Call and Response: WOFF! Dispatch August 2022
Added 2022-08-15 17:12:26 +0000 UTCHello! The purpose of this post is to call for your questions and prompts for WOFF! Dispatch. Please respond by Wednesday, August 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
I’d love to hear a discussion about how growing up with pc adventure games has affected your real life problem solving skills. I personally played every adventure game I could get my hands on and in doing so came across some really odd ones like Ween: the Prophecy and the Gobliiins series. I believe that the sometimes esoteric solutions to the puzzles in these games significantly contributed to my ability to think outside the box. Do you think your adventure game experiences have contributed to the way you solve real world problems?
Nick Barton
2022-08-17 20:00:09 +0000 UTCHey guys, what do you think about imagination when it relates to games and media at large? I work in a school and see kids doing the classic "Who's better?" But instead of powers or skills they are talking about back-blings and emotes. Time is monopolized by things that seem meant to only occupy the brain as long as you are looking at it. Then it goes away. I'm not trying to say things were better back in my day. Things constantly change, and your incredible discussion on BSC about challenging media gave me a genuine hopefulness about this. Just curious about y'all's thoughts.
Jared
2022-08-17 11:58:03 +0000 UTCAlso find the question interesting! Over in Northern Ireland and much of UK/Ireland we don't hear much at all about Quebec. Most people I know have heard the name at most and know it's in Canada. All I know to top that is that they're especially prideful of their culture, which is uniquely different to much of English speaking Canada and much more French while remaining unique enough to baffle France as well. I'll have to take a look at your recommendation myself!
Maniadh
2022-08-17 09:13:54 +0000 UTCMy favorite western take on a JRPG is 2014's Child of Light from Ubisoft Montreal. I love its storybook aesthetic combined with the fairly hardcore and unique take on Final Fantasy-style active time battles.
Zoey P.
2022-08-17 08:10:51 +0000 UTCKnowing the network's stance on JRPGs, how do y'all feel about JRPG-inspired games in the vein of Indivisible, i.e. a western-developed game that takes inspiration from the genre while avoiding the shortcomings of it? Do you think they can successfully carry the torch or is the entire genre just doomed to be tappa tappa grindfests about the power of friendship?
Fatt Mox
2022-08-17 05:26:53 +0000 UTCthis one is for Kole. Do you think you like the dark tower so much because it's basically a JRPG? You recruit a party, there's different worlds, an evil train, mixes worlds up, never ends, has tons of sequels, gets bad, mixes in modern pop culture stuff (snitches and sabers) to be cute but eh, etc?
Videogames dot Afghanistan
2022-08-17 00:50:54 +0000 UTCYou guys have mentioned you have college degrees. I was wondering what you studied and how you liked or didn’t like it. Do you find your degrees help you in your work or everyday life?
Oldmanvarney
2022-08-16 23:47:17 +0000 UTCApologies if this is posted twice...I already posted, but now its gone: Life question here: I recently realized that I'm really into challenge runs, but not for video games, for real life! I've always been into carpentry and have made quite a few cool tables and such, but I've never used power tools (other than a drill). It used to be a cost thing, but even when my dad gave me all his tools I still didn't use them. This is mainly because I'm untrained and scared of jagged spinning blades. But I also like the feeling of accomplishment along with the imperfections you live with and workarounds you create to do something by hand. Do either of you limit what you avail yourself to when trying to accomplish a task? Do you do any real-life challenge runs? If so, why? Is there anything you'd like to do in the future that fits this mold? I believe Gary has said that he doesn't own a car, and that's a challenge run at life, isn't it? I used to be the same way: I spent the first 37 years of my life car-free until a vet emergency during the pandemic pushed me to purchase a very cheap, very old, crappy dog taxi. Alas...
Douglas
2022-08-16 17:21:09 +0000 UTCHow much does the quality of a game’s ending affect your view of the overall quality? If an Elden Ring gives you scores of hours of fun but stumbles on the last boss or cut scene, does that sour the enjoyment that preceded it?
Doug Lief
2022-08-16 16:26:52 +0000 UTCDo you ever sit and read through a game's end credits? Not for games that have post-credit gameplay or a cutscene, especially, but just, like, get to the end, then sit there and read the names of people who worked on the game as they scroll by. Are there reasons why you might or might not, e.g. an achievement, the end music, visuals, really liking the game and doing it out of respect for the devs who made it, etc.?
beesher
2022-08-16 14:48:06 +0000 UTCSuggestion: What immersive sim elements do you find add to the actual immersion of a game. They seem to be discussed in the sense of what options you have during play (vent-crawling, equipment, skill trees), but what aspects of the world are important in buying that immersiveness. Is it important that you can flush a toilet or throw a knick-knack, or have we phased out the need for that kind of interaction? Alternatively: what makes a game "immersive", outside of the genre itself? Personal Q: Gary mentioned that he has a hard time engaging with media ostensibly meant for kids, but do you guys have any examples of such media that you find worthwhile despite the targeted age range?
Max Taylor
2022-08-16 12:45:25 +0000 UTCWhich Dishonored power would be most useful in day to day life?
Tom Healey
2022-08-16 12:18:21 +0000 UTCTABLETOP QUESTION: Hey boys, hope all is well with you. A quick question for Gary: what are your tips for getting into Magic The Gathering? I bought a couple of pre-made Challenger decks a year ago, which have sat patiently in my games cupboard ever since. I've tried some YouTube videos for learning but found them a little long-winded and obtuse. I'm sure the right answer is 'go to a gaming shop and get someone to teach you', but interested to hear if you have any other advice!
James Lewis
2022-08-16 09:11:08 +0000 UTCSuggestion: Turn-based Videogames vs Real-time Videogames I often find myself asking "Would this game work better if it was turn-based?", when playing certain mechanically rich videogames, like Elden Ring. Other times I notice when a game is turn-based and there's not a lot going on in terms of decision making, like Dragon Quest, that I would much prefer for it to be a simple tapa tapa action game, as it is atleast better for the pacing. Question: Have you considered, for Unfilmable, on doing a podcast for Horror TV series such as Haunting of Hill House or the recent Chucky series? With horror shows I find they tend to be less scary than horror movies, but they're allowed to explore their characters more, making for very interesting approaches to the stories that are harder to convey in the typical 90 minute format. Love to you all and thank you for the countless hours of entertainment.
Francisco
2022-08-16 08:43:01 +0000 UTCShow question - I started on WOFF last summer, and have been catching up with the glorious backlog of shows. Even the very oldest episodes are a blast and still hold up. The one thing that stands out to me (besides audio quality and your gorgeous deepening voices) is that you guys seem, for lack of a better word, far more "aware" of audience reaction now than ever before. Early eps are a different story. There aren't any pauses to clarify something is your opinion, far fewer apologies in advance for leaving things out, less bracing for inevitable twitter impact. There are still the listener feedback episodes of course, but the tone is just different. To reframe all that as a question - was this a conscious change? Just a natural extension of the show gaining popularity and a bigger spotlight? 2010 internet being a very different place than 2022 internet?
Rob
2022-08-16 05:28:36 +0000 UTCAfter listening to abject suffering for the first time recently, I discovered that it is secretly a rock opera, much like pink Floyd's The Wall, that goes back and forth between two songs for its entire runtime with really long skits in between. Now that you have been found out, what do you have to say for yourself? okay now for a serious question. Do you ever feel like you have opinions on things just for the sake of having an opinion? ...Coming up with something to say about things you might otherwise feel indifferent about or just lightheartedly enjoy? It seems like you actually do a pretty good job of not doing that, your opinions generally seemed well observed and thoughtful.
faith rasmusen
2022-08-16 04:25:33 +0000 UTCI have more than one friend that has signed up for X-Box Game Pass and has not purchased a single game in like a year because there is so much to play. Similarly, I recently upgraded my PS+ to the second tier for $25 and now have like eight games that have been on my backlog, so I don't see myself making any purchases anytime soon. My question is, how do you see these trends affecting the development, scale, and sales of video games in the future? It seems wholly unsustainable to me (Ex: What happens to the developers of Stray when their game is free to play on day 1?), but I also don't know everything that's going on in the background.
Holland Hume
2022-08-16 02:27:26 +0000 UTCFrom the last dispatch: Do you have any stories of losing Save Games? Mashing to save into Memory Card 1, Slot 1 made me overwrite Chrono Cross and Final Fantasy X with my friend's save files.
Jonathan Yih
2022-08-15 22:03:38 +0000 UTCDo you guys have any lesser known First Person Shooters you can recommend?
Ronald MacDonald
2022-08-15 21:30:04 +0000 UTCI am on a kick of reading horror fiction and it had me thinking of horror applications dependent on medium. It’s interesting how things like the jump scare cannot be utilized in the written medium as effectively as in screen. What do you think about the different ways horror can articulate in the written word, and which are most effective for y’all (sorry if this seems super scattershot, I live in America which means I can only afford my meds half the year 🇺🇸
Jordan and Maya M.
2022-08-15 20:28:05 +0000 UTCLove this question, as a Canadian! For reference, some Canadian/Québecois games covered on WOFF include Baldur's Gate, Eternal Darkness,Dragon Age 2, Jade Empire, Child of Light, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, SSX Tricky, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, Celeste, The Shrouded Isle, Inscryption, and Darkest Dungeon.
Andrew C
2022-08-15 20:23:01 +0000 UTCI have to imagine this has been answered in the past, but what is the origin of the name Duckfeed? I was actually wondering this moments before seeing this prompt, so that worked out.
Deca
2022-08-15 20:18:44 +0000 UTCPotential topic idea: Kid's Media In the recent FF12 episode, there was a very interesting discussion about Gary's recent realization that maybe he just doesn't like children's media much anymore. I'd love to hear a more expanded discussion on this, since this is incredibly relevant to the video game medium. Video games were considered to be "kid's media" for so much of the medium's existence, and even moving past that, remain an unusual case in which so many of the canonized "greatest works" (e.g. Chrono Trigger) were created for children first and foremost. What are the ramifications of this on the game medium, positive or negative?
Andrew C
2022-08-15 20:16:41 +0000 UTCHey guys, a recent patron who's been listening for free for the past year or so. I know you've been asked about your travel preferences and experiences before, but I wondered your input on non-fictional settings. Being from Northern Ireland, I'm fortunate enough to have English as a first language, but at the same time I'm from a niche and boring enough locale to never see it portrayed much, especially so in video games. Despite world popularity as a nation, I recommend checking the "video games set in Ireland" Wikipedia page for a very, very disappointing read. The Assassin's Creed World Tour graced us with a Valhalla DLC that was pretty cool, but it had to be in the form of Ubipaste. The co-ordinates of my village in this was quite literally a mud puddle. So they got that right. My main questions are: what settings, historical or contemporary, have you not yet and would love to see for a videogame? What do you never want to see again? Has there ever been a real (or heavily inspired by the real) setting that got you interested in the real life area itself? Thanks for reading if you did and looking forward to more of the show.
Maniadh
2022-08-15 19:02:15 +0000 UTCGo-to hot sauces? And any recommendations for someone who prioritizes taste over pure "spiciness"?
Luna
2022-08-15 18:50:20 +0000 UTCinspired by an episode of the Insert Credit podcast: what is the ‘In Rainbows’ of video games?
Tylor
2022-08-15 18:45:19 +0000 UTChello gentlemen, I hope you're doing well. One thing I'm curious about since forever is how do you split the revenue between the both of you and the other people on the network. I don't want to know exact amounts, just a general idea would be enough. have a great week.
Sebastian Krüger
2022-08-15 18:29:29 +0000 UTCWhat does utopian success look like for you all as podcasters? Do you want a large network, such as what Bill Simmons did with The Ringer? Something smaller? Keep up the good work.
John G
2022-08-15 18:19:03 +0000 UTCSecond this. Also, in my experience, riding in the dumbwaiter is an excellent way to get fired!
dumbcube
2022-08-15 18:05:28 +0000 UTCOn the FF12 WOFF (excellent pair of episodes by the way) Garry mentioned that the different accents were something the western localization team added for flavor and that it ended with 12. I can say that that statement is only *mostly* true. There is one other Final Fantasy game that uses accents and dialects, and that's 14. You can tell where some characters are from because they use sailor slang, or have hindi accents. Even what some people call the summons in the game world tells you about where they come from ("Primal", "Eikon", or "God"). Those little details are all over 14, and it baffles me that, not just Final Fantasy, but other games don't really use this simple trick to make the world seem bigger and more natural. That is my gift to you, so you don't have to pay the time tax I did playing FF14 and to cut off any pedants that come at you. Cheers!
Jonathan Scratch
2022-08-15 17:40:28 +0000 UTCWhat are some of your favourite obviously Canadian, or Québecois, pieces of art? Specifically art objects which could never be mistaken for American or European. I'm from Montréal, a city which is home to many games devs, and despite our country being disproportionate producers of media given our size, I rarely get to experience what Canada or Québec broadly are seen as to our neighbours South of the border. If you'll allow me the sin of recommendations, The 20th Century is insanely Canadian in a way no other movie I've ever seen is, and Lydia Képinski is a wonderful local indie Queb artist who released a second record earlier this year. Merci!
Béa(u)
2022-08-15 17:36:37 +0000 UTCI love it when this happens! 😁
tundacct
2022-08-15 17:27:04 +0000 UTCI was listening to the Final Fantasy VII episode from back in 2013 where Kole said, "When we cover Final Fantasy XII in 2022..." My two questions: 1. Was this month's scheduling intentionally based on this? 2. When will Kole use his oracle powers for evil? P.S. My name is pronounced Gotham, like the city - y'all are the best!
Gautam Jayanthi
2022-08-15 17:24:58 +0000 UTCYou've mentioned MMOs in the past and how they don't particularly fit into the WOFF format. For what it's worth, I do agree with you. To be honest, I think you'd almost have to dedicate an entire show to properly cover any modern MMO. If you were given the time & money to give it the kind of coverage you'd be satisfied with, what MMO would you consider dedicating an entire show to?
Trevor Burn
2022-08-15 17:22:02 +0000 UTCHello! Maybe this is a crazy person thing to suggest, but have you ever considered revisiting games that you've already discussed for the show? I'm asking because titles like Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines and Disco Elysium are regular touchstones in conversations, and themselves very good episodes, and wondering if you think it would add value or maybe just be fun to revisit and talk about some of your hall-of-famers?
Corey Brickley
2022-08-15 17:21:37 +0000 UTCDo you spend any time playing mobile games, and if you do, any favorites? I tend to stay away from most mobile games as they use the 'free to play' model. However, there are a few games I really enjoy either because you can buy the FULL game (such as Arkonoid vs Space Invaders and Civilization Revolution 2) or the base game is complete enough that you don't need to spend money (such as Elder Scrolls: Blades and Fallout Shelter).
Greg Polander
2022-08-15 17:19:43 +0000 UTCHey! I'm Gin for short, I've been a long time listener, first time commenter. For long form I'd say how what we like to play influences what we want to play in the future? And, I wanted to ask. How do you two handle parasocial relationships with your fans, if it comes up?
Virginia Sabatino
2022-08-15 17:19:39 +0000 UTCI've recently purchased a decent computer for university and it's given me access to the large amount of modding tools available for games What are some of your favourite mods And what are fun games to modify
erhm03
2022-08-15 17:16:45 +0000 UTCOn the last Unfilmable, Ready or Not (great movie!) you were discussing whether a dumbwaiter could hold a human's weight. I can confirm the answer is a definitive yes! Back in high school, I worked in a retirement home restaurant (yes, a restaurant that served exclusively old people) - and there was a dumbwaiter to the basement where we stored food and supplies. Of course, this led to fun "surprise" opportunities. About once a month, someone would send the dumbwaiter upstairs with another person inside, to jump out and surprise the person waiting upstairs. It was more of a fun surprise, as someone popping out of a dumbwaiter is just funny for everyone involved. So yes, it can hold quite a lot of weight! PS: No, it CANNOT cut a person in half or anything, you need to close both safety doors for the dumbwaiter to go up and down.
Andrew F
2022-08-15 17:16:06 +0000 UTC
