writing better - it's saved my butt.
#NelsonGameOutline

https://twitter.com/WritNelson/status/1026581789513592832

There's a lot of ways to outline narrative THINGS. However, while looking for better ways to plan, present, and structure my work, I came up with a flexible format that has--again--saved my butt more than once, and my clients love.

Today, I'm sharing it!
#NelsonGameOutline

Hey, real talk fellow game writers:
If you're working in text, recognizing screenshotable moments as being as much of a priority as character growth or plot revelation is so important, particularly in the landscape we currently occupy.

Let me explain what I mean by that:
1/ A screenshotable moment is a standalone piece of text that's particularly evocative, funny, or horrifying - the key factors being that the line and/or choice has easily parsed context, and is compelling to share.

Just to use a recent example, Yakuza 0 is full of these.
2/

NO MAN'S SKY GENERATED THE COOLEST SCI-FI STORY FOR US AND I'M GOING TO TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT It was a lifeless planet. That's literally what No Man's Sky categorized it as. A 'lifeless planet.'

We thought we were alone, here - that's when I found the notification for the Humming Egg.

Hotline Miami 2 = Finished
It's a better game on every level--and looked down upon because it didn't come first. You can see it - heck, you can *feel* it.
The game feel is more refined.
The storytelling is confidently idiosyncratic. Ambitious.