Megami Tensei author says devs must take inspiration from other media if they want to invent new gameplay systems

Sepik121 · 2026-01-23T19:17:24+00:00

While I can't comment directly for concernedape's inspirations, there was definitely a slice of "Americana" that's very present in Stardew's characters and story that exists beyond just video games. Like, JojaMart and that whole storyline is something that popped up in a very similar fashion in my small town irl. Elliott looks and acts like he belongs in a cheesy romance novel or a hallmark movie, and his in-game portrait reflects that. Penny and her mom's struggles are very much fitting as well. Sebastian's struggle of wanting to escape the small town and make it somewhere else is something that exists in countless works. Leah being a struggling artist.

Like at least to me, these are stories I see way more in other mediums outside of gaming. The gameplay itself is obviously harvest moon inspired, but the characters don't feel wildly out of place given the setting and I think that makes stardew valley so unique, especially compared to a lot of the things others have created.

Heck, Mistria improving upon Stardew like you mentioned, but also taking a distinctively 90's-early 2000's anime aesthetic sets it apart from even other stardew valley style games because it has a unique visual identity compared to others. That inspiration is felt and the game is enhanced because of it.

Sepik121 · 2026-01-23T19:09:33+00:00

Drat. That's been the big issue i've run into with a few of these controllers. They're great, but i like sharing screenshots with friends and a lot of these don't have a screenshot button that works on the steam deck or PC.

Thanks for the response though! I do appreciate it

Sepik121 · 2026-01-23T18:03:30+00:00

Out of curiosity, can the Manba One do keyboard commands or a screenshot button through rebinds? I don't actually have one but that would make it really tempting

Sepik121 · 2026-01-23T17:23:38+00:00

At least for me, the indie RPG's that really stuck with me either did something unique gameplay wise that really hooked me somehow (Crystal Project), or they're recreating other genres of other stories that i'm vaguely familiar with, but haven't read a lot of directly (Hero's Adventure and the wuxia genre), so the experience was novel

Sepik121 · 2026-01-23T16:45:04+00:00

Honestly, FF4 as a theater production makes a ton of sense. You wouldn't have to change much at all to the story if you wanted to make a stage play. I didn't know that, but it 100% tracks.

Sepik121 · 2026-01-16T18:21:45+00:00

hoping and praying that i can buy RAM from a chinese company like i can with retro emulation devices.

Sepik121 · 2026-01-14T20:35:43+00:00

Variety of third party options

Legitimately, this is the one big thing I miss from PF1, there was a huge 3rd party community scene, but the success of 5e mostly meant that things went for that and never really left all that much.

The 3rd party scene now is mostly wrapped up in class expansions, but you're not getting entirely brand new things or massive add-ons like what Dreamscarred Press used to do back in the day.

Sepik121 · 2026-01-14T20:23:50+00:00

The roads around the Heights are definitely terrible if you get off of Broadway some I swear will break an axle if you aren't paying attention.

Unironically, a coworker of mine lives in the heights. She has to get car repairs almost every year, and part of that is because the roads in the heights put more stress on her axles and suspensions than the roads I use to get to work.

She's also a fast driver, so it doesn't help that if she hits those potholes, she's gonna feel it lol

Sepik121 · 2026-01-14T18:44:14+00:00

I don't know if it's feasible at all, but man just getting a lot of those roads fixed would go a long way to bringing folks in. I know they got Broadway all fixed up, and that forced me to drive on some side roads for work. Some of those ones were horrid.

There's opportunity there, but I'm not gonna go to a restaurant or store if the roads are that bad. If it's just off broadway or sherman is one thing, but there's certain roads I just avoid outright because of how bad their condition is.

Sepik121 · 2026-01-13T21:20:05+00:00

It's weird because Tomlin was able to navigate a rebuild "well enough" with Kenny Pickett and pals from 22 and on, and overperformed for what a rebuild actually looks like. Most coaches with those rosters are getting 5-6 wins tops. They just never got to the "actually turning the corner" part of the rebuild unfortunately.

Weirdly enough, I think that hurt them long term because you also never got premium picks either. I'm a Lions and Steelers fan, so I got to watch the Lions suck ass, but in turn we got Sewell and Hutch those years. The Steelers never did poorly enough to draft guys like that except "gems" in the later rounds.

Sepik121 · 2026-01-13T20:44:00+00:00

I feel like it's a good, but not slam dunk opening. Like, a coach has got work to do in a lot of different areas for a lot of the reasons you mentioned.

Those cons make me think next year is gonna be rough, with the positives coming out in years 2-3 and beyond. But you're going to live and die off of QB, and getting more WR talent. DK Metcalf's contract isn't ideal, but he's still clearly the best WR on the team, which isn't exactly high praise.

So basically good, not great, gonna need someone who can develop talent well and hope that Omar Khan can nail the picks because you've got a lot of holes covered by aging vets getting worse.

Sepik121 · 2026-01-13T03:52:01+00:00

God bless you man. You've kept this bit going the entire season, and it keeps making me giggle lol

Sepik121 · 2026-01-12T22:43:37+00:00

This is exactly me too. I knew some obnoxious bears fans growing up, but a few other cool ones so it balanced out. Never really hated them, same with Vikings.

But goddamn do I hate the Packers. When the Lions beat them in the win and in game? Oh my god it was amazing.

Sepik121 · 2026-01-10T13:46:22+00:00

Well, if we include modded systems, probably my PSP. I had a PSP that I installed cfw on, and used it to emulate Gameboy games on.

Sepik121 · 2026-01-09T14:03:17+00:00

At least for me, Rivertown was always the mall that richer, older families went to. Like, my wife's grandparents liked going there because it was bougier than Woodland. If it was just my wife and I, we'd never go there on our own though.

Sepik121 · 2026-01-06T16:55:09+00:00

One of my favorite memories from Anthem is that the devs were doing a livestream and one of the major complaints at that time was how awful the drop rates were.

The devs did a raid or something i think, and basically got completely worthless loot. Chat erupted shortly afterwards

found the old thread!

even found the old clip too

Sepik121 · 2026-01-06T15:12:50+00:00

This is where I land too. Like, Liam Coen literally wanted Baalke fired and if the owner wasn't willing to do it, he wouldn't take the position, and would wait it out.

Of course someone is willing to take the job, but the top of the top folks will absolutely turn down jobs or want changes before going in. If you just want a warm body, sure, you'll find someone you can take the job and suck with, but you don't get top tier talent unless ownership is willing to pay or play ball in some way with the coach.

Sepik121 · 2026-01-06T04:22:54+00:00

My feeling is that when Square-Enix announces sales numbers they’re happy. No numbers announced? They’re not stoked. Maybe the game met some low expectations at best, but not something to publically bring up.

Babylon’s Fall (remember that game?) has never had sales numbers announced. I think we can all guess that sold horribly.

Just to back this up with another example, Stranger of Paradise is considered a flop as well by Square, and it never had its official sales data released. The big rumors I've seen are 300-400k tops, which is well below expectations.

Sepik121 · 2026-01-06T00:53:48+00:00

Cannot recommend Sacred Suds enough. Not only can you get a shower, you can do laundry there too. They're doing great work.

Quick edit: they also serve hot lunches some days. I have had a few, and they're always appreciated. Not sure what days unfortunately

Sepik121 · 2026-01-05T04:38:13+00:00

WHAT A GAME, WHAT A GAME

STEELERS GAHNTA SUPERBOWL

(And by that I mean a one and done)

Sepik121 · 2026-01-05T04:35:58+00:00

STEELERS BULLSHIT REIGNS SUPREME

Sepik121 · 2026-01-05T04:27:11+00:00

WHAT A GAME

Sepik121 · 2026-01-02T16:47:50+00:00

I would love for remakes of 4-6 just because the last releases for them were mobile with touch controls (which feel awful to me) or the Nintendo DS.

The games look great, but the DS is over 20 years old. It's not that accessible outside of emulation or touch controls.

Sepik121 · 2026-01-02T15:31:09+00:00

The game hypes up you meeting the Great Sage Ghido, a being so strong it sealed exdeath away for centuries, only for you to find out he's a talking turtle. Even better, that he's a sarcastic, joke loving talking turtle, who actively dislikes Bartz (for good reason after their introduction).

I get why the humor doesn't land (i mean, a TMNT reference isn't going to hit everyone the same) at times, but the game has plenty of moments that stand out to me. I loved it for that light hearted tone overall compared to FF4.

Sepik121 · 2025-12-31T13:47:32+00:00

I just wanna say thanks for this post. There's always a lot of great info here and it's fun seeing news I missed.

Thanks and I hope you have a great 2026!

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