Videochat August 2016

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Here's the latest videochat with fans. I didn't have much in the way of announcements this time, aside from more Game Dungeon videos are coming, though people had several interesting questions. Coming up soon (the 13th) is the next Planetside 2 session. I don't have much more to say than that right now aside from expect more videos in the next couple weeks!

 

COMMENTS

Do you think the baby photo shown in Gordon Freemans locker in Half-Life 1 is in fact baby Alix Vance?

 

Makes me wonder what kind of person would have a picture of somebody elses baby on the inside of their locker at work?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsela

 

The most iconic thing about them for me was the big yellow pontoons they had so you could make a machine to cross a lake.

On that Metroid 2 remake, it's been taken down.

On that Metroid 2 remake, it's been taken down.

Doesn't mean you can't get it...

@St.Goliath, but do we know if Ely is really Alyx's father or should Gordon "be aware of unforeseen consequences".

 

Either way I reckon Ross' response will be accurate but its something I always pondered about, probably because I played HL2 before HL1 and really did think the hair looked similar.

 

In truth his reply is how I felt about the new Mirrors Edge game.

I don't know if it was just me misreading the response, but I got the distinct feeling that I somehow unintentionally offended Ross with my question about Warhammer VS. Warcraft orcs.

Ross, if you are reading this, I hope I didn't give you the wrong impression about me or led you to think that there was a critical intent to my question. Your points about the Warcraft movie's orcs being a little off was simply a thought provoking moment for me that got me thinking about something else entirely. I assure you it wasn't an attempt at arguing for or against either franchises interpretation of orcs - I prefer Warhammer's orcs myself! The real meat of my question was more about atypical Dungeons & Dragons player characters and certainly not a rebuttal aimed at your opinions or preferences. In retrospect I can see how you might of got the impression that I was framing the subject critically. When I called orcs from the Warhammer universe "one-dimensional" I didn't mean it it a negative way, I was simply referring to their almost inherently hostile and monstrously cunning character, even among the more exceptional and intelligent members of their species. When I called the orcs of the Warcraft universe "nuanced" I did not mean to imply that they were somehow "better than" the former franchises orcs.

Hopefully that clears some of the air and that someday we play a game of D&D where you'll play as a no-nonsense Dwarf wizard and I'll play as a transgender Hobgoblin schoolgirl. I can't think of any good reason why those two characters wouldn't arse about with each other in a forbidden crypt somewhere!

 

To the guy who asked if there were any decent Lovecraftian games on the PC. I've played Shadow Of The Comet and if you enjoy slightly broken early point n' click games with a somewhat garish colour scheme, it's worth having a gander at. But if you are looking for something more contemporary and much more darkly atmospheric, you could do a lot worse than seek out a game called Darkness Within: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder. Whilst not a explicitly linked to Lovecraft's lore, the game is obviously within the spirit of literary "mythos" and as such filled with cosmic-occult menace and spiritual dread. It's a rather accomplished first-person point n' click adventure game and in my opinion pretty spooky. The puzzles are mostly great and the in-game locations haunting, the voice acting is serviceable (though occasionally a little wooden), but the gorgeous soundtrack and ambience more than makes up for that minor shortcoming - I'd rate it among my top ten favourite game scores ever. An integral part of the game lies in reading and noting clues in eldritch papers and rambling journals, so the game proudly wears it's Lovecraftian inspiration on its pixelated sleeves.

Time index

 

Pre-submitted questions

02:22 - banning videogames

04:15 - how did donations affect Ross's life

07:30 - non-human fantasy characters untypical for their kind

10:00 - Grickle comics

10:05 - Ross's deadly sin

11:47 - why Resident Evil 4 didn't impress Ross

14:30 - is The Thing a lightweight movie

15:10 - why does Ross answer e-mails from fans

16:35 - Test Drive III music speed

16:55 - eating people to get new knowledge

17:45 - song at the end of Symphony of the Night

18:40 - does Ross regret making some of the videos

20:20 - did ever Ross get as drunk as his friend whom he mentioned in Bozo's Night episode

21:30 - what movies did Ross watch and what toys did he play as a child

22:50 - social media and hostility of Internet

24:10 - cosplaying Gordon Freeman

24:50 - Ross's microphones

26:25 - how much HDD space Ross uses

27:50 - recommendations on SSD

30:30 - overrated cartoon show

30:55 - Deus Ex trailer controversy

31:30 - Ross's zombie survival plan

33:25 - next follow-up episode

34:30 - is baby photo in Gordon Freeman's locker Alyx Vance

35:20 - next screenshot contest

35:55 - favourite game worlds for VR

38:10 - terrifying game characters

38:45 - most famous person met

40:35 - plan for The Movie

41:35 - when The Movie is out

42:10 - favourite soundtrack

44:18 - opinion on Diablo II and III

 

Chat questions

45:28 - Galaxy in Turmoil killed by EA

46:13 - playing a game despite not liking the theme or art direction

47:55 - Metroid remake is out

49:43 - how the world would respond to a virus that makes cats intelligent and invisible

51:30 - why Ross played old and broken version of The Chosen instead of Frater

53:05 - playing games you can't stand to play

53:54 - ZX Spectrum games

54:23 - games with good art direction

56:00 - handling stress

57:03 - Deus Ex mods

57:35 - is Ross a LOTR fan

58:58 - potatoes

59:05 - reading Rama books

01:00:27 - games that Ross replays on regular basis

01:01:03 - Strife speedrun

01:01:25 - how Ross stumbles upon obscure games

01:03:18 - have Ross tried to make a game

01:03:52 - mod for Halo

01:05:01 - Deus Ex soundtrack

01:05:10 - dreams and nightmares about videogames

01:05:42 - XBox vs PlayStation

01:06:35 - changing opinion on a game on second playthrough

01:07:40 - favourite army in Warhammer 40000

01:09:06 - playing a game through whole night

01:09:50 - Lovecraft done properly in videogames

01:11:11 - performance of PC hardware

01:12:40 - dreams

01:13:03 - playing multiplayer games with people who have consoles

01:14:42 - why Half-Life for Freeman's mind?

01:15:28 - recent Sonic games

01:16:25 - next "Anticipated games" episode

01:17:08 - any more games from the "Anticipated games" list played?

01:18:55 - more Legacy of Kain games

01:20:13 - favourite Doctor from Doctor Who

01:20:30 - dream MMO

01:20:45 - new Ghostbusters movie

01:21:11 - source Filmmaker

01:21:45 - Nintendo console?

01:22:00 - does Ross watch TV series like GoT

01:23:42 - $15 VR headset

01:23:53 - consumers vs critics

01:24:28 - collaborating with Lazy Game Reviews

01:25:01 - Quarantine remake

01:26:05 - favourite comedy style

01:26:40 - plans after The Movie is finished

01:27:03 - picking a celebrity for voice acting in The Movie

01:27:49 - what's wrong with Ross's hair

01:28:10 - amount of goats in The Movie

01:28:45 - conclusion

Makes me wonder what kind of person would have a picture of somebody elses baby on the inside of their locker at work?

Well if this is Ross's Gordon Freeman he was probably thinking about eating that baby for the extra protein or sell it on the black market.

Makes me wonder what kind of person would have a picture of somebody elses baby on the inside of their locker at work?

Well if this is Ross's Gordon Freeman he was probably thinking about eating that baby for the extra protein or sell it on the black market.

 

Don't be silly. It's to keep people from taking his drugs. Seeing pictures of babies makes people highly unlikely to steal from any given container. Printing off some random baby picture and putting it in ones wallet is a thing.

Makes me wonder what kind of person would have a picture of somebody elses baby on the inside of their locker at work?

Is that really all that odd? My driver's license has a picture of someone else's child on it.