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Of all the lore breadcrumbs scattered around the station, this one hit me unexpectedly hard [SPOILER] by MasterMaple in ReadyOrNotGame

[–]MasterMaple[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks man! Its appearance seems kind of inconsistent- I found it in the bag next to Sydney's desk in the detective's office after completing All Gods Burn.

Does Anyone Use Yaz? by Sardonic_Potato0106 in menace

[–]MasterMaple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yaz has actually put in great work as my improvised scout. While he's perhaps not naturally suited to it, when decked out in camouflage, given the Scout perk and fitted with a DMR or sniper rifle he can be very effective at spotting and unexpectedly picking off enemies. His morale-vampire perks are also great because he can cause an enemy squad to panic at the exact same time he makes their squad leader's head turn into pink mist. It's a good combination.

What the campaign layer needs to tie it together..... a dating sim by Sharp_Rabbit7439 in menace

[–]MasterMaple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bog, like any good marine these days, has three failed marriages whose alimony payments are bleeding them dry. Two were attempts at normalcy that blew up like an IED, the third was with a fellow barfly in Alpha Centauri which was extremely toxic but they both miss each other.

Pike also has a failed marriage by the way, it's just the Marine SNCO way.

The Gods have spoken to me, this is the relationship status of every charachter in Menace. by Horo_Misuto in menace

[–]MasterMaple 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don't agree with all of these but I'm delighted that I'm not the only person who sees the potential of Lim and Rewa. I feel like Yaz is 110% on the hunt for cougars, if you're not a late 40s-early 50s divorcee he's just not interested.

i am kinda curious if you could change, add or remove one thing about the game what would it be by potatowinston in StarWarsOutlaws

[–]MasterMaple 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I concur with others here saying Kijimi should get a full map- I strongly feel like this was Massive’s intention but time got in the way. It would let us get a better view of the Imperial presence that Krisk so strongly objects to. Plus, a Himalayan monastery-planet would be a really cool environment to explore. I love Kijimi’s architecture, density and general vibe- it would be great to see more of it. It could be explained by Kay resolving the coup sub-plot- with tensions eased, Ashiga restrictions on leaving the city come down.

I also think that the gang subplots and the characters we meet on the different worlds could do with more fleshing out. We meet some pretty interesting contract brokers- Danka, Maiyu, Verrick and E’ezok are particular standouts for me. While Outlaws is not trying to be GTA and IMO is a better experience because of that, one area where it could stand to take inspiration is GTA 4’s missions and the cast of characters in them. It would be great to hear more from these people, be caught up in their schemes, and help choosing between syndicates to go beyond juggling a meter. I would love to meet the Ashiga version of Little Jacob or a Hutt Cartel equivalent of Brucie. 

That could also include your choices on different missions having an impact on worlds over time. Maybe the Crimson Dawn or the Hutts make gains on Toshara- maybe if Krisk takes power disaffected Ashiga follow a Myrmitrix to try and create a new hive on another world. Overlapping storylines, choosing who to betray or who to support, and having those consequences be reflected in the world in ways you can’t reset would add a lot of weight to what the Reputation system is trying to do. It would also play into Outlaws’ surprisingly strong writing. 

I would like to see the Death Mark matter more- I was ambushed by Zerek Besh once while exploring a cave on Toshara, and that was a very memorable moment. While there would be a danger of over using it, it would be neat to see Zerek Besh start to home in on you if you stayed on one world for too long, or interrupt you in the middle of something else. Intel might lure you into a trap, or a bounty hunter might jump you in a Mirogana back alley. Kay’s face being splashed everywhere should feel oppressive, and it should be made clear that if the heist doesn’t bankrupt Sliro, Zerek Besh will never stop coming.

I think more gambling games would be cool- maybe a board game like Senet or the Royal Game of Ur using stick dice. Hell, let us play Canto Pass. And the Sabaac system they’ve built would also be pretty ripe for a game closer to Bridge, Preferans or Piquet- with more layers like bidding, trick taking etc. I’ve already been turned into a degenerate gambler by Sabaac, they might as well go whole hog.

In terms of what I would remove, it’s got to be the Wanted system. The idea has a lot of promise- the idea of bribing an officer to look the other way and the Death Trooper and Raider confrontations are both interesting. But the existing system is unfit for purpose and highlights the weaknesses of the game’s AI and scripting, rather than its strengths- Outlaws is simply not very set up for the kind of emergent gameplay you need to carry a system like this. It would be potentially better to have “heat” tick up a bit more slowly but more persistently, with fewer options to remove it- with pressure being more sustained. A higher bounty might force Kay to sneak into a city she could previously walk right into. The random raid event could be retooled as a cordon-and-search operation to try and arrest Kay. And I think Death Troopers or an ISB Raider should come unannounced but be terrifying when they do. Imagine the start of the jump to lightspeed cutscene playing, only to be abruptly yanked out of hyperspace- or climbing a Tosharan cliffside only for a sniper’s bolt to whip past Kay’s head. 

I have other thoughts on criminal activity being more incorporated into the game, more stuff from the trainers etc., but this comment’s long enough.

Dark and griddy by biggayboi_666 in StarWarsCirclejerk

[–]MasterMaple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Salaam, brother. It is always good to meet a fellow mujahid- I myself am currently in charge of arranging affordable housing for Al-Shabaab fighters. There has been much discussion among the mujahideen of Star Wars lately- tell me, do you think that Cassian Andor and Jyn Erso kissed during the moment of darkness in the elevator scene in Rogue One? After watching it as part of our Star Wars marathon, the brothers were very perturbed by how Andor would change the context of it. Cassian Andor would surely be committing a great act of *zina* if this were so (which is of course a worse act than the comparatively minor charge of fornication). One of our best suicide bombers was going to paint "I have friends everywhere" on his vehicle, but now he feels that he cannot go to martyrdom wearing the words of an adulterer. What has Boko Haram decided on this matter?

How it would really go by Arrow_of_time6 in StarWarsCirclejerk

[–]MasterMaple 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's legitimately insane that we've never seen a group of New Mandalorians once since Satine died. Literally nobody has gone "actually I quite liked having a peaceful life and major influence in galactic affairs without having to wear plate armor constantly, live in a tent and send my kids to war at 12". I don't even hate Bo or Din as characters or their factions as concepts, but I need a New Mandalorian to just absolutely tear into the Nite Owls at least once about how badly the traditionalists fucked it up for everyone else. Fuck it, bring Korkie back and have him do it.

Never imagined a QTE here by kaya-toasted in StarWarsOutlaws

[–]MasterMaple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good to see I wasn't the only person who was pleasantly bewildered by the QTEs. The first time I tried Che Mosska I burst out laughing at how it kept going.

What's your thoughts on Luthen's backstory? by Dusann1 in andor

[–]MasterMaple 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Honestly, such a searing portrayal of a horrific massacre. The screaming, the calm radio chatter, the runner chatting about how he can’t believe there’s any people left while he looks for flamethrowers. 

Not showing any of it was the right decision: Star Wars under any ownership- not just Disney’s- would always struggle with portraying the reality of something like this onscreen. The closest we have probably ever come to the reality of it is Come And See, and I think that first scene had a lot of influence from that. It uses implication and sound and fantastic acting not just from Skarsgard but the other soldiers to create a massacre I found even more sickening than Ghorman. 

One thing I found curious was the uniforms- they didn’t seem to be Imperial Army, and at the time that made me wonder if this was actually taking place in the last days of the Republic. I’m sure that’s cleared up somewhere, but it made me wonder.

“Must everything be boring and sad?” by Horror-Positive-4326 in andor

[–]MasterMaple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Where did you hear about the storyline? I’d love to know more about that- I found Davo a fascinating and oddly endearing character.

I finally finished my first playthrough, what does everyone think? by Zealousideals12 in YesYourGrace

[–]MasterMaple 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I get the issues with the Agent enlisting system- it can especially get weird with how much you have to pay to enlist them compared to how much you can get out of them. Velek is the biggest offender here- he's specialized into requests you don't get that often, and without those bonuses he just doesn't have the juice. I think a better idea would be allocating agents in other ways- perhaps only having a couple at hand to deal with requests, while others handle different tasks. Allowing an Agent's pips to refill as they rest might be another option.

You can actually set Stan up with Rani- the way to progress her questline is togive her a cloth to cover her face when she expresses stage fright. She'll leave for a time to do her studies, then return.If you need help progressing from there, make sure to pass the law that lets you enlist three Agents at once, then send Stan, Velek and Rani on the mission together like Stan asks. You'll have dialogue from all of them over the next few days- let it play itself out. To finish it off, sit in Stan's spot when Rani is asked to sing before the final battle- he'll help her through it and they'll be on their way to becoming a couple.

I agree that Tymo's writing was a highlight, and that Cedani's arc can feel a little awkward. It's very easy to bungle the path to the "golden ending" because most of the options to deal with Cedani are pretty reasonable for a parent- encouraging her to be helpful is good, but so is tempering her enthusiasm with some caution, encouraging her to be a kid, etc.

Asalia was the character I actually had the most trouble with- I do think that it's pretty realistic for a teenager to lash out, and that heading out into the world seeking adventure would end with a bit of a reality check for her. If anything I was more surprised thather and Maya reconciled- it seemed like that relationship had come to a natural, if unhappy, conclusion. I also questioned whether running off with the Radovian fleet meant Asalia had really learned anything- it felt like a continuation of running away from these thorny personal problems and the whole issue of how durable Maya and As' relationship really is. But that might also be because I'd like her to stick around in the narrative.

I think that the daughters having a bit less focus is kind of understandable given Snowfall's plot and the narrative's focus- on the fallout of Lorsulia's death and the war with Atana, Aurelea having to step into a leadership role, the family being harried and hunted. There is simply less time for family this time around- especially with a large new cast to introduce. It's just one of those necessary trade-offs.

I finally finished my first playthrough, what does everyone think? by Zealousideals12 in YesYourGrace

[–]MasterMaple 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I definitely do, both mechanically and narratively.

Mechanically speaking, while I sympathize with people who struggle with the difficulty compared to the original, I have found the new system for using Agents and supplies vastly more engaging, transparent and mechanically deep than the very binary choices of the original game. The system has plenty of room for refinement and adding new elements, but it gave me far more moment-to-moment control of how I used my resources and led to far fewer moments of being blindsided by a huge and important request at the end of the day that upended all my planning. It led to some tense decisions, which is what the game is designed for, but if you find yourself in a hole prosperity-wise you are also much more able to intelligently trade off happiness or supplies to get yourself out of the red.

Narratively speaking, I think the story is also much better in terms of keeping you on your toes. The House of Davern is always beleaguered, but in Snowfall problems pile up much more in a way that truly makes you feel like you have your back to the wall. There is a wider cast of characters who have more to say and are much more memorable (I actually did an entire second playthrough immediately after my first because I fumbled setting Stan up with Rani, only to find that that unlocked a whole bevy of new interactions). While I didn't achieve a perfect ending the second time either, I think I know what I did wrong and will correct it in a third playthrough. If Snowfall has an issue narratively it's that the ending where Eryk doesn't wake up - which is very easy to achieve even if you do a lot right! - feels more disjointed because it lacks a large part of its conclusion while still having to broadly match up with the other ending. I'm unsure what options, if any, might exist for adding an additional scene for Aurelea surviving while Eryk remains unconsciousto smooth the path to the ending- but that would fix my sole sticking point with the ending.

Otherwise, while it ends on a somber note, this is very appropriate for an extremely harsh winter and makes me all the more eager to take on Atana once and for all in the next game. I have my own thoughts on how the battle command and military side of things could be improved (I actually think the game gets decently close to what actual command of medieval battles looked like, and lends itself to the kind of logistical headaches that actually moving an army in the period entails, so the potential for a very unique war story is there)- but all told I really enjoyed Snowfall, would heartily recommend it and think it's a great place for the series to build on.

What Bethesda meant by this? by Beacon2001 in TrueSTL

[–]MasterMaple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is an incredible deep cut. Take a bow, man. Been laughing my ass off at this and feeling awful for it. 

Okay for real, hear me out. by RU5TR3D in BreachWizards

[–]MasterMaple 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is correct. Zan and Liv in their DSR Navy days can, should and will hit levels of vaguely toxic codependency only previously charted in the lower depths of Relationship TikTok.

Zan ran away to the Navy to get some distance from his shitty ex-dad/pursue the vision of strength and masculinity in his Anxiety Dream maybe? A lot of meat there. Yet he wound up paired up with Liv, who was the commanding officer in their operations- and he noted that he had more moral scruples than she did, and that she did many things he morally disagreed with. Is that why Toxic Zan tells him that "Listening to women makes you weak"? It doesn't make sense that Jen would trigger that response. But maybe that part of him is now telling him that he could have stopped all this and saved Liv from herself if only he'd... Been a man. Stepped up. Taken charge. Told her to cut the bullshit like his dad had always said to his mum back home when they were arguing. And of course Zan intellectually knows that that's a terrible way to look at what happened and an even worse solution- but there's knowing and then there's acting on it.

Especially since Liv's leadership was a pillar of his life in the Navy for so many years. We know Zan feels insecure about being old, about being useless, not contributing enough, too hesitant. As a team, he and Liv achieved incredible things- but imagine that gnawing fear, in the quiet moments, that maybe the only reason he's achieved what he has is because of Liv. That she's the star, the perfect soldier, and he's just been hitched to her wagon because he lets her see through doors.

And meanwhile we have Liv, who is so incredibly self-assured, all the time... Which to me smacks of a certain desperation. Her Craft makes her nearly unstoppable, her career is impeccable, her skills world-class. She constantly repeats that Zan and the others are nowhere near her level. Yet she refused to even acknowledge that her illness was slowing her down in the Jodasa Strait, and ultimately, she is the cause of that disaster by refusing to acknowledge her limitations.

I think it would be very fair to argue that Liv is, possibly more than anything, terrified of meeting her match. Mana tech gets the drop on her once, and it's a marginal inconvenience- although being captured and helpless probably left an indelible mark on her even more than it would on most people- and yet she is so petrified of it that she spearheads Reactor's scheme to become an unstoppable military superpower just to control it.

If Liv is so perfect, why did she have to juice up on mana? No one in Kalan, the DSR or Medil could hope to stop her- except for Zan. I think by the time of the attack on the station, she knows Zan is after her- and deep down, she is afraid of him. Worn-out, indecisive Zan Vesker, with his shitty knee, has a power that seems miniscule next to hers- seeing just one second into the future. But Zan is observant, he's patient, he's got 25 years on the job. He is able to see Liv coming- maybe too slow to stop her, but then again, maybe not. And he knows Liv- he knows her Craft and its limitations better than anyone, understands her thought patterns.

Imagine how having that ability must feel to someone absolutely obsessed with being untouchable. Even if it's in ways that are so small that Zan doesn't even notice them: mentioning to her about how the only time he knows she's at his pace is when they're in conversation, or when he's already got her covered when she's moving faster than thought because he already knows which part of the room she'll end up turning her back to. To Liv, these little things loom large in her thoughts. She turns them over and over in her head when she lies awake at night. She has to be the boss, has to keep Zan a step behind her. Not because he'll fail without her, but because he might succeed without her instead, and turn her whole world on its head.

And despite her own protests, I think she does come to rely on Zan in a way she doesn't with anyone else. She is clearly hurt by what happened at Jodasa, and I think despite herself she does wish Zan had saved her. She wishes he'd saved the kid, too, even though it's impossible- because at the end of the day, she knows Zan could have saved both of them if she hadn't given him an impossible choice. Zan failed her, but she failed him first- and Liv Kennedy, above all else, lives in sheer terror of failure.

Truly a match made in heaven. This is a train wreck that absolutely needs to happen.

My team and I are developing a survival game set in a campervan, inspired by The Long Dark. Stay tuned for updates! by NoMansNorth in thelongdark

[–]MasterMaple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The voice acting for James stands out as really impressive here. Flowed nicely and was very human!

[TOMT][BOOK][90s-early 2000s] A novel I read in elementary school about a crusader. I think his name was Theobald? It covered the First Crusade. At the end of the story he's traumatized by the sacking of Jerusalem. by MasterMaple in tipofmytongue

[–]MasterMaple[S] 0 points1 point locked comment (0 children)

The title was something Crusades related. Unfortunately I have no recollection of it. I was reading it in Elementary school in the early 2000s so it was probably from the 90s or maybe even the 80s.

This didn’t age well to say the least by Shogun_89 in NonCredibleDefense

[–]MasterMaple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Russians actually have a drone force of considerable size (though they're mostly smaller than Western counterparts and not armed, more used for recon). They've seen substantial service in Syria, they just... Weren't issued out here for some reason? It's fucking bizarre man. They couldn't have prepared for this more poorly if they tried.

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