• homicidalrobot@lemm.ee
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    2 months ago

    It’s insane to me how often I see takes like this, where it’s clear that not only did they not play the game, they didn’t even watch a second of gameplay.

    If the game didn’t HEAVILY penalize you for actually trying to exploit your pals, I’d agree, but mechanically a sweatshop will actually produce nothing at all in a short period of time. Bad working conditions lead to pals stopping work altogether until you let them rest, feed them, etc. to the point it’s obvious their marketing and actual game design aren’t in lockstep. You’re REQUIRED to treat pals well to make substantial progress.

    • BeamBrain [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      2 months ago

      If you advertise your game as a slaveowner simulator, people are going to conclude it’s a slaveowner simulator. That’s how marketing works.

      • homicidalrobot@lemm.ee
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        2 months ago

        The development team and the marketing team are not the same people. Extremely naïve to come to a complete conclusion with 0 exposure to gameplay. I don’t respect the opinion because it isn’t informed.

        • glingorfel [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          2 months ago

          why would I play a game that was marketed in a way that makes me not like it at all? I don’t need to be “informed” by being exposed to gameplay. it’s not naive to reject something based on how it was sold to me lmao. it’s not my fault that the marketing people are casting the game in such a bad light

        • Smeagolicious [they/them]@hexbear.net
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          2 months ago

          I don’t respect you being smuglord

          It’s not an “ill-informed” take you obtuse nerd! A good part of the advertising & marketing of the game, the material that is proliferated and shown to potential buyers, emphasizes casual cruelty and slavery.

          It’s not ill-informed to not want to play because of that! It’s still an option in the game, no? You can work your cute little anime animals to death, you can butcher and eat them. The shock value was capitalized on by scumlord streamers for views much the same way as it was by the marketing - one has to wonder why these systems were included if not explicitly for the shock marketing value.

        • BeamBrain [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          2 months ago

          I don’t respect the opinion because it isn’t informed.

          That’s fine, I don’t respect yours because you’re a tool

      • Smeagolicious [they/them]@hexbear.net
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        2 months ago

        I was interested in the concept at first but it’s the exact shit you mention that killed any enthusiasm I had.

        “It’s not optimal to be cruel” and “you can fight the poachers” c’mon now, they clearly know what they’re implying and to assert otherwise is dishonest.

        Maybe I’m “too sensitive” but them leaning into the vibe of cruelty and exploitation of deliberately cute, innocent sentient beings just made the whole thing feel gross to me. Personally I’d rather it not be an option at all but I’m clearly not the target demo, a not insignificant portion of which is irony poisoned chuds

        • IWantToMakeProgress [any]@hexbear.net
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          2 months ago

          Check the trailers. I was put off at first but tried it after checking the trailer and read the reviews which most of them state that the exploit/slavery is not the focus. There is free straw-hat-pirates demo btw.

          • Smeagolicious [they/them]@hexbear.net
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            2 months ago

            I am aware it’s not the focus - I just find it gross that 1) it’s an option in the first place and 2) that it was marketed on this and emphasized by certain streamers and LPers. I don’t have interest in the game, I know what it contains and I don’t want to play it even though slavery “isn’t the focus”. Just very much not my thing

        • PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmygrad.ml
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          2 months ago

          He also send message to me about good devs and evil marketing. Real g*mer moment. And the second dude is being ever funnier blaming it on… language barrier because it’s 1830 and obviously Japanese devs don’t know English.

            • PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmygrad.ml
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              2 months ago

              The game had a 6 Million+ USD equivalent budget, they hired marketing. Banning people randomly looks stupid.

              With the context of discussion, it’s clearly just devs good and innocent, marketing bad. As if that main game page on the biggest game store in history wasn’t unchanged for months despite controversies. So the devs either are: a) hostages of their hired marketing people b) completely disinterested how their work is being advertised c) perfectly ok with it

              • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
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                2 months ago

                I haven’t even looked much into Palworld, but what I did get from marketing blurbs was “what if Pokemon… but edgy and grimdark?”

                Those Schrodinger’s Asshole claims that the marketing isn’t the game’s intended way to play seem rather after the fact to me.

                I heard similar bullshit about the “Postal” series and how a player didn’t have to do any edgelord atrocity enjoying at all if they chose not to.

          • IWantToMakeProgress [any]@hexbear.net
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            2 months ago

            I was just stating the norms of Japanese devs being bad at English. Not blaming it as the marketing direction is totally on the devs. One could argue the controversial marking worked and the game got more popular because of it.

            For me, as far as marketing goes, trailers > reviews > steam description.

            The most important part is try it. I tried Paradox games a couple of time, a couple tries later and I could see why people are into it.

      • homicidalrobot@lemm.ee
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        2 months ago

        Ah yes, the storefront page. Definitely direct dev communication and not marketing.

    • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      2 months ago

      It’s insane

      “Everyone who criticizes the treats is mentally ill (and mental illness makes their opinions invalid), a bedtime story for treat defenders.”