Bucko
11-02-2008, 02:08 AM
Tonight was a great start on FC2. We had 6 OSG'ers on a server we had password protected, although 2 players were having technical difficulty with TS so there were only 4 of us actively talking but it was enjoyable just the same.
I got the impression it was a preview of things to come. When I read the announcement tonight about the discontinuation of permanent TS channels for games that fall outside the approved games list, I have to admit it was a bit disappointing. Not that I don't understand the desire to form a more cohesive team -- that part I can relate to -- but I did realize that the lack of permanent TS channel support for the games that some may be most interested in playing may ultimately lead to even more team fragmentation, the very problem it is intended to solve.
I made the decision to apply to join OSG 6 months or so ago after being asked by a couple of members to apply shortly after Vegas2 came out. I was reluctant at first, because after witnessing some gaming-clan politics and drama several years ago in a different gaming team I belonged to, I decided that it was not worth it and the side-effects offset the entertainment aspect of gaming itself. When I read some of the OSG policies, such as "play when you want, where you want", and realized the team consisted of a good crowd of mature players, I decided to give it a shot and I have not regretted that decision. I was also impressed by the diversity of the clan, the support for many different games, and the fact that it offered the opportunity to play a variety of different games in different gaming genres, not only with regulars but with new players as well.
I am getting the feeling that things are headed in another direction. While I enjoy BF2 and COD4, there is something inherent to my nature that forces me to enjoy innovation and advancement, and that applies to gaming. This means that after I have played the same game, the same maps and weapons, etc. for year-after-year, quite frankly I get a bit bored with the repetitive nature of things and begin to look for something new and interesting. It doesn't mean I don't still come back to older titles that are good. In fact, as I said over teamspeak on Friday, I would much rather play an "oldstandy-game" with friends than to jump into a new game that not everybody who wants to play has yet. But it also means that when a new game comes out, if it's a great game, I may be more likely to play that than to continue with the same-ole-same-ole.
This is not in any way meant to be disrepectful of the new decisions that were made. As I said before, I can fully see the reasons. But at the same time I also need to say that if I have an interest in a game that falls outside of the designated OSG games, I'm likely to spend what little free time I have for gaming playing that particular game. The effects of that fact could potentially result in my membership in more than one gaming team, so if that creates an issue to any rules in OSG, please let me know.
I hope this is not stepping on anyone's toes, but that's just part of my fundamental philosophy on gaming. If I was any other way, there is a good chance I would still be in the same clan I was in back in 2002; those guys are still playing Counterstike 1.6 (yes, that's the old version that everyone played before the Source engine came out in 2004). They never made it past it, because it was different than what they were used to and they found themselves unable to adapt. Maybe I'm a little too adaptable sometime, but I am just unable to play the same game year after year.
I hope I have not contributed to "game sprawl" or the problem of spreading too thin with my recent reviews of Far Cry 2. Simply put, that is one of the games I'm interested in right now.
I got the impression it was a preview of things to come. When I read the announcement tonight about the discontinuation of permanent TS channels for games that fall outside the approved games list, I have to admit it was a bit disappointing. Not that I don't understand the desire to form a more cohesive team -- that part I can relate to -- but I did realize that the lack of permanent TS channel support for the games that some may be most interested in playing may ultimately lead to even more team fragmentation, the very problem it is intended to solve.
I made the decision to apply to join OSG 6 months or so ago after being asked by a couple of members to apply shortly after Vegas2 came out. I was reluctant at first, because after witnessing some gaming-clan politics and drama several years ago in a different gaming team I belonged to, I decided that it was not worth it and the side-effects offset the entertainment aspect of gaming itself. When I read some of the OSG policies, such as "play when you want, where you want", and realized the team consisted of a good crowd of mature players, I decided to give it a shot and I have not regretted that decision. I was also impressed by the diversity of the clan, the support for many different games, and the fact that it offered the opportunity to play a variety of different games in different gaming genres, not only with regulars but with new players as well.
I am getting the feeling that things are headed in another direction. While I enjoy BF2 and COD4, there is something inherent to my nature that forces me to enjoy innovation and advancement, and that applies to gaming. This means that after I have played the same game, the same maps and weapons, etc. for year-after-year, quite frankly I get a bit bored with the repetitive nature of things and begin to look for something new and interesting. It doesn't mean I don't still come back to older titles that are good. In fact, as I said over teamspeak on Friday, I would much rather play an "oldstandy-game" with friends than to jump into a new game that not everybody who wants to play has yet. But it also means that when a new game comes out, if it's a great game, I may be more likely to play that than to continue with the same-ole-same-ole.
This is not in any way meant to be disrepectful of the new decisions that were made. As I said before, I can fully see the reasons. But at the same time I also need to say that if I have an interest in a game that falls outside of the designated OSG games, I'm likely to spend what little free time I have for gaming playing that particular game. The effects of that fact could potentially result in my membership in more than one gaming team, so if that creates an issue to any rules in OSG, please let me know.
I hope this is not stepping on anyone's toes, but that's just part of my fundamental philosophy on gaming. If I was any other way, there is a good chance I would still be in the same clan I was in back in 2002; those guys are still playing Counterstike 1.6 (yes, that's the old version that everyone played before the Source engine came out in 2004). They never made it past it, because it was different than what they were used to and they found themselves unable to adapt. Maybe I'm a little too adaptable sometime, but I am just unable to play the same game year after year.
I hope I have not contributed to "game sprawl" or the problem of spreading too thin with my recent reviews of Far Cry 2. Simply put, that is one of the games I'm interested in right now.