Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Locked thread
Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008


What is Outlast?
Outlast was released in September 2013 by Red Barrels Games, a company known for no other games. They started strong! You play as Miles Upshur, whose name is obviously an anagram for "Rush Impulse" or (more likely) "Uri Humpless." Upshur is a journalist who follows up a tip to investigate a spooky psychiatric hospital in the Colorado mountains. In the first of many bad calls, he arrives late at night. Alone. The player can't fight, he can only run, hide, and rely on his camcorder's battery-draining night vision mode to survive. So while it is a survival horror game, I like to lump it into a subgenre I think of as "hide and death," similar to Alien: Isolation and the original Clocktower game.

There is a DLC prequel called "The Whistleblower" which I do not currently plan on tackling. And Red Barrels just officially announced a sequel! By the way, I'm playing on PC.

What is Father & Fun?
This is a project inspired by my dad ("Shecky") retiring. My dad's pretty awesome, but he's always been pretty anti-video game; he blames my being introverted on these games. But now he has too much free time, and a life coach encouraged me to pursue Let's Plays (wtf? okay!), so my dad is out of arguments! I decided we'd start with Outlast because it's Halloween-time, and the game was compelling enough to get Conan O'Brien hooked. It also helps that my dad worked in the new business for a couple decades... he will hopefully be sympathetic to our suicidal protagonist.

This is definitely babby's first LP, and I expect a lot of criticism. Just go easy on Shecky please! He's got a bunch of cool stories, it's just a matter of him getting used to the Let's Play experience (we both sound like morning radio DJ's in episode 1, with the fake energy). I hope to do more Father & Fun projects, so my goal is to blitz them to hold dad's interest. The episodes won't go beyond 20 minutes or so. This will not be a completionist run, though my understanding is that there aren't many secrets or anything in this game.

As for spoilers, the game's 2 years old. But I also fantasize about having one of those Let's Plays where people get excited and buy the game... it's on sale for $5 until this Monday, 11/2. So if you think you're posting a spoiler, just be judicious with your spoiler tags. This refers to both Outlast and Whistleblower. Enjoy!

The Videos:
Episode 1 - They have absolutely no respect for library books

Episode 2 - These chains were made for walking

Episode 3 - Whole lotta sloshing going on

Episode 4 - So secure you can't even open the door

Episode 5 - Thank you, Rick Scott

Episode 6 - You're not stoned at all

Intermission: The Family Plays (tabletop) Splendor, part 1 (with music) or without music
Intermission: The Family Plays (tabletop) Splendor, part 2 (with music)

Episode 7 - It's also getting a little bit more disgusting

Episode 8 - We don't reeeally need to see his tush

Episode 9 - HA! ... I'm sorry

Episode 10 - You'd wipe yourself with the New York Times, or whatever

Episode 11 - Hey, here comes Murray!

Episode 12 - He's crazy and he has a bat, so he's...

Episode 13 - Or is it Memorex?

Episode 14 - Maybe it's because he doesn't have any pants on

Episode 15 - I remember, vaguely, the Magic Schoolbus

Intermission: Intermission: Let's Play Papers, Please, part 1
Intermission: Intermission: Let's Play Papers, Please, part 2

Episode 16 - Do Not Turn The Valve

Episode 17 Finale - All Documents And Notes

Espresso Steampunk fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Oct 5, 2016

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008
Fan Art.....

Espresso Steampunk:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since Rick Scott is practically a co-star in two of our videos, here is a link from the thread that may put things in perspective.

Politifcat: Rick Scott 'oversaw the largest Medicare fraud in the nation’s history'



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is the Conan O'Brien sketch that inspired me to put my dad through Outlast. But be warned, it contains spoilers up through Episode 9 of this LP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw7Os-_BJMo&t=298s

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SSNeoman



(Magic Wand, make this section growwww! :circlefap:)

Espresso Steampunk fucked around with this message at 17:29 on Mar 4, 2016

stubblyhead
Sep 13, 2007

That is treason, Johnny!

Fun Shoe
Your dad seems like a pretty cool guy. Some quality dad jokes in there too, which I hope will continue.

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008

stubblyhead posted:

Your dad seems like a pretty cool guy. Some quality dad jokes in there too, which I hope will continue.

Hey, thanks. I tend to agree! When we started he was asking me "What should I say?" and I told him to just comment on the gameplay. I was hoping it would be like those "Grandparents play Flappy Bird" videos and stuff, but it's too early to tell. I figure next recording session I'll ask things like "What scares you?" and "What's the scariest news story you've covered?" and such (aside from any plot or gameplay elements that might become relevant). If anyone has any questions or things to mull over, I could relay them on. Shecky's life has been wayyy more interesting than mine and I'm hoping some cool stories will come up eventually. But that has to be a bit more organic, I think.

Espresso Steampunk fucked around with this message at 23:13 on May 21, 2016

Bacter
Jan 27, 2012

Nie wywoluj wilka z lasu, glupku.
After the glut of "survival horror" games which are more just kind of spooky action games, I respect a game that forces you to not become Grunt Toughman. Looking forward to more of this!

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008

Bacter posted:

After the glut of "survival horror" games which are more just kind of spooky action games, I respect a game that forces you to not become Grunt Toughman. Looking forward to more of this!

It is a nice, fresh take... but I also yearn for the flamethrower from Alien:Isolation! Since I'm doing a blind run, I don't even know IF any of the bad guys get dispatched. I assume so, but 2 hours in and I am wayyy overdue for some catharsis. (Does that make me a psychopath? That's like being stranded on an island and eating someone the moment your stomach hurts)

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008
Episode 2 is ready to catch you during your post-Halloween depression! Shecky mentions a bit of his journalism experience, while Miles Upshur tries to gain access to the security office. We also learn that it may not be the best idea to press every button we find.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtWzFv1WfEo

On a side note, has anyone ever figured out if there's an ideal time to post a Let's Play? Like, when people are most likely to be browsing? This guy needs all the help he can get!

Espresso Steampunk fucked around with this message at 23:14 on May 21, 2016

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008
You know you've made it big when underagecutie follows your channel! :barf:



(started at the bottom now we're here)

dscruffy1
Nov 22, 2007

Look out!
Nap Ghost
Look at this guy reeling in the hotties.

I am interested in this and sincerely hope there are more observations such as all of these men hating library books.

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008
Apologies! I was going to bang out commentary and post Episode 3 tonight, but earlier today I got my rear end kicked on an important exam for class. SO I ought to have the next post up by Wednesday night. I know I only have a few followers, but I hate that feeling when an LP just hangs there and everyone wonders what's going on.

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008
My parents took a trip to New Orleans, but now they're back. You know what that means-- episode 3 is up! The first real challenge of the game is sneaking around a crazy guy with a bat, in a flooded basement, while yanking levers. Thanks to the magic of editing for cutting down on time spent hiding in lockers while a bully tries to take our lunch money.

Episode 3 - Whole lotta sloshing going on

deadly_pudding
May 13, 2009

who the fuck is scraeming
"LOG OFF" at my house.
show yourself, coward.
i will never log off
I'm really glad I decided to check out this LP. It's interesting to listen to your dad open up about a video game, and while Outlast is a game that is kind of fascinating to watch, it is 100% a game I never want to play myself. So, thanks :v:

Deadmeat5150
Nov 21, 2005

OLD MAN YELLS AT CLAN
As a dad I approve of the dad jokes your pop throws around.

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008

deadly_pudding posted:

I'm really glad I decided to check out this LP. It's interesting to listen to your dad open up about a video game, and while Outlast is a game that is kind of fascinating to watch, it is 100% a game I never want to play myself. So, thanks :v:

Thanks for that input! Outlast really isn't my cup of tea, either, as you may have guessed from my several mentions of "only playing it when the sun's out." But I was inspired after seeing Conan O'Brien play it (of all people) so I knew it would get Some Kind Of reaction from my dad. I"ll post the link here, though, of course, it contains spoilers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw7Os-_BJMo (The Outlast segment starts at 4:58)

deadly_pudding
May 13, 2009

who the fuck is scraeming
"LOG OFF" at my house.
show yourself, coward.
i will never log off
Depending on if you're planning to continue this series after Outlast, do you have any other games in mind? It seems like you might want to stick with things that either provide a sense of tension, or are otherwise visceral or interesting as "spectator" experiences. If I had to make any general suggestions, I'd say to avoid open world-style slogs in the vein of Ubisoft games, which have a lot of kinda pointless downtime as you traverse from point to point.

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008

deadly_pudding posted:

Depending on if you're planning to continue this series after Outlast, do you have any other games in mind? It seems like you might want to stick with things that either provide a sense of tension, or are otherwise visceral or interesting as "spectator" experiences. If I had to make any general suggestions, I'd say to avoid open world-style slogs in the vein of Ubisoft games, which have a lot of kinda pointless downtime as you traverse from point to point.

As a girl once told me when I asked her out, "Prepare for crushing disappointment." I am planning on taking Shecky through Sleeping Dogs because it's my favorite game and I hope he'd appreciate the writing and cinematic elements. But he has no idea what a sandbox game is so after showing off a few elements I will more or less be speed-running it. I am well aware that it has now been LP'd a whole bunch so maybe it will be the third game, but it's definitely on my list (and I'd love to play it again).

That being said, no idea what other games I'd play. I thought I'd try actually making him play Alien: Isolation, having been introduced to the hide-and-death system, but that'd last a single video. I also thought he'd like rear end Creed 2 because he loves Italy... but that's another open world game and the plot will probably make him tune out. We might do a diversion of single-player Left 4 Dead? And I wanted to show him God Hand but my PS3 died and mkob's run is just absolutely putting me to shame. So... I guess I'm open to suggestions!

Espresso Steampunk fucked around with this message at 23:16 on May 21, 2016

Gridlocked
Aug 2, 2014

MR. STUPID MORON
WITH AN UGLY FACE
AND A BIG BUTT
AND HIS BUTT SMELLS
AND HE LIKES TO KISS
HIS OWN BUTT
by Roger Hargreaves

Deadmeat5150 posted:

As an old man I approve of the yelling at the clan your pop throws around.

FTFY

deadly_pudding
May 13, 2009

who the fuck is scraeming
"LOG OFF" at my house.
show yourself, coward.
i will never log off

Espresso Steampunk posted:

As a girl once told me when I asked her out, "Prepare for crushing disappointment." I am planning on taking Schecky through Sleeping Dogs because it's my favorite game and I hope he'd appreciate the writing and cinematic elements. But he has no idea what a sandbox game is so after showing off a few elements I will more or less be speed-running it. I am well aware that it has now been LP'd a whole bunch so maybe it will be the third game, but it's definitely on my list (and I'd love to play it again).

That being said, no idea what other games I'd play. I thought I'd try actually making him play Alien: Isolation, having been introduced to the hide-and-death system, but that'd last a single video. I also thought he'd like rear end Creed 2 because he loves Italy... but that's another open world game and the plot will probably make him tune out. We might do a diversion of single-player Left 4 Dead? And I wanted to show him God Hand but my PS3 died and mkob's run is just absolutely putting me to shame. So... I guess I'm open to suggestions!

Sleeping Dogs will probably be okay. As far as Open Worlds go, it has a lot going on in it as far as interesting visual and audio design goes. The NPC street barks are all really good, and the city is great to look at. I would be concerned about like an Assassin's Creed or a Far Cry, where it's a lot of dicking around from point A to point B.
I think if you do an Assassin's Creed, do Brotherhood, and do it like a mini-series tour guide style with a completed save file. If he's been to Rome, maybe do a thing where you go to the landmarks and ask him how they stack up compared to the real thing? Definitely climb the Colosseum.

How does he feel about Batmans? Arkham Asylum is practically a metroidvania, and is a much more focused experience than the other games in the Arkham series. If you were thinking of doing God Hand, Metal Gear Rising Revengeance could work alright, too.

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008

deadly_pudding posted:

Sleeping Dogs will probably be okay. As far as Open Worlds go, it has a lot going on in it as far as interesting visual and audio design goes. The NPC street barks are all really good, and the city is great to look at. I would be concerned about like an Assassin's Creed or a Far Cry, where it's a lot of dicking around from point A to point B.
I think if you do an Assassin's Creed, do Brotherhood, and do it like a mini-series tour guide style with a completed save file. If he's been to Rome, maybe do a thing where you go to the landmarks and ask him how they stack up compared to the real thing? Definitely climb the Colosseum.

How does he feel about Batmans? Arkham Asylum is practically a metroidvania, and is a much more focused experience than the other games in the Arkham series. If you were thinking of doing God Hand, Metal Gear Rising Revengeance could work alright, too.

There are many reasons I would not put my dad through Far Cry, including tits, haha! The AssCreed tour guide thing is not a bad idea! He's not too big into Batman and I must say, I tried Arkham City on PS3 and did not enjoy the experience. I fully admit it's because I sucked at it and I didn't grasp the combat system (I did watch a great LP of it) but I'm not sure I want to dive back into that. Revengeance is a very tantalizing prospect, though. I don't know much about it but I did like what little I've heard. I'll do some research into that!

Lastly, my brother's coming into town for the holidays. I am half-tempted to do a few "family tabletop" videos, maybe even D&D 4e. But it would not be very visually-pleasing, especially since I hesitate to put my family's faces all over the internet. (My first F&F videos got almost 300 views, though my latest have stopped around 60 views each).

deadly_pudding
May 13, 2009

who the fuck is scraeming
"LOG OFF" at my house.
show yourself, coward.
i will never log off

Espresso Steampunk posted:

There are many reasons I would not put my dad through Far Cry, including tits, haha! The AssCreed tour guide thing is not a bad idea! He's not too big into Batman and I must say, I tried Arkham City on PS3 and did not enjoy the experience. I fully admit it's because I sucked at it and I didn't grasp the combat system (I did watch a great LP of it) but I'm not sure I want to dive back into that. Revengeance is a very tantalizing prospect, though. I don't know much about it but I did like what little I've heard. I'll do some research into that!

Lastly, my brother's coming into town for the holidays. I am half-tempted to do a few "family tabletop" videos, maybe even D&D 4e. But it would not be very visually-pleasing, especially since I hesitate to put my family's faces all over the internet. (My first F&F videos got almost 300 views, though my latest have stopped around 60 views each).

I had totally mind-blocked the Far Cry tits until you brought it up just now lol. The Arena girls in FC4 are all like "Eyes up here" when you walk up to them.

Yeah, Revengeance is a total Platinum Game through and through, and pretty much a non-stop weird visual spectacle. If you would have played God Hand, I'd consider Revengeance a valid alternative.

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008
Dad was sick for a bit, but now Episode 4 is up! Despite dire straits, we keep it light. Dad talks about Arlo Guthrie, and also Donald Trump...

:suspense:

........ I wouldn't have brought up Trump, but Shecky did! This is emphatically not a thread to get political in. Enjoy the 15 seconds of jokes, or don't. Also, I fully admit I made a mistake. As you'll see in the youtube description, I "committed" (:heysexy:) a grievous error. I said Indian Red became Burnt Sienna. I was wrong, it simply became Chestnut. For more information, consult wikipedia! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_red_(color). Thanks for your patience, everyone!

Episode 4 - So secure you can't even open the door

Espresso Steampunk fucked around with this message at 23:17 on May 21, 2016

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008
Episode 5 - Thank you, Rick Scott is ready to go in your eyes and ear-holes!

This episode features me dying a couple times, so you get to appreciate the animation and artistry put into that... :newfap: . Thanks to my screw-ups, Schecky learns how video games handle death; it seems obvious to us, nowadays, but it was kinda neat to have to explain it to my dad? Also wait until the end of the video, we have a goofy exchange after the fade-out.

I feel kind of bad because I'm skipping over all the notes and backstory. I mean, you can always pause and read it, but I don't know if I'm missing notes, and Schecky doesn't seem too too interested so I haven't really bothered to lay out the plot and everything. Is it worth the trouble of digging up all the texts and posting them here? Or is that something a curious viewer would just do without my help? Because I haven't uttered the word "Variants" out loud since episode 1.

Trundel
Mar 13, 2005

:10bux: + :awesomelon: = :roboluv:
- a sound investment!
Watching episode 3 and enjoying some quality dad banter at video games.

You could try to get Schecky to do a dramatic reading of the texts after the fact.

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008

Trundel posted:

Watching episode 3 and enjoying some quality dad banter at video games.

You could try to get Schecky to do a dramatic reading of the texts after the fact.

Thanks for that, glad you're enjoying it! And I'm excited to report that we do seem to be getting the hang of this as we plug along. Dad reading the notes is a very good idea... entertainment runs in my family, and Shecky was an actor before I was born. And now that he's retired, he's acting again. So this would be totally up his alley (and mine too, if I can find an appropriate character to voice). The only problem is he doesn't have much free time (due to acting) and I'm not sure I want to encourage him to explore these messed up characters. But I think his schedule will clear up wayyy before we finish the game, so we might do a couple "staged readings" as we progress, after all. tl;dr : Good idea!

Espresso Steampunk fucked around with this message at 23:18 on May 21, 2016

Seraphic Neoman
Jul 19, 2011


deadly_pudding posted:

Yeah, Revengeance is a total Platinum Game through and through, and pretty much a non-stop weird visual spectacle. If you would have played God Hand, I'd consider Revengeance a valid alternative.

Something like The Evil Within might be good, since it's a bit like this game only you can shoot dudes, but Revengeance is also great. The tutorial boss alone will probably be worth the price of admission :v:

I always found Kirby to be great and accessible to everyone.

VV Adventure games are great, but you might not want to play them blind.

Seraphic Neoman fucked around with this message at 07:02 on Dec 20, 2015

Scaly Haylie
Dec 25, 2004

My dad actually took quite well to Tales from the Borderlands, so Telltale adventure games are always an option? Revengeance would be neat, though.

Kobold eBooks
Mar 5, 2007

EVERY MORNING I WAKE UP AN OPEN PALM SLAM A CARTRIDGE IN THE SUPER FAMICOM. ITS E-ZEAO AND RIGHT THEN AND THERE I START DOING THE MOVES ALONGSIDE THE MAIN CHARACTER, CORPORAL FALCOM.
You should put him through Metal Wolf Chaos.

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008

Kobold eBooks posted:

You should put him through Metal Wolf Chaos.

That would make a hilarious one-off, for sure

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008

SSNeoman posted:

I always found Kirby to be great and accessible to everyone.

VV Adventure games are great, but you might not want to play them blind.

If we played Kirby, you have to do a shot every time dad says "How many drugs did they do to come up with this"? I guarantee he'd say it every episode.

Lizard Wizard posted:

My dad actually took quite well to Tales from the Borderlands, so Telltale adventure games are always an option? Revengeance would be neat, though.

I just started blitzing Kaubocks's amazing Tales From the Borderlands LP (5 and subscribe!) and I was thinking it might just be up Shecky's alley! And since he's never gamed before, he's lacking that jaded feeling many of us have about QTE's (though Borderlands handles it well, etc [i have a lot to say about qte's but this is not the place]). Right now the list of possible games is grand and inviting, but it will probably have to come down to Shecky's preferences by the time we're done with Outlast. That is to say, I may need a bit of a carrot to convince him to do this again, haha! Is there an algorithm or survey for "What video game should you play?" You'd think that would be considered Golden Clickbait (I realize I'm using the word "clickbait" here as an analogy, not in the way God intended).

Espresso Steampunk fucked around with this message at 23:19 on May 21, 2016

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008
Episode 6 - You're Not Stoned At All

Ringing in the New Year with some more Father & Fun (thanks for joining me)! While the most off-topic, this episode is also the Most Personal One so far. I ask Dad about his service in the Vietnam War, and also inquire about the copious amounts of weed he smoked while over there. It turns out.... pretty interesting, in fact. I was pleasantly surprised. So I think Shecky's more comfortable just talking about stuff, rather than feeling fixated on Outlast and the gameplay. I have just a few people following this thread, but you're all so cool, so if there's anything you'd like me to ask dad, or anything you think we could talk about, let me know. (I will use my best judgment, though said judgment may be in question based on the fact that I'm playing video games with my dad).

Espresso Steampunk fucked around with this message at 23:19 on May 21, 2016

Seraphic Neoman
Jul 19, 2011


Can he talk about some of the stories he covered as a reporter? I once interviewed a reporter and the dude had a lot of interesting stuff to say, like how one of his articles was about this one rich guy's dog. The reporter ended up writing the article, but it was boring to read, so he put in a bunch of dog puns to spice it up :haw:

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008

SSNeoman posted:

Can he talk about some of the stories he covered as a reporter? I once interviewed a reporter and the dude had a lot of interesting stuff to say, like how one of his articles was about this one rich guy's dog. The reporter ended up writing the article, but it was boring to read, so he put in a bunch of dog puns to spice it up :haw:

The answer is Yes, and that's a great idea! It would tie in to our last discussion about :rznv: , because he was originally hired as a "drug war correspondent." It's not quite as cool as it sounds-- he wasn't embedded in a unit taking down cartels or anything, but he did get to visit Amsterdam and report on that culture. The dog-puns story sounds amazing! Dad's rather the opposite though, which I'll endeavor to show off-- sense of humor or not, he is a huuuuge stickler for spelling and grammar! Back in his day, that was part of appearing professional. But nowadays, with the decline of the business/industry, it's mostly cheap, recent graduates replacing the more-expensive pros, and the quality suffers (as we've all seen in one form or another). Also you mentioned you've interviewed a reporter, so if you're a journalist or studied journalism, please assume the comment I just made doesn't apply to you. You're cool! :shobon:

... by the way, do you happen to have the article about the rich dog? It sounds like the best thing.

Scaly Haylie
Dec 25, 2004

He's covered wars, eh?

I know what you should make him play. :getin:

Seraphic Neoman
Jul 19, 2011


I sadly don't have the dog story. The reporter wrote it for a small-town paper before he was hired for Big Newspaper Publisher of the Area. The small-town paper doesn't even have its own website.

I'm not planning to be a reporter, I'm a math/econ guy :v: I just took the course since it satisfied some transfer credits reqs. It was either that or history, basically.
I ended up really liking the course. My prof was a former reporter who also worked for Big Newspaper Publisher of the Area, so he knew a lot about the subject. The course ended up being about 1/3 American reporting history, 1/3 crash course on law stuff (1st Amendment and so on. I had to study a surprising amount of Supreme Court cases, like the BONG HiTS 4 JESUS one) and 1/3 about good reporting practices. The Interview A Reporter was the semester project which I totally put off till the last minute because I am a piece of poo poo was busy with English essays. But I ended up just sucking it up, scheduling an interview and then doing it.
It was legit cool and it was a pretty eye-opening experience. He mentioned that while people may grouse that newspapers only print scandals, he points out that those tend to be one of the most-read articles. So that's why people keep writing about Trump, for instance. It's because people DO want to read about him. And newspapers sadly do have to do this because the internet is kinda killing them. Craiglist made classifieds almost obsolete, which really cut down on their profits.
Still, the reporter assured me that people in the business do their best to report the truth. And he mentions that there is a certain power behind reporting. If you interview a senator and he declines to discuss a topic, or just straight up refuses an interview, you can totally write "[topic] is a big issue because [reasons]. [Senator] declined to comment/could not be reached for a comment." which can make people suspicious. Why won't he comment? Is he hiding something? This gives people the incentive to talk to reporters and answer their questions.

Captain Bravo
Feb 16, 2011

An Emergency Shitpost
has been deployed...

...but experts warn it is
just a drop in the ocean.
I'm only halfway through the episodes, but I've got to ask: Where in the game does it say your main character doesn't have a phone? The first document you picked up says that there's mysteriously no phone signal for like, a mile around the facility, and that it's incredibly suspicious. It kind of seems like your dude has a phone, it just doesn't work.

Edit: Just hit episode 5, the reason Walker's backstory has him ex-military is because your character starts to question whether or not he's actually a bad guy! That note you checked at the end of episode four says, "I hear him muttering about security protocols, containment. What if he's not the problem? What if he's trying to contain it?" So you, as the player, have to start thinking that maybe this preacher man who's telling you to do stuff might actually be the bad guy, and Walker's just trying to kill you because he's the one dude that still has his head screwed on straight enough to want to do the right thing.

Captain Bravo fucked around with this message at 15:44 on Jan 4, 2016

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008

Lizard Wizard posted:

He's covered wars, eh?

I know what you should make him play. :getin:

Uh oh, I feel like you can only be referring to Spec Ops: The Line! Actually, he hasn't really covered any wars. Though he is (very-rightfully) proud of a "Return To Vietnam" special he did earlier in his career, where he covered the collaborative efforts between Vietnam and the US to gather information on POWs and identifying fallen soldiers on both sides. I can probably get him to talk about that if he's in the right mood.


SSNeoman posted:

I sadly don't have the dog story. The reporter wrote it for a small-town paper before he was hired for Big Newspaper Publisher of the Area. The small-town paper doesn't even have its own website.

I'm not planning to be a reporter, I'm a math/econ guy :v: I just took the course since it satisfied some transfer credits reqs. It was either that or history, basically.
I ended up really liking the course. My prof was a former reporter who also worked for Big Newspaper Publisher of the Area, so he knew a lot about the subject. The course ended up being about 1/3 American reporting history, 1/3 crash course on law stuff (1st Amendment and so on. I had to study a surprising amount of Supreme Court cases, like the BONG HiTS 4 JESUS one) and 1/3 about good reporting practices. The Interview A Reporter was the semester project which I totally put off till the last minute because I am a piece of poo poo was busy with English essays. But I ended up just sucking it up, scheduling an interview and then doing it.
It was legit cool and it was a pretty eye-opening experience. He mentioned that while people may grouse that newspapers only print scandals, he points out that those tend to be one of the most-read articles. So that's why people keep writing about Trump, for instance. It's because people DO want to read about him. And newspapers sadly do have to do this because the internet is kinda killing them. Craiglist made classifieds almost obsolete, which really cut down on their profits.
Still, the reporter assured me that people in the business do their best to report the truth. And he mentions that there is a certain power behind reporting. If you interview a senator and he declines to discuss a topic, or just straight up refuses an interview, you can totally write "[topic] is a big issue because [reasons]. [Senator] declined to comment/could not be reached for a comment." which can make people suspicious. Why won't he comment? Is he hiding something? This gives people the incentive to talk to reporters and answer their questions.

I wanted to trim down your quote a bit, but I couldn't. It's all very good/true/interesting! And hopefully all 4 people following this thread will read and agree. :classiclol: It is a difficult balance to even strive for (much less maintain)... deciding which stories to cover, and for what amounts of space or airtime... so that the newspaper or news program can make money, but not get too dark. But the happy stories can only be so goofy or fluffy before people start saying "Ugh, slow news day, huh?" But according to my dad, the biggest problem is that these conglomerates/bankers/fat-cats are buying up the news stations. In their probably-outdated viewpoint, these are wise investments. But the first thing they do is install a Business Person to head up a News Company, and the Business Person immediately thinks "What costs can I cut?" and the quality suffers. Nowadays there aren't even camera-operators; they have 3 robotic cameras/teleprompters that light up and tell the news anchor where to look. :aaa:

Captain Bravo
Feb 16, 2011

An Emergency Shitpost
has been deployed...

...but experts warn it is
just a drop in the ocean.

Espresso Steampunk posted:

Uh oh, I feel like you can only be referring to Spec Ops: The Line!

Oh, that makes more sense than what I was thinking! (I figured LizardWizard was suggesting Dead Rising)

Edit: Oh, and your dad is 100% correct.

Espresso Steampunk posted:

But according to my dad, the biggest problem is that these conglomerates/bankers/fat-cats are buying up the news stations.

I had to effectively eat poo poo for four months after the corporation in charge of the paper I worked at decided to gently caress our readers and put a really draconian paywall up on the website. It pissed off about 80% of the town. The worst part was, the loving middle-management publisher they plopped in then started screaming at us about how we weren't hitting our facebook and twitter numbers. He didn't seem to realize that when you prevent lots of people from reading the loving articles you tease on social media, they'll stop following you on social media.
Your dad should be glad he's out of the business, it's gone pretty straight down the shitter. Especially for the old guard who haven't been able to keep up with freelancers/VICE/twitter/etc.

Captain Bravo fucked around with this message at 00:54 on Jan 5, 2016

Scaly Haylie
Dec 25, 2004

Captain Bravo posted:

Oh, that makes more sense than what I was thinking! (I figured LizardWizard was suggesting Dead Rising)

Nah, I was suggesting Dead Rising 2: Off the Record because it's superior and fun as hell. :v:

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008

Lizard Wizard posted:

Nah, I was suggesting Dead Rising 2: Off the Record because it's superior and fun as hell. :v:

Ohhh, cool! That's not a bad idea. My dad has, however, accused me of being too obsessed with zombies, so I'll probably avoid Dead Rising for now... especially since it seems like 14 hours is the average gameplay. :staredog: Honestly, for the notion of Father & Fun to remain sustainable, I need to either start editing heavily, choose shorter games, and/or play through more than one game at once. I'll probably end up doing all three of these things, once I'm back in my school-routine, and he's done with his plays (he keeps getting cast in stuff!). This might become a megathread, but for now, I will appreciate the humble roots. :derp:


Captain Bravo posted:

Your dad should be glad he's out of the business, it's gone pretty straight down the shitter. Especially for the old guard who haven't been able to keep up with freelancers/VICE/twitter/etc.

Indeed! After the news, he made some documentaries for the school district, of all things. These one a local award or two. And now he's retired, which allows him to pursue my dreams of Let's Play stardom, haha. But he keeps in touch with his former colleagues and hears nothing but horror stories. Hopefully he'll share a few. Whichever old-timers are left at his old station are just hanging on until their pension requirements get fulfilled. It's grim. :ghost: I have greater chances of succeeding at "the family business" of acting, than the family business of news.

Also this reminds me I need to use the Stare Dog smiley as much as I can; I think that eventually summons Geop!

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Espresso Steampunk
Sep 27, 2008

Captain Bravo posted:

I'm only halfway through the episodes, but I've got to ask: Where in the game does it say your main character doesn't have a phone? The first document you picked up says that there's mysteriously no phone signal for like, a mile around the facility, and that it's incredibly suspicious. It kind of seems like your dude has a phone, it just doesn't work.

Edit: Just hit episode 5, the reason Walker's backstory has him ex-military is because your character starts to question whether or not he's actually a bad guy! That note you checked at the end of episode four says, "I hear him muttering about security protocols, containment. What if he's not the problem? What if he's trying to contain it?" So you, as the player, have to start thinking that maybe this preacher man who's telling you to do stuff might actually be the bad guy, and Walker's just trying to kill you because he's the one dude that still has his head screwed on straight enough to want to do the right thing.

This post brings up a lot of stuff that's been on my mind, thank you. And especially, thank you for continuing to watch the videos despite what irks you! While I did assume he was without-phone, I think I also clarified that statement with "Or there are no bars," and we talked about product placement a bit. But you are correct... since the very beginning, I've struggled with what to do about the documents. As I recorded footage, I intended to note documents-of-interest and point things out to Schecky as we go through it-- the line about Chris Walker definitely stands out. However, my capture settings weren't great for the first two hours or so (they've since been fixed, as you'll see in episode 7) so the documents are hard to read, especially for Dad's eyes. And honestly I don't remember all the key points, by the time I get to recording the commentary.

Lastly, since my dad I record commentary in the same room, it's become apparent to me that he doesn't much care for the backstory. :eng99:

The best solution I can come up with isn't my solution-- it's Trundel's. And that is, we'll do a podcast/radio play reading the notes and documents. I really want to read Upshur's notes in a bad Christopher Walken impression, so... that could be really good or really bad, depending on you! In any case, reading through these would cover any documents I missed, and it would be a fun way to sort out the backstory and stuff. But Shecky just started rehearsals for another play, so I doubt he wants to be reading other scripts for a couple weeks. This shouldn't keep us from updating at our usual snail's pace, at least.

Espresso Steampunk fucked around with this message at 23:22 on May 21, 2016

  • Locked thread