Every writer has their own creation process. These processes are rarely to never set in stone. People change, and their habits and routines can change as well. Now for a few weeks now, I have been thinking… What is my process? How do I decide on which game to write, and how do my actual thoughts get into an article? So, I think it would be fun to explore some of those things in this article. While I have written a similar article back in 2018, I also think it would be fun to just start this article as if I have never written that article. So, here we go, from choosing the game to clicking on the button “publish”… How do I do it?

Choosing the subject

When I look at the taglines I have chosen for my blog in the past, most of them have one thing in common. They represent in a way what this blog actually is. This blog is a public diary of a Belgian game collector who shares his opinions on the games he plays. Sometimes I play with the idea to create series, where I look at each game from a series or look at several games I have played in the past.

While that could be fun, I don’t like forcing myself to play a certain game because I have to write an article about it. That’s because I might not enjoy the game since I need to rush my play through, so I can have an article out. On top of that, it might reflect in my article as well. I like to take my time when writing about a certain game. Writing about a game right away without giving it time to let things settle is such a risky idea. Since, you never know if you are overreacting on something or not.

Now, when I’m playing games, I have a rule. I never go into playing a game thinking how to turn it into an article. The only exception I make to that rule is when a developer requests me to write an article about their game. While playing the game, I let myself enjoy the game. Now, there comes a moment while playing the game, where I think… “Should I write an article about this game or not?”.

In the past, I used to have a long list of games where I answered yes to that question. When my writing day arrived, I opened the list and picked a game from that list and started the process of writing an article. But, I felt that, that system didn’t work for me anymore. I can’t tell you exactly when I stopped using that system, but I wanted to write more in-depth articles, so I wanted to more research on the game I was writing about and that was taking a lot more time compared to just having a list of games I want to write about.

So, the decision of choosing the game for the next article is a bit more complicated. Sometimes I have a game in mind that I want to write about, and sometimes I don’t. When I have a game in mind, it’s easy to move on to the next process. When I don’t, I look at the games I have played in the past months/weeks and decide from there.

Now, what do I take in consideration when deciding if a game can become a good article? The first question I ask myself is this, what can I say about this game? There are several games I play that don’t have enough things going on for me to write about. Even when they are fascinating like Yeti Quest, it’s your typical match three game like Bejeweled. But in this game, you can choose between three different play styles on the fly in this genre, and that makes it more interesting. But, besides that, there is not too much else going on. Maybe I might turn them in a short game quicky. But I find writing and creating shorter articles about a game less rewarding than writing a longer article about them.

The second question I ask myself is the same question as the first but in a different direction. The first question is actually more, how much is there to talk about, and the second question is what is there to talk about. Something I dislike writing is very negative articles. I don’t want to write an article where I just rip into the game and only talk about the weak points of a game. I also don’t enjoy reading those articles myself, and I personally rather write and read a balanced article over an overly positive or negative article any day of the week.

Now, when a developer requests an article from me and I notice that I’m going to write mostly a negative article… I actually scrap the article. From talking to various developers, I learned how much time and effort goes into creating games, and it takes a lot of courage reaching out to the press to show off your game. People sometimes base their decision on this kind of articles, and I don’t want to turn people away if the game doesn’t click with me or if I’m not the correct person to review the game. But, I do give a list of feedback back to the developer. This feedback exists out of bugs/issues I found or suggestions for improvement. That’s the least I can do for declining the article.

While I answer both of these questions, I start coming up with the theme of the actual article. What will be the core of my message? On what do I want to focus the article? The music, the game mechanics, the visuals, the writing style? It’s mostly now that I come up with the subtitle of the article. A great recent example is how I came up with the core of the Another Code – Recollection article. While playing that game and streaming it with Klamath, I remembered that I wrote an article about that game in the past. One of the game’s core story mechanics is how memory works and how people grow with them. At that moment, I decided to make that the main focus of my article. To show how I have grown as a writer, while using the memories of the past game and articles to take a new look at the game.

The actual review process

Now that I decided on which game I want to review or write about, it’s time to talk about the actual process of preparing the article.

The first thing I start to look at is the story of this game. The reason why I start with the story is simple, it’s one of the best ways to start your article, in my honest opinion. With that, you can set the scene for your readers and explain the mechanics, visuals amongst other things more easily as well. I have tried several times to write about the mechanics or something else first, but I felt that these articles didn’t flow well enough, and I rewrote the whole article. By now, it has become a habit of mine that I don’t know how to change and even if I should change it.

Then, depending on the message I have chosen of my article, I chose something else next. In most cases, that is the pacing or the gameplay, but it can also be the world building or the visuals. Besides having a core message, I also want the article to flow well. My main goal in writing these articles is not only to inform and entertain those who are reading my articles, but also as a way to easily share my opinion on the games I’m playing.

When you read my articles, you’ll notice that I don’t focus on the same things that most big reviewing outlets do. For example, I don’t focus on how realistic the visuals are or if the game is using the latest technology or running at the highest frame rate. Personally, I don’t really care about those things too much. I rather focus on the actual game over those things.

Now, when I’m looking at the visuals for example for my article… I look more at how consistent everything is. How well does everything fit together and fit together with the story and themes of the game. Are there models and moments that look rough or unpolished? Are there animations that look out of place and unnatural? Now, since I sometimes review a retro game, I take in consideration the technology of the time and the size of the studio that developed the game.

I mostly put my focus when writing about a game on the whole package. For example, if you introduce a certain mechanic in a game… how often is it used and what does it bring to the gameplay. There is nothing that annoys me more than having a mechanic in a game that is underused when it’s shown off with a lot of potential. I’m looking at you, for example, Death Mark II. There were some mechanics like the shop or the hidden teeth that were just underused. If a mechanic is going to be underused, don’t put so much focus on it.

Something I also find very important is consistency. While it can be interesting to break consistency in a game to surprise the player to keep them on their toes, there is no excuse to have an inconsistent game. I’m talking for example about huge difficulty spikes or the UI having different ways of working in the game. Let me give you a specific example, in Suikoden Tierkreis, the final boss of the game is so much stronger than all previous enemies, and it felt just unfair. Without any warning, you also had to know you had to grind certain characters and build them in a certain way. Maybe it might be less of a problem now that I know that, but it felt like a slap into the face after the balance of the game being very consistent.

So, do I take notes while I play through the game I’m going to write about? In the past I used to do that, but I stopped doing that. I started to have this bad habit of only writing down the negatives moments or just trying to work everything in from my notes and forcing some sections in. I do have an alternative when writing about a game now.

First, I play the game for at least an hour before I write about it. So, things are fresh in my mind. Also, I leave the game running while I’m writing my article. In case I’m hesitating on something, I can quickly jump in the game and replay to test something out.

And second, I’m abusing my visual memory. I have a very strong visual memory when it comes to games and I found out that when I play the soundtrack of the game, I start to remember quite a lot of things. I can’t write an article without playing the soundtrack of the game.

Sadly, a lot of things in a review are extremely subjective. The biggest thing here is finding a right balance for me. For example, if I didn’t enjoy certain tracks in the soundtrack of a game but I don’t see that complaint while doing some research, I mention it that way in my article. That it might be that the tracks didn’t click with me but that the overall impression of the soundtrack is positive.

The final part I usually do before I sit down and write is doing my research. This research consists out of just looking up this game in Google, reading through other articles, reading through press material, looking at the voice actors, looking at other projects of the developers… I have a whole list of things I want to answer and know about the game. Like how big was the studio that developed it? How long was the game in development? Sometimes reading up on the game helps to clear up things on why certain creative decisions where taken.

Writing the article

Now that I have chosen the game, played through (most of) it and did some research it’s time to start writing the article. The first thing I do is put in the title and it’s subtitle. And then, I create the subtitles and screenshots for the article. In case of a game review, I write in brackets the main themes of that section. For example: (gameplay, controls, music).

Then I put on the soundtrack of the game and I start writing the introduction and just continue to write. While writing, I look at the flow of the article and when I notice that a certain section would fit better in an earlier section, I move it. Now, when I remember a certain detail that fits in a later section, I add a small note in that section before returning to the point I was writing.

I don’t like writing out of order, since I find it more difficult to make sure my core message shines through or the flow/theme of my article stays consistent. So, that’s why I’m doing the article editing somewhat at the same time. When I’m finished with a paragraph, I re-read what I have written and think about the flow of the article and when it doesn’t fit, I just remove the whole paragraph and rewrite it. Now, I also read my paragraph again since my mother tounge isn’t English and sometimes I use certain expressions that don’t exist in English or just make silly typo’s.

While I use two spelling correctors to help me to avoid mistakes, I rather review it myself as well. Too many times I see that spellings correctors fail at understanding gaming terms or make the strangest corrections. While I know that my articles contain grammar issues and typo’s in the end, I try to catch as many as I can before they go live. During some breaks, I spend a couple of hours going through old contect and correcting typo’s and grammar issues. Also, when readers point them out to me, I try to fix them right away. Since, you start to read over your own mistakes way too easily.

While writing, I usually try to not take a break. I find it quite important to do everything in one go while writing. Apart from refilling my glass or taking a quick bathroom break, I try to keep writing. Usually, the whole writing process takes me around 4 hours on average.

After I have fully written my article, I copy it from the WordPress editor to Microsoft Word and let it check again for typo’s and grammar mistakes I missed. I also quickly skim through my article to make sure I haven’t left a paragraph on something stupid like an incomplete thought or sentence.

Now, if you would ask me what I enjoy the least in this whole process… I have to answer the whole SEO process. It’s one repetitive task that is just boring to do in my honest opinion. Looking for the right keywords, pasting the links everywhere and making sure you did everything to make the article appear in search engines. I’m always happy when that process is over and done with.

The opposite question is a more difficult to answer. I can’t really say what I enjoy the most in writing gaming articles. At one hand, I love the interaction with people who read my blog. The developers who found my blog by reading my articles and decide to request a review from me. It’s a rewarding feeling that people enjoy your creative hobby and are able to relax or find new games.

I also love talking about underrated or forgotten games. I just love when I get a reaction from people: “I totally forgot about this game! This game was part of my childhood.” It’s a great way to connect with people and make new friends and/or discover new games.

But, I also just love writing itself. I just love being creative and trying to entertain people and I find that writing and just using languages in creative ways is something I love doing the most. I love telling stories and being able to tell them through a game article without it overpowering the actual article is just a lot of fun to do.

Of course, playing the actual games is quite a lot of fun as well. Since I have such a broad taste in games, I play so many different games and it’s just a blast. I love discovering things about games and how they are developed and how the whole creative process works behind it. Especially since people don’t always stand still by the fact that a lot of things have to come together perfectly in order for a game, movie, album or any creative work to get created.

I just enjoy the whole process. If I have to give an average on how much time one article takes, I have to say that it takes at least 20 to 30 hours. And that’s when everything goes perfect. When I don’t have a writers block or when I don’t have other things going on in my personal life. I’m happy that I found this hobby for me and I’m surprised at how much you are all enjoying it. It still surprises me that some students of the school I work for discovered certain games through my blog and talk to me about them. I even have coworkers who come and ask me for game advice for themselves or their childern. Besides that, I get a lot of reaction through Discord and other platforms and it makes me just happy. Being able to make someones day or just help them (re)discover games and/or entertaining them… It’s one of the main goals of this blog and that’s just perfect.

Now, I think I have said everything wanted to say about this for now. Know that what I talked about in this article is my personal process and feel free to copy (parts of) my process but I highly advice you to make sure that your process works for you. Since, if it doesn’t work for you, you’ll hit a brick wall eventually and either burn out or just loose interest. Enjoy the process and stay true to yourself. That’s how I managed to write around ~ 600 articles over almost 15 years.

Thank you for reading this article and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. What is your creative process or did you learn something from this article? I’m curious to know, so feel free to leave a comment in the comment section down below. I’m also curious if I’ll be able to welcome you in another article but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care.

Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance has been in the news for an old clip of him talking about how the tax code should punish adults without kids. While Vance's proposal probably aims to address demographic concerns, it represents a misguided approach that contradicts fundamental principles of economic freedom and fairness.

And you know what? That's precisely what our tax code already does, in this case and many others.

Using the tax code to "reward" parents and "punish" nonparents is at odds with the idea of a neutral, efficient tax system. In an ideal and fair world, the tax base would be broad but taxed at a low rate. People making the same income should be paying the same level of taxes no matter how they choose to live their lives.

Unfortunately, the tax code is neither fair nor neutral. It punishes and rewards all sorts of behaviors based on what government officials decide is good or bad.

For instance, the tax code does, in fact, treat people with kids more favorably than it treats those who do not have kids.* There's the child tax credit, of course. Then there's the earned income tax credit, which is more generous for families with children than those without. And there is no shortage of other provisions, such as a very significant deduction for heads of households and another for dependent care, which do the same thing.

It's hard to know what Vance's proposal really entails. Does he want another surtax on childless parents? Does he want to expand the child tax credit and make it a universal basic income like many conservatives and progressives want? It's also unclear whether he is simply failing to see that our tax code already delivers on his wishes and punishes childless adults. Either way, I assume he is well intentioned and that he is rightfully concerned about the decline in fertility we are witnessing not just in this country but across the world.

Unfortunately, punishing childless parents with additional taxes wouldn't boost fertility. For one thing, we've had a child tax credit since the 1990s, and the tax break has been regularly extended. That hasn't encouraged people to have more kids.

That's not unique to the child tax credit. Lots of evidence exists showing that government programs of all sorts meant to encourage, reward, or stimulate the supply of babies usually fail. One of the most dramatic examples is South Korea. The country has spent over $200 billion on such policies over the past 16 years, and fertility rates are still falling.

There isn't any doubt that more people, and hence more babies, are a boon for our lives and our economy. But that alone isn't a good reason for government subsidies. And while raising kids is expensive, that's no justification for a government tax break, either.

Besides, careful studies have shown the cost of raising a child in America has been decreasing for six decades. In the end, rather than rewarding families with lesser taxes at the expense of childless adults, I would encourage advocates to focus on removing existing government barriers—like overzealous policies that make child care more expensive without making kids measurably safer—that make life more complicated for families.

Ultimately, these are only secondary aspects of a much bigger debate. Our tax code is incredibly unfair. It's not just childless adults that face a surcharge compared to parents. Tax breaks for homeowners mean that renters pay more money for the same amount of housing. Households which include a college student pay less in taxes. People who can afford an electric vehicle can secure a tax break that others cannot.

These tax breaks for some are not just unfair to the taxpayers who don't get them—they also turn our tax code into a complicated mess that requires many millions of collective hours to comply with. Instead of adding more complexity and bias, we should be moving in the opposite direction—toward a simpler, flatter, and more neutral code that treats all taxpayers equally.

Using the tax code as a tool for social engineering is misguided. It leads to economic inefficiencies and infringes on individual liberty. Rather than doubling down on the problematic aspects of our current system, we should be working toward comprehensive reform. Only then can we hope to see taxes as something that truly serves the interests of all Americans, regardless of their personal choices.

COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM

*CORRECTION: The original version of this article misstated in part who benefits more from the current tax code.

The post J.D. Vance Wants To Control You With Taxes appeared first on Reason.com.

O tomto víkendu se v Ratajích nad Sázavou konal již druhý sraz hráčů a fanoušků hry Kingdom Come Deliverance. Bohatý doprovodný program obohatili svou přítomností známé osobnosti i zástupci studia Warhorse.

Návštěvníci se 15. června mohli zapojit do turnaje v lukostřelbě, kostkách a k vidění byla i rozšířená výstava KCD. Zkušení průvodci pak ty odvážnější z nás vzali do sklepení a na půdu zámku, tedy prostorů, které jsou standardně veřejnosti nedostupné.

@gamepress.cz

Tobi, PR Manger of @WarhorseStudios showing how to use a new weapon from Kingdom Come Deliverance II. #kingdomcome #kingdomcomedeliverance

♬ original sound – Gamepress.cz

Kromě zážitku si fanoušci mohli odnést mimo jiné i podepsané fotografie Michaela Pitthana, který ve hře ztvárnil Racka Kobylu a Jima Highe, kterého můžete znát jako Kuna z rozšíření Band of Bastards. Plácnout jste si mohli i komunitním manažerem Chrissem, který svým zvučným hlasem upozorňoval na důležité momenty události. Celý sraz svou přítomností obohatil i charismatický Tobias Stolz-Zwilling, ze kterého jsme se snažili dostat nějaké žhavé novinky o oznámeném pokračování. Kromě jiného si Tobi vystřelil i z píštali, husitské palné zbraně, která bude k dispozici v KCD2.

Sir Doenny, který měl většinu eventu na starosti zařídil také všemožné soutěže a give-away. Zde je nutno smeknout klobouk za bezchybné pořadatelství. Úvodní průvod, soutěže, lukostřelba, kostky, jízda na koních, středověké souboje, občerstvení, házení sekerou, výstava a mnoho dalšího… Pořadatelé tak nasadili vysokou laťku pro Královské stříbření Kutné Hory, které se koná již příští víkend. Královské město se zahalí do středověkého hávu a chybět nebudou ani Warhorse, kteří vám nejenže natočí pivo, ale mají pro vás i jedno nemalé překvapení.

Komunitní akce, která se odehrála v Ratajích, byla ve skutečnosti magickou záležitostí… a to i přesto, že Kingdom Come: Deliverance v sobě žádnou magii nemá, snad jen kromě té lásky a oddanosti našich fanoušků, kteří jsou neodmyslitelnou součástí Warhorse a KCD. Bylo vážně pěkné vidět znovu naše fanoušky naživo a už teď se moc těším na další akce. 

Tobias Stolz-Zwilling,

PR Manager Warhorse Studios

O krátké vyjádření jsme požádali i jednoho z hlavních strůjců celé akce, Sira Doennyho. Vše se ale nakonec trochu vymklo kontrole a my vám tak přinášíme krátký rozhovor:

Doenny, akce je za námi. Co tě na letošním ročníku nejvíce překvapilo a v čem si myslíš, že se sraz nejvíce posunul kupředu?

Překvapilo mě všechno! Minulý rok jsme měli přednášky, výstavu a kostky a největší výzva byla akci zaplnit. Obě tyto akce spojuje, že jsou vytvořený s velmi minimálním rozpočtem a drtivá část podpory pochází od dárců, partnerů a fanoušků. Letos to bylo koncipováno úplně jinak. Na začátku jsme chtěli jen kostky a lukostřelbu. Jenomže to by bylo strašně málo, vzhledem k zájmu, a tak jsem musel vymyslet, jak to rozložit v prostoru, čase a nabídnout toho mnohem více, aby se nikdo necítil zklamán. Mysleli jsme i na děti hráčů. Takže akce musela být větší, rozlehlejší, aby lidé zůstali co nejdéle, potkali se s ostatními fanoušky a společně se bavili, ale hlavně jiná, něčím nová.

video: Michal Smrž

Výzva tedy bylo vymyslet, aby návštěvníci měli stále co dělat, aby měli pořád možnost nějakého programu. V jeden moment si mohli vybrat min. z 5 možností: lukostřelba, jízda na koních, podpisová akce, prohlídka výstavy, návštěva Pirkštejna a při zahájení kostek opět: přednáška o lucích, kuších, palných zbraních, kostky, vojenský tábor, prohlídky. Navíc si každý mohl odnést z prohlídky groš na památku. To ale bohužel řada lidí nevyužila, protože jsou zvyklí v muzeu exponáty nechávat. Vzpomenout musím i to, že zde bylo hodně cizinců a průvodci mluvili jen česky. A to stále nebylo vše, aktivit tam bylo mnohem více. Třeba si dát guláš přímo z kotlíku či vyzkoušet zbroj.

Největší „game changer“ bylo, kdy se mi úplnou náhodou podařilo získat koně. To mi otevřelo úplně jiné možnosti, takže na poslední chvíli, cca 3 týdny před zahájením, přibyl průvod, projížďky, focení. Tím se program ze začátku v 13hod posunul na 11:30h. Obecně, program se ladil do poslední chvíle, ještě týden předtím jsem stále doplňoval nějaké věci, psal jsem skript pro herce, instruoval vojáky co kdy dělat jak. Pořád mě napadaly nové lepší a lepší věci, který celou událost povznesou na další úroveň. I tak se všichni dokázali skvěle připravit, přizpůsobit a dopadlo to báječně! A vše samozřejmě mělo nějakou referenci na hru KCD. No a poslední výzva bylo pro ty všechny účinkující zajistit jídlo a potom v den D akci organizovat, a k tomu ještě vystupovat, to bylo hodně náročné. Na meet & greet s komunitou tak zbyl čas až po 8 večer v táboře.

Kdyby jsi měl vybrat něco, co mělo největší dopad pro tebe osobně, co by to bylo?

Průvod, účast Michaela a Jima (Michael Pitthan a Jim High, pozn. redakce) a prostě všichni, co účinkovali. Na těch lidech je vidět, že hru a českou historii milují, že se chtějí potkávat a prožívat to nadšení společně. A jak jsem říkal několikrát, neznám hru, která by tolik sbližovala lidi, jako je KCD. Některé komunity umí být dosti toxické. Dále mě potěšilo, jak to všechno skvěle fungovalo. Chtěli jsme, aby se všichni návštěvníci rozprostřeli přes celé Rataje, to se myslím povedlo a každý měl stále spoustu možností, co dělat. A vzhledem k tomu, že řada měla kostým, opravdu jsme na den oživili Rataje z 15. století.

(zdroj: @DanielaGphoto)

U KCD komunity ještě zůstaneme. Měl si čas se s někým poznat? A jaká byla celková návštěvnost akce?

Komunitu už jsem popsal výše, ale stojí zmínit, že to opravdu byla světová akce. Nejdále jsme měli účastníka z Japonska a z Kanady, a to se muselo řádně ocenit tzn. při vyhlašování dostali ceny, které poskytlo studio Warhorse. Návštěvnost se stále ještě vyhodnocuje. Bylo i dosti obav, jak se to vše zvládne. Prohlídku absolvovalo téměř 300 lidí a bylo by jich i více, kdyby mohli čekat na volné okno. Účast návštěvníků mohla být někde mezi 400-500 +-, kteří se ten den pohybovali v Ratajích. Konkrétní číslo nemáme, neboť do prostor byl vstup zdarma. Celkově ale návštěvníci i prodejci/účastníci byly velmi spokojeni.

Musíme uznat, že tento event se oproti minulému roku masivně rozrostl. Jak to vidíš do budoucna i co se týče nové hry?

Budoucnost je stále otevřená. Podle mě nyní tuto událost všichni nějakým způsobem vyhodnocují a uvidíme, jak to vše dopadne. Navíc letos vychází KCDII s lokací Kutná Hora a fokus se zaměří více tam či do jiných lokací z pokračování. Kutná Hora ale už má svoje stříbření a Rataje nic podobného nemají a s ohledem na to, s jakým rozpočtem obec hospodaří, se zde udělá více dobra. Nicméně Rataje mají své kouzlo, dají se velmi jednoduše identifikovat se hrou, krajina, prostředí, ulice. V Kutná Hoře to bude díky své velikosti jiné. A už to byl vlastně 2. ročník a lidé už nyní i během akce volali po třetím. Takže, nechme se překvapit. Ale musím se přiznat, že už hrubý koncept v hlavě mám a pokud se to někdy zrealizuje, bude to opět „nářez“.

úvodní fotografie: Petra Kachlíková @ppeter_gee

Článek Jak dopadl sraz fanoušků Kingdom Come v Ratajích nad Sázavou? se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.

Nejočekávanější česká hra letošního roku vstoupila do stavu GOLD. Neznamená to nic jiného než to, že hra je hotová a započala výroba fyzických kopií. Vývojáři se ale nudit nebudou a již pilně pracují na opravách a Day1 updatu.

S touto radostnou informací přišel Tobias Stolz-Zwilling, PR Manager studia Warhorse v rozhovoru s Roxy Clark z kanálu ASexyBiscuit.

Kromě oprav a lovení bugů se studio do vydání zaměří také na chod samotné hry tak, aby bylo v den vydání vše co nejvíce vyladěné a odzkoušené. Naše redakce se a začátku měsíce účastnila vývojářské konference Game Access, kde vystupoval i Martin Klíma. Ten se mimo jiné nechal slyšet, že KCD II poběží na konzolích PlayStation 5 ve 4K při 30 snímcích za vteřinu. Tato informace úplně nenadchla komunitu konzolistů a ukáže jen čas, zda se s touto situací podaří něco udělat.

Kingdom Come Deliverance II bude obsahovat více jak 1,7 miliónu slov a voice-over postav narostl na celých 240 hodin – tedy více jak dvojnásobek oproti prvnímu dílu. Studio také využilo Summer Game Festu a zveřejnilo nový trailer. Ten ukazuje poměrně hodně z bojů v akčním RPG z pohledu první osoby s otevřeným světem a ukazuje Henryho, jak si to rozdává s nepřáteli v soubojích jeden na jednoho, shazuje na ně kameny z výšky, sráží žebříky z říms, bojuje na koni, používá luk a šípy a další. Ukázána je také spousta významnějších postav hry a detaily příběhu. Na trailer se podívejte níže.

Již tento víkend se koná v Ratajích nad Sázavou komunitní sraz s bohatým programem. Turnaj v lukostřelbě či kostkách obohatí svou přítomností i zastupitelé Warhorse, a to včetně již zmiňovaného Tobiho.

Skutečnost, že je hra ve stavu GOLD by mohla také znamenat brzké oznámení přesného data vydání. Na to si ale budeme muset počkat. Je také dost možné, že se této informace dočkáme až na německém Gamescomu, kde Warhorse plánují „velké věci“.

Kingdom Come Deliverance II je ve vývoji pro PC a konzole Xbox Series a PlayStation 5.

Článek Kingdom Come: Deliverance II je ve stavu GOLD se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.

Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projections provide valuable insights into how a big chunk of your income is being spent and reveal the long-term consequences of our government's current fiscal policies—you may endure them, and your children most certainly will. Yet, like most other projections looking into our future, these numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. So should claims that CBO projections validate anyone's fiscal track record.

So much can and likely will happen to make projections moot and our fiscal outlook much grimmer. Unforeseen events, economic changes, and policy decisions render them less accurate over time. The CBO knows this and recently released alternative scenarios based on different sets of assumptions, and it doesn't look good. It remains a wonder that more politicians, now given a more realistic range of possibilities, aren't behaving like it.

First, let's recap what the situation looks like under the usual rosy growth, inflation, and interest rate assumptions. Due to continued overspending, this year's deficit will be at least $1.6 trillion, rising to $2.6 trillion by 2034. Debt held by the public equals roughly 99 percent of our economy—measured by gross domestic product (GDP)—annually, heading to 116 percent in 2034.

The only reason these numbers won't be as high as projected last year is that a few House Republicans fought hard to impose some spending caps during the debt ceiling debate. The long-term outlook is even scarier, with public debt reaching 166 percent of GDP in 30 years and all federal debt reaching 180 percent.

No one should be surprised. To be sure, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Great Recession made things worse, but we've been on this path for decades.

Unfortunately, if any of the assumptions underlying these projections change again, things will get a lot worse. That's where the CBO's alternative paths help. Policymakers and the public can better see the potential risks and opportunities associated with various fiscal policy choices, enabling them to make more informed decisions.

For instance, the CBO highlights that if the labor force grows annually by just 0.1 fewer percentage points than originally projected—even if the unemployment rate stays the same—slower economic growth will lead to a deficit $142 billion larger than baseline projections between 2025 and 2034. A similarly small slowdown in the productivity rate would lead to an added deficit of $304 billion over that period.

Back in 2020, the prevalent theory among those who claimed we shouldn't worry about debt was that interest rates were remarkably low and would stay low forever. As if. These guys have since learned what many of us have known for years: that interest rates can and will go up when the situation gets bad enough. So, what happens if rates continue to rise above and beyond those CBO used in its projections? Even a minuscule 0.1-point rise above the baseline would produce an additional $324 billion on the deficit over the 2025-2034 period.

The same is true with inflation, which, as every shopper can see, has yet to be defeated. If inflation, as I fear, doesn't go away as fast as predicted by CBO—largely because debt accumulation is continuing unabated—it will slow growth, increase interest rates, and massively expand the deficit. To be precise, an increase in overall prices of just 0.1 points over the CBO baseline would result in higher interest rates and a deficit of $263 billion more than projected.

Now, imagine all these variations from the current projections happening simultaneously. It's a real possibility. The deficit hike would be enormous, which could then trigger even more inflation and higher interest rates. The question that remains is: Why aren't politicians on both sides more worried than they seem to be?

What needs to happen before they finally decide to treat our fiscal situation as a real threat? President Joe Biden doesn't want to tackle the debt issue. In fact, he's actively adding to the debt with student loan forgiveness, subsidies to big businesses, and other nonsense. Meanwhile, some Republicans pay lip service to our financial crisis, but few are willing to tackle the real problem of entitlement spending.

The time for political posturing is over. The longer we wait to address these issues, the more severe the consequences will be for future generations. It's time for our leaders to prioritize the nation's long-term economic health over short-term political gains and take bold steps toward fiscal responsibility. Only then can we hope to secure a stable and prosperous future for all Americans.

COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM.

The post The Congressional Budget Office's Alternative Scenarios Forecast a Dire Economic Picture appeared first on Reason.com.

When the Trump administration killed net neutrality, telecom industry giants convinced them to push their luck and declared that not only would federal regulators no longer try to meaningfully oversee telecom giants like Comcast and AT&T, but that states couldn’t either. They got greedy.

The courts didn’t like that much, repeatedly ruling that the FCC can’t abdicate its authority over broadband consumer protection, then turn around tell states what they can or can’t do.

The courts took that stance again last week, with a new ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit restoring a New York State law (the Affordable Broadband Act) requiring that ISPs provide low-income state residents $15 broadband at speeds of 25 Mbps. The law was blocked in June of 2021 by a US District Judge who claimed that the state law was preempted by the federal net neutrality repeal.

Giant ISPs, and the Trump administration officials who love them, desperately tried to insist that states were magically barred from regulating broadband because the Trump administration said so. But the appeals court ruled, once again, those efforts aren’t supported by logic or the law:

“the ABA is not conflict-preempted by the Federal Communications Commission’s 2018 order classifying broadband as an information service. That order stripped the agency of its authority to regulate the rates charged for broadband Internet, and a federal agency cannot exclude states from regulating in an area where the agency itself lacks regulatory authority. Accordingly, we REVERSE the judgment of the district court and VACATE the permanent injunction.”

This ruling is once again good news for future fights over net neutrality and broadband consumer protection, Stanford Law Professor and net neutrality expert Barbara van Schewick notes in a statement:

“Today’s decision means that if a future FCC again decided to abdicate its oversight over broadband like it did in 2017, the states have strong legal precedent, across circuits, to institute their own protections or re-activate dormant ones.”

Telecom lobbyists have spent years lobbying to ensure federal broadband oversight is as captured and feckless as possible. And, with the occasional exception, they’ve largely succeeded. Big telecom had really hoped they could extend that winning streak even further and bar states from standing up to them as well, but so far that really hasn’t gone as planned.

One of the things that absolutely terrifies telecom monopoly lobbyists is the idea of rate regulation, or that government would ever stop them from ripping off captive customers stuck in uncompetitive markets. It’s never been a serious threat on the federal level due to regulatory capture and lobbying, even though it’s thrown around a lot by monopoly apologists as a terrifying bogeyman akin to leprosy.

Here you not only have a state retaining its authority to protect consumers from monopoly harm, but dictating to them that they must provide poor people with 25 Mbps broadband (which really costs ISPs at Comcast’s scale virtually nothing to provide in the gigabit era). Still, it’s the kind of ruling that’s going to give AT&T and Comcast lobbyists (and consultants and think tank proxies) cold sweats for years.

Warhorse Studios has officially announced Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, a sequel to their critically acclaimed Czech medieval RPG that captivated audiences with its detailed recreation of 15th-century Bohemia. Having sold a remarkable 6 million copies, the original game set a high bar, with fans eagerly anticipating the next chapter in this historically rich medieval central European kingdom of the past – Bohemia.

Sequel Scope and Historical Depth

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 promises to extend its historical canvas, offering a game world twice the size of its predecessor. This expansion isn’t limited to geography but extends to a richer, more layered storytelling. The game will delve deeper into the tapestry of 15th-century European life, capturing the complexity of ethnicities and religious beliefs during the era of the Hussite uprisings—a period marked by profound social and religious turmoil.

Developers are poised to deepen the immersion with a storyline that weaves themes of love and revenge through the continuing saga of Henry, the game’s protagonist, as he seeks justice for the murder of his parents. In pursuit of this goal, players will navigate a world fraught with conflict and intrigue, set against the backdrop of historical events that shaped Bohemia and beyond.

Cinematic Enhancement and Story Expansion

The sequel will feature approximately five hours of cinematic scenes, further enriching the experience. This ambitious inclusion aims to seamlessly integrate story depth before players even step into the game’s interactive elements. Such an approach signifies Warhorse Studios’ commitment to enhancing delivery of the game and engaging players on a deeper emotional level.

Diverse and Dynamic Game

The geographic expansion in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 includes two meticulously crafted maps. The first, “Cesky Raj – Czech heaven” features the majestic Trosky Castle, a medieval architecture and history beacon. The second map will transport players to the town of Kutná Hora and its surroundings known for its historical value – like scary bone ossuary :O

Gameplay and Distribution

Reflecting on the game mechanics, the sequel is set to offer a variety of engaging combat scenarios, from besieged cities to skirmishes in the lush countryside and strategic confrontations in narrow passageways. These diverse settings promise to challenge players’ strategic thinking and combat skills, enhancing the game’s realism and historical fidelity.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will be available exclusively through digital distribution on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, targeting a release during the holiday season. This digital-only approach reflects modern distribution trends and ensures that players around the globe can access the game upon release.

Development Team and Cultural Authenticity

The development team, comprising 250 dedicated professionals, is focused on delivering an experience that resonates with authenticity and quality. In response to feedback on the first game’s ethnic portrayal, the sequel will embrace a more accurate depiction of the region’s historical demographic diversity, adding depth and authenticity to the cultural representation.

Adding to the game’s authenticity, Warhorse Studios has decided to include original Czech audio tracks, enhancing the immersive experience for Czech players and honoring the game’s roots. This feature underscores the studio’s commitment to cultural fidelity and provides a more authentic gameplay experience for fans in the Czech Republic.

So Now we Wait a Little

With its ambitious scale, deepened story, and commitment to historical and cultural authenticity, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is shaping up to be more than just a sequel—it’s poised to be a landmark release in the RPG genre. As Warhorse Studios continues to reveal more details, the excitement only grows. This sequel not only aims to captivate fans of the original but also to attract new players with its enriched storyline and expansive world.

Stay tuned for further updates as we continue to follow the development of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, a game that promises to redefine the standards of historical RPGs and captivate the global gaming community.

The post Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Announced for this Year 2024 appeared first on WePlayGames.net: Home for Top Gamers.

Exciting news for fans of Kingdom Come: Deliverance as the Prague studio Warhorse is set to release a new game. The anticipation and speculation around the announcement have been buzzing within the game’s large community on social media. The official announcement is scheduled for tomorrow, April 18th, at 8 pm.

pic.twitter.com/KR3uEIaaJJ

— Warhorse Studios (@WarhorseStudios) April 17, 2024

The studio has hinted that there is more for the fans, so be sure to tune in tomorrow night for the official announcement. Stay tuned for more updates later this day, or check the live stream below at 8 PM CEST. Would we get more medieval gore soon?

The post Warhorse Studios behind Kindgdom Come Deliverance Important Announcement Today appeared first on WePlayGames.net: Home for Top Gamers.

America is celebrated for its economic dynamism and ample and generously paid employment opportunities. It's a nation that attracts immigrants from around the world. Yet Americans are bummed, and have been for a while. They believe that life was better 40 years ago. And maybe it was on some fronts, but not economically.

Surveys repeatedly demonstrate that Americans view today's economy in a negative light. Seventy-six percent believe the country is going in the wrong direction. Some polls even show that young people believe they'll be denied the American dream. Now, that might turn out to be true if Congress continues spending like drunken sailors. But it certainly isn't true based on a look back in time. By nearly all economic measures, we're doing much better today than we were in the 1970s and 1980s—a time most nostalgic people revere as a great era.

In a recent article, economist Jeremy Horpedahl looked at generational wealth (all assets minus all debt) and how today's young people are faring compared to previous generations. His findings are surprising. After all the talk about how Millennials are the poorest or unluckiest generation yet, Horpedahl's data show them with dramatically more wealth than Gen Xers had at the same age. And this wealth continues to grow.

What about income? A new paper by the American Enterprise Institute's Kevin Corinth and Federal Reserve Board's Jeff Larrimore looks at income levels by generation in a variety of ways. They find that each of the past four generations had higher inflation-adjusted incomes than did the previous generation. Further, they find that this trend doesn't seem to be driven by women entering the workforce.

That last part matters because if you listen to progressives and New Right conservatives, you might get a different story: that today's higher incomes are only due to the fact that both parents must now work in order for a family to afford a middle-class lifestyle. They claim that supporting a family of four on one income, like many people did back in the '70s and '80s, is now impossible. Believing this claim understandably bums people out.

But it's not true. One of its many problems, in addition to the data evidence provided by Corinth and Larrimore, is that it mistakenly implies that single-income households were the norm. In fact, as early as 1978, 50 percent of married couples were dual earners and just 25.6 percent relied only on a husband's income. I also assume that there are more dual-income earners now than there were in the '80s. While this may in fact be true for married couples (61 percent of married parents are now dual-earners), because marriage itself has declined, single-earner families have become relatively more common.

Maybe the overall morosity on the economy has to do with the perception that it's more expensive to raise a family these days than it used to be. Another report by Angela Rachidi looks at whether the decline in marriage, fertility, and the increase in out-of-wedlock childbirths are the result of economic hardship. She finds that contrary to the prevailing narrative, "household and family-level income show growth in recent decades after accounting for taxes and transfers." Not only that, but "the costs of raising a family—including housing, childcare, and higher education costs—have not grown so substantially over the past several decades that they indicate an affordability crisis."

So, what exactly is bumming people out? We may find an answer in the 1984 Ronald Reagan campaign ad commonly known as "Morning in America." It begins with serene images of an idyllic American landscape waking up to a new day. It features visuals of people going to work, flags waving in front of homes, and ordinary families in peaceful settings. The narrator speaks over these images, detailing improvements in the American condition over the past four years, including job creation, economic growth, and national pride.

I believe this feeling is what people are nostalgic about. It seems that they are nostalgic about a time when America was more united and it was clearer what being American meant. Never mind that this nostalgia is often based on an incomplete and idealized memory of an era that, like ours, was not perfect.

This is a serious challenge that we need to figure out how to address. One thing that won't help, though, is to erroneously claim that people were economically better off back then and call on government to fix an imaginary problem.

COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM.

The post The Economy Is Doing Way Better Than Many Believe appeared first on Reason.com.