TTLG main page... - by Goldmoon Dawn
Goldmoon Dawn on 13/2/2011 at 02:42
I was just wondering if the main page had been changed. The links to the different Forums are no longer there. Or, is it just me...
jtr7 on 13/2/2011 at 08:33
Changes confirmed.
Digital Nightfall on 13/2/2011 at 17:53
Reposted from the <a href=http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134847>general gaming thread: </a>
Suddenly I remembered that I have a website. Not sure how that happened... :weird:
Anyway, I <a href=http://www.ttlg.com>posted</a> thoughts and feelings about a handful of games that seem to be on TTLG's collective radar in some sense. The idea here is that for the next week, all of you can post your wildly differing opinions on these games and any other games you want to the forum, and next weekend I'll do another version of that news post with what the actual TTLGers think, rather than just me. I'm going to be messing around with TTLG.com's general layout too, mostly in the vein of simplifying things and saying goodbye to the daughter sites.
Post your quips here: (the thread we're in now.)
(
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134847) Or in this thread. I'll find 'em either way.
(I'd also rather you kept things fairly brief, because I'd like to post as many comments from as many different people as possible.)
P.S. We've talked long and winded about a TTLG redux, with many compelling ideas thrown around, but at the end of the day the path of least resistance was always the one staring me in the face saying, "just do this, things don't have to be so complicated." The answer: Just start posting stuff.
demagogue on 13/2/2011 at 20:02
Well I'll add some of my thumbnail thoughts to some of the games you posted.
Thi4f. I expect this to be in the same vein as TDS, but at least avoiding some of its foibles like the awkward movement, lack of swim-able water and rope arrows, and ghastly HUD, but I definitely suspect they're thinking about it as a step "forward" in the series and not "back". Biggest implications for TTLG is I don't think it will be moddable, so no FMs, which will practically shift momentum to Dark Mod for the FM scene.
Bioshock Infinite. The thing I'm interested in from what I've heard about this game (and building on BS1 & 2) is the increasing focus on AI and "active" NPCs as part of the gaming mechanics. They still have a way to go, but AFAIK this is the one game series really experimenting with this and pushing the envelope. The "puzzle" edge to its fighting mechanics can be fun, and the story-telling is at least a cut above nominal. Those are good things, but not what makes it that special.
Deus Ex HR. Yeah, take out the 3P cut-aways and I like what I've seen in the trailers. My general feeling is the same I had for Thi4f, on a similar track as DX:IW minus the foibles, more polished, better pacing. But it's still being thought of as a step "forward" not back.
Skyrim & Fallout NV. I haven't played Oblivion or Fallout 3 yet, so shouldn't venture an opinion, but I played Fallout 2 and Morrowind just in the last year, so at least I have a feel for what I like about these two series.
Dear Esther. I'm a big fan of Interactive Fiction developing in the firstperson genre, but I wasn't the biggest fan of DE being crowned the archetype just because there isn't near enough interactivity, gameplay, and experimentation as you see in really good IF. DE important for being the model or prototype of how IF can be done in FPS, like the thing you tell people so they know what you're talking about. But I'll be happy when some real groundbreaking FP-IF starts getting developed, taking the kinds of leaps traditional IF has taken, to show the real potential.
Ok, that's all the typing I can do for now...
Renault on 13/2/2011 at 21:14
It's kind of funny that I have far more faith in seeing a good game come from the smaller dev houses, like Frictional and Arkane, than I do from the heavy hitters like EM and 2K (Bethesda being the exception). Well, maybe not that strange seeing what's been released over the past couple of years. In any case, I'll list my opinions on a "willingness to purchase" priority list:
Release day purchase, no questions asked:
Thief 4 - While I have very little optimism that this title won't be completely linear, be way over simplified for consoles, and have have almost nothing in common gameplay wise with the original Thief games, I'm way too devoted to the series to not shell out my cash immediately and check it out for myself. Still, I have a bad feeling that T4 will make TDS look good.
Skyrim - It's the latest Elder Scrolls game, and it'll be amazing (or at least way better than anything else out there). Bethesda has never disappointed me.
Likely purchase, but might check out a review or two:
The Witcher 2 - Loved the first one, and since it was a success, I'm hoping they don't change anything too drastically. I actually didn't mind the combat in the first version. The only thing that worries me is that they seemed to have changed the appearance and voice of Geralt (maybe that's changed, I haven't read a preview in a while).
Stalker 2 - This would normally go in the first category, but after Clear Sky..? Even so, hard to believe this wouldn't be good enough to grab. The atmosphere in these games is the best there is.
Arkane's new game - Recently played thru Arx Fatalis for the first time, and was incredibly impressed. That game alone got me psyched for whatever their new project is. Just the fact that it's a first person RPG is enough for me anyway.
I won't be forking out any cash until I read some serious reviews on the web and at TTLG:
Bioshock Infinite - Like most, I was lukewarm at best on Bioshock, but I had some fun with it. Bioshock in the sky sounds somewhat interesting, but I don't imagine it's going to surprise me too much and be much different than the original. Why would it, they made a pile of cash the first time around.
Deus Ex 3 - I want to like it, I want to belive the hype that it's similar to the original, I want to believe all the previews that say there are choices and multiple paths, etc. But I don't.
Dead Space 2 - Enjoyed the original, and it was fun to play, but it didn't blow me away and turn me into a fanboy.
X-com - Never played any version of this game, don't know much about it.
EYE - Don't know anything about it.
Already own it, for better or worse:
Fallout New Vegas - Love it, just like Fallout 3, but need to finish it.
Amnesia - My kind of game, scary, first person, atmospheric, hard to go wrong here. I'll be excited by whatever Frictional does in the future based on this and the Penumbras.
SubJeff on 13/2/2011 at 22:23
I'm not really bothered about what you say about each game tbh. I think the front page needs a complete revamp though. It's so 1990s and just rejigging it, getting rid of the Thief, SS and Deus Ex side menu and revamping that and generally modernising it is all that's needed. The news section might as well go if it's not going to be updated frequently, which is a shame because I'm interested in a lot of those games and if we had news links to other sites (at least) that were updated on a regular basis then I might actually visit the front page.
Digital Nightfall on 14/2/2011 at 00:37
Thanks guys. Keep it coming.
Sub, I plan on that. In fact I'd be doing it right now if I didn't feel like enjoying the rest of my relaxing weekend in a blissful, coma-like state. You can expect a very bare-bones redesign to come soon, with something more elaborate maybe once I get some people on board to take over the site from me.
june gloom on 14/2/2011 at 01:01
I've a question, do we really need 2 threads for this?
Firefreak on 14/2/2011 at 07:27
Quote Posted by Digital Nightfall
I'm going to be messing around with TTLG.com's general layout too, mostly in the vein of simplifying things and saying goodbye to the daughter sites.
yay
Well, at least this move let me finally save "A Hacker's Guide to Sin" as PDF for future laughs - who knows how long this one will continue to be hosted.
Also, I hope you are considering at least RSS for the main page, or I might as well forget about it again, too :p .
