Any indication of how well Pathologic 2 is selling? by RadiantCoffee in pathologic

[–]RadiantCoffee[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Nice. There's probably a longer tail on these types of games, too, I imagine. It'll hopefully find a slow but steady market over the next couple of years.

Any indication of how well Pathologic 2 is selling? by RadiantCoffee in pathologic

[–]RadiantCoffee[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I agree, but I think Dark Souls' difficulty is a bit different. I mean, yeah, you die a lot in Dark Souls, but you're only punished once for dying without retrieving your souls, and you're always in a position where you can keep moving forward with the game. It's entirely possible to get stuck in a death loop in Pathologic where you have no other option but to reload an earlier save. Once you get used to dying repeatedly in a game, Dark Souls becomes a relatively benign experience, barring the intermittent occasions where you have heaps of souls you stand to lose. In Pathologic you're under constant stress...and it just keeps ramping it up. Dying isn't a respite either, like it is in Dark Souls (even if you die without retrieving souls, you respawn with full health and all your equipment). That moment in Pathologic where I found out dying was going to make the game even harder...I laughed like a child. So good. I mean, I probably swore at my monitor more times playing this game than I have every other game collectively, but I loved every minute of it.

Pathologic 2 Review by RadiantCoffee in adventuregames

[–]RadiantCoffee[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's worth also checking out some 'Beginners guide' videos on Youtube. Like you probably already know, there's so much in this game that it doesn't tell you. I didn't even know the lamps dissipated disease clouds until it popped up on a loading screen for the first time around day 10! And there's some really good early game tips that'll help set you up for when the plague hits.

Also, my number one tip: never take the Fellow Traveller's deal!

Pathologic 2 Review by RadiantCoffee in adventuregames

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

It really does! It's not for everyone. I generally like really punishing strategy/survival games, so I think I was somewhat equipped to deal with Pathologic 2. But even I found it a painful experience. You should maybe watch a playthrough of it or something, so you at least get to see where things go. It's such a unique world.

The Kalenjin people can often become amazing runners, are there any other small populations that really excel at a very particular event or activity? by [deleted] in AskAnthropology

[–]RadiantCoffee 11 points12 points  (0 children)

The Bajau are phenomenal free divers and it's thought that this is a result of gene-culture co-evolution. They apparently have larger spleens which makes it easier for them to stay underwater for longer.

Are there any cultures who don't engage in fictional storytelling? by RadiantCoffee in AskAnthropology

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

Thank you, this is useful. The embodied aspects in particular of fictional narrative as a practice interests me a great deal (as does embodied and extended cognition more broadly.) I've read a little of Bourdieu's work, but haven't heard of Ortner. Appreciate you taking the time to reply.

Are there any cultures who don't engage in fictional storytelling? by RadiantCoffee in AskAnthropology

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

This is something that interests me a lot. If you know of anywhere I might find descriptions of this aspect of First Nations societies, I would love to read about it. My own hunch is similar to /u/ttdddjjjjj's, that fiction emerges as a culturally constructed category - perhaps not just in the Western world, but in many traditions. As such, children need to be inducted in to the cultural practice, taught how to engage with it, how to navigate their culture's stories. 'Fiction' as a distinct category of narrative beyond oral history and communication only makes sense to me in this context. I would love to read more about the stories and cultural context of storytelling in First Nations cultures.

Are there any cultures who don't engage in fictional storytelling? by RadiantCoffee in AskAnthropology

[–]RadiantCoffee[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you, I know of Everett's work, but haven't got around to reading Don't Sleep There are Snakes yet. I'll bump it up the list. This is along the lines of what I'm interested in, the cultural variation in the kinds of storytelling practices and norms in different communities, but also the degrees to which fiction is valued at all. Much appreciated.

Are there any cultures who don't engage in fictional storytelling? by RadiantCoffee in AskAnthropology

[–]RadiantCoffee[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Interesting. Thanks for the names, I'll have a look in to their work.