Call and Response: WOFF Dispatch February 2020
Added 2020-02-14 01:13:15 +0000 UTCHello! The purpose of this post is to call for your questions and prompts for WOFF! Dispatch. Please leave your response as a comment on this post by the end of the day on Sunday, February 16.
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
Thoughts and / or remarks on any instances in of a game in which you didn't necessarity enjoy, (whether it was the Narrative, Game Mechanics, Theme or perhaps was wildly Problematic,) however you vibed primarily on the designs of the spaces in which the game takes place; Aesthetics of really Lived-in spaces and Attention-to-detail nuances that made the world seem very real and alive that had you linger in an otherwise low rent gaming experience? Or alternatively, as a Long Topic Discussion point, do you think the pace that some consumers of the genre play video games, (excluding 'Speedrunners' which is itself a completely contained endevour I feel) that developers may become discouraged in the amount of Time and Effort they put into the previously stated 'little touches' and World slash Levels were start to become bland and lifeless? As example, one of the chief complaints to 2015's The Order : 1886 was that it only took 6 hours to complete whereas I spent almost that long just appreciating the insane amount of flourishes and artistic touches (brass fire extinguishers!) that really made that version of London a joy to immerse one's self in. Continuing, as one that is not above efficently making progress in a game from time to time, I was playing 'Vampyr' last night and in hastly sacking a quarters for Drugs, Grease and Aluminum Foil (as one does) I suddenly took pause at other items in the room, a picture on a bedside stand or a small painting of a boat on a wall and started to think how much of these subtle touches to make this space so much more immersive that I had neglected to appreciate verses that need to go to from point A to B and so on....? (Please disregard if this has been fielded already in a past response, thank you in advance. And again, true appreciation for the consistent Top Tier content yourselves and this entire network provides, Philip!)
Murder She Rothenberger (Wrote In Burger)
2020-02-17 04:30:55 +0000 UTCI’m interested in Gears Tactics, which looks like a blend of XCOM and Gears of War. What other games or media properties would work well with XCOM-style adaptations?
Ian Derk
2020-02-16 01:15:51 +0000 UTCA friend and I have recently been replaying Final Fantasy 7 in preparation for the upcoming remake, and both of us have rediscovered just how bonkers and funny that game actually is. We are fawning over it more now that we are old enough to appreciate the weirder moments. It seems like everyone remembers Aerith's death, or Sephiroth walking through the flames, but we rarely mention that fact the you jump off a dolphin, that Yuffie gets a part time job, or that you have to do squats at the Cho Aniki gym. Seeing these off beat moments again has really endeared the game to me now in a way that it didn't when I was younger. It has made me realize that such delightful rediscovery is one of my favorite experiences I can have in relation to media. Do you guys have a particular game or other piece of media that you have found you enjoy more, or perhaps just differently, upon revisiting than you ever remembered when you first experienced it?
Ghoulblin
2020-02-16 00:56:30 +0000 UTCHey gentlmen, I have what may be a weird question. Would you ever consider accepting doing executive sponsored episodes of WOFF! on a "a la cart" basis? I ask because I've been debating on upgrading my sponsor tier to the $25 or temporarily going for the $150 level, but I wasn't sure how many months worth of the latter it would take to get the privilege or requesting a game on WOFF. That and I wouldn't wan't you guys to put in all the work and energy only for me to downgrade afterwards in bad faith. How many months make it "worth your while" or in other words , how do I and similar patreon members do right by ya'll? Thank you for your shows and charity work.
DAVID VISCONTI
2020-02-16 00:56:04 +0000 UTCLoved the episode on the Atari. It holds a very special place in my heart as my first exposure to videogames. Picture the scenario, i turn up to the quiet former mining town of Brynithel in the valleys of South Wales to visit my grandad Trever, who was around 80 at the time, to find him sitting at a tiny black and white tv set with an atari 2600 that he bought at a local charity shop set up to play "combat" a tank fighting game. He pulled absolutely zero punches and repeatedly Pw0wned me- teaching me the valuable lesson that victories should all be hard earned. Also I recently picked up Xcom 2 in the ps4 sale (which from your episode seems mechanically pretty similar to the first, if perhaps slightly less elegant) and it is blowing my mind! As a big fan of, particularly Games Workshop, tabletop skirmish games - which could quite possibly be where many of xcoms systems originate from- i find it baffling that they constantly shit the bed when trying to convert their tabletop stuff into videogames when Xcom exists as a perfect example of how it should be done. The hammy saturday morning cartoon alien aesthetic is also sublime.
alexander rathbone
2020-02-15 15:58:58 +0000 UTCGreat choice guys, I loved XCOM but only beat it once out of 20 runs with much save scrubbing and never touched it again. So now I have an excuse to play it again. The defining moment of my first playthrough was the alien invasion on your base. I got into the habit of unequipping all my troops gear so I could select the best for whomever I was sending out at the time. As a result, most my high ranked officers were rocking basic gear. I failed the first time, and lost over half my troops the second. I decided to go in a third time. I had minimal casualties, but I lost my first General. She was a support character and my favorite. Flanked while covering a heavy. I decided to go on, seeing as how most everyone else survived. I felt that loss up to the final mission. I still beat the game (I killed the BBEG with neural feedback) but I think the final mission would have been easier had my support General survived
Cthulhu R'lyeh Flatagan
2020-02-15 00:35:22 +0000 UTC(Greg here) Understanding that you guys game a lot for the podcast, I was curious if what you are looking for in a game you play for pleasure has changed over the years. When I was younger, and had less games and less access to them, I wanted really tough challenging games so they would last a while, even if the game itself was pretty short. Now, in my older age and balancing a full time job and hundreds of games on my backlog, I just want to have fun with it. Life's too short now to bash my head against a wall numerous times on Normal or Hard mode when I can enjoy and finish the game in Easy mode, for example. Some people have taken me to task for this, saying I'm not really 'playing' the game, but I'm like, if it's single player and I paid for it, I can do the f-ck that I want with the game. Thanks!
Greg Polander
2020-02-14 22:46:33 +0000 UTCHi Gary and Cole, thanks for the great show. I'm in my late 20s and doing my first year of a university degree. Between working, spending time with my partner, playing with my cat, reading, and doing assignments, the hours in the day/week/month never add up to enough! Given your experience balancing tons of work on Duckfeed as well as outside work, I'm wondering if you can discuss time management techniques that you've found helpful. Thank you!
Theodore Fox
2020-02-14 21:39:03 +0000 UTCI'd like to formally request more of Kole's opinions on historical documents. It's one of my favorite uncommon bits you guys do (shout out to Pocket for enabling it). Also Gary, what are your thoughts on the American Constitution?
Audie Orlando Lily Bassoff
2020-02-14 19:52:31 +0000 UTCThis question is mainly for Gary, since you talked about revisiting Shadowrun Hong Kong and ideas for future Shadowrun games. Have you tried any of the User Generated Content? I know you probably don't have time with your workload for the show. But if you're ever looking for more Shadowrun, there's three loosely connected campaigns by the same author (Antumbra Saga, Caldecott Caper, CalFree in Chains) that are all extremely well-written, well-designed and steeped in Shadowrun lore. And they touch on some of the themes you mentioned wanted to see in a Shadowrun campaign, like Tir Tairngire and the entertainnment industry. It's maybe not on the same level as Dragonfall (which might be my favourite game of all time), but I'd put them right up there with Hong Kong.
Todd Bryanton
2020-02-14 18:59:08 +0000 UTCCurious as to your views on character progression in games. It seems the possible options used are always 1) increasing player skill [practice makes perfect], 2) stat upgrades, 3) unlocking items, 4) skill trees, or a combination of these. Is there some particular principles that you think should guide developers in determining which of these player empowerment tools to use and how to use them?
Doug Lief
2020-02-14 17:50:47 +0000 UTCHave you guys got any thoughts on Dying Light 2? Since Chris Avellone is the writer, could it be a stealth New Vegas successor?
Toke Bruun Jensen
2020-02-14 15:31:55 +0000 UTCA possible topic that has come up on some previous WOFFs could be Unlocking Mechanics in games. Specifically, I'm thinking of lockpicking, hacking, and general mechanics that cause the player to access something that is "locked" in the world of the game. Which games are especially good at this? Which are bad? What types of things should be "locked?" Should lockpicking be tied to a resource, or does this inevitably become trivial (like Fallout's bobby pins)?
Jimmy Wilkinson
2020-02-14 15:10:30 +0000 UTCI recently watched a video review for a one dollar game on Steam; just a mini game collection that probably was designed to take up an hour or two before you put it down for good. What was interesting to me was that the reviewer preemptively countered what seems like a typical response to short games regardless of their cost, mainly that it doesn't have enough gameplay or content to satisfy the purchaser. Given that it was less than a decade ago that people were buying 3 minute songs on iTunes for the same price as the above mentioned game, what are your thoughts on the price/value disparity between games and other media (whether that be dollar theatres, comic floppies, etc.).
Béa(u)
2020-02-14 14:53:33 +0000 UTCAre there any games you covered in the early days of WOFF where your opinion has changed? Or that you just wish you could go back and re-record after 8.5 years of practice?
Zoombini
2020-02-14 14:50:20 +0000 UTCOften the point comes up on your shows that brevity in media is a plus, since longer media takes up too much of our time. However is there any game or movie you remember feeling too short to you personally?
Matthew Morel
2020-02-14 13:48:14 +0000 UTCAs you boys are into your spookums, have either of you had any paranormal or unexplainable experiences, extra points if gaming related in anyway!
Andy Donnachie
2020-02-14 11:01:26 +0000 UTCYou mentioned in your Human Revolution episode that you'd play a stand-alone game about the hacking minigame were it more fully fleshed out. Are there other hacking/lockpicking minigames you think have that potential for depth or are just super interesting?
Autumn M
2020-02-14 06:54:07 +0000 UTCNetwork Question: one of my favorite podcast networks just went exclusive to Spotify and it rustled the feathers of a lot of their fans. What is your guys' opinion on these sorts of exclusivity contracts and would you do this provided the chance? Games Question: I recently listened to the Team Fortress 2 episode and thought it was really cool you guys made a WOFF server and played with the fans. Would you consider doing something like this again and if so what games would be fun to do this with? On that note one of us fans should make a Duckfeed server hosting many popular online games. Rapid Fire questions: Kole which department store do you like more, Koles or Ross? Gary, would you ever move to Gary, Indiana?
Gabriel Tindall
2020-02-14 05:14:15 +0000 UTCDuckfeed opens a network-themed restaurant, so obviously you guys have to make up your own version of the happy birthday song to avoid any lawsuits. How would it go?
Holland Hume
2020-02-14 05:10:41 +0000 UTCHave you seen the television show Grimm? It is set and filmed in Portland, and is quite fun. It actually made me want to visit the city someday, and I'd have to travel all the way from Norway.
SindrElf
2020-02-14 04:54:41 +0000 UTCLong time listener, first time Patron. What's your take on the car combat genre of video games – and would you consider covering one for WOFF someday? I know the genre hasn't aged well, but I have a lot of nostalgia for several of those games. It'd be neat to hear your thoughts on what worked and didn't, and why the genre isn't around anymore. Thanks for the insight and entertainment!
Matt Wilson
2020-02-14 02:55:31 +0000 UTCThis is directed at either Kole or Gary, but mostly Gary: Would you ever be interested in doing an Apocalypse World campaign as an actual play show on the network? Moreover, what are your thoughts on Apocalypse World, both as a game and as a system?
Cassandra Banner
2020-02-14 02:52:55 +0000 UTCBest Pizza Combo? One each, mine is chicken, bacon, steak, mushroom and sweet corn. On a sourdough base with a hotdog stuffed crust. (P.S. Patreon tiered will be reduced if I find out one of you doesn’t like Pizza as that’s crazy)
Dan Sayer
2020-02-14 02:49:56 +0000 UTCHuzzah!
Zack Handlen
2020-02-14 02:30:50 +0000 UTCWe do in an overlap dispatch that will come out... at some point!
Duckfeed.tv
2020-02-14 02:30:06 +0000 UTCI still really want to hear you guys talk about what you look for in puzzle design.
Zack Handlen
2020-02-14 02:29:21 +0000 UTCWhat are some good graphic novels and comic-y stuff? I've really only read some Sandman, Watchmen and that Batman Dark Knight Returns thing. Gimme some good stuff!!!
Christopher Schlee
2020-02-14 02:20:51 +0000 UTCNote, this is in no way a defense of DKC, which despite my personal affection I fully recognize as a basically inferior product as well.
Terra Parker
2020-02-14 02:06:36 +0000 UTCThis is maybe uncharacteristically antagonistic of me but my friend has been speedrunning a certain PlayStation action platform series by esteemed developer Naughty Dog lately, with a protagonist who will apparently be getting an ill-deserved place in the Smash Bros Ultimate roster as well, and honestly how can you both pour out so much vitriol on Donkey Kong Country when Crash Bandicoot exists and is in every way the same thing but worse in all regards, and even more behind its era in terms of design?
Terra Parker
2020-02-14 02:05:42 +0000 UTCThe Mountain Goats call and ask you to drop everything to help them write a song - what's it about and what does it sound like?
Ethan Ryan
2020-02-14 01:47:57 +0000 UTCJust a fun one, but what tabletop or board game do you think would make a good video game adaptation? Likewise, would any video games work well adapted into board games? I really liked the old 1995 Westwood Monopoly game, which gave the game great character with music and stylized visuals (incl. Animations for property titles and fun movements like the submarine going under the board complete with periscope).
Markus Blomer
2020-02-14 01:45:28 +0000 UTCThe secret best feature of the PS4 is the ability to plug headphones into the controller. Is there any other small feature that you guys love? Or something you hope future consoles will include?
Adam Bucceri
2020-02-14 01:44:43 +0000 UTCIf you could have any one item from a Souls game in real life, what would you choose?
Matthew Woodyard
2020-02-14 01:38:32 +0000 UTC1) Is there anything about the way you sound that makes you really cringe when you hear it? Or was there something in the past that you’ve worked to remove from your podcasting voice? (e.g. I really dislike my own laugh) 2) If you could pick one piece of media that was canceled, finished, or otherwise no longer being made to bring back, what would it be?
Ruky Saavedra
2020-02-14 01:35:04 +0000 UTCWe would prefer you write in using the forms at http://duckfeed.tv/contact - K
Duckfeed.tv
2020-02-14 01:25:48 +0000 UTCis this where we can post responses to this months games?
Randall
2020-02-14 01:24:54 +0000 UTCPls rank by cuteness the following furry friends. Rats, Quokkas, Guinea Pigs, and Hamsters
Julia
2020-02-14 01:15:49 +0000 UTCWhy is Kole so bad at making pancakes?
Chris Taylor
2020-02-14 01:14:19 +0000 UTC
