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The Strangerhood: Episode 1 Released

wylf writes "Rooster Teeth productions (makers of Red Vs. Blue) have just released the first episode of "The Strangerhood", a sitcom made using EA Games' The Sims 2."

31 comments

  1. Crazy by coolmadsi · · Score: 0

    Thats a pretty clever idea actually, also along the kind of things I would do; im rubbish at any form of art or designing characters and thats already done for me.

    Well, I think its a really good idea anyway, has there been anything else like this done before?

    1. Re:Crazy by ILL+Robinson · · Score: 1


      Well, I think its a really good idea anyway, has there been anything else like this done before?


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  2. Anyone got a mirror? by gothzilla · · Score: 1

    Looks like their servers have been slashdotted. Anyone have a mirror or torrent of the movie?

    1. Re:Anyone got a mirror? by sgant · · Score: 1

      yeah, I can't get a download either.

      Here lately I've just been translating "new _____(insert cool thing here) is ready for downloading" into "Will be ready to download in two days".

      Just take the date that something is released into the net and add 2 days to it for the real release. Works for me.

      --

      "Leo Fender was in a 'state of grace' when he designed the Stratocaster." -- Paul Reed Smith
    2. Re:Anyone got a mirror? by gothzilla · · Score: 1

      You don't happen to remember the url for the website that hosts files from sites that get slashdotted do you?

    3. Re:Anyone got a mirror? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative
    4. Re:Anyone got a mirror? by gothzilla · · Score: 1

      Thank you! It works.

  3. Same cheesy cynical degrader-style writing? by torpor · · Score: 1

    I hope not. There is only so much Seinfeld-style banter I can take before I file things in the 'ripoff' bin.

    (Hate Seinfeld. Worst excuse for 'entertainment' ever.)

    R vs. B was fun for the first .. oh .. 5 eps or so .. but after that it just got to be one 'college-boy rip' after the other. Yawn.

    Shark. Jump.

    --
    ; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
    1. Re:Same cheesy cynical degrader-style writing? by sgant · · Score: 3, Interesting

      wow....you must have to go a LONG way to be entertained!

      I'm interested though, what do you consider entertainment...good entertainment. What do you like?

      I'm not asking to rip it apart, just curious. I mean, everyone has different tastes and it seems to me people today judge others on what they like in regards to entertainment. How often do we judge others because they may like Britney Spears, or Willie Nelson or Marylyn Manson? Do we not all instantly do a little judgement on someone when their tastes differ from our own? I admit, I'm like this sometimes. It's wrong, but we still do it. How could we possibly know someone by what they like in entertainment?

      For instance, you say you hate Seinfeld and the "college-boy rip" and "yawn"...I instantly judged you to be one of those people that always hate everything so they can seem above it all and look cool doing it, but inside you're just as insecure as everyone else and only looking for acceptance. Now, I have NO idea who you are or how your personality is, but I instantly judged you like this. Granted, it usually comes from negative posts and I think you'll agree your post was negative.

      And as for jumping the shark, I only think that Red vs. Blue will achieve this when they have "a very special episode". lol

      --

      "Leo Fender was in a 'state of grace' when he designed the Stratocaster." -- Paul Reed Smith
    2. Re:Same cheesy cynical degrader-style writing? by torpor · · Score: 1

      I instantly judged you to be one of those people that always hate everything so they can seem above it all and look cool doing it, but inside you're just as insecure as everyone else and only looking for acceptance.

      Yeah, coz 'following the pack' is all, oh so better..

      I'm just sick of degradation. Its like, is this the only way to be funny? Constantly degrading things? Putting things down?

      Making out like the only game in life is to pursue the Alpha Dog?

      Try this one day: Watch Seinfeld (or any other agit-sit-com for that matter) without the laugh track.

      Its Just Not Funny. Its actually sad that a whole nation of people find it 'entertaining' to watch the spoils of human entropy ..

      --
      ; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
    3. Re:Same cheesy cynical degrader-style writing? by l0tu53at3r · · Score: 1

      *sigh*

      --
      ---Excuse the bad English, I'm American---
    4. Re:Same cheesy cynical degrader-style writing? by Brightest+Light · · Score: 1
      I would love to see a feature on television show DVDs that allowed one to turn the laugh track OFF. Am I the only person who finds those to be irritating and degrading? I'm quite capable of deciding when I find something amusing, and reacting accordingly; I don't see a need to be prompted to laugh. Incidentally, I got a kick out of most of the "situations" that the characters of Seinfeld got into; but found a good portion of the banter to be kind of annoying after the first few seasons...

      Also, I don't think that the grandparent meant that personally, and I too am curious as to what you find funny.

    5. Re:Same cheesy cynical degrader-style writing? by torpor · · Score: 1

      Am I the only person who finds those to be irritating and degrading?

      Nope. I think "The Laugh Track" is an amazing bit of brainwashing material, personally. Most people are only laughing at the degradation on TV because of the 'mob factor' that gets triggered by a laugh track. I think the Laugh Track is one of the most significant pieces of propaganda machinery around.

      The only reason its there is to make you join in.

      Laugh Track == Mob Rule.

      Also, I don't think that the grandparent meant that personally, and I too am curious as to what you find funny.

      Well, I can't honestly say that I'm not susceptible to a fair bit of schadenfreude, just that I'm really tired of it. I've seen this 'television personality' of derision and degradation evolve over the years, incurred by anyone who devotes a significant amount of time to watching television for entertainment, and I myself am prone to it, too.

      But if you want to know what I personally find funny, it'll be the old standards: Simpsons, Futurama. Maybe its because they're cartoons that I'm willing to be more 'forgiving', or maybe its the absence of a Laugh Track ... but I think you get my point. I'm not saying I'm above it; just that I'm sick of it, and wish everyone else was above it, too ..

      --
      ; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
    6. Re:Same cheesy cynical degrader-style writing? by sgant · · Score: 1

      you didn't read my post...I said I instantly judged you simply because of a few little choice lines. But I'm sure my judgement is wrong. I have no idea who you are or how you act, yet it doesn't stop us from making these snap judgements about people. I certainly wasn't trying to suggest Seinfeld should be held up as a model of humor that everyone should follow. You don't like him, you don't like him.

      But still, it didn't answer my question of what you find funny. Is there anything produced today or within the last few years that you consider entertainment on a high level? Or has everything degraded for you. Do you not find anything funny? Just wondering and please, I'm not trying to place you on the defensive. I'm just an observer of the human condition....whatever that means.

      --

      "Leo Fender was in a 'state of grace' when he designed the Stratocaster." -- Paul Reed Smith
    7. Re:Same cheesy cynical degrader-style writing? by sgant · · Score: 1

      yes, the laugh track is a bit of brainwashing, I agree with that.

      But if you notice on some programs they've started to move away from this. Arrested Development is a good example. And as you said the adult cartoon shows of today are too. The Larry Sanders Show was a really funny show IMHO that didn't resort to a laugh track either.

      But I totally agree with you, laugh tracks should have gone away back in the 50's with Leave It To Beaver.

      --

      "Leo Fender was in a 'state of grace' when he designed the Stratocaster." -- Paul Reed Smith
    8. Re:Same cheesy cynical degrader-style writing? by sgant · · Score: 1

      nevermind, you already answered in another post...D'OH!

      Oh well...how bout them Red Sox eh?

      --

      "Leo Fender was in a 'state of grace' when he designed the Stratocaster." -- Paul Reed Smith
    9. Re:Same cheesy cynical degrader-style writing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you really that interested in the humor of a complete stranger? Because you come off like a prick, going "wow, if you disagree with me on this, there must really be something wrong with you, I can't imagine anybody being like that."

      I've seen RvB, and thought it was a bunch of recycled put-downs as well. No reason to make out like it's a big fucking deal for people to have a different opinion on it.

    10. Re:Same cheesy cynical degrader-style writing? by sgant · · Score: 1

      Are you really that interested in the humor of a complete stranger? Because you come off like a prick, going "wow, if you disagree with me on this, there must really be something wrong with you, I can't imagine anybody being like that."

      I've seen RvB, and thought it was a bunch of recycled put-downs as well. No reason to make out like it's a big fucking deal for people to have a different opinion on it.


      Again, if you had read my post, I didn't mean that in any way. People are different, and I like looking at the differences. He obviously is going a different route that most people...the crowd, if you will...are not. I CERTAINLY didn't mean to sound like a prick, but again, you yourself made a snap-judgement about me and what I wrote and said to yourself: Prick!

      And to lay it all out in the open, I though only some of RvsB was funny, but I only watched like 4 of them. And I thought the first episode of The Strangerhood wasn't funny at all. I didn't even smile once. I doubt I'll spend the time to watch #2. Is it the worst thing I've ever seen? No, Manos: The Hands of Fate left too big of a stain on my brain for something as innocent as The Strangerhood to wash away.

      But yes, I was interested in the humor of a complete stranger.

      --

      "Leo Fender was in a 'state of grace' when he designed the Stratocaster." -- Paul Reed Smith
    11. Re:Same cheesy cynical degrader-style writing? by Brightest+Light · · Score: 1
      You make some interesting points, thanks for your response. I agree with your feelings regarding the laugh tracks, and I feel that the whole 'mob rule' thing is really hurting televised entertainment by lowering its quality to a level that'll be accepted by the lowest common denominator (which is why I no longer watch television (going on three years now)).

      Whenever I want to watch a television show that I used to enjoy, I'll either go buy the DVD releases (Seinfeld, The Office, etc), or go download episodes that I can't buy DVDs for (Iron Chef).

    12. Re:Same cheesy cynical degrader-style writing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What's the deal with Seinfeld???

    13. Re:Same cheesy cynical degrader-style writing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The all-too-soon cancelled Sports Night also fought to have no laugh track - but it was closer to "dramedy" than straight comedy.

      Ah, Sports Night. The only reference to sports that I was interested in.

    14. Re:Same cheesy cynical degrader-style writing? by torpor · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I don't really watch much television either, really. Well, occasionally I get the Simpsons .. but would you believe that I didn't have a television for 2 years, until a neighbor insisted that I take his spare (he found it anti-social that I wasn't keeping up on the news!!!) and then my boss gave me his hand-me-down, because he also felt that it was incorrect of me not to at least have a television!

      Talk about Mob Rule. Television is the Enemy!!!!

      --
      ; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
  4. Re:As the guiness guys would say "Brilliant!" by JFMulder · · Score: 1

    Well there's the game The Movies, which is Sim-like where you actually trian actors and make movies, writing the script and dialogue.

  5. mirror by Quixotic · · Score: 5, Informative
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  6. Not very funny... by SkyWalk423 · · Score: 3, Insightful
    I understand that they have to introduce characters and set up situations, but I just watched this first Episode and it wasn't very funny. The "cool guy" character got a chuckle from me when he "greeted" the trash can, and the camo-faced army guy has potential, but I watched the entire thing with a straight face. The stoner (Wade aka Durnt) got on my damn nerves from the very beginning.

    It's basically a rehash of the first RvB "Why are we here" episode, except that one was funny. I'll keep watching, I hope they get better.

    1. Re:Not very funny... by Kris_J · · Score: 1

      I agree. I always try to give a show pilot+1 before I give up on it. I'll give it more of a chance if I'm picking it up late and people are raving about it, and less if the pilot really sucks. Strangerhood is definately in "the next episode better be good" territory.

  7. Groan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The voice acting is *horrible*. The black dude is some white guy trying to do Mr. T. You can't voice act guys... maybe it was OK in RvB where you ran the voice through a telephone for the stormtrooper effect... but it sucks here.

    Plot is... uh, well there is none. The "cast" (I suppose this is introducing the cast) just kinda wake up in the Sims and don't know why. Yay, that's original.

  8. The animation is too good by (SM)+Spacemonkey · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Red and Blue is funny, in part, because of the low key animation, and camera work. Its really just back and forth banter. Very little physical humour, really poor shots. You can't take it seriously, and that makes it funny.

    But this... The Sims 2 engine is way too advanced for what they need. They are doing pans and zooms, the characters themselves are acting physically. You start to take it seriously. Who else was watching the opening facial animations and waiting for visual cues from the sims as to when to laugh? Comedy is about timing and Strangerhood looks too good not to take serious, but it isn't good enough to be able to nail down timing.

    Going to be a lot harder to get this to work.

  9. The Quicktime file corrupt by TrafficGeek · · Score: 0

    The QuickTime version seems to be corrupted about half way through ... for those of you with dialup

  10. Cock Bite! by c0d3h4x0r · · Score: 1

    It's not Rooster Teeth, it's Cock Bite!

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