My Must-have mods for Fallout New Vegas

11-26-2016 Amendment Update!



I've been playing Fallout New Vegas for almost a year now (more like six months), I knew about it ages ago but made the mistake of not embracing its awesomeness until this past spring. Now I am happily addicted, seriously New Vegas is one of my favorite games ever right up there Earthbound, A Link to the Past/Ocarina of Time (tied), Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy Tactics, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Zork: The Great Underground Empire.

After having played Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, I can easily say that New Vegas is without a doubt (in my opinion) the best in the series and my obvious favorite. But like Skyrim, New Vegas can be taken to the next level of awesomeness with mods and on today's article I will share with you all my "must-have" mods for Fallout: New Vegas.

Essential User-Interface "UI" mods: 

Darnified UI, how can I describe it - it makes the menus, HUD and dialog boxes less scrunched up and more visually appealing. The new interface changes the cross-hairs to make them more intuitive and less intrusive, definitely a must-have over the default.

Fallout 4-like HUD; this mod changes the HUD (the compass below and the radar) to be more like one seen in Fallout 4, there is a patch for those who use Darnified Ui.

MCM: The Mod Configuration Menu, this one is an optional yet very interactive tool. It should be in your load order because a few mods like the Bag of Holding, Director's Chair, Project Ultimatum, and Immersive HUD rely on it in order to function properly.

Bag of Holding; this mod is amazing! Forget ever having to rely on sketchy storage containers or companions to carry your burden, now you can take all of your stuff with you, anywhere, everywhere, at all times and the best part is that it is useable via the Mod Configuration Menu meaning that it takes up zero inventory space.

Essential Utility Mods: 

4GB Fallout New Vegas; This application utility allows the game to allot more memory in order to enhance gameplay and prevent crashes, and if you intend to play a heavily modded game then you should definitely download and install 4GBNV asap!

NVSE (New Vegas Script Extender); this nifty little tool like OBSE and FOSE before it helps improve the game in a variety of ways by extending the use of the game's mechanics allowing for much more versatility. It's good to download and install this as just about every other mod on the New Vegas nexus requires it in order for them to work properly.

Lutana; I must admit that I am not entirely sure what this plugin does outside of the realm of a few script tweaks and commands, either way a lot of mods require it.

JIP NVSE Plugin; this is an NVSE plugin that adds 350+ new functions for scripts and the GECK, also many mods require it.

UIO - User Interface Organizer; this one is another NVSE plugin and it does exactly what it says on the can and most mods in fact require it to work properly.



Bugfixing, Patch and Game Stabilization mods:

YUP (Yukichigai Unofficial Patch); this patch fixes pretty much every bug, quirk and glitch in the game and its DLCs and is pretty much an essential in anyone's load order.

NVAC (New Vegas Anti-Crash); this plugin for NVSE helps prevent the game from random crashing and freezing during load screens and saves.



Enhancement Mods:

Fallout 4 Style Nuka-Cola and Sunset Sarsaparilla Machine replacers; these machines (seen above) are absolutely stunning visual enhancements to their original incarnations, and have earned a permanent place in my load order replacing all of the original dull vanilla machines.

EVE; this mod is a must-have for better laser, plasma, and explosive visuals. It boosts the game from great to awesome just by installing it.

NMCs Texture Pack; this mod replaces pretty much every texture in the game with new ones making the game environment look more detailed and appealing.

Performance of the Gods; basically a nuisance remover, this mod removes all sorts of in-game rubbish such as underwater rocks, invisible walls, litter, dust, dust whirlwinds, and particles in order to improve gameplay and stability this is especially recommended for lower-end PCs.

Clarity; this mod removes the orange tint filter and makes the skies of Nevada more um, clear.

Wasteland Flora Overhaul; this mod adds more to the Mojave in terms of flora and the like because why should it look barren just because its a desert? It also comes in two flavors; Fertile and Dead.

Enhanced Blood Textures; makes bloodstains, gore, and splatter look more realistic and life-like.

Alternative Blood Spout; this mod changes the way characters and monsters bleed and also splashes the player screen with blood, making things bloodier and better.

Improved Sound FX; this mod improves the audio of most weapons (energy and laser, pistils & rocket launchers) and also enhances the sound effects of dismemberment and decapitations,

FO3 Experience Gain Sound; basically what this does is it replaces the rumbling sound with the "kaching" cash register sound effect similar to the one in Fallout 3.

Interior Lighting Overhaul; this mod completely revamps the indoor lighting as well as the strength and reach of the Pip Boy light. This is an essential mod in my opinion as it has made dungeon delving, and exploring ruins of New Vegas to be much more exciting, it also has patches for the New Vegas Interiors Project and Willow.

Electro City; This mod adds city engineers to various parts of the Mojave who have improved the lighting issues plaguing the area. Essentially this mod makes the bulbs of the casino lights function like normal flashing lights, and makes them brighter, as well as adds streetlights and lights to the various highways. This is a pretty essential mod for anyone playing with a "darker nights" mod in their load order.

Enemy AI - Tactics - NPC Healing; this mod is great! Basically it makes mobs of enemies more unified and dangerous without making the game too difficult. It makes enemies react better and depending on the odds, can even make them run away.

Bond's Prospector Saloon; Basically this completely redesigns the saloon in Goodsprings from being dull and boring to something with a bit more flair and appeal.

Hall of Face; this mod is definitely an essential in my book, it alters the faces of everyone in the game to look more realistic and life-like without taking away from their original "vanilla-ness", so this would be the mod to go to if you didn't want to use New Vegas Redesigned or Fallout Character Overhaul.

Mojave Sandy Desert (Left) and the Mojave Nights (Right)

Mojave Nights; This mod makes the mojave night sky look more realistic and alters the moon and stars for an overall more immersive player experience.

Mojave Sandy Desert; This mod is a must-have for me, it replaces the grainy 18-bit looking sand with real "dune sea" like sands and integrates itself perfectly within the Mojave wasteland, works perfectly with Vurt's Wasteland Flora Overhaul.

Blue Waters for New Vegas; this mod makes the water in game look bluer and prettier to look at whenever you're around a large body of water like at lake Los Vegas or Hoover Dam.

Hi Res Eyes; This mod changes all of the textures in the game into more appealing and life-like eyes.

Greaser-Styled Greasers; this is an inconsequential but useful mod. Basically what it does is change the "greasers" (who are in fact just regular chem-fiends/wastelanders) in the North Vegas Sewers into looking like actual greasers similar to the Kings.

Alsatian NCR Guard Dogs; this changes the mangy mutts guarding Helios One and other NCR-bases into German shepherds, a canine more befit to serve the military.


House Mods: 

Abandoned Brotherhood of Steel Outpost; This is a player home nestled high in the Charleston mountains near Jacobstown. It features an underground bunker/cellar with weapons and armor storage, a ranger-communications tower with a useable cot and a garage with storage, two beds, a working radio, and refrigerator. It's a fairly new mod (uploaded and updated in July 2015), however it's quite impressive and makes for a nifty little home and command center for any Brotherhood of Steel or NCR aligned characters.

Luxury Hideout; adds a grate in Goodsprings across from the Prospector Saloon that leads to a fabulous player-owned vault home. The home comes with a terminal that will unburden your load for you, as well as plenty of safe storage containers for your weapons, armor, and misc items. The vault comes with a player-owned bed that upon resting grants the "well rested bonus", and you can choose whether you want to listen to a jujebox or a radio and customize whether you want it light or dark via interactive light switches.

NV Novac Apartment; this little player home mod is outstanding it completely transforms the simple player apartment in Novac from a dull motel room into a penthouse fit for old world stars like Dean Domino and Vera Keyes. If you are however running NV Novac Apartment together with "Niner", be sure to temporarily disable the apartment mod until your "business" in Novac is over.

My Atomic Wrangler Suite; basically all this mod does is change the simple player room at the Atomic Wrangler into a more livable "bachelor pad". It has a modest amount of downloads and only boasts 100 endorsements, however it makes having to slum it out in Freeside until you can get onto the Strip more bearable.

Follower Mods:

Butch is back!

Butch Deloria is Back; basically what it says on the tin. The modder more or less just ported Butch from Fallout 3 into New Vegas but he is a fully functioning companion with a working companion wheel to boot and can still style your hair like in Fallout 3, the only drawback to this great mod is that Butch cannot be told to go to the Lucky 38 like every other companion.

Niner; What can I say about Niner by Mishaxi, he's an awesome chem-addled, gun-toting errand boy from California. He comes packed with his own unique clothing and a quest that will take you into New Vegas, it is a short quest but as I said it goes hand-in-hand with the journey to New Vegas so experiences may vary. Might I add that since I found out about this companion mod, I have never not used it.

Willow; Willow is another interesting companion mod. She is an NCR-aligned companion, and in fact can be found camping out in her own tent not far from the Mojave Outpost. Like Niner, she is fully voiced and has her own quests however in addition she also uses her own sort of karma or "disposition" system like the ones used in KOTOR and Dragon Age Origins. She sort of reminds me of the Anna NPCs mod from Skyrim, in that she sings, tells jokes, and is fully custom voiced - it is interesting to note that she can be recruited at the same time you and Niner head for the "deal" at the outpost, unfortunately the two have zero interactions with each other.

Niner and Willow are both FCO - compatible with patches made by Drumber, so if you're using the Fallout Character Overhaul mod be sure to include those patches in your load order.

Fire Gecko Companion; Let me just say that I f***ing LOVE this little guy, he's a badass fire gecko with a unique design and willow follow you automatically starting from the Goodsprings Source (where you go Gecko hunting with Sunny Smiles). I've been using this little dude ever since I got New Vegas for PC and have never not used him, I would totally recommend downloading if only to have a unique animal follower who isn't a dog.

Armor Mods:

Courier 'Nick' wearing the Reflex Armor

Coyote Reflex Armor; this set of power armor is top of the line in badassness, and is also a port of its Fallout 3 counterpart. It can be found by a bombed-out car in Freeside, but requires the power armor perk in order to wear it. After getting the prerequisite perk and donning the armor, you will have never looked more badass when slaying chem fiends and deathclaws in the Mojave.

Road Fighter Armor; this armor is a must have for me, since discovering it I have always used it in a playthrough and have never removed it from my load order. Its location is perilous, off the road up from Sloan and near the Quarry, but it is a very neat looking set like a cross between the Kings and Great Khans.

Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel Power Armor; this armor was taken from Fallout Tactics, it is the armor of the Midwestern chapter of Brotherhood of Steel members wear. Once added to the game it can immediately be seen on several paladins of the Hidden Valley sect, as well as on a few random BoS Paladin corpses throughout the game.

Wasteland Looter Armor; it's a port of the same armor from Fallout 3. It's a very simple but appealing looking armor, and can be found as early as the start of the game making adventuring or...looting more interesting.


Casino Heist Pack; this adds several snazzy looking suits perfect for an "Oceans 11" styled casino break-in.


Weapon Mods:

Classic Fallout Weapons - New Vegas; This weapon mod is at the top of this list for good reason as it integrates many missing and classic weapons from past Fallout games into New Vegas, so if you've played Fallouts 1 and 2 you can look forward to finding some of your favorite oldschool weapon-tech throughout the Mojave wasteland. 

Lightsabers; Just what it says on the can - this mod adds lightsabers to the Mojave wasteland and they can be found in a locked safe in No-Bark's shack in Novac.

Lightsaber sound FX; and to go with the Lightsaber mod this little fix makes it so that the lightsabers in the game actually sound like the lightsabers from KOTOR and the Star Wars films.

AE-86 Seiryuu Beam Katana; this mod adds a futuristic electrical "cyber katana" to the gas station in Goodsprings. Its quite powerful and can reduce enemies to piles of ash, it goes well with the Coyote Reflex Armor mentioned above.

Quest Mods:

Area 51- Project Roswell; When I first purchased New Vegas it had not dawned on me that it took place in the same region as the Roswell sightings and Area 51, however to my dismay there was no associated in-game quests with Area 51 or classified Military/Alien secrets. This mod corrects that mistake by adding in a quest pop-up at the start of the game that directs you to the military tunnel to Area 51 to begin the quest.

For the Enclave; for the Enclave is an interesting mod that starts off as soon as the Courier reaches level 10, and is approached by an Enclave patrol in a vertibird. The quest deals with two warring factions of the Enclave; the Pro-genocidal variant from Fallout 3 and a new group who disavowed the ideologies of President John Henry Eden.

The Brotherhood House Alliance; Think of this as the "Paarthurnax Dilemma" for New Vegas, this mod makes it so that you can "persuade" Mr. House to spare the Brotherhood of Steel provided you have come to a peaceful conclusion during the Hidden Valley quests.

Final Fantasy XV - what took so long?

Final Fantasy XV ~ What the Heck took so long? And will it sate our expectations? 

Final Fantasy XV has been "in-development" since its reveal back in 2006 alongside Final Fantasy XIII and Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep a little over a decade ago, and both of which have long since been released. The latest edition into the Final Fantasy series of JRPG videogames is slated to come out later this month on the XBox One and Playstation 4 home consoles, however with fans having been eagerly awaiting for over a decade, once released will XV meet every fans' impossible expectations or will it leave the fanbase disappointed? 

Let's look at some reasons why XV has taken thus a whopping "10" years to arrive;

1. Changes in Staff
Since it's reveal in 2006 as Versus XIII, XV has undergone many changes in staff with people coming and going; moving onto other projects or leaving the company altogether though Shinji Hashimoto, Yoko Shimomura, Tomohiro Hasewaga, and Takeshi Nozue remained on board throughout development.

2. Changes to the Setting (i.e. Environment, Plot & Characters)
It was originally announced that Noctis possessed a power called the "eyes of Etro", and Etro herself (a prominent deity in XIII lore) was the presiding Goddess of death in Versus XIII

from the Final Fantasy Wiki: 

In Final Fantasy Versus XIII Etro was the patron goddess of the kingdom of Lucis, where Noctis was the crown prince. Because Etro was known as the goddess of death, Lucis thus had a dark design, only showed at night time, and Grim Reaper motifs recurred in its crests. The royal family and other citizens of Lucis were also to wear black to go with this theme. Nevertheless, the primary conflict shown was that of the politico-resource strife regarding Lucis's possession of the last crystal in the world, and the cold war that it spawned in its wake due to the inequality of powers between Lucis and the rest of the world; it is unknown what measure the lore of Fabula Nova Crystallis and the influence of Etro would play in this.
The game was to open with a formal party to celebrate the treaty-signing between Lucis and Niflheim, where Stella Nox Fleuret talked to Noctis about a legend from her home country of Tenebrae. The legend stated that whenever Etro opens the Unseen Gate, the souls of the dead ascend as a streak of light to the heavens and through the Gate. It is said that when few among the dying see the light, they are given power from the Kingdom of the Dead. Stella stated she can see the light, as could Noctis. Noctis guessed both of them had had a near-death experience.
The treaty-signing was but a ruse and Niflheim forces stormed the city to steal its crystal, Noctis and his friends having to fight their way through soldiers and Behemoths. Noctis was to face a mysterious white-clad man who also appeared to wield the power of the crystal, and even fight Stella, who would display the same power to summon weapons via magic.
This opening scene was removed altogether for Final Fantasy XV where, although Lucis is still attacked, Noctis is away from the capital when it happens.

3. The developers changed gameplay mechanics to satisfy changing consumer needs
This is one is just a guess but  it's not impossible to believe that the game would linger in "development hell" for a little over a decade because the developers want to put out a game that sells well and meets the expectations of the fanbase as well as inviting to new players. It's impossible to meet every single demand of any fanbase, which is why it is important for developers to remember that while fan feedback is important, ultimately the title is their game and should be written as they see fit.

4. The game was completely reworked from the inside-out
This one is pretty much the case, with a shifting development team, and a complete re-envisioning of the original plot it makes sense that the original gameplay and mechanics would be scrapped along with the prototype story and characters.

5. A New engine means a new start
Sort of, the development team for Versus XIII started out using "Crystal Tools" (the engine used for FFXIII, XIII-2, XIV and Lightning Returns), but developed the new Luminous Engine which is what the current and final product will be using. So while yes the development team did move on to a new and better engine, it seems unlikely that it hindered progress at all as it was sure that they had been developing a new custom engine during the course of the development for XV.

6. Online criticism and fan complaints have caused drawbacks in the game's production 
Unlikely, while yes the game has been in limbo for years only to finally get a solid release date of 11-29-2016, that hasn't stopped fans and critics from referring to the game as "vaporware" and "cancelled". Yes negative feedback (especially on a product that has yet to be released) can make anyone feel anxious and upset, however it is doubtful that the opinions of fans and critics had much if any bearing at all on the development cycle of the game.

Some negative attributes some fans have already called the game out on or have speculated about during the game's development;

1. No female party members!
Not really negative, the game is a "male bonding" road trip story as explained in the game's narrative by Tetsuya Nomura. Since its re-branding as XV in 2013, the game has unveiled a slew of female characters such as Cindy, a perky mechanic, Aranea Highwind (AKA the "female Dragoon"), Lunafreya (Stella's replacement!), Iris Amicitia, and Gentiana, though that has not stopped fans from expecting/wanting or demanding a playable female (despite the fact that Noctis is the only palayable character in the game) in some form or fashion.

2. It's Too Linear!
The game is not even out yet and many on the web and on gaming forums are bemoaning the fact that the reputed end-half of the game is to be "extremely linear" in comparison to the beginning. If this is true, lets hope that the first half of the game in entertaining enough to make a narrow end-half seem feasible.

3. They replaced Stella!
Originally the leading lady of Final Fantasy XV (when it was Versus XIII) was to be Stella Nox Fleuret, however after the eventual re-branding to "XV" Stella was replaced by a younger looking "Lunafreya", who is to act as the consort to be to Prince Noctis. Since Stella was essentially just a prototype or a demo-reel character, it's really hard to get a grasp for what her personality is/was so it was probably justified on the side of the production team to simply scrap her altogether in favor of a completely new character. Because she was such a pre-development character its difficult to really have taken up any emotional attachment or connection for the character, when in reality it is actually more likely that all of her would-be traits, characteristics, charm and appeal were merely re-packaged into Lunafreya.

4. They Keep Changing the Release date!
Final Fantasy XV had originally been slated to release sometime in-between 2014 or 2015 (the latter seeming more appropriate in keeping with the theme), however we finally got a concrete release date of September 30, 2016 only for Square-Enix to change the release date to November 29, pushing the game's release back almost three months. Fans were understandably upset, with pre-orders looming and expectations running wild at this point, however one needs to keep in mind that bug testing is an essential part of game development. It is the developer's responsibility to make sure that the final product is presented in a finished and playable state before releasing it to the public, and Square-Enix has taken this extra time to ensure that the game will be as bug-free and finishable as possible.

5. Final Fantasy VII is to blame!
This one is rather far-fetched, but I've seen it mentioned on some forums that some fans of the Final Fantasy series and those in particular who are eagerly expecting XV to drop have blamed the emergence of the "Final Fantasy VII remake" for the game's repeated delays, and indefinite stay in development hell. While yes a few of the lead devs from XV (Shinji Hashimoto, Yoshinori Kitase, and Tetsuya Nomura) are working on the remake of VII, it is unlikely that the entirety of the XV team has been compromised or stunted because of this and is more likely that both development teams, aside from their lead developers have independent teams. Also the remake of VII wasn't announced until 2015, well after XV had been halfway completed so therefore it stands to reason that the on-going development of the VII Remake had little if any impact on XV's release.

And for some positives to look forward to pending the game's release;

1. Yoko Shimomura is composing the score
That's right, beloved composer of the Kingdom Hearts series has been contracted to conduct the soundtrack for XV since it's early stages as "Versus XIII", which means that fans of the KH soundtracks will surely love the XV soundtrack as well. In fact a few tidbits from the official soundtrack have already been released.

2. The game is mostly open-exploration (mostly) 
From the look of things the game promises a very open-world aspect to exploring, fighting monsters, leveling up, and traveling. While its unlikely that Final Fantasy XV will be on Skyrim levels of off-rails open-world exploration, it looks to be less restrictive than the previous XIII games, which is in my opinion a step in the right direction.

3. Familiar voices will be appearing in the English version 
Anime and videogame veterans Matthew Mercer and Kari Wahlgren have been cast as "Cor Leonis" and "Aranea Highwind" respectively, so while not main party members they will be at least popping into the game.

4. It is slated for a multi-platform release
Final Fantasy XV will be released for both the Xbox One and Playstation 4 consoles, but no mention of a PC release? I would not give up hope for a PC release of XV, as the previous trilogy of Final Fantasy XIII have all been released on computer systems (released a little while after the game's initial release) so it stands to reason that XV will follow this logic as well.

5. Summons return, and they look badass
As if you needed another reason to go out and get XV when it releases, take a look at the gameplay footage and tell me it isn't badass. You can have fun frying annoying mobs of monsters with Ramuh's judgment bolt, or drown your enemies with Leviathan's tidal wave attack, and I'm sure long-standing FF classics such as Ifrit and Shiva will be returning as well.

In closing I'd just like to say that I for one am incredibly excited for XV to finally drop, it's been a decade in the making and it is that much closer to release, just about two weeks away! I know I can't force everyone to hold off on judgments or bashing the game but as one gamer to another I would hold off any 'final opinions' until actually playing the game, it will be out soon enough and then we will all know whether XV has lived up to the hype or is a decade-old colossal fizzle. 

Q&A with Anna Castiglioni

In this week's Interview I have a Facebook Q&A with Anna Castiglioni - voice actor, gamer, and modder! If you listen to audio books you may have heard her reading "Bedding an Assassin" and "Diviner's Prophecy", and if you have played Skyrim on the PC and used mods then you probably have come across her amazing "Anna NPCs mod". My inner fangirl has been outed because I just can't contain my excitement for this interview, guys and gals here is as promised my Q&A with Anna Castiglioni!

Me: "Okay a little backstory, what got you interested in voice acting?"

Anna Castiglioni : "That's a really long answer. I did stage acting as a kid. Then a few years ago I started voicing for some PC game mods. I enjoyed it so much that I started taking workshops and classes, and learned about the business."

Me: "What was the first videogame that you ever played?"

AC: "Final Fanstasy 2 on PC.  No, the FIRST were some Atari games, spelling games and such, lol."

Me: "Mine I believe was ALF for the commodore 64, it wasn't much in the education department but it was fun at least."

AC: "Ah, I also played an Alf on PC. And Tink Tonk Goes to Town or something."

Me: "Okay what genre of videogames do you feel are the most fun to play?"

AC: "My favorites are fantasy RPG, or just fantasy in general. I also really loved Assassin Creed II because it's Renaissance Italy, which is my favorite period in history."

Me: "Aside from voicing mods, you have also read for some audio books like "Bedding an Assassin" and "Diviner's Prophecy". Would you like to talk a little about those projects? Were they any more or less stressful or fun than voicing for a mod?"

AC: "It's fun to be able to voice for ALL the characters, not only females but also the males. I also enjoy the narrative parts. The challenge comes in keeping all of them consistent, and different. It gets a bit stressful if I have whole bunch of males, or from a male PoV in his voice. Then I have to rest more often."

Me: "I can remember listening to like "Heir to the Empire" on audio book back in the day and reading along with it and thinking it was just like a movie, so voicing for an audio book is really cool and inspires some of us (like myself) who are too lazy to read, to read lol!"

AC: "That's wonderful!"

Me: "So...SKYRIM, first off what is your opinion of it? Lots of Elder Scrolls fans (primarily the Morrowind & Before era) think it caters too much to the "casual" masses, but you can't deny that it is easily the one PC game with the single largest modding community in existence."

AC: "I only came to Skyrim by chance, and I had not played previous ES games. My husband bought it b/c he thought it looked interesting. Our entire household was instantly addicted. I think it appeals to so many people because you're allowed to do whatever you want very early in the game.  Then with mods, there's essentially endless potential for replay."

Me: "And then of course, "Anna NPCs" a wonderful follower mod that I must admit I have never not used. Anduniel, she's a Wood Elf (Bosmer) if you notice my profile picture (Robur) is also a Bosmer (a bit more classically Kirkbride)."

"Robur" my Bosmer MC 

AC: "Bosmer are my favorite ES race :)

(except for the cannabilism thing...)

Me: "I have to say I'm not sucking up when I say that Anna NPCs is an essential in my load order, the followers are amusing and useful and the amount of lore used in their conversations is extremely impressive. Did you research much into the lore of the Elder Scrolls while making Anna Npcs?"

AC: "I'm so glad you're enjoying it so much, thank you! Yes I did research for some characters when creating their backgrounds and quests, like Valenwood towns, Redguard history. For Teryn I relied mostly on the voice actor Michael's expertise, as Dunmer are his favorite."

Me: "Now while playing with Anna and Teryn in my party and asking them questions and what not, I noticed that I would gain points sometimes if I said something that they agreed with and this reminded me of Knights of the Old Republic and Dragon Age, where your actions/comments towards your party members would affect their disposition towards you in some way."

Were you at all inspired by Dragon Age?"

AC: "Oh yes, I love DA! And yes, I said that on the mod page. The party banter is largely inspired by DA banter, though several are more original.  The idea of Approval is also after DA, as well as giving gifts."

Me: "I know that whenever I start up a new game I usually always head into Riften and pick up Anduniel, I love the meadery side quest -- and playing as a Wood Elf (I'm using several Bosmer-related mods such as Bosmer Armor Pack by Maty, Green Pact Armor by ArcZeroEssentials, and ESO Bosmer Antlers) and it kinda feels like I'm running a little Bosmer gang after I get Anduniel and Vahelmin (from the Riften Misfits mod) and proceed to find a location fit for her meadery."

"I also noticed that you have created a compatibility patch for those who play "Moon & Star" so it moved the meadery over towards the Mill
Its pretty cool when mod authors make compatibility patches for other mods, so that gamers don't have to choose."

Anduniel, the central character of "Anna NPCs"; she is a fully interactive & marriageable follower, but like Dragon Age there some demands and prerequisites which need to be met. 

AC: "Have you played with Mareen? She's also Bosmer. And there's Daenlyn from Interesting NPCs. Yes the patch moving the meadery is for Aurora Village and Undeath, but also works for Moon and Star. I don't use any of those, though. However, the standalong Anduniel mod came out long before Aurora Village and Undeath. Shrike is the one who made the patch, as it's easy for him to do. Not easy for me."

Me: "Mareen is the sassy smuggler in Dawnstar?" 

AC: "Yes." 

Me: "Yea I recruit her with my Thalmor-hating Maormer

I'm sorry for the patch mixup, I've had SO many mods in my load order in the past and yea lol :P

Did you write all of the dialogue for Anna NPCs, or did you have help in some areas like with lore and what not?"

AC: "I wrote all except for parts of Teryn's story. Michael (the actor) wrote some of his backstory, and Old Book also chipped in for his Main Quest discussions. I wrote the rest. Sometimes after doing some research I would ask Shrike for an opinion, make sure my lore work, and he said sure.

Oh yes, Old book also wrote a few banter scenes for Darion and Teryn."

Me: "Darion Fleetfoot, the half Nord half Altmer pirate in Solitude"

AC: "Aye!"

Me: "I love his singing
Just listening to the song about the Twilights I could tell I was an TES nerd because I caught all of the references"

AC: "Haha! I didn't :-/"

Me: "Did Michael also voice Darion?"

AC: "Yes.
He wrote the Twilight song (the words. the tune is an Irish tune)."

Me: "It definitely sounds like a sea-shanty, and it's waaaaay better than the in-game bardic songs
I was actually joking a few days ago about petitioning to have them replaced with your versions."

AC: "Oh? Perhaps my "Fall of the Snow Elves?"

Me: "Yes! I much prefer Fall of the Snow Elves over "Age of Oppression" bleck lol"

AC: "Haha, Thank you!"

Me: "So Nadina, she's a feisty Redguard mercenary found in Falkreath or was it Morthal?"

AC: "Falkreath. Lorelei is in Morthal."

Me: "I really like Nadina, I used her when I fought a mini-Numidium in Moon & Star (the only time I used that mod) and she's an awesome combatant."

Robur and his "Bosmer gang".

AC: "Thanks ^.^"

Me: "Aries :( 

I cry a little whenever I see him
I avoid him unless it's my Bosmer (who is more of a dog person anyway), because I don't want him left sitting there in a pond, by himself with spriggans about."

AC: "You know he's got some banter with certain Followers: Elyndra, Anduniel, Mareen, Teryn, Darion, Nadina, Zorya
and Valyen." 

Me: "Who was your favorite character in Anna NPCs to create (voice, script, background, etc)?"

AC: "I really liked creating Nadina. It gave an outlet for my own sarcastic humor. And I loved making Elyndra, my Knight :)"

Me: "Elyndra is a character I found by accident. Like I decided one day "hey let's kill everyone in Fort Greymoor" and then there she was kicking-ass next to me, her backstory was very interesting as well."

AC: ":D" 

Me: "So I got just a few more questions, as I don't want to take up too much of your time."

AC: "No problem!"

Me: "Okay I have a few questions similar as to what I asked Rebecca "Burger Becky" Heineman
What are some causes that you think need more attention in modern videogames?"

AC: "I'm not sure I understand. By "causes" do you mean things like gender roles?"

Me: "Yea like gender roles, sexuality, etc."

AC: "Well, I'll use DA2 as example. From a player standpoint, it seems like the devs made it with a specific Player in mind (male straight Mage), with the other options (female, rogue/warrior) as secondary and with fewer actual consequences of actions. So female players, while we still have "options" it felt like they weren't as personalized. By contrast, Skyrim simply has all options open by way of being vague, no restrictions.

For myself, I generally don't get into those kinds of issues. Elyndra talks about it a little though."

Me: "It seems like your mod is pretty inclusive though, like anyone can marry Anduniel or Teryn if they were interested?"
AC: "Actually Anduniel will only marry a male human or Elf, and Teryn only an Elf, either gender. There are specific backstory reasons for this, and they talk about it. But some of the Followers have no restrictions, because it doesn't particularly matter to their backstory.

The only kind of play I don't offer is a gay male. And that's is simply because I can't relate, and I don't want to just wildly speculate and write a gay male character, and be wrong!"

Me: "Understandable. But all in all Anna NPCs are wayyyy more interesting than most of the vanilla followers, with an exception to Mjoll and Serana.

So....next question, is it true that you are or were working on the "Beyond Skyrim" project?"

AC: "Beyond Skyrim: Yes, I voice some characters in "Bruma".

Me: "I am sooo excited for Bruma to come out like you have no idea! Can you talk a little about Bruma?"

AC: "Lol, unfortunately I only know a bit from the voicing I did. I did an alchemist in the town of... Applegate? Something like Apple. And a few other general voices. I don't even know when it's coming out."

Applewatch as seen in TES IV: Oblivion.

Me: "Applewatch? It was a farmhouse back in TES IV: Oblivion."

AC: "Yeah that could be it.

Last contact I had from the voice manager was that he still needed to finish writing and then post the rest of the lines."

Me: "Do you have any plans for future Skyrim mods?"

AC: "Nothing huge. I made a Brynjolf overhaul and Follower mod but haven't released it yet. I have a few other small tweaking mods I made for myself.

I was thinking of doing something like a Follower male that re-vamps one of hte vanilla voices, like I did with my Fenris mod from DA2." 

The infamous Anti-Mage follower from Dragon Age 2; you either loved or hated Fenris as there was no in-between with him. 

Me: "I tried out your Fenris mod, LOVED it. He really is like DA2 Fenris, and I love how you were able to use what was given in the game files (Gideon Emery's imperial voice lines) to make him."

AC: "Thanks! My Brynjolf is like that, all the functions. plus romance and marriage."

Me: "Have you played any of the Fallout games?"

AC: "I only played F3 and FNV briefly, the intro and a couple hours in."

Me: "I play New Vegas whenever I'm not playing Skyrim, in fact believe it or not I just barely go introduced to the Fallout world like 5 months ago. I've been using this great mod called "Niner" (by Mishaxhi), and "Willow" (by llamaRCA) and I keep thinking something's missing like a touch of Anna"

AC: "Aww.
I've heard of Willow.
You should try out the Panser Follower for F4"

Me: "I think fans of FO3/NV & Dragon Age could greatly benefit from some Anna Npcs-esque mods even if it's just one follower"

AC: "Well, I'll think about it. I have had people asking.

Oh, I tried to mod DAO, but oh my god, the modding system is so hard! Not the kit itself, making a character is easy. The hard part is the programming, getting your character into the game."

Me: "I guess that explains why there are only a handful of follower mods for DAO (I don't have DA2 or DAI for PC)."

AC: "I chatted with the author of the Gilmore mod, who recommended teaming up with a programmer, that's what they did."

Me: "Have you ever played any of the King's Quest games?"

AC: "Kings Quest!  Only number 7, many years ago. I loved it!"

Me: "Yes! VI was my first, but VII was a favorite in my home. It was like my first actual PC game
before I became a "serious gamer" (still not that serious)."

AC: "LOL."

Me: "I also played Torin's Passage, created by Al Lowe (whom I interviewed very briefly years ago) loved it, also Leisure Suit Larry (though more for adults)." 

AC: "I don't know those..."

Me: "Almost done, what goes into creating a mod the size of Anna NPCs?"

AC: "Anna NPCs... A LOT. A lot work.

First I create the character concept and write the script. I voice it any time between that and finishing the mod. I write banter, get ideas for quests. Make the Follower in CK, do the unique programming. Then add the special programming Shrike made to have them interact with the world."

Me: "So is there a lot of back and forth with fellow modders?"

AC: "Some of them have uniqe outfits.  Shrike created Mareen's and Nadina's outfit. I retextured Elyndra's Elven armor.  The making of cells and player homes takes a lot of time. Writing the recording the songs too.

Yes, with Shrike, and some with modders who give me permission to use their assets."

Me: "What would you recommend to aspiring modders? Because I know the creation kit and getting custom followers to work can be a hassle, but you've tried it and wound up creating one of the most beloved follower mods on the Nexus."

AC: "Aww *blush*
Well I did write a book on beginning modding!
Newbies Guide to Modding Skyrim: Tips and Tricks for the Creation Kit on Amazon, print and Kindle." 

Me: "Oh I'm gonna have to check that out!"

AC: "https://annafollowers.wordpress.com/books/modding-book-review-by-urshi/

Amazon links and review there."

Me: "What's your opinion on the controversy surrounding paid mods, mod picker, steam/valve, Bethsoft, mod piracy, etc?"

The Symbol for the "Forever Free" project, paid mods were a controversial subject when they were introduced and subsequently removed years ago and remain a "hot-button" issue today. 

AC: "Ooh. I'll be honest. I would LOVE to be able to make money on my mods. But for that, they would have to be all my material (no extra armors etc.). When Steam did that paid thing I had mixed feelings. I liked the idea, but I hated that they would take 60% of the money. I felt the mod author who actually made the mod should get at LEAST half. It's similar to ACX, the audiobooks platform I work with, they also take 60%. However, a modder buddy on steam loved the idea. He did the numbers and predicted he could make thousands off his mods. Everyone else I've talked with hated the idea of paid mods.

Sometimes people donate to me, and to those I say THANK YOU!"

Me: "Any advice for those of who want to pursue a career in voice acting or who just really love videogames and would like to mod our own stuff (but are extremely amateurish)?"

AC: "If you want to pursue voice acting, I suggest reading some Voice blogs, get an idea of what the job actually entails, and dispell any misconceptions you might have. And practice!"

Me: "Excellent! Thank you again Anna for this Q&A it really has been a pleasure and I hope I can post a chat with Michael for next time 8)

AC: "Thank you! Good luck, and Under Sun and Sky :)







Follow Anna: 

• Twitter
• Facebook 
• Blog
• Anna NPCs (At Skyrim Nexus) 
• Fenris Companion |Special Edition

Links to Other Mods mentioned:

• Bosmer Armor by Maty473
• Green Pact Armor by ArcZeroEssentials
• Bosmeri Antlers - ESO by DRELDYN & TheDNightshade
• Riften Misfits by VRDaphni, VRApollo, & Tylar

Is the Videogame Industry dumbing down?

Ever since the dawn of videogame creation in the late 1950s/1960s, we have been exposed to a vast and wide plethora of platforms from computer games to console games and even mobile gaming, an idea that seemed far-fetched twenty some-odd years ago. 

In today's chapter I want to take some time to focus on the progression of videogame culture and whether it is marching in the direction that will benefit gamers the most or in one that will draw the most coin, and will by and large alienate long-standing fans to cater to the "Facebook gamer" archetype. 

So is the Videogame Industry dumbing down in order to draw in more cash and appeal to a wider audience? 

I posed the question in last week's interview with Rebecca Heineman who felt that computer games today are more akin to "interactive movies" than actual games. 

"PC games have been turned into interactive movies. They are not games. Games are tests of skill or luck, and not "Shoot a few things, Play a cut scene". That's a movie - Rebecca Heineman

I was introduced to videogames back in the mid/late 1980's, first playing on the (now defunct) Commodore 64 home computer system, mostly learning games based around Sesame Street and ALF. In the late 80's/early 90's however is when I became serious about videogames, I was introduced to two consoles that would change my life; the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and the Gameboy (NES Gameboy). The first games that I (and most everyone else) played was "Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt" and "Super Mario Land".

Final Fantasy VI (Square-Enix 1994/2015) was a challenging JRPG featuring the ATB system, exponentially challenging bosses and a compelling story.

I remember the first Final Fantasy on the Nintendo Console, I would watch my dad play it and I was fascinated by the battles, the music, the exploration and the many different types of monsters that were encountered. I remember watching him face off against Chaos, the final boss of the game and watching him slay him and I thought "Wow I want to do that!" I remember feeling kind of mad/jealous when the game was eventually given to my older cousin instead of I (who at the time was more vested in Super Mario Bros. and Kirby anyway). In the eighties/nineties Nintendo games were challenging and were often contributors to the periodic sore wrist/bruised thumb of intense gamers, I mean it has its own trope for a reason.

Back in the day (the mid/early 1980's-mid nineties) videogames were not "easy", at least not by today's standards. If you asked anyone back in 1988/1991 what do you play videogames on, dollars to donuts the response would be either "A Nintendo" or "my computer". 

I realize that there are different genres or "platforms" of videogames, but in the olden days of gaming there were basically only 3; "puzzle" (Bubble Ghost, Cauldron, Pitfall), "fighting" (Double Dragon, Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct), and "platformer" (Super Mario, Bubsy, Sonic, etc) well for console (e.g. "Nintendo Players") anyway, for PC players there have been quite a many influential genres such as "tactical RPG/war simulator" (Total War, War Craft), "flight simulation", "Point & Click adventure" (King's Quest, Leisure Suit Larry), "Text Adventure" (Zork, Wishbringer, Leather Goddesses of Phobos). 

The Elder Scrolls V "Skyrim" (Bethesda Softworks 2010/2015), a Western RPG that not unlike Final Fantasy VII has had a polarizing effect on gamers and RPG players alike. 

Now in 2016 it seems that "Mario" is synonymous for videogame when in relation to older or non-gamers, and "Call of Duty" or "Candy Crush" covers the rest of the demographic. Judging from that it would seem that developers are not trying as hard as they used to, either because they had used up large quantities of resources and money in creating a stellar hit (Skyrim, Half Life, Fable II) and figured that they could cut corners by putting out a similar game but with less soul that will sell for just as much money. But does everyone feel that way? I asked a variety of PC and console gamers for their opinions on the situation. Below is the question that I proposed to my interviewees; 

"Do you think the gaming industry is dumbing down in order to appeal to a wider audience? If so how, if not can you explain?"

David R, of Ogden Utah had this to say; 

"Yes I do. Developers are making big title AAA games with massive multi-million dollar budgets and they have to fulfill a certain amount to make a profit so they go and do DLC for games and pay to play in games like Call of Duty and Halo and so you're paying even more money just to enjoy the game because the original was watered down so much. It's making a rift in the community of gamers and most of us gamers are fed up with the current practices that are being used."

Tanner G, of California City California had this opinion; 

"That's a bit of a difficult question for me to answer, since I  mainly only play WoW (World of Warcraft) these days. But in that narrow scope, I would say that the industry, while not necessarily "dumbing down," HAS to make it easier for new players to attain the "end game" content, via making leveling easier or what have you. WoW's level cap being 110 now, an actual beginner may get disillusioned by the monumental task in front of them. This, in turn, leads some veteran players who feel they have more "invested" in the game (time, money, etc.) That new players are getting everything "handed to them" while the longtime die-hards had to "earn" it. The challenge to developers is to find a balance that satisfies players of every tenure and skill level."

Forum member "Dominus" of the BSN (unofficial Bioware Social Network forums); 

"Yes. The greater financial investment required to make a game is, the harder it might be to take larger risks. Reaching larger demographics will eventually come into the mix in AAA games, for better or for worse. Gutting out complex mechanics ain't a great thing if it's to the detriment of quality. A necessary evil, perhaps. Mobile might be an even bigger culprit for dumbing down than Big Budget gaming. 

The gaming industry isn't limited to AAA, though. We're in a generation with a more varied format for financing itself, for the amount of people cooking up titles, etc. Kickstarting and other independent game titles have much less pressure on that extent."

"Kafriel" a member on the "Animesuki" forums thought this; 

"Not only is the gaming industry dumbing down in order to appeal to a wider audience, it is also becoming more and more cost-efficient, at the cost of game depth.

For the first part of my statement, one doesn't need to look further than Persona 4 Arena, a fighting game based off of a JRPG series. Made by Arc system works, IMO the best company when it comes to beat 'em ups, the game inserted an "auto-combo" function, where repeatedly mashing the square button would lead to an actual combo of 5-6 moves. The company said this was to make it easier for the JRPG fans to tap into the genre, BUT the company has Guilty Gear and Blaz Blue in its history, great games with incredible fighting depth. While Persona also shares that depth, it does not take advantage of it, instead hoping to sate its audience with a cheap spin-off story and the very concept of characters duking it out. This leaves a large, large part of the game mechanics unexplored, and for that same reason, the game is truly understood by the few veterans who have played earlier titles by the same company.

The second part is much easier to explain: after Diablo and WoW became the staple hack & slash MMOs, people have ceaselessly tried to replicate the same environment, with very few titles trying to actively deviate from it (Rusty Hearts, which shut down, and DFO) or at least make it different enough to pass as something unique (CABAL online). Even in the single player category, there is a rush of QTE events, easy modes and hand-holding, just so that people don't get frightened by the difficulty of a game.

If you want to see just how different games have become, take NieR and compare against the Legacy of Kain series. Both games are great, but NieR has no actual game over, since you can reload at a moment right before death and you have access to highly potent weapons without much of a hassle. In Legacy of Kain, when the MC dies (which he does, a lot), he goes straight to the netherworld, a bizarre world, differently shaped, with no water, where he is haunted by monsters, which he must kill in order to replenish his health and return to the real world. It is a better concept which adds a lot to its platforming elements, but the games also have an incredible story behind them, tightly woven despite dabbling in the tricky realm of time travel."

"Candy Crush Saga" the future of gaming?

So we have successful franchises that have proven they can easily turn a quick profit due to the brand name and familial play style (CoD, World of Warcraft, WWE series of games) but what about sequels to hit videogames that fans have been crying out for years to have? Final Fantasy Tactics, a niche tactical RPG set in the world of "Ivalice", but centered around pre-existing Final Fantasy lore was a huge a hit in the gaming community, at least in Final Fantasy gaming circles with some even claiming it was better than VII. Fans have been hoping for a "direct sequel" to the cult classic since its release in 1997, it must have been successful enough in order for it to have spawned two more titles in the "Ivalice series" "Final Fantasy Tactics Advance" and "Final Fantasy Tactics A2", two possibly even more niche titles in the franchise that has left a few fans wondering why they (Square-Enix) did not just opt to create a direct sequel rather than "watered down" kid versions of the original story that had adult themes and a "Game of Thrones-esque" feeling of intrigue to it. 

Xenosaga, a game developed (originally by team Monolithsoft) and published by Namco is a game that has been praised for its deep, and complex "Lynchian" story line but criticized for relying too heavily on cut-scenes and movie clips. 

Okay we get it money is a big deal, without it you (devs) can't make the games that we want to play. But what about a meaningful game? Isn't it possible to churn out an "easy" game that is also educational AND meaningful? I ask a friend teacher Stephen T of Salt Lake Utah what he thought on the matter;

"Education in video games today is a far-and-few in-between thing. Back in the nineties we had access to (primitive) but nonetheless fun learning games such as "Math Blaster", "Adi", "Number Munchers", "The Oregon Trail", "Dr. Brain" and "Super Solvers". Now I am not so sure if you can even find any educational video games outside of the school system, that is unless it has the "COD" (Call of Duty) or "Angry Birds" brand attached to it and I would question the sincerity of its educational value." 

Some fans wonder why game developers simply don't just launch a "kickstarter" campaign to get the game of their dreams, this is Rebecca Heineman's opinion on the matter from our interview from last time;

"Kickstarter is a double edged sword. Yes, you retain creative freedom, however you also obtain a fanbase who make demands on you, much like a publisher, because by pledging to your game, they demand a say in how the game is made. In some cases, their demands are just as weird as ones from a publisher"

Call of Duty, one of many titles related to the "casual gaming" genre that has serious gamers blaming it for the dumbing down of the industry. 

So a Kickstarter isn't always the way to go, even if it sounds like a sure fire win there are chances that the majority of donating fans will fill the demand gap left behind by a parent publishing company. Old titles as we have seen are hit or miss in today's gaming society, a great example is "Leisure Suit Larry Reloaded", a 2013 remake of the original 1987 point and click puzzle game. While the series was a success in the mid nineteen-eighties into the late nineties and spawned a few remakes and several collector's editions, in the 2010's it has proven to be a mild success at best with the majority of profits being drawn from longstanding fans of the Larry franchise and fans of Al Lowe.

Take Final Fantasy I and II as another example, they have been made and remade countless times, they have been remade so many times in fact that the if you played the original 1990s version and today's version on the Android/Apple iOS they would look like totally different games. I realize though now that comparing the two may have not been a fair comparison, for starters Al Lowe has been for all intent and purposes retired from the video game industry with his last vestment into the franchise being "Freddy Farkas: Frontier Pharmacist" and "Final Fantasy" is an extremely popular, worldly known brand-name that can sell hundreds because it has the "FF" name on it. Not to mention porting the original NES copies over to iOS would be a simple task and cost pennies to a corporation like Square-Enix compared to an independent ex-game designer working solely on fan-backing. Okay so not a fair comparison.

Anyway we've seen some negative opinions on today's game industry here are some positives from the persons I interviewed earlier. My question;

"What game were the most impressed with, and which one were you the least impressed with?"

David R from Utah; "Least impressed was call if duty infinite warfare. Most impressed was the Witcher 3". 

Dominus of BSN (unofficial Bioware Forums); "Undertale

RPGs have definitely focused on non-combat choices before: Ultima IV is more about improving ones' virtuous features, and Planescape: Torment is more about Philosophy & Belief than beating the tar out of people. One of the many things that makes UT very special is giving you reason to care about its characters in the first place; Not just main characters, but the kind more common to dungeon crawlers. Toby's witty/comedic writing goes a long way in terms of building relatively simple characters who've been tied into more complex themes - Metaphysical/Moral Nihilism & Depressive Disorders as some examples. It's one of the few games, if any to make me wonder what the heck I've been doing in all these shoot em' up's in the first place. Is this what fun should look like? At the end of the day, it's up to the player.

There's a certain stereotype that player choices don't mean a darn thing in older Dungeon Crawlers(and JRPGS to an extent), that it's a linear front-to-back story line that uses random encounters to fill in the gaps. Undertale's one of the few JRPGs like Seiken Densetsu 3 and Valkyrie Profile that sneak it in seemingly innocuous game play. Moral quandaries aren't anything new to RPGs, but it can be far more potent when you weren't aware you'd chosen in the first place. The game's got an exceptional soundtrack, which has the most confounding  use of leitmotifs in gaming history. It doesn't just impress me, it put a permanent *impression* on me. A Game like that is extraordinarily rare.

Least impressive... Rogue Warrior. Besides the sailor-mouthed ending credits, there isn't a single innovative or seminal thought in the entire game."

Fallout 4, recently celebrating its first birthday - has been criticized for focusing more on its "Hearthfires-esque" build-a-homestead feature rather than the plot itself.

Kafriel from the Animesuki forums; "The game that left the best impression on me was Lost Dimension. Good plot, characters that you will eventually open up to, great battle system and amazing soundtrack. High replayability as well, but most of all: it was unbelievably fun to play. Worst game I can remember playing: FFXIII. Again, good story, passable characters, amazing graphics, but it was so damn boring. The next two instalments improved on a lot of shortcomings that each previous title had, but they remained rather stale and not really fun to play."

So it looks like depth can go a long way towards making a linear game appear more "off rails". Older games like above mentioned "Final Fantasy" have relied on pre-determined monster levels, random encounters, and scripted events to prevent players from getting ahead too soon or to act as filler. Western RPGs likes The Elderscrolls and Fable have taken Role Playing games into a whole other direction in 3-Dimensional gameplay and more or less no-holds-barred exploration and leveling. So then in 2016 are games developed by Japanese developers more or less considered flawless when compared to their Western cousins? Bug testing and beta testing goes a long way into creating the "perfect" game, and as we are well accustomed to by now is the fact that Western Videogame publishers like EA, Bethesda, and Microsoft rely on patches, and DLC ~ essentially expecting fans whom have already paid once for a game, to pay twice in order to get the "full package" and/or bugfixes (though the latter are usually applied for free via automatic system updates).

And so my last question for my interviewees is;

"What is your biggest complaint or criticism (of any game this generation)?"

David R: " Higher video game budgets I would say. Or you can use to high of development budgets for video games"

Kafriel: "People focus too much on graphics and looks, so much that they disregard the most important things a game should have: engaging game play and replay-ability. On the same topic, my biggest complaint is the trophy system. While initially implemented as a way to show off to friends, many trophies literally take the fun out of a game (e.g. Musou Orochi, an enormous game that requires playing over 50 of its characters, whether you like them or not, to an exhausting degree in order to get a gold trophy, or Dark Souls III, which focuses too much on its PvP aspect, eventually changing from an endearing environment and intriguing plot to unending rage from repeated invasions)."

The Elder Scrolls Online, one title in the TES franchise that has once again divided fans among themselves as some believe the game's time and assets could have been used for TES VI, instead is just another cash cow of the "pay to play" or "pay to win" genre. 

Dominus: "Repetitive game play from No Man's Sky. As with both roguelikes and roguelites, churning out worlds on the fly comes with the caveat of requiring game play systems to churn out fresh experiences on a long-term basis. Hello Games have the framework for a great idea, but the end result is *mostly* a very hollow one. You could similarly throw in the same complaint for Mafia III's smaller quests. I hold a much greater respect for games that make each moment, every minute to feel unique and one-of-a-kind."

So are we as a gaming community doomed to forever rely on DLC fixes for unsatisfactory game experiences or "Candy Crush Saga" level of depth and meaning? Surely as the Facebook and Mobile gaming culture grows, that community will become more easily accessible, but does it have to and more importantly should it affect PC and console gaming? As far as the DLC and Free-to-Play route goes, it looks like publishing companies are to blame

"Too many times, publishers have no clue as to what makes a game fun. They only care about how to squeeze as much money out the the gaming public as they can, which is why they have this huge push to Downloadable Content and the Free-To-Play model" ~ Rebecca Heineman. 

So with the success of games like "Cave Story", "Undertale" and "Rust" should more fan-favorite developers go rogue and take the indie route before alienating even more fans and ultimately fading away into the winds of video game history.

Next Time: Final Fantasy XV ~ what took so long? 

Links:

• Animesuki Forums
• Bioware Unofficial Social Network

Sources:

1. Wikipedia for Final Fantasy VI & Tactics, The Elderscrolls Online capture.
2. Neogaf for Call of Duty Blackops
3. Google Candy Crush Saga
4. Steam Skyrim