Atomic Heart

[Max Peck]

This does look interesting, but I'm loathe to spend money that goes to a Russian developer for the time being.

[Hrothgar]

Oh, shit, yeah!

10.12MB installed.

Really? Is it ASCII?

[Isgrimnur]

I mean, for version 0.0.1.0, it's pretty good.

[Blackhawk]

This does look interesting, but I'm loathe to spend money that goes to a Russian developer for the time being.

The developer did relocate to Cyprus after the start of the invasion, but it's unclear whether that is to get away from Russia, or simply to get around the sanctions. I mean, Russian companies headquartered in Cyprus isn't exactly a new thing.

[Max Peck]

This does look interesting, but I'm loathe to spend money that goes to a Russian developer for the time being.

The developer did relocate to Cyprus after the start of the invasion, but it's unclear whether that is to get away from Russia, or simply to get around the sanctions. I mean, Russian companies headquartered in Cyprus isn't exactly a new thing.

If you look at their website, they claim that the company was founded in Cyprus in 2017, but IIRC when the game was first announced they were clearly based in Moscow. Similarly, Owlcat Games is now a "Cypriot" company (you can see when their Wikipedia article was edited back in May to say they are in Cyprus rather than Russia). I have no idea whether either company actually packed up and left Russia or if they are just using a Cyprus address to avoid the problems involved in operating a business in Russia due to ever-increasing sanctions. If I can't be certain that not one cent of my money will end up in Russian tax coffers, then I won't be purchasing their products.

[Blackhawk]

Which is a shame, as I really wanted to play this - but I agree. I am sure I do things from time to time that enrich Russia, but I can't knowingly spend money knowing that it may indirectly buy a bullet that will end up in a Ukrainian.

[hitbyambulance]

Which is a shame, as I really wanted to play this - but I agree. I am sure I do things from time to time that enrich Russia, but I can't knowingly spend money knowing that it may indirectly buy a bullet that will end up in Ukrainian.

i'm also inclined to agree. mentioned this elsewhere, but even my Russian language tutors are through preply.com (a Ukrainian compamy) and one is Ukrainian, currently refugee-ing in Switzerland, and the other is usually living in Kazakh (and she's ethnically North Korean, currently in Poland).

[Grifman]

Looks like some previews are starting to drop. This one seems pretty favorable:

[Grifman]

[Daehawk]

This looked great until that video next to last said you have to have a shotgun to knock a robot down and then kill it. So no shotgun you are toast.

[naednek]

i get the feeling this game is trying to be too much, and it will just drown itself in mediocracy

[Grifman]

This looked great until that video next to last said you have to have a shotgun to knock a robot down and then kill it. So no shotgun you are toast.

No, it said you need the shotgun to knock it down, not necessarily to kill it. And you have other options to use to deal with them, such as your powers.

[Jolor]

That's the first gameplay video that made me feel nauseated. I've seen spinning, fast-paced movement before without issue so not sure what the trigger is.

[Kurth]

Getting strong Bio Shock vibes with some Half Life mixed in for good measure.

[Skinypupy]

“Packed with spatial puzzles”

Whelp, I’m out. Those generally break my brain.

[Sudy]

That jumping section in the most recent video looked... not fun lol.

[Kasey Chang]

Apparently, it's alternate future Bioshock set in Russia... created by Russians, funded by Russians, and profit going to Russians.

[Alefroth]

Is playing it on Gamepass giving money to Russia? Am I now giving money to Russia even if I don't play it?

[Scraper]

Yeah I don't know if I can get past the whole Russia thing with this game.

[hitbyambulance]

created by Russians, funded by Russians, and profit going to Russians.

gaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh noooooooooooooooooooooooo

(i forgot about that)

i've been looking forward to this one for the past five years or however long it's been. wonder if there's a way to get an answer statement to 'do you support your country's aggression towards Ukraine' from the dev team.

[Kasey Chang]

Given the amount of backpedaling and derussifying of the dev's identity, I'd say they'd want to avoid the topic as much as possible.

[Isgrimnur]

https://mundfish.com/about-us/

With the release of the first game and view of utopia of an alternative world, the dynamic team of 30-somethings created an original, unique gaming experience that disrupts the industry with their creativity. Artem Galeev, Robert Bagratuni, Evgenia Sedova, and Oleg Gorodishenin have built an incredible team of 130 creatives from 10 countries including Poland, Ukraine, Austria, Georgia, Israel, Armenia, UAE, Serbia, and Cyprus.
...
With our investors Gaijin Entertainment, Gem Capital, and Tencent, and our hardware partner Nvidia, we celebrate Atomic Heart and welcome you to our sci-fi world ecosystem.

[Blackhawk]

created by Russians, funded by Russians, and profit going to Russians.

wonder if there's a way to get an answer statement to 'do you support your country's aggression towards Ukraine' from the dev team.

As you can see from the tweet above, the answer is "We sure do make games!"

[malchior]

created by Russians, funded by Russians, and profit going to Russians.

wonder if there's a way to get an answer statement to 'do you support your country's aggression towards Ukraine' from the dev team.

As you can see from the tweet above, the answer is "We sure do make games!"

It's gross to me that people are out on social media and at no risk demanding answers from people at ACTUAL RISK. So that they can feel better about playing a video game. Folks out there need to just think for 2 seconds that some of these people might live in a country where they can be imprisoned, tortured, or pressed into military service as cannon fodder for expressing declarative views. There is a pretty good reason they are reluctant to be clearer.

[stimpy]

Hey!!! You got R&P in my Games thread!!!

[Skinypupy]

created by Russians, funded by Russians, and profit going to Russians.

wonder if there's a way to get an answer statement to 'do you support your country's aggression towards Ukraine' from the dev team.

As you can see from the tweet above, the answer is "We sure do make games!"

It's gross to me that people are out on social media and at no risk demanding answers from people at ACTUAL RISK. So that they can feel better about playing a video game. Folks out there need to just think for 2 seconds that some of these people might live in a country where they can be imprisoned, tortured, or pressed into military service as cannon fodder for expressing declarative views. There is a pretty good reason they are reluctant to be clearer.

I admit that I have struggled with the backlash to this game as well. AFAIK this game is not being made by the Russian government and is not designed as some sort of pro-war, anti-Ukraine propaganda tool (full disclosure: I haven't paid much attention to the actual game content, so I could be wrong here). It's made by a bunch of game developers who seem to have begun the process of creating this long before the current conflict started, and who have not expressed support for the aggression. They haven't strongly disavowed it either (as malchior said above) because that could put their own lives at risk, but their statement about being peaceful seemed to be to be as close to that line as they could get.

These are just people trying to create a video game. They're not the government making decisions to sending hundreds of thousands to slaughter, nor are they supporting that.

[Max Peck]

Personally, it's not a matter of whether the developers are for or against the war. It's a matter of whether or not any money I spent on the game would end up in Russian tax coffers. The only way I know that I'm not buying bullets for Putin is by not doing business with Russian companies, including Russian game developers.

[Blackhawk]

Exactly that. They may be personally blameless, but from a practical standpoint, any Russian business is forced to support the war, if through nothing other than taxes.

[Isgrimnur]

[Blackhawk]

I think it's trying to communicate with us!

[Isgrimnur]

[Max Peck]

Thoreau had opinions about how to interact with bad governments (is my takeaway).

[gilraen]

It's a matter of whether or not any money I spent on the game would end up in Russian tax coffers.

Well, if it makes you feel any better, the money would probably end up in the pockets of some Russian oligarch. Every business in Russia keeps 2 sets of books, it's not even a secret. Moreso a company that is conveniently "based" in Cyprus.

[Max Peck]

Are we talking about an oligarch that dutifully pays a vig to Putin, or one of the ones that eventually strays too close to a window or flight of stairs?

[GreenGoo]

One of the ones with their own paramilitary force operating in the Ukraine?

[stimpy]

For the visually impaired......

https://www.octopusoverlords.com/forum/ ... hp?t=99532

[GreenGoo]

Are we talking about an oligarch that dutifully pays a vig to Putin, or one of the ones that eventually strays too close to a window or flight of stairs?

One of the ones with their own paramilitary force operating in Ukraine?

Just wanted to be clear who I was responding to.

[Alefroth]

Hey!!! You got R&P in my Games thread!!!

Can you take it to https://www.octopusoverlords.com/forum/ ... hp?t=78077

[Blackhawk]

For the visually impaired......

https://www.octopusoverlords.com/forum/ ... hp?t=99532

Your ego is showing again.

[gbasden]

For the visually impaired......

https://www.octopusoverlords.com/forum/ ... hp?t=99532

Your ego is showing again.

Seriously.