Discussion: Moths

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Thus every time I hear the future is multiplayer, I have a sense of dread. But usually that dread is tempered by the knowledge it is air as hot as horseshit. Multiplayer-first titles were a risky business, at the mercy of a curious chicken-egg syndrome: if no one is playing online, then no one is going to play online.

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Discussion: Gold to Lead

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Who do I resent more when I am in the grip of an addictive game loop? The game designer or myself? Because Subnautica has me, boy does it. That first time I played I was just supposed to dabble with it in front of my children for about an hour but continued for the rest of the night, completely destroying my evening schedule. One involving sleep.

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Discussion: The Silent Narrator

From this month's newsletter:

One area that has seen significant improvement is space. Software techniques and hardware muscle have improved to the point where whole worlds can be modelled inside a computer. Large worlds were still obviously quantized in the early years. Mercenary which I have written about in length had a single building within every grid square and the underground complexes were constructed as a sequence of discrete boxes. You would have to turn to 2D games for something more realistic; the world of Ultima IV felt enormous, full of mountain ranges, dark forests and plains yet... even then, you still had ENTERING TOWNE.

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Discussion: Unfinished Tales

The moaning critic. A DMCA takedown. The gamer identity.

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Discussion: Tooled Up

Dear subscribers, if you feel like chatting about anything at all from - yes - the "November" edition of the newsletter, please speak your mind in the comments here.

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Discussion: Ethan Carter’s Stories Untold

Dear subscribers, if you feel like chatting about anything at all from the... well, let's agree to call it the "October" edition of the newsletter... if you feel like chatting about it, please speak your mind in the comments here.

Discussion: The Birthday Party

Dear subscribers, if you feel like chatting about anything at all from the slightly late September edition of the newsletter, please speak your mind in the comments here.

Discussion: A Tale of Two Crunches

Dear subscribers, if you feel like chatting about anything at all from the August edition of the newsletter, please speak your mind in the comments here.

Discussion: Past Unmade

Dear subscribers, if you feel like chatting about anything at all from the July edition of the newsletter, please speak your mind in the comments here.

Prey Tell

We've talked about the music of Prey. We've talked about exploring Prey. It's time to talk about the story of Prey.

Actually, I don't have much to talk about because Prey didn't scratch my story itch. I'm hoping you'll have a little more to share than I. So this is an invitation to spoil away in the comments, chat about what you liked, what you didn't like and do your best to keep Matt W on topic.

Let me outline a few brief thoughts to get the ball rolling. Head for the spoiler-free escape pods now if you don't want to be spoiled.

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