Welcome to the Edition of Sunday Hot Coffee Takes – a perfect time to savor a cup of the Lord’s favorite brew while engaging in spirited discussions. Here on Sundays, gaming genres take a back seat, and I’ll encourage open conversations and the sharing of hot takes. Feel free to join the dialogue and challenge ideas you might not quite see eye to eye with.

Unity Is Burning, And That’ Not Okay

The gaming scene is always overflowing with some drama. Either it’s a game that fails to live up to its hype, useless, talentless gaming journalists complaining about something non-issues from the comfort of their desks – speaking of which, remember when that idiot from Kotaku spent his entire PS5 review complaining about feeling bad for playing it in a world filled with issues, instead of actually doing something to solve them? It’s funny how we don’t see a lot of coverage on a real problem, like this mess Unity has created by announcing a per-install business model:

• Unity Personal and Unity Plus: Those that have made $200,000 USD or more in the last 12 months AND have at least 200,000 lifetime game installs.
• Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise: Those that have made $1,000,000 USD or more in the last 12 months AND have at least 1,000,000 lifetime game installs.

While companies have the right to structure their product and subscription models as they see fit, some find Unity’s decision to charge a small flat fee for each installation as of January 1, 2024, questionable. This fee can go as high as $0.20 per installation. The method of measurement remains unclear, which has caused frustration among many.

To put it in perspective, imagine buying a hammer. Once you’ve paid for it, it’s yours to use freely. However, under Unity’s model, you’d be charged a fee every time you use your hammer because they created it. It seems counterintuitive, doesn’t it? As with many gaming-related issues, the European Union may step in to address this matter, similar to how they tackled loot boxes.

This shift in Unity’s approach has alarmed game developers who are now considering withdrawing their games from stores and searching for alternative solutions. The potential loss of accumulated knowledge and talent is disheartening, especially when considering that some of the gaming industry’s finest titles are crafted using Unity. All of this appears driven by a desire to extract additional revenue from their consumer base, a decision that has sparked significant backlash. Fucking idiots.

Starfield Sparks Console Wars

Apparently, Bethesda’s PlayStation fans are furious Starfield is not coming out for their console of choice, sparking a debate about title exclusivity. However, it’s rather amusing when you consider that these were the same people a couple of years back getting upset at God of War and Spider-Man finally being released from their console shackles, coming to PC, and how such an affront would devalue their console of choice. I’m not one to argue for console exclusivity, even if I can understand why it makes sense from a business standpoint. However, going as far as to harass people that worked on the game, and most recently, to try and cancel a Santa Monica developer for playing the game to defend a multibillion-dollar corporation that doesn’t give a rat’s ass about who you are just makes you look like a fucking idiot. It’s rather normal for grass-touching humans to not be confined to the products of the company they work for. Imagine how boring of a world that would be if that was the norm: is this book published by my direct competitor? Well, better not read it. Is this great house the product of another construction company that’s not the one I work for? Well, better get a couple of cardboard boxes under the bridge. The point is: Is gaming exclusivity bad? Yes, it is. But also don’t go around acting like a neckbearded Reddit moderator or a Twitter blue-haired activist.

How To Look At Russian Enemies In Media?

In light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and amid ongoing discussions, I find myself pondering the portrayal of Russians as antagonists in numerous video games, books, and movies. Were we mistaken in creating this narrative? How can we revisit these forms of entertainment with the understanding that the image of a formidable Russian army poised to conquer Europe, as constructed by the West, may have been a misguided fiction? For instance, in Armored Brigade, achieving a realistic fight may necessitate adjustments to enemy morale. In the case of Combat Mission: Black Sea, some might argue for a modification, perhaps even humorously replacing explosive reactive armor with egg cartons. As for titles like World in Conflict and Call of Duty, unredeemable.

Turbo OverKill Is The Best Shooter Ever Made

Now, let’s turn our attention to some positive highlights! I have a great recommendation for you: If you haven’t already, it’s the perfect time to explore this exceptional gem. If you were to ask me right now about my all-time favorite First Person Shooter, I’d find myself torn between Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (largely due to emotional and nostalgic reasons) and Turbo Overkill. Turbo Overkill belongs to the Boomer Shooter genre (even if the name sounds a bit silly), which took inspiration from Doom 2016 and asked, ‘What if we took Doom, made it bigger and better in every way, and replaced legs with chainsaws?’ You can check out a substantial demo of this game on Steam. I can assure you that it won’t disappoint!

Combat Mission Titles Keep Coming To Steam

It feels like just yesterday when the creators of this iconic series deemed it unprofitable to join the world’s largest digital storefront. But, in a matter of a few years, we find ourselves only missing the first engine titles and Final Blitzkrieg. I’m confident that the latter is on its way, but the absence of the first engine titles on Steam while they are available on GoG remains a perplexing enigma. Nevertheless, for those who follow this blog and have yet to explore these titles, now is an opportune moment as they are currently on sale, and Fortress Italy just came out. My personal recommendation would be Combat Mission: Battle For Normandy, although there’s an extensive selection catering to your preferred theater of war.

Company of Heroes 3 M1 Carbines Are Annoying

Last week, I revisited the Italian Campaign in Company of Heroes 3, and I must say, the game is incredibly enjoyable. While it didn’t bring significant innovation to the genre and faces stiff competition in the crowded real-time strategy market, it excels at providing simple, pixelated soldier battles that are undeniably entertaining. The game’s presentation is impressive, with meticulously detailed maps and models, and it performs exceptionally well on laptops. It’s a perfect choice for my work trips when I’m away from my main gaming setup. However, I’d like to highlight a significant issue: the portrayal of US paratroopers wielding M1 Carbines. They seem to operate them as if they were bolt-action rifles, manually cycling the bolt after each shot. This inconsistency becomes glaring when you see other units using the same weapon with correct animations right beside them. I kindly request a fix for this issue.

Leave a comment down below or email me! Let me know if you agree or disagree with some of these takes! Happy Sunday!

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