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The Anti-Targ

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Can't you sell the cards from booster packs? I had a friend who was super into the poke mom and he would hit all the Targets to buy 'tins'? To get the rarest cards and sell them for more than what the tin cost.

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15 hours ago, The Anti-Targ said:

The thing with card booster packs in MtG is really the rate at which you rack up your spending. With lootboxes in video games you can spends a huge amount of money within a few hours. In the traditional mode of buying card booster packs (i.e. going to a store and buying them over the counter) your are absolutely limited to how much you can spend by the amount of stock currently in the store, and it's highly unlikely that a store is not going to sell it's entire stock to a single person in a single transaction.

Lootboxes are like slot machines, there is no limit or end to how many times you can pull the lever. Booster packs are not the same. It would be interesting to test card booster packs against the 5 criteria for gambling mentioned in the article.

But even allowing that card booster packs are gambling, regulatory measures in respect of gambling don't need to be one size fits all. But all forms of gambling should be considered under gambling regulations. One might not regulate lootboxes to the same extent as poker machines and casinos. They may be regulated more like lotteries. Card booster packs may warrant no regulation at all, because by their nature they are unlikely to lead to any harm.

People bought boxes of booster packs (36 packs in a box) via catalog advertised in magazines like Skrye 20 years ago when I was playing in middle school.

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Major new BattleTech patch today. It rebalances some mechs, adds more random events to life on the ship and adds a ton of customisation options to the game.

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32 minutes ago, briantw said:

I already own like 600 games I'm never going to play.

Make it stop, Valve!

Same .  I feel like an extravagant pre-revolution French noble who's engrossed in decadence every time the sale comes and I see my account with 800+ items .

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Was able to complete Detroit: Become Human.

 

I enjoyed the game a lot, as I could've guessed as I liked Heavy Rain.  Kara and Markus were my two favorites to play as. I took on the mom role for Alice when I played as Kara. I made it my goal to not die playing that character and get Alice to safety which I was able to do in the end. Made some selfish choices in letting other characters die so I could escape Detroit with Alice. I let Luther die to my dismay, as I enjoyed the character. I left him behind in the boat because I didn't think little Kara would be able to drag Luther to safety without getting blown away. I then saved Jerry on the way to the bus from the army only to sacrifice him at the security check in. The connection between Alice and Kara in my playthrough was too strong to let Kara die at the finish line. Had a helluva lot of close calls with escaping Todd's house, crossing the highway while running from the police, Zlatko's house (which felt an awful lot like the chapter in Heavy Rain where the female reporter went to the doctor's house to ask for help), the police officer entering Rose's house, the boat escape, and the venture to the bus. They made it.

As for Markus, I chose the fighting path with our revolution. Strange as it is, I found it in my heart to take the pacifist approach but North kept pushing me to use the sword instead of the shield. By the time I considered changing my approach, the public opinion was 'hated' and too late to turn back. I feared taking a pacifist approach after all the violence and burning would've led the androids to just get shot with their hands up. I refused to let that happen, and Markus ended the game on top as the victor, and alive. His bond with Carl was touching.

Connor stayed robot all the way and died probably 5-6 times...lol. Poor Connor. I liked the character, but felt his path was too stay the course as a true android. Idk, maybe I should've went deviant in the end, oh well. Happy with the endings for the other two characters to really care. I tried to get on Hank's good side a lot but always ended up pissing him off, so much one time that Hank shot me in the head. Hank ultimately killed himself in his house. Had a feeling it would happen as his disposition towards Connor was always 'hostile'. Knew I didn't have the relationship with him to change his mind. Overall, I though Hank was the hardest NPC to please in this game. 

Overall, had fun with the game and glad I played it.

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3 hours ago, l2 0 5 5 said:

Was able to complete Detroit: Become Human.

  Reveal hidden contents

I enjoyed the game a lot, as I could've guessed as I liked Heavy Rain.  Kara and Markus were my two favorites to play as. I took on the mom role for Alice when I played as Kara. I made it my goal to not die playing that character and get Alice to safety which I was able to do in the end. Made some selfish choices in letting other characters die so I could escape Detroit with Alice. I let Luther die to my dismay, as I enjoyed the character. I left him behind in the boat because I didn't think little Kara would be able to drag Luther to safety without getting blown away. I then saved Jerry on the way to the bus from the army only to sacrifice him at the security check in. The connection between Alice and Kara in my playthrough was too strong to let Kara die at the finish line. Had a helluva lot of close calls with escaping Todd's house, crossing the highway while running from the police, Zlatko's house (which felt an awful lot like the chapter in Heavy Rain where the female reporter went to the doctor's house to ask for help), the police officer entering Rose's house, the boat escape, and the venture to the bus. They made it.

As for Markus, I chose the fighting path with our revolution. Strange as it is, I found it in my heart to take the pacifist approach but North kept pushing me to use the sword instead of the shield. By the time I considered changing my approach, the public opinion was 'hated' and too late to turn back. I feared taking a pacifist approach after all the violence and burning would've led the androids to just get shot with their hands up. I refused to let that happen, and Markus ended the game on top as the victor, and alive. His bond with Carl was touching.

Connor stayed robot all the way and died probably 5-6 times...lol. Poor Connor. I liked the character, but felt his path was too stay the course as a true android. Idk, maybe I should've went deviant in the end, oh well. Happy with the endings for the other two characters to really care. I tried to get on Hank's good side a lot but always ended up pissing him off, so much one time that Hank shot me in the head. Hank ultimately killed himself in his house. Had a feeling it would happen as his disposition towards Connor was always 'hostile'. Knew I didn't have the relationship with him to change his mind. Overall, I though Hank was the hardest NPC to please in this game. 

Overall, had fun with the game and glad I played it.

I read the first line of your spoilers so I know you liked Heavy Rain, but that's all. I did one play through of Heavy Rain and enjoyed it, but not enough to do repeat plays to try to get different outcomes. I've played the Tell Tale Walking Dead, GoT and Tales from the Borderlands games which are in the same broad sub-genre. So I enjoy this style of game

Compared to Heavy Rain is it better, not as good or about the same?

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9 hours ago, sperry said:

People bought boxes of booster packs (36 packs in a box) via catalog advertised in magazines like Skrye 20 years ago when I was playing in middle school.

There are a great many things to which people can become addicted. Video games themselves, without the gambling mechanic can get people addicted. The question is, to what extent does a particular form of gambling create social harm to the extent that regulation is necessary. If just a small % of people try to buy an entire city out of booster packs. Is that a problem that needs regulation, or is it a problem that needs friends and family of the individuals to do an intervention?

Online selling of booster packs does increase the risk of causing more harm through addictive purchasing behaviors, but I'm still not sure it necessarily rises to a level that requires regulatory intervention. There is still a finite number of booster packs in existence. There is, in theory, an infinite number of virtual booster packs (lootboxes) in a single video game, and thus multiple infinities across all games that have lootboxes. So there's more risk when there is an infinite supply of the product to which people can become addicted.

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48 minutes ago, The Anti-Targ said:

I read the first line of your spoilers so I know you liked Heavy Rain, but that's all. I did one play through of Heavy Rain and enjoyed it, but not enough to do repeat plays to try to get different outcomes. I've played the Tell Tale Walking Dead, GoT and Tales from the Borderlands games which are in the same broad sub-genre. So I enjoy this style of game

Compared to Heavy Rain is it better, not as good or about the same?

Jace thought it was fine, but she also didn't finish it on account of getting bored after David Cage completely abandoned all effort at a certain point in Kara's storyline.

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3 minutes ago, Jace, The Sugarcube said:

Jace thought it was fine, but she also didn't finish it on account of getting bored after David Cage completely abandoned all effort at a certain point in Kara's storyline.

Hmmm, not a very good sign if the principle mind behind the whole story starts phoning it in before it ends.

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9 hours ago, The Anti-Targ said:

There are a great many things to which people can become addicted. Video games themselves, without the gambling mechanic can get people addicted. The question is, to what extent does a particular form of gambling create social harm to the extent that regulation is necessary. If just a small % of people try to buy an entire city out of booster packs. Is that a problem that needs regulation, or is it a problem that needs friends and family of the individuals to do an intervention?

Online selling of booster packs does increase the risk of causing more harm through addictive purchasing behaviors, but I'm still not sure it necessarily rises to a level that requires regulatory intervention. There is still a finite number of booster packs in existence. There is, in theory, an infinite number of virtual booster packs (lootboxes) in a single video game, and thus multiple infinities across all games that have lootboxes. So there's more risk when there is an infinite supply of the product to which people can become addicted.

Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? The contortions in logic made to defend booster packs and criticise loot boxes is amazing. 

You can always print more if there is demand. You are also more likely to run out of money and/or complete whatever you want before they run out of stock. Also, if you are wealthy enough to do that, you should be able to afford the expenditure anyway.

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14 hours ago, l2 0 5 5 said:

Was able to complete Detroit: Become Human.

  Reveal hidden contents

I enjoyed the game a lot, as I could've guessed as I liked Heavy Rain.  Kara and Markus were my two favorites to play as. I took on the mom role for Alice when I played as Kara. I made it my goal to not die playing that character and get Alice to safety which I was able to do in the end. Made some selfish choices in letting other characters die so I could escape Detroit with Alice. I let Luther die to my dismay, as I enjoyed the character. I left him behind in the boat because I didn't think little Kara would be able to drag Luther to safety without getting blown away. I then saved Jerry on the way to the bus from the army only to sacrifice him at the security check in. The connection between Alice and Kara in my playthrough was too strong to let Kara die at the finish line. Had a helluva lot of close calls with escaping Todd's house, crossing the highway while running from the police, Zlatko's house (which felt an awful lot like the chapter in Heavy Rain where the female reporter went to the doctor's house to ask for help), the police officer entering Rose's house, the boat escape, and the venture to the bus. They made it.

As for Markus, I chose the fighting path with our revolution. Strange as it is, I found it in my heart to take the pacifist approach but North kept pushing me to use the sword instead of the shield. By the time I considered changing my approach, the public opinion was 'hated' and too late to turn back. I feared taking a pacifist approach after all the violence and burning would've led the androids to just get shot with their hands up. I refused to let that happen, and Markus ended the game on top as the victor, and alive. His bond with Carl was touching.

Connor stayed robot all the way and died probably 5-6 times...lol. Poor Connor. I liked the character, but felt his path was too stay the course as a true android. Idk, maybe I should've went deviant in the end, oh well. Happy with the endings for the other two characters to really care. I tried to get on Hank's good side a lot but always ended up pissing him off, so much one time that Hank shot me in the head. Hank ultimately killed himself in his house. Had a feeling it would happen as his disposition towards Connor was always 'hostile'. Knew I didn't have the relationship with him to change his mind. Overall, I though Hank was the hardest NPC to please in this game. 

Overall, had fun with the game and glad I played it.

Having finished it recently I find myself agreeing with the Wisdom of yahzee

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Former Wildcat and brand new New York Knick sporting the Fortnite suit coat last night.  

 

My kids love the game, but I don't get the fascination.

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I think a huge part of fortnite's success is that it's free so it's available to a huge base of players , it's easy to get into (unlike say team fortress 2 which is difficult) , it's colorful so it's considered "kid friendly" , it has a bunch of twitch and YouTube players pushing it , and the battle Royal mode lends itself to "I can do slightly better next time" thinking especially since the range is so wide . Also I think we're seeing a snowball effect of people getting into it and pushing it just because it's a success and they want a slice .  Which on an unrelated note reminds me of the Pareto distribution.

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1 hour ago, Proudfeet said:

Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? The contortions in logic made to defend booster packs and criticise loot boxes is amazing. 

You can always print more if there is demand. You are also more likely to run out of money and/or complete whatever you want before they run out of stock. Also, if you are wealthy enough to do that, you should be able to afford the expenditure anyway.

Yes, but there is a built in lag: printing, distribution etc. That lag doesn't exist with virtual boxes. I don't know what you think I'm defending. I'm not denying booster packs are gambling, just that they have some differences to lootboxes that make them less problematic.

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1 hour ago, The Anti-Targ said:

Yes, but there is a built in lag: printing, distribution etc. That lag doesn't exist with virtual boxes. I don't know what you think I'm defending. I'm not denying booster packs are gambling, just that they have some differences to lootboxes that make them less problematic.

The only difference you have come up with so far is availability. And that really isn't a factor. They aren't likely to run out of stock.

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Football, Tactics and Glory sounds interesting. It's basically Blood Bowl, but for Actual Foot To Ball. There's a free demo on Steam, so I'll give that a whirl.

Just started Dying Light. So far, so Far Cry 3/Assassin's Creed/Mirror's Edge BUT WITH ZOMBIES, but entertainingly systemic so far. The story and characters are forgettable meh, but Chris Avellone is co-writing the sequel and there's definitely some interesting tics in the worldbuilding that could make that promising.

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On 6/21/2018 at 10:34 PM, The Anti-Targ said:

I read the first line of your spoilers so I know you liked Heavy Rain, but that's all. I did one play through of Heavy Rain and enjoyed it, but not enough to do repeat plays to try to get different outcomes. I've played the Tell Tale Walking Dead, GoT and Tales from the Borderlands games which are in the same broad sub-genre. So I enjoy this style of game

Compared to Heavy Rain is it better, not as good or about the same?

I’d say it’s about the same, perhaps polished up a bit. Heavy rain has four pov’s to Detroit’s three, and I think that Detroit has heavier ramifications early in game whereas heavy rain consequences don’t bloom till later in the game (at least in my play through).

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I'm currently playing Skyrim for the Switch. A surprisingly good port. 

I ruined most of my PC Skyrim playthroughs with crafting and sneaking and because of that I'm playing as a sword and shield spellsword (with a summoning focus). I'm trying to avoid grinding crafting skills and tend to attack enemies head-on (Well strong enemies butt-on after my summons aggro them;) ). The thing is I actually dislike crafting but I find it difficulty to play in a suboptimal way.

It is fun so far. Time will tell if I can resist the lure of godlike weapons/armor and cost free spell casting. 

I always thought that hard caps on alchemy/smithing/enchanting and nerfing sneak into the grund would improve elder scrolls games a lot(in the case of sneak Fallout games too) . 

I'm also playing Nine Parchments which is a real fun coop game. 

 

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