Lurker > azuarc

There were people who used to string along extremely old topics one post at a time by posting at almost exactly the purge rate. I assume it's a countermeasure to avoid that.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Team Rocket Elite posted...

How does voting back in work for the second idea? Will there be 16 days of 9-way polls?

I assume each poll would get its own day, yes. I'd probably do something where you can vote on multiples. Maybe get 5 votes and you can put up to 2 on any song.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Haste_2 posted...

Yes, that's how it is for me, and I think for most of us. This is part of the reason I plan on creating a weekly listening VGMC playlist prior to the matches.... even if nobody else uses it, I certainly will!

Sigh. You know you're working too hard for the contest when you maintain a playlist nobody uses since they just listen to their own anyway. Maybe I should delegate that to you then.

I was thinking about the opening topic for VGMC the other day, and about what changes I might make to the contest. On one hand, I felt like dropping a bunch of changes on you guys might be exciting. On the other, you might not react favorably, so I probably ought to at least give everyone some advance warning and a chance to tell me how terrible an idea each of these are.

I have 3 items on the table. I will do some, none, or all of these, based on feedback.

1. Guarantee inclusions for songs making 5 votes before a certain point in the nomination period. Anyone who supported the track would have their votes locked, but it would not have to survive the rising waters of the Great Consolidation. I would still leave at least 3 days for the endgame to just be open season like usual. (I've discussed this one already.)
2. Bracket alteration -- still 192 songs, in 16 divisions of 12, but no byes. Instead, one of the four-packs is left completely empty and at the end of round 2, from the 9 songs that lost, we would vote one song back into the bracket. (They'd be placed in the neighboring division.) This would prevent songs from being a victim of placement or having a tough draw or whatever.
3. I'm considering letting the retirees back in for one year. I mean, yeah, there's a chance we might see an inevitable Scars of Time victory, but the board has changed a lot in 13 years and Scars did lose in BOST4 to Wind of You. Some of us have been around for a decade on this board and have never gotten the chance to see some of these classics compete except maybe in a tournament of champions side bracket. I am definitely not in favor of eliminating the retired list, but leaving it to the side one year might be fun.

So, are any of these boycott worthy?

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Just a heads-up, since I owe you all an update:

I was extremely disinterested in working on this over the last two weeks, after writing the first ~15 reviews. I've come to the conclusion that I was putting a little too much effort into the write-ups, which was dragging things out and also making it a loss less enjoyable for me. I have been listening to the songs via YouTube playlist on and off, but today was the first that I've gotten back to evaluating anything in like two weeks.

So the project is not abandoned, but it's going to be a bit longer than I initially projected.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

If anything, we want VGMC to coincide with the start of the contest to bring in fresh faces.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

I noticed one of the links on my playlist was dead. I didn't check to see what it was. Is that song not available anywhere else?

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Flamander posted...

I've burnt out halfway through my ranking trying to enforce this on myself by listening to each song three times; and I believe it should be a personal choice done out of enjoyment; not something you're locked into via a personal ruleset.

Yeah, funny thing, that...

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Going from the sig, I'm assuming that's cakophon?

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

I wasn't a fan of the go-along-with-the-institute thing that the railroad and the BoS do, because it wasn't really obvious what was going on when I went in. The BoS tells me "just go and infiltrate their computer network while you're there" and I have a chat with Father. I tell him to fuck off. And then I have to leave. And I never got a chance to access a computer terminal, and now the BoS is yelling at me, and I'm like WTF did I do? What do you want from me? It was only later I realized I could have not dropped the mic and walked out, and it would have unlocked a metric poopton of additional content.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

xp1337 posted...

we want the damn rankings

109. Apex of the World (Rain)
108. Indomitable Will (Rain)
107. Edge of Dawn
106. The Calm
105. Throw Away Your Mask
104-1. Everything else

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

I have rated 6 songs. Only 103 more to go...assuming nobody submits more in the meanwhile.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Maybe he wants it ranked. Or to get a read on how someone outside a select few will feel about it.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

https://powerlisting.fandom.com/wiki/Detection

Let me know if you lose your keys.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Happy new year. I have basically 100 songs, which I'll start listening to some time tomorrow (today).

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

My friend impelled me to play Hatoful Boyfriend tonight, which I'd never seen. I got like 3 of the endings, so I guess that counts as beating?

Hatoful Boyfriend - PC (Steam)

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Already beat my first game, since the person I spent New Years with wanted to see me play it. Arguably, I need to beat it 6 or 7 more times to finish it, but I did get to an ending.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

96 currently.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

loweffortmemes posted...

I have a feeling that none of these songs count as that. Still, hopefully you'll see some potential in at least one of these songs for contest success!

Right, that was the driving inspiration for starting this thread.

I've casually listened to mostly everything in the background so far. Nothing that really stood out to me on either end, but maybe I'll feel differently when I listen a bit closer. Soft deadline is tomorrow.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Wow, Don't Be Afraid beat The Decisive Battle.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

xp1337 posted...

The new millennium began in 2001.
The 20th century began in 1901.
The 200th decade began in 1991 and ran through 2000.
The 90s began in 1990 and ran through 1999.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

RIP You're Not Alone and FF1 battle.

No votals?

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Lotus 3 about 80 places too low.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

TIL that Fallout 4 works on the new computer if I run as administrator.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Baldr Sky...that was Face of Fact, right? Oh, no, that's Baldr Force. Innocence and Emptiness then. No, that's Baldr Heart. Oh, it's the one with Ruins of Silence. Okay, then.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Currently 76 songs, I believe.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

This is the first I've seen of this contest. Was there a nomination period, or was the bracket decided by the creators?

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Clearly the answer is to have swiss rounds.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

More matches per day is not really a situation I was really considering. If I truly am in the minority on that, then okay sure. It really isn't any extra work to run more matches in a day. If anything it makes my job easier because the contest doesn't last as long. But I don't think it's an outcome that everyone will appreciate. Even when talking about having 3 matches a day instead of 2, there were plenty of people who weren't very happy with that.

And speaking for myself, what happens when I'm listening for VGMC, I'm listening impatiently because I'm just doing my duty of listening to a song so I can say if I enjoyed it more than the other. The result is that aggressive, catchy, more up-tempo songs almost automatically get my vote in the contest unless there's a considerable gap in quality. I feel like if you make the time commitment to the contest longer per day, that this becomes even more the case. Maybe that's just a personal problem, but I find I'm doing hat any time I'm trying to compare songs.

Which, incidentally, is why I'm taking my time in pre-listening to the songs for the ranking topic now. I'm going to try to give myself as much exposure to them as I can before I start legit rating them, and then I'll move at my own pace. I'm hoping to do all my ranking and write-ups in two weeks, but then I'll probably go back for a second pass to be safe that I haven't horribly misevaluated anything.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Haste_2 posted...

Regarding the actual bracket design, I thought last year's contest went well. The use of byes in a 192x bracket worked fine, in retrospect. I'm fine with the bracket being reduced to 128, too. 256 is a bit much for most everyone, IMO.

I'd like to hear more input here.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

I should probably point out that the votes are counted by a script that only contains who has thrown one of their votes to a song, and no additional metadata like if they nominated the song initially or supported it, or how veteran the person is to the contest. Anything involving these ideas is interesting, but would have to be done by hand after the fact.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

GameBopAdv posted...

Also on the lines of VGMC discussion, I still strongly stand by the idea of getting rid of the "random" selection for the last tier that doesn't make the cut into the bracket, and using more of an algorithm for it, based on the number of nominations & supports that are already getting in from everyone involved in the songs in that tier & stuff like that. Like if someone's only chance at getting 1 nomination in is up for grabs in that tier I say throw them a bone and let that song get in. Though weighing all the options well could take some fine tuning. I'd be willing to help do the active calculations when the time is needed if this idea takes off though !

Do you have any idea how to codify this, or would it just be done by managerial decision?

pyresword posted...

If we're discussing ideas for VGMC procedure, I'm going to re-submit the idea to prevent people from removing supports after a certain deadline which is 1-3 days before the final deadline.

On this note, one idea I kicked around was to lock a song once it got to 5 and guarantee it a slot in the bracket. This not only slows down potential hopping, but it also lets you not have such intense agita going into the final day. On the other hand, it also suppresses the fun of the last day, which a few people really revel in. But it also wouldn't completely freeze out the final day madness like being unable to remove anything would do.


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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

NFUN posted...

or i can give 5 killer instinct songs (ones are good unlike the ones you used in bost)

I'm perfectly happy to see what you think I should have picked. I was fine with my top 3 choices, though.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Typically, at least during my tenure as host, VGMC nominations have opened at the beginning of March. That means we're actually only about two months away. Ergo, it may be time to actually start putting some thought into this thing. Therefore, this topic is for two purposes.

1. To discuss VGMC14.
2. To announce a ranking thread.

I'll start with the first one. VGMC nominations should open in ~70 days. This is your opportunity to discuss what, if anything, we should change or do differently. The most significant alteration to the format last year came in the form of expanding the bracket from 128 to 192, as a stepping stone toward 256. This meant that 128 songs played in round 1, and 64 had a bye. After seeing it in action, I'm not really sure how I feel about having byes, regardless of how they're determined, but I'm going to give the floor to the group to discuss. One thing I will state up front is that I have zero interest in running the contest by myself if we move to 256. I think everyone appreciated expanding the field from 128, but personally I was just weary. Maybe that's me as an individual. Maybe that's me as host. I don't really know. But that does segue into the other important nugget I want to announce.

As of right now, I intend for this to be my final year hosting VGMC. I figure five years is a pretty good run, and it's time to give someone else a turn. Plus, I just haven't been very motivated to do much of anything VGM-related. I was actively involved in the guessing games for about a year and a half, at least in designing survival games, but right now I just don't have any drive. Maybe I need to infuse my interest with some new songs, or maybe it's simply time to let someone else take over. Regardless, I do want to put out feelers to anyone who thinks they may be interested in taking on at least a partial role in administering the contest. I have no problem running nominations. That's the fun part. However, the daily grind of posting topics at precisely the right time, of counting votes, of trying to remember everything that's going on and updating the bracket and making up poll topics and managing ties and all the other stuff that goes with the running of the actual contest itself for possibly as long as five straight months...it's draining. Or at least it is for me. If anyone is interested in handling the day-to-day of the bracket, in part or in full, please let me know. It's possible I might feel rejuvenated down the road. I do enjoy the idea of managing the contest, and I probably would just pull a slow fade if I weren't the person everyone is depending on. However, as of right now, I think that at the very least asking for some help is definitely something I need to do.

Okay, so there's that. Now...

I'd like to also announce a ranking topic. Nominate any 5 VGM tracks you want, with the intent that I will attempt to evaluate these songs for purposes of their potential for the VGMC bracket. I'll give my personal, subjective thoughts, but I'll also add in where I think my opinion differs from the board's...which is not a guarantee I'll get it right, of course. After all, it's become a running joke that I hate Amusement Park not because I do, but simply because I still don't see what there is that other people legitimately like about it. So yeah, I might miss wildly on the objective end of things. The ranking itself will be according to my preferences, but the important part is you'll get feedback. And, I'm hoping, people will be following along, too. Maybe a couple other folks jump in and rank with me -- if anyone wants to do that, I'll give you five songs to replace your own with -- or maybe we just get a lively discussion going on each of the tracks. Either way, it's a chance for you to test drive some songs for this year's contest, or announce your intent, or warm up the board to some potential contenders.

• Nominate any 5 VGM tracks, with links. VGMC eligible preferred.
• There is no limit to how many songs are in the ranking, so don't worry about rushing to get your songs in first.
• I will begin to listen to tracks on January 1st. Once I get to the end of what's been posted in the thread, I will close nominations.
• You may swap tracks up until I evaluate your songs. If you think you're likely to hedge, please say so in your post and I'll save yours for last.

I hope that should cover everything. You guys know how ranking topics work.

Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gRAHwzLZduGVWYPILF5wyiTAvtI3PUG3O_s4MgV9Zwo/edit?folder=0AIS8GGHS9FDGUk9PVA#gid=0

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

180.

I'm a math person, horribly indecisive, and I can form my birthdate using those digits twice each.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

BTS was better than the original, easily. LIS had two key moments that were super powerful, at the ends of episodes 2 and 4, but a lot of it was nonsense or filler. BTS's writing was consistently strong, largely because of the dynamic between Chloe and Rachel, and I'd much rather listen to Chloe's thoughts and watch her actions than mousy Max.

LIS certainly should have been better. The premise of being able to rewind time has so many applications. There just weren't enough places where you could do that meaningfully, and then it evolved into other weird powers later on rather than sticking to what should have made it work. But because LIS takes the time to cultivate all these characters, it's that much more powerful when we see the continuation of them -- even if it is a prequel and therefore we know where these people end up. Simply seeing how Chloe changes from who she is during that gulf between her happy childhood with Max to the counter-culture defiant bitch she becomes is extremely rewarding.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

BG without Amalgams...suddenly Curator looks a lot better.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Looks amazing for his age, agreed.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

I usually hold it. A 2/1 is nice but having the surprise potential of a rush minion is better. I won't hold it long but I will retain it through my opponent's first two turns.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Bought a new computer. Thought that would finally solve my load screen woes. Instead now I can't even play the game. G f'ing G Bethesda.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

After ep. 8 made such a mess of things, I can't possibly imagine how anyone could turn things around in one film. I wasn't in love with ep. 7, but it was at least a foundation to build on. If Abrams decides to retcon basically everything from The Last Jedi out of the timeline, I wouldn't blame him one bit.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

tag

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

air-tayoo

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

LordoftheMorons posted...

Tyedus because Teedus sounds dumb

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

I have still played zero 2019 games (since WoW classic was ruled out) but I did buy Disco Elysium last night.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

LeonhartFour posted...

it's different this time because he's not doing it to a game most people agree is bad

I agree that it's bad.

I would weigh in further, except I made it a point to burn away my memories of this game. I couldn't be bothered to finish it, which is a pretty damning condemnation of any game I owned at that point in my life since I didn't get very many of them.


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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Forceful_Dragon posted...

Post 164, 165, 167, 168, 169, 171, 172, 174, 176

Why? You blocked me, i didn't block you. Stop making invisible posts in my topic with your stupid alts.

Interesting. I wouldn't have even noticed if you hadn't pointed it out.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

Majora's Mask has always been a bad game. Or at least a game that was a serious disappointment as a follow-up to OOT.

Grand Kirby posted...

I think he needs to buy a new N64 controller if moving in a straight line is that hard for him.

I've always had trouble with high precision straight line movement. Like, there are places in SM64 where you have to walk along narrow platforms and it's really hard to do. Consider getting onto the ship in Jolly Roger Bay or walking across the planks to the tip top of Wet-Dry World. Some of that is the camera moving on you, but that holds here as well.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

I tried David's version. 4-0 so far. The version I played the other day simply didn't have as powerful of tempo and I think losing a card to the quest might have had something to do with that. I mean, sure, you make it back up with interest later, but a lot of times I wasn't even finishing the quest.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

davidponte posted...

It's one of the cheaper decks right now, too!

Maybe, but I try to make it a general rule not to craft anything in the opening days unless I'm super confident I'll continue to use those cards.

In any event, the version you posted without the quest is probably better since trying to force a bunch of battlecries in to satisfy the quest is frustrating. Really should go one way or the other.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;

I made a gimped version that doesn't have the two wolf packs. Maybe I'll have to craft those.

Edit: Oh, and Kronx. I need Kronx.

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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;