I'm sorry, but I can't stop thinking of the project directors sending out the memo "Pre-orders are at record numbers. We're going to have to all start making some serious commitments if we want to see Nibbles X2000 go gold in time to meet its launch date."
Don't apologize. That's pretty much the same thing I was thinking when I was applying.:>
But ironically, it's a very lucrative business nowadays (I mean, just look at the RING TONE fad!) I was told in the interview that the #1 demographic was High School Students, as they can't really take their GBA's into the classroom to goof off, they play games on their cell phones (which parents buy for their kids so they can "keep in touch")...And hell, I loved retro games, and pretty much the new games nowadays are patterned after NES games in terms of look/feel AND programming - you only have 64k to work with on some handsets. (But both nVidia and ATI are making 3D chips for cell phones...)
...But yeah, that was going off-topic. Their "crunch time" was the last few weeks of the three month product lifecycle. Would have been manageable and it was something I was willing to take. Also because I'm not married, I just have two cats to keep me company...But I don't think I could do the whole 80-90 hour weeks that the folks at EA are doing.
Being as someone who is currently in the software industry but not in the game industry, I've heard many things about the "crunch time" policies of game makers, especially that of EA. Every time I'm in an interview, the first question I ask is the "crunch time" policy.
At the last interview I did for a game studio (which I, unfortunately, did not get the job for) they asked "Oh so you've heard the EA horror stories, haven't you"...Granted they were a much smaller developer for cell phone games and their crunch time wasn't nearly as long as the whole project, but apparently what EA is doing is more of the norm instead of the exception.
Which sometimes makes me rethink the whole notion I had when I was in elementary school saying "I wanna write video games when I grow up!" I enjoy living, and there's a point where you have to choose either to "live to work" or "work to live" - I prefer the latter.
Unfortunately that same code is probably one of the reasons that it died so prematurely.
I was at an acquaitence's house one time and we were talking about games. We brought up the Dreamcast and he said "Oh yeah I LOVE the Dreamcast! I have a bunch of games for it!" Then he picked up a spindle of 50 CDR's and looked down and sighed as he lamented, "It's a shame they don't make games for it anymore..."
He thought it was a great system since he didn't have to do anything but buy the hardware...Since it booted up downloaded games immediately without hacking (unlike the other consoles which require SOME type of modding) he just downloaded them all to save his money.
I actually have received solicitation from a pre-order, however it was to advertise that I could trade in 3 games to be able to get an extra $10 off my pre-order.
However, I was able to tell them (in this case, EBGames) to put a mark on my account that says "No Promo Calls" since I give them my cell and they call me in the daytime. Now they only call me when a game comes in, so it's all good.
Man, oh man, my first "MMOG" addiction. I had found Club Caribe on Q-Link in 1990, back before I knew what MUD's were...(Club Caribe was Habitat in a resort setting, more like a MUSH than a MUD.) I must have been addicted to it, because in the month of January I racked up $400 in Plus Charges in Q-Link.
Needless to say, my parents were not happy with their middle schooler racking up such a large credit card bill, and they made me stop using it without being able to say goodbye to my friends.
I was building up quite a nice book empire in CC too!
I spent over an hour at Katamari Damashii in Namco's booth at E3. I had seen the gameplay on a Slashdot story before, and was surprised to find it there.
Anyone who likes quirky games that aren't your run-of-the-mill FPS/stealth/platformer/racing title should at least give this one a rental. It really is a breath of fresh air and *gasp* an original game.
The few people I know that are in Japan (not enough to make any scientific study or anything) don't do online gaming because arcades are still popular.
If given a choice between:
1. Sitting at home on their couch and playing a game online against someone else
-OR-
2. Going down the street to the local arcade and playing a game against someone else face-to-face where the social interaction is there and you can actually see the person
They would choose #2 every time. (Here in America, we have chosen #1, because it's less hassle then actually getting dressed and going to an arcade, hence why the industry is dying over here.)
That's not to say online gaming will NEVER be a success over there, but it's just taken longer than normal, because they're more hesitant to lose the social aspect of gaming. But now that Broadband is getting more and more available in Japanese homes, that might shift.
But even in Korea, where PC Gaming is ruling the day, they still go to LAN Centers to play them rather than play them from home. (But, admittedly, this is more of a money issue than a social issue - it's expensive to get your own rig and a Broadband connection over there!)
But I can understand why people like Nintendo aren't concentrating on online. There really is only a small portion of the audience, even in the US, that plays online. The last number that I heard was that only 10% of Xbox owners also have Xbox Live, and a less percentage of PS2 owners have PS2 online. Out of all of my friends here, I am the only one with any kind of online gaming connection - they're more than happy just to play Halo on Friday nights with their friends...They could care less about online play. So Nintendo's trying to focus on the experience that all 100% of their userbase can enjoy, rather than just the 10% of us hardcore nerds that go online.
If I want a great online multiplayer experience, I'll go on XBL. If I want a great singleplayer experience, I'll play my Gamecube games.
The Philly Classic Gaming Expo (site is currently a placeholder image for PC6) is just as large, if not larger, than their more famous counterparts on the west coast. Check them out if you don't want to fly all the way out to California for some classic gaming action.
(CGE just doesn't like the Phillyclassic people for some strange reason, hence why they pretty much deny Phillyclassic's existence.)
I, personally, see the camera change as a "patch" rather than "new content". That's why I posed the question. I played the demo and didn't like the camera system, so I didn't get the game...So I see the 360-degree camera functionality as a "patch" rather than new content. The original game had a camera, and the downloadable content here "fixes" it.
That's why I asked that if Thief could somehow package new maps and weapons, if they could then "fix" their difficulty bug in the same way. (Apparently, I was stupid and didn't do enough research to see if Thief even had an XBL mode. Score -1: BW's A Dumbass)
Thief had a problem with their difficulty settings and they were able to patch it on the PC, but not for Xbox. Why? Because Microsoft wouldn't allow them to patch something that does not affect Xbox Live play.
However, here comes Ninja Gaiden patching something that does not affect Xbox Live play, but bundling it in with new content.
Could the creators of Thief just make new content and then just put the difficulty patch in with it, to get Microsoft's approval? Or did they perhaps not code the game with additional content in mind?
Namco also quietly showed Katamari Damancii (spelled Damancy on the show floor), a game previously featured on Slashdot Games where you roll around the ball and gobble up things. I played that game for most of Day 3.
They really, really need to bring that game to America before I just import it and put it next to the 4 Taiko no-Tatsujin games I already own.:>
Navi Trackers was the main reason I was looking forward to this game. I played Tetra's Trackers at E3 last year (with English voices, no less) and it was a LOT of fun. I felt it would have made a great minigame. (Most people were upset at the "gimmick" of using 4 GBA's to control the action, but once I got past that line of thinking, I actually enjoyed myself immensly.)
And I guess since it's so language heavy, it wouldn't be a good import. Ugh.
The main reason you don't see Beatmania IIDX (7 keys and turntable), Drummania (5 piece drumset), Guitar Freaks, Keyboard Mania (2 octave piano), and other games like that are because they are just too difficult for American audiences. I have imported IIDX, I love IIDX, and everyone who tries to play it can't do it - even if they have a percussion background. They can play two or three songs and that's it. By then, they get too frustrated and give up.
Beatmania IIDX 7th Style just barely got enough preorders in Japan for them to make it...They almost cancelled the project, but fan interest is making them produce a limited amount of them for release in May.
Believe me, nothing would make me happier than to be able to play IIDX without swapping discs (and without having to buy a JPS2) but I just don't see it happening.
But Taiko no-Tatsujin is also a VERY FUN game. I imported it too, and I love it. I just wonder what type of songs they'll put in the US version.
It was actually pretty impressive. I saw both a cartoon and an MTV special on the cards. They said that they're also licensing the technology out to game developers so they can create some FMV footage for their GBA games. (I THINK the Kingdom Hearts GBA game is using a technology similar, but don't quote me on that...)
As for what it's good for, I'd think of having kids in the backseat of the car on a trip watching cartoons on their GBA. The cartoons came out better than the live action stuff, obviously, so I can see more use for distributing two episodes of a cartoon on a cartridge than distributing any live-action shows.
I've been VERY happy with Gamefly's selection and service. Granted, they're only in California so if you live on the east coast (like I do) prepare for a wait for the USMail to do their thing - although it's rarely more than a week turnaround total for me.
I've kept games out for two months and they haven't said a word. It's a great service. Although I haven't had to talk to their CS department, I know someone who has and he said it was a good experience.
The thing I like about Gamefly is that if you REALLY like the game, you can "buy it now" and they'll send you the box and the instruction booklet, and you keep the CD.
Gamefly also carries GBA games, which is cool now that Blockbuster doesn't carry them anymore. And their selection is a LOT better than Blockbuster - you can even get a bunch of obscure titles there, on all the systems.
I could only play in a game with 3 other people...That's not "massive" to me......I don't consider a graphical chat lobby as something that denotes something as a Massively Multiplayer game...Oh look, I can go to Lobby 19 and 20 and play soccer with a lot of other people...
Maybe the list is dominated by PS2 games becuase the games that they enjoy just happen to be PS2 games?
I mean, it looks like this group judged the GAMES, no matter what system they're on...To them, Great Graphics don't neccessarily mean Great Game...I mean, look at Taiko no-Tatsujin - the graphics aren't all that great, yet it won their game of the year (at least half of it.) Why? Because of it's gameplay.
Let me first say that I am a big, biased fan of rhythm games that don't use your legs. Even though my favorite game, Beatmania IIDX, will NEVER see a stateside release because of it's insane difficulty and learning curve (in fact, the home versions aren't all that popular in Japan either) a game like Donkey Konga could so easily be released AND successful in the US. Here's why.
Nintendo.
I DO own Taiko no-Tatsujin, and I recently ran it at Anime Weekend Atlanta this past weekend...And it was a HUGE BIG SUCCESS with everyone there. And they weren't just Anime fans that are used to the Japanese culture. It's just a FUN game to play. EVERYONE asked me how they could get it for themselves...Unfortunately it's not seeing a stateside release anytime soon...
...Or is it?
Namco also ran the home version of Taiko no-Tatsujin at the G-Phoria awards (Yes, I know the awards sucked on TV, but there is a point here) to "gauge interest" of the American audience towards a game like it. And it was a hit there as well.
THEN I hear about Donkey Konga not long after G-Phoria.
But, nobody would buy a game based on traditional Japanese Taiko drumming. HOWEVER, they WOULD buy a game base on bongo drumming if it had the right marketing power behind it.
Enter Donkey Kong and Nintendo. If ANY COMPANY can get an innovative game to sell here in the US, it's Nintendo. Hopefully, they WILL release Donkey Konga in the US and let it open the doors for other rhythm games to enter the market so I don't have to always import the suckers.
If you have any musical ability at all and have never played a good rhythm game like Taiko no-Tatsujin, Beatmania IIDX, or even the US released Guitaroo-Man, you're missing out. You don't NEED to have musical ability to enjoy it or be good at it. I hope Donkey Konga gives the exposure the genre needs...Realize that the rhythm game genre pretty much stands next to the fighting game genre in Japanese arcades and that's why there's still arcades on every block in Tokyo.
It's just like a business -- you may own the building and equipment, but your customers own you, because without customers you have no business. The same applies to on-line forums: Without users you have no forum.
Customers can use the forums just like they could before. Nothing, in that regards, has changed.
All it means is that those who don't pay for the SWG service don't get to use the SWG official boards.
It makes perfect sense to me.
And, as far as I can recall, you couldn't EVER post on the forums unless you were an SWG subscriber once the game went live. So it's not like anyone's being silenced.
I don't play a game for a long period of time. Maybe for a week or two or three, then it goes on my shelf - and even during that time I'm playing it, maybe only for like an hour or two a day, if at all.
However, I played EverQuest for about two years religiously, and have been playing SWG for the past two months almost 3-4 hours a night, and I don't see that stopping any time soon.
Why?
Because of the community of people I play the game WITH. THAT is my incentive. If I didn't have the people in the player city I'm in to play with, I probably would have dropped SWG about a month ago. But, I've found a great group of people (met them in EQ back in 1999) to latch on to and to play the game WITH, and THAT has given the three MMOG's I've been with them in (EQ, AO, SWG) the desire to keep coming back. I stuck it out in AO for 6 months during it's launch phase because of the people I was playing with, instead of throwing it away the first week like many others did.
These games are social, and if you tap into the right social buttons, then you will come back for more and more. These days, I hardly find myself doing anything to advance any of my exp bars (I'm already a Master Musician and Master Entertainer, and the Entertainer skill set is primarily a SOCIAL one...see the correlation?) but I am hanging around our city and other cantinas to be social with others.
Heck, we just moved our city to a better location, and it looks like a city now. There's streets and intersections, and people in those intersections...It feels like home. Only a great group of players can pull that off.
Slashdot Mirror
Don't apologize. That's pretty much the same thing I was thinking when I was applying. :>
But ironically, it's a very lucrative business nowadays (I mean, just look at the RING TONE fad!) I was told in the interview that the #1 demographic was High School Students, as they can't really take their GBA's into the classroom to goof off, they play games on their cell phones (which parents buy for their kids so they can "keep in touch")...And hell, I loved retro games, and pretty much the new games nowadays are patterned after NES games in terms of look/feel AND programming - you only have 64k to work with on some handsets. (But both nVidia and ATI are making 3D chips for cell phones...)
...But yeah, that was going off-topic. Their "crunch time" was the last few weeks of the three month product lifecycle. Would have been manageable and it was something I was willing to take. Also because I'm not married, I just have two cats to keep me company...But I don't think I could do the whole 80-90 hour weeks that the folks at EA are doing.
Being as someone who is currently in the software industry but not in the game industry, I've heard many things about the "crunch time" policies of game makers, especially that of EA. Every time I'm in an interview, the first question I ask is the "crunch time" policy.
At the last interview I did for a game studio (which I, unfortunately, did not get the job for) they asked "Oh so you've heard the EA horror stories, haven't you"...Granted they were a much smaller developer for cell phone games and their crunch time wasn't nearly as long as the whole project, but apparently what EA is doing is more of the norm instead of the exception.
Which sometimes makes me rethink the whole notion I had when I was in elementary school saying "I wanna write video games when I grow up!" I enjoy living, and there's a point where you have to choose either to "live to work" or "work to live" - I prefer the latter.
They're trying to shed the "Nintendo is Kiddy" stereotype. Their entire ad campaign is double-entendres.
Unfortunately that same code is probably one of the reasons that it died so prematurely.
I was at an acquaitence's house one time and we were talking about games. We brought up the Dreamcast and he said "Oh yeah I LOVE the Dreamcast! I have a bunch of games for it!" Then he picked up a spindle of 50 CDR's and looked down and sighed as he lamented, "It's a shame they don't make games for it anymore..."
He thought it was a great system since he didn't have to do anything but buy the hardware...Since it booted up downloaded games immediately without hacking (unlike the other consoles which require SOME type of modding) he just downloaded them all to save his money.
I actually have received solicitation from a pre-order, however it was to advertise that I could trade in 3 games to be able to get an extra $10 off my pre-order.
However, I was able to tell them (in this case, EBGames) to put a mark on my account that says "No Promo Calls" since I give them my cell and they call me in the daytime. Now they only call me when a game comes in, so it's all good.
Man, oh man, my first "MMOG" addiction. I had found Club Caribe on Q-Link in 1990, back before I knew what MUD's were...(Club Caribe was Habitat in a resort setting, more like a MUSH than a MUD.) I must have been addicted to it, because in the month of January I racked up $400 in Plus Charges in Q-Link.
Needless to say, my parents were not happy with their middle schooler racking up such a large credit card bill, and they made me stop using it without being able to say goodbye to my friends.
I was building up quite a nice book empire in CC too!
I spent over an hour at Katamari Damashii in Namco's booth at E3. I had seen the gameplay on a Slashdot story before, and was surprised to find it there.
Anyone who likes quirky games that aren't your run-of-the-mill FPS/stealth/platformer/racing title should at least give this one a rental. It really is a breath of fresh air and *gasp* an original game.
It's not even a sequel of anything!
The few people I know that are in Japan (not enough to make any scientific study or anything) don't do online gaming because arcades are still popular.
If given a choice between:
1. Sitting at home on their couch and playing a game online against someone else
-OR-
2. Going down the street to the local arcade and playing a game against someone else face-to-face where the social interaction is there and you can actually see the person
They would choose #2 every time. (Here in America, we have chosen #1, because it's less hassle then actually getting dressed and going to an arcade, hence why the industry is dying over here.)
That's not to say online gaming will NEVER be a success over there, but it's just taken longer than normal, because they're more hesitant to lose the social aspect of gaming. But now that Broadband is getting more and more available in Japanese homes, that might shift.
But even in Korea, where PC Gaming is ruling the day, they still go to LAN Centers to play them rather than play them from home. (But, admittedly, this is more of a money issue than a social issue - it's expensive to get your own rig and a Broadband connection over there!)
But I can understand why people like Nintendo aren't concentrating on online. There really is only a small portion of the audience, even in the US, that plays online. The last number that I heard was that only 10% of Xbox owners also have Xbox Live, and a less percentage of PS2 owners have PS2 online. Out of all of my friends here, I am the only one with any kind of online gaming connection - they're more than happy just to play Halo on Friday nights with their friends...They could care less about online play. So Nintendo's trying to focus on the experience that all 100% of their userbase can enjoy, rather than just the 10% of us hardcore nerds that go online.
If I want a great online multiplayer experience, I'll go on XBL. If I want a great singleplayer experience, I'll play my Gamecube games.
(CGE just doesn't like the Phillyclassic people for some strange reason, hence why they pretty much deny Phillyclassic's existence.)
The Philly Classic Gaming Expo has also done immensely well...Back in March there were 2,584 attendees that passed through the doors over the weekend.
I, personally, see the camera change as a "patch" rather than "new content". That's why I posed the question. I played the demo and didn't like the camera system, so I didn't get the game...So I see the 360-degree camera functionality as a "patch" rather than new content. The original game had a camera, and the downloadable content here "fixes" it.
That's why I asked that if Thief could somehow package new maps and weapons, if they could then "fix" their difficulty bug in the same way. (Apparently, I was stupid and didn't do enough research to see if Thief even had an XBL mode. Score -1: BW's A Dumbass)
Thief had a problem with their difficulty settings and they were able to patch it on the PC, but not for Xbox. Why? Because Microsoft wouldn't allow them to patch something that does not affect Xbox Live play.
However, here comes Ninja Gaiden patching something that does not affect Xbox Live play, but bundling it in with new content.
Could the creators of Thief just make new content and then just put the difficulty patch in with it, to get Microsoft's approval? Or did they perhaps not code the game with additional content in mind?
Namco also quietly showed Katamari Damancii (spelled Damancy on the show floor), a game previously featured on Slashdot Games where you roll around the ball and gobble up things. I played that game for most of Day 3.
:>
They really, really need to bring that game to America before I just import it and put it next to the 4 Taiko no-Tatsujin games I already own.
Navi Trackers was the main reason I was looking forward to this game. I played Tetra's Trackers at E3 last year (with English voices, no less) and it was a LOT of fun. I felt it would have made a great minigame. (Most people were upset at the "gimmick" of using 4 GBA's to control the action, but once I got past that line of thinking, I actually enjoyed myself immensly.)
And I guess since it's so language heavy, it wouldn't be a good import. Ugh.
At least Four Swords was just as fun.
G4 has posted a FAQ on the merger.
The main reason you don't see Beatmania IIDX (7 keys and turntable), Drummania (5 piece drumset), Guitar Freaks, Keyboard Mania (2 octave piano), and other games like that are because they are just too difficult for American audiences. I have imported IIDX, I love IIDX, and everyone who tries to play it can't do it - even if they have a percussion background. They can play two or three songs and that's it. By then, they get too frustrated and give up.
Beatmania IIDX 7th Style just barely got enough preorders in Japan for them to make it...They almost cancelled the project, but fan interest is making them produce a limited amount of them for release in May.
Believe me, nothing would make me happier than to be able to play IIDX without swapping discs (and without having to buy a JPS2) but I just don't see it happening.
But Taiko no-Tatsujin is also a VERY FUN game. I imported it too, and I love it. I just wonder what type of songs they'll put in the US version.
It was actually pretty impressive. I saw both a cartoon and an MTV special on the cards. They said that they're also licensing the technology out to game developers so they can create some FMV footage for their GBA games. (I THINK the Kingdom Hearts GBA game is using a technology similar, but don't quote me on that...)
As for what it's good for, I'd think of having kids in the backseat of the car on a trip watching cartoons on their GBA. The cartoons came out better than the live action stuff, obviously, so I can see more use for distributing two episodes of a cartoon on a cartridge than distributing any live-action shows.
True Crime: Streets of LA IS out for the Gamecube right now, and it's apparently called the "GTA Killer"...
I've been VERY happy with Gamefly's selection and service. Granted, they're only in California so if you live on the east coast (like I do) prepare for a wait for the USMail to do their thing - although it's rarely more than a week turnaround total for me.
I've kept games out for two months and they haven't said a word. It's a great service. Although I haven't had to talk to their CS department, I know someone who has and he said it was a good experience.
The thing I like about Gamefly is that if you REALLY like the game, you can "buy it now" and they'll send you the box and the instruction booklet, and you keep the CD.
Gamefly also carries GBA games, which is cool now that Blockbuster doesn't carry them anymore. And their selection is a LOT better than Blockbuster - you can even get a bunch of obscure titles there, on all the systems.
I could only play in a game with 3 other people...That's not "massive" to me... ...I don't consider a graphical chat lobby as something that denotes something as a Massively Multiplayer game...Oh look, I can go to Lobby 19 and 20 and play soccer with a lot of other people...
By that logic, Diablo II is ALSO an MMOG...Right?
Maybe the list is dominated by PS2 games becuase the games that they enjoy just happen to be PS2 games?
I mean, it looks like this group judged the GAMES, no matter what system they're on...To them, Great Graphics don't neccessarily mean Great Game...I mean, look at Taiko no-Tatsujin - the graphics aren't all that great, yet it won their game of the year (at least half of it.) Why? Because of it's gameplay.
Nintendo.
I DO own Taiko no-Tatsujin, and I recently ran it at Anime Weekend Atlanta this past weekend...And it was a HUGE BIG SUCCESS with everyone there. And they weren't just Anime fans that are used to the Japanese culture. It's just a FUN game to play. EVERYONE asked me how they could get it for themselves...Unfortunately it's not seeing a stateside release anytime soon...
...Or is it?
Namco also ran the home version of Taiko no-Tatsujin at the G-Phoria awards (Yes, I know the awards sucked on TV, but there is a point here) to "gauge interest" of the American audience towards a game like it. And it was a hit there as well.
THEN I hear about Donkey Konga not long after G-Phoria.
But, nobody would buy a game based on traditional Japanese Taiko drumming. HOWEVER, they WOULD buy a game base on bongo drumming if it had the right marketing power behind it.
Enter Donkey Kong and Nintendo. If ANY COMPANY can get an innovative game to sell here in the US, it's Nintendo. Hopefully, they WILL release Donkey Konga in the US and let it open the doors for other rhythm games to enter the market so I don't have to always import the suckers.
If you have any musical ability at all and have never played a good rhythm game like Taiko no-Tatsujin, Beatmania IIDX, or even the US released Guitaroo-Man, you're missing out. You don't NEED to have musical ability to enjoy it or be good at it. I hope Donkey Konga gives the exposure the genre needs...Realize that the rhythm game genre pretty much stands next to the fighting game genre in Japanese arcades and that's why there's still arcades on every block in Tokyo.
ALMOST the same concept...
Customers can use the forums just like they could before. Nothing, in that regards, has changed.
All it means is that those who don't pay for the SWG service don't get to use the SWG official boards.
It makes perfect sense to me.
And, as far as I can recall, you couldn't EVER post on the forums unless you were an SWG subscriber once the game went live. So it's not like anyone's being silenced.
I don't play a game for a long period of time. Maybe for a week or two or three, then it goes on my shelf - and even during that time I'm playing it, maybe only for like an hour or two a day, if at all.
However, I played EverQuest for about two years religiously, and have been playing SWG for the past two months almost 3-4 hours a night, and I don't see that stopping any time soon.
Why?
Because of the community of people I play the game WITH. THAT is my incentive. If I didn't have the people in the player city I'm in to play with, I probably would have dropped SWG about a month ago. But, I've found a great group of people (met them in EQ back in 1999) to latch on to and to play the game WITH, and THAT has given the three MMOG's I've been with them in (EQ, AO, SWG) the desire to keep coming back. I stuck it out in AO for 6 months during it's launch phase because of the people I was playing with, instead of throwing it away the first week like many others did.
These games are social, and if you tap into the right social buttons, then you will come back for more and more. These days, I hardly find myself doing anything to advance any of my exp bars (I'm already a Master Musician and Master Entertainer, and the Entertainer skill set is primarily a SOCIAL one...see the correlation?) but I am hanging around our city and other cantinas to be social with others.
Heck, we just moved our city to a better location, and it looks like a city now. There's streets and intersections, and people in those intersections...It feels like home. Only a great group of players can pull that off.