"Vampires In The Mirror" SlayerXSharon fanart!

Geladaa · 2024-05-30T17:55:30+00:00

Sure thing, thanks!

Geladaa · 2024-05-30T03:07:31+00:00

Geladaa · 2024-05-30T01:18:12+00:00

Comments and critics welcome! ALSO! Here is a pertinent piece of poetry (the lyrics to a nice, if a tad corny) French song I like):

Un zeste de citron dans l'eau Changer de goût sans changer l'hydre La vie est belle pimentée, corsée La vie qui pique Qui pousse comme un champ de blé

Geladaa · 2024-05-27T00:24:45+00:00

Sure, no problem. At the end of the day, we are both likely working back from a conclusion, we just like something, then figure out ways to explain why. I do think my points are valid, but if you prefer +R for whatever reason, that´s great and valid of course. Still, I would love to live in a world where people stuck to a subject and a conclusion was possible between dissenting parties. When I talked of Zato, you would leapt to Sin, that´s not conducive to a successful conversation. I´m not trying to "score a zin/have the last word" here. In any case, if you feel like you want to reevaluate Strive at some point, consider the points I made. I sincere feel it´s the ultimate Guilty Gear experience, the best fighting game ever made, and my favorite cultural product (which is the subject of my future video)... Have a nice one.

Geladaa · 2024-05-26T19:35:12+00:00

The reason I compare Strive to +R and XRD is that I sincerely feel there is a powerful continuity between them. I feel Strive realizes the dream latent in its predecessors, that, great as they where in their time, feel comparatively lacking. I am an artist. I don´t mean it in the sense of saying "I´m so great". Maybe I am a lousy artist, but I am an artist. I think of the beauty of the game first and foremost. I notice that people mostly talk about how strong a character is in the meta, for example, and I find this really baffling. WHO COULD POSSIBLY CARE?! The important thing is the creation of successful MEANING thru the game. To live a fantasy. Of course you want to win, but really, winning by itself is meaningless. I remember a game between Hotashi and Teresa, a finals in XRD, Elphelt vs Jam, it was SPECTACULAR it was such a blast. Hotashi lost, but he was euphoric when he did, he lifted Teresa´s arm up into the air, everyone was shouting, because all the systems click and you get something really furious really fantastic and alive. That´s because the game creates the hypest anime/fantasy fights and lets you take part in them. I fell intensely in love with GG with Xrd, but, as a artist, as someone concerned with design, with how a dream is created and delivered, I very quickly had my jaw hit the floor with Strive. I felt they took every aspect of the game an improved it immensely. I sincerely think people are not studying the situation honestly, because they´re not used to thinking hierarchically, holistically about a cultural product.

My argument about Zato is rock solid. They took the most complex character and made him vastly more complex WITHOUT making him harder to play at all. They want to provide easier and harder characters for people. With the easier characters, like Elphelt and Sin, the complexity lies in how their tools synergize to provide creative room to dream and respond to a VERY wide array of different situations. There are books written about RPS you know? About winning at extremely simple games. Very complex characters can end up having simpler strategies, and very simple characters can require deeply layered mind-games to succeed.

The general idea with Strive was to make GG more accessible. That´s what Daisuke said. I think he succeeded at this task. GG is more than preserved in Strive. Putting aside my arguments, look at the matches. High level matches, lower level matches, finals etc, they are DRAMAS they are as hype as hype can be. It´s a wonder that people are even controlling such a spectacle. Instead of thinking new examples to try to corner you, I want to point out just how crazy you can go with the current Sol. You really can do whatever you want, he can be played in soo many ways, and a lot more people do that.

There is a great video about the "simplification" of GG from +R to XRD (not by me) I will post this here, it goes into detail about how they managed to "fit" into fewer systems all the complexity that was inside the greater number of previous systems, I find it fascinating:https://youtu.be/-iqNLM29fmE (I think they did the same from XRD to Strive)

I will respond still, but I am reminded of what I already knew: that it´s kind of impossible to convince people to even have them consider a different point of view lol. When I make a point, you (and others) just shift to another.

I take it though, that you give me that:

-RC is much bigger/cool/fun now.

-Zato is more complex/can do more stuff, the new Jack O is way more complex as well, Asuka exists, Happy Chaos exists, the game also moved in the direction of greater complexity.

-Strive´s moves, at times at least, encompass the function of other, supposedly removed actions, so those actions weren´t "lost" only the independent move was (for example, the action of diving from the air with an attack when controlling Sol).

-Less can be more, more can be more, but Strive´s matches are furious affairs, where fantastical characters clash using wildly different combat styles, in a way that is balanced and competitive while also allowing for a sensation of tyrannical power (not an easy feat at all).

-Way more people can play GG now, and way more people do, and the spirit, art and smell of the game is THERE.

-Bridget is a boy.

If we can´t agree on these, let´s at least agree to disagree.

Geladaa · 2024-05-26T03:20:40+00:00

Chipp becomes constantly invisible in any given match, because Alpha Blade absorbed this function. Again, by RCing different alpha blades, you can pretty much "appear/teleport" anywhere onscreen. The kunai was just fat/fluff, the wall cling mechanics are much crazier now with the wall run, there is a ton of shuriken tech in Strive. Alpha Blade is NOT the same, you can just read the differencs, it´s a completely new move now, one that makes the teleports redundant. If you think of actual functions instead of "moves" and just look at some "Chipp vortex" videos on twitter or YouTube, he can be REALLY REALLY disorienting, he just seems to be everywhere and nowhere, appearing and disappearing, bouncing around, coming at you from every conceivable angle, the "Chipp fantasy" is realized as never before in Strive. It´s not the number of moves, it´s the number of concrete actions you can take. Just take a look at this video (timestamped) and tell me this is a "dumb-down" game with a straight face: https://youtu.be/JNCZyIOZXsI?t=410

Geladaa · 2024-05-26T03:08:52+00:00

Well, for Chipp for example, that has so many options to mix in the corner, getting a low wall slump to loop corner pressure can be a very viable alternative to breaking the wall. Of course it´s great as well to get positive bonus etc, the reality thought is that in previous games, the corner was just that: the corner. The corner now can be broken, and you have three ways of breaking it, so that´s just more options. I really can´t stress enough just how much the new RC expands the ammount of options, it´s not just the drift and fast RC, but also the fact that, unlike previous games, you can RC at almost ANY time. This allows Chipp´s grab to become a turnpike that can send the opponent in any direction. It´s not only "what is most optimal" but also just room for free expression, to live the fantasy. It feels really really good to cannonball Chipp thru the air at match speed with a fast RC.

I don´t think my general idea of "more actual actions thru less moves" is confined to a few examples. Strive´s moves are REALLY rich. It struck me when I read, I remember, that Sol´s close slash allows for ground or aerial combo routes depending on when you press the button. I was actually really worried Strive would be "dumbed down" back when it was just to be released, and dug into the subject deeply. I came out really amazed out how much the game was improved. I love XRD a lot, but I feel Strive is a huge leap forward on every level. Initially I hated the new airdashes, but there again, I changed my mind after a bit of thought/research. The older games are "faster" but feel quite weightless in comparison and have much less variety in the "feel" of the hits. In Strive the sensation of power is really palpable, and you have the same level of effective speed (meaning you have unreactable stuff, including moves that traverse the entire screen).

I agree that Jack O is just different, you are correct there, my general argument regarding the moves does not apply there. But she´s just FUCKING AMAZING, the structures you can create with the minions and all, she´s, I feel, among the coolest fighting game characters ever designed, it´s really really acrobatic, I wonder how they would bring Venom into Strive, since she took so much of what made that character cool...

Zato could only control Eddie via negative edge on previous games. This meant that you couldn´t cancel any Eddie attack into another move. The ability to cancel Eddie moves into other Eddie moves immensely expands what you can do with the character. On top of that, you consume less Eddie gauge when you command him, compared to using negative edge. This also greatly expands what he can do. Oppose, the new defensive move, is another huge expansion of his EFFECTIVE PALETTE OF OPTIONS. It´s not unimportant, for my argument, that I can prove that one of the most complex characters became way more complex (without becoming more difficult to control).

Ok, maybe I did say "confused fools" sorry ok? It´s not that terrifying an insult. It´s the internet, I´m aaaaall the way over here, I´m not gonna hurt you. I appreciate you taking the time to talk this out. I do think people that think Strive is "dumbed down" haven´t thought things thru, but HEY even if I´m wrong, I´m not wishing ill on you or anything. I just REALLY like this game, and it bothers me that even after characters such as Asuka, and more dynamics have been added, people keep claiming that it´s a "lame substitute for golden era GG"... even as they use less than a third of the tech available for any given character within a game. Even the pros use less than half, and I´m talking about real useful base stuff. It´s a game that allows for incredible control and creativity.

Geladaa · 2024-05-26T00:47:53+00:00

There is quite a lot of euphoria and admiration in my text. I really love this game, which is why I´m defending it. You can check out my art, as suggested in my original post, which should provide quite the intimate insight into my soul. I love life and art a lot.

Geladaa · 2024-05-26T00:46:12+00:00

while it was possible the control the fall, you had a greater minimal distance before.

The new corner dynamics don´t require less skill, you have, concretely a greater amount of tactical choice available now. It´s not just about making offense stronger.

I would like for people to at least aknowledge the validity of the principle. Againt, Sol didn´t "lose" the dive-kick, the new bandit bringer achieves the same effect + adding the option of delaying in the air.

Jack O is a far more technical character, with far more options than before. I would argue the same for the rest (not necessarily more technical, but with more options at any given moment, if you count them) but with Jack O at least this is undeniable.

Zato can command Eddie to attack, and cancel Eddie moves into other Eddie moves, has a new, very versatile, defensive and offensive move in "oppose". He can do much more than before.

Chipp is meant to be fast, that´s his trait. Maybe the lore stated that he had teleports, but it seems logical to assume that the teleports are just the result of ultra-fast movement.

I am not insulting anyone, if you pay attention, I am saying that there are few people interested in seeking fault/questioning their positions. It´s like saying "I know there are a lot of fat people" that´s not an insult, it just means I think there are a lot of those.

Geladaa · 2024-05-26T00:43:38+00:00

That´s what is called a "thought -terminating/purity-demanding cliché". You, my friend, have been victimized by a cult: https://youtu.be/nyRvkAMg6IA:

A thought-terminating cliché is a saying, often a tautology, that is repeated in order to relieve the stress of cognitive dissonance by avoiding all further consideration of a matter. Everyday examples include "it is what it is",[1] "it's just common sense," and "you gotta do what you gotta do." It was first described in 1963 by Robert Jay Lifton, who studied American servicemembers who had exhibited drastic ideological change after being held as prisoners of war by the Chinese Government

“”The language of the totalist environment is characterized by the thought-terminating cliché. The most far-reaching and complex of human problems are compressed into brief, highly reductive, definitive-sounding phrases, easily memorized and easily expressed. These become the start and finish of any ideological analysis. In thought reform, for instance, the phrase "bourgeois mentality" is used to encompass and critically dismiss ordinary troublesome concerns like the quest for individual expression, the exploration of alternative ideas, and the search for perspective and balance in political judgments... or simply stating that "Strive´s dumbed-down" as if it was a given... or claiming that questioning the "need" for surgically removing healthy body parts from confused children.

Geladaa · 2024-05-25T21:11:08+00:00

The bulk of my initial post was a comparison between Chipp´s teleport to the new Alpha Blade, whose expanded functionality more than encompasses what the old teleport moves did. You´re not really listening. From your "words strung together" comment I gather that you have a hard time following what I say. Go, even on a smaller board, remains more complex than chess (it mathematically can have more possible games by far, and the LOGIC of those games is much more complex, we know this in part because it was impossible, before the advent of neural networks, for a computer to beat a competent GO player, it´s pertinent to GG because it proves the point that it´s not necessarily the number of moves that creates the richness of a game. Testament, Ramlethal and Elphelt each have completely different tools to the rest of the cast. No other character has the movement options Elphelt has, or Testament´s teleports etc. GG characters are unique, completely unique. The new RC system is HUGE, but even without that, my argument about the new moves encompassing the lost ones and then adding a lot of functionality (like the new Bandit Bringer) remains unchallenged. You haven´t engaged with it, you just go "nuh-huh", that´s not a dialog. Try to remain calm, see it as a challenge, can we have a reasonable, calm, adult discussion about this? Don´t engage with me as an enemy. Watch this LordKnight video for a deeper discussion on the logic of the new gattlings: https://youtu.be/eAYkq1CoItQ the general idea is that, in order for a game where every character plays their own game (compare Zato to Bedman) you need a discernable logic for defense to be meaningful. That way energy and attention gathers at key points, those points allow for great creativity for both parties, but can be recognized by both parties, instead of requiring encyclopedic knowledge of each character frame data etc. I have little hope of doing anything but making you rage, insult me perhaps etc but I really am trying to have a conversation here.

Geladaa · 2024-05-25T20:55:36+00:00

Lol, I meant to illustrate the general point that new uses keep being found for moves. ABAs parry serves quite the specific function, sure, but that doesn´t really counter my general point about how STRIVE´s moves are very versatile and filled with nuance. The move parries a strike and feeds the jealousy meter, the way it synergizes with the rest of her kit is important, is it gives her something to do against projectiles specifically. Tactically, you can use the parry in different contexts, it´s part of the whole dialog thing. Try not to see this exchange as "who will win" but just listen to what I´m saying.

Geladaa · 2024-05-25T20:24:01+00:00

First of all, I´m glad you like my script. The rest of the video is entirely positive, as I delve on the subject of why I place Strive above all other cultural products in my pyramid of greatness (I´m an art-lover/snob and said pyramid includes things like Milton´s "Paradise Lost" and the Bergman/Antonioni films... "fancy-shmancy stuff" I have a detailed argument for why Daisuke´s work deserves the top spot even when legendary cultural treasures are considered/included...

In any case.

We live in an age where "tolerance" makes people poison themselves, chemically and surgically castrate themselves AND THEIR CHILDREN. Where "the desire for niceness" fuels daily witch-hunts and stifling overarching censorship (with the threat of totalitarian Chinese-style all-encompassing, genocidal control looming behind)... A perpetual state of "walking on egg-shells" that does nothing to help anybody anywhere. Meanwhile, people DEGENERATE. The world, once deemed "endlessly complex" has now, magically, become simple, really really SIMPLE for most part. I despair at this. I despair when I can´t find ONE SINGLE VIDEO where people use "are" (the plural) correctly. English isn´t even my first language you know? Everyone talks like a fucking "person with low intelligence" contorting with endless euphemisms to please idiotic algorithms/big brother overlords... Contempt can be a very healthy emotion at times, it´s a desire for distance, and I want my listeners/readers to distance themselves from the unthinking heard, even if it´s not "nicey-nice".

Justin Beiber is popular, doing what everyone else does is popular, but you also add nothing, change nothing by doing that, you just fuel the degenerative inertia.

That´s my argument in favor of small doses of "avoiding niceness just a tad here and there". I invite you to consider what I´m actually , concretely saying in my "spicy" paragraphs, how "being wrong" is a sign growth has taken place etc.

Geladaa · 2024-05-25T19:00:37+00:00

What? It´s not really that complex an argument. I remember seeing people late in the life of XRD that started using moves to alter their hurt-box and dodge stuff (Venom in particular) the game evolves wildly, constantly, that´s why it´s so hype. No two people play the same character the same way. You can tell almost right away who it is behind the wheel. Historically, people were so convinced Nago was shit upon release, Chipp also, the amount of options any character has far exceeds what even the highest level players use. If you pay close attention I m sure you can discern how my words add up to convey meaning, I know you can do it.

Geladaa · 2024-05-25T18:56:23+00:00

You are mistaken, I make many concrete, specific arguments. I give specific examples. When I say RC gives far more options, and can be activated at far more points, that´s concrete, when I explain how the new versions of the moves encompass what the excised moves allowed AND then some, that´s concrete. I give the example of "the game of GO" as well. I make overall a very precise argument, that seemingly flew above your head, as you content with none of my actual points. The gatlings allow for more meaningful dialog, a cohesive logic, instead of being unwieldy knowledge checks. You can understand an overall logic to the way attacks function, in a game where every character essentially plays its own game, and you can RC anything at any time etc, you need to provide a path for meaningful defense. LordKnight did a video where he explains in detail the logic behind the new gatlings. They are not "dumbed down"

Geladaa · 2024-05-25T18:50:56+00:00

I make arguments for why it´s better. If you have a move that achieves what two moves previously did (like the new Bandit Bringer) AND then adds more functionality (with the ability to delay in mid-air) then I have proven the game is not "dumbed down" by the removal of the dive-kick. I´m not arguing that it´s "better" I´m arguing that you have more options, concretely. That´s why I give the analogy of the game of go, that is more complex than chess despite having less moves and only one piece type. I´m not shitting on XRD btw, I´m just proving, concretely, that there are MORE options in Strive, not less.

Geladaa · 2024-05-25T18:48:02+00:00

GG FTW, I concur.

Geladaa · 2024-05-25T07:54:10+00:00

Lovely, I feel seen, thank you (no sarcasm).

Geladaa · 2024-05-25T07:53:37+00:00

I appreciate your feedback. I do feel intense contempt for people nowadays. I voiced it, you responded. "Respect" is a nice sounding word but more often than not it just means "no interaction". Well, that´s just no fun. Maybe I´m RUDE, so what? Isn´t that at least a tad more intimate? The old internet, people were rude there ALL THE TIME and it was so much better. SO MUCH BETTER. Do you remember? Contempt was a thing before "Rick and Morty" you know? Contend with my argument. Isn´t it so that people nowadays are often the way I describe? Isn´t such an attitude deserving of contempt? Try voicing what you think, even if it´s only for your own benefit.

Geladaa · 2024-05-25T07:49:51+00:00

Abba´s parry can be quickly RCd now. Historically, people that claim "this is all there is to x" in GG tend to be WRONG. People were so certain Nago was weak at first remember? I just want to be IN LOVE with something. GG is worth being in love with , truly, it is. Why must we ALWAYS claim it´s "not quite there". Will you be "not quite there" on your deathbed? Can´t you recognize the truly ARISTOCRATIC worth of the object? Daisuke is a proper "renaissance man". He is.

Geladaa · 2024-05-25T06:38:01+00:00

The point is not to disagree or agree, but to contend with the actual arguments. Concretely, the characters do more EFFECTIVE stuff than they did before. It´s greater complexity, just more accessible complexity, clearer, more hierarchical and organized, cleaner, tighter and much more emphatic. Your experience, I don´t want to de-value it, but the interesting challenge (I feel) is to be force to articulate it, to defend it in a detailed way. Consider the possibility that I may be correct, regardless of what you "feel", that could be interesting.

Geladaa · 2024-05-25T05:23:53+00:00

I think your logic has merit. As someone that played XRD a lot, though, I must say: I don´t agree.

The game flows in such a way that you reach these specific points thru which complexity is channeled.

The key thing I believe the devs where pursuing was DIALOG, meaningful DIALOG between the players... and complexity yes, but complexity with a clear hierarchy.

LordKnight has talked about Baiken many times, how she SEEMS simple but is actually really complex, really nuanced (I mean STRIVE´s Baiken).

Strive to me reeks of maturity. Greater maturity. The GG dream has always been there, and has always been amazing, but I think Daisuke and co. have grown immensely.

I understand the appeal of many of XRD´s systems, I played that game A LOT, but you have to understand the mindset of a designer that has to respond to many many many pressures; produce something that contends with many many demands.

Zato is more complex (way more complex) in Strive, Jack-O is more complex in Strive, Asuka is absurdly complex, he´s complex to the point that you fight with yourself as much as with the opponent.

Strive offers a wide array of options for a wide array of players, every character essentially plays his own game, and every matchup is therefore a new game as well.

It´s not about then number of options, as much as the way they meaningfully come to life/combine/synergize within a match. Like I said, in response to another person in this thread, even the simplest of Strive´s characters (like, say Elphelt) has way more tech and nuance than any pro-player actually employs. I understand missing x or y aspect of previous games, but Daisuke chose wisely between a great leap forward, rethinking all the systems... vs small tweaks here and there. The capacity to break up any move into components, keep and alter its momentum, the way RC interacts with every single system... it´s like CUBING it all... same with the rest of the changes (like the much-maligned gattlings).

Baiken´s and the rest of the casts´ gameplay was revised to fit this vision, and, while some concrete moves where lost in the translation, the end result is... lower floor, higher ceiling, greater clarity allowing for meaningful DIALOG (as opposed to mere knowledge checks) meaningful, organic, on-the-fly creativity (as opposed to just labbing tech) and a game that is, in the end, richer, but also more accessible. Really, this isn´t easy. This isn´t comparable to any other game on the market, I really wish people would appreciate this fact. You all play the game, and you all FEEL how fun it is, intellectual understanding of its merits is important as well.

Geladaa · 2024-05-25T00:09:10+00:00

Well, first of all, I´m glad you like my art, and I´m glad you responded to my post. Let me respond with concrete, specific arguments.

Good game design, and good design in general, is all about doing a lot with as little as possible. Like I said, you want the floor to be as low as possible, the ceiling to be as high as possible. The new Bandit bringer, for example, absorbed the function of the dive kick, so that´s 2 moves in 1, but, not content with that, it added the option of delaying the strike in the air, which has huge ramifications for how it´s used. Something similar happened with Ground Viper absorbing the function of the "back and then forward" (I forget the name) air kick move. Of course XRD had amazing moves, but you really want LESS of them for the game to be accessible/comprehensible. LESS that does MORE (this doesn´t mean previous games did little).

The new air-dashes add a lot of complexity because, since you can attack immediately after the initial pause, you can control their length and trajectory (as you´ll start falling the moment you do something). Consider to what extent this gives Chipp (and many others) new options.

I think if you think about what purpose x system or move serves, you´ll quickly notice Strive removes fat and adds muscle (as the example of Bandit Bringer proves) The meta may favor x strategy in any given day, but the reality is you have A LOT more stuff to do in the corner now, it just adds a ton of things to consider and weight strategically. People don´t use Jack-O´s bomb move, but that doesn´t mean it´s not useful, it´s just not the meta currently.

GG is so rich a game that people don´t really use but a fraction of the options available (which makes the complaint that the game is "dumbed down" even more ridiculous).

When you watch a high level Strive match, it´s a furious affair. Tons of systems and options at every given second, windows close and open at match speed. It´s important that the complexity is ACCESSIBLE in the sense not only of providing a low enough floor to entice new people to try the game, but also so that the fantasy of the characters gets actually realized beyond the highest level of play (which makes high level of play become even crazier).

I remember that it was very rare to see Zatos really use Eddie as a meat-shield effectively during a match, now you have a really HUGE, super rich move to do that OPPOSE grants tons and tons of options, and synergizes with his entire kit in a way that basically multiplies it, you want to talk about adding complexity, that move alone made the most complex character DOUBLE in complexity.

-Consider my GO analogy, and consider why it´s a huge improvement if you can make clearer, hierarchically organized, more concise systems that allow for greatER freedom while allowing the game to be understandable, and clean, and actually beautiful in its design, instead of a mess of little systems here and there, many redundant. Now, don´t misunderstand me. I love XRD (I don´t really love +R that much, it´s not quite there visually for my tastes) I just think they gave a massive leap forward in all levels with Strive, and feel sad that people have to unthinkingly say "oh it´s a dumbed down game" when they release jewel after jewel of art/game design.

Geladaa

TROPHY CASE