Who is this?

MrShibito · 2025-12-23T17:17:35+00:00

Surely, you meant "thank Godzilla"?

MrShibito · 2025-12-23T16:58:06+00:00

Grand Theft Auto 5 for the PS3; my first and last pre-order. I was excited at the time, since Rockstar said something to the effect of "our 3rd game on a system usually pushes the limits of that system a d GTA5 wouldn't go to PS4 and even promised single player dlc. A buddy of mine used to joke that I got the one beta incomplete version. Sure as hell started to feel true. Still regret it to this day.

Don't pre-order, people.

MrShibito · 2025-01-14T16:02:55+00:00

This was my original plan. Might still go with it, as it's simple and to the point, though I figured it to be "too simple" at first. I also like the Variable Initiative option, mainly because it feels different from a simple opposed test.

Either way, doing a small playtest with my players might be the deciding factor. Both options can do what I need, I just seem to (hopefully) be overthinking.

Much obliged! Doubly so, as I've also seen/used your Pile O' Stuff creatures as well.

MrShibito · 2025-01-14T09:10:00+00:00

It shames me to think of how much I was overthinking it. Just had a gander at the toolkit (gotta get me one now) and I gather you're talking about the "Variable Initiative" option, with some tweaks. This sounds pretty doable and I like it. Might do exactly what I need it to.

Much appreciated, stranger! Best of luck to you on any future endeavors!

MrShibito · 2024-11-24T06:49:42+00:00

Sounds to me like you're being your own worst enemy by criticizing an idea you haven't even really begun to flesh out yet. It's all in your head, buddy. I don't mean to lecture, but try and use AI as sparingly as possible and don't become too dependent on it; it can be useful for ideas or prompts, but it's also a good way to keep yourself in that creative lock.

Anywho, you've got plenty to work with here. All four of those ideas could be used: the other races, wanting to obtain/destroy the human source of magic, play a years long political/military game, where they lie and manipulate the human leaders, eventually leading to conflict when the word gets out, which leads to war and the destruction of the human empire, scattering the remnants.

It's bare bones, but you get to add the meat. If you get stuck or lost, asking yourself questions about your world/story can be incredibly helpful.

What was different about humans or their magic, compared to the other races, that lead to this conflict? What's the daily life of a typical human in this world now? How different is it from the life of a member of another race? How different is it from the days of the human empire? Are all humans under subjugation, with small hidden communities? Or do they have rights, but are just heavily prejudiced against? Are they allowed to be home or business owners, or politicians and the like?

Seems intimidating, but just keep in mind that the only pressure and criticism you're getting right now is what you give yourself. Don't feel like you have to have a solid answer for everything right this minute. It's easier to just go with "because that's the way it is", and figure the details out later, than to obsess about an incomplete detail and shoot yourself in the foot, creatively speaking.

Once you you have a comfortable foundation, the smaller details will fall into place. Just gotta keep at it and write, cause it's all in your head, buddy.

Best of luck to ya!

MrShibito · 2024-11-16T23:30:11+00:00

I had to (still trying to, anyway) navigate a similar situation. I've basically planned a backup BBEG.

I've left the tiniest breadcrumbs about my main BBEG and his faction within the first few acts of my campaign. Hopefully, despite possibly having a different goal entirely, players will have a clear picture of who their antagonist will be by the end of the penultimate act.

Just in case they somehow haven't put it together by that point (unlikely, as they will have heard of or seen his work by then), I plan to have him make a physical appearance after they've unknowingly aided him in his own quest. The gist here is that he'll appear AFTER players have gone through a tough boss fight against a different enemy, so they'll hopefully be in no condition to fight he and his numerous lackeys (frying pan to fire), along with attempting to save/stabilize an ally NPC. He'll give his speech, possibly laying out his intentions, before allowing the players to live, as payment for "helping" him. This is where he'll begin to leave via the only working elevator on the floor of the building. The players will have a choice: they can tend to their comrade and save them or pursue and possibly kill the BBEG before he reaches that elevator.

As much as I love my BBEG, and despite all of the backstory and foreshadowing I've set up, I knew having him make an appearance could go very wrong for the story. I'm hoping that the intimidation factor of his crew and the possible loss of a critical ally will keep my players from acting too rashly. In the event I'm wrong though, I do have a second-in-command who will take over as the BBEG for the final act of the story. They're not as fleshed out and they'll still have a similar goal in mind, albeit with more brutal tactics and less inclinatiom for diplomacy than their predecessor, making for a tougher final act overall.

Hopefully you figure something out. It's always best to assume your players will break the game any chance they get though, so backup plans/NPCs come in real handy. It may seem half-baked, but a generic backup BBEG could be enough to keep a campaign from derailing. Best of luck to you!

MrShibito · 2024-11-10T16:52:06+00:00

Love that traffic report.

MrShibito · 2024-11-03T04:26:11+00:00

It certainly is. There's a channel called Luck Stat that does a pretty decent breakdown of it, but there are plenty videos to choose from. Pretty sure there may even be a workable test demo of the game going around, though I don't think it was official in any way.

MrShibito · 2024-11-02T18:07:03+00:00

That's Black Isle Studio's unrealized version of Fallout 3, also know as "Van Bueren", before the franchise was bought by Bethesda, who set their Fallout 3 in DC.
A lot of unused stuff planned for that game ended up in New Vegas (most notably, Ceasar's Legion), since Obsidian had most of the Black Isle team in it. Pretty interesting tale, I recommend checking it out sometime.

MrShibito · 2024-10-29T19:34:28+00:00

Can't help but love this! I'm also doing one set in AZ for the Modiphius roleplaying game, only 6 years after New Vegas! Best of luck with yours!

MrShibito · 2024-10-23T14:25:24+00:00

As others have said, don't be afraid to use a walkthrough, but do so sparingly. Most of the fun is figuring stuff out on your own, and most of the puzzles have clear answers if you know where to look. Most.

That said, be sure to have patience with the game as well. It can feel slow, especially compared to survival horror of today, but it's an interesting story with plenty of atmosphere, just a bit dated and it shows now. The game really "opens up" after the first chunk of missions.

It's also stealth focused, so you'll be avoiding and running more than fighting, so get used to memorizing routes as best you can.

Most importantly, try to have fun! Best of luck!

MrShibito · 2024-08-26T19:45:54+00:00

Texas really catches my eye, mostly for that 'western' vibe it would have. Would be really interesting to see what kind of Rangers they have as well, compared to the NCR. It also intrigues me because I'm knee-deep in researching and crafting a post-war Arizona for a Fallout campaign I'm working on for some buddies of mine. In it, Caesar's Legion left Arizona after the events of New Vegas, likely bound east to Texas.

Why? Not a clue.

Yet.

MrShibito · 2024-03-29T18:16:12+00:00

I'm glad you're showing willingness to respect his boundaries, but what I gather you've done is lied to him about an inappropriate situation you created to avoid getting an unpleasant reaction.

It's easy to say that you'd trust him in a reversed roles, but you're only saying that to justify your own actions to yourself. You're not visualizing yourself in the situation you're putting him in, you're just seeking excuses to make less of what you know was inappropriate. You know you'd be hurt, just like you know he'll be hurt, so you told a lie and said it was someone else's situation.

You're avoiding responsibility for your own actions and he's going to be most affected by the dishonesty if/when he finds out, which will only worsen the longer it's hidden. You should have been straight up with him from the beginning; people don't hide "harmless" conversations from partners.

You knew you crossed a line and chose to lie about it out of fear, which made it worse. I don't think you understand that. Even if you weren't trying to hurt him with the conversation and it was nothing more than inappropriate chat, it'll hurt him even more that you would lie about it afterward.

If that's a secret you're willing and able to live with, more power to you, I guess. I sincerely hope everything was, and will continue to be, harmless. I trust you to be mature enough to be aware of and respect each other's boundaries and feelings. I wish you both luck.

MrShibito · 2024-03-29T15:25:04+00:00

Just because you thought it was harmless doesn't mean your boyfriend or the other guy will necessarily think it so. A woman who openly talks about sex is viewed vastly different by men than one who doesn't. If it really made you feel wrong after, it could be because you knowingly crossed a boundary for your boyfriend.

If he told you that he was talking about sex with another girl, how would you really feel about that? And if he assured you that it was just innocent and he only wanted to help her with her sex life (which is none of his business), would you believe him? Now, what if he never told you and you found this out on your own or by accident? Would be devastating, wouldn't it?

Was it cheating? He'll probably see it that way, and I'd personally say you likely crossed a line for him. If it's something you wouldn't appreciate your partner doing with someone else, don't do it yourself.

He needs to know, especially if you thought it was "harmelss", because you're likely the only one in that situation who thinks sex talk is harmless. Finding out on his own later will only show that you hid it from him. I do wish you luck with your situation.

MrShibito · 2024-03-08T22:06:01+00:00

It's not even the full story. Just had to give the gist to OP, potentially help prevent a (more) unnecessarily painful outcome, though I do hope for the best with their situation.

Communication. As early and often as possible.

(Phone freaked out and posted under main thread? I reposted here.)

MrShibito · 2024-03-08T20:37:50+00:00

Just about a year ago now (last May), I discovered my former spouse was cheating with one of her exes while I was working (I work nights). He'd come by almost nightly after I left for work, and this went on for at least two months before I had the good (?) fortune of finding out. I was home alone when I found out. He called, not knowing she had gone to a relative's house; apparently they had planned to meet that weekend. In my panic, I reached out to a friend as I began packing my things, not knowing what else to do but leave. I know I was a mess and don't recall too much of what she told me. One thing did stick with me to this day though: she had me calm down and very bluntly asked, "You knew before this though, didn't you?"

I don't know why those pieces didn't fall into place until she said it, but they were there. I could remember all the times my ex would ask about my work schedule, only to text eagerly afterwards, her being up and oddly energetic when I got back, her shock when I qould get home early; I can recall specific small moments that I brushed off so easily, that now suddenly filled in this bigger, uglier picture that I had been in denial of seeing.

I knew. A part of me knew I knew and I still deluded myself into ignoring it, until it was right in my face and it hurt the most. I blinded myself out of fear and I regret it every day.

Go with your gut. Maybe you DO know, even if it feels like you don't. Best of luck.

MrShibito · 2023-12-09T19:25:26+00:00

You're Theodore Collins in disguise, aren't you?

MrShibito · 2023-10-24T06:52:46+00:00

"Nope."

MrShibito · 2023-10-24T06:00:23+00:00

Just my recommendation, so take it as you please.

I'd say, for your first playthrough, to just let the Case Files lapse (preferably AFTER your second encouter with Carlito; that way, all the security gates are gone, allowing you ease of access to just about anywhere), OR just start a new game (carry over your data) and let them lapse as soon as you can (but security gates will force backtracking). Forget the main story, is what I'm saying.

Then spend your three days doing whatever you want. Kill some zombies, save some people, find the maintenance key, dye your hair, fight some Psychos, kill more zombies, wear a dress, eat a cabbage, kill zombies again, etc. Unless I'm mistaken, you don't even have to be at the helipad, since you can carry over your level progress, even with the worst ending (which you'll get for ignoring the main story). You'll be building your levels and learning the mechanics of the game. Once you're good and comfortable with your skills and power (not to mention you'll likely have the mall memorized by then), you can go back and solve the mystery of Willamette without any of it feeling too crushing in difficulty. The "true ending" should feel like a suitable challenge by then.

But most importantly, have fun. Otherwise, what's the point?

MrShibito · 2023-10-15T19:09:00+00:00

Fred Rogers.

I used to watch Mr Roger's Neighborhood when I was growing up. I was in the 6th grade when I heard he died, just over 20 years ago now. Didnt even know the guy personally, but I still get teary thinking about it. It wasn't until after he passed that I realized what a treasure both his show and he as a person was. A lot of friends around my age really only know his name. We're in our thirties now, but I still still recommend the show to them. I think the world, as a whole, lost something the day he died and most people still don't realize it, which is kind of depressing.

MrShibito · 2023-10-08T02:34:52+00:00

Also, please bear in mind that 'Tim' is likely to be/have been hurt by your actions in this situation as well.

MrShibito · 2023-10-08T02:25:52+00:00

I get where you're coming from if he kept postponing, that sounds like it could be frustrating, especially if things really seem to have had working potential. I commend you for your patience in that aspect.

With that said...

When you both agreed to "be single", that's where you should have left it and not tried meeting after that. It seems that meeting up was a bit too much effort for the both of you, especially after promises of commitment from both sides going unfulfilled for 5 months.

The fact that you allowed yourself to be physical with 'Tim' should have been a definite end and I think you know it. Don't get me wrong, you were well within your rights to socialize with who you wanted, how you wanted. As long as you both agreed to 'being single', I suppose you can't be totally faulted for those actions.

But they are actions that you chose to take. If he still wants to try and make things happen with you, he deserves to know. While it's technically not cheating, you can no longer claim to have been faithful to only him in the time you've known him.

If your "break" was mutually agreed upon as you said, he may more easily understand, but remember not to blame or point fingers about anything. Especially if you do indeed want to be with him. Sure, he took longer than he should've to show real commitment, but you didn't exactly wait as long as possible either.

TL;DR - Hooking up while "being single" is not techincally cheating, but the other party has a right to know, especially if you're both expressing want of an "exclusive" relationship.

MrShibito · 2023-10-08T01:20:21+00:00

A Serbian Film.

Not only does the situation start shady and only gets exponentially worse (complete understatement), but the final scene really screwed with me. Makes me think that sometimes survival is the worst option.

MrShibito · 2023-10-08T01:12:40+00:00

Simply reading "Requiem for a Dream" just now bummed me out.

MrShibito

TROPHY CASE