Quoting: scaineI also like the pop-up that overlays the entire game page if it uses AI.

Hrm. A bit ironic, that.

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One thing I've noticed lately is that everyone and their kid brother (for some reason it's all guys) seems to be doing videos about how they switched to Linux because Windows 11 sucks so hard. Or tried to . . . many were fine, but some found that in the end, some key piece of software stopped them from going full Linux.

But what I've found interesting is that everyone in these videos seems to agree that, as an OS, Linux is better than Windows now--more user friendly, not getting in your way, no ads, more privacy, customizable and so on . . . absolutely nobody said anything about Windows having any actual features they missed in Linux. When there was a caveat it was always "So it was great, but I need to use Adobe stuff" or "It was great, but the anti-cheat situation". Which means basically for any use-case that doesn't specifically require particular Windows software that won't work in Wine or Proton, everyone agrees Linux is not just ready, but superior.

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Quoting: KimyrielleI like that trend line. :D

And it's better than that, really. It looks an awful lot like two trend lines, one of very gradual increase up to the Steam Deck release, and then a significantly steeper rise from Steam Deck release to now.

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So if they've added bees, should they now call it Bzzzite?

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Quoting: geckofish52

Quoting: dibz

Quoting: vic-bay

Quoting: ShmerlI think it's good — looks like they made GOG private so they can pursue their own vision and not be pressured by shareholders of CDPR.

I.e. may be they can spend on Linux now more, while before shareholders could tell them not to prioritize Linux support. Just my guess. In the end, it's really up to what they want.

yeah, looking at valve and other game companies, private company is a better model for company-customer relationships. it allows for following long term strategies without being pressed by shareholders.

In my experience it really depends. Private is great but usually only when a company starts. Not speaking about GOG specifically, but in general, when a public company "goes private" the $$$ often comes from private equity firms which in turn is typically absolutely terrible for everyone - meaning both consumers AND employees, especially employees - other than the top-most leadership themselves. When you work for a public company that announces going private, it's frankly a good idea to start brushing up the resume and looking ahead to your next career move, even getting a jump on it, before you get surprised.

Anyway, at least with GOG it sounds like it's probably fine or even a good thing. Reads to me like this move is just saving GOG's existence before future changes occur; Which is great.

Yes. I'm a big fan of everything that Valve has done versus other game distributors, of course, but the weird veneration of non publicly traded companies who are probably have a lot of private investor relationships every time this comes up in gaming forums rubs me the wrong way.

On one hand, I do think it's true that Valve can get away with being a better company than most companies because they are not publicly traded, since stock market investors are quite accurately known for being very impatient and short-termist in their outlook and, these days, usually downright viciously resistant to the very idea of any profits being reinvested in the company rather than simply handed over to them.

But that definitely does not mean that not being publicly traded is going to make a company good. Very often it just means exchanging one style of horrible investor for another, and private equity firms often go past "short termist" into "deliberately destructive and fraudulent". Even if it's an owner/CEO thing like Gabe (I know, he doesn't own the whole thing, but he has enough control to set the tone), that won't help if the person at the top is someone like Sweeney, or a Koch brother. Companies of any size are just very rarely good, no matter how they're financed. I do think that publicly traded takes the chances down from "slim" to "none" though.

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Quoting: chrBut that is my taste, we may well disagree in our likes. Discussion about perceived text and subtext very welcome.

Not sure the trailer really gives us enough to judge. It could be played basically straight, and implicitly authoritarian. Or, it could be satirical, along the lines of a Starship Troopers kind of thing, but played a bit quieter.

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Go have fun, Liam! You're supposed to be on break! 😁

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. . . Have I actually played ANY games this year that were released this year? Even stuff I bought this year was all older, I think. Um . . . I played the demo of that card combat game where the "cards" are different sizes and you have to fit them into a tiled space and it's kind of moon themed and stuff. That was fairly good.

Still, the GOTYs these days are never as Goaty as good ol' Goat Simulator. Now there's a game that's very Goaty.

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Happy Christmas and thanks for all the games!

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Quoting: PhlebiacDon't they just keep coming back if you feed them?

I suppose . . . still better than being dead. Of course once you get the recipe right it would be routine, which would be boring, so presumably the game kind of skips that.

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