The above question is one most people recognize as a conversation filler or a casual conversation food. It is mostly used between friends who are very familiar and talk often with each other. A more formal version of it does exist in the form of, "What are you working on?" usually used to ask what new projects or goals this person is working on at that point in life. Also exists "What have you been up to?" used between acquaintances who have not met for a long time. Out of the three, guess which one I don't want to hear from a random stranger.
Correct answer is obviously in the title: "Hey, what are you up to?" or "what are you doing?" Why? Because to be perfectly, completely honest... I do not have any interest in holding meaningless conversation with strangers. Holding meaningless conversation is reserved for those people whose company I enjoy. Meaningless conversation is held when you wish to have social contact with someone but lack real conversation material to initiate a conversation with them.
It's almost like one of those random parents who come and talk to you about their kid and what they're doing and how they're coming along this path called life... You don't care. Same goes for me when someone comes up to me and starts talking to me about what they did in some game or another or how the day's going for them... etc. etc. Why would I be interested in such things? I know I'm coming off really bitchy right now but when people come and talk to me about their day I need to have a connection with the person to really feel interested in it. I'm sorry, I really don't have an interest that you went 7/3/10 with Katarina last game and I don't really care for how your day's been so far either. Just the same as if I had turned around and said much the same stuff to you randomly expecting you to give an answer.
The only reason anyone would give two shits about what I've done or what's been going on in my life is because I put up a handful of videos online and have developed a persona for viewers to get familiar with. Note that the familiarity does not go the other way too. I can't feel the same familiarity with the viewer. Therefore, don't talk to me unless you have REAL conversation. One that actually requires my participation. Just saying hi? That's fine.
Friday, 24 June 2011
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
I Can Do Anything Better Than You
NO YOU CAN'T! YES I CAN!! This video just made me smile haha. The acting, especially of the woman is pretty awesome. Unfortunately embedding has been disabled for that video or I would have put it on the page.
"Nice vid, but what's the point?" you very well may ask. Well, "I can do anything better than you," has stricken me as the appropriate attitude for the majority of the YouTube idiots these days. Don't read that as "YouTube idiots" but as "YouTube's idiots." I'm not calling YouTube people all idiots but rather targeting the group within YouTube which can suitably be called... idiots.
This topic stems mostly from the problem that I've been having with the Fallout 3 LP but other LPs, both mine and others', as well. There always has to be that stupid person who HAS to point out everything you did wrong and tell you just how it should be done and/or how they did the deed with so much more prowess than you. To you I say, good job. Good job. You're better than me at this game. Great gods all mighty, good job. Now take your harping ass and get the fuck out of here.
My LPs are (so far) blind. That means that I can miss stuff, that means I can get lost, that means that I will not pull off everything in the game to utmost perfection. If that is SUCH a huge deal to you then respectfully get the fuck out and don't come back. Now, there may be some people who will tell me these people were merely just trying to help (probably because what I complain of hits a bit close to what they themselves do, which is give advice on how to best play the game at every opportunity). Let me point out however that there is a huge difference between the person who tells me how much I suck at a game and the person who tells me a bit more about how the game works. Sometimes I get pissed at both but the latter is acceptable.
The line between the two sometimes gets a little hazy though which is probably why the formerly mentioned latter would defend themselves against my railings here. But I'm getting really really tired of people pointing out things that I do "wrong." And sometimes, looking in retrospect, I will agree with them that I did something or other "wrong." My problem is that they feel such a need to point it out... even when I put text on the screen clearly aimed at telling them that I am aware of the error.
Such as in my recent Fallout 3 video where I completely miss the entrance to Rivet City (being that you have to speak into an intercom) and since these videos go up far after being recorded of course I know already where the entrance is. However, in the video I get a little off track and start doing other things which leads to me finding Rivet City's entrance in the next video. So being aware that people may be compelled to throw tomatoes with the sticky-note "you speak to the intercom, you idiot" attached to it, I added a text box on the screen (not annotation so annotations being turned off couldn't even be an issue) clearly stating that I know now where the intercom is and that the rest of the video is wandering around and that NEXT video I will have discovered it. But noooo, I STILL get stupid comments and messages telling me about how to get in. Really? You MISSED it? The text took up 3/4 of the screen and was displayed VERY shortly after me being all confused about how to get in. Really? Either 1) you're really stupid or 2) you felt so compelled to prove your knowledge of the game that the MOMENT that you saw me falter you had to pause the video and post a comment.
And THAT is where today's blog title comes from. I feel like people tell me a lot of the tips because they feel this need to show how much they know about the game. How much better they are at it. Now before I get carried away in rage, let me add that this does not include people who sincerely were trying to help by offering tips with something I was REALLY struggling with or something that I asked a question about. Obviously I wanted or needed help there and whatever, I'm fine with that. But when it's CLEAR that I've figured it out, when it's CLEAR that I'm getting by just fucking FINE thank you by myself... in THAT case, I really really really fucking hate people who point out shit to me.
Sometimes well-intentioned people annoy me as well. That just can't be helped. Sometimes they think I need help with something and I disagree. Sometimes they think I haven't figured it out yet and I already have. Shit like that will happen. Fine. I'll still be annoyed but I won't hate the person for it. But those god damned know-it-alls who just feel the need to let everyone know how great they are at a game. Good job. You'll get far in life.
"Nice vid, but what's the point?" you very well may ask. Well, "I can do anything better than you," has stricken me as the appropriate attitude for the majority of the YouTube idiots these days. Don't read that as "YouTube idiots" but as "YouTube's idiots." I'm not calling YouTube people all idiots but rather targeting the group within YouTube which can suitably be called... idiots.
This topic stems mostly from the problem that I've been having with the Fallout 3 LP but other LPs, both mine and others', as well. There always has to be that stupid person who HAS to point out everything you did wrong and tell you just how it should be done and/or how they did the deed with so much more prowess than you. To you I say, good job. Good job. You're better than me at this game. Great gods all mighty, good job. Now take your harping ass and get the fuck out of here.
My LPs are (so far) blind. That means that I can miss stuff, that means I can get lost, that means that I will not pull off everything in the game to utmost perfection. If that is SUCH a huge deal to you then respectfully get the fuck out and don't come back. Now, there may be some people who will tell me these people were merely just trying to help (probably because what I complain of hits a bit close to what they themselves do, which is give advice on how to best play the game at every opportunity). Let me point out however that there is a huge difference between the person who tells me how much I suck at a game and the person who tells me a bit more about how the game works. Sometimes I get pissed at both but the latter is acceptable.
The line between the two sometimes gets a little hazy though which is probably why the formerly mentioned latter would defend themselves against my railings here. But I'm getting really really tired of people pointing out things that I do "wrong." And sometimes, looking in retrospect, I will agree with them that I did something or other "wrong." My problem is that they feel such a need to point it out... even when I put text on the screen clearly aimed at telling them that I am aware of the error.
Such as in my recent Fallout 3 video where I completely miss the entrance to Rivet City (being that you have to speak into an intercom) and since these videos go up far after being recorded of course I know already where the entrance is. However, in the video I get a little off track and start doing other things which leads to me finding Rivet City's entrance in the next video. So being aware that people may be compelled to throw tomatoes with the sticky-note "you speak to the intercom, you idiot" attached to it, I added a text box on the screen (not annotation so annotations being turned off couldn't even be an issue) clearly stating that I know now where the intercom is and that the rest of the video is wandering around and that NEXT video I will have discovered it. But noooo, I STILL get stupid comments and messages telling me about how to get in. Really? You MISSED it? The text took up 3/4 of the screen and was displayed VERY shortly after me being all confused about how to get in. Really? Either 1) you're really stupid or 2) you felt so compelled to prove your knowledge of the game that the MOMENT that you saw me falter you had to pause the video and post a comment.
And THAT is where today's blog title comes from. I feel like people tell me a lot of the tips because they feel this need to show how much they know about the game. How much better they are at it. Now before I get carried away in rage, let me add that this does not include people who sincerely were trying to help by offering tips with something I was REALLY struggling with or something that I asked a question about. Obviously I wanted or needed help there and whatever, I'm fine with that. But when it's CLEAR that I've figured it out, when it's CLEAR that I'm getting by just fucking FINE thank you by myself... in THAT case, I really really really fucking hate people who point out shit to me.
Sometimes well-intentioned people annoy me as well. That just can't be helped. Sometimes they think I need help with something and I disagree. Sometimes they think I haven't figured it out yet and I already have. Shit like that will happen. Fine. I'll still be annoyed but I won't hate the person for it. But those god damned know-it-alls who just feel the need to let everyone know how great they are at a game. Good job. You'll get far in life.
Saturday, 11 June 2011
I Don't Have A Title For This Post.
Been a while, hasn't it? For once this is just going to be an update post not a topic post. Been pretty busy since my last post. I got my university residence application and deposit in. There was some issue and I got stuck in the system regarding the application and since I had to actually submit the application before sending the deposit–and the deposit being due in 7 days–I got a little panicked to say the least. Who knew how long I'd be stuck in the system for? And even just transferring the money. If it so happened that I ended up having to send it right before the weekend, that'd be 5 business days PLUS the weekend that my deposit would have to make it there, making a neat one week time limit in which I could completely miss the deposit deadline. So yes, I was a bit stressed about that. Luckily I got through the system in time and the deposit went through just fine and I made the due date with 4 days to spare.
Then there was the whole thing about planning my trip to Philly. Yes, I am going down there to visit Kevin once again. Have a lot of things to do there. Got that all planned out and okayed with my parents which actually took a lot longer than "since last post." My relationship with my parents is so weird and awkward and it's always a tip toeing affair.
This made some more work for me though: Americans, did you know that your immigrations is so paranoid that a person whose passport is within 6 months of the expiration date may be denied entry into your country? Yeah... Even Canadians, your friendly northern neighbours (actually, we're planning an attack on your government. Be prepared to be liberated and annexed). Well my passport expires this December 20th and the trip is to be July 20 so... yeah. Had to go get my passport renewed. But I was 15 last time I had the passport made and they require you to have been at least 16 the last time you made your passport in order to just renew. So instead of renewing I had to apply for a new one basically. They say it'll be here on July 7th. Let's hope it really makes it here by then (my dad expressed concern that it may be late because Canada Post is on strike... but some of them are still operational so hopefully it'll be alright. Besides, 7th - 20th is a long time).
And then something that's really been keeping me busy but in a good way: Fallout 3. Since I'm leaving for Philly on July 20th and won't be back until August 18th, I'm really starting to worry whether I can get this LP done before I go off to university on September 3rd. I know I still have quite a while left but you guys know my usual speed of playing things. It doesn't help that I seem to be taking forever to do just about anything in that game. I'm recording way ahead of my uploading so while Part 17 is going up right now as I type this, I have up to Part 34 actually processed and ready to upload as well as probably up to around Part 42 that is still in raw unprocessed video form. Yeah, I have THAT many videos recorded but I've still barely made any progress on the main quest of that game. I haven't even gotten to Rivet City yet. I've met Three Dog and I'm currently trying to get the dish for him from the Museum of Technology or whatever it was. Can't believe I have so many videos yet so little done. It's Moira's fault. I keep doing her research quests. Bad Moira! Bad! But that really is what I like about this game I suppose: just having so much to do. People having their individual stories and lives. It's a very interesting game. I really would be 100% in love with it if not for the crazy crashing problems. Anyways, should head off now, it's 2:30 AM! Jeez. Gooooood night.
Then there was the whole thing about planning my trip to Philly. Yes, I am going down there to visit Kevin once again. Have a lot of things to do there. Got that all planned out and okayed with my parents which actually took a lot longer than "since last post." My relationship with my parents is so weird and awkward and it's always a tip toeing affair.
This made some more work for me though: Americans, did you know that your immigrations is so paranoid that a person whose passport is within 6 months of the expiration date may be denied entry into your country? Yeah... Even Canadians, your friendly northern neighbours (actually, we're planning an attack on your government. Be prepared to be liberated and annexed). Well my passport expires this December 20th and the trip is to be July 20 so... yeah. Had to go get my passport renewed. But I was 15 last time I had the passport made and they require you to have been at least 16 the last time you made your passport in order to just renew. So instead of renewing I had to apply for a new one basically. They say it'll be here on July 7th. Let's hope it really makes it here by then (my dad expressed concern that it may be late because Canada Post is on strike... but some of them are still operational so hopefully it'll be alright. Besides, 7th - 20th is a long time).
And then something that's really been keeping me busy but in a good way: Fallout 3. Since I'm leaving for Philly on July 20th and won't be back until August 18th, I'm really starting to worry whether I can get this LP done before I go off to university on September 3rd. I know I still have quite a while left but you guys know my usual speed of playing things. It doesn't help that I seem to be taking forever to do just about anything in that game. I'm recording way ahead of my uploading so while Part 17 is going up right now as I type this, I have up to Part 34 actually processed and ready to upload as well as probably up to around Part 42 that is still in raw unprocessed video form. Yeah, I have THAT many videos recorded but I've still barely made any progress on the main quest of that game. I haven't even gotten to Rivet City yet. I've met Three Dog and I'm currently trying to get the dish for him from the Museum of Technology or whatever it was. Can't believe I have so many videos yet so little done. It's Moira's fault. I keep doing her research quests. Bad Moira! Bad! But that really is what I like about this game I suppose: just having so much to do. People having their individual stories and lives. It's a very interesting game. I really would be 100% in love with it if not for the crazy crashing problems. Anyways, should head off now, it's 2:30 AM! Jeez. Gooooood night.
Friday, 3 June 2011
Are You Happy?
So my mother has recently acquired this CD from a church friend of hers (my mother is the only religious person in my family) which features this Korean priest talking on various subjects. She likes to listen to it in the car so I get to listen to parts of it too whether I like it or not. One particular subject caught my attention. Happiness. But not just happiness, nor happiness for just anyone: happiness for South Koreans.
Now most of my audience probably isn't Korean but what the heck, a little cultural education never hurt anyone. The priest talked about the happiness level of Koreans and how it was ranked the lowest out of the developed countries. I looked it up online and he did, in fact, speak the truth. The OECD as well as Yonsei University (one of the top universities in South Korea) did surveys to find that Koreans were severely unhappy compared to their quality of life. Why? Culture. Stupid culture, perhaps. I always thought so.
So the priest talked about how Koreans ALL strive to get their children into the University of Seoul. Out of all those people, 1% of those people actually get into UoS. That MAY seem like a harshly small number but remember how small a country South Korea is. That means EVERY student in S. Korea has a higher percentage of being able to afford to go to UoS (and because it is Korea's best university, everyone who can WILL go there) unlike a huge country like U.S.A. where some smart people couldn't get to Harvard if they wished simply because of distance, travel costs, and family. Also remember that S. Korean culture is VASTLY different from this here western culture. A lot of people who are average smarts are content with that. They'll just go to an average university and they're perfectly fine with that. That's all they ever really reached for and that's all anyone ever expected them to reach for. In Korea, even if you're stupid as shit you TRY to get into UoS. You study your ass off. Which means that a higher percentage of the Korean population is trying to get into ONE school which inversely means a higher percentage of applications must be turned down.
Now that explaining that number of "1%" is over let's get into the problems this causes. Why did the priest bring this school and its 1% admission rate up in the discussion? Because this is the center focus of it all. Studying. I know, I know. How very typical. Asians. Studying. But I don't think a lot of western people realize how much grief this causes us Asians. I feel like a lot of western people see this as something inherent in all Asians and therefore must be something that comes easy for us. No. It's not. Asians have stupid people just like you westerners. Asians have people who suck at studying, Asians have people who just don't GET IT. But that doesn't change the expectations for anyone. The expectations of greatness, intelligence, high achievement, good job after university is STILL there. no matter who you are.
Most Korean children don't have much of a childhood. They're dropped into the studying pressure environment very early. They study study study. For what? To get into UoS. Their parents apply tons of pressure so that they may some day get into UoS. I bet your idea of studying doesn't even come close to what these kids do day in, day out. When my cousin was 14 he went to school 2 hours early to study there before class. After school he'd quickly grab something to eat from a street food vendor (these people make their living off of busy students) and go straight to tutoring. Afterward, he'd come home for dinner maybe get an hour or so of free time. Then he's out again, off to the library to study there. He comes home after midnight and goes straight to sleep... Then his day starts again, just like the one before. Is it a wonder that these people are unhappy? Where do you even find a moment to even crack a joke in the midst of all that?
Then reality crashes down. Only 1% of students get into UoS. Parents are disappointed in you. You're disappointed in yourself. All that studying you did, all that you've accomplished is nothing in anyone's eyes. You didn't get in. You only get scorn from your parents, nagging from them that you should have studied more. So off you go to the second or third, fourth, maybe fifth choice of university. Now this is where I find it so stupid. In Korea University is a lot easier than high school. Backwards. I know. This ALWAYS infuriated me because in my eyes it was SUCH a waste of your childhood. You're never going to get your childhood back. Yet you spent all that time being so focused on studying. Then when the system finally gives you a bit of a break you now have other things to worry about. Like a job and paying bills, and taking care of yourself.
Now you get into your job and you don't get a break. You can't get sick. You can't take vacations. You can't slack off. Why? Because South Korea is over populated. Also the education rate in Korea is very very high. That means that you are NEVER irreplaceable. In fact there are always a ton of people who are willing to step forward and take your job. If you show your boss that you don't do work as well as some other people do, you're gone. After all, if there's someone who can do the job better at no extra cost... why would anyone keep you? So you work work work your ass off to secure your place. Then beware when you get old. The younger generation is coming in and if you don't have anything to show for your years of experiences, a little youngster is going to take your place.
So you see, Koreans never get a peace of mind. There's always something snapping at their heels. They HAVE to keep moving. Without peace of mind there is no happiness.
Luckily, I escaped this. My parents decided to immigrate to Canada in 1998. At school I was just starting to be treated more and more harshly... then I got on a plane and came here where school was basically colouring and raising butterflies. I still experienced some of pressure, my parents still acting Korean and what not, but the environment was a huge huge difference. I am grateful that I got to experience true childhood and not this madness the Korean children go through.
Now most of my audience probably isn't Korean but what the heck, a little cultural education never hurt anyone. The priest talked about the happiness level of Koreans and how it was ranked the lowest out of the developed countries. I looked it up online and he did, in fact, speak the truth. The OECD as well as Yonsei University (one of the top universities in South Korea) did surveys to find that Koreans were severely unhappy compared to their quality of life. Why? Culture. Stupid culture, perhaps. I always thought so.
So the priest talked about how Koreans ALL strive to get their children into the University of Seoul. Out of all those people, 1% of those people actually get into UoS. That MAY seem like a harshly small number but remember how small a country South Korea is. That means EVERY student in S. Korea has a higher percentage of being able to afford to go to UoS (and because it is Korea's best university, everyone who can WILL go there) unlike a huge country like U.S.A. where some smart people couldn't get to Harvard if they wished simply because of distance, travel costs, and family. Also remember that S. Korean culture is VASTLY different from this here western culture. A lot of people who are average smarts are content with that. They'll just go to an average university and they're perfectly fine with that. That's all they ever really reached for and that's all anyone ever expected them to reach for. In Korea, even if you're stupid as shit you TRY to get into UoS. You study your ass off. Which means that a higher percentage of the Korean population is trying to get into ONE school which inversely means a higher percentage of applications must be turned down.
Now that explaining that number of "1%" is over let's get into the problems this causes. Why did the priest bring this school and its 1% admission rate up in the discussion? Because this is the center focus of it all. Studying. I know, I know. How very typical. Asians. Studying. But I don't think a lot of western people realize how much grief this causes us Asians. I feel like a lot of western people see this as something inherent in all Asians and therefore must be something that comes easy for us. No. It's not. Asians have stupid people just like you westerners. Asians have people who suck at studying, Asians have people who just don't GET IT. But that doesn't change the expectations for anyone. The expectations of greatness, intelligence, high achievement, good job after university is STILL there. no matter who you are.
Most Korean children don't have much of a childhood. They're dropped into the studying pressure environment very early. They study study study. For what? To get into UoS. Their parents apply tons of pressure so that they may some day get into UoS. I bet your idea of studying doesn't even come close to what these kids do day in, day out. When my cousin was 14 he went to school 2 hours early to study there before class. After school he'd quickly grab something to eat from a street food vendor (these people make their living off of busy students) and go straight to tutoring. Afterward, he'd come home for dinner maybe get an hour or so of free time. Then he's out again, off to the library to study there. He comes home after midnight and goes straight to sleep... Then his day starts again, just like the one before. Is it a wonder that these people are unhappy? Where do you even find a moment to even crack a joke in the midst of all that?
Then reality crashes down. Only 1% of students get into UoS. Parents are disappointed in you. You're disappointed in yourself. All that studying you did, all that you've accomplished is nothing in anyone's eyes. You didn't get in. You only get scorn from your parents, nagging from them that you should have studied more. So off you go to the second or third, fourth, maybe fifth choice of university. Now this is where I find it so stupid. In Korea University is a lot easier than high school. Backwards. I know. This ALWAYS infuriated me because in my eyes it was SUCH a waste of your childhood. You're never going to get your childhood back. Yet you spent all that time being so focused on studying. Then when the system finally gives you a bit of a break you now have other things to worry about. Like a job and paying bills, and taking care of yourself.
Now you get into your job and you don't get a break. You can't get sick. You can't take vacations. You can't slack off. Why? Because South Korea is over populated. Also the education rate in Korea is very very high. That means that you are NEVER irreplaceable. In fact there are always a ton of people who are willing to step forward and take your job. If you show your boss that you don't do work as well as some other people do, you're gone. After all, if there's someone who can do the job better at no extra cost... why would anyone keep you? So you work work work your ass off to secure your place. Then beware when you get old. The younger generation is coming in and if you don't have anything to show for your years of experiences, a little youngster is going to take your place.
So you see, Koreans never get a peace of mind. There's always something snapping at their heels. They HAVE to keep moving. Without peace of mind there is no happiness.
Luckily, I escaped this. My parents decided to immigrate to Canada in 1998. At school I was just starting to be treated more and more harshly... then I got on a plane and came here where school was basically colouring and raising butterflies. I still experienced some of pressure, my parents still acting Korean and what not, but the environment was a huge huge difference. I am grateful that I got to experience true childhood and not this madness the Korean children go through.
Sunday, 29 May 2011
Dragon Age 2: Review
It's been a while since I finished Dragon Age 2 and I meant to write a review on it but forgot until now. Better late than never! (Actually, no one cares so... yeah) I have a feeling this review will not be very organized in any way whatsoever. It will probably be all over the place and long long winded so be prepared! I've added little "titles" to each paragraph so you can pick what you want to read. This was done after having written the thing though so the whole thing still reads like one unified review.
From the get-go I will admit that I was VERY biased going into this game. People had already been complaining about how bad it was and I had several friends constantly talking about how bad the story was and how bad the bugs were... etc etc. I bought this SIXTY dollar game with the mind-set of "This is probably going to suck." But that's what series loyalty does to ya. Dragon Age: Origins was so amazing that no matter what other people said I just HAD to play the sequel myself.
Story
But where to start in reviewing this thing? Story I guess. At first I didn't even try to follow with the story. "It was bad." was all that was imprinted in my mind and I found myself doing other stuff while the cut scenes were going on. Now that is 70% my fault. I had this bias and I wasn't willing to give it my full attention. It's no wonder that I felt the story seriously boring at first. But then it occurred to me that there was no way I was going to enjoy even a moment of this if I didn't pay attention. So I started to really invest myself in the cut scenes and found to my surprise that I was enjoying the game more.
Story & Quests
Even having started paying attention though (or perhaps because of it) I could plainly see the flaws all over this story. I would rather call this game a story of many stories with every story having one thing in common: Hawke. Problem was its very structure. The story of many stories thing didn't work. It just felt like one bothersome task after another all the while wondering what the heck my main quest was. The fact that the main quests felt like (and had the depth and length of) any other side quest was seriously wrong wrong wrong. Side quests are supposed to be little things that I can go off and do on my own but main quests are always supposed to be the thing that pulls me back to the story and re-immerses me in the game. That didn't happen. DA2's main attraction was side quests. Each "Chapter" all I was doing was clearing out all my side quests then doing the main quest just to unlock the next batch of side quests. The main quests weren't main quests at all but side quest trigger markers.
Quest Comparison
Let's compare the quests to DA:O (though some people don't like comparisons). DA:O had many tiers of quests: Main quest, Main quest's sub-quests, side quests, and mini side quests. Main quest was the big looming thing that was ALWAYS there. The thing you got at the beginning of the game and basically stayed with you the whole game: The recruitment process. This quest WAS the game. It was the outlying main thing that was always clear as the main thing and always guiding you. Main quest's sub-quests were quests that you got while doing the main quest (example: Main quest is to go to Redcliff and recruit Eammon. Main quest's sub-quest is saving the demon child). Side quests were things like getting Shale, "killing" Flemeth, things from the Chantry board. Mini side quests were things like the Chasind markers in the wilds when you go out with the Wardens the first time, finding random people and telling giving them messages.. etc. Now, compare THAT with DA2's "side quest and mini side quest" quest structure. That's ALL that game was. There was NEVER a real main quest like in DA:O. Any dubbed "main quest" in DA2 had less depth than DA:O's main sub-quests. They were usually over very quick and constituted of you meeting people, talking briefly, then killing them.
Characters / Hawke
Enough on that. Let's go into characters. Why does Hawke not feel like a true hero? Because he's not. I'm not even sure why Kirkwall would name him the Champion in the first place. Yeah, sure he defeated the Arishok but a feat like that basically gets you a "thanks for the help dude" medal and a good-job slap on the toosh... NOT overwhelming influence over everything in the city. Hawke basically became the Whimsical Police. If Hawke had said "Hmm.. yes, I see. Your problems are grave indeed... but man, you're just SO ugly. Sorry dude, I gotta kill you." in a side quest, I don't think I would even have blinked. Hawke kills anything and everyone totally based on his own whims. This does NOT a hero make.
Aveline
What about the other characters? Aveline? What's wrong with you bitch? You're CAPTAIN of the GUARDS. "Mmm, yes Hawke... I completely disagree with your decision to slash and hack these poor people down and you just got +10 rivalry with me but oooh what the hey! Killing people is fun, I'll help!" She shows NO back bone about anything Hawke does. The most you get from her is a "HMPH!" You'd expect more from someone who looks like she was carved out of stone (meaning she looks blocky...).
Meredith
I initially really liked Meredith and her quests. I was very interested to see what she does with the Eluvian. So I got to the part where she's convinced she needs to see the demon again and we go to the mountain, yadda yadda, oh noes, Keeper Merethari. Wah. Then it's like the story just vanishes. Did I miss something? Was I supposed to trigger something else? I really feel like I missed something. She just drops the whole thing after the Keeper dies. I mean I COULD understand why if you attribute associated guilt to the whole thing (meaning she feels guilty about killing the Dalish clan and sees the Eluvian as the source of all her woes and decides to abandon it). But maybe this could have been shared with me? I mean come on I faced fricking DEMONS for your damn mirror, girl! Least you can do is let me know how the project is going on. For all I know this point may be invalid. I may have been supposed to go to her house and talk to her and stuff... I honestly don't remember if I did or not. All I remember is that this story was one of the better ones and it just kinda ended abruptly.
Bugs
I'm not going to go into all the characters, that would be too long winded even for me. So let's move on to something everyone loves to hate: Bugs. Stuff disappearing on me was a common problem. Everyone knows that when you kill a big dragon in Dragon Age this epic cut scene is supposed to happen with your character jumping on to the head and striking a sword between the beast's eyes to slay the thing once and for all! Yeah um.. my dragon disappeared. My character jumped into the air, landed on something invisible and started fighting said invisible thing. She swung around wildly and whipped out her greatsword majestically and went BAM!... into thin air. Good job Kirisone (Hawke), well done, my girl.
Then there's Fenris's quest of finding this woman whose name I forget and making her talk or something. I forget. But it's where you pick up that slave elf girl.. Orana? Is that her name? Again, I forget. I had to do this twice. Partly my fault I guess but Bioware should have seen this coming and prevented this. I thought, "hey, can I just go do Fenris's quest without him? I really don't feel like heading back to some place I can switch characters at.." and proceeded into the cave. Yes, you CAN do the quest without him. It just bugs out. You get some cut scenes and again my Hawke is interacting with something invisible. Namely, Fenris. He's not there but the cut scene acts like he is. His voice comes out of thin air too! Aveline was randomly chosen to be omitted from the cut scene in order to "make room" for Fenris. But after dealing with Orana (I made her my paid servant), four of my companions got points in the friends/rival meter. Aveline, Varric, and Anders (who were in my party)... and Fenris. Then we get to the end and this invisible man thing happens again with that woman we were after. She dies but I can't get the conclusion of the quest because Fenris isn't there (but he just was for the cut scene?). So I go out, bring Fenris, and walk all the way back to that damned corpse to try to trigger the end of the quest. Nope. No can do. I had to reload a previous save.
Then there was this thing with my girl's armor. The gauntlets she was wearing were shorter-than-typical gauntlets. It only went like a quarter of her arm instead of the standard half of the arm. This caused my character to have a gap in her arms between her armor arms and her gauntlets. There was just this blank hole that you could see through. Oh my god! Kirisone, stop having sex with Fenris! His invisible man syndrome is contagious! (And yes, I fucked Fenris once. One night stand. I then proceeded to make teh lovez with Anders.)
In one side quest this girl was kidnapped. I was supposed to go to the Wounded Coast to find their secret hideaway and rescue the girl. I think I found them... you turn right at the beginning and then turn right again soon after and there's this off-to-the-side little clearing. Except when I went there, there was this one Bandit Leader standing there just doing the idle motion animations. I couldn't talk to him or do anything. I thought maybe the game needed restarting. I went back to Hawke's house, quit the game, restarted, went back to that alcove... and deeerp. The Bandit Leader is apparently blind and deaf.
The Dialogue Wheel / Voice Acting and Hawke
I'm sure tons of people think the same thing.. but the dialogue wheel was awful. She said stuff that I didn't mean to say at all. The dialogue wheel is at fault for making me feel really distanced from my character. In DA:O I LOVED my character. I had her personality down. She was awesome and I just loved controlling her not only for her awesome damage but because I liked her and I liked BEING her. The only reason I liked controlling Kirisone Hawke was that she dished out damage. I wanted to give her a personality but the dialogue wheel and voice acting completely ruined any sense of her being my own. I get that it's a preset character type thing but isn't this supposed to be an RPG? Bioware really screwed up in trying to give you a preset character you could customize. It just didn't work. If you just give the player a preset character who will act a certain way no matter what with the choices given to you being only very basic... then the player will easily accept that and move on. After all, that's just how the character is! But Bioware tried this thing where Hawke is both preset and personal. It failed. Most of the time the personality I had in mind for Hawke wasn't an option on the dialogue wheel... Even if it was she said it completely wrong. Then there's some cut scenes in which you don't control Hawke's speech. Such as at the end when you're about to face which ever enemy you chose (I was facing the Templars) and she gives this speech of motivation. I'm just sitting there thinking, "my Hawke would NEVER give a cheesy speech like this." Oh, and don't even get me started on the jokes/sarcastic responses. They just made me cringe.
The Good
So far I've been pretty harsh and spoke only about the bad. So here's a section on the good. Combat. I went back and played a bit of DA:O after I finished DA2. The combat there was pretty slow and a bit awkward at times. DA2's combat was a lot more polished and fast paced. Making you feel like you were accomplishing more and that you were more bad ass. Which I suppose is the effect they were going for.
Some of the stories weren't that bad either. This game was, as I said, a story of stories. Some of the stories actually were pretty good. The only downside was that they were still side quests and so were cut short.
The character level up interface. I really liked that they explained everything this time and showed directly the changes. In DA:O, when I first started, I was a bit confused about what each stat did. Of course I had prior knowledge as well as the explanations they offered. But the difference was that when you put points into Dex in DA2 you saw the Critical points going up on the side. There was no doubt about what it was going to do and the explanation clearly states what takes Dex. DA:O's explanation of "piercing weapons" did leave me to assume some things.
Graphics. I'm not just talking quality. I don't know what it is with DA:O but I cannot run that game well on my computer. It has such bad frame rate issues. Issues that I did not have at with DA2. Perhaps this is a localized difference but for me, DA2 ran a lot smoother. People with good computers are probably thinking "pft wtf, get a better computer." But not really an option for me and that was just my own personal experience.
Conclusion
Dragon Age 2 is by no means a horrible game. I actually think it's a lot better than a lot of people give it credit for. It's just the fact that it has a masterpiece called Dragon Age: Origins to compare to really make DA2 look dismal. That does not excuse its faults though. Going back to DA:O after DA2, I realized that the crucial difference between the two was depth. This occurred to me while I talked to the Ash Warriors in the camp at Ostagar. The number of dialogue options and how far they delved into the Ash Warriors just struck me. Ash Warriors have damn near NOTHING to do with the story at all. They're just there to give it flavour and add to the realism. They are not important at all... yet they were given so much depth and information.. While as DA2 spent not even half the amount of info on real important things. DA2 just lacked depth. This huge review is hardly enough to cover stuff they did wrong. I'd give the game a 6.5/10... and trust me if I wasn't conscious of how long my posts are, I could talk a lot more on this game.
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
From the get-go I will admit that I was VERY biased going into this game. People had already been complaining about how bad it was and I had several friends constantly talking about how bad the story was and how bad the bugs were... etc etc. I bought this SIXTY dollar game with the mind-set of "This is probably going to suck." But that's what series loyalty does to ya. Dragon Age: Origins was so amazing that no matter what other people said I just HAD to play the sequel myself.
Story
But where to start in reviewing this thing? Story I guess. At first I didn't even try to follow with the story. "It was bad." was all that was imprinted in my mind and I found myself doing other stuff while the cut scenes were going on. Now that is 70% my fault. I had this bias and I wasn't willing to give it my full attention. It's no wonder that I felt the story seriously boring at first. But then it occurred to me that there was no way I was going to enjoy even a moment of this if I didn't pay attention. So I started to really invest myself in the cut scenes and found to my surprise that I was enjoying the game more.
Story & Quests
Even having started paying attention though (or perhaps because of it) I could plainly see the flaws all over this story. I would rather call this game a story of many stories with every story having one thing in common: Hawke. Problem was its very structure. The story of many stories thing didn't work. It just felt like one bothersome task after another all the while wondering what the heck my main quest was. The fact that the main quests felt like (and had the depth and length of) any other side quest was seriously wrong wrong wrong. Side quests are supposed to be little things that I can go off and do on my own but main quests are always supposed to be the thing that pulls me back to the story and re-immerses me in the game. That didn't happen. DA2's main attraction was side quests. Each "Chapter" all I was doing was clearing out all my side quests then doing the main quest just to unlock the next batch of side quests. The main quests weren't main quests at all but side quest trigger markers.
Quest Comparison
Let's compare the quests to DA:O (though some people don't like comparisons). DA:O had many tiers of quests: Main quest, Main quest's sub-quests, side quests, and mini side quests. Main quest was the big looming thing that was ALWAYS there. The thing you got at the beginning of the game and basically stayed with you the whole game: The recruitment process. This quest WAS the game. It was the outlying main thing that was always clear as the main thing and always guiding you. Main quest's sub-quests were quests that you got while doing the main quest (example: Main quest is to go to Redcliff and recruit Eammon. Main quest's sub-quest is saving the demon child). Side quests were things like getting Shale, "killing" Flemeth, things from the Chantry board. Mini side quests were things like the Chasind markers in the wilds when you go out with the Wardens the first time, finding random people and telling giving them messages.. etc. Now, compare THAT with DA2's "side quest and mini side quest" quest structure. That's ALL that game was. There was NEVER a real main quest like in DA:O. Any dubbed "main quest" in DA2 had less depth than DA:O's main sub-quests. They were usually over very quick and constituted of you meeting people, talking briefly, then killing them.
Characters / Hawke
Enough on that. Let's go into characters. Why does Hawke not feel like a true hero? Because he's not. I'm not even sure why Kirkwall would name him the Champion in the first place. Yeah, sure he defeated the Arishok but a feat like that basically gets you a "thanks for the help dude" medal and a good-job slap on the toosh... NOT overwhelming influence over everything in the city. Hawke basically became the Whimsical Police. If Hawke had said "Hmm.. yes, I see. Your problems are grave indeed... but man, you're just SO ugly. Sorry dude, I gotta kill you." in a side quest, I don't think I would even have blinked. Hawke kills anything and everyone totally based on his own whims. This does NOT a hero make.
Aveline
What about the other characters? Aveline? What's wrong with you bitch? You're CAPTAIN of the GUARDS. "Mmm, yes Hawke... I completely disagree with your decision to slash and hack these poor people down and you just got +10 rivalry with me but oooh what the hey! Killing people is fun, I'll help!" She shows NO back bone about anything Hawke does. The most you get from her is a "HMPH!" You'd expect more from someone who looks like she was carved out of stone (meaning she looks blocky...).
Meredith
I initially really liked Meredith and her quests. I was very interested to see what she does with the Eluvian. So I got to the part where she's convinced she needs to see the demon again and we go to the mountain, yadda yadda, oh noes, Keeper Merethari. Wah. Then it's like the story just vanishes. Did I miss something? Was I supposed to trigger something else? I really feel like I missed something. She just drops the whole thing after the Keeper dies. I mean I COULD understand why if you attribute associated guilt to the whole thing (meaning she feels guilty about killing the Dalish clan and sees the Eluvian as the source of all her woes and decides to abandon it). But maybe this could have been shared with me? I mean come on I faced fricking DEMONS for your damn mirror, girl! Least you can do is let me know how the project is going on. For all I know this point may be invalid. I may have been supposed to go to her house and talk to her and stuff... I honestly don't remember if I did or not. All I remember is that this story was one of the better ones and it just kinda ended abruptly.
Bugs
I'm not going to go into all the characters, that would be too long winded even for me. So let's move on to something everyone loves to hate: Bugs. Stuff disappearing on me was a common problem. Everyone knows that when you kill a big dragon in Dragon Age this epic cut scene is supposed to happen with your character jumping on to the head and striking a sword between the beast's eyes to slay the thing once and for all! Yeah um.. my dragon disappeared. My character jumped into the air, landed on something invisible and started fighting said invisible thing. She swung around wildly and whipped out her greatsword majestically and went BAM!... into thin air. Good job Kirisone (Hawke), well done, my girl.
Then there's Fenris's quest of finding this woman whose name I forget and making her talk or something. I forget. But it's where you pick up that slave elf girl.. Orana? Is that her name? Again, I forget. I had to do this twice. Partly my fault I guess but Bioware should have seen this coming and prevented this. I thought, "hey, can I just go do Fenris's quest without him? I really don't feel like heading back to some place I can switch characters at.." and proceeded into the cave. Yes, you CAN do the quest without him. It just bugs out. You get some cut scenes and again my Hawke is interacting with something invisible. Namely, Fenris. He's not there but the cut scene acts like he is. His voice comes out of thin air too! Aveline was randomly chosen to be omitted from the cut scene in order to "make room" for Fenris. But after dealing with Orana (I made her my paid servant), four of my companions got points in the friends/rival meter. Aveline, Varric, and Anders (who were in my party)... and Fenris. Then we get to the end and this invisible man thing happens again with that woman we were after. She dies but I can't get the conclusion of the quest because Fenris isn't there (but he just was for the cut scene?). So I go out, bring Fenris, and walk all the way back to that damned corpse to try to trigger the end of the quest. Nope. No can do. I had to reload a previous save.
Then there was this thing with my girl's armor. The gauntlets she was wearing were shorter-than-typical gauntlets. It only went like a quarter of her arm instead of the standard half of the arm. This caused my character to have a gap in her arms between her armor arms and her gauntlets. There was just this blank hole that you could see through. Oh my god! Kirisone, stop having sex with Fenris! His invisible man syndrome is contagious! (And yes, I fucked Fenris once. One night stand. I then proceeded to make teh lovez with Anders.)
In one side quest this girl was kidnapped. I was supposed to go to the Wounded Coast to find their secret hideaway and rescue the girl. I think I found them... you turn right at the beginning and then turn right again soon after and there's this off-to-the-side little clearing. Except when I went there, there was this one Bandit Leader standing there just doing the idle motion animations. I couldn't talk to him or do anything. I thought maybe the game needed restarting. I went back to Hawke's house, quit the game, restarted, went back to that alcove... and deeerp. The Bandit Leader is apparently blind and deaf.
The Dialogue Wheel / Voice Acting and Hawke
I'm sure tons of people think the same thing.. but the dialogue wheel was awful. She said stuff that I didn't mean to say at all. The dialogue wheel is at fault for making me feel really distanced from my character. In DA:O I LOVED my character. I had her personality down. She was awesome and I just loved controlling her not only for her awesome damage but because I liked her and I liked BEING her. The only reason I liked controlling Kirisone Hawke was that she dished out damage. I wanted to give her a personality but the dialogue wheel and voice acting completely ruined any sense of her being my own. I get that it's a preset character type thing but isn't this supposed to be an RPG? Bioware really screwed up in trying to give you a preset character you could customize. It just didn't work. If you just give the player a preset character who will act a certain way no matter what with the choices given to you being only very basic... then the player will easily accept that and move on. After all, that's just how the character is! But Bioware tried this thing where Hawke is both preset and personal. It failed. Most of the time the personality I had in mind for Hawke wasn't an option on the dialogue wheel... Even if it was she said it completely wrong. Then there's some cut scenes in which you don't control Hawke's speech. Such as at the end when you're about to face which ever enemy you chose (I was facing the Templars) and she gives this speech of motivation. I'm just sitting there thinking, "my Hawke would NEVER give a cheesy speech like this." Oh, and don't even get me started on the jokes/sarcastic responses. They just made me cringe.
The Good
So far I've been pretty harsh and spoke only about the bad. So here's a section on the good. Combat. I went back and played a bit of DA:O after I finished DA2. The combat there was pretty slow and a bit awkward at times. DA2's combat was a lot more polished and fast paced. Making you feel like you were accomplishing more and that you were more bad ass. Which I suppose is the effect they were going for.
Some of the stories weren't that bad either. This game was, as I said, a story of stories. Some of the stories actually were pretty good. The only downside was that they were still side quests and so were cut short.
The character level up interface. I really liked that they explained everything this time and showed directly the changes. In DA:O, when I first started, I was a bit confused about what each stat did. Of course I had prior knowledge as well as the explanations they offered. But the difference was that when you put points into Dex in DA2 you saw the Critical points going up on the side. There was no doubt about what it was going to do and the explanation clearly states what takes Dex. DA:O's explanation of "piercing weapons" did leave me to assume some things.
Graphics. I'm not just talking quality. I don't know what it is with DA:O but I cannot run that game well on my computer. It has such bad frame rate issues. Issues that I did not have at with DA2. Perhaps this is a localized difference but for me, DA2 ran a lot smoother. People with good computers are probably thinking "pft wtf, get a better computer." But not really an option for me and that was just my own personal experience.
Conclusion
Dragon Age 2 is by no means a horrible game. I actually think it's a lot better than a lot of people give it credit for. It's just the fact that it has a masterpiece called Dragon Age: Origins to compare to really make DA2 look dismal. That does not excuse its faults though. Going back to DA:O after DA2, I realized that the crucial difference between the two was depth. This occurred to me while I talked to the Ash Warriors in the camp at Ostagar. The number of dialogue options and how far they delved into the Ash Warriors just struck me. Ash Warriors have damn near NOTHING to do with the story at all. They're just there to give it flavour and add to the realism. They are not important at all... yet they were given so much depth and information.. While as DA2 spent not even half the amount of info on real important things. DA2 just lacked depth. This huge review is hardly enough to cover stuff they did wrong. I'd give the game a 6.5/10... and trust me if I wasn't conscious of how long my posts are, I could talk a lot more on this game.
Saturday, 28 May 2011
The Norm and The Different
So here's something that's always rather tugged at me as annoying: people who dislike the norm because it is the norm. Instead they opt for something out of the way in order to be "different." Let me ask you people, why does it matter?
These people are so bent on being an individual and not letting society shape who they are that they'll consciously dodge the things trending in society. But isn't that just a little bit silly? I knew a guy who liked Angelina Jolie as an actress. He claimed that he was a fan of her long before she become REALLY famous. But then he said to me, "but I don't like her anymore. Everyone else likes her now." Excuse me? So you're going to let the fact that other people like her sway YOUR judgment on her into a dislike. That does not scream individualism to me; that screams that you're just as much a "slave" to trends as you think those who follow it are.
Why these people think social trends are so awful is a mystery to me. Most of them say that they refuse to go with the crowd; that they will be their own person. But as I have just pointed out, these people are letting society shape them just as surely as if they were following them. You can't be a social animal (and if you wish to be a human then yes, you are a social animal. I don't care what you think you are. It doesn't even matter if you're an anti-social human; you're still a social animal.) and seek to escape the social trends. You can certainly dislike or disagree with things society does or likes. For instance when rap songs were all the rage I hated them so much. But not because I didn't want to follow a trend but because I honestly didn't like the rap songs. I like songs I can sing along to and with rap songs it's more like... speaking along. I also hated the attitude of "whoa man look at mah bling bling with these ho's dancin' and shakin' their booty."
So yes, you CAN dislike something that's trending. I am certainly not saying you can't. But to run away from trends is just silly. If you REALLY want to be an individual how about making your own judgments? When that new Lady Gaga song comes on the radio, don't let the first thought be "Oh its Lady Gaga, everyone likes her so I must hate this" but try judging it yourself. I have nothing against people who actually don't like her songs and her style. That's fine. Just don't judge everything relative to whether everyone else likes or dislikes it.
Then there's the flip side of people who want to be different but do so in a way that everyone else who wants to be different does it so in fact they end up not being very different at all. That was a bit of a weird, confusing sentence so let's give a really simple example: teenage goth kids. My apologies if you're that way because you like that style or because you think that reflects who you are. Then I have no qualms with you. But what about those people who are like, "I want to be different. Hey, those goth kids are different! I'll be like them." That's rather counter-intuitive of you, newly-turned-goth-kid. You want to be different from one group so you'll be different with another group...? I understand that it's a smaller group but at the same token, it's still a group. You're not being different.
I think a huge problem with these people is that they really want to be different and an individual; they want to be their own person but they don't yet know who that person is. So they just try to be different by avoiding the norm. These people really need to realize this. Their end goal is not to be different but to be an individual. Instead of wasting time running from trends, how about you spend that time trying to find out who are you are? When you first encounter something, always just go with your gut on whether you like or dislike it. No more thoughts on whether anyone else likes it or not because honestly, that's just plain silly.
These people are so bent on being an individual and not letting society shape who they are that they'll consciously dodge the things trending in society. But isn't that just a little bit silly? I knew a guy who liked Angelina Jolie as an actress. He claimed that he was a fan of her long before she become REALLY famous. But then he said to me, "but I don't like her anymore. Everyone else likes her now." Excuse me? So you're going to let the fact that other people like her sway YOUR judgment on her into a dislike. That does not scream individualism to me; that screams that you're just as much a "slave" to trends as you think those who follow it are.
Why these people think social trends are so awful is a mystery to me. Most of them say that they refuse to go with the crowd; that they will be their own person. But as I have just pointed out, these people are letting society shape them just as surely as if they were following them. You can't be a social animal (and if you wish to be a human then yes, you are a social animal. I don't care what you think you are. It doesn't even matter if you're an anti-social human; you're still a social animal.) and seek to escape the social trends. You can certainly dislike or disagree with things society does or likes. For instance when rap songs were all the rage I hated them so much. But not because I didn't want to follow a trend but because I honestly didn't like the rap songs. I like songs I can sing along to and with rap songs it's more like... speaking along. I also hated the attitude of "whoa man look at mah bling bling with these ho's dancin' and shakin' their booty."
So yes, you CAN dislike something that's trending. I am certainly not saying you can't. But to run away from trends is just silly. If you REALLY want to be an individual how about making your own judgments? When that new Lady Gaga song comes on the radio, don't let the first thought be "Oh its Lady Gaga, everyone likes her so I must hate this" but try judging it yourself. I have nothing against people who actually don't like her songs and her style. That's fine. Just don't judge everything relative to whether everyone else likes or dislikes it.
Then there's the flip side of people who want to be different but do so in a way that everyone else who wants to be different does it so in fact they end up not being very different at all. That was a bit of a weird, confusing sentence so let's give a really simple example: teenage goth kids. My apologies if you're that way because you like that style or because you think that reflects who you are. Then I have no qualms with you. But what about those people who are like, "I want to be different. Hey, those goth kids are different! I'll be like them." That's rather counter-intuitive of you, newly-turned-goth-kid. You want to be different from one group so you'll be different with another group...? I understand that it's a smaller group but at the same token, it's still a group. You're not being different.
I think a huge problem with these people is that they really want to be different and an individual; they want to be their own person but they don't yet know who that person is. So they just try to be different by avoiding the norm. These people really need to realize this. Their end goal is not to be different but to be an individual. Instead of wasting time running from trends, how about you spend that time trying to find out who are you are? When you first encounter something, always just go with your gut on whether you like or dislike it. No more thoughts on whether anyone else likes it or not because honestly, that's just plain silly.
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Fair Play: Back Dooring
In every game there's something which someone, somewhere thinks is cheap or unfair. It's completely within the rules of the game yet they still think it's unfair and that you should not do it. They even go as far as to talk shit to you about it.
Take League of Legends for example. A game that a lot of you are familiar with. I'm sure all of you have heard of back dooring. It is when a champion goes up to a turret with no minions by their side and "tanks" the turret while just proceeding to take down the turret. While I find this very annoying I don't actually think it's unfair. Just looking at the word "unfair" is enough to explain why. Fairness. Equality. The lack of thus qualities is what constitutes "unfair." The back dooring of turrets is fair because no matter what character I am, I, too, could build up tons of health/armor items and go do the same thing to their turret. It is fair because I can do it too. I DO, however, think it's pretty lame for someone to JUST back door turrets. You know, when they spend the entire game just running up to the turret, hitting it, dying (either by turret or by someone coming to defend it), then revive, do it again. THAT is lame because it's not fun for either team.
However there are some people who have a HUGE problem with back dooring. I've heard that it is considered very rude, comparable, say, to walking all over a park flower bed. You damaged it and it's not illegal to walk on it.. but it's rude. I can understand that. It's very annoying and frustrating to deal with so I can understand why some people have a problem with it. It is NOT okay, however, for these people (meaning those who have a problem with it) to start conducting themselves in a derogatory manner. "You beeping piece of beep beep. That's so NOOB you BEEP." Yeah.. no.
Then there's the people who broaden the term of back dooring. On my team, I'm the resident back doorer. But not because I go up to turrets and tank it while killing it.. No. Because while my team engages them in skirmishes and battles, I go and push lanes and kill turrets WITH minions. This is another type of back dooring to be sure. However, I find that this one you REALLY can't complain about. Why? Because you had at LEAST a minute warning of me coming to hit even ONE auto attack on that turret. I am in plain sight the whole time hitting these minions. You know I'm pushing the lane. You know I'm going to follow my minions up and hit that turret. If you chose to ignore me and engage the rest of my team or go jungling or dragon or whatever have you... then that's not my fault. That's your own neglect. If you're neglecting your turret then hell yes I am going to go hit that baby up and call social services. (For those of you who don't know... I call turrets babies. "Top baby!" and "Bottom baby!" is something you hear a lot if you play with me. It's me crying for someone to go defend that baby.)
Yet people still feel the need to complain. "Fking Teemo back doorer!" "I'm pushing the lane..?" "If there's a team fight you HAVE to be there. You can't be hitting turrets!" Really? Please... point me towards the league of legends rules where it says I HAVE to be in a team fight or that your neglected baby can't be killed while you erm.. neglect it. Get this through your minds people... there's a huge difference between "annoying" and "fair play." Yes, I DO know that my push-lane-back-dooring tactic is annoying. But I ALSO know that it is neither illegal nor even rude. Actually, other than back dooring without minions, I don't really know of anything else that people widely consider "unfair" or "rude" in league of legends. Let me know if you know of any... I'm curious to know.
Take League of Legends for example. A game that a lot of you are familiar with. I'm sure all of you have heard of back dooring. It is when a champion goes up to a turret with no minions by their side and "tanks" the turret while just proceeding to take down the turret. While I find this very annoying I don't actually think it's unfair. Just looking at the word "unfair" is enough to explain why. Fairness. Equality. The lack of thus qualities is what constitutes "unfair." The back dooring of turrets is fair because no matter what character I am, I, too, could build up tons of health/armor items and go do the same thing to their turret. It is fair because I can do it too. I DO, however, think it's pretty lame for someone to JUST back door turrets. You know, when they spend the entire game just running up to the turret, hitting it, dying (either by turret or by someone coming to defend it), then revive, do it again. THAT is lame because it's not fun for either team.
However there are some people who have a HUGE problem with back dooring. I've heard that it is considered very rude, comparable, say, to walking all over a park flower bed. You damaged it and it's not illegal to walk on it.. but it's rude. I can understand that. It's very annoying and frustrating to deal with so I can understand why some people have a problem with it. It is NOT okay, however, for these people (meaning those who have a problem with it) to start conducting themselves in a derogatory manner. "You beeping piece of beep beep. That's so NOOB you BEEP." Yeah.. no.
Then there's the people who broaden the term of back dooring. On my team, I'm the resident back doorer. But not because I go up to turrets and tank it while killing it.. No. Because while my team engages them in skirmishes and battles, I go and push lanes and kill turrets WITH minions. This is another type of back dooring to be sure. However, I find that this one you REALLY can't complain about. Why? Because you had at LEAST a minute warning of me coming to hit even ONE auto attack on that turret. I am in plain sight the whole time hitting these minions. You know I'm pushing the lane. You know I'm going to follow my minions up and hit that turret. If you chose to ignore me and engage the rest of my team or go jungling or dragon or whatever have you... then that's not my fault. That's your own neglect. If you're neglecting your turret then hell yes I am going to go hit that baby up and call social services. (For those of you who don't know... I call turrets babies. "Top baby!" and "Bottom baby!" is something you hear a lot if you play with me. It's me crying for someone to go defend that baby.)
Yet people still feel the need to complain. "Fking Teemo back doorer!" "I'm pushing the lane..?" "If there's a team fight you HAVE to be there. You can't be hitting turrets!" Really? Please... point me towards the league of legends rules where it says I HAVE to be in a team fight or that your neglected baby can't be killed while you erm.. neglect it. Get this through your minds people... there's a huge difference between "annoying" and "fair play." Yes, I DO know that my push-lane-back-dooring tactic is annoying. But I ALSO know that it is neither illegal nor even rude. Actually, other than back dooring without minions, I don't really know of anything else that people widely consider "unfair" or "rude" in league of legends. Let me know if you know of any... I'm curious to know.
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