Messages

16

General Chaos / Re: Posthuman and Transhumanist Vidya Games?

« on: November 17, 2015, 07:55:38 PM »

Somewhat worthless addition incoming, since if you don't already know you probably won't care.

Black Ops 3 kind of has an early Eclipse Phase vibe in that it has what are basically mesh implants, cortical stacks (but without infomorphs and sleeving) and tacnet. Sadly, the game's campaign seems pretty fumbly and doesn't do much interesting with it so far.

Sigh, sounds like Activision staying the course.

I'm afraid I'm pretty down on the Big 3 of videogaming (Ubisoft, Activision and EA, the last of which I boycott entirely and Activision and Ubi are coming close); I haven't played a CoD since BO1 and even that I only played for 2 hours before getting sick of hitscan enemies and corridors disguised to not look like corridors.  I don't do symmetrical competitive MP either (except for playing the medic every now and then in TF2), and I wouldn't drop the money just for the horde mode.  Killing Floor was the MP game I played the most in recent years, though I haven't picked up the sequel (in Early Access now).  I didn't get into Left 4 Dead as I'm pretty much zombied out (sorry Ross), but I am seriously considering Warhammer End Times: Vermintide when I finish Fallout 4, though I'll probably wait until the Steam Winter Sale to get it for 10$ or something, ha.

Thanks for the heads up, though.  And I have to ask what is the point of cortical stacks if there is no resleeving?

17

General Chaos / Re: Cool things on the internet that people don't know about.

« on: November 07, 2015, 06:34:12 PM »

This is an oldy but a goody, it is an interactive Scale of the Universe, allowing users to put into perspective, say, the difference between an earthworm, a hydrogen atom, and a neutron star.

http://scaleofuniverse.com/


On the other end of the spectrum, here is the wiki for the Flat Earth Society.  Ohohoho.

http://www.theflatearthsociety.org/tiki/tiki-index.

18

General Chaos / Re: The Heretic Cycle: a new fantasy series from Ross Payton

« on: November 07, 2015, 01:38:49 AM »

part 2 is about half written. I need to finish the Boiling Point Kickstarter stretch goals. 2.5 PDF supplements to go 

For a second as I was reading that I was like OH I CAN HELP MEET THE STRETCH GOALS! and then I realized you meant you need to finish writing them.  Two and a half supplements eh?  Gonna be hard going with Fallout 4 dropping on Tuesday, as a fellow writer (though far far lazier) I wish you the best of luck and look forward to any updates and congratulations on the successful Kickstarters!  Those supplements are testaments to victory!

Unfortunately, victory clearly has its cost :/

19

General Chaos / Re: Posthuman and Transhumanist Vidya Games?

« on: November 06, 2015, 08:09:21 PM »

A lot went down that bugged me, from plot points that never went anywhere and the antagonists becoming cartoon villains with improbable setups (an elaborate room whose only function seems to be to be a big fuck you to the PC) to asinine, dumb gameplay design (only way to progress is to trigger a flag by inspecting a specific fluff/background element in a room full of them). Also the monsters you see were pathetic and not at all threatening, despite them apparently being able to rip armed people to shreds.

Ok, that's ringing a bell now.  Yeah, I was let down that there was no greater plan the antagonist had, and the progress trigger you mention, yeah, I dealt with that as well and it pissed me off.  As for the monsters, meh, I guess I assumed they attacked en masse?  I didn't really think about it much, it's like wondering how Raccoon City got taken over by shambling zombies, lol, but I'm sure your point is correct.

I'm trying to think of another, comparable game but I'm failing.  The last adventure game I enjoyed was Spirits of Xanadu but I can't recommend it without some serious caveats, and even then not at the full asking price of 10$ (I got it for 5$ on sale).

20

General Chaos / Re: Posthuman and Transhumanist Vidya Games?

« on: November 06, 2015, 02:04:59 AM »

I'd give caution as far as Stasis goes. I enjoyed my time with it because of the atmosphere and the puzzles being logical for the most part, but the last act goes bonkers in my opinion and lost much of my good faith. Plus, that stasis medicine puzzle was kind of infuriating.

Hm, I don't really remember the last act bothering me too much but it's kind of a blur, I beat the game over night a couple weeks ago now.  The ending didn't bother me, I know that.  And yeah, that stasis medicine puzzle was a pain, I looked that up.  I also looked up the furnace puzzle but it turns out that was bugged.  Anyway, I would recommend Sanitarium over Stasis despite its age and ugliness anyway.

Minerva: Metastasis doesn't actually deal with transhumanist themes in any depth, but could be seen as existing in that sort of world.

Wow, I remember looking at this about 8 years ago when it wasn't finished, and then again a couple years back and it still wasn't finished.  Next time I load up Halflife2 I'll give it a shot (probably next time I get a harddrive considering I've filled up all 5 tb of mine).  Thank you for the suggestion, friend!

21

General Chaos / Re: Posthuman and Transhumanist Vidya Games?

« on: November 04, 2015, 10:39:07 PM »

Another game that occurred to me that might be close enough: The Fall, Episode One (Ep. Two coming sometime next year, probably first half). Kind of an odd point & click adventure game, with some simple Flashback style shooting segments.

Ah, I actually played this one through to completion when it launched a couple weeks (months?) ago.  It was pretty good, had mostly logical puzzles (though I had to look two things up I believe) and had a decent ending (even if I did see it coming).  I especially enjoyed the specific AI plot points which were handled surprisingly well.  A little short, unfortunately, and probably more cyberpunk than transhuman, but definitely a game I recommended to a couple friends. 

If you enjoyed that consider Stasis, on Steam and GOG.  Not transhuman in the least, pretty straight scifi in fact, but an enjoyable point n click from the isometric perspective (I picked it up because it reminded me of the old 1998 adventure game classic Sanitarium, which I would recommend to anyone looking for an awesome creepy game).  Stasis is a bit short (again) and wasn't quite bug free when I played it on launch day, but was a pretty good time and it did several things very well.

Thanks!
Haven't played this, but it might be some of what you're looking for: Sun Dog - http://boingboing.net/2015/11/03/sun-dogs-game.html

Haha, that's the game that made me start this discussion!  I list it in my OP but it's after a paragraph of unnecessary fluff so I don't blame you for missing it.  Thank you for the website link though, it's cool to read another player's interpretation.  Personally I would be reluctant to recommend it in its current state for its current price (10$ is a bit much for a hundred pages worth of mostly disjointed or barely related exposition) but I'm glad they didn't hate on it.

22

General Chaos / Re: Posthuman and Transhumanist Vidya Games?

« on: November 04, 2015, 08:02:41 PM »

Also would "Enslaved" be counted as Trans-human/Post-human? It had a very strong similar vibe as "Too Human" except using "Journey to the West" in place of Norse Myth.

I'll be honest, I blasted through Enslaved in a single evening, I barely remember the game other than that it had surprisingly competent voice acting(Andy Serkis!!!), was (as you said) Journey to the West, and had a somewhat disappointing ending that came rather quickly.  I'm pretty sure, though, that while there may be some transhumanist elements it was more of a traditional post-apocalyptic scifi scenario.

23

General Chaos / Re: Introduction

« on: November 04, 2015, 07:41:36 PM »

I've been collecting the stranger indie videogames like Darkwood and Sunless Sea. 

Sunless Sea is amazing, if you enjoy that I really recommend the same dev's web game in the same setting, Fallen London.  As for Darkwood, I abstain from survival games until they're finished (I have something like 12 Early Access survival games right now and three times that in general) but it does look interesting, I may have to break my own rules.  Have you tried Noct (also Early Access http://store.steampowered.com/app/330570/ )  or Teleglitch ( finished http://store.steampowered.com/app/234390/ )?  They appear to have similar gameplay, though Noct appears to be scarier.  I have a couple hours put into Teleglitch but it kicked my ass pretty hard.

It's always good to learn I'm not alone in my devotion to weird indie games.

24

General Chaos / Re: Introduction

« on: November 04, 2015, 07:17:44 PM »

I jumped right into commenting on the forums and failed to do the polite thing of giving an introduction.

My alias for the moment is Zeke Squareman and I am in my mid 30s.  I live in NY, a couple hours north of NYC, and I am an amateur author, independent computer game developer, phone app designer, screenplay writer, actor/model.  Professionally, I work in a field related to providing emergency services; I work the 2nd shift so I usually have a fair amount of free time to screw around on the internet or play videogames, which are my passion.

I am an unapologetic proponent of free speech, transhumanism, and whatever you want to call the movement to view videogames (at least some of them) as art. 

Politically I consider myself a radical accelerationist, socially I am an optimistic cynic, personally I am one of the happiest people I know, emotionally I am recovering, financially I am irresponsible, existentially I am solipsistic. 

RPPR has helped me through some very rough patches in my life by providing hour upon hour upon hour of engaging and fun material for me to enjoy while working at one of the worst jobs ever.  I now listen as a fan instead of out of necessity.

My favorite two one off adventures are Bryson Springs (which I briefly considered novelizing because it is a truly amazing experience, Aaron's actions alone are worth documenting) and He Calls Me By the Thunder.  My favorite campaign is a tie between New World (though I could never sit through the 4 hours of dice rolls that consummate the 'climax') and Know Evil.

My schedule precludes actually playing tabletop RPGs but were I capable I enjoy weird, smaller systems like Abandon All Hope or Paranoia and larger, more popular systems like DnD 3.5/maybe 5th(?), Dark Heresy, and Rifts.  Unfortunately when I do game I usually have to GM.

I love videogames.  I grew up with a PC instead of a console so my vidya upbringing is different than most my age.  My favorite games are Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss, the original 1993 XCOM, Planescape: Torment, Homeworld, and Bioshock.  I am currently playing MGSV, Lego Lord of the Rings (DONT JUDGE ME), Dungeonmans, Runestone Keeper, Infinite Space 3, Out There: Omega Edition, Sundogs, Tormentum,and Spirits of Xanadu. 

As the length of this introduction should indicate, I was not kidding about the amount of free time I have.

25

General Chaos / Re: The Heretic Cycle: a new fantasy series from Ross Payton

« on: November 04, 2015, 05:34:06 PM »

Any hints on when the rest of the series will release?  I have anxiety related to unfinished book series so I can't read the first until the series is complete.

...yes this is totally a thing.

26

General Chaos / Re: Streaming Video Games

« on: November 04, 2015, 05:29:31 PM »

This is literally the most compelling thing on Twitch I've ever seen.

27

General Chaos / Re: Posthuman and Transhumanist Vidya Games?

« on: November 04, 2015, 02:30:45 AM »

Not to dominate this thread (I am really hoping there are some IF text adventures I'm not familiar with, or maybe some Japanese stuff, or late 80s DOS/Amiga titles), but for anyone interested there is also the colossal failure/letdown that was Too Human for the 360, though I believe it is nearly impossible to find as unsold copies were destroyed after a failed lawsuit with Epic Games.  Conceptually, Too Human is Norse mythology with posthumans in place of the demigods and robuts substituting for, uh Loki's minions I guess?  It is alluded to that the Ice Giants (Ymir) were AI that the Aesir posthumans defeated, and if this all sounds pretty awesome it is, at least in theory, but the game itself was painfully repetitive, I think there are only two enemy types in the whole game, which isn't even very long.  The suggestion of greatness was there, and this was intended to be the first of a trilogy (and the cliffhanger ending would have gotten me to buy the sequel had it ever been released, despite my disappointment), but the game sold very poorly, the developer sadly went out of business (Silicon Knights, some might know them as the dev of Eternal Darkness, one of the best non-Lovecraft Lovecraftian games, on Gamecube), and they lost a lawsuit against the 3d engine designer over claims of breach of contract.

Anyway, Too Human is probably the closest I've ever seen a game come to that traditional transhuman setting, even if it was a kind of insane re-imagining of Norse mythology.

28

General Chaos / Re: Posthuman and Transhumanist Vidya Games?

« on: November 03, 2015, 11:39:04 PM »

I'd argue SOMA is more of a transhuman/posthuman story with survival horror elements, just based on how much of the game it takes up...

Apparently, EVE Online can be considered to be relevant, with the capsuleers (player characters) essentially doing backups and farcasting.

Crysis' later games have elements, oddly enough.

Ah, yes, EVE Online.  When I was first about to try the game I checked out the background fluff and was immediately enchanted by its quality and complexity... and then the game stopped downloading and I saw what it was and uninstalled it.  Nothing against EVE, just thought I'd be able to pilot my own ship, not click-to-move.  But you are definitely correct, EVE's lore is steeped in transhumanism.

As far as SOMA goes it is clear that I should play that next (or soon) but it is disappointing to hear that the gameplay is not too thrilling.  I can appreciate a game for its story but, well, I have a hard time justifying 30$ for story alone.  Winter Sale is coming, though...

Regarding Crysis, yeeeeeah, I checked wikipedia before posting to see if I'd forgotten an obvious one, saw that, and left it off my OP because I wasn't sure if that was accurate.  Interesting to hear that it is, at least to some extent.  Every time I tried to play Crysis 1 it ran like crap but its been like, what, 8 years since it came out?  Assuredly I can play it now... or soon, when I upgrade.  Anyway, thank you for throwing in on that series, I definitely need to check that out.  And thanks for not spoiling anything in any of the discussed game, ha.


And somehow this reminded me of another game, lol, though again this one does not come close to what I might consider a 'classic' posthuman/transhumanist setting: I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, the cult classic point and click adventure game based on the famous short story of the same name.  Though it is really horror as opposed to scifi, it does hit upon some of the same themes: superintelligent (even godlike) AI, matter fabrication, practical immortality, body modification, etc.  The game is imperfect (and deviates significantly from the short story namesake), but it is quite good and Harlan Ellison (the short story's author) voices the evil supercomputer AM. 

On a personal note my parents got me this for Christmas when I was 15 and I will forever regret losing the reflective mousepad it came with. 

29

General Chaos / Re: Posthuman and Transhumanist Vidya Games?

« on: November 03, 2015, 09:36:22 PM »

Ah, I meant to mention SOMA but I haven't actually played it yet, I heard it wasn't as good as Frictional's first game (Amnesia) and I was way too disappointed by their second game (Machine for Pigs, which was made by Chinese Room but whatever).  I originally thought it was going to a be a haunted spaceship game but when I found out it was at the bottom of the ocean (and that the gameplay was getting panned by some critics) I decided to hold off a bit.

This actually reminds me of another posthuman game: Deadnaut (also on Steam).  Some gamers may know the developer from making the very interesting (if graphically unimpressive) Zafehouse Diaries, where the player attempts to lead a group of random, mismatched zombipocalypse survivors to safety in spite of themselves.  In Deadnaut the player plays as the commander of a team of expendable misfits that are tasked with investigating derelict space hulks left behind by extinct alien races.  On the one hand the game is decidedly UN-posthuman, in that some of the technology is painfully lowtech.  However, you are able to purchase blueprints for items and fabricate them on-site, and any casualties on your team can be replaced via cloning and memory upload. 

Nearly everything is randomly generated each time you play (team members, available technologies, the alien races that built the derelict craft and the threats that killed them off/will kill you off) so there's no narrative other than whatever one you come up with yourself; each campaign consists of four hulks of increasing size, though the alien race and threats are consistent across them.  I've been attacked by horrible things like little insect hoppers with claws that do heat damage, possessed alien corpses that blast out areas of extreme cold, alien ghosts summoned by artifacts I had to destroy, and alien crews that were taken over by some other organism and forced to kill each other (and me).

Unfortunately, the game relies on purely symbolic graphics, simple 3d shapes and sprites for everything.  Much of the action area is spent on the UI, which is intentionally obfuscated.  The gameplay itself is a bit like the original Syndicate (or Satellite Reign), and the lack of a pause button means fine tuning placement is hard and micromanagement nearly impossible.  It's hard to recommend without saying 'You should try it first though' but fortunately there is a demo, on Steam and the dev, Screwfly Studios, website, but
the gritty nature of the setting and the always changing challenges may be right up some RPPR listeners alley.  Regardless, it clearly does not have the classic tropes of posthuman fiction.

30

General Chaos / Posthuman and Transhumanist Vidya Games?

« on: November 03, 2015, 07:10:55 PM »

The Eclipse Phase APs on RPPR are some of my favorites, and the setting is the first since Planescape that really interests me.  I was introduced to the concepts of posthumans and transhumanism by Dan Simmons' Illium/Olympos cycle (which I do not recommend, btw) a decade ago but have largely been disappointed by the slow adoption of the genre, especially by videogames.

Last week, though, I came across a little game on Steam called Sundogs (actually it was recommended by whoever runs the Fail Better Games Facebook account, they're the guys that made the awesome Sunless Sea and are behind Fallen London, both of which I heartily recommend looking into) and I think it marks the first actual, no holds barred posthuman vidya game I have ever played.  Unfortunately, it is also a rather barebones, experimental 95% text only 'interactive experience.'  In other words, it's barely a game, and what game is there is mostly comprised of reading, random luck and choosing to go certain places after certain textual triggers.

Regardless, what is there is interesting and compelling (though I hesitate to call it 'fun' or 'good',. or necessarily worth the 10$ price tag), all the classic hallmarks of posthuman transhumanist scifi: cortical stacks, sleeving and upload facilities, Dyson cylinders and other various habitats, integrated data systems, fabricators, etc etc.  The prose is simple but suggestive, though it is probably a little light on description and explanation for those unfamiliar with the general tropes.  Personally I was disappointed by the lack of interpersonal interactions (and the far too random aspect of exploration 'gameplay,' but whatever).

I have a pretty wide ranging knowledge of videogames but I'm pretty sure this is the first I'd specifically call classically 'posthuman.'  The Deus Ex games could almost be considered 'early era' transhumanist but that would really really be stretching the definition, they are much more 'cyberpunk,' which is really where most vidya scifi seems stuck: the same can be said of System Shock 1 and 2, Shadowrun Returns, etc.  Some argue that Bioshock, Metal Gear and Halo have transhumanist elements as well but they do not take place in posthuman settings.

Perhaps the closest thing I have encountered (outside of Sundogs) is a weird little French FPS called EYE: Divine Cybermancy but honestly this might just be because the game story and background setting is nearly impenetrable due to what I can only assume is a rough translation.  EYE is so weird I can't even really talk about it, and I'll admit to never getting more than 2 or 3 hours into it as a result.

I was hoping that maybe some other fans of the genre were aware of more obscure titles, or ones I forgot to mention?