So many ideas float around in my head that its hard to focus on one. If I'm finally able to focus on one and expand it, the expansion brings with it another avalanche of ideas. I swim through those and find the one tidbit I wanted, the one thread to pull. I pull it and the process starts again.
I'm struggling to corral all these ideas. So, I made a promise to myself a few days ago that I would write something, anything, every day. I was hoping it would help organize these ideas into a cohesive, usable format but it hasn't worked.
Why? The answer is simple. I start to write and the writing pulls the thread and more ideas tumble out. I end up on tangents that have nothing to do with my chosen subject. I try to find my way back to where I started only to find that I've lost that thread and am holding a completely new one. How does one organize, tame, such random mental flailings?
I'm considering stream of consciousness writing to see if that helps. I've avoided it for one simple reason, I cannot stand to read it. Faulkner makes my brain weep in frustration. Then again, there must be something to it as Kerouac and Thompson are legendary. I don't expect to become legendary but I would like to tame my ideas.
And yet, I'm hesitant. What's the worst thing that could happen? The worst thing that can happen is that I realize I not only can't read it but I can't write stream of consciousness either. On the other had, the best that can happen is that I tame my mental flailings and actually get some stories finished.
I need to stop hesitating.
Showing posts with label Post. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Post. Show all posts
Friday, September 30, 2022
Thursday, September 1, 2022
Post: A Step to the Left
She clicks on the link and reads the blog post. It gushes
about how another writer shows promise, is going places. No one gushes about
her work that way. No one even notices when she publishes something. Well,
except that one lonely cheerleader who tells her that her writing doesn’t suck.
She thinks someone paid that one cheerleader off.
She realizes that she is nothing special. Her work is
mediocre and not likely to stand out in the crowd. And it is a crowd. Every one
of her classmates turned from peer to competition as soon as the degree was
conferred.
Chin up, people tell her. Nose to the grindstone. Keep
hacking away and one day you’ll see some fruits from all that labor.
She does. She sees nothing. She is patient. She writes,
submits, and writes more but nothing. No rejection but no acceptance either.
She feels that she is yelling into a void. Making any type of progress seems
like a Sisyphean task.
Perhaps her passion lies elsewhere. She loves stories, loves
telling them. But there is something that she loves more, something that
pervades her very being. A passion that has burned bright since her earliest
memories.
History.
American, British, European, and Scandinavian history. And
not just history but the stories that history tells. The myths, legends,
superstitions, and folklore. How these
stories sprang from every-day events and were exaggerated into folklore, and
then blown up into myth. From fireside
tales of the psycho with a hook coming to get the hapless campers, to internet-born
Slenderman, to Irish Halloween origin tales of Stingy Jack, they all fascinate
her.
She’s on the wrong path. That is why the blog post
discouraged her. She sees her path now. It’s a little to the left of the one
she’s on.
She takes a step to the left.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Gaming: When Guild Wars 2 disappoints
I've tried to write this post a number of times in order to express my
disappointment in and frustration with the new
"Feature Pack"
that Guild Wars 2 released on April 15, 2014. It's taken me nine days to
personally digest the monumental game changes, sort through public opinion of
them, and boil it all down into something that makes sense to me.
Then I realized that through out the whole process one important question remained unanswered. "Why?" Why did the development team at ArenaNet feel these changes had to be made? Sure, they gave a myriad of reasons in the teaser articles they shared under the guise of keeping us informed. Those reasons ranged from the typical need to balance the game to untypical need to keep our armor from clipping during combat. In fact, pre-release the game developers seemed very free with information, as if they wanted us to understand what was going to happen to the game. Looking back now, I see that those articles are full of just enough of the right kind of information to head off a pre-release revolt.
I have eight characters. Seven of them are below the maximum level of 80. Thanks to the reengineering of traits, I now have no desire to level them the rest of the way to 80. My sense of progression, my sense of accomplishment, has been completely wiped out. If I wanted to grind levels, I'd go back to Lineage II! The really sad thing is, though, that when I heard about having to hunt grandmaster traits in the open world a la the original Guild Wars, I was very excited. I loved the thrill of finding the boss, killing it, and taking it's elite skill for my own. How much fun would it be to do that in Guild Wars 2? Well, not much, to be honest. Join a zerg (if you're lucky enough to be on at event's scheduled time - because everything's scheduled now), auto-attack, and go get a snack. No thrill. No excitement. Whooo, you got the grandmaster trait. Whoopee. Pretty soon I'll be able to face-roll the keyboard and win the game!
One group this "Feature Pack" has shined a lot of light on are the role players. I'm not a role player myself but I feel for them and the fact that their communities, and role playing in the game in general, have been shredded by the institution of the mega-servers. Not only are they are being trolled (sometimes rather rudely, too), but they've lost the ability to tell the stories they want, how they want, when they want, and with whom they want. They can't meet up with friends or guild mates to role play because the mega-server has spread them across various shards with no way to sync up except to log in and out repeatedly. Even then there is no guarantee they'll all make it to the same shard.
I'm not even going to go into the new wardrobe, dye, transmutation, and town clothes fiasco except to ask, "Why?"
Why, ArenaNet? What was the thinking behind the redesign of these game systems? As professionals, you should know that to take away a player's sense of progression in a game is a huge, HUGE, no-no. You should also know that messing with the cosmetic elements of the game is also a huge no-no. As an aspiring game and narrative designer, I'd love to know what the thought process was behind these changes.
As an avid player that loves Guild Wars 2, I'd love to see these changes rolled back. Please. Give back my reason to pla
Then I realized that through out the whole process one important question remained unanswered. "Why?" Why did the development team at ArenaNet feel these changes had to be made? Sure, they gave a myriad of reasons in the teaser articles they shared under the guise of keeping us informed. Those reasons ranged from the typical need to balance the game to untypical need to keep our armor from clipping during combat. In fact, pre-release the game developers seemed very free with information, as if they wanted us to understand what was going to happen to the game. Looking back now, I see that those articles are full of just enough of the right kind of information to head off a pre-release revolt.
I have eight characters. Seven of them are below the maximum level of 80. Thanks to the reengineering of traits, I now have no desire to level them the rest of the way to 80. My sense of progression, my sense of accomplishment, has been completely wiped out. If I wanted to grind levels, I'd go back to Lineage II! The really sad thing is, though, that when I heard about having to hunt grandmaster traits in the open world a la the original Guild Wars, I was very excited. I loved the thrill of finding the boss, killing it, and taking it's elite skill for my own. How much fun would it be to do that in Guild Wars 2? Well, not much, to be honest. Join a zerg (if you're lucky enough to be on at event's scheduled time - because everything's scheduled now), auto-attack, and go get a snack. No thrill. No excitement. Whooo, you got the grandmaster trait. Whoopee. Pretty soon I'll be able to face-roll the keyboard and win the game!
One group this "Feature Pack" has shined a lot of light on are the role players. I'm not a role player myself but I feel for them and the fact that their communities, and role playing in the game in general, have been shredded by the institution of the mega-servers. Not only are they are being trolled (sometimes rather rudely, too), but they've lost the ability to tell the stories they want, how they want, when they want, and with whom they want. They can't meet up with friends or guild mates to role play because the mega-server has spread them across various shards with no way to sync up except to log in and out repeatedly. Even then there is no guarantee they'll all make it to the same shard.
I'm not even going to go into the new wardrobe, dye, transmutation, and town clothes fiasco except to ask, "Why?"
Why, ArenaNet? What was the thinking behind the redesign of these game systems? As professionals, you should know that to take away a player's sense of progression in a game is a huge, HUGE, no-no. You should also know that messing with the cosmetic elements of the game is also a huge no-no. As an aspiring game and narrative designer, I'd love to know what the thought process was behind these changes.
As an avid player that loves Guild Wars 2, I'd love to see these changes rolled back. Please. Give back my reason to pla
Friday, April 4, 2014
FSU: I did it!
After four long years I've finally graduated from Full Sail University with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Creative Writing for Entertainment. What an accomplishment. What a trip! It was one of the most frustrating, exhilarating, and transformative experiences of my life. I certainly will never forget it, the lessons learned, or the friends I made along the way. Thank you, Full Sail, for giving me this opportunity. Thank you, professors, for seeing my potential and forcing me to rise to it. Thank you Emily, Amanda, Katti-Anne, Yshaia, Jessica, Mari-Anne, and Corey for commiserating and supporting me along the way. Y'all are the best! Lastly, thank you to my family. I never would have accomplished this with out your love, understanding, and support.
I can't believe it. It still hasn't sunk in. I'm a college graduate!
Now, what to do with my degree? Oh, the possibilities!
I can't believe it. It still hasn't sunk in. I'm a college graduate!
Now, what to do with my degree? Oh, the possibilities!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Gaming: Wild West Town - Tips and Tricks
Wild West Town is a hidden gem of a social game that is available through Facebook. It is set in the old west of American history complete with cowboys, Indians, and the Pony Express. It will keep you occupied for hours with its witty narrative and amusing quest lines.
Every game has its tips and tricks and Wild West Town is no different. Listed below are some that will help you get the most out of your in-game time.
Crops:
• If you want to level up quickly, plant as much cotton as you can afford. Increase the number of plots after each harvest and you’ll soon be raking in the gold, supplies, and experience points.
• If you don’t have enough oil to level up using cotton then an alternative is to plant squash instead.
• If you’re going to be away for a while cook a Big Lunch in the cookhouse. For two mutton chops, one pork chop, and one prize winning pepper your crops will become wither-proof. This meal also restores any withered crops to full health.
• Water your crops! It doesn't use any energy and it gives you experience points. Sometimes it will even give you some oil.
• Plant lemon trees in your orchard. They give supplies, oil, gold, and experience points!
Collectibles:
• Always collect water from your well. Having it in your inventory will speed up quests that call for it. You also won’t have to wait for the collection timer to reset in order to cook some recipes that require it.
• Remember to collect bank notes daily from the bank. If you do, you will soon have a nice pile of notes that will come in handy when you need to bypass tricky quest requirements.
• Oil is necessary to complete many tasks around town so don’t forget to build your Oil Derrick. You can collect oil from it every 3 hours. You can also get oil by planting certain crops and digging with the shovel.
Livestock:
• Buy the maximum number of buffalo (10) as you can. They are expensive but are worth it. They give out 80 supplies when fed. This will allow you to quickly fulfill quest requirements that ask you to earn a certain number of supplies.
• Buy as many cows as you can. They give out 110 gold when fed. This will allow you to quickly meet quest requirements that call for you to earn a certain amount of gold.
• If you need gold, buy livestock! Most animals like the pig, sheep, and dog will sell for twice their purchase price once they have grown to adult.
• If you need energy, buy horses! You can have a maximum of 10 in your town. Each time you feed one you will get two energy in return.
Gameplay:
• Don’t accept a neighbor’s help if you need to do the action to fulfill a quest requirement. If a neighbor does it for you it will not count for the quest!
• Don’t sell decorations! If you need room in your town then store them in your inventory. Quests will often ask for the same items repeatedly. If you have one in your inventory then pulling it out and placing it in your town will often satisfy the requirement.
• Don’t clear away all of the debris that shows up in your town. Set aside a small area for it to collect in. This will be helpful when quests ask you to clear a certain number of debris. You won’t have to wait for more to appear!
• If you have active quests do not collect from your town’s buildings until a quest calls for it. That way you won’t lose valuable game time waiting for a building to reset in order to satisfy a quest requirement.
These tips and tricks are by no means the only ones. If you have a tip or stumbled on a trick that will enhance gameplay, please share it! See you in the Wild West!
Crops:
• If you want to level up quickly, plant as much cotton as you can afford. Increase the number of plots after each harvest and you’ll soon be raking in the gold, supplies, and experience points.
• If you don’t have enough oil to level up using cotton then an alternative is to plant squash instead.
• If you’re going to be away for a while cook a Big Lunch in the cookhouse. For two mutton chops, one pork chop, and one prize winning pepper your crops will become wither-proof. This meal also restores any withered crops to full health.
• Water your crops! It doesn't use any energy and it gives you experience points. Sometimes it will even give you some oil.
• Plant lemon trees in your orchard. They give supplies, oil, gold, and experience points!
Collectibles:
• Always collect water from your well. Having it in your inventory will speed up quests that call for it. You also won’t have to wait for the collection timer to reset in order to cook some recipes that require it.
• Remember to collect bank notes daily from the bank. If you do, you will soon have a nice pile of notes that will come in handy when you need to bypass tricky quest requirements.
• Oil is necessary to complete many tasks around town so don’t forget to build your Oil Derrick. You can collect oil from it every 3 hours. You can also get oil by planting certain crops and digging with the shovel.
Livestock:
• Buy the maximum number of buffalo (10) as you can. They are expensive but are worth it. They give out 80 supplies when fed. This will allow you to quickly fulfill quest requirements that ask you to earn a certain number of supplies.
• Buy as many cows as you can. They give out 110 gold when fed. This will allow you to quickly meet quest requirements that call for you to earn a certain amount of gold.
• If you need gold, buy livestock! Most animals like the pig, sheep, and dog will sell for twice their purchase price once they have grown to adult.
• If you need energy, buy horses! You can have a maximum of 10 in your town. Each time you feed one you will get two energy in return.
Gameplay:
• Don’t accept a neighbor’s help if you need to do the action to fulfill a quest requirement. If a neighbor does it for you it will not count for the quest!
• Don’t sell decorations! If you need room in your town then store them in your inventory. Quests will often ask for the same items repeatedly. If you have one in your inventory then pulling it out and placing it in your town will often satisfy the requirement.
• Don’t clear away all of the debris that shows up in your town. Set aside a small area for it to collect in. This will be helpful when quests ask you to clear a certain number of debris. You won’t have to wait for more to appear!
• If you have active quests do not collect from your town’s buildings until a quest calls for it. That way you won’t lose valuable game time waiting for a building to reset in order to satisfy a quest requirement.
These tips and tricks are by no means the only ones. If you have a tip or stumbled on a trick that will enhance gameplay, please share it! See you in the Wild West!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Gaming: Hello Kitty Online Review at MMORPG.com
Most people disparage Hello Kitty Online as a child's game while others feel it's not a true MMORPG like World of Warcraft, Rift, or Guild Wars. This animosity piqued my curiosity. Is Hello Kitty Online as bad as many say it is? Should those who are less skilled at gameplay than the typical MMO gamer be taunted with admonitions to "go play Hello Kitty Online"? I took the plunge and found out. Read about my experience here: Hello Kitty Online: Very Much a Niche MMO.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
FSU: Art and Ideals in the 21st Century
I was tasked by my Art History professor with finding pieces of art that either detailed what is important to the 21st century person or best describes the ideals of the 21st century. To do this I browsed the extensive collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I believe the three pieces I have chosen show both. Join me behind the cut to see my choices...
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Gaming: Myst Online: URU Live Review at MMORPG.com
Thinking about giving Myst Online: URU Live a try? I did. Read about my experience here: Myst Online: URU Live Review.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Gaming: Another Pet Peeve
Let me get this straight, Clipwire...
You put a new building in the game and associate it with a quest. That's cool. New things are always fun and shiny. What's not fun and shiny is the fact that you require the players to "hire" friends to work in the new building. Why is that not fun and shiny? Because of how the requirement works. If I have 20 friends and they're already working in another one of my many buildings then they cannot accept a job in the NEW building. The game doesn't allow it. So, that means to complete the building I have to persuade enough friends to start playing the game that I will be able to complete the hiring portion of the building quest and be able to complete the building.
How utterly ridiculous. Your game isn't that popular. I'm lucky to have 20 friends that have accepted my invitation to play. Out of those 20 perhaps 5 play daily. Maybe. And I can't hire them to work in my new building because they've already accepted a job request from me for a different building.
Change the requirement, Clipwire. It's great that you're adding new content. It's great that you're trying to get new players engaged in your game but this isn't the way to do it. Hidden, forced recruiting is a huge turn-off. If I want to invite a friend, I will (and have). It's a fun game and has a lot to offer. Emphasize those areas instead of trying to trick your players into recruiting. You'll find your daily and monthly active user numbers soar.
You put a new building in the game and associate it with a quest. That's cool. New things are always fun and shiny. What's not fun and shiny is the fact that you require the players to "hire" friends to work in the new building. Why is that not fun and shiny? Because of how the requirement works. If I have 20 friends and they're already working in another one of my many buildings then they cannot accept a job in the NEW building. The game doesn't allow it. So, that means to complete the building I have to persuade enough friends to start playing the game that I will be able to complete the hiring portion of the building quest and be able to complete the building.
How utterly ridiculous. Your game isn't that popular. I'm lucky to have 20 friends that have accepted my invitation to play. Out of those 20 perhaps 5 play daily. Maybe. And I can't hire them to work in my new building because they've already accepted a job request from me for a different building.
Change the requirement, Clipwire. It's great that you're adding new content. It's great that you're trying to get new players engaged in your game but this isn't the way to do it. Hidden, forced recruiting is a huge turn-off. If I want to invite a friend, I will (and have). It's a fun game and has a lot to offer. Emphasize those areas instead of trying to trick your players into recruiting. You'll find your daily and monthly active user numbers soar.
Gaming: Asheron's Call Review at MMORPG.com
Asheron's Call is an old school MMO that helped establish MMORPGs in the world of gaming. As an MMO newbie, I decided to give it a try. Read about my experiences here: Asheron's Call: Can it Deliver Today?
Monday, April 30, 2012
Gaming: Interview with Angel Leigh McCoy of ArenaNet
Recently, I had the fantastic opportunity to interview Angel Leigh McCoy, a narrative designer at ArenaNet, who is currently working on Guild Wars 2. She has written about the Asurans and helped develop the new Sylvari race. Outside of ArenaNet and Guild Wars 2 she is the head editor of WilyWriters.com and a published author with a penchant for horror and dark fantasy.
Follow me behind the cut for the interview and a look into how art influences games and game writing!
Follow me behind the cut for the interview and a look into how art influences games and game writing!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Gaming: A Pet Peeve
Don't make your player buy a duplicate of an item if they already own it. If the player owns an object and it is in storage allow the player to pull it out and place it in the game to fulfill all relevant portions of a quest, not just one portion. Once the item is placed in the game update the quest so that the requirement to buy one from the shop is fulfilled. If it's not the player has no choice but to waste gold buying a duplicate to fulfill it. If the intent of requiring the player to buy a duplicate of an object is as a money sink then mark the original object as broken. It will introduce a new object state in the game but this could be used to an advantage to soak up all the extra gold floating around.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
FSU: A Change in Degree Program
I know this blog has been quiet. There's a reason for that. I finally realized what career path I wanted to follow. I've decided to follow my dream and become a writer. Not just any old writer, either. I'm going to write for games. I love stories. I've spent countless hours with Hugo traipsing through Paris. Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" is so engaging that I read and watch every version of it I can find. Why? Because it's a holiday ghost story that sucks me in every time. I won't even go into the countless hours spent reading Edgar Allan Poe. The man's genius created a world I was both very afraid of and yet wanted to enter with every fiber of my being. I want to bring that kind of story immersion to games.
I know it's possible. I experienced it with Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, Guild Wars, Mass Effect, and Age of Conan. The seamless integration of story with gameplay may seem like a pipe dream to some but I have faith. As games get more sophisticated, they become more dependent on the storyline to drive the player's motives. This presents countless opportunities to integrate interactive storytelling; to take it to the next level.
So, the silence here was because I had a huge task ahead of me. I was already half-way through the Game Design program and needed to make up my mind on whether to transfer degree programs or stay put. I had put in a heck of a lot of work on my Game Design degree and I didn't want that knowledge to go to waste. I spoke with the program director for the Creative Writing for Entertainment Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree and found that Game Writing was one of the areas the program focused on. She also stressed that the main focus of the program is to hone my skills as a writer so that I will be able to write for any medium. I liked this aspect. Where the Game Design program focused specifically on designing games the Creative Writing program has a much broader application.
I was sold. I began the transfer process and on September 26 I finally, officially, became a Creative Writing for Entertainment student at Full Sail. I'm excited. I've always wanted to write. Books are my one enduring passion and to finally combine a career and my education with that passion has made me one very happy camper.
I know it's possible. I experienced it with Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, Guild Wars, Mass Effect, and Age of Conan. The seamless integration of story with gameplay may seem like a pipe dream to some but I have faith. As games get more sophisticated, they become more dependent on the storyline to drive the player's motives. This presents countless opportunities to integrate interactive storytelling; to take it to the next level.
So, the silence here was because I had a huge task ahead of me. I was already half-way through the Game Design program and needed to make up my mind on whether to transfer degree programs or stay put. I had put in a heck of a lot of work on my Game Design degree and I didn't want that knowledge to go to waste. I spoke with the program director for the Creative Writing for Entertainment Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree and found that Game Writing was one of the areas the program focused on. She also stressed that the main focus of the program is to hone my skills as a writer so that I will be able to write for any medium. I liked this aspect. Where the Game Design program focused specifically on designing games the Creative Writing program has a much broader application.
I was sold. I began the transfer process and on September 26 I finally, officially, became a Creative Writing for Entertainment student at Full Sail. I'm excited. I've always wanted to write. Books are my one enduring passion and to finally combine a career and my education with that passion has made me one very happy camper.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Gaming: Stop Lurking!
A fan-site for a game I'm stoked about has advertised for staff. I thought to myself that I would be good at that. I'm very interested in the game and have been following its development for a long time. Then I saw that you had to write about what you've contributed to the community as part of the application process. That killed it for me. There is a community of sorts but it's not very big and I've never contributed to it. I never saw the need because, even though game info started leaking around 2007, it was always the same people discussing it. So, I maintained my wallflower status. Now the game is in super-secret closed beta, the hype is heating up, and this opportunity presented itself. I'm wishing I hadn't lurked on the edges. Moral of the story? Don't lurk. Get involved. Even if all you do is say "Hi" at least you're participating in the community.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Gaming: Déjà Vu and Social Games
Where is the innovative and cutting-edge gameplay and design? It seems like everything is a rehash/remake/sequel of something else. I understand that there are no new, original ideas any longer, but gameplay should not evoke a serious feeling of déjà vu. Yet that's exactly what I've been experiencing lately while playing various social games.
Paradise Life by Ice Break Games is FrontierVille wrapped in a tropical island setting. The gameplay is identical. Granted, there are small differences but they're not large or unique enough to differentiate the gameplay.
Now, EA is developing The Sims Social for Facebook. Based on screenshots posted to the game's Facebook page it looks like The Sims 1 has simply been ported. In fact, I believe I had some of the furniture shown in the screenshots in my Sims 1 game. I will reserve complete judgement until I've actually played the game, but the screenshots evoked a serious feeling of déjà vu. I'm now less excited for the game than I had been.
Paradise Life by Ice Break Games is FrontierVille wrapped in a tropical island setting. The gameplay is identical. Granted, there are small differences but they're not large or unique enough to differentiate the gameplay.
Now, EA is developing The Sims Social for Facebook. Based on screenshots posted to the game's Facebook page it looks like The Sims 1 has simply been ported. In fact, I believe I had some of the furniture shown in the screenshots in my Sims 1 game. I will reserve complete judgement until I've actually played the game, but the screenshots evoked a serious feeling of déjà vu. I'm now less excited for the game than I had been.
(Note: The links in this post are broken as of January, 2023.)
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Post: My Cylon Computer
My new computer is a Cylon! I keep expecting to hear the distinctive Cylon scanning sound every time I see the red glowing light out of the corner of my eye. It's vaguely disconcerting and yet nostalgic of my childhood watching the original Battlestar Galactica series. Perhaps it's a Transformer-Cylon hybrid that's lying in wait for the order to wreck havoc on the world...
Monday, June 13, 2011
Post: New Desktop Incoming & Zombies!
Well, my desktop is past its prime. I'm going to be getting a new, much more powerful, one today or tomorrow. I'm a bit nervous because I've now got to prep everything important for the move from the old to the new. I don't want to lose any of my goodies but at some point you've got to clean stuff out. So,I'm attempting to bundle up everything I can't live without but I know there's going to be something I forget to include.
Zombies. I love them. I finally saw Resident Evil: Afterlife this weekend and it was rather enjoyable. There were parts where the grab from other IPs was blatantly obvious but it made up for that with the awesome action scenes. Three instances where the movie obviously grabbed from other IPs:
Zombies. I love them. I finally saw Resident Evil: Afterlife this weekend and it was rather enjoyable. There were parts where the grab from other IPs was blatantly obvious but it made up for that with the awesome action scenes. Three instances where the movie obviously grabbed from other IPs:
- Axeman was a grab from Silent Hill and Pyramid Head.
- The emergency broadcast was a grab from I Am Legend.
- The idea to soup up an abandoned Military Armoured Vehicle (specifically an Omni International V-150-S) to drive through the zombie horde is a grab from Dawn of the Dead.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Gaming: Hellgate - Global Closed Beta
I enjoyed my time in Hellgate: Global this weekend. I created a Marksman, and she kicked ass. I was able to get her to level 11 before the beta ended. It wasn't without its problems, though.
The biggest problem was the fact that they handed out closed beta keys like candy so they could stress test the server. Well, it was stressed all right. The server crashed, which led to a long downtime while the devs attempted to solve the issue. The quick fix didn't completely solve the problem, either, as there were still random disconnects and lagging. Then again, there are random disconnects and lagging in fully released MMOs so perhaps it is fixed!
A very noticeable problem is the game art. The textures for the world objects are blurry and badly rendered. On the other hand, the textures for my character were crisp and nicely rendered. I could understand this if the model detail and texture settings differed, but they didn't. Everything was set as high as it could possibly go, and I restarted the game to make sure all the settings were applied. I hope they redo the textures as the blurriness really detracts from the game's immersiveness.
Another issue I noticed is that for an MMO the game is very solo friendly. I soloed the whole time from level 1 to 11 and that included all the bosses. This was good for me (I didn't have to share any of the filthy lucre) but bodes ill for the game. Too much filthy lucre from players running solo and getting huge boss drops intended for groups will saturate the market and devalue the currency and items. It'll be just as easy to get a Unique item as it'll be one that's simply Enhanced. I hope they adjust the ramping and loot drop rates. Otherwise, there will be no challenge and without a challenge there won't be much reason to play.
The last issue I noticed was the mangled dialogue. It needs a lot of work even though it was originally written in English. That makes me wonder what in the world happened there. It's obvious they translated the game from English to an Asian dialect (the game's been available in Asia since 2008) and then back to English for this relaunch. What happened to the original English dialogue? Why didn't they use it as a guide when they translated the game back to English? It would have made more sense to do that than to hand the dialogue over to a non-native speaker (as they obviously did) for translation.
I look forward to revisiting Hellgate: Global in the future whether that is in another closed beta, an open beta, or at official relaunch. Nothing provides the level of stress relief and fun as kicking zombie ass post-apocalypse does.
The biggest problem was the fact that they handed out closed beta keys like candy so they could stress test the server. Well, it was stressed all right. The server crashed, which led to a long downtime while the devs attempted to solve the issue. The quick fix didn't completely solve the problem, either, as there were still random disconnects and lagging. Then again, there are random disconnects and lagging in fully released MMOs so perhaps it is fixed!
A very noticeable problem is the game art. The textures for the world objects are blurry and badly rendered. On the other hand, the textures for my character were crisp and nicely rendered. I could understand this if the model detail and texture settings differed, but they didn't. Everything was set as high as it could possibly go, and I restarted the game to make sure all the settings were applied. I hope they redo the textures as the blurriness really detracts from the game's immersiveness.
Another issue I noticed is that for an MMO the game is very solo friendly. I soloed the whole time from level 1 to 11 and that included all the bosses. This was good for me (I didn't have to share any of the filthy lucre) but bodes ill for the game. Too much filthy lucre from players running solo and getting huge boss drops intended for groups will saturate the market and devalue the currency and items. It'll be just as easy to get a Unique item as it'll be one that's simply Enhanced. I hope they adjust the ramping and loot drop rates. Otherwise, there will be no challenge and without a challenge there won't be much reason to play.
The last issue I noticed was the mangled dialogue. It needs a lot of work even though it was originally written in English. That makes me wonder what in the world happened there. It's obvious they translated the game from English to an Asian dialect (the game's been available in Asia since 2008) and then back to English for this relaunch. What happened to the original English dialogue? Why didn't they use it as a guide when they translated the game back to English? It would have made more sense to do that than to hand the dialogue over to a non-native speaker (as they obviously did) for translation.
I look forward to revisiting Hellgate: Global in the future whether that is in another closed beta, an open beta, or at official relaunch. Nothing provides the level of stress relief and fun as kicking zombie ass post-apocalypse does.
(Note: The links in this post are broken as of January,2023.)
Friday, June 3, 2011
FSU: Grades, Usability, & Zombies!
This blog was started as part of my Analysis Project for my Game Design And Development Analysis class at Full Sail University. I'm very proud
to say that I got a 100% on it. It was a lot of work and took a fair bit of time over
the last month, but the grade made it all worth while.
Usability is turning into a very interesting class. I don't think I'll ever look at everyday items the same way again. A lot of their functionality is missed because we're so used to the items and think we intuitively know how to use them. What we're missing are the almost invisible clues the designers leave behind to nudge us in the correct direction. For example: a door handle that's placed ever-so-slightly towards the side of the door that opens. We don't immediately perceive the placement, but it silently directs us to the proper side, so we're not stuck pushing on the wrong side thinking the door doesn't work.
Hellgate London is being rebooted by Hanbitsoft (Aika)as simply "Hellgate" later this evening. It's supposed to be a closed beta but they're handing out keys like they're candy. I think it's more of a marketing preview than an actual beta. The game's been live in Asia under a free-to-play model since 2008 so I doubt there are that many bugs or glitches to warrant an actual closed beta. Still, I may pop in to see how the game is since I didn't get a chance to while Namcao Bandai and Flagship were in charge. It definitely holds some interest considering the setting is right up my alley. I love a good apocolypse!
Usability is turning into a very interesting class. I don't think I'll ever look at everyday items the same way again. A lot of their functionality is missed because we're so used to the items and think we intuitively know how to use them. What we're missing are the almost invisible clues the designers leave behind to nudge us in the correct direction. For example: a door handle that's placed ever-so-slightly towards the side of the door that opens. We don't immediately perceive the placement, but it silently directs us to the proper side, so we're not stuck pushing on the wrong side thinking the door doesn't work.
Hellgate London is being rebooted by Hanbitsoft (Aika)as simply "Hellgate" later this evening. It's supposed to be a closed beta but they're handing out keys like they're candy. I think it's more of a marketing preview than an actual beta. The game's been live in Asia under a free-to-play model since 2008 so I doubt there are that many bugs or glitches to warrant an actual closed beta. Still, I may pop in to see how the game is since I didn't get a chance to while Namcao Bandai and Flagship were in charge. It definitely holds some interest considering the setting is right up my alley. I love a good apocolypse!
(Note: Some of the links in this post are broken as of January, 2023.)
Monday, May 30, 2011
FSU: Game Design and Development Analysis
This was a tough class. While it did teach me how to look at just about everything analytically it was a lot of work. I've come to understand that I do not look at the world analytically at all so this added to the difficulty. I also do not like writing analytical pieces.
I'm more of an opinion-based thinker. I "feel" and have a gut instinct that I tend to follow instead of picking things apart to find the "hows" and "whys" of it. While I'll use my newly acquired analytical skills to the best of my abilities I think I'll stick with my intuition also. It's gotten me this far!
Usability is my next class. It sounds rather interesting. I'm looking forward to it and its challenges.
I'm more of an opinion-based thinker. I "feel" and have a gut instinct that I tend to follow instead of picking things apart to find the "hows" and "whys" of it. While I'll use my newly acquired analytical skills to the best of my abilities I think I'll stick with my intuition also. It's gotten me this far!
Usability is my next class. It sounds rather interesting. I'm looking forward to it and its challenges.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)