Why is everyone so hung up on GamePass? Yeah in a year it'll be on there and you can get it for the cost of GamePass rather than full launch price. Also in a year it'll likely be in regular sales for £20-30 or less. A year after that it could drop to £10-15. It might also appear on PS+ at some point.
GamePass is presented like some wonderful magic money saver but games like this always get crazy discounts a year or so since release anyway. The GamePass element seems moot to me.
Sad times, they made a bunch of the titles I loved the most in the PS3 / PSP era, some of which I still count in my top 10. But I had quite a hard time finding anyone else who had played them, and some difficulty convincing those who hadn't already to give them a go.
If it wasn't for a few bugs (a couple that have involved a 'restart checkpoint') it'd be a solid 10/10 for me. It's visually amazing, well written and animated, the control implementation is fantastic, and above all it's just really good fun!
I often have this conversation with colleagues who question why people would pay full price for a new release or pre-order, which I often do and they don't, when GamePass is so much cheaper, which they have and I don't. And the answer has always been simple for me: I don't want to play those games, I do want to play this one.
@themightyant Oh teamwork is essential in game development. And being friends with your team is great and can really help. It's only when that's abused and pushed as a way to take advantage of staff that it's an issue.
Staff working extra hours to push themselves harder than others is a more complicated one. Yes if you want to do that and feel comfortable with the return from that, from your personal perspective that's ok. But if you are so inclined, or are a company with staff who are so inclined, you have to be aware of this and cautious not to allow it to become a company culture where others start to feel they need to do that as well or for those people to burn themselves out. I've worked with people like that before and I've worked with higher management to help them strike a better work-life balance when it became unhealthy.
But that's self-imposed. That is nuanced and the solutions are varied often much more complicated and subtle. Especially if it is self-imposed due to financial reasons, that is a separate thing entirely and many companies have systems or departments to help staff there. The issue is the company enforced crunch, which is what people are referring too when they talk about how bad crunch is.
@themightyant The worst of it is the issue though. If it was simply optional overtime paid at a matching or higher rate, it'd be mostly fine and it wouldn't really be crunch as such.
@GamingVeteran You're making a lot of assumptions about the nature of the crunch and the reasons for it and the people being forced to do it.
Firstly crunch isn't the same as overtime, I'm not sure if you are making the distinction, you may be, but it reads to me like maybe you're not? I'm unsure so to be clear overtime is being asked or sometimes contractually obliged to work additional hours outside of your regular contracted hours for a day or two here and there because it's needed. That's fine, it happens. Crunch is a culture of relying on this to get the product/project done, and forcing staff to do this for much longer hours, everyday and weekends for months at a time. Crunch, as with overtime, isn't always paid, let alone paid at a higher rate. Essentially companies that use crunch as using it to try and fit a project that should take say 4 years, into 2 and a half by relying on the fact they can get staff to work more than their contracted hours. Like trying to cook a pie faster by just cranking the oven up higher. And like that, it often doesn't even work anyway.
Crunch also often involves employees being pressured to skip lunch breaks and not take holidays.
"If people don't like it they can say no" - this is one of the main issues, they can't. Aside from the fact that many are not necessarily in the financial position to be able to do this, companies that rely on crunch often prey on those new and naive and essentially gaslight them into believing this is the way it just works. People are conditioned into believing they can't say no. The games industry is a highly desirable industry to get into and the thought of working on something like GTA or The Last of Us is very alluring. Companies know this, and they abuse it. They push sentiments like "we're like a family here" and "everyone is so proud of what we make we all want the best" and whilst those can both be true and positive, they're essentially used a guilt trips and gaslights to make people feel obliged to do whatever the studio asks of them here. That then creates an internal culture where staff end up pressuring each other into staying. If you get up and leave on time, someone else is going to end up having to cover that. So you have to stay, because now it's not just a case of it affecting you it's affecting you 'work family'.
And the more it happens, the more people get burnt out and tired, and the more they just accept it, until eventually something breaks. When there are widespread reports of both mental and physical health conditions resulting from crunch, relationships strained to the point of breaking and lives being generally ruined as a result...all to aid poor management? I don't see how anyone can support it.
And the fact that it happens in other work areas? Yeah that's bad too. That also needs to stop. And for games at least, the fact a AAA, insanely high quality game such as this can be made without it. That proves it's not needed. It's not something the product needs, it's not something the company has to rely on. So again...why would anyone support it? It's basically saying "I think it's ok for companies to use their position to abuse, damage and break their employees , knowing that it's not necessary, doesn't aid the final product and can be avoided entirely".
Is that a statement you're willing to stand by? Because it is what you're saying.
I'm happy in that it's not going to cause my backlog to grow like most months. No really, I'm actually very happy about that! You guys all enjoy these games, I'm gonna do some catching up on my backlog.
@Amnesiac @SirRealDeal Dreams doesn’t require PSVR but, for creation especially, relies heavily on the Move controllers which require the camera. Media Molecule issued a statement after many others in the same boat as me complained saying that if you called the helpline rather than going through the website, which does indeed require the PSVR serial number, they would honour it. And when I called they said they would and instead took my PS5 serial number. But it took weeks and I’m still waiting.
The fact they they just excluded a chunk of their audience from the start was pretty crappy. Why not just ask for the PS4 camera and PS5 console serial numbers? Why is PSVR the only situation they bothered to make this for? Even if they just put the adaptor up for sale and I had to pay £30 at least I’d be playing by now.
But as it stands I can’t play Dreams. Trying to create content with the pad is a nightmare.
Still waiting for Sony to send me my camera adaptor so I can continue to play Dreams on my PS5. It's been about 4 months since I called the helpline (I don't have PSVR). Waited over a month before they send the confirmation email of my enquiry being looked into, then they wanted me to send all my info over again, that took a month to process, then they said ok cool we'll let you know when it's on it's way which took a month, that email said minimum 2 weeks, a month later still nothing.
Tried to get The Witness on my PS5 and it says 'Unavailable' if I ask for more info it tells me I can't purchase it because I already own it? It's true I already own it on PS4, same as Abzu but I seem to be able to download that just fine.
Seems really odd that it won't let me download a free game at all, let alone for the reason of me already owning it. Which if anything should mean I can download it whenever I want anyway. Anyone else having this issue?
I tried 'Restore Liscenses' but it didn't do anything.
@Futureshark I'm not a fan of swearing in dialogue simply for the sake of it or as a way of upping the maturing of something. A prime example when Bayonetta randomly shouts "f-off" in amongst her flirty battle quips, it feels really out of place and unnecessary.
But in the context here, it seems perfectly normal to me. Who wouldn't drop and f or mf-bomb in that sort of situation? I know I would! A dragon just appeared! The c-bomb just isn't that kind of reactionary swear though, that really would have felt out of place and like they were trying to get swears in.
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Re: Soapbox: Why I'm Less Excited for Deathloop on PS5 Than I Should Be
Why is everyone so hung up on GamePass? Yeah in a year it'll be on there and you can get it for the cost of GamePass rather than full launch price. Also in a year it'll likely be in regular sales for £20-30 or less. A year after that it could drop to £10-15. It might also appear on PS+ at some point.
GamePass is presented like some wonderful magic money saver but games like this always get crazy discounts a year or so since release anyway. The GamePass element seems moot to me.
Re: Japan Studio Has Officially Been Removed from Sony's Website
Sad times, they made a bunch of the titles I loved the most in the PS3 / PSP era, some of which I still count in my top 10. But I had quite a hard time finding anyone else who had played them, and some difficulty convincing those who hadn't already to give them a go.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart?
If it wasn't for a few bugs (a couple that have involved a 'restart checkpoint') it'd be a solid 10/10 for me. It's visually amazing, well written and animated, the control implementation is fantastic, and above all it's just really good fun!
Re: Poll: What Was Your Favourite PS5, PS4 Game at E3 2021?
It's really just Elden Ring for me, though I'm cautiously optimistic about Atomic Heart.
But I had to pick 3 so Monkey Ball got a vote even though that'll definitely be a switch purchase.
Re: Reaction: Xbox Game Pass Is the Thorn in PS5's Side
I often have this conversation with colleagues who question why people would pay full price for a new release or pre-order, which I often do and they don't, when GamePass is so much cheaper, which they have and I don't. And the answer has always been simple for me: I don't want to play those games, I do want to play this one.
Re: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Save the Universe on PS5, PS4 This October
I really dislike Rocket's beard look.
Re: Babylon's Fall Gets Smashed with Dislikes Upon Its Gameplay Return
I didn't hate the singing or the voice overs, but I am put off by the co-op live service thing.
Re: Insomniac Devs Say Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Was Made without Crunch
@Shepherd_Tallon Mine arrived too but I only have tomorrow booked off! I was a fool!
Re: Insomniac Devs Say Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Was Made without Crunch
@themightyant Oh teamwork is essential in game development. And being friends with your team is great and can really help. It's only when that's abused and pushed as a way to take advantage of staff that it's an issue.
Staff working extra hours to push themselves harder than others is a more complicated one. Yes if you want to do that and feel comfortable with the return from that, from your personal perspective that's ok. But if you are so inclined, or are a company with staff who are so inclined, you have to be aware of this and cautious not to allow it to become a company culture where others start to feel they need to do that as well or for those people to burn themselves out. I've worked with people like that before and I've worked with higher management to help them strike a better work-life balance when it became unhealthy.
But that's self-imposed. That is nuanced and the solutions are varied often much more complicated and subtle. Especially if it is self-imposed due to financial reasons, that is a separate thing entirely and many companies have systems or departments to help staff there. The issue is the company enforced crunch, which is what people are referring too when they talk about how bad crunch is.
Re: Insomniac Devs Say Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Was Made without Crunch
@themightyant The worst of it is the issue though. If it was simply optional overtime paid at a matching or higher rate, it'd be mostly fine and it wouldn't really be crunch as such.
Re: Insomniac Devs Say Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Was Made without Crunch
@GamingVeteran You're making a lot of assumptions about the nature of the crunch and the reasons for it and the people being forced to do it.
Firstly crunch isn't the same as overtime, I'm not sure if you are making the distinction, you may be, but it reads to me like maybe you're not? I'm unsure so to be clear overtime is being asked or sometimes contractually obliged to work additional hours outside of your regular contracted hours for a day or two here and there because it's needed. That's fine, it happens. Crunch is a culture of relying on this to get the product/project done, and forcing staff to do this for much longer hours, everyday and weekends for months at a time. Crunch, as with overtime, isn't always paid, let alone paid at a higher rate. Essentially companies that use crunch as using it to try and fit a project that should take say 4 years, into 2 and a half by relying on the fact they can get staff to work more than their contracted hours. Like trying to cook a pie faster by just cranking the oven up higher. And like that, it often doesn't even work anyway.
Crunch also often involves employees being pressured to skip lunch breaks and not take holidays.
"If people don't like it they can say no" - this is one of the main issues, they can't. Aside from the fact that many are not necessarily in the financial position to be able to do this, companies that rely on crunch often prey on those new and naive and essentially gaslight them into believing this is the way it just works. People are conditioned into believing they can't say no. The games industry is a highly desirable industry to get into and the thought of working on something like GTA or The Last of Us is very alluring. Companies know this, and they abuse it. They push sentiments like "we're like a family here" and "everyone is so proud of what we make we all want the best" and whilst those can both be true and positive, they're essentially used a guilt trips and gaslights to make people feel obliged to do whatever the studio asks of them here. That then creates an internal culture where staff end up pressuring each other into staying. If you get up and leave on time, someone else is going to end up having to cover that. So you have to stay, because now it's not just a case of it affecting you it's affecting you 'work family'.
And the more it happens, the more people get burnt out and tired, and the more they just accept it, until eventually something breaks. When there are widespread reports of both mental and physical health conditions resulting from crunch, relationships strained to the point of breaking and lives being generally ruined as a result...all to aid poor management? I don't see how anyone can support it.
And the fact that it happens in other work areas? Yeah that's bad too. That also needs to stop. And for games at least, the fact a AAA, insanely high quality game such as this can be made without it. That proves it's not needed. It's not something the product needs, it's not something the company has to rely on. So again...why would anyone support it? It's basically saying "I think it's ok for companies to use their position to abuse, damage and break their employees , knowing that it's not necessary, doesn't aid the final product and can be avoided entirely".
Is that a statement you're willing to stand by? Because it is what you're saying.
Re: Dreamy PS5 Controller Colours Cosmic Red, Midnight Black Announced
I love the black but have no need for one right now.
The red looks kinda pink which I quite like. Would love a straight up magenta one!
Re: PS Plus May 2021 PS5, PS4 Games Announced
I'm happy in that it's not going to cause my backlog to grow like most months. No really, I'm actually very happy about that! You guys all enjoy these games, I'm gonna do some catching up on my backlog.
Re: The Impsider Is Media Molecule's Digital Magazine for All Things Dreams
@Amnesiac @SirRealDeal Dreams doesn’t require PSVR but, for creation especially, relies heavily on the Move controllers which require the camera. Media Molecule issued a statement after many others in the same boat as me complained saying that if you called the helpline rather than going through the website, which does indeed require the PSVR serial number, they would honour it. And when I called they said they would and instead took my PS5 serial number. But it took weeks and I’m still waiting.
The fact they they just excluded a chunk of their audience from the start was pretty crappy. Why not just ask for the PS4 camera and PS5 console serial numbers? Why is PSVR the only situation they bothered to make this for? Even if they just put the adaptor up for sale and I had to pay £30 at least I’d be playing by now.
But as it stands I can’t play Dreams. Trying to create content with the pad is a nightmare.
Re: The Impsider Is Media Molecule's Digital Magazine for All Things Dreams
Still waiting for Sony to send me my camera adaptor so I can continue to play Dreams on my PS5. It's been about 4 months since I called the helpline (I don't have PSVR). Waited over a month before they send the confirmation email of my enquiry being looked into, then they wanted me to send all my info over again, that took a month to process, then they said ok cool we'll let you know when it's on it's way which took a month, that email said minimum 2 weeks, a month later still nothing.
Re: Why You Should Download These Free Play At Home Games
Tried to get The Witness on my PS5 and it says 'Unavailable' if I ask for more info it tells me I can't purchase it because I already own it? It's true I already own it on PS4, same as Abzu but I seem to be able to download that just fine.
Seems really odd that it won't let me download a free game at all, let alone for the reason of me already owning it. Which if anything should mean I can download it whenever I want anyway. Anyone else having this issue?
I tried 'Restore Liscenses' but it didn't do anything.
Re: PS5 Console Exclusive Project Athia Named Forspoken, Launching in 2022
@Futureshark I'm not a fan of swearing in dialogue simply for the sake of it or as a way of upping the maturing of something. A prime example when Bayonetta randomly shouts "f-off" in amongst her flirty battle quips, it feels really out of place and unnecessary.
But in the context here, it seems perfectly normal to me. Who wouldn't drop and f or mf-bomb in that sort of situation? I know I would! A dragon just appeared! The c-bomb just isn't that kind of reactionary swear though, that really would have felt out of place and like they were trying to get swears in.