The spirit of the old school or school uniform

F.Nietzsche
Achtung!
This article contains streams of hatred, admiration and arguments at the same time. If life has not prepared you for this, please close this tab, and I also recommend turning off the computer, sit in a corner, grab your knees with your hands and sob.

In the beginning there was a word.
In order to save your time and nerves, my dear reader, I inserted this item in order to describe briefly, which is about this sheet of the text and who I am, if it is suddenly interested in you.
This article is dedicated to the so -called “Old School” phenomenon or, the same, “the spirit of the old school”, and an attempt to separate this ephemeral effect of the stagnation and uninhabited genre. As a visual illustration in this work, the sensational project “Pillars of Eternity” is used, which received an indecent number of flattering comments and reviews from the game community around the world and hastily recorded in modern classics (strange oxymoron, but it is so fond of using journalists).
As for me, my personality is more than ordinary and is unlikely to be able to interest someone. This is only important for understanding that the author is a relative consumer with a standard view of the industry and does not have specific tastes.
Well,

Negative.
I will begin with criticism of the https://moneyslotsonline.co.uk/ negative details of the Obsidian project indicated above, so I ask all its admirers to stock up with a fire extinguisher and remove heavy objects from monitors. I warned!
I want to make a reservation right away that all the arguments are given as if in a vacuum and intentionally ignore the prevailing tradition, trends and current state of the gaming industry. This was done in order to give the most objective assessment abstracted from comparative characteristics. The arguments from the series “are now doing such shit that this and this can be forgiven” or “with a beer will roll” not quoted. I understand that gamestroy is akin to art, which makes subjective impressions and experiences to the forefront, but this approach is not the only possible, and, despite its attractiveness, has significant disadvantages, the main of which, in my opinion, is a rhetorical question: who is the judges who are the judges who? I would also like to note that artistic images that make up the base in the traditional areas of art like painting are only part of any work. Games, as a product of mass culture (not to offer terry indie) with a very complex structure, cannot be considered separately from their “non -artistic” implementation. Well, after this little preamble, let’s begin to wave to Willyam of our Shakespeare.
First, let’s pay attention to the main thing-gameplay. And do not say that this is not so important for some projects – this is nonsense. It is the gameplay or a high degree of interactivity that makes the game a game, not a film or a book (this is a revelation!). And here I personally see a few serious problems. Of course, first of all I will mention his leisurely.

The lack of dynamics greatly spoils the impression of the game, as sooner or later interest in the game begins to quickly fade away. This statement can be summarized in the following form: if the game at some point cannot offer anything new, this is a bad sign. Boredom in general the worst enemy of any entertainment product, and “Pillars of eternity” is directly drowned in monotony. Yes, the quests and the plot as a whole are quite interesting, but I repeat-we do not read the book here actually. But purely gaming components like fighting, pumping and research element here is so-so. Let’s start with a fighting – ready to argue that everyone who played more than a couple of hours produced a certain algorithm of actions, which was the basis for any clash, turning skirmishes from an interesting call to his tactical abilities into tedious routine. New skills obtained during pumping, and equipment hardly change the situation for the better. Add here ambiguous stunning mechanics, good strength of opponents and a small number of consumables and get a not very interesting system that does not encourage experiments. And everything would be fine, but you have to fight and quite a lot, so if you want, you don’t want to, but this routine will not work. The pumping generally leaves the impression of a beautiful candy wrapper, because after a couple of first levels, when there are still specific class perks that more or less change the character’s capabilities at the structural level, the time comes from the category from the category “+15% to the damage from swords”. And again this would be tolerant if it were not for Level-cap at a level 12, which cuts variability in the root. In fact, having created the character, you already imagine how he will be at the peak of his development, simply because there are no fundamentally other options. Well, the study of locations here is generally an empty activity, because there is simply nothing to explore. Of course, this is a deliberately weak link for an isometric horned, but when all (well, or almost all) the cards are packed under the tie, this is completely sad. I will explain what, in fact, the claim: I don’t know if at least someone except me drew attention to this, but all the cards are clearly inscribed in the rectangle of the minikarts, so if a solid black spot remains during the study of the location, then there is a secret passage or secret somewhere there. And given that fights with opponents as a whole are allowed to light (well, or at least exhaust the fighters) to explore Terra Incognita in steady mode, which immediately opens all these “carefully hidden” objects. By the way, it is also worth mentioning that a stealth passage that allows you to ignore most of the battles (and, therefore, to save a lot of time) is simply not provided for. Of course, the player leaves the right to clean the location partially if he guesses the path to the goal, but this is not what you expect from the project with such ambitions.
Secondly, a cold tale of chosen as a tie is like juggling daggers: you will either surprise everyone or remain without a few fingers. Unfortunately, the towers are not in a hurry to surprise. Moreover, I would like to note that there were positive precedents: take the same Portal. Когда протагонист становится спасителем всего сущего благодаря своим талантам, находчивости и\или действиям игрока это выглядит естественно и в такую ​​историю хочется верить. When he accidentally experiences the massacre, accidentally escapes from the cataclysm and then, a little by chance after a happy chance, it turns out “thereby”, it looks like a hack. This, of course, is rather a pickup, but the eye cuts strongly. I also want to note a strange move, which removes the first two partners at the beginning of the game-why it was necessary, why it was impossible to do it differently, and who killed Kennedy, apparently, will remain a secret. But the rest of the characters will not significantly interact with the environment or with each other (you can not take into account empty dialogs between them)-no one will leave the detachment because of the disagreement with another member, will not throw out any special trick in a place prepared specially for this and will not fall into a specific trap that works only on it. Well, as an appendage in this paragraph, it is worth mentioning that in fact such parameters as origin will practically not affect the game with the exception of, perhaps one or two scenes added specifically in order to besiege people like me who will poke a finger in this hole. Even here, the developers approached this issue as powerless ..
The latter, perhaps, is a serious spot that you pay attention to is the linearity of the plot. The main canvas will not let the step away from key events. Even the path to these points does not shine variability, and the ending should at all impress those who in the spring of 2012 sent fiery greetings to BioWare with “gratitude” for the epic end of the trilogy about Shepard. This can probably be explained by the limitations of the resources of the studio, but it is better, in fact, this is not done by the game.
You can still tug something on the little things, but such a goal is not worth it. All these notes will come in handy a little later, so so far you can put out what has managed to stole and start

Positive.
Despite everything described above, the game has quite high ratings on most resources dedicated to the industry, for example: Metacritic – 91 \ 100, IGN – 9 \ 10, IGN Russia – 10 \ 10, StopGame – amazing, AG – 86 \ 100 (this is, however, an integral assessment of readers, but also an important indicator). It is impossible to ignore such solidarity, so it is logical to assume that the project gives its customers something like that, which one cannot help but be delighted. Therefore, in this paragraph, I will try to analyze from the height of my horizons where the ears of such success are growing.
I think no one will argue that “Pillars of Eternity” takes first of all his atmosphere, but to write so does not write anything. It is no secret that the main components of the game are, in addition to internal mechanics, graphic and sound design and plot (or wider artistic) component. I am sure that much more elements can be distinguished, but I prefer to include them in one of these three large groups, so as not to overload the reasoning. Mechanics (or its implementation in the gameplay) was actively criticized in the previous paragraph, so you can immediately move on to the remaining “component” parts. There is really nothing to say about graphics and sound: they are made solidly and bring exactly what they should, although they should obviously cannot be called any revelation or at least the highlight of the game. The method of exclusion is obtained that the strength of the towers should consist in artistic details, such as the main plot, the biographies of characters or the description of individual game objects, and, in my opinion, this is so. Let’s start in order.
Firstly, the world that we have to save looks holistically and worked out and not as cheap scenery for the next fighting camp. Moreover, local setting is an example of classical fantasy without any cosmic orcs and other elves-hackers, so fans of this kind of creativity should be simply in ecstasy. At the same time, the given description of the universe goes far beyond the global map on which the action unfolds, which is very favorable for the perception of what is happening (although such curtsies can be interpreted as hints on the further development of the series, their effect on the atmosphere is strictly positive). In addition, the game contains a large number of internal literature, telling about the gods, history and the world as a whole. If someone suddenly is not enough for someone, the game is filled with non-pains, for each of which a small story is spelled out, and they do not have any influence on the gameplay, so these inserts serve exclusively on the addition of the Universe of the game as such. You can complain about such non -interactiveness, but the biographies themselves are a pleasant bonus to the already surrounding world. In general, it is worth noting that there are very few nameless characters, and these flashbacks make a faceless crowd with a set of any individuals. Even unique objects have their own history, which better reflects their “character”, not to mention the beautifully designed bestiaria. Well, the crown of this feast is really interesting stories behind quests. Of course, you can not even dream of a revolutionary abandonment of the scheme “go-> Kill and \ or find->, but each task has its own face, its own drama and its own little piano in the bushes. All this, together, at the disposal of the player an interesting fictional piece of land, beautifully described and leaving space for fantasy on the topic – I think that the impression should make an exemplary role -playing game.
Secondly, “Pillars of Eternity” has many references to the history of role-playing games in principle. First of all, this, of course, is a D & D-shaped system, converted there and so in order not to frighten neophytes, but still quite recognizable (of course, someone will consider this analogy of the vulgar and inappropriate, but certain similarity and scale of the “prototype” force to ignore the emerging counterarguments). By the way, a direct reference to this truly legendary hump, in my opinion, can be considered endless paths of Kaed Nua, inscribed in the project very organically and witty. It is also worth noting small text quests, which are one of the pillars of the early Gamera, not to mention the usual tasks, which are more likely about conversations with non -pains and moral choice (read, about the wall of the text) rather than filling the expls or loot and pumping. Of course, in this form they are a fairly abstract allusion, but the connection is clearly traced. I think that those who wish will find many more references and small Easter shoes, but I wash their hands on this in order to move on to the sweetest, that is, to the hand -to -hand generalization of everything and everything and the attractiveness of all conceivable and unthinkable by the ears

Old School.
And I’ll start with an eloquent example, in my opinion, in our glorious Muscovy there is a metro, whose trains have a different degree of antiquity. Now this is not so noticeable, but I found the time when some branches still walked the composition of the old -style with wonderful soft seats on the springs, which for some time could not be found in the metropolitan subway. Going into a new car and comparing it with that “old-school”, I understand that even though it is impossible to injoy your sedelic with the same comfort, it is much better lit, because of which it is much easier and more pleasant to read, it has good sound insulation and modern air conditioning, not to mention the free Wi-Fi free. With this example, I would like to ask you, my dear reader, the following question: are you ready to please with nostalgic feelings and in the peak of common sense to abandon the modern in favor of the obsolete and less convenient? It is clear that it is impossible to give a universal answer, but, in my opinion, we should think too much we forgive for the “beautiful eyes” that we have been familiar with us for a long time, and do we take banal hack and laziness for a subtle reference to the days past. If I may say, the “spirit of the old school” are vivid memories of school days, skipped lessons, examined exams and madness on changes, and not an old worn shape and mountain of now useless textbooks. Based on this abstract comparison, I will try to highlight the most striking components of this effect.
Of course, the first thing that comes to mind with the thought of ancient games is pixel graphics. It is easy to guess that the “pixel” itself is the old form that was forgotten thanks to technological development and which only genuine masters like Phil Fisha can use it for the benefit. Someone would play the pixel Far Cry 4 or Skyrim? I doubt very much. This also includes attempts to abuse an eight -bit sound row, driving someone in laughter, and whom in despondency.
Next, let’s talk about the number of measurements. 2D, like pixel graphics, has already become a milestone (we are talking about large and mass projects), but, unlike the previous point, everything is not so simple here. The fact is that the desire to go to 3D to one degree or another was always, so the developers came up with a variety of tricks in order to circumvent hated restrictions. The most successful decisions became templates and went to the people and they, in my opinion, are one of the pillars of this very spirit of the old school. Step -by -step pseudo -removable battles as in Pokemon, static isometry Diablo and all kinds of Point & Click Adventhura is a compromise between the realism and the capabilities of its time. Return to the roots in this sense may not be clear to neophytes, but such projects will differ from modern analogues at the conceptual level, so, in my opinion, we can talk about the notorious spirit of the old school. By the way, I want to note that the games that use all three dimensions are actually not so many, since the flat levela design creates a three-dimensional picture but not a three-dimensional gameplay, so the spaciousness for growth is still huge.
Another important aspect is the deep concept of the game. In my opinion, between modern games and those crafts that came out during the DOOM or Diablo time, there is a serious difference in what goal the game is in the first place: to give pleasure or not disappoint. The same Tomb Raider series, for example, at the early pores was a set of good puzzles, over which you could fight for hours or even days, if not more. Who can say this about the last games of the series? I think few. So it turns out that the tsar is wider, it arrived above and the franchise loses its face more and more. So I definitely put this element into our small list.
And this is essentially all. The industry has not yet been such a long way to have a scattering of concepts (I emphasize: concepts, not forms), undeservedly devoted to oblivion. In principle, you can still distinguish many not so significant signs like a conservation system, but I will leave it at the discretion of the commentators and go to the final part of my

Epilogue.
I think it is easy to see that the advantages of “Pillars of Eternity” so colorfully painted have nothing to do with the highlighted signs of “old -school”. And the point here is that the towers catch more likely the quality of the work done than the details that should cause nostalgic feelings, but rather are an uncomfortable cross of the industry. Interesting descriptions of tasks and a deeply designed world remain like that even if you did not play “Baldur’s Gate” or “Neverwinter Nights”, and the game does not lose his attractiveness from this. On the other hand, many design decisions that grow these projects are rather a weak link and spoil the impressions of the epic adventure. Of course, it will be easier for veterans to get used to it, but it is unlikely that this has brought the project success. Yes, everything is so simple. We love not familiar – we love good. Yes, it may be pleasant to recall the days of the past and try to resurrect the atmosphere of that time in yourself, but in the case of computer entertainment, this is simply solved by the launch of the very game with which this time is associated. The notorious spirit of the old school in the context of the gaming industry is essentially a zilch and only a hint of a phenomenon, which may appear later, but now it is just a beautiful term that helps the author hide the unwillingness or inability to understand his own feelings. So do not interfere with flies with cutlets and try to attribute mystical subtext with logical phenomena and instead of analysis, go into wordblasty. On Sim Prefer to bow.

PS.
If there is constructive criticism and especially counterarguments, I ask for mercy in the commentary. Write full, write boldly, write as if this is the last thing you can tell the fool on the other side of the monitor – I can not support the active dialogue in the comments for objective reasons, but I will read them. If you can put your opinion on a competent set of words, it will be heard.