Call and Response: WOFF Dispatch October 2022
Added 2022-10-14 16:53:23 +0000 UTCHello! The purpose of this post is to call for your questions and prompts for WOFF! Dispatch. Please respond by Monday, October 17 by leaving a comment on this post.
We're looking for two kinds of things:
1. Suggestions for our long-form discussion prompt.
2. Q&A about the shows, behind the scenes details, and miscellaneous (including off-the-wall and off-topic questions). Ask us about games or other media, life in general... You name it.
One caveat we've given in the past: If the question is too personal or gross, we may dance around it and not give a direct answer.
We look forward to making this new kind of WOFF! episode together with you.
Comments
We address this! You predicted the future!
Duckfeed.tv
2022-10-22 17:33:55 +0000 UTCI'd suggest handheld gaming in general, and the Steam Deck in particular, since Gary recently started using his. Many listeners are probably contemplating whether that's a thing to get for Christmas, and I bet Gary has opinions.
Felix Metzger
2022-10-22 10:56:20 +0000 UTCListening to the Chakan episode, I was really intrigued by the way that game encapsulated a moment in time mentioned as “comics were looking for the next Spawn.” I immediately understood exactly what that meant. It got me thinking; what kinds of narrow particular aesthetics would you like to see come to the video game space? Personally, I think it would be cool to see a game where the graphics captured the vintage cgi look of Mainframe Entertainment (ReBoot, Beast Wars, Shadow Raiders)
Coty Davis
2022-10-17 15:23:51 +0000 UTCWhat are your thoughts on the Dead Space remake? Are you excited? Is it needed?
Ralph
2022-10-17 12:10:13 +0000 UTCWith the amount of content you guys create, I’ve always been curious about how you stay organized and how much prep goes into any given recording session. Do you just have a bunch of spreadsheets, or do you use a dedicated project management system like Trello or Asana? And what does a typical WOFF preproduction cycle look like? How detailed are your notes and how much work does it take to massage them into a usable outline? Sorry for the four questions in one, feel free to be as vague or as detailed as you want.
Drew Edgar
2022-10-17 01:56:07 +0000 UTCWho's the best fictional Hank?
Tom Healey
2022-10-16 19:37:38 +0000 UTCHow does different life circumstances affect what you value in games? Hi guys. As I recently became a father, combined with my job, my daily gaming hours have diminished significantly. Similarly, I have less mental bandwidth to spend on games. Following that, I find that I want other things from games, notably less difficulty and complexity. I don’t find joy in very casual games, but more often I find myself at odds with more “professional” game reviews and criticism and what is being valued - most significantly difficulty. You guys are not game reviewers as such, but I’m anyway curious to hear your thoughts on the subject above. And thanks a lot for the podcast! My daughter had a rough first half year, and I wandered many a cold Danish winter night with my infant, trying to make her sleep, and your show in my ears.
Nikolaj Thorborg
2022-10-16 18:12:06 +0000 UTCApologies if this has already been discussed. What video game/media project was the catalyst for “Killing The Hype Inside You”?
Jack Gould
2022-10-16 15:15:46 +0000 UTCWho would you 7, marry, 3? - Banjo/Kazooie (they each count as half a living being, so for this exercise they’re together). - Hideo Kojima - Walter White
Jack Gould
2022-10-16 15:14:57 +0000 UTCI enjoyed the Will and Kole duo episodes while Gary was under the weather, so I have a show pitch. Every week, Kole and Will trade off telling each other something they find interesting in under five minutes. I think that sounds pretty entertaining in and of itself entirely unironically - I am absolutely here for "You're loving this, aren't you [Kole]" the podcast. For normal people, the entertainment value comes from the other host trying to distract and derail the storyteller with esoteric jokes, trivia diverticula, and their gentle Midwestern aggression, so that they fail to complete their monologue in the allotted time. I couldn't think of any appropriate stakes for what amounts to dueling Ned Flanderses, but I'm sure Kole and Will could figure something out without going full Guppy on each other.
KL
2022-10-16 08:06:32 +0000 UTCa second one cause were here anyway,, and this is actually a comment not a question ,but its relevant to discussions on recent dispatch episodes. You guys were saying some stuff i disagreed with on some past episode and i started feeling a bit like i was my dad watching a football game and and yelling at the tv. but then you said "to me" and i was immediately transported to the "simply enjoying your perspective" zone. it worked! PS gary occasional has a wistful old cowboy laugh. again, a sign of wisdom!
faith rasmusen
2022-10-16 06:22:38 +0000 UTCrecently took the guppy pill and i was wondering; have you ever dual purposed the goodnight at the end? goodnight to the listeners and ur co host in one go? and to kole, do u ever tell gary to watch out for stuff when you guys say goodbye?
faith rasmusen
2022-10-16 06:12:38 +0000 UTCHello, first off, I just wanted to say thank you for all the amazing content you guys produce. I’ve been listening to you since the Dark Souls 3 season of Bonfireside Chat, and I’ve been an avid listener since. I apologize if this has been asked before but since it's October, I thought my question would fit. To preface, I’m a huge scaredy cat. I hate jump scares, and most of all, I hate the feeling of being chased. Because of that, I can’t play the vast majority of horror games. However, I love the themes and concepts explored by the genre. Horror books and some movies don’t bother me, but the immersion provided by games means that I often can’t handle it. So, I wanted to ask you guys what are some good horror games that have little to no jump scares or chase sequences that instead rely on quiet, confident horror that lets you stew in its implications and terrifying imagery or ideas. A recent example of what I'm trying to get at is in Elden Ring when you discover Godwyn's remains. The ever-growing body of a soulless God is so striking, and the time it takes to reach the base of his body lets your imagination run wild. The moment doesn’t rely on action. The tension is there solely through imagery, the concept, and the story.
Ethan Ward
2022-10-16 05:26:44 +0000 UTCWill Hughes recently interviewed John Carpenter and asked him which game series he'd like to adapt to film - he said "Dead Space," which would rock. What's another property that you think Carpenter would do justice to and how would you see it playing out?
Christian S
2022-10-15 22:54:32 +0000 UTCI'm not sure if you've touched on this before but any idea why game designers consistently couple horror with puzzles? I've watched several streams including Hexcrank and the connection just feels odd to me. I think the obvious answer is to defuse some tension to keep the horror from overwhelming the senses, but why such a strong preference for puzzles? It feels a bit bizarre to be searching out the red key when there's a bunch of undead virus monsters just around the corner. Especially when I could just take the shotgun to the lock or kick down the door. If Chris can punch a boulder, shouldn't he be able to kick in a door? Any other weird genre tics that stand out to you?
Abrahm Simons
2022-10-15 20:49:04 +0000 UTCHelp! Last Halloween during a party I tossed on Dolls as a horror movie, and it was a perfect balance of silly and gorey to be an entertaining party movie! And here I've gone and set up another party thinking I could find a movie similar to it, and now 8 disappointments in I can't find anything that hits that tone. I know recommendations are poison, but tis the season and I need some! Any movie you can think of that hits a balance of campy fun but will still be spooky and gorey? Thanks! ((PS God help you with Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, ten minutes in I was so excited and then it just turned in to strreeeeeetch and ad-lib for the rest of the run time. And I love Hopper and Bill Mosley.))
Eric Jedraszczak
2022-10-15 04:56:15 +0000 UTCAny reboots or remakes that you felt were notably successful? Or even any that surpassed their originals?
Matt Bixler! Hello!
2022-10-15 01:01:24 +0000 UTCYou know those guitars that are, like, double-guitars?
Mark Laufgraben
2022-10-14 23:27:25 +0000 UTCBigger topic: Can a gameplay loop be too strenuous? I feel like Doom Eternal's loop killed what I liked about Doom 2016
Videogames dot Afghanistan
2022-10-14 20:34:36 +0000 UTCNot really a question, but I've started going back to the office for work, and often I'm the only one there. The office is a bit of a mess, we technically moved in during covid and I'd say 70% of people never have even visited, but as I look around the office for say a stapler or a bandaid, I keep doing simple, one or two step actions, opening a drawer, adjusting a box, and I'll go "huh, immersive sim DNA" out-loud and then quietly laugh.
Videogames dot Afghanistan
2022-10-14 20:33:36 +0000 UTCHi guys. My question is do you have any advice for content creators who may be just starting out in the podcasts and streaming world? Like general philosophy you’ve found helpful or tech tips like what software and hardware you’d recommend. More about how to have fun rather than how to compete these days if that makes sense 🖤 love the shows and thanks for your hard work. It’s appreciated.
Jake Burden
2022-10-14 19:55:28 +0000 UTCStar Citizen just recently hit $500 million in funding and is still in alpha after about 11 years. What are your thoughts on Star Citizen and what it's become?
Doctor When
2022-10-14 19:54:38 +0000 UTCThere seems to be an increasing amount of remakes and remasters that have been announced in the last year. For the purposes of this question, I'm defining a remaster as just slapping a fresh coat of paint on a game (either better graphics or a GUI -- see Last of Us as a example) where as a remake is major changes to how the game plays (FF7, RE2, and RE3 for example). I don't mind these projects if the game is SO dated that it could really benefit from either a facelift or some major changes to gameplay to meet 2022 standards. But we're getting remasters of games not even five years old! My fear is that more and more companies will jump on this bandwagon, people will burn out on them, and games that really SHOULD be remade don't get touched out of fear of backlash. How do you guys see the situation and is there a solution to this problem that you could perhaps offer?
Greg Polander
2022-10-14 19:52:25 +0000 UTCOh and also, given it’s October - any thoughts on the upcoming RE 8 DLC & showcase and RE 4 remake?
Maya Fransz-Myers
2022-10-14 18:20:11 +0000 UTCHe’s back! George Millers sexual genie is here to grant another wish! This time Gary and Kole wished for a perfect game both of them can enjoy. Our toned genie produces a management sim in which the player runs TSR just as the second edition of Dungeons and Dragons is released. The player must budget dwindling finances and larger than life personalities as they design sourcebooks, modules, and secondary products to stave off debt and a dreaded sale to those COASTAL WIZARDS! (I actually like new dnd tho too) Will you foster a community of diehard grognards or drop an Open Game license to the delight of the creators of the “Mr. Belvedere” rpg, who finally have an open license to base there mechanics on. Cmon this would actually be a fun game if somebody who wasn’t me made it!
Jordan and Maya M.
2022-10-14 18:07:55 +0000 UTCI recently listened to your new podcast Best Quality Vacuum. Nice show! I noticed you were asking people to rate the show, likely to drive attention and get it noticed. As an academic researcher, I was wondering how much you think about metrics and the "backstage" of the podcast process. To what extent does the backstage inform your decisions? (For example, I mentioned BQV with this question because it's a shoutout and is more likely to get read that way). Cheers, John G.
John G
2022-10-14 18:00:10 +0000 UTCHey, fellas! Since it came up again in the Carrion episode, I thought I’d take a moment to file an amicus brief on behalf of Gary Butterfield and his use of the term “alpha strike”. I’ve encountered this term in the wild before, mostly during my intermittent dalliances with the MechWarrior line of games (a series I love on paper, that only rarely works for me in practice). In MechWarrior, “alpha strike” refers to the act of firing all (or at least most) of your weapons at the same time—and, by extension, the weapon grouping and/or keybinding you use to perform this maneuver. This is generally done at the beginning of an encounter (hence “alpha” for “first”) in the hope of dealing some serious initial damage, or at least instilling some good old Shock & Awe. Once those opening volleys are out of the way, most of your beefier mechs will probably not get deploy the full package again, as MechWarrior’s monastic devotion to its tabletop roots means the rest of combat will be spent firing weapons individually or in smaller groups as you frantically try to manage their specific rates of fire, range limitations, ammunition, heat generation, target locks , and firing angles. Thus, landing an alpha strike can have a big impact on the outcome of your large robot fight. Apparently the term is also used by the US Navy, whom I must assume are ALSO a bunch of hopeless tabletop wargaming nerds.
MrReciprocity
2022-10-14 17:59:14 +0000 UTCOver the past few years, small indie horror games such as Paratopic and Iron Lung have begun using dated, PS1-influenced graphics as an aesthetic. Have you played any of these games? What are your thoughts on them and the trend in general? Thanks!
MisterMundus
2022-10-14 17:40:24 +0000 UTCHi guys, first time writing in. Just want to thank you for giving me what I've wanted for years -- deep, long discussions on games. Most pods have to fit into whatever is current and as a result we often get "review" podcasts which touch on the first few hours of a game. That said I'm play Divinity Original Sin 2 for the first time and was delighted that there are around 8 hours of podcast waiting for me to listen to as a reward for finishing the game. That said, here's my question: are there any games (minus the Souls series) that you spend more time consuming media related to it than actually playing it? I'm typing this comment at work right now while also reading build guides and planning my party for DOS2 despite only having 3 hours under my belt. Another game that comes to mind is Bioshock. I don't particularly enjoy playing it much and its gameplay does not resonate with me. But whenever a youtuber or podcaster I like covers the game then I am incredibly eager to see what they have to say about it, despite it not being something I like interacting with directly. Hope you guys are well, Sean
Sean P.
2022-10-14 17:24:31 +0000 UTCWith all the discussion that's been going on about being done with "children's media", I wanted to see where the poles for both of you lie: what are the most childish or lowbrow things you adore, and what are the most sophisticated or highbrow? Bonus Kole question: Gary has gone at length this summer about Hideo Kojima being absolute poison to him, but what is the most poisonous thing to you in games?
Béa(u)
2022-10-14 17:14:08 +0000 UTCI used to love tabletop RPGs, and now as D&D is experiencing a resurgence in popularity i am having a strong "off my lawn" reaction despite knowing its a bad impulse. Have you also had to grapple with your own gatekeeping impulses or feeling abandoned by a culture you once felt included by/in?
Ross Karnes
2022-10-14 17:10:44 +0000 UTCQuestion for both from someone who is fairly new to the gaming community (so apologies if this has been asked & answered!). Any recommendations for other podcasts/streamers that are similar to you both? Seems like a lot of content/personalities aren’t up my alley but I’ve loved your podcasts, so am hoping to find more like it. Thanks!
Maya Fransz-Myers
2022-10-14 17:03:48 +0000 UTCI'd love to hear a discussion about Scorn, which just released
James Woodmaska
2022-10-14 17:02:10 +0000 UTCIn honor of the spookiest of months, what's a piece of media everyone finds super scary but you don't? Also, what's a media that isn't generally considered scary but really fucked you up? As a kid, I actually saw Baby's Day Out, and one of the guys stomps on another guy's crotch while it's on fire and then says "you burned down the only tree in your forest" which I find tremendously upsetting to this day
Andrew T
2022-10-14 17:02:05 +0000 UTCQuestion for Kole, the homeowner: I'm about to buy a house! Any tips for those first few days of moving in and getting settled?
Ethan Ryan
2022-10-14 16:56:55 +0000 UTC
