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Random Access Murder was recently released for Linux on Steam, it came as a featured game in the recent Humble Monthly Bundle and it's possible the single most annoying game I've ever played.

Important note: If you have Epilepsy or any other such condition, do not watch the video.

Before I get into it, let me state for the record I consider myself a massive FPS fan. I've played FPS games for as long as i can remember. It's nothing to do with the genre, at all. I also paid for the game myself in the Humble Monthly Bundle, so it was not sent by the developer.

Take a look at just how freaking annoying this thing is:
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It obviously doesn't help shooting so close to myself, but even when that particular blinding weapon is let off half-way across the map the effects are still awful.

This was a featured game in the Humble Monthly Bundle. Not some kind of "made for the bundle" game. It's also not an Early Access game, which is surprising considering the lack of polish and overall lack of features it has. This is supposed to be a finished product worth enough money to be considered worthy by Humble.

Not only does it have almost no players for an online game, it doesn't even have any simplistic bots. The maps are full of unintended glitches (You can see at the start of the video I'm not even in the map!), the effects are incredibly over the top and will easily induce seizures in people and it's just not a fun experience.

At one point you seem me suddenly pop into another part of the map, even though there's no portal. Even the portal system is completely buggy.

Even though I don't suffer from any medical issues, the effects are constant, over the top and headache inducing. Not to mention the constant blinding flashes hurting my eyes.

Clicking to join a server gave me no feedback at all, it felt like the game had just crashed until it suddenly popped into a game. It also starts on the wrong monitor since I have two.

Massive shame really, as the entire idea is brilliant, but the execution however is completely pants. I don't know what to expect from a game usually sold for £1.99, but to mention this again, this was featured in a Humble Monthly Bundle.

I very rarely, if ever have to say this, but, don't get it. It seems the majority agree with me, going by Steam reviews as of right now only 28% are positive.

What were Humble thinking? I expect better from such a "curated" buy-in subscription service.

It was also "published" by Ludosity, the same developer who made Ittle Dew and Card City Nights, did they actually play any of it? Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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28 comments
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Kimyrielle Aug 7, 2016
Quoting: Teal
Quoting: KimyrielleHonestly? It looks like a 12 year old tried to explore game programming in the late 80s and thought it's ok to publish the results. Indie publishing brought us games like Stardew Valley and Prison Architect, and that's a good thing for sure, but for every indie pearl there are 10 other games made by untalented hacks without any design talent whatsoever that makes us wish back for the times when games got quality filtered by professional publishers. Like...this one. Whoever made this joke of a game should put their "talents" to better use. I dunno what. Really anything but making games. Don't worry Liam, it's perfectly ok to call out rubbish games like this one as what they are - rubbish that never should have been published.

Why is it such a problem? You can, just, you know, not play the games you don't like, as it's always been? And don't talk like back in the "good old games" lot of garbage trash didn't get published, because it definitely did. The apparent entitlement to be OFFENDED about every unfinished game that gets released baffles me.

If I didn't completely misread the posting, this is a FINISHED product. I have no problem with Early Access and purchased several unfinished games if I believed in their quality, and backed even more on Kickstarter. What I find borderline offensive is the verve of some people to hack together the gaming equivalent of Hello World and publish it, as if their drivel would somehow deserve to be sold on the same shelf as Civilization, Tomb Raider, Prison Architect or Stardew Valley. Honestly, I would find some more self restraint of (wannabe) developers to be a good thing. And I don't question their right to publish rubbish games, I question their decision to actually make use of the right when they better shouldn't.

I do concede that professional publishers have sold their share of rubbish games too, though. It's really not just an Indie problem. But like with writing, self-publishing has made it a larger problem than it used to be.
Beamboom Aug 7, 2016
Quoting: TealI never felt like I ever missed a genuinely good game because there's too much "noise" of the bad ones. Good games don't need to be paraded on spotlight on Steam or HiB, people talk about them because they are good!

Like I said, we're not there yet.

Quoting: TealSimilarly with music - good content wins it's way through by being received positively - listen to communities which deal with music, listen to your friends. In both cases, it's a good conversation topic.

I don't feel the need to have only the best choice media served to me on a silver platter, I can make my own opinion and look for them, damnit.

As a regular consumer I guess it's of little problem. And from a regular listeners perspective I can understand your stance quoted above.
But ask any DJ out there how they feel about finding new music on Beatport today compared to just 10-15 years ago. The market on electronic music is so flooded I'm close to describing it as broken at this stage. Everybody celebrated the "freedom" when distribution broke free from the record company gateways. But more and more are requesting curator mechanics in the marketplaces - a filter that ironically was exactly the function of the labels back in the days.


Last edited by Beamboom on 7 August 2016 at 8:40 pm UTC
chrisq Aug 8, 2016
"easily induce seizures", speakin of over the top...
chrisq Aug 8, 2016
Quoting: kazrikoI still buy from Humble, but I have never bothered with their monthly pack. No guarantee of Linux games in the pack at all. I just pick and choose the weekly and indie bundle packs that have linux games that I want, and crank all the windows-only games down to 0 in the tip distributor.

I was sceptical of the monthly bundles myself, but it has turned out to deliver at least its value in linux games every month, often a lot more.
Maybe I've been lucky.
Liam Dawe Aug 8, 2016
Quoting: chrisq"easily induce seizures", speakin of over the top...
You obviously know nothing about it such conditions.
chrisq Aug 8, 2016
Quoting: liamdawe
Quoting: chrisq"easily induce seizures", speakin of over the top...
You obviously know nothing about it such conditions.

And you said nothing about pre-existing conditions.

Your bitchy tone in response to any kind of criticism or questioning is tiring.


Last edited by chrisq on 8 August 2016 at 9:53 am UTC
Liam Dawe Aug 8, 2016
Quoting: chrisq
Quoting: liamdawe
Quoting: chrisq"easily induce seizures", speakin of over the top...
You obviously know nothing about it such conditions.

And you said nothing about pre-existing conditions.

Your bitchy tone in response to any kind of criticism or questioning is tiring.
It's tiring dealing with people who can't get 1+1=2 and nitpick to shit ;)

Also, you're mistaking bitchy for bluntness, stop taking things so seriously and you will have a happier time in the comments :)


Last edited by Liam Dawe on 8 August 2016 at 1:15 pm UTC
Crazy Penguin Aug 10, 2016
Quoting: SangreDeReptil
Quoting: Crazy PenguinA TRON-Game in that Style would be nice :)
Something like this?
Oh God! NO! :D

As I said TRON I meant TRON. I want Light Cycles, Battle Tanks and so on.
More like Vektor Wars: http://store.steampowered.com/app/365760/

Maybe with the possibility to create your own "programs" in game :)
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