Always Online DRM - A Rant

Yes, I know, there have been a lot of rants from me recently but what can I say? I'm in a ranting mood.

Yeah, always online DRM, those damn systems that keep us monitored to make sure we're not cheating and are playing a genuine copy of the game. Those systems that never really help anybody and only end up punishing legitimate customers and rewarding pirates.

FOV Sliders - A Rant

Anybody with a decent knowledge of good PC graphics options know exactly what this rant is going to involve, and rightly so.

For those who aren't aware, FOV stands for "field of view". Simply put, it's how much you can actually see on the screen at once, the higher the FOV, the more you can see.

A problem we have nowadays is that games just aren't getting FOV sliders added, we can end up stuck with a single default FOV that will not work for everybody.

Let me explain, FOV can cause issues, it has been proven. For some people, a low FOV can cause headaches and nausea, thus making some games pretty much unplayable for them. While some others do not actually become ill from such a thing it can still be incredibly irritating to have the camera in such an odd looking position.

It should be mandatory for developers making a first-person title to add a FOV slider to their game, simply to maintain the health of the players. I, myself have had issues with several titles with an obscenely low FOV that totally took me out of the experience. One game (Wolfenstein) had such a low FOV coupled with head-bob and motion blur that I started getting headaches from playing it.

That is just not acceptable.

Making a PC game with a locked FOV of around 65 should be downright prohibited, we are not console gamers that sit several meters from a TV, we have monitors close to our heads, we need a higher FOV. If given the choice I have every game at an FOV of 110, not 65.

This is a very short rant but it's ridiculous that some developers think it's okay to risk their players getting sick just because they can't incorporate a slider into their title.

If you have similar concerns, voice this to developers whenever possible, make sure they take the issue seriously and incorporate some way to change the field of view. If you're a developer yourself, be smart, add that dang slider for the good of everybody.

As always, thanks for reading.

Multiplayer Communication Options - A Rant

So, because PC gamers like myself have a keyboard whereas console gamers don't, we end up with more ways to communicate with other players. What I've noticed however is that we never seem to have additional methods of...not communicating.

If you check a game with VOIP support you'll probably find the option to mute other players so that you don't have to listen to anybody you would classify as annoying or whiny. But where is the option to disable the chat box? Individual players?

Anywhere?

The trap of day 1 DLC

Have you ever purchased a game on release and been made aware of some DLC you can purchase as well despite the fact that the game just released? Congratulations, you have encountered "Day 1 DLC".

My take on Game Addiction

We've all heard stories of "game addiction" haven't we? Somebody plays games obsessively and something bad happens as a result. I've seen stories ranging from people playing a game so long that they allegedly drop dead and parents that let their child die of hunger because of their Starcraft addiction.

 

This post here is about my take on "game addiction".

Microtransactions - Part 2

Okay, now it's time to cover my opinions of microtransaction pricing.
Let's face it, they're meant to be cheap; they're called microtransactions for a reason. Sometimes however, these "small" purchases can be quite pricey and leave you wondering exactly where all of your money went.
A lot of the time it ends up being a case of how much your time is worth. If you're made to pay for a £5 weapon you should evaluate how long it would take you to obtain the weapon via non-paid means. If the amount of time you would spend gaining the weapon is simply ludicrous you may consider making the purchase. This is especially true if you do not have much time to actually play games and just want some quick fun with a neat looking item.

Microtransactions - Part 1

Ahh microtransactions, this is certainly a topic I've been stepping around for a while. For those who aren't aware, microtransactions are small purchases that are made within a game for additional content that may otherwise be unattainable. These purchases can be anything from simple reskins and XP boosts to new weapons and skills for use in combat. This particular article will cover what should and should not be part of a microtransaction based system, next time I will cover ideal pricing and such.

Microtransactions are most commonly found in free to play games as their primary (or only) source of income. Because developers are all different, microtransactions can end up flawed in certain cases. Today I will discuss what I consider acceptable in terms of microtransactions.

Demos: Where have they gone?

We all love game demos don't we? They're a chance for everybody to play a chunk of a game for free before we commit to a purchase. A chance for us to make sure our hard earned cash is spent on a good product rather than a shoddy one.

Sadly, demos aren't the most common things nowadays and a lot of games go straight to market with no way of us testing them out beforehand. But is there a reason for it? I believe there is.

Piracy: Not really an issue

So, how many of you are already yelling at me because of the title? Yeah, I know, I need to explain myself here.

Piracy is an issue that seems to be a plague to a lot of developers and publishers; they make a product to put on sale and a bunch of people crack the files and throw out a copy that anybody can get for free, kinda sucks right?
Well...not entirely.

You see, a lot of these companies believe that because of piracy they are losing money, this isn't actually true. You see, piracy isn't a lost sale at all because the person doing the pirating probably wasn't going to purchase the product anyway. In fact, piracy is probably better for companies in small amounts.

Pre-Ordering: A possible danger?

We all know how pre-ordering works. We put our money down early in order to secure a game on the day of release, sometimes earning some small bonuses for doing so. It's a practice that has been going on for many years and can really be quite convenient.
...But could it actually be doing more harm than good?

Now, this is all just my personal thoughts and I am yet to come to a solid conclusion but I feel it is worth voicing it.

Making a statement: Your role as a consumer

Buying games is a good feeling, isn't it? Whether it's a digital or a physical copy there's always a refreshing feeling to accompany your purchase. A new source of entertainment opens up to you and all you want to do is get started with it.

To some gamers, making a purchase is incredibly simple, merely a way for them to acquire a brand new gaming experience. But should more thought go into it?
In this article I will discuss your role as a consumer and what your purchases actually mean.

9.5/10: The state of game reviews

We've all seen game reviews over the years and most of you are probably fairly content with them, right? I mean, what could be wrong with them?

If you see a review, it likely has a little something at the bottom.

Yep, a rating.