The rant thread

[YegaDoyai]

My rant, feel free to rant about anything and everything, the only rule is no comments ON THIS THREAD to rants posted. Mods still have the discretion to remove rants that are inappropriate (a rant on trolls for instance).

On most accounts SS2 > bioshock (sad but true). Bioshock does not appear to have been significantly tweaked (difficulty, gameplay, anything) from the console version and as such sufferes from a distinct 'dumbing down'. Thus while we will still play games on the PC, PC games are dead. Bioshock was seen by many to be a 'risky' game and the first risky crossover game to sell really well. We can expect more rehashes or our favourite titles but lacking that critical edge that as PC gamers we have grown to love. Fuck this, fuck consoles, fuck off. Have you noticed the current trend on XBLA? They are releasing all the games that were fun back in the 80s trying to cash in on Nintendoes virtual console. This seemed viable for the quirky system that could but for the Xbox (and godforbid the PS3) it is just fucking lame.

I'm far from the most demanding gamer, I actually like rehashes if they are done well, I really enjoy simple hack and slash affairs provided they are presented well and give me new and exciting ways to hack and slash. but I do like character in games, doom is not flawed but it has character. Black and White (there you go you knew it and Psychonaughts were going to crop up in here somewhere) is flawed and those flaw lend it character, there are countless other titles that are the same.

I think that if we actually enforced the content rating system properly such that an 18 game was very unlikely to be played by someone under that age we might actually get games that are worth playing. Not due to content but due to the fact they can assume that thier audience will be slightly older and have a better attention span and possibly, just maybe, able to cope with something other than a black and white choice.

[Bluepixie]

I'm not sure how many DS player we have now, so many of you might be well up-to-date. For those that aren't, the DS now has a port of the the PC version of Theme Park. And for the most part it's bloody good. Admittedly the only thing they seemed to have changed is the user-interface and the intro sequence. That goes for all the original bugs like:

- people getting suck in "things" - I've a family of 6 "stuck" in the main gate to my current park, even closing the park doesn't free them. As you can imagine, they are all very unhappy, and effect my ratings. I need a rhino man to entertain them constantly.

- frustrating path finding - why do the mechanics have to walk to the OTHER END OF THE PARK! Away from all of the rides!?! And when you place them next to a ride in need of repair, they go for a jog first then come back and fix it?

and other things which I can't remember off the top of my head. All in all though, despite the problems that have been carried through from the PC is still a lot of fun to play.

However, I've been working on this park for most part of a week now. I play on the hardest difficulty level so you have to do all the stocks stuff etc. I've not been doing too great the last few days with my balance regularly sitting in the $-20, 000 after the beginning of a fiscal year, with a full loan. Not looking good, but customers are happy, particularly with the water tubing ride and the super spinner.
Then yesterday I had a break through, I got the prices just bang on, I got some lucky stock sells in and things started to perk up. I was in the zone. I was the elite them park manager, nothing was getting past me, my head was clear and Opeth was pounding in the background. Then the research finished for the roller coaster. I got my roller coaster design just right,this takes a few attempts as seeming ok turns fling people off the ride across the park. Very amusing yes, but bad for my ratings. With the design perfected I was on the way to victory and the cash was piling up. My park is quite a size at this point, taking up most of the map. I'm also noticing some minor slow down, but it's ok. After a few years the the advisor starts talking about the roller coaster, says it needs replacing. This is normal, the rides need to be replaced or they break down frequently. So I sell the roller coaster entrance (you don't have to sell the track thank god) and then it happened.

Cue horrible screeching noise and warped graphics.

A crash.

Meh, it's pretty hot today I think, maybe it was just a mis-calculation. So I boot up again, and try the same again. Same result.

ARRRRGGGHHHGGHHHGHHHH!!!!!!!!

I am SO fucked off with shoddy ports, it's really too much. What the fuck are publishers playing at?!? It's not just EA as in this case releasing an unfinished product but Ubisoft are guilty also. The Settlers was released on the DS just last month and suffers from even more problems than Theme Park does with frequent crashes, slow down and is actually impossible to finish due to these problems.

When are publishers actually going to do a port properly? I can count on my hands the amount of successful ports, all from Japanese companies. Konami (Silent Hill 2 and 3, Metal Gear Solid 2) Square (FF7 and FF 8) and Capcom (Resident Evil 1 to 3). I am aware that porting software to different systems can cause all kinds of problems but seriously, it's just a load of shit. Imagine if you bought a DVD with bad sounds/image/stops playing. and they say "ah well, it's a problem with the conversion from the original. We could have fixed it if we could have been assed but hey, fuck it."

??!?!?

Fuck ports.
Vete a tomar por culo. :evil:

[DAve]

I'm not sure how many DS player we have now, so many of you might be well up-to-date. For those that aren't, the DS now has a port of the the PC version of Theme Park.

My name's DAve and I'm a DS player.

I have noticed that there are many, many shoddy ports out on the DS. I've got into the habit of getting a "trial version" of the game to see if it suffers from any of the major issues of ports. If it's any good, I'll buy it.

I have noticed that the settlers port got a 1/10 on eurogamer because of the frequent and idiotic crashes. Shame, I was really looking forward to that.

[YegaDoyai]

FUCKING STEAM!
CoH gets an update, did they patch my version? No.

Fresh
Fucking
Install

[Greasel_burger]

Not entirely related to the console to PC debate but Bf2 drives me totally nuts.

Game relased two years ago, AND ITS STILL TOTALLY FUCKED BEYOND USEABILTY!

I mean, look at it! The weapon strengths are roughly the same as CSS and more accurate! but its harder to kill people! Why? you ask? simple, shoddy net code and hit detection. EVERY sniper has seen the puff of smoke from a perfect headshot being ignored by the game engine.
Also, ever wonder why i am so good at it? IVE LEARNT TO USE THE BUGS!!!!

like how throwing a grenade at the top of a jump makes it go stupidly far, and the bloody bloody useless unlock system! its simply encourages people to use ONLY ONE WEAPON! be that the G36E or P90. Its just sad how rare it is to see an AK-101 or M16A2 get a kill!

Secondly, map balance!
How many times have you seen the americans get raped on wake? how about the havok killing everything on shaqi or karkend being used ON EVERY FUCKING SERVER!

Even the vehicles are scewed! the inviceable J-10 and the unkillable eurofighter... which you only can get if you get raped by EA downloader for hours. Look at the DICE producers new site, all the things that were missing from BF2! the harrier! the hovercraft (really should have been on wake) the lynx!

The entire game has been fucked by EA pushing times and refusing to give ANY good support!

Even patch 1.3 CAUSED SERVERS TO CRASH RANDOMLY!

And the hackers... dont get me onto the hackers!

The number of times MY CLEAN ACCOUNT has been kicked by punkbuster and the number of times i see OBVIOUS HACKERS AND GLITCHERS who dont even get their accounts reset drives me nuts!


Hence why i only Play BF2 at LAN's now

[YegaDoyai]

Ok, most of you do not work full time and I suspect that an increasing number of you (due to newbies) will not even have worked for an entire summer doing anything other than bar/service related work. Eventually you will work in an office and spend the core 8 hours of your day locked behind a desk, in a lab or something similar that essentially stops you doing all the things you might want to do like speak to people or go someplace in daylight. This is not what the rant is about, this is just the background.

The rant
Email was invented in 1961. Since then pretty much every office in the land has had access to an excellent form of communication from the minor informal messages to the required paper trail and bureaucratic nonsence. In many very important ways it is more flexible and useful in a business sense than using the phone. Why then can people not understand the concept of email?

The example:
My boss requires me to work on a project with many points that need addressing, rather than doing as I requested and return the email with the priority of the tasks and deadlines/additional info he phones me (while I am away from my computer) and details it all to me over the phone in a lengthy conversation. Being that I cannot make a note of the changes I ask him to email the same to me as I had already requested. 1 week later we are arguing over what order he had requested becuase he never sent me an email.

Case 2
I am looking to get a flat in edinburgh so I emailed the 3 largest property management companies and detailed what I'm looking for, timescales and budget and requested that they email me details of the properties, or links to properties so that I can view them. So far I've had 3 phone calls and 2 standard reply emails. What are they going to tell me on the phone that I can't get from an email?


Save for the fact that some folk seem to be incapable of composing thier thoughts before blurting out the first thing that comes to mind email is MUCH better than the phone for everything that does not require an immediate response.

Please, for the love of god learn how to use it and educate all those around you to use and love it too.

[GingerPrinz]

I'm sorry this isn't a rant, but I was just thinking it would be more appropriately placed in the General Discussion folder. I thought about ranting about the fact that it wasn't, so as to fit in with the thread, but I couldn't really be arsed.

[Hex]

Man makes a good point, this has become a general rant thread rather than a games specific one. Move the thread and delete this post?

[Sideshow]

Hex, you're not a mod, you're never gonna be a mod, STFU.

[Muppet]

My rant, feel free to rant about anything and everything, the only rule is no comments ON THIS THREAD to rants posted. Mods still have the discretion to remove rants that are inappropriate (a rant on trolls for instance).

Play nice everyone, rules were clearly stated on first post.

xxx

[Hex]

Hex, you're not a mod, you're never gonna be a mod, STFU.

This is a forum, a place for opinions, and on occasion, suggestions. I made a suggestion, based on an opinion. I don't claim to be a mod, nor do I want to be. Maybe you should direct your attention away from my posting habits, and towards the forum rules which specifically discourage posts such as your last. Due to the rules, you can consider this a short, calm rant about unnecessary flaming on forums.

[Sid]

Since this is a thread that's turning into rants about things in general, I'll move it to general discussion.

Regarding discussion of moderation, I'd rather it was done via a PM to Stuart or I, purely because it clutters up the threads. We both check the forums several times a day so if your request is reasonable, there's a good chance it'll happen.

Anyway!!! ...onwards with the rants! (PM me if you've got any further issues.)

[Fil2eFly]

Well here we go , not a game related rant but still a rant..

Ok i buy a new car get it for £200 less than he wanted ALL GOOD. yestarday i go to drive it and it jst clicks (dead battery) so i think fuck it il buy a new battery dont wana chance galsgow with a fooked battery, go to the place i buy car parts, i place the very heavly batter on the desk, £70 the man says.... 70 fucking quid for a fucking battery!! fuck me most expencive battery iv ever had!

But wait thats not all! the radio dosent work,, an anoying ford one that needs a code, so a fuck around on the interweb untill i find some programs that make a code from the scerial number. so put the new caode in.. cool. now it wont find any channles. talke it out fuck around, arial is fucked. fix that. Dose it work? DOSE IT FUCK! no sound.. none.. nothing. silence...i fuck around with it more last night the only think i manage to do it use up my torch battery and manage to fuse the electrics -.- . Fixed that so now everything works again but still no fucking sound!!!!

ARRRGGGG RAGE!!!

[Strings]

Maybe you didn't love him enough? Eh? Eh? Wink wink nudge nudge? Eh?

[Fil2eFly]

I WANT,,, INTERWEBS NOW!!1111