Discussion History VideoGame / SpecOpsTheLine

I still don\\\'t think it belongs, personally. You\\\'re right, I probably would have removed it anyway because it\\\'s not saying \\\"violent videogames are bad\\\" or \\\"violence is bad\\\", making these points while hurling enemy soldiers at you with no option but to shoot them and watch them disintegrate into red mist. That simplifies it way too much. It\\\'s about how morals get blurred and minds fray in conflict, and how imposing video-game morality - defeat the enemy, win the game, be a hero - on something so complex is questionable. Especially if you do it while amping up the \\\"realism\\\" of the invented conflict. Every shooter game I\\\'ve played in the past decade has something to answer for in that regard. In reality, there isn\\\'t always a clear way to win. In reality, killing so many people would take a psychological toll. In reality, sometimes you are powerless, or you make bad decisions that hurt people, and you can\\\'t reload and try again. You just have to try to learn from it.

I think it was Walt Williams who said the line of the title wasn\\\'t about any metaphysical line which makes one beyond redemption, or a point of no return, but the one between what\\\'s real and what\\\'s not. As games take their inspiration from reality, they should try to be responsible in how they represent what they\\\'re borrowing. Everyone loves a power-trip (and I\\\'m including myself here), but mixing real elements and fictional constructs can create very twisted representations of what\\\'s real. And because this is the closest thing a lot of us, hopefully, will get to fighting in real warfare, we need to consider the mindset we apply to it - a lot of which is embodied in Walker and the reactions he has and that he receives as a character from other characters.

None of it is real. So why \\\'\\\'do\\\'\\\' we care? That\\\'s the aesop, as simply as I can put it. And, aside from the last three points on \\\"things that do not count\\\", I can\\\'t think of how it\\\'s broken in the game.

I still don\\\'t think it belongs, personally. You\\\'re right, I probably would have removed it anyway because it\\\'s not saying \\\"violent videogames are bad\\\" or \\\"violence is bad\\\", making these points while hurling enemy soldiers at you with no option but to shoot them and watch them disintegrate into red mist. That simplifies it way too much. It\\\'s about how morals get blurred and minds fray in conflict, and how imposing video-game morality - defeat the enemy, win the game, be a hero - on something so complex is questionable. Especially if you do it while amping up the \\\"realism\\\" of the invented conflict. Every shooter game I\\\'ve played in the past decade has something to answer for in that regard. In reality, there isn\\\'t always a clear way to win. In reality, killing so many people would take a psychological toll. In reality, sometimes you are powerless, or you make bad decisions that hurt people, and you can\\\'t reload and try again. You just have to try to learn from it.

I think it was Walt Williams who said the line of the title wasn\\\'t about any metaphysical line which makes one beyond redemption, or a point of no return, but the one between what\\\'s real and what\\\'s not. As games take their inspiration from reality, they should try to be responsible in how they represent what they\\\'re borrowing. Everyone loves a power-trip (and I\\\'m including myself here), but mixing real elements and fictional constructs can create very twisted representations of what\\\'s real. And because this is the closest thing a lot of us, hopefully, will get to fighting in real warfare, we need to consider the mindset we apply to it.

None of it is real. So why \\\'\\\'do\\\'\\\' we care? That\\\'s the aesop, as simply as I can put it. And, aside from the last three points on \\\"things that do not count\\\", I can\\\'t think of how it\\\'s broken in the game.

Have some new ideas. One plot could invovle [[spoiler: Kane behind everyone\\\'s back doing a \\\"false flag\\\" messing with Flutter Shy designed to frame YHVH, resulting in a PISSED Discord.]] Another could involve [[spoiler: Xanatos stealing Hinimizawa Syndrome from Class S Lock Down and causing the high levels of YVHV\\\'s defense forces to get infected with it]]. Or even [[spoiler: someone breaking the seal on the Tyranids as a cover for the \\\"Deep Strike\\\" surprise attack]].

More ideas for people to formulate the plan include [[spoiler: [[{{WarHammer40000}} The Emperor of Man]]]].

As per the \\\"Deep Strike\\\", I have an idea involving [[spoiler: Lord Kroak (who\\\'s FURIOUS about YHVH\\\'s plot to kill Madoka) doing the deep strike via Walk Between Worlds, deep striking himself, Tyrant Valvatorez, Gig, X-Kryptonite Super Man, [[{{MegaManZero}} Zero]], Sonic and Shadow (in super form), Discord, The Emperor of Man, Leman Russ, Vulkan (Primarch), Oyashiro-Sama (in her adult form), Overlord Zetta, Bills, and Goku in his newest transformation.]] The actual fight involves [[spoiler: Lord Kroak using his Slaan powers to jam enemy magic and using his own Slaan High magic, Oyashiro and Shadow using their chronomancy powers, and a general epic clash with the ultimate result of the \\\"Pantheon Undivded\\\" winning and arresting YVHV for crimes against creation, leading to his trial, conviction (judged as black) and severe demotion]].

As per some of the less obvious motives: [[spoiler: for Zetta and Xanatos, Madoka reminds them of their own daughters (who they love very much) so this is a PapaWolf fury. For Zero, Madoka reminds him of X and everything he fought for. Omega is press ganged (hence being caged like a rabid dog). For Kane, EvenEvilHasStandards, he respects what Madoka represents. For the Emperor, Leman Russ, and Vulkan, Madoka represents the hope that humanity desperately needs and deserves, not to mention their legions BerserkButton regarding hurting civilians. For Oyashiro, loyalty to Lamington and BigSisterInstinct wrath. For Shadow, Madoka reminds him of Maria, so this is BigBrotherInstinct. Bills is of course peeved over Madoka being harmed]].

For other skirmishes, [[spoiler: YHVH\\\'s plot to kill Madoka via a detachment of his psychotic legions gets met with heavy resistance via the Sisterhood\\\'s temple guards, Madoka\\\'s Chakax body guard, the Sisterhood in general, Lamington, Flonne, and Artina\\\'s Celestial hosts (a case of proper good albeit flawed angels vs evil psycho KnightTemplar ones), Sergant Cyrus the entire Space Wolves, Blood Ravens, and Salamanders Chapters of Adeptus Astartes, Ciaphas Cain, Creed, Jurgan, Gaunt, 3 Imperial Guard regiments, 9 Bane Blades, 4 Warhound Scout Titans, 2 Warlord Titans, 1 Emperor Titan, along with aid requested from Laharl, Etna, Raspberyl, and Adell. It also got arranged for Adell to be equipped with \\\"Elemental Force\\\" and for a \\\"Older Sister Personality\\\" Magic Knight (+20% to elemental resistances) to be present. Let\\\'s just say Metatron is going to learn the hard way WHY Adell is considered the most OP DLC character ever made]].

As per the bonus ending, [[spoiler: Discord usurps the Chaos pantheon when a battered and bloodied (due to a recent assault by Overlord Zenon) Lucifer runs into a still in a very bad mood Discord and Discord proceeds to opprotunistically curb stomp his sorry rear]].

Ready, but I\\\'m more of an idea man than a writer. In terms of games, look up Command and Conquer for Kane.