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0 pointssolardev2y ago0 comments

There is a new show on HBO called Scavengers Reign, and it's become my favorite scifi story ever. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21056886/

It's kinda like watching Planet Earth about another ecosystem, with a strong focus on judgment-free ecology (ie there isn't good and evil, just different flora and fauna and otherwise interacting both with their normal food webs and with human outsiders).

It really tickles the environmental science geek in me. There's such a wonderful assortment of predators, prey, symbiotes, diseases, treatments, and thoughtful little touches everywhere. Beautiful art too.

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That aside, I can't stop thinking about how much fun it is to throw people off cliffs in Baldur's Gate 3. https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199138390397/recomm...

Simple pleasures, man.

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izzydata2y ago

I'm really enjoying Scavengers Reign, but I can't help but feel like the local biology is a bit too absurdist. Or the amount of consistently lucky moves some of the characters would had to make to discover some weird quirk of that alien life. They had been there for maybe weeks or months, but somehow discovered that if you climb inside of the belly of this particular creature and twist some of his internal organs that it will release a light producing egg when you hit them against a hard surface? Or that if you attach this tentacle sac to your face that you won't inhale some fungus gas.

Very creative, but a bit hard to believe. Perhaps the timescale of how long they were stranded there could have been increased a little bit.

ChristopherDrum2y ago

This is precisely what I was saying to my friend the other day. Their knowledge of the planet is hyper-specific in some ways, but they also seem to acknowledge that they don't understand the planet. One person says, "This place is like a puzzle." but it seems like a puzzle they've solved, if they know that taking the tiny skull from a worm and rolling it in a leaf will make a whistle that summons a bird that won't hurt them.

Yet, on the other hand, they seem mystified by things like which plants are edible, or the yellow fungus on the computer circuits, or the intelligent mind-power beasts. Stuff that should be top-level knowledge, I'd think? So do they understand the planet or not? Clearly a lot is known about the esoteric workings of the planet, but weirdly the BASICS of the place are a total mystery to them.

And yeah, the biology of the planet is both supremely alien yet also amazingly perfectly suited to incredibly specific use cases: this creature doubles as a gas mask, this other one is a personal flying machine with handlebars, reach inside this one and it'll inflate into a personal balloon guaranteed to hold your weight.

If I turn off that part of my brain, I enjoy letting myself get caught up in the "LOST"-ish mysterybox-ness of it (LOST, in space!).

Caligatio2y ago

I've been wondering the same thing! My explanation is that the planet was already known/cataloged and that the crew has access to that knowledge somehow.

stolksdorf2y ago

I also struggled with this when watching it. It's frustrating because I am really enjoying the show, it makes me feel like a kid again, but I have such a strong desire for consistent and cohesive world-building.

The trick/explanation/excuse I've been using is that we know our characters are explorers and experts, so maybe the life on this planet isn't as "alien" or "unknown" to the characters as it seems to us.

I've had survival training, I know how to identify certain useful plants or recognize tracks from animals in ecosystems I don't live in, so I tell myself that it must be like that from their perspective. Which lines up, seeing as the character's don't seem to react that strangely or shocked to most of what they see. Even one of them says that their goal is to not only survive, but _thrive_ here until rescue.

Highly recommend it, the trailer gives a good sense of the vibes without giving away too much.

leoqa2y ago

That particular character is a biologist before the crash, perhaps prior knowledge since the planet has been inhabited before.

O1111OOO2y ago

> Beautiful art too.

I just looked over a couple of trailers. I think this makes my watchlist.

About the artwork... reminded me of Another World [0, 1] but with the better rez of today.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_World_(video_game)?use...

[1] Walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjMf_bEfqIc

mettamage2y ago

Haha, yea I binged that one too. I'd give it a similar description, I loved it. I also watched Pantheon. There are a few questions in Pantheon that are interesting to imagine. Also, the computer science fan service (like the philosopher's problem in concurrency/multithreading) feels fun - irrelevant to be honest, but fun.

cdchn2y ago

>I can't stop thinking about how much fun it is to throw people off cliffs in Baldur's Gate 3.

I was too worried about wasting loot then I finished the game with 20k gold and nothing to spend it on and thought "And nothing of value would have been lost if I had yeeted more people off cliffs."

tstrimple2y ago

I had a fully converted party my first play through. I was already overpowered, but everyone having telekinesis and flight on some maps was just ridiculously broken.

cambaceres2y ago

Hi, I read your comment last week and now I've almost completed the show, I love it. Do you have any other recommendations?

dilawar2y ago

It is surprising very creative. Somehow it reminds me of manga mushishi through there is hardly any obvious overlap

windowshopping2y ago

This sounded really cool so I went and checked it out, turned it off within 10 min. Was just kind of silly, felt more like someone having fun with drawing than someone really trying to do any sort of serious ecological design.

andrei_says_2y ago

It is incredible and definitely inspired by the work of Mobius which makes me incredibly excited.

Having his art style come to life as animation is beyond delightful.

If you are enjoying this I also recommend Blue Eye Samurai. Both are amazing.

FFP9992y ago

One of my favorite things about Deathloop was kicking unsuspecting NPCs off of cliffs and roofs. I've played a lot of that game and that hasn't gotten old yet.

crabmusket2y ago

Flashbacks to Dark Messiah Of Might And Magic

tommychillfiger2y ago

Just dropping back in to say I started this show after reading your comment and am enjoying it quite a bit. Very imaginative and beautiful animation. Thanks!

miki_tyler2y ago

Is this based on any of Jean Giraud/Moebius's work?

solardevOP2y ago

I don't know who that is (had to look him up), but some critics think the series was inspired by his look & feel:

https://www.theverge.com/23912922/scavengers-reign-review-ma...

https://www.polygon.com/23798021/scavengers-reigns-announcem...

dopidopHN2y ago

I had the same thought. He’s influential, that would make sense

hoseja2y ago

The aesthetic is heavily inspired by No Man's Sky.

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