Jake Posted July 30, 2015 Idle Thumbs 221: Meet the Kerfluffles As the world closes in, you sit alone in a dark room, sweaty and tense, your eyes unwavering from the events unspooling on the monitor. Animatronic pizza creatures are clawing at the door. Shelter dwellers demand answers after months of forced breeding, papal collusion, and suspected assassinations. Fortunately the room's barricades are strong, so you can really concentrate on this Rocket League match. Games Discussed: Videoball, Rocket League, Five Nights at Freddy's 4, Fallout Shelter, Battlecruiser 3000AD Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes Subscribe to the RSS Feed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tberton Posted July 30, 2015 I think Fallout Shelter is about to slip past Cities: Skylines as Idle Thumbs GOTY by Time Discussed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
juv3nal Posted July 30, 2015 Is Her Story spoilercast the idle book club of 2015 y/n Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rdc Posted July 30, 2015 Re: the singularity I always enjoyed this Bruce Sterling talk. It's from 2004, but still good and still relevant. http://longnow.org/seminars/02004/jun/11/the-singularity-your-future-as-a-black-hole/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coods Posted July 30, 2015 Reaction videos for games as well as movies and tv (especially from huge audiences) can be intoxicating. I am less into those youtube institutions that have thousands of scary game lets plays, since I feel they always have a lot of exaggerated reactions for a more entertaining show. Love the ones where they are actually not at all expecting whats going to happen, or are genuinely unaware of what they're watching/playing cause a friend showed them. Looking forward to the Nick Breckon clip show next week. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jordan A Posted July 30, 2015 Rocket League's aesthetic is also really stripped down, I think. Like, yes, you're rocket cars, but I feel like they play it straight in a way that feels refreshing. They could have gone the Monday Night Combat route and had all kinds of horns and announcers and energy drink billboards, but they didn't. It's really nice. I know there's all kinds of wacky stuff in the customization but by default it's just sort of clean and no-nonsense. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nappi Posted July 30, 2015 The idea of Nick clipboard coaching his girlfriend about Rocket League tactics is a hysterical and not least bit surprising. Great work! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
frythefly Posted July 30, 2015 Re Videoball, Rocket League: Haven't finished the podcast, so i don't know if it came up, but Tim Rogers (Videoball) reviewed the sport of soccer for kotaku: http://kotaku.com/soccer-the-kotaku-review-1595223097 Great piece. Linked in the review is a video of an Idiecade talk Rogers and Bennett Foddy gave in which they rank the best designed sports (games): GiantBomb has had their San Francisco team play against their New York team in two great videos: http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/us-vs-them-rocket-league/2300-10502/ and http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/us-vs-them-rocket-league-rematch/2300-10542/ The comeback of team New York in the second video is amazing. If like me you like a good underdog story, you will love this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted July 30, 2015 I totally agree with Danielle about watching specific speedrunners instead of games. If I see a game I like being run, I might watch it. But if I see a runner I like, it almost doesn't matter what the game is. My personal favorite runner is PJ because he's really entertaining and he's famous for causing weird game behaviour in his runs, no matter what game he's playing. Witwix is another favorite of mine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
feelthedarkness Posted July 30, 2015 quintessential Breckon: "I was so filled with JOY! ...it was pathetic." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thenexus6 Posted July 30, 2015 Maybe I should give Rocket League a go. I've downloaded it, and played the tutorial for like 15 minutes but thats it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tberton Posted July 30, 2015 On 7/30/2015 at 11:19 AM, frythefly said: GiantBomb has had their San Francisco team play against their New York team in two great videos: http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/us-vs-them-rocket-league/2300-10502/ and http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/us-vs-them-rocket-league-rematch/2300-10542/ The comeback of team New York in the second video is amazing. If like me you like a good underdog story, you will love this. People should seriously watch these videos, especially the second one. So much fun. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cordeos Posted July 30, 2015 As much as I enjoy the Robot News segments, I am sad to hear that you guys are actually buying into the dangers of general AI. You made the point that to bears our intelligence is incomprehensible, yet many people in our society make the assumption that a super intelligent AI will automatically kill all humans. It seems just as, if not more likely that a super AI would be a pacifist hippie trying to preserve all life through non-violent means. I assume the issue is that all of our AI fiction is evil AI fiction because an AI that becomes super intelligent and leads humans to a golden age is quite a dull story. There is just no evidence that AI would be inherently evil. I know people talk about humans colonizing less developed societies, but violence has been declining in society for so long it disproves this idea. (Read Better Angels of our Nature by Steven Pinker.) Humans haven't nuked/chemical/biological weaponed ourselves into oblivion, war in general is in decline, domestic violence is declining, duels aren't a thing anymore, why is it so hard to believe that super AI would extend this trend further?I agree that autonomous killing robots is a bad idea because they are too dumb to respond to all possible situations. Theoretically a human level AI police officer would be the perfect police officer because it would follow the law to the letter and protect other lives above its own. Sort of like how robot cars are better than human drivers because they always follow the rules of the road. I don't always agree with Kurzweil's dreams of transhumanism (I hope they are true) but he is a great counterpoint to the fear mongering of Musk and Hawkins, plus he is actually an AI expert unlike the other very intelligent people previously mentioned. (There is an issue with intelligent people in one field getting way too much clout in another.)http://time.com/3641921/dont-fear-artificial-intelligence/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BagelMage Posted July 30, 2015 What can we do to get Chris to do more German impressions? Made me laugh in the middle of the office this morning haha Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Korax Posted July 30, 2015 You guys forgot about one of the best parts of Rocket League: scoring a goal! When a goal is made, the ball explodes and flings everyone nearby into the air! It's so, so satisfying. On 7/30/2015 at 2:02 PM, tberton said: People should seriously watch these videos, especially the second one. So much fun. Also this one originally shared in the Rocket League thread: People who are good at the game are REALLY GOOD AT THE GAME Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
syntheticgerbil Posted July 30, 2015 I like that he sounds like one of the nihilists in The Big Lebowski. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Badfinger Posted July 30, 2015 Chris, you have Breckon'd your Vault so hard. It's Reader Mail! (It's Reader Mail! It's Reader Mail! It's Reader Mail!) Are you ready for the Breckoning? Episode 43, Jeff "Gone" Goldblum is peak Breckon. You should actually listen to the whole episode, because it has Bobby Kotick, miniature ninjas, firefighters, and a stunning twist on Batman. But this is the height of the age of Breckon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coods Posted July 30, 2015 On 7/30/2015 at 2:55 PM, Badfinger said: Are you ready for the Breckoning? Episode 43, Jeff "Gone" Goldblum is peak Breckon. You should actually listen to the whole episode, because it has Bobby Kotick, miniature ninjas, firefighters, and a stunning twist on Batman. But this is the height of the age of Breckon. if only for the pivotal last few minutes. Other personal favorites are the episode where , and of course, . Also, I think its absolutely incredible that we've been following Chris' ridiculous shelter week-by-week exclusively, and then the RTS Fog-of-war thing happens where we realize that Nick Breckon has been 3 steps ahead the whole time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aoanla Posted July 30, 2015 The whole thing about Rocket League capturing the Spirit of Soccer better than (say) FIFA, and other "realistic" soccer games reminds me of the similar feeling that Sensible Soccer (Sensible World of Soccer, etc) evoked back in the day. There's something about the dynamics of the thing (and the simple crowd noise) which really feels more like football than the hyperreal models in modern games. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Badfinger Posted July 30, 2015 On 7/30/2015 at 3:18 PM, aoanla said: The whole thing about Rocket League capturing the Spirit of Soccer better than (say) FIFA, and other "realistic" soccer games reminds me of the similar feeling that Sensible Soccer (Sensible World of Soccer, etc) evoked back in the day. There's something about the dynamics of the thing (and the simple crowd noise) which really feels more like football than the hyperreal models in modern games. I think, and I am echoing some of what was said on the cast, it's because they are not hellbent on pixel-perfect translation of what a World Cup match looks like down to the seconds passing. It's because this is what you watching a World Cup match FEELS like. This is you, with 3 friends, kicking a soccer ball against a wall and creating your own personal adrenaline rush of the entirety of a professional soccer match by setting up what in your mind's eye is the sickest header. The additional bonus of you attempting to set up a bicycle kick, failing, laughing, and also not having the danger of sending yourself to the hospital for your failure is also present. It's 5 minutes of the distilled essence of an amazing game, rather than the faithful sterile recreation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Danielle Posted July 30, 2015 On 7/30/2015 at 11:34 AM, SecretAsianMan said: I totally agree with Danielle about watching specific speedrunners instead of games. If I see a game I like being run, I might watch it. But if I see a runner I like, it almost doesn't matter what the game is. My personal favorite runner is PJ because he's really entertaining and he's famous for causing weird game behaviour in his runs, no matter what game he's playing. Witwix is another favorite of mine. PJ is amazing! So, Big Jon - one of the runners I mentioned in the cast, streams here - http://www.twitch.tv/gamej06 and Stivitybobo (The Banjo-Kazooie runner) tends to be more interesting with his couch crew (I made that term up!), but I often really like it when the GDQ runner + couch has good interplay. The runner themself can be quiet or more quiet, as long as their team is entertaining and explaining all of the tricks well. This run exemplifies that well, I think! Though, one of the best examples of a runner with great rapport/support from the couch was yesterday's Zelda swordless run. (I am becoming a huge GDQ dork, I have no regrets.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Synnah Posted July 30, 2015 On 7/30/2015 at 2:55 PM, Badfinger said: Are you ready for the Breckoning? Episode 43, Jeff "Gone" Goldblum is peak Breckon. You should actually listen to the whole episode, because it has Bobby Kotick, miniature ninjas, firefighters, and a stunning twist on Batman. But this is the height of the age of Breckon. This is one of my favourite Breckon episodes! More recently, though, I'll always have a soft spot for Nick's story about Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blaster in episode 144, Gimme Some More. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted July 30, 2015 On 7/30/2015 at 4:38 PM, Danielle said: (I am becoming a huge GDQ dork, I have no regrets.) YES. JOIN ME. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shu_13 Posted July 30, 2015 RE: Dankey Kang: We have a delicious double IPA here in central ohio that is called Konkey Dong http://www.hoofheartedbrewing.com/beers/konkey-dong.html They haven't gotten cease and desist letter....yet... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Danielle Posted July 30, 2015 Also! Sorry to spam the podcast discussion, but I also wanted to link to the Space Station bar (the video game bar I gushed about in Osaka) -- https://www.facebook.com/SpaceStationOsaka If you ever find yourself in Osaka, you should go there. In addition to having just about every console and thousands of games (and being a really friendly place in general), they have the greatest video game bathroom I've ever seen. Some choice shots: https://twitter.com/Danielleri/status/621710530462527488 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
