Thirith on 31/3/2021 at 09:45
I got started on my replay of Disco Elysium, since the Final Cut came out yesterday. I've not played particularly far, but my first impression of the across-the-board voice acting they've added is that it's very good and brings the dialogue to life without making things like emotional beats and subtext overly explicit, which is the case all too often. Also, the Revachol atmosphere still rules - it's one of those virtual places that I actively enjoy returning to.
demagogue on 31/3/2021 at 14:23
I've been playing a lot of Dorf Romantik (although I don't really like the name).
It's basically single-player Carcassonne. It's interesting... I've played Carcassonne by myself lots of times where I'm just trying to maximize my own score, and I was already thinking of ways one could tweak the rules to make that a game in itself. And this game basically does it to a T.
It has some really nice & peaceful music, relaxed, at your own pace, bucolic, charming, tiles morph into each other in a cute way like Townscape, little trains & boats & birds coast pleasantly by ... and for all that, making a single move can be surprisingly intense, or single moves can build up in intensity, like a good game of Go. I think it slides on that boundary between chill & intense better than Carcassonne because of the way the challenges are doled out. In a way it's a little like 2048, not just in being quick & addicting, but in that you're gaming at different scales (some at <10 tiles, others at 200~300, and I'm guessing it keeps going up over time to ~1000+) at the same time in increasingly squeezed real estate. The better you get at it, the more you can sprawl out. If you make a mistake, early on it's no big deal; later on you get punished mercilessly for it. But even that's no big deal as you can just restart and get back pretty quickly.
I think I knew this game was always coming, since it seemed like such an obvious idea. But anyway, I'm happy it's here now. I really love it. Also good inspiration for me to work out my own tile game.
Thirith on 31/3/2021 at 15:05
What is it you dislike about the game's name?
demagogue on 31/3/2021 at 17:42
"Dorf" is German for village. I get it. It's bucolic and pastoral and all of that that gets you into the mood of the game ... if you're a German speaker. But in English Dorf sounds like the kind of noise you get when you punch a large ham. It just doesn't fit the mood at all! They're of course allowed to make a title in their native language, and I'm allowed to be alienated by it. The game is great so I don't mind all that much. A dorf by any other name...
Also in good news today, thanks for reminding me to look up this: "If you already own Disco Elysium then you get The Final Cut at no additional cost."
PigLick on 1/4/2021 at 13:34
im not sure a large ham makes that kinda sound. Medium sized ham, yeh I could see that.
faetal on 1/4/2021 at 13:36
Medium ham is more of a "pap" sound.
Thirith on 1/4/2021 at 13:41
Is it a bit better if the title is written as one word - which it actually is, though the logo turns it into two words? That way the "Dorf" doesn't look quite as much like "Derp" or like an attempt at representing an attempt to stifle a fart in a comic book.
Also, dema, you guys need to work on your hams. A good ham should be way too compact to produce a 'dorf' sound when punched, unless you're punching it with a whoopee cushion.
Nameless Voice on 1/4/2021 at 13:43
Sounds like a game where dwarves fall in love to me.
Thirith on 1/4/2021 at 13:51
I like that. Dwarfromantik. A kind of short-statured, Germanic Dream Daddy, just with heavier beardage.
demagogue on 1/4/2021 at 14:45
Okay, okay, actually when I was thinking about what kinds of things, when punched, would sound like a dorf, probably because I've been watching a lot of The Terror, the first thing that came to mind was a large slack sail canvas hanging in front of me, a good duhm with the canvas carrying out the sound wave with a pleasing -oorffff.
But that seemed a bit obscure, I wasn't sure exactly how to describe it at the time, and frankly I just wanted to punch a large ham at that point. I don't know why. More for the texture & way it would feel against my knuckles as they burrowed in than the sound. But that's really all I needed.