The Culture: How One AAA Game Reveals Cargo Cult Heresy In Action

(Following from yesterday's post.)

From Soft released Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon yesterday.

As with other anticipated titles such as Elden Ring and surprise hits like Cuphead, this is a series notable for being difficult- where victory takes effort from the get-go- the sort of effort that Tourists object to, and complain about.

5 minutes. Don't let yourself be filtered by AC6's Soldier of Godrick, the PCA Heavy Combat Helicopter. It's tough, but it AIN'T invincible. pic.twitter.com/miar9iX7H1

— TitaniumLegman (@TitaniumLegman) August 25, 2023

That helicopter is the tutorial boss.

People hit a ragequit moment because they can't be bothered to calm down and trouble-shoot their performance until they figure out what it takes to beat it. Up to this point, the game does tell you what you need to know--what you need, not what you want--so those ragequitting are those that did not pay attention or those or figure out how to apply what they learn.

Nonetheless, as with the other aforementioned games, this has already hit big and will likely be another smashing success for From Soft despite the current review bombing by Tourists that got filtered by the Tutorial Boss.

And This Related To The Hobby

Go ahead, click through to those Steam reviews. You'll start to see a pattern in the complaints, which boil down to two words.

Skill Issue Neco Arc GIFfrom Skill Issue GIFs

You didn't pay attention to the Referee when he described the situation and got ganked? Skill issue. You didn't run as soon as things turned south and your man died? Skill issue. You engaged in a fight that was entirely avoidable, promised no profitable returns, got mauled and now your man's out of play for a month between travel and recovery time? Skill issue. Ran into a vampire's lair without prior recon? Skill issue. Went into a hostile environment with neither provisions nor a plan? Skill issue.

Fantastic adventure wargaming is the source of Rogue and the entire concept of "Rogue-like". Not dying--not failing--due to preventing the preventable is part of mastering the game. You can't blame that on RNG; that's entirely on you and your inability to assess and adapt in order to accomplish.

Those Tourists getting filtered by AC6's Tutorial Boss? Willful refusal to assess and adapt to accomplish the mission.

Those Tourists whining about the rules of the game and demanding that they be changed to accomodate them? Willful refuse to assess and adapt to accomplish the objective.

It is as was pointed out on Twitter.

This should serve as a warning to everybody who thinks they know better, whether they're redesigning D&D based on their own feelings or redefining such fundamental concepts as justice and marriage.

It was made that way for a reason, even if you think you know why.

— Scuzzy Modem, King of Narnia (@scsimodem) August 25, 2023

Tourists and Cargo Cultists do not know what the fuck they are doing. They think they do, but they don't, and the proof is not only in the products they publish but also the attitudes that they push.

Be like that tutorial boss; let them get sifted, filtered out, if they are unwilling to change their behavior to conform to what is required to succeed. How they feel does not matter; this is about learning how to win, and how you play is how you train is how you fight- how you succeed.

You can't be #EliteLevel unless you do. Cute girl VTubers can do this; so can you.