Disclosure Alert

By Shamus Posted Sunday Feb 10, 2013

Filed under: Links 139 comments

So Spoiler Warning season 10 is done. I’ll tell you that our next game is NOT Alpha Protocol. That’s a shame, since Alpha Protocol is a really interesting specimen. Being an Obsidian title, it’s an interesting mix of choice, dialog wheels, unconventional characters, wonky gameplay, and hilarious bugs. Obsidian Entertainment is the mad scientist of the RPG world, constantly doing new things that usually blow up in their face but which sometimes move us forward.

The game has been a candidate for Spoiler Warning since season 4. After passing over the game eight times, it’s pretty clear that if we were going to cover this game, we would have put a ring on it by now.

But!

Someone else has taken up the charge. Some folks you might recognize from the comments on this very site – @Aldowyn @anaphysik and @newdarkcloud – have launched the curiously titled Disclosure Alert show. Here’s episode 1:


Link (YouTube)

So enjoy that while you’re waiting for the next season of Spoiler Warning. There are four episodes up now, so it’s a good time to give them feedback and tell them what works and what doesn’t. Also you’ll get to hear the voices behind the names, which is always fun.

I’ll be running Fallout episodes this week. In the meantime, I am prepared to reveal that the next season of Spoiler Warning will be Season 11.

 


From The Archives:
 

139 thoughts on “Disclosure Alert

  1. Infinitron says:

    Did you watch the Wasteland 2 gameplay video, Shamus?

    1. Hey, where’d it go? It’s not up on Vimeo anymore!

      I found a YouTube clone of it, though.

      1. IronCore says:

        Thanks for the YT clone. I saw this on PCGamer earlier and saved it to watch later. When I went back it was gone. It’s not up on their Kickstarter update page either.

      2. Infinitron says:

        Got taken down because Vimeo is staffed by idiots who don’t want to compete with Youtube, apparently.

  2. Wandring says:

    Makes me want to start my own show too… It will be called: Unveiling Remonstrance. :P

    1. Syal says:

      Revelation Awareness.

      1. Dragomok says:

        Plot Ruination Affirmation.

        1. Decompositional WATCH OUT!

  3. Indy says:

    Ooph, that spoiler is maddening.

    I am enjoying the so far one-week-run of Disclosure Alert. A lot of energy in it. I might even say that credit sequence is better than that of Spoiler Warning if only because of the dialogue insertions in it. I’m also quite fond of Aldowyn’s reckless approach to stealth.

    1. Right off the bat, I have to say the game has the biggest Zippo and cigarette I’ve ever viewed in a cutscene.

      Also, is it me, or does the protagonist sneak using some kind of Groucho Marx technique?

    2. Aldowyn says:

      ;)

      I spent like 2 hours making those credits, I appreciate the appreciation!

      Although inserting the dialogue was Anaphysik’s idea tbh.

      In any case, definitely appreciate the feedback!

      1. anaphysik says:

        And I spent like *ten* hours telling him how to make those credits /good/ XD

        1. Aldowyn says:

          yeah, I’ll point out the editing isn’t a solo effort here. Both anaphysik and newdarkcloud are there helping me out pretty much all the time, very much a team effort.

      2. Sabrdance (MatthewH) says:

        Made me think of Airwolf. Ah, those were the days.

      3. Ringwraith says:

        The door montage is definitely appreciated.

        1. Aldowyn says:

          that was my idea, IIRC. Was fun editing that.

  4. madshaw says:

    you sir are a true tease

  5. swimon says:

    That’s a shame I really like alpha protocol, easily my favorite Obsidian game. It’s definitely flawed but often in interesting ways basically this.

    1. Aldowyn says:

      Yeah, that post went up the DAY after an hour-long debate on the merits of AP’s dialog system, quite randomly. The author has a lot of other posts that sounds like he’s listening to my twitter too XD

      AP deserves a sequel more than any other Obsidian game to date, IMO – if only because it’s the first really NEW game they’ve made.

    2. Grudgeal says:

      Funny the article should mention that. I got DX: HR and Alpha Protocol at around the same time. Deus Ex I played once, doing it stealthily because that’s what I usually do, and I remember preciously little about it apart from Adam being gravelly-voiced and the bosses and much of the plot being utter nonsense. A good game, but nothing memorable.

      Alpha Protocol I’ve played through… Ohhhh… Four times? Three? I played one recruit/professional with an assault rifle, one operative/suave/nonlethal martial artist (trying not to kill anyone) and one veteran who was a social chameleon on (hard difficulty), and I had an aggressive SMG user in the works until my hard drive was reformatted. And I still need to see how the shotgun works. (I’ve also spent an inordinate amount of time editing its TVTropes page). I keep coming back to it because while gameplay has flaws, but the plot is more interesting and the characters are way more memorable and there are different ways to play it that Deus Ex really hasn’t got. DX: HR is the objectively better game, but Alpha Protocol is a lot more fun.

      1. newdarkcloud says:

        I’ve played through the game 8-9 times. I’ve tried quite a few different permutations of the game and I’m amazed by how different each playthrough can be.

        1. swimon says:

          I’ve played it a couple of times and every time is the same, I just can’t bring myself to not play a pacifist ^^.

          1. newdarkcloud says:

            My super-aggressive douche-schnozle playthrough was really interesting. It can get pretty painful to piss off some characters.

            On the other hand, some of them REALLY deserved it.

  6. PossiblyInsane says:

    “In the meantime, I am prepared to reveal that the next season of Spoiler Warning will be Season 11.”

    *Glehrk*

  7. Spammy says:

    Woah. Woah. Woah. Can you even do a game as recent as Season 11?

    Also my vote for the next season is Metro 2033, I think you’d have plenty to talk about there. And if you did Action/adventure/platformer AC2 I think that you can say that survival horror FPS falls under your banner.

    1. newdarkcloud says:

      I want them to do Assassin’s Creed 3. >:)

      1. You are a bad person and should feel bad.

      2. Daemian Lucifer says:

        Well they should do the first half of it.Haytham is an interesting character.Its a shame he isnt the focus of the rest of the game.

        1. Indy says:

          Connor’s not bad, either. A very tragic hero, given the ending to his story. I’m also fond of the old man’s death scene. The Desmond part wasn’t too entertaining, though. Maybe the one level where you’re in the stadium.

          1. Daemian Lucifer says:

            Yeah but its the events of connors life that are tragic,not himself.He is just so bland.

            1. Prof_Goldfish says:

              Give the guy credit he can speak fluent Algonquin which is above most actors to say the least

            2. Greg says:

              Late comment, I know, but I don’t consider Connor bland; he’s understated in his speech, but he goes through a stronger arc than either of the previous main Assassin characters (in the numbered games, at least; I never played the non-numbered Ezio games), from vengeful boy to budding Assassin to naive freedom fighter to disillusioned crusader to hopeful yet realistic leader. And he does so while keeping his core principles relatively intact, being in line with what the Assassin’s Brotherhood is supposedly all about: freedom from tyranny.

              Also, it was cut from the game, but this monologue really sums up what Connor went through and how he changed.

              Being honest, though, Ezio’s my least favorite of the three, for pretty much the reasons the Spoiler Warning crew went into: he’s a blood-drunk, vengeful thug who fell into being an Assassin through his family connections and dumb luck, and who stopped killing when it didn’t feel good anymore (again, only played 2). The twist of 2, with him being essentially irrelevant except as a memory capsule, really tickled me pink.

        2. Klay F. says:

          Jeez, with Josh’s propensity for finding bugs, I imagine he’d render the game unplayable before too long. At least if my playthrough was anything to go by.

          1. Aldowyn says:

            AC3 was incredibly buggy, especially compared to the (relative) polish of AC2. Putting Josh in AC3 is akin to putting him in New Vegas (or ANY bethesda game): Weird crap WILL happen.

            But AC3 in general is MECHANICALLY really sloppy, even ignoring the story. It’s an interesting thing to look at especially in comparison to what I consider the opposite in AC2 – good mechanics, lousy story.

            1. Jace911 says:

              Here comes the Jacetrain on the opposite end of the track: for me AC3’s combat was very fluid and enjoyable, but the story was an absolute mess.

              They introduced Haytham, who at first seems a bit like a Mary Sue (Our hero, he does no wrong and is a polite and suave and intelligent gentleman!) until they pull the “psyche he’s a Templar” twist. At that point I thought they were going to try to go for some sort of “the Templars have changed, their goals are more sympathetic now” angle to the story but then IMMEDIATELY AFTER we get Charles and his mustache-twirling monologue about how stupid Connor and his people are while he chokes a child half to death and then burns his village down for shits and giggles while Johnson and one of the other Templars watch and do nothing. Then we about-face AGAIN and try to paint them in a sympathetic light AGAIN (Johnson buying Shawnee land to protect them, Pitcairn pulling back the Redcoats’ reigns so they don’t just slaughter the Patriots, etc) and making Washington out to be a pointlessly evil douchebag and giving Connor’s childhood friend a serious idiot ball to force the whole “YOU MUST KILL YOUR FRIEND” scene.

              Oh, and let’s not forget the insane ludonarrative dissonance between Connor’s primary motivation of “I must keep my people and our lands safe from the white man” and “Hey kids, see how many colonists you can get to live on this frontier homestead right next door to your peoples’ lands!”

              I never even finished the friggin’ game so I don’t know how much better or worse it gets (I ragequit when I couldn’t beat the stupid boss fight against Haytham at Chesapeake) but honestly I didn’t care enough to find out. It just felt like the writers were jerking me around with pointless and contradicting plot twists in the name of DRAMA.

              1. Daemian Lucifer says:

                Too bad,because when haytham gets reintroduced,you get shown again just how more interesting he is than connor.

                As for the whole “These guys are bad,no its these guys,no these guys”,it actually serves a point.It shows that it doesnt matter if you are an assassin or a templar,there are good people at both sects,as well as idiots.

                But whenever asscreed 3 pisses you off,you just need to go back to this scene,and youll be reminded why its the best one in the franchise.

                1. Jace911 says:

                  I actually didn’t really care for that scene. I was interested because it looked like Desmond was actually going to show a bit of characterization and growth and then daddy pimp slaps him and says “Stop trying to be a three dimensional character, Nolan North! You will be a hard drive and you will like it!”

                  1. StashAugustine says:

                    Ironically my favorite Nolan North performances are Spec Ops and Alpha Protocol, where he plays complete psychopaths.

  8. Jokerman says:

    I wonder how many bugs josh would of ran into playing Alpha Protocol? Would he even get out of the starting area?

    Ill give Disclosure Alert a watch

    1. Aldowyn says:

      Not too many BUGS (AP isn’t THAT buggy, although I had a funny one in the practice run where a turret shot me half way across the (small) map), but I certainly do a lot of ridiculous stuff.

      Thanks for the watch, make sure to let us know what you think!

      1. anaphysik says:

        That’s not a bug. That’s just you sucking at stealth so extremely hard.

      2. Aldowyn says:

        Oh, and I have a theory that recording/streaming actually causes bugs due to additional stresses on the processor, because I DO see more bugs in everything when I’m recording/streaming.

        1. Grudgeal says:

          Or maybe you just notice them better when you know other people are watching.

          Or the universe is innately sadistic. I tend to lean towards the latter explanation myself…

      3. Jokerman says:

        Josh finds bugs everywhere, is a bug finding machine.

        I love this game, watching you play it is giving my urges to start up a new game.

        1. newdarkcloud says:

          Feel free to play along with us if you wish. While it is far from the best, I’d go so far as to say that Alpha Protocol is my favorite game this generation.

  9. Fwiffles says:

    I like the first episode and I’m looking forward to more. The only thing I can give as criticism is that the sound levels of the game made it hard to hear the commentary. Other than that, keep it it.

    1. Aldowyn says:

      Yeah, we heard that from several people on the first couple. It should be at least a little better in 2 and good with 3 and 4, from what I’ve heard.

      Thanks!

    2. anaphysik says:

      We fixed that in the later episodes (episode 3 & 4 moreso than episode 2). It was a VERY common complaint.

  10. silver Harloe says:

    Can you describe the DRM situation in the Steam version. Just download and play, or does it also try to do ruins-your-windows-live?

    1. Aldowyn says:

      Just download and play, as far as I can tell. No GFWL BS. I certainly haven’t had issues, and I have before with some games.

    2. Basically, GFWL and Steam use the same save game locations for some games (like Fallout 3). If GFWL is running, it thinks it needs to step in and get passwords and logins and what-not from you. Just shut it off before running a Steam version, and I think you’ll be fine.

    3. Irridium says:

      Got it during the recent Steam sale. There was no GFWL or anything else, just Steam.

      At least as far as I can tell.

    4. Thomas says:

      I think they released an official patch which removes all DRM from it. Because after I installed it I didn’t even have to type in the product key, never mind GFWL (and on a non-steam copy)

      1. Volfram says:

        I bought Alpha Protocol well over a year ago during a Steam sale. Never had any DRM I could see beyond what Half-Life 2 has.

  11. Guildenstern says:

    Blast, and here I thought I was so original having one of only two let’s plays I’d previously found online.

    That said, I did finish mine a year earlier so I’ll just remain on my high horse.

    Still, I’m really looking forward to watching through this. Despite its flaws, the more discussion about Alpha Protocol the better I’d say.

  12. Sabrdance (MatthewH) says:

    Very Cool. Immitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and while I keep threatening to do a real youtube channel, I never do -so, again, very cool.

    1. newdarkcloud says:

      Imitation? That implies that we’re ruthlessly coping another well known show seen only on this blog.

      We would never* do that. It would be improper.

      *By “never” I mean “Yeah, we’re a blatant ripoff”

      1. anaphysik says:

        The original idea basically /was/ ‘Spoiler Warning: Fan Edition’

      2. Deadpool says:

        How DO you cope with that?

        1. Aldowyn says:

          watch the show and find out :P

  13. anaphysik says:

    “Also you'll get to hear the voices behind the names, which is always fun.”

    If by fun, you mean earsplittingly painful, yes. #EveryoneHatesTheirOwnVoice #ExceptRonPerlman #AndAlsoLoganCunningham

    I should mention that for your convenience, we’ve (I’ve <_<) set up a youtube playlist here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuo0OLsc6SzEjVmR_-8fARY8Mlp7Tm7hx

    Additionally, we (I <_<) have a dedicated twitter account for announcements and new episodes, to be found here: https://twitter.com/DisclosureAlert
    That'd be better to follow than following us individually, as we, uh, ramble a bit ;D

    1. anaphysik says:

      uhhhhhhh, oops

      Shamus, could you possibly maybe pretty please fix that second strike tag for me? Only “#ExceptRonPerlman #AndAlsoLoganCunningham” was meant to be struck. (It won’t let me edit :< )

    2. Thomas says:

      Well that was false advertising. Heard the first voice, so I assumed from the description that couldn’t be you.

      Although hearing people’s actual voices is confusing =D. You assign a personality and voice to someone in your head and then you have to try to readjust to fit the facts

      1. anaphysik says:

        Awww, you like my voice?

        …Or, uh, think that Aldowyn’s the one that sounds weird?

        ;D

        Actually, I’m quite curious about this: “You assign a personality and voice to someone in your head and then you have to try to readjust to fit the facts.”

        I’ve also heard that different people visualize others differently. E.g. at least one person imagines me as a manta ray flopping its fins against the keyboard.

        1. Syal says:

          I still picture Josh as a DragonQuest Demon Knight.

          1. Aldowyn says:

            what, you don’t picture him as Teddy Roosevelt? HERESY.

            1. Syal says:

              Not after that first picture from PAX I don’t. Demon Knight all the way. (It just makes SENSE.)

        2. Gruhunchously says:

          Your picture is a manta ray?…oh, I guess it is. My mind always saw it as a blue sail boat sinking backwards.

          1. Aldowyn says:

            I definitely always thought it was a boat until I looked closer. the head (which I always thought was the bridge or whatever) is at the top right…

          2. anaphysik says:

            Varewulf saw the same thing.

            It helps when it’s bigger than these tiny gravatars:
            http://i2.ifrm.com/4614/195/upload/p2838980.jpg
            http://i2.ifrm.com/16149/139/upload/p22021301.jpg

        3. Thomas says:

          ‘a manta ray flopping its fins against the keyboard.’

          From now on, I choose to believe =D

      2. Sabrdance (MatthewH) says:

        Aldowyn has always sounded like Ian McKellen’s Gandalf in my mind. Anaphysik had the Bobblehead Einstein voice, and NewDarkCloud is a booming operatic baritone (think Rigolletto).

        No. I have no idea where these conceptions come from.

        1. Thomas says:

          NewDarkCloud having a recognisably American accent was a surprise for me. I guess I give everyone British or transatlantic accents

          1. newdarkcloud says:

            If you like, I can do a horribly offensive British accent just for you!

            Aldy and physik will hate it, but I can do it.

            1. Ringwraith says:

              Well, if there’s anyone who’s going to be offended by it…

              1. Aldowyn says:

                trust me, I will be offended on their behalf, and so will you.

                1. Ringwraith says:

                  Eh, the people who speak English the worst are the English.
                  I’m not going to put it against anymore.

              2. anaphysik says:

                Well, as an actual secret British person…

        2. anaphysik says:

          XD

          #IHaveNothingMoreToAdd

        3. JPH says:

          Oh oh oh what do I sound like? o:

          1. Aldowyn says:

            like a ninja, obviously.

            Note: I don’t assign ‘voices’ like that, although I WILL read text in a voice if I know what they actually sound like.

          2. SougoXIII says:

            Wait don’t we already heard your voice over at Rutskarn’s Livestream?

          3. Sabrdance (Matthew H) says:

            John Rhyse Davies in Sliders -though this is because I know someone with the initials JPH who is -for a variety of reasons -associated with Dr. Arturo in my mind.

            I do not have voices for everyone on the forum, but some names come up that are just evocative of a voice.

            1. Aldowyn says:

              ‘some names that come up are just evocative of a voice’

              I originally came up with the name expressly aping elvish/Tolkienesque naming customs, actually. Someone asked if I was Welsh once – Sindarin is based on Welsh. Sooo I think I did a good job, especially if that name makes you think of GANDALF.

              It’s total accident, but “Aldwyn” is a real Old English name that means ‘old friend’, so… I accidentally came upon a really good name, and I’ve stuck with it for a solid half a decade plus. So there’s the story behind THAT!

        4. Aldowyn says:

          I cannot properly express the extent to which I appreciate that comparison. Except a certain LOTR-fan friend of mine suggests that Michael Hordern would be better.

        5. newdarkcloud says:

          I think we all do that. I have funny and amusing voices I use when picturing everyone’s voice here. Though now that I’ve been meeting a lot of the guys here online, it’s been cool to here people’s real voices.

    3. Daemian Lucifer says:

      And morgan freeman.You forgot morgan freeman.He is THE voice,after all.

  14. Dude says:

    It’s gonna be Skyrim.

    1. X2-Eliah says:

      Yeah, that seems to be the most likely thing. It’s gonna be a looooooong season.

      Also, this will be SW season 11. Skyrim came out on 11.11.11… Coincidence? I think not.

      1. Hitchmeister says:

        I’ve spent to much time on Reddit. After seeing all those 11s my first thought was “Half-Life 3 confirmed.”

        (I realize that makes no sense, but neither do most of the confirmations on Reddit.)

        1. X2-Eliah says:

          :| How does HL3 even relate to the number 11?

          1. scowdich says:

            People on Reddit like to joke about HL3, using the absolute thinnest of Adam-West-as-Batman logic to decide that Half-Life 3 has been confirmed.

            “Gabe Newell bought a latte on Tuesday…confirmed.”

          2. newdarkcloud says:

            Dude! 11 is two ones! If you add a 1, it’s 1 + 1 + 1 = 3!

            HALF-LIFE 3 IS COMING OUT!!!

            1. anaphysik says:

              11 is 3 in binary. Binary has 2 unit values. The reciprocal of 2 is one-half. HALF-LIFE 3 QED.

    2. Jace911 says:

      It’s either going to be Skyrim or Dishonored, and either way we’re going to get more hilarious Gamebryo-style bug shenanigans.

  15. Weimer says:

    Someone should analyze SkiFree.

    The in-depth breakdown of the directed freedom presented to the skier versus the deadly inevitability represented by the yeti would be enlightening. Also the implications that holding the F key makes you immortal could rouse some interesting observations.

    1. swenson says:

      Wait wait wait…

      What’s this about the F key?

      1. Weimer says:

        If you press the F key, you’ll go faster than the yetis.

        You’ll have to keep dodging the other obstacles though, it doesn’t make you invincible.

        1. swenson says:

          You mean to tell me this entire time there’s been a key to outrun the yeti AND I NEVER KNEW ABOUT IT?! All those years of playing that game! All those vain attempts to outmaneuver him, and there was a key to go faster the whole time?!

          My life… it’s crumbling before my very eyes… everything I knew was a lie…

  16. IronCore says:

    Shamus, when did you become a part time troll? I can’t remember when it started happening. All I know is it used to not happen. Until I receive evidence to the contrary I’m blaming Josh and Rutskarn.

    1. Aldowyn says:

      I’m sure it’ll appear somewhere in the replays of Spoiler Warning.

      In other words, blaming josh and rutskarn is a very good idea.

      Except now that shamus has converted and mumbles has left (sadface), I dunno who they’re trolling any more. I guess us, even during the show?

      *edit* anaphysik just showed me something that in the context of trolls implies that surrounding yourself with them inevitably leads to conversion. This led to a big NOOO from me…

    2. anaphysik says:

      Shamus, don’t be naà¯ve enough to think you’re unaffected. The conversion has already begun.

  17. AJax says:

    So I’ve finished watching the first four episodes and I have to say that I’m really impressed and definitely enjoying it. I honestly prefer Aldowyn and co. covering Alpha Protocol because they obviously know what they’re talking about and I was genuinely surprised at the analysis of the story and characters nuances that I completely missed in my time with the game. Good job guys.

    1. AJax says:

      Bah, can’t edit the comment.

      I’m not implying that the SW crew don’t know what they’re talking about when analyzing games, what I wanted to say that Aldowyn and co. have a really good grasp on the narrative and characters of Alpha Protocol. Weird phrasing on my part. Sorry. :P

      1. anaphysik says:

        That’s great to hear, because I think by our reckonings, we were just calling Darcy an arse and making fun of Yancy’s name.

        So, um, keep up the good job us XD

        1. Indy says:

          The most comprehensive analysis I have ever heard, to be sure.

      2. Aldowyn says:

        TBH we were REALLY worried that this first week would come off as a BAD rip-off, but it seems we actually did a good job.

        Imagine that.

      3. newdarkcloud says:

        Thank you. We hope that we’ll continue to provide good analysis.

    2. anaphysik says:

      As someone who has meticulously scanned the episodes, and noted aldy’s largest analytical contribution by volume to be “yeah,” I take offense to “Aldowyn and co.”

      ;P

      1. Aldowyn says:

        As someone who made those episodes, and noted anaphysik’s largest analytical contribution was ‘do you even stealth?’, I take offense to the implied idea that it should instead be ‘anaphysik in co’.

        Besides, I’m driving, I’m allowed to just agree when I’m distracted.

        1. newdarkcloud says:

          As someone who played the game 8-9 times and thinks both of you could stand to talk more, neither one of you have room to talk. XD

          /kidding

        2. anaphysik says:

          Anyone whose actually watched this videos can tell you that it was CLOUD who said “do you even stealth?” (I said “do you even know how to play this game?” and several variations of “LERN 2 WASD!” as well as “Aldowyn… stupid… loser…”)

  18. Daemian Lucifer says:

    You got through the intro an not one of you screwed up their name?Thats not a good start for a spinoff of spoiler warning.

    1. anaphysik says:

      Part of it is the glory of not using push-to-talk.

      signed, anaphys-

    2. newdarkcloud says:

      We record our audio in Skype, and Skype has a way you can jury-rig push-to-talk, but none of us can be bothered to do that.

      I just mute my mic whenever something happens around me and I don’t want it to appear in the audio.

  19. Lame Duck says:

    I really hope the next season of Spoiler Warning is something I’ve either already played or don’t care about having spoiled. The Fallout 3 re-release has helped, but it’s been downright painful to have to miss this season because I don’t want it spoiled.

  20. SougoXIII says:

    So Disclosure Alert crew: Is there any plan to put each episode up on a blog/forum somewhere or all discussion’s going to happened in the Youtube comment? I’m asking because I know that newdarkcloud and Aldowyn have a blog, not sure about anaphysik though.

    1. Thomas says:

      If they don’t have plans to do that, we could probably commandeer Roll for Insanity

      1. newdarkcloud says:

        Currently, there are no plans to put this on a blog. Roll for Insanity has been considered, but nothing concrete.

        1. newdarkcloud says:

          Actually, upon reflection. I have decided to start posting these on my blog in a completely, pathetically selfish attempt to boost my pageviews.

          I’ve already linked to the first episode, so I’ll post the 2nd later today.

          The blog is pressstarttodiscuss.blogspot.com

        2. baseless research says:

          What about blue screen of awesome? You’d have to discuss things with Jarenth & co, but it’d be a good home for it. Either that, or have a “discussion” with Shamus about co-authorship on this site.

          I’ll give you some pictures you can use.

          1. anaphysik says:

            That would be much too intrusive. Shamus giving us a one-a-week plug+comments section for people to discuss the eps would be plenty nice, though.

          2. newdarkcloud says:

            I have decided to retract my previous statement and post it on my blog at Press Start to Discuss.

              1. Aldowyn says:

                It’s an interesting discussion, to be sure. I’m not sure the multi-blog approach is a bad one, though. It allows us to form separate followings instead of just show followers

                So, in other words, more places = better. I’ll definitely be posting weekly roundups at the very least I think.

    2. anaphysik says:

      I am a blogless heathen. (I have some legacy forums where I post my story/RPG stuff.) The easiest way to bother me is through that monstrous devourer of time, twitter.

  21. NihilCredo says:

    Hi Shamus, it would be great if you could indulge my curiosity: did you end up giving Crusader Kings II a (second) try?

  22. newdarkcloud says:

    The link is broken, this should work.

    I can’t fix b/c it thinks I’m spam.

  23. Volfram says:

    Apparently I’m posting a contrary opinion here, but… my roommates and I agree, that was no Spoiler Warning.

    I’m not sure how much of it was simply that you guys don’t have 10 seasons under your belts. Ultimately there’s only one way to find out whether that’s the case or not, and it’s going to take a few years.

    I see from an earlier post that you apparently got the audio problems worked out, which is good, because half the time all the voices jumbled together and I couldn’t hear anything. I do know that for my own LP series, when I started recording voice and game audio separately it let me make ALL of the audio problems just go away. I also get to mute most of the obnoxious sniffling and mouth noises so nobody gets grossed out listening to me.

    I’d say probably the biggest negative I could give is that none of the SW crew would have EVER said “If you’re not playing stealth/pistols, you’re doing it wrong.” Not one single game that Spoiler Warning have done have they ever claimed there was a “right” or “wrong” way to play a game, and in fact they will readily criticise a game if there seems to be anything like that. Half of the fun in the Fallout: New Vegas season was Josh playing the game “wrong.” The fact that he also generally succeeded was simply a bonus.

    I will probably finish watching the Disclosure Alert playthrough of Alpha Protocol, but I think a Spoiler Warning version would not be redundant in the least, and I will still be looking forward to it.

    Right after Half-Life 3.

    1. SougoXIII says:

      Trust me, maybe they didn’t outright said it but they know it’s Aplha Protocol’s biggest weakness. In fact, newdarkcloud make a giant post talking about it. Combat in AP is so broken that the Pistol + Stealth combo put the game into easy mode while other weapon, like the SMG just plain doesn’t work mechanic wise.

      The strength of Alpha Protocol lies in its consequences and how most of your interaction with any characters will influence the plot, in the short and long term. Everybody can agree that the gameplay is AP biggest weakness.

      1. newdarkcloud says:

        I want to talk about that later, once we get into some of the more gameplay heavy segments.

    2. Aldowyn says:

      I gotta say, I love that we already have fans that appreciate us enough to defend our position for us. TY Sougo!

      That said, it’s not their job, so let me elaborate. anaphysik said this earlier: That's great to hear, because I think by our reckonings, we were just calling Darcy an arse and making fun of Yancy's name.

      All of us were pretty worried we didn’t have enough discussion in the first week, but honestly I think we’re pretty set for the rest of the LP. We’ve spent a lot of time since out-of-cameraThe tutorials are always low on discussion anyway. The ABSOLUTE hardest part of Spoiler Warning, and what makes it really tick, is their ability to seamlessly transition from trolling to analysis, and they know when to do which. It’s a careful line to trod and is different for each game. (See AC2 vs TWD seasons)

      Annd I wouldn’t be averse to hearing the SW crew’s opinion on Alpha Protocol. Not in the slightest. Stay tuned. ;)

      P.S. ‘stating a contrary opinion’ this is NEVER a bad thing in and of itself. The day I reject negative criticism solely because it is negative is the day you should stop following me at all.

      1. Aldowyn says:

        Shamus… Why don’t I have permission to edit my own comment? I made a typo and I want to clarify something. (There’s a missing space/period/dash/something and I wanted to say ‘IMO the hardest part of Spoiler Warning is…’)

      2. Volfram says:

        I’m glad you were able to take the criticism in the way it was intended. The first run is always the worst. Spoiler Warning Season 1 is nothing like the massive troll-and-pun-fest we’ve all come to know and love, and even when Randy took over gameplay he spent more time chasing Asari tail than the incredibly witty “Watch me play the game wrong” that Josh does. Like I said, it’s going to take a few years to find out for sure if it’s just the lack of experience, and if DA lasts that long, you’ll have fallen into your own groove by then anyway.

        Also glad to still have a second vote for a SW treatment of Alpha Protocol

  24. Daemian Lucifer says:

    Here,I created a thread for you in the roll for insanity,so if you dont like commenting on youtube,you can comment there.

Thanks for joining the discussion. Be nice, don't post angry, and enjoy yourself. This is supposed to be fun. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked*

You can enclose spoilers in <strike> tags like so:
<strike>Darth Vader is Luke's father!</strike>

You can make things italics like this:
Can you imagine having Darth Vader as your <i>father</i>?

You can make things bold like this:
I'm <b>very</b> glad Darth Vader isn't my father.

You can make links like this:
I'm reading about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darth_Vader">Darth Vader</a> on Wikipedia!

You can quote someone like this:
Darth Vader said <blockquote>Luke, I am your father.</blockquote>

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