In What Electronic Entertainment Have You Been Partaking #18: Reticulating Splines

[AdamCrock]

I've been a gamer for over 40 years. Its not a matter of ideology, its a matter of inclusiveness. I find it offputting when a game like the 1st Witcher has only 2 named female characters that the hero can't have sex with.

I know it's like this, but hear me out please Witcher 1 was strongly based on a novel where the main character is a womanizer - it's a part of him (a really bad part but still it would't be him if the dev's would get that part out). For me it's rather a good thing (in a game) that the main character is not a shiny spotless, politically correct hero on a white horse in a golden armor Personally I think that having him like a doubting sinner who (perhaps, or perhaps not seeks redemption) is a much better choice - giving his character depth. In a novel Geralt was really far from "being" a hero - he often acted out of spite or vengeance, he liked to drink a lot and was a womanizer. He was often selfish and brutal but those are the things that were part of his character. I had the feeling that deep inside he was just a good man. Story / Character depth wise I think it was great to discover him (or yourself in Witcher 1 - quest for identity).

You totally have the the right to hate that, I have nothing against that

@AdamCrock arguably, people are talking about these aspects rather than the actual game because, from what I read, it isn't in a release state. Bugs and optimization issues abound, while several reviewers note that despite Night City being very impressive, CDPR took a step back in making the world feel alive compared to Witcher 3 (which wasn't particularly great at an alive world).

I know - perhaps I've over-reacted but the post by @aelf has nothing to do with the game. It's just hate against Poles and Poland and I find it offending.

 

[Ajidica]

There were female characters he couldn't have sex with?

Let's see, there was the ugly lady who was Shani's landlord....... And I think the Dryad? Even though she had a frame bug with her jiggle physics so whenever you entered conversation with her, her breasts would bounce and jiggle around.

Spoiler :

skip to around 13:30

Yeah I'm interested in the game but it's such a hot mess I am not buying it yet. And I've now read multiple reviews about how the uber-repetitive assets and NPCs distract heavily from the gorgeous world. I do not understand how this game took a decade to pull together only to launch in such a state and with such an empty environment.

I remember reading some very early descriptions of the game, and it feels like they almost wanted to do something like Kenshi, where it was a living, breathing sim world with every interaction up to Witcher 3 level quality in presentation and interaction. Obviously they had to cut back.

@AdamCrock I've read a number of the Witcher books* and I don't remember him being that much of a womanizer. Outside of Yen, I only remember him sleeping with one character, Shrike (in the Butcher of Blaviken story with Stregobor), which he later regrets and she was trying to seduce him anyhow.
*The Witcher short story collection, Blood of Elves, Time of Contempt, and Baptism of Fire.

 

[AdamCrock]

Yeah I'm interested in the game but it's such a hot mess I am not buying it yet. And I've now read multiple reviews about how the uber-repetitive assets and NPCs distract heavily from the gorgeous world. I do not understand how this game took a decade to pull together only to launch in such a state and with such an empty environment.

Yeah I totally get that I've heard that the game on consoles (PS 4 especially) is a mess right now. So I understand Your point of view. Previously I've overreacted Well for the project of this magnitude there are bound to be a lots of bugs now .... ( yes Bethesda I am looking at You )

CDPR : releases CP2077
Bethesda : ah.... a worthy enemy ....
CDPR : our battle will be legendary !

@AdamCrock I've read a number of the Witcher books* and I don't remember him being that much of a womanizer. Outside of Yen, I only remember him sleeping with one character, Shrike (in the Butcher of Blaviken story with Stregobor), which he later regrets and she was trying to seduce him anyhow.
*The Witcher short story collection, Blood of Elves, Time of Contempt, and Baptism of Fire.

I also remember Milva and Shani (although Jaskier intervened) I need to reread the trilogy myself but I am quite sure he wouldn't say no to a girl

 

[Synobun]

Yeah I'm interested in the game but it's such a hot mess I am not buying it yet. And I've now read multiple reviews about how the uber-repetitive assets and NPCs distract heavily from the gorgeous world. I do not understand how this game took a decade to pull together only to launch in such a state and with such an empty environment.

As always, shareholders are scum.

But I think the hype machine plays a part here. This was marketed as being bigger and better than Witcher 3, which already had a lot of repetition and emptiness. I'm not sure a gaming studio is capable of releasing what gamers are starting to expect from RPGs, not until there are some major advancements made in code infrastructure.

 

[AmazonQueen]

Let's see, there was the ugly lady who was Shani's landlord....... And I think the Dryad? Even though she had a frame bug with her jiggle physics so whenever you entered conversation with her, her breasts would bounce and jiggle around.
.

I was counting the ugly, old landlady and the girl who was murdered on her wedding day.

 

[AdamCrock]

As always, shareholders are scum.

But I think the hype machine plays a part here. This was marketed as being bigger and better than Witcher 3, which already had a lot of repetition and emptiness. I'm not sure a gaming studio is capable of releasing what gamers are starting to expect from RPGs, not until there are some major advancements made in code infrastructure.

Also my thoughts are that the reason behind seemingly empty world on consoles is due to performance issues - I saw a comparisons consoles to PC and on PC there were more NPC's because the machine could handle so many . There are also lots of bugs like levitating objects/corpses and "polygon blobs" when You ran up to a character and have to wait for it to properly "load" etc. First gameplay movie I saw was not so bad - I can say even with those bugs I felt immersed. Idk about any more glitches atm, I haven't had much time to explore yet (had to work)

I was counting the ugly, old landlady and the girl who was murdered on her wedding day.

Maybe the dev's included all the woman characters into "can have sex with" jar because when a player really wants to have it, they can have it ? Maybe they just like sex ? The game does not "demand" that the player must have sex with a specific character in order to progress the story , You can say no - it's always an option

 

[Birdjaguar]

Why is it ideology to include more people? Why is it right and proper, and indeed the ideal gamer environment, to limit inclusiveness?

Because unless you are Ken or Barbie, you are not a real person? Once they make a gay Ken or Lesbo Barbie, then those are real and a step towards Ken and Barbie with interchangeable genitals.

 

[Ajidica]

Maybe the dev's included all the woman characters into "can have sex with" jar because when a player really wants to have it, they can have it ? Maybe they just like sex ? The game does not "demand" that the player must have sex with a specific character in order to progress the story , You can say no - it's always an option

The fact there were only two named female characters you couldn't sleep with, and the fact you got "sexy trading cards' for doing so, was a pretty heavily panned part of the game, with even reviews when it came out over a decade ago calling it juvenile and tacky. The devs clearly thought so to, as Witcher 2 and 3 have a handful of characters Geralt can sleep with, and they are all part of a long character driven questline.

Because unless you are Ken or Barbie, you are not a real person? Once they make a gay straight Ken or Lesbo Barbie, then those are real and a step towards Ken and Barbie with interchangeable genitals.

Fixed.
No way Ken is straight after hanging around Barbie that long.

 

[AdamCrock]

The fact there were only two named female characters you couldn't sleep with, and the fact you got "sexy trading cards' for doing so, was a pretty heavily panned part of the game, with even reviews when it came out over a decade ago calling it juvenile and tacky. The devs clearly thought so to, as Witcher 2 and 3 have a handful of characters Geralt can sleep with, and they are all part of a long character driven questline.

Yaevinn is a named character I bet that would make people happy.

 

[aelf]

I know - perhaps I've over-reacted but the post by @aelf has nothing to do with the game. It's just hate against Poles and Poland and I find it offending.

What hate? Do you deny that Poland is much more conservative in general than the progressive mainstream in the USA and the UK?

As I indicated, I have no problem admitting that I come from a conservative and backward society. As such, I don't expect every media I consume to be in line with the forefront of progressiveness.

 

[AdamCrock]

What hate? Do you deny that Poland is much more conservative in general than the progressive mainstream in the USA and the UK?

As I indicated, I have no problem admitting that I come from a conservative and backward society. As such, I don't expect every media I consume to be in line with the forefront of progressiveness.

Yeah I have a problem with You calling me and I quote :

backward ass

You are lucky You have'nt spilled those ugly words face to face .....

 

[thecrazyscot]

CDPR is a Polish company. You're just not going to get as progressive a game as what you can find in the Anglophone world right now. Coming from a conservative, backward ass place, I've learned to temper my expectations.

Yeah I have a problem with You calling me and I quote :
You are lucky You have'nt spilled those ugly words face to face .....

@AdamCrock is Poland, apparently.

 

[aelf]

I'm not from Poland lol.

 

[AdamCrock]

I'm not from Poland lol.

Don't You lol me ! .... Allright I forgive You , and I hope You have it in Your heart to forgive me that I am from Poland....

 

[AdamCrock]

Okay in light of a present wordlview and the um... progresiveness I see 2 paths that CDPR can follow : Either sex with everyone (despite their gender and even with robots) or sex with no one - leave the sex elements completely out of their games and out of mind. I'm in favor of the latter.

 

[Synobun]

Okay in light of a present wordlview and the um... progresiveness I see 2 paths that CDPR can follow : Either sex with everyone (despite their gender and even with robots) or sex with no one - leave the sex elements completely out of their games and out of mind. I'm in favor of the latter.

Why the latter? You seem in support of heterosexual sex scenes and the opportunities involved with that. What makes the portrayal of sex worthy of being banned once it includes pairings outside the heterosexual?

 

[Ajidica]

Okay in light of a present wordlview and the um... progresiveness I see 2 paths that CDPR can follow : Either sex with everyone (despite their gender and even with robots) or sex with no one - leave the sex elements completely out of their games and out of mind. I'm in favor of the latter.

Ummmm, what?
In the Witcher, I had absolutely zero problems with Geralts relationships being purely heterosexual because it is his established character.
I haven't played Cyberpunk 2077, so I have absolutely no idea how it handles player relationships.
CDPR should just keep doing what they did in Witcher 2 and 3 when it comes to player relationships, make it an ongoing part of a player's interactions with certain characters. CDPR knocked it out of the park with Yennifer, and Bioware likewise did an excellent job in Dragon Age Inquisition.
Additionally, given how much CDPR emphasized that the character is Cyberpunk 2077 is supposed to be your character and immersive, which is why they moved to first person and added customizable genitalia.... It seems perfectly reasonable that if they included romantic player relationships, they should make somewhat of an effort to give the player options for romantic partners.
Plus, in the Cyberpunk 2020 source book, the writer makes it pretty clear that when you can give yourself extra arms, become bulletproof, can have your skin and hair color change depending on your mood, and jack into someone elses brain, worrying about what plumbing someone has down below is considered quaint and vaguely prudish.

 

[AdamCrock]

Why the latter? You seem in support of heterosexual sex scenes and the opportunities involved with that. What makes the portrayal of sex worthy of being banned once it includes pairings outside the heterosexual?

When I play games I am not focused on sex. For me it wouldn't make much difference if I slept or not slept with that or other character. This is just an optional "flavour" This makes just as much sense as people preferring salt over pepper in their soup, but in truth it is the soup that matters, therefore : if sex gives the game a bad name or "offputs" some people out of it why create such a controversy ? (publicity perhaps ? ) The best in game sex I've ever had btw. was during Baldur's Gate 2 romance line, and it wasn't even graphical

 

[Birdjaguar]

Skyrim nudity mods with extra jiggle!

 

[AdamCrock]

Skyrim nudity mods with extra jiggle!

It's why I love (platonic) You so much Bird ! Always in a happy mood ! ^^