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Complaint: Silliness

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Complaint: Silliness

from GalCiv2 Forums
Hi Guys:

I've recently bought and started playing GC2. I really do enjoy it. This is a great game. Yet something irks me: the burdensome amount of silliness in the game.

Between the nerdy in-jokes and references, I feel like GC2 is trying to be more of a farce of itself than an actual true 4X. While I've got a fine sense of humor, for some reason I'm finding it hard to enjoy a game that doesn't seem to take itself at all seriously. And the worst part is the humor itself seems aimed at 14-year-olds. Case in point, the tech description for "miniaturization" -- "in this case, smaller is better" or something like that. Cute... for the eighth grade.

If I could request a MOD, it'd be a "maturity MOD", that treats the player like he/she wants to be immersed in the game's universe, rather than sit and read a series of one-liners. After playing for a half hour, I just zoom through any text/robot advisors/tech descriptions because I half expect them to be childish nonsense or sci-fi geek jokes. It just seems... immature.

And I don't think I'm being (overly) stuffy. Some of the best Sci-Fi/4X games took themselves deadly seriously, like Imperium Galactica 2 or the Descent: Freespace series. Am I totally off-base here, or does anyone else have the same complaint? I am armoring myself for the "remove-stick-from-backside" flame responses. Hell, maybe I deserve them. Thoughts?
35,065 views 109 replies
Reply #101 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The OP is not the first person to complain about the humor. However, we want to make a game that we like to play, and I'm afraid that we all like the style of the humor. We actually ask people at interviews if they like the Simpsons and Monty Python.

You got my vote. I've enjoyed the humor since day 1. After all, it's a *game*. Games are supposed to be fun and humor is fun. The humor *is* a little sophmoric, but that's fine. I like the game doesn't take itself too seriously. Why should it?

Reply #102 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The OP is not the first person to complain about the humor. However, we want to make a game that we like to play, and I'm afraid that we all like the style of the humor. We actually ask people at interviews if they like the Simpsons and Monty Python.


I don't see any monty python or simpsons references in any of the jokes in Galciv2. Unless I didn't catch them....
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Reply #103 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I'm tired of the white person being disadvantaged because the black fella threw up a complaint that 'It's because I'm black isnt it!' and ever since getting their way on every single topic or debate, ever.


It is human nature to try to take advantage of whatever angle is available. Often it is the case in Australia for example that Aboriginals will take advantage of the race angle to get what they want. I guess it makes sense to exploit the race angle if you can, even though it is not very honourable, i mean life is tough so why not? In my opinion the problem lies with society and government as a whole who are the ones responsible for 'enabeling' Aboriginals to take advantage of the race angle to get what they want.
Reply #104 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
JubJub15: E.g. I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built it all the same, just to show 'em. It sank into the swamp. So, I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So, I built a third one. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp, but the fourth one...stayed up! - Monty Pythons and the Holy Grail
Reply #105 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

If I could request a MOD, it'd be a "maturity MOD", that treats the player like he/she wants to be immersed in the game's universe, rather than sit and read a series of one-liners. After playing for a half hour, I just zoom through any text/robot advisors/tech descriptions because I half expect them to be childish nonsense or sci-fi geek jokes. It just seems... immature.



First of all (irony: this is post 105 or so on this topic), I would like to say that your concern shows that you obviously seem to see computer games as some form of literature - because you are applying a form of prescriptive literary criticism to this product.
Nowadays, your point seems to be rather incongruent with current literary theory though - which is postmodern and reveils the hidden egocentrism in prescriptive literary criticism such as yours. By criticizing these texts in the game, you are denying the "author-ity" of Brad and you are trying to occupy a position of superior knowledge - which is typical of Western critiques and can be interpreted as a colonial attitude.
Secondly,self-reflexion and "in jokes" are not a sign of immaturity. On the contrary: In literature, self-critical humour is seen as a sign of maturity for any genre whether you take the development of on-stage-murders in (Post-)Elizabethean drama from 1550-1648, the gothic novel from Walpole to Austen or Lewis. Just look at Joyce. Only a mature text has the capability of reflecting the genre and subverting conventional expectations with humour!



Reply #106 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
We actually ask people at interviews if they like the Simpsons and Monty Python.


That sounds like a job interview I could do well at!

However, we want to make a game that we like to play, and I'm afraid that we all like the style of the humor.


The humor is one of my favorite features of the game, as I said earlier. It's perfect for me and while others don't have quite the same sense of humor and ability to laugh at one's self, that's their misfortune! Especially if a few spelling mistakes can get to you like people are saying. There annoying, thats true, but their far from a game killer, they actually add a sense of realism and that small company touch and care that is Stardock to it, I love it! To put it simply to those who find the humor off or the spelling mistakes to be so bad that you wouldn't touch the game:
Sucks to be You!

Enjoy it for the beauty it is mates!
I guess it makes sense to exploit the race angle if you can, even though it is not very honourable, i mean life is tough so why not? In my opinion the problem lies with society and government as a whole who are the ones responsible for 'enabeling' Aboriginals to take advantage of the race angle to get what they want.


Agreed. Completely.
Reply #107 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
[...]current literary theory [says that by] criticizing these texts in the game, you are denying the "author-ity" of Brad and you are trying to occupy a position of superior knowledge [and show] a colonial attitude.

God save us all from the 'current literary theory' and its purveyors.