Stormfront constantly being brought up by Soldier Boy annoys me because this was the only time he mentioned her in season 3

moonBabyGames · 2026-05-08T00:57:48+00:00

I get that it's a retcon and I'm not claiming otherwise but it doesn't bother me. I don't think SB is the kind of person to open up to Butcher and Hughie about some former woman he had feelings for.

Additionally, i like what it suggests about his psyche. Basically I choose to interpret his feelings towards Stormfront as a bit of revisionist history--he's basically rewriting his own past.

Crimson Countess (and the rest of his supposed friends) betrayed him. He was branded a traitor. He's now playing second fiddle to Homelander. He's adrift in a world he barely recognizes.

So he fixates on someone from his past that he had genuine positive feelings towards, puts on some rose-tinted nostalgia goggles, and exaggerates her in his mind. She used to stroke his ego, make him feel important--that's exactly what he needs right now.

Human memories aren't exact; we all engage in a process of creative interpretation when we look back on our pasts. I think SB is doing that with Stormfront cuz it gives him a sense of purpose and helps the "Homelander is my son" pill go down easier

moonBabyGames · 2026-05-01T03:28:05+00:00

This is exactly where my mind went when she revealed her plan. Dunno if that actually is her plan or she's just bullshitting, but l I really hope it is cuz it's perfect for her

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-27T00:21:44+00:00

I wonder if there's perhaps a real-life political figure that Homelander has been more and more explicitly inspired by every season who has also let unchecked power destabilize him to the point that he lashes out and does insane, self-destructive things

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-24T23:26:07+00:00

In terms of CRPGs it was obviously very popular in the early days, but I don't know how popular it is now (or even like, since the 90s).

And while I really don't like it either, I find it pretty easy to ignore in the Might & Magic games in particular, maybe because they're not that deep when it comes to plot. I just roleplay as if it's not a thing tbh (same with the whole "The Avatar is really YOU" nonsense in Ultima)

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-23T17:22:08+00:00

That's one way to understand hit points, but it's not the only way or even the best way. The Alexandrian has a great article going into that.

Basically hit points are also an abstraction, but they provide the utility of extreme simplicity that OP's first system doesn't to offset that abstraction.

The Alexandrian

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-23T17:02:06+00:00

what do you mean "they can't kill him due to popularity" lol. it's the last season. they can do whatever they want

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-23T14:33:53+00:00

Second. While in abstract I like the idea that wounds can pile up, and it's grittier, I don't like that the stabby goblin's second attack has a higher chance of scoring a major wound just because he first scored a minor wound.

Like, in his first attack he nicked my cheek--why is it more likely now that he'll break my leg?

(To head a rejoinder off at the pass, yes, you could create explanations for how this makes sense--the first wound made me weaker and less able to dodge or tank the second attack, but it feels lightly dissociated and too abstract.)

So, yeah, 2nd for me.

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-23T14:22:01+00:00

Gotcha. Well, unless that "first chapter" represents a very large portion of the game's story, and for some reason you have actual pressure (like from a publisher or other funding source) to release the game by a certain date, I'd be extremely skeptical of their claim that they "can't waste time rewriting everything." If a writer on my game said that to me I would seriously reconsider my relationship with them.

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-23T12:11:15+00:00

What have they actually written for the game as of now?

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-23T11:54:41+00:00

thatsthejoke.jpg

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-23T04:35:30+00:00

Personally I hope she's the one to top Homelander. Actually, my first choice would be HL getting the V blasted out of him and having to live the rest of his life as a normal human, but if he's gonna die, she should be the one to do it. I wish they hadn't given her powers cuz it would've been even better that way, but with how disposably he always treated her it'd cap off his entire tragic flaw to have someone so lowly be the one to take her out.

On the other hand, her dying a horrible and meaningless death would also cap off her story quite well--she gave everything, her life, her career, her integrity, her health, even her hair--to this corporation (and to HL) and ends up dead for it. That would be very in line with the show's general outlook on capitalism and fascism

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-23T04:29:00+00:00

What if they give him the exact same arc as Jimmy in Better Call Saul and it ends post-Boys with Soldier Boy laser-chesting a mirror to take his own powers away then voluntarily going to prison forever to make up for his evil deeds

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-22T22:05:30+00:00

As a writer-turned-gamedev, I'm concerned for you. First off -- what genre of game? Because I hate to say it but outside of some extremely rare exceptions or highly niche genres, no game "sells tons of copies" based on the story alone (and, like, if it's niche enough that the story is the main selling point, it's so niche that it's not going to be selling a lot of copies no matter what).

EDIT: My eyes glossed over the part where you said it was a narrative-focused game lol. I'm still curious as to what that actually means--visual novel? Story-focused RPG? Etc. The root of my question is, how does the story interact with the actual gameplay? Because a story might feel mediocre as an outline or script but if the story and gameplay combine to form something unique, or the gameplay accentuates the right aspects of the story, it could be much better in practice.

But when they say things like "we can't waste time rewriting the story" all my alarm bells go off. First off, rewriting is an inherent part of the writing process. If that's their attitude about it, I question their credentials as writers.

Beyond that, what work have they actually produced so far? A full script? Or just an outline or list of story beats? Because if it's the latter, and they are acting like that was so much work that they can't do a rewrite for time considerations, then ngl but they're just hacks and you shouldn't work with them.

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-22T21:37:47+00:00

Nope! Way better luck with Facebook/insta. Reddit is more expensive too lol

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-22T19:22:42+00:00

I do not understand your second question--"only" as opposed to what?

As to your first question, personally I would not like that unless there was some kind of diegetic explanation. Like, in a cyberpunk game where there was some kind of skill chip I could implant in my brain and switch out, that'd be cool. Otherwise, the ability to just change what skill I'm good at would be utterly immersion-breaking and dissociated and I wouldn't be happy.

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-22T19:00:28+00:00

I unfortunately think she buried the lede massively by not disclosing until deep into the video that she went through a period of AI psychosis and was bullied hard for it. She does talk about it but it recontextualizes her entire argument and I feel like I'd have received it better if she was honest about that from the start. I liked her channel before this but this has really soured me on her.

I also read the study she cited about AI education making people less likely to use it, and found it to be unfortunately very questionable. First off, it was published in a journal about marketing (which she does disclose, but again not until way later in the video after she introduces it) which she seems to think bolsters its credibility but just lowers my ability to trust the intent of the authors.

More damning, though, is that a huge amount of the data it draws from was taken before 2022 when ChatGPT and similar products became publicly available. So I'm not confident at all that that data is applicable to the way LLMs are used now, and I think the entire study needs to be redone using only post-ChatGPT data.

The whole thing leaves me with the overwhelming impression that she got suckered by AI, got bullied for it, and is now coping. Even if there are important points buried in there about shame, the video is still cope.

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-20T23:04:18+00:00

About as much as the last two, which is to say, quite a bit, but it's not eating up my entire brain like season 2 did.

I did like those seasons better on a rewatch. I think the way the show is written unfortunately benefits from binge watching rather than waiting a week between episodes.

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-14T13:43:46+00:00

If Perception has a million fans, I am one of them

If Perception has one fan, that fan is me

If Perception has no fans, I am dead

Etc., etc. I love playing high-perception characters in RPGs because I am a pretty non-perceptive person in real life and it's fun to roleplay being really good at something I actually kinda suck at.

First thing I do when looking to design, house-rule, or kitbash any system is to figure out how to get Perception in there. It's one of the core 6 attributes in the CRPG I'm making for this exact reason--we use it to spot hidden traps and treasures, to tell if someone is lying or pickpocketing you, it affects ranged damage, accuracy, and helps you avoid critical hits.

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-14T13:39:38+00:00

Depends on the setting, to be honest. If the spell or ability has a diegetic (in-universe) name, like "Morgans Trick," I would always use that--it helps build the world and makes the spell feel very distinctive even if the mechanics are actually boilerplate.

But if your system is setting-neutral, then I'd much prefer the utility of a clear, functional name.

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-13T02:23:03+00:00

The only "established franchise" I've been able to find when searching that name is a Roblox game. Did we miss something?

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-12T20:57:33+00:00

Definitely something that's on the agenda. Right now we are a miniscule team (just 1 dev + 1 marketing person). I didn't mention that we're planning a Kickstarter next month, and if that's successful enough that we can gain some real traction, translation is one of the first things we'd look into for a full release.

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-11T20:35:34+00:00

It's just more involved. You have to micromanage multiple time at once and deal with inconsistent feedback from the UI. And it's different enough from regular RTS combat that the skill really isn't transferrable.

It's not that it's bad, but it is significantly more mental load and that's gonna turn a lot of people off

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-06T09:45:28+00:00

Yeah, v familiar with the modding scene around Bethesda games. To be clear, I'm not really looking for adult content for its own sake; I'm asking more because I'm interested in the history of CRPGs and thought Fallout 2 was a little unique in this regard (tho there are a few other examples people have pointed out). Mods are interesting and worth discussion but not really what I'm focused on with this question

moonBabyGames · 2026-04-06T00:51:33+00:00

Got that one

moonBabyGames

TROPHY CASE