Quoting: tuubiI think you're underestimating that effort and the expense,

Might be! Absolutely. I'm no game designer. :)

Quoting: tuubiand overestimating its importance.

I'm sure you'll agree that's subjective, though. For me this actually is a big deal! I think it's so, SO much cooler to have an awesome, female protagonist than it is to have yet another beefy explorer. Sure, if a drama is created where gender really do matter, then sure bring it on. But let's face it - nearly all games have a rather shallow story anyways. It's usually just a vehicle of excuses to create action scenes.

Quoting: tuubiThe claim being that not being able to decide on an identity for your main character limits your ability to write about that character.

Think about that one for a moment.
Let's say you want to write a story about a rogue, independent, anarchistic character that has a problem with authoritative persons and have made a living out of scraps and smaller criminal activities. Raised in an underground community, some of whom sexually abused you under orders of a crime lord, and it's that crime lord you now seek revenge. Hunt him down and tear him to pieces.

I've not yet declared this protagonists gender. And does it really matter? Really? I'd say it's irrelevant thus far in the profiling of this individual. And the events that unfolds in the above scenario - in a strictly linear adventure game - could easily do so regardless of gender. Especially if it is a highly alternative world, like fantasy or indeed a futuristic drama.

Of course - you can write yourself up in a corner, it's thinkable, but I dare claim that any skilled writer will be able to avoid doing so with ease and still flesh out a rich, eventful story according to the writers ambitions.

So while I do agree that it does take some extra efforts - every added feature will - with today's computing power and ability to render cut-scenes in real-time, I really believe that this is a highly doable option.
I mean - that's why it's more and more common. There was a time where absolutely everything was set in stone.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: tuubiPersonally I'm fine with letting the developer tell a story. It's really hard to write a convincing character if the player gets to mess with the details.

There's so many story driven rpgs and action games now that has proven the above claim to be void, it surprises me that I still hear it.
With the exception of a "he/she" replacement in some text and voices, the story can work with both, unless it is related to gender directly, like "how to be a man in today's urban lifestyle" or something. Clearly that's not the case here.

So in essence, this is all about if they want to spend efforts on this option or not.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Really good animations! Such things matter so much to the overall impression. And with this setting... Well, I'm bound to be interested.

Would have been cool if one could chose a female protagonist, though.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: Purple Library GuyRemember Flash?

Had we talked about an external plugin of some sort to install this would have been a totally different matter. Then I'd agree.
But we don't. It's just using standard technologies, no plugins needed.
Hence my comparison with a regular website 😊

I do not object on it being reported, by all means, but it'd be more of a surprise if it didn't work. And it will work on all distros where Chrome work, to put it simple.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

I don't understand why it shouldn't work - it's just using standard streaming protocols. I mean, yeah sure things happen, but this is almost like celebrating that a website working on Linux too. If I am allowed to be a bit stingy here. :)

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: F.UltraWell that is what being outside the EU gets you (combined with being a small country)

Sounds unlikely. We're member of EEA, and have access to the inner market of EU. And absolutely everything else of hardware - including Vive who it looks like Index is based on (same base stations) - is here. But The Valve hardware specifically is not. I know of no other products in the same situation. Never heard of.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: F.Ultra

Quoting: BeamboomEurope is NOT covered. It's not available in Norway.

Strange, it's available here in Sweden, 1079€ though (which of course is basically free for you rich Norwegians).

I know, and since it's only sold through Steam I can't just drive across the border and pick it up in a shop either. I'll have to get a Swedish colleague to buy it for me on his steam account and get it transported to me somehow.

It's really odd, this. It's the same with all Valve hardware: No Norwegian distributor deal.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Europe is NOT covered. It's not available in Norway.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

There is not a single shadow of any doubt in my mind that this title will also come to Linux, if not on launch day then very shorty thereafter.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

... But will they get Mac support? I thought they did not use vulkan but something else they made themselves? I thought that was the entire problem with Mac and gaming nowadays?

View this comment - View article - View full comments