Thursday Next

FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT I am not claiming for a second that I don't regularly do the same.

That's because you are a lawyer and think that words like "Hereinafter" and "Notwithstanding" are suitable for everyday use.

I checked, and according to some sources it is a word. Just wondering why you used it in place of the more common "exclude"?

Are you sure that it is not "York Peppermint Patties" that you love? I hear that people get the two mixed up like alllllll the time.

The only thing stopping cross platform play on hosted (non peer to peer) servers is a filter that puts players in like hardware severs. I've played early (very early) titles that could play (on a local network) xbox v ps v pc. Cross platform play is the easiest thing in the world. The only hard bits are getting marketing to part with their walled garden and getting PR prepped for when console A players trounce console B players every time so that people don't think that the reason for that is that console A is superior.

$60/3 monsters is $15. Expansion monster= $15. The pricing makes complete sense. To me this is like getting upset over a short game. You don't need to go on an internet tirade because you don't think a 6-hour experience is worth $60. Other people value the experience. I played Evolve and I can definitely see how this will be worth the money and I can see how you can get a lot of time out of it. The only people I know who pre-ordered did it at $60. They seem to think it's worth that but they'll wait on the DLC. People also seem to forget that DLC is completely fucking optional. This is also hilariously reminiscent of L4D2 but look how well that did in the end for an "expansion." But gamers love their double standards, don't learn from history, and will complain about anything without actually experiencing it or if it doesn't affect them at all. $60 = 3 Monsters and 12 Hunters (let's be generous and say that the maps etc are free). And we'll say that a monster is equivalent to 4 hunters. So to work out how much a hunter costs... $60/(4M+H) = $2.5. Multiplied by 4 for monster adjustment is a maximum $10 value per monster. And that's the most generous calculation. If you do the more simple calculation of each character costing the same amount (just because monsters are bigger doesn't mean they should be more expensive and what about the hunter that has a pet???), then $60/(M+H) = $4. A four dollar value per monster (or hunter) is realistic. So yeah. I'll wait for the GOTY when I can get the game and all the DLC for £35, realise there is no online community any more, and skip it. I'm not saying you have to do that, I'm just telling you what I am going to do.

Demon's Souls, Darksiders 2, Dead Space, The Witcher. I think that a lot of this comes down to another game coming along that distracts me. Of those, The Witcher 2 and Demon's Souls both lost me for feeling a bit directionless. Dead Space and Darksiders 2 I just sort of got interrupted. Should make an effort to finish them both some day.

I know how DLC is planned better than most and I think this is shitty. If you are releasing a starter-pack and a lot of add-on content (which is how I interpret the marketing pitch from 2K) then I think you should price it as such. I think 2K will suffer because of this, especially now that the concept of waiting for a GOTY edition is standard.

Perhaps if they provided their own thoughts instead of parroting someone who makes a career out of riding the latest internet bandwagon I wouldn't need to make such comments in the first place. It's hard to believe people still react this badly to DLC. You mean post-game content that hasn't been created yet costs money to develop? Who would have thought? Plus in this game you're not even sectioned off from the rest of the community. Everyone gets whatever maps they put out and can play against/with the hunters/monsters that are DLC. You just can't play as them. Seems fair enough. I'm taking issue with the unnecessary insult, nothing more. I'm tempted to say "FDS gonna FDS", but I do agree it gets a little tedious sometimes. I totally take the point that Jimquisition isn't "objectively correct" and that people should think for themselves before deciding whether or not to agree with him but the delivery was way off. But there is no evidence that Cowboy didn't think through that before posting.

I keep waiting for Unfinsihed Swan to go on Plus too. Thanks for taking one for the team.

Of course they have the power to change it. Unionise, down tools, demand minimum wage, write to your senator. You've got the NLRA out there. If a restaurant has the option of paying staff a fair wage, or having nobody to bring food to the tables, I'm pretty sure I know what they would choose. Is there a reason the food service industry can't strike?

Yeah, this has "Wait for the GOTY" written alllllll over it.

Oh yeah, I forget that you don't do the whole chip&pin thing...

I'm not the one saying that they don't deserve to get paid. Their boss is saying that. If their boss thinks they deserve to get paid, then their boss should pay them and charge me. I think the conception that I, as a customer, have a moral obligation to pay the wait staff is completely backwards. I didn't hire the staff, I didn't set their wages to below minimum / living wage. If we're going to do it that way, then I should be able to choose who waits on my table, rather than being assigned the person who's serving pace hovers somewhere between glacial and tectonic. In fact, that would be great, I could conduct a brief interview with the wait staff, see who I think is the best fit for my dining experience and then we can negotiate a fair wage for their service over the next hour or so. I mean, if we're reducing the role of restaurant management to that of "wait staff pimp" then I should at least get to choose who is servicing me. Since the attitude is that "gratuities" are mandatory, I would much rather that a 20% Service Charge was automatically added to the bill (a 10% service charge is pretty standard in a lot of UK restaurants, it gets automagically tacked on to the bill), and if I feel service was crappy, I can argue the toss with the management. This would also have the additional benefit of meaning that I can pay tips via my card, as I tend not to carry a lot of / any cash on me, which can often lead to that awkward "Shit, I've only got a couple of dollars... is that ok to leave? Or is it less rude to leave nothing?" moment.

Table Service - Fine, I'm literally being waited on, and if the service is good, friendly waiter, not left hanging about etc, I'm happy to tack on a ~20% premium. Cabbies - I'll tend to let them keep the change, but if it's a round figure, and I have the note I don't tip. Valets - Never used them, not sure if it would be something that I would tip for, probably would in advance out of concern for the safety of my car if I didn't, but I'd feel like I was paying protection money rather than offering a discretionary bonus. Coat Room Attendants - It would never occur to me to tip them, I'd rather hang my coat on the back of my chair so I can make a hassle free exit. Porters - Don't tip. I actually find it a bit rude when they insist on taking my luggage from me. I don't like other people handling my stuff more than is absolutely necessary. Barbers - I tend to tip in the UK, normally £1, regardless of independence. Food Delivery - Another "keep the change" situation. See, this is where the cultural disconnect comes in. I tip for good service and above, not by default. When I'm told that wait staff don't get paid a living wage, I tend to think that is the fault of a broken system and it's not my job to fix it. Service industry staff could unionise and strike, or quit en masse until they are rehired at a proper wage.

Cocktail bars I do tend to tip, especially if I have ordered two or more cocktails. In the UK, if you tip at the bar you will almost always be met with confusion.

Is that some sort of bastardised haiku? The first thing I upgraded was inventory, it's not enough. I need to dump all the things somewhere safe in case I need them later.

I don't recall if this is true of previous entries, but the lack of a storage chest is a major PITA.

Oh yeah. Good point. Inventory system sucks big stinky bison balls. Other than that it is flawless.

As someone who is entirely impartial... Dragon Age™: Inquisition is absolutely game of the year material. It has all those things you liked about the other games and none of the things you didn't like. It also may or may not have the things you were not sure about. Go buy many many many copies. Thank you.

Like anything short of a 50cal is getting through all that! Getting shot in the front is what you should worry about.

I like it. I think that we have missed having a party to vote that is an equivalent of a spoiled ballot. People started voting UKIP because they wanted to punish the top parties at the moment. With FUKP we can have an opportunity to do that without voting in a hideous bunch of racists.

Could be that they have pleaded (pled?) guilty. That would mean you can jump to sentencing right away.

I tend to tip around 10% ish whenever I have table service. I find the concept of tipping at the bar utterly bewildering. The guy turns a tap on for 10 seconds, then turns it off again, or worse, gets a bottle out of the fridge and opens it for me. Why on earth would I pay extra for that? In fact, paying for stuff in America is really annoying because prices are always more than advertised, items in shops, they don't put the tax on the shelf ticket, everywhere else, you have to pay a tip. Charge for things properly America!

Bonus points for noticing Turban+Chin and Eyeballs + Nose = Crudely Drawn Penis.