.

The place for chatting and discussing subjects unrelated to Wesnoth.

Moderator: Forum Moderators

Post Reply
User avatar
Hulavuta
Posts: 1668
Joined: October 11th, 2008, 8:17 pm
Location: United States

.

Post by Hulavuta »

This is going to be a thread where I rant about various things. This isn't going to be a rant about things in my life, so anyone is welcome to reply or anything, since this is probably well known information.

I have already planned 5 things. I'm going to post a few now, and more later.

RANT TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Video Game Rant: See Below
False Advertising (Evony) Rant: http://forums.wesnoth.org/viewtopic.php ... 29#p426129
Jail/Prison Rant: http://forums.wesnoth.org/viewtopic.php ... 71#p426871
Texting Rant: http://forums.wesnoth.org/viewtopic.php ... 93#p428593
Transformers 3 Mini-Rant: http://forums.wesnoth.org/viewtopic.php ... 98#p432998
Rant on False Racism: http://forums.wesnoth.org/viewtopic.php ... 69&p436669
Dr.Pepper is the same as Root Beer Rant: http://forums.wesnoth.org/viewtopic.php ... 02#p438102
Theme Park Rant: http://forums.wesnoth.org/viewtopic.php ... 13#p445113

Video Game Rant

First rant I want to talk about has to do with video games, and more specifically, people who think that since they are good at a certain game, they would be good in real life at whatever the point of the game is.

For example: "I'm fairly good at Call of Duty. I win every single match I play. Perhaps I should enlist in the real army, since I'm good at CoD I'll probably rock in a real army fight too."

This isn't exclusive to war games, it also applies to other types of games, but not as badly. For instance, playing drums on rock band IS somewhat similar to drums in real life.

Anyway, a main point most people are thinking alongside me is that you don't have to use any energy to play these games The only thing you are using are your fingers. In a real fight, you can't pick up somebody's ammo and equipment by simply walking over it, and you can't reload or patch yourself up by pressing a button. And, you don't have to actually carry a gun or run the whole time. And IF YOU DIE, YOU CAN'T COME BACK TO LIFE!!! sometimes, if a player is killed by a guy enough, he'll learn his tactics and counter them. Not gonna happen in reality.

Additionally, keep in mind that NO MATTER HOW HARD A GAME IS, IT IS DESIGNED TO BE ABLE TO WIN! A game is designed to be won. If no one could beat it, no one would buy it. Do you think in a real war, somebody would create plan that is full of holes so that you could beat it? NO! The enemy will make their plan as foolproof as possible.

A common response to that is: "I play multiplayer a lot, and I still pwn!!! I'm playing against other people who have a plan!!" Keep in mind 2 things:

1. The other team rarely ever acts like a team. Perhaps there is some teamwork between maybe 4 guys tops.
2. The enemy is NOT A STRATEGIC MASTERMIND!!! The opponent is somebody just like you. Do you think they would hire a person just like you to come up with an army's battle plans? No, they would hire a master tactician!

The only somewhat exception to this rule are the examples I mentioned earlier, and possibly Real Time Strategy games. StarCraft was offered as a class in a college, so that's proof enough. However, a real battle would not take place that fast. A soldier cannot be trained in 5 minutes. Also, battles and maps are not always "balanced" the enemy might have advantages of terrain and extra money. In reality, you might have a small base while the enemy has a base 5 times as large. And RTS's take out that human factor. In games such as starcraft, and even wesnoth, all units of the same type are the same, (or in Wesnoth's case, almost the same) but in real life, you might have a soldier that is 4 times stronger than another, one that can aim better, and one that is smart and can get out of a sticky situation.
Also keep in mind that strategy games often go into Sci-Fi or fantasy, so it's not an accurate view of a battle either.

The converse is true though. A person who IS a master strategist in a war WOULD be good in a strategy game, a person who has seen real combat WOULD be good at a shooter game.

Join me next time, as I rant about ads that use sexual innuendo to get people to play their games or buy their movies. (coughcoughcoughEVONYcoughcoughcough)
Last edited by Hulavuta on December 13th, 2014, 4:35 pm, edited 11 times in total.
F:tGJ, Saurian Campaign
The Southern Chains, a fanfic
“The difference between winners and champions is that champions are more consistent."
~Sierra
User avatar
Zerovirus
Art Contributor
Posts: 1693
Joined: July 8th, 2009, 4:51 pm

Re: Hulavuta's Rants

Post by Zerovirus »

I'm good at Tetris. I should be a bricklayer when I grow up.

OH WAIT :D -trollface-
sLaughter
Posts: 28
Joined: April 18th, 2010, 10:23 pm

Re: Hulavuta's Rants

Post by sLaughter »

Being good at tetris makes you an awful bricklayer, seeing as the goal of bricklaying is to build lines while the goal of tetris is to clear lines. :P

In any case, Evony still counts as innuendo?
User avatar
Gambit
Loose Screw
Posts: 3266
Joined: August 13th, 2008, 3:00 pm
Location: Dynamica
Contact:

Re: Hulavuta's Rants

Post by Gambit »

I own at combat flight simulators. I should join the military and control one of those unmanned aircraft.
^^ actually pans out.
User avatar
Hulavuta
Posts: 1668
Joined: October 11th, 2008, 8:17 pm
Location: United States

Re: Hulavuta's Rants

Post by Hulavuta »

Not all games are different from the real things. But, with a flight simulator, (I'm assuming the ones connected to a computer?) you don't have to deal with what you are actually feeling when you are flying. Like games where you are flying a space ship, you might be good in that, but if you want to be a real astronaut, you need to take the motion sickness test and that spinny thingy, because that's what you are going to feel like when you are flying in the rocket.

But I'm mostly referring to shooting games.
F:tGJ, Saurian Campaign
The Southern Chains, a fanfic
“The difference between winners and champions is that champions are more consistent."
~Sierra
User avatar
West
Retired Lord of Music
Posts: 1173
Joined: October 30th, 2006, 7:24 am
Location: In the philotic connections between ansibles.
Contact:

Re: Hulavuta's Rants

Post by West »

Gambit wrote:I own at combat flight simulators. I should join the military and control one of those unmanned aircraft.
^^ actually pans out.
Maybe you already have...

This will be incomprehensible if you haven't read Ender's Game.
User avatar
Gambit
Loose Screw
Posts: 3266
Joined: August 13th, 2008, 3:00 pm
Location: Dynamica
Contact:

Re: Hulavuta's Rants

Post by Gambit »

West wrote:
Gambit wrote:I own at combat flight simulators. I should join the military and control one of those unmanned aircraft.
^^ actually pans out.
Maybe you already have...

This will be incomprehensible if you haven't read Ender's Game.
Such a cruel ending.
User avatar
Kalajel
Posts: 213
Joined: March 18th, 2009, 10:42 pm
Location: Canada
Contact:

Re: Hulavuta's Rants

Post by Kalajel »

West wrote:
Gambit wrote:I own at combat flight simulators. I should join the military and control one of those unmanned aircraft.
^^ actually pans out.
Maybe you already have...

This will be incomprehensible if you haven't read Ender's Game.
Not completely; I do believe this was also the plot of the movie Toys…
oberon
Posts: 25
Joined: February 27th, 2010, 10:59 am

Re: Hulavuta's Rants

Post by oberon »

How much energy does it take to give order to other people to do the fighting? A Wesnoth like games might translate better than you think.

Also, I thought hexagonal grid based turn based strategy games are descended from a game designed to train army officers?

The US army gives away a game (America's Army) to persuade people to join. Any comment on that?

The next step is to test how it works the other way around. Get some reasonably senior (i.e. giving order and devising strategies) army officers to play Wesnoth and see how they do.

Any way, I would make a good soldier - I hate being ordered around.
User avatar
Hulavuta
Posts: 1668
Joined: October 11th, 2008, 8:17 pm
Location: United States

Re: Hulavuta's Rants

Post by Hulavuta »

It might translate better, but not well. And I was talking mostly about first person shooters taking up energy. As was mentioned in the ideas forum, Wesnoth is NOT about realism. In a real fight, you would NOT be running up next to the enemy to shoot them, we wouldn't be fighting with bows and spears anymore, real battles do not take turns to play, opponents aren't tacticians, etc. And the human factor. Different people have different traits. Wesnoth has traits, however all the traits are the same, there are no levels to them. So an Elvish Archer with Dextrous and Strong will have the same stats as an Elvish Archer with Dextrous and Strong. Mostly everything I said in the OP.

The game is DESCENDED from that. Games MAY be used to train and strategize, but the fact remains that most games that are sold and bought are designed FOR FUN.

The U.S. Army has a game to inspire people to join the army. Okay. So what? If they go to the army, are they going to be able to skip training because they played a video game? A game meant to get people to join the army is different from a game that teaches people how to fight in the army. Watching a video on how to wrestle will teach you more than just watching professional wrestling.


And I'm fairly certain that an army officers, considering that they WERE people who planned strategies, would do fairly well in Wesnoth. Perhaps they may be beaten by somebody good, or lose because of bad luck, but they could probably learn it fast and be good at it fast.
F:tGJ, Saurian Campaign
The Southern Chains, a fanfic
“The difference between winners and champions is that champions are more consistent."
~Sierra
User avatar
Thrawn
Moderator Emeritus
Posts: 2047
Joined: June 2nd, 2005, 11:37 am
Location: bridge of SSD Chimera

Re: Hulavuta's Rants

Post by Thrawn »

My biggest peeve about that is actually people who think that skill in rock band/guitar hero is equitable to actually skill in those said instruments. Even drumming and vocals, which are closer to a real indicator, are quite lacking, as you don't need to have a good tone, control over volume or control or anything to do well...Though certainly FPS games are annoying as well.


Also, interestingly enough, I find that RTS/fighters are better indicators of the ability to plan/out think opponents.
...please remember that "IT'S" ALWAYS MEANS "IT IS" and "ITS" IS WHAT YOU USE TO INDICATE POSSESSION BY "IT".--scott

this goes for they're/their/there as well
sLaughter
Posts: 28
Joined: April 18th, 2010, 10:23 pm

Re: Hulavuta's Rants

Post by sLaughter »

Mine are the kids who play Grand Theft Auto and then can't stop blathering on about how tough and awesome gangsters are.

Seriously, it's like watching Kick Ass and then deciding it would be fun to be a superhero. :annoyed:
User avatar
artisticdude
Moderator Emeritus
Posts: 2424
Joined: December 15th, 2009, 12:37 pm
Location: Somewhere in the middle of everything

Re: Hulavuta's Rants

Post by artisticdude »

oberon wrote:The US army gives away a game (America's Army) to persuade people to join. Any comment on that?
Really? I've got that game, even played it a few times (although not on multiplayer, I rarely do mp in any game due to *my standard usage limit rant*, but was never able to get past the training level... is it free? I thought it was just a demo. Interesting that it was made by the army... but I guess it makes sense. I've got the Call of Duty 2 demo, but I'm too cheap to buy the full version. :P I've also got the demos of Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield 2142, the first of which is awesome and the second of which sux in everything but graphics (it won't support my wacom tablet mouse, which is the only USB mouse I've got :x ). Unreal tournament was fun for a while (again, I've got the demo), but it's rather outdated. I've got the demo version of Quake 4, which has great graphics and gameplay, although it's somewhat linear in storyline and lacking in replay value. Let's see... oh yes, I've got Cube, which is a free 3d FPS that's actually pretty good for a free game (can't remember if it's open source or not), but it's crushed in comparison to most commercial FPS games. And perhaps one or two others, but that's all I can recall at the moment.

None of these will prepare anyone for real army experience. In fact, I think it would harm them, because they retain the mentality that they can reload the game if they die, or respawn at the last outpost, use their bandages to heal themselves to full HP, etc. This kind of mentality will get you killed for sure imo, because it makes you think you're invincible. And then -boom, you find out you're not able to reload or respawn, but by then it's too late.
"I'm never wrong. One time I thought I was wrong, but I was mistaken."
User avatar
Telaron
Posts: 453
Joined: December 30th, 2009, 7:58 pm
Location: U.S.A.

Re: Hulavuta's Rants

Post by Telaron »

Hulavuta wrote:Additionally, keep in mind that NO MATTER HOW HARD A GAME IS, IT IS DESIGNED TO BE ABLE TO WIN!
*coughs* Except for those mentioned here. :wink:

http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=28515
Check out the FOSS game Sumwars
Wish I had more time for composing music...
User avatar
Gambit
Loose Screw
Posts: 3266
Joined: August 13th, 2008, 3:00 pm
Location: Dynamica
Contact:

Re: Hulavuta's Rants

Post by Gambit »

sLaughter wrote:Mine are the kids who play Grand Theft Auto and then can't stop blathering on about how tough and awesome gangsters are.
Those kids are annoying no matter how they were inspired. Those teens are annoying. Heck those adults are annoying. Gangsterism is nothing to aspire to. They need to pull up thier pants for starters.
Post Reply