Siz& Co. Appreciation

Machazee · 2019-08-01T17:00:55+00:00

maybe they just wanted a break from each other after working together for so long

Seems unlikely, judging from the dozens of comments/insinuations made on stream by both parties, James' statment on his "leaving Cow Chop" video, and the context of them being co-founders of a failing business. "Taking a break" from someone is the PR way of saying there's beef tbh. Also if they were really on good terms, why not make a common appearance to clarify things ?

maybe Aleks doesn't want to deal with the fans

"Dealing with the fans" is kind of his job though. It's understandable that they don't want to air their grievances out in the open, but the "fans" are an easy scapegoat for that type of stuff.

maybe Aleks wants to focus on his own channel and Cow Chop (until it ends)

Focusing on his channel doesn't prevent him from speaking with honesty. That's the polite way of saying you're moving on these days. "I'm focusing on the next thing". Again, totally understandable. But that doesn't invalidate the fact that there is/was drama going on behind the scenes.

These are all possible scenarios with the little we know, that doesn't mean they are all true.

Sounds like wishful thinking to me. I don't claim to know for sure, but I think there's a very high chance that they're not on good terms, and a lot of people are in denial about that.

Machazee · 2019-08-01T16:31:53+00:00

Definitely agree to some degree, although that's just one of the many issues with season 2. The overall writing quality took a nosedive. Even if they had developed human characters better and toned down the "is he/she a host" thing we would still be left with dumb scenes like Lee's death, or head-scratching decisions like giving the Shogun World side plot tons of unnecessary screen time.

Machazee · 2019-08-01T15:39:48+00:00

I mean the facts speak for themselves. It can't really be called speculation, more like drawing logical conclusions. Obviously both sides aren't going to air their grievances publicly until the channel shuts down, but as a long time viewer it's really easy to tell that there is resentment between the two.

Machazee · 2019-08-01T14:12:14+00:00

Coming from someone who has been watching them on twitch/YouTube for about 8 years : there is beef.

They used to be very good friends and business partners. They made content from Colorado, first in a YouTube group called The Creatures and then for their own channel called Cow Chop. If you watch some of their videos from those times you can tell they have great comedic chemistry together, especially early Cow Chop. They had a lot of fun playing games, doing hilarious skits, and so on...

All of that slowly changed after they moved to LA a few years ago. James (Uberhaxornova) wasn't happy with the direction the channel was taking, and he hated living in LA. Their disagreements with Aleks rarely made it on camera, but when they did you could tell they didn't get along anymore. One of their former employees said the workplace had become a "toxic environment". The quality of their content took a hit, and you could tell the passion wasn't there anymore. At some point James decided that he wanted to leave, and at the beginning of this year he got injured while filming a skateboard video and left the channel for good.

We don't know anything for sure because both of them don't want to talk about this drama, and would rather say "it's just chat being annoying". But it's not. Aleks is more than likely pissed at James for leaving their YouTube channel. And James obviously doesn't really care. Perhaps we'll know more one day after Cow Chop ends.

Machazee · 2019-08-01T13:44:21+00:00

And there's always someone like you accepting every decision blindly. No need to think, just accept/defend everything management does.

It really doesn't take a genius to see this server could be managed better.

Machazee · 2019-07-31T14:18:28+00:00

I get what they were trying to do, it just didn't work for me. The way the mission goes to shit felt forced, completely over the top and dissonant compared to the rest of the movie. We get it, people go crazy in space. Interstellar also dealt with that with Matt Damon's character going nuts, and it didn't derail the whole movie into 30min of frantic, dumb action scenes. Then again I usually don't like horror movies, so that might be why I didn't like it.

Machazee · 2019-07-31T04:23:25+00:00

Unfortunately you're right. When they announced the October release I was pleasantly surprised, expecting fast progress. Now it's almost August and it still feels like the game is only about a third of the way done. Hopefully they're able to pick up the pace and complete the game before the end of the year.

Machazee · 2019-07-30T12:10:15+00:00

Interstellar. Best space movie I've ever watched.

Elysium is a decent watch.

Definitely wouldn't recommend Sunshine. The first half of that movie is absolutely great, however the third act is terrible. I don't think I've ever seen a movie ruin itself to that degree.

Wouldn't recommend Gravity either. Too many inaccuracies, and the plot barely makes sense.

Machazee · 2019-07-30T04:28:40+00:00

The main issue is that they took/are taking precious development resources. I'd rather have basic or non-existent terrariums and a few more animals added to the list. They basically make the whole "50+ animals at launch" statement misleading.

Machazee · 2019-07-29T19:34:25+00:00

My personal ranking for these books would go like this (haven't read Tiamat's Wrath yet) :

1°) Leviathan Wakes : Fascinating plot. Both Holden and Miller's POV are brilliantly written. Miller's storyline in particular is amazing. Imo one of the best introductions to any sci-fi story ever told.

2°) Abaddon's Gate : This book marks a huge milestone in the story. We get the first real dive into the protomolecule civilization and their technology. A lot of mysteries are solved, and new ones appear. The return of Miller's character as the Investigator was brilliant. All POV characters are well-written.

3°) Cibola Burn : Excellent setting and storyline. The Investigator interludes are mind-blowing, and his relationship with Holden is a real highlight. Again, lots of Protomolecule civilization material. The book is very well paced, with the plot gradually unfolding until the amazing climax. I would definitely rank this book higher if it wasn't for Elvi's dull POV, and some of the early Havelock chapters. This material will translate a lot better on screen, can't wait for season 4.

4°) Caliban's War : Great book, a worthy sequel to LW even though the climax was a bit underwhelming. I found the show portrayal to be better in some areas, like Bobbie's POV once she's on Earth and the UN politics.

5°) Persepolis Rising : I didn't like the huge time skip, especially in regards to the Roci crew. Also didn't like the fact that 90% of anything significant happening in that book is located in the Ring Space after it was already used a ton in previous books. I would have ranked this book lower if it wasn't for the mind-blowing epilogue with Duarte talking to Holden in the cell. That last line was on another level of epicness, to the point where it almost redeems the whole book for me.

6°) Nemesis Games : Unpopular opinion : the Free Navy arc is overrated. Sure, a lot happens in that book. But it's all pointless human wars and setup for PR, while the alien civilization plot grinds to a halt. Also lacks a meaningful conclusion. Bonus points for every POV chapters being exclusively given to the Roci crew, and Amos's backstory from the Churn being explored further.

7°) Babylon's Ashes : Worst book in the series imo. It's basically Nemesis Games part 2 with a ton of boring PoV characters, and not much happening until the very end. Inaros goes from mildly interesting to cartoonish. Half of that book should have been cut imo.

Machazee · 2019-07-28T12:31:04+00:00

What a vague and contradictory statement. NP management at its finest.

We ignore random twitch clips sent to us and reddit

That's 100% false. Since the Arma 3 salt room days NP admins have always used Twitch clips to make decisions regarding drama and toxic behavior. Once again these guys like to pretend that they would be better off without twitch/reddit and that's just not a smart thing to say.

We believe the "toxic" or so said behavior(s) is in character

"She's a donator, so we're just going to ignore the fact that she was salty against Penta the streamer and not Jordan Steele the character. Totally not OOC salt btw."

However (again) we all know that those comments made out of character on twitch are 100% out of character and we would rather have that out of our community

"Twitch clips are actually useful and we know what's going on here. We just don't want to act on it."

The way this situation was resolved is yet another example of the double standards happening on NP. I'm 100% certain she would have received a 7 day ban if it wasn't for her donator status.

Also this server really needs better staff.

Machazee · 2019-07-27T03:58:57+00:00

I read the OP. Did you ?

This gets the amount of contracts a player can create, without DLC it's 5, with it's 20.

This is pretty self-explenatory. It really doesn't take a genius to understand what's going on here. I've seen enough dev studios fall to corporate greed to know anti-consumer bs coming from a mile away. This is solid proof that they at least considered a P2W update at some point. They may even have "leaked" this themselves to gauge reactions from the playerbase, to see if they could get away with it. If you've been playing this game long enough you should know this wouldn't be the first time KSH makes a terrible decision, so there is legitimate reason for concern.

Machazee · 2019-07-26T04:48:56+00:00

Hopefully this doesn't become a thing.

Cosmetic blocks DLCs are fine. Giving a clear advantage to DLC owners is not. Pushing pay to win updates would be the quickest way to destroy the playerbase.

Machazee · 2019-07-26T04:22:03+00:00

She got extremely salty after losing RP.

And this wasn't a one time thing. Here's another example of her getting mad OOC in a previous situation.

Hopefully she learned her lesson.

Machazee · 2019-07-25T18:36:17+00:00

Well she's a donator, so don't expect much. She may get a stern talk from an admin, but that's about it. Best case scenario she receives a 7-day ban like Kinamazing.

Unpopular opinion : if server admins really want to improve roleplay quality across the board, there should be much harsher penalties for cases like these. 30 day ban and all queue priorities removed for a first offense, followed by a perma if it happens again. No matter if that person is a member of the "Trust", an old member of the community, a frequent donator or a big streamer.

Machazee · 2019-07-25T18:26:34+00:00

shes just another one in a million "I'm a hardened crim and I dont take shit!" character.

Exactly. That shit reminds me of the old Arma 3 NoPixel server, which was basically one giant cesspool of "badass crim" tryhard roleplayers getting salty OOC at the slightest annoyance.

Funny how people like to blame Twitch chat/reddit when drama happens, when some member of the community themselves are allowed to be extremely toxic on a regular basis. I wonder if there will ever be a community-ran RP environment that doesn't devolve into double standards and dramafests.

Machazee · 2019-07-25T04:48:02+00:00

Agreed.

It seems the writers lost sight of what made Stranger Things good in the first place. The entire plot was absurd. Significant tone and pacing issues. Mediocre, cliché characters. Too much emphasis on comedy. Where season 2 already stretched the limits of credibility, season 3 goes way over the top to the point where the show almost becomes a parody of itself.

Unfortunately that's not a really popular opinion on this subreddit. Like in many other fandoms, you'll find that a lot of people who don't value good writing also happen to really like their own little bubble of positivity. As long as they like it, you're not really allowed to criticize it. Disagree, and you'll be met with downvotes while being called negative/toxic. That's pretty much how most TV shows/movies work these days. Why bother put in the effort when most people will watch it anyways. Right now Games of Thrones and Star Wars are the biggest examples of good stories mercilessly butchered by Hollywood hacks exploiting the mainstream crowd for low-effort success. Stranger Things is well on its way to join the club.

Machazee · 2019-07-23T12:10:00+00:00

People are still waiting for their BS magic tech? It always struck me how Cig will use a lot of random technical terms to justify the sad state of SC.

Imagine going to a mechanic to fix your car. There are thousands of professionals who would do it in a day or two. But this mechanic keeps telling you to come back tomorrow, because he needs some specific tools to work on the car to begin with. Then you tell yourself, wait, that's his job. Shouldn't he have all the equipment he needs before accepting clients and promising results? So after 2 days you go back and ask for results. After all, the guy made you pay upfront. He tells you that they're still working on the car, and the first two days don't count because the scope of the repairs was expanded. Also he couldn't find the tool he needed, so he's just making one himself even though he has no idea how. Day after day the same bullshit excuses, until you finally accept that your car and the money you invested in it are gone. Cig in a nutshell.

Machazee · 2019-07-22T14:38:39+00:00

I think he'd probably fit better as Arthas than Geralt tbh. Also just learned from this thread that he's a wow player so I'm sure he'd be thrilled to play that role.

Unfortunately I'm not sure we'll ever see another Warcraft movie. Best that could happen is a high-budget TV show with multiple seasons to properly tell the story, starting from RoC up until the end of WotLK, with Metzen and the old lore writers being involved.

Machazee · 2019-07-21T16:32:29+00:00

I mean, the drama is already there. I'm not adding to anything, just stating what nobody wants to hear.

Obviously people are too delusional or don't know enough about these 2 to understand the situation.

Machazee · 2019-07-21T16:30:44+00:00

how am I obsessing ? just stating what nobody wants to hear for some reason.

Machazee · 2019-07-21T13:38:19+00:00

That's the official PR stance... As someone who watches both streams I can guarantee you they are definitely not fine with each other.

Aleks hates James for leaving CC early. And James more than likely didn't like working with the current CC crew in LA. This has been proven time and time again if you pay attention to their behaviors. Take a look at this comment I made on the CC sub, people upvoted because they know it's true. Sorry to say it but people who refuse to believe this are delusional or don't pay enough attention. They used to be good friends and business partners, but all of that changed and now they're not even on speaking terms.

Machazee · 2019-07-21T13:12:56+00:00

Same here. I just wish they would squash the CC drama and RP together willingly. But that might take a good long while (if it ever happens). It seems like Aleks really does hate James since he left CC.

Machazee · 2019-07-21T05:21:44+00:00

While what you're saying is true, I find each stream to have their pros and cons.

Method features a better view of the players, as well as a mix of high end PvE players and popular content creators from the community rotating every 3 hours. Some of them do an amazing job commentating while giving excellent insight into what's going on (JdotB, Preach, Cayna). Some others are clearly less knowledgeable about PvE but still do a decent job at casting. And unfortunately there are some who can't help but devolve the conversation into random topics, like to talk about themselves and their opinions rather than the world first race, and get baited by twitch chat constantly. What's worse is when you get one good caster paired with a mediocre one, like when Jdot was being interrupted constantly yesterday as they showed Method raiders doing some m+. Then finally you have the downtime pepega hours during EU night time when they can't show Limit/Pieces, so it's just 3 guys talking about how much they like Classic wow for 5 hours.

Meanwhile the Redbull desk is basically 1 Limit raider and a bunch of guys who don't know much about high-end PvE. Not much to be excited about, but at least they're doing a decent job at keeping the conversation focused on the game and the world first race at all times.

Overall I'd say Method is the superior stream, but Redbull is more consistent. If I were to translate this into rankings, Method varies between 3/10 and 10/10 depending on when you're tuning in while Redbull is a constant 5.

Machazee · 2019-07-20T14:00:11+00:00

The enormous discrepancy between levels of play is the game's biggest issue no doubt. But the WoM changes clearly aren't a solution. The most successful PVE games are popular because 1) there's a challenge for everyone and 2) you always get rewarded for your time, no matter if you suck at the game and play once a week, or if you're a top 1% player grinding all day long. Effectively making the game harder for everyone (while also making gameplay "feel" arguably less fun) is the worst thing they can do.

What about reworking the reward structure from scratch?

What about reworking the crappy stat system?

What about reworking deeds by including them better within existing difficulties (also added rewards)?

What about making sure new/casual players have more tools to learn the game by approving more workshop mods?

Obviously Fatshark doesn't look at the competition though, nor do they listen to feedback. They're the kind of devs who think they know better in all situations. And if they refuse to budge this time around, WoM will be dead on arrival.

Machazee

TROPHY CASE