I think the writer meant to say ‘gone rogue’ instead of ‘AWOL’. Just poor writing skills.

They made the game with a small team and apparently they want to finish it with a small team. I kind of respect the fact that they didn’t want to go (much) bigger, just because there was a lot of hype and money. And I also respect the fact that they don’t seem to care that it “cost them”.

If you want game development to be less about money, this is a pretty good example of what that could look like. It’s not the most efficient way of doing things, you are definitely right about that, but it’s great. And given what they have delivered so far, I think it’s hard to complain. There is a ridiculous amount of gameplay, for a low price. And everyone who bought it knows that it is unfinished.

To me that’s reasonable if it means the devs get to have a life and get to make something they really love. And it’s definitely reasonable given the fact that I paid fifteen euro’s for hundreds of hours of fun. They definitely do not owe me more, quite the opposite, really.

It’s a matter of taste. I got bored of Enshrouded after 20 hours (which is decent, and worth its money), but Valheim is easily one of my all time favourites. I find it a lot more rewarding.

I played solo deep into mistlands and now I’m rediscovering it together with a friend.

I think the devs have a pretty healthy attitude, really. Sure, they take their sweet time, but I prefer that over half-assed rush jobs and selling out. The last updates were also absolutely great and the game gets better and better. It’s in early access since forever, but it is more balanced, polished and refined than 90% of fully released games out there. And it doesn’t feel hollow after twenty hours either. It will keep fucking you up, even after hundreds of hours. It’s an absolute gem and I don’t really care if it takes them three more years to finish it…

Better to prepare those boys for all of the ass-whoopings women will serve them in their future professional careers, no?

No. This is not a “creative” way to nudge us towards the store. Definitely not. It’s just the type of monetization every gamer has been secretly yearning for, right?

*Sad Belgian noises

I switched to Qobuz. Mainly for sound quality, but they also pay artists more than ten times as much and they have pretty neat long read articles and deep dives, which is a way more satisfying way to discover new stuff. It’s pretty great.

The purchase price is negligible, but the total cost of ownership is staggering.

I don’t know, if I’m honest, if there is one AAA developer out there that makes games that will keep me engaged for at least a couple of hundred hours, it’s probably Bethesda. I think Starfield will be the same. Will there be bugs: yes. Will it be a variation on a well-known theme? Most definitely. Will it be less good than the hype: very likely. Will it be totally worth it nonetheless: probably yes.

It’s so desperate.

Except that apart from maybe the bible, there is probably not a single literary body of work that is as often refered to as Shakespeare’s in western media, literature, movies, series, games … you name it. It’ll help you appreciate A LOT of other stuff a lot more if you get into it a little. Shakespeare is used and reused everywhere, all the time.