Wise fwom yow gwave

If you haven't read the online campaign journal for my Age of Worms game, you probably aren't aware that I have little free time nowadays. It feels like an extra job with the time I've sunk into it, really. It's fun, though, for a job.

I have two names on the journal; Swivl, and Hazard Stormwalker (for my character of the same name). The thing is, after starting the game the second week of May, we're as of now almost halfway done with the game. If you think that's a while, well, we're ahead of the game so far, as the original adventure was published over the course of a year.

It's still a bit troubling, though, as my group could use more cohesion. I have a power gamer mixing in with people who aren't nearly as interested as he is in character optimization. The result, usually, is that he takes attention away from the other players, not giving them too many chances to shine in their roles (killing all the monsters, finding all the traps and secret doors, seeing all the enemies through their disguises and hiding spots, etc.). I could go on for days on the subject, but the point is that my job as mediator is very difficult, and this group can potentially split, leaving our power gamer behind. I'd rather find a way to make all involved happier, but I know it may be an impossible task.

While this is going on, I'm still writing my own game, albeit slowly. I decided on a good goalpost, though; as soon as I get the disciplines up and running, I'll convert an oldie-but-goodie module to work with my game system: the original Ravenloft I6 from AD&D. It's the definitive horror adventure, and possibly the best adventure ever written. My game isn't intended to be like D&D, but I thought that this is still a good idea because I didn't want to introduce too many new things at once to whoever tests this game out with me. Plus, since the adventure itself borrows heavily from many horror classics, the atmosphere of the game will be familiar regardless of experience with tabletop RPGs.

After my seat at the Game Master's chair is relinquished, it is likely that I will stay out of it for quite some time. I'm looking forward to the adventure, as well as its conclusion, because now I have a plan of action for what I do next.

It Doesn't Matter What Your Name Is

I watch some internet shows, and I post on different forums and blogs, and I've noticed that since more and more of our social encounters are based on this, people will come to know you by your screen name. It seems so obvious it hurts, but really, especially with these shows, even people you meet in real life you refer to them as their screen name. They will also refer to themselves as their screen name. Hell, I don't even mention my name in this blog (which is intentional). I've gone to parties where I wouldn't tell them my real name, and they would just know Swivl (there's a practical reason for this, too). So, thinking on this, my hypothesis is that your real name doesn't matter for anything beyond legal and money matters.

In the future, it may mean even less, and that things would be tied more toward the ID number or some such than a name (maybe an ID implant, who knows). Names can repeat, after all, and not just on junior.

It's hard enough at the casino, where people use their real name for credit transactions, because so many card companies don't like to print out the full name on the card. With Mexicans, it's even more tricky with having frequently-occurring last names, plus their naming scheme which switches their middle name and last name in some documents, making completely safe ID verification nearly impossible. Then, add that so many banks won't put the "Jr." on a card where it might be necessary because the histories are so different, being different people and all.

Screen names are interesting; they're like rap names. They sum up your persona in some way that makes sense to you. You may have different ones, or you may have only one and you use it everywhere you go (I'm in the latter category, but even that is a recent development).

TL;DR version: My name is Swivl. You need not know anything else to call me.

2010 E3 Impressions

After lots of refreshing of browsers and watching of many videos, I believe I have a good idea of how this year's E3 turned out. First, I'll give you my gamer impressions.

Sony fails to deliver anything interesting again this year. I don't see myself buying a Move or PSeye or any PS3 or PSP games or systems. Sorry, Sony, you got my money for your first two PlayStations, but not again. Maybe next generation.

Microsoft has barely convinced me to keep my 360 plugged in, but the games I do want for the system I actually want to buy. I'm a sucker for Castlevania games, and I have pretty fond memories of Hydro Thunder, so the Summer of Arcade they have going on soon will be where I spend my MS points.

Nintendo will be draining my wallet again this year with so many cool things coming out soon. Kirby looks good, but I know my roommate will buy it first, so I can pick up Donkey Kong Country Returns. The 3DS is a must-have, as well. For Wii, I want the new GoldenEye, DKCR, and Zelda: Skyward Sword. For DS, I want the new Golden Sun, and Pokemon Black. For 3DS, I want the new Kid Icarus, Mario Kart, Star Fox 64, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Pilotwings Resort, Metal Gear, and Professor Layton. Gah, too much.

Okay, now it's time to put the business hat on.

Sony fails to deliver anything interesting again this year. Why are they showing PSP commercials during a press conference? I don't see anything that would drive the system sales up very far. Their big bets are on Move and 3D gaming, but both motion control and 3D visuals are available elsewhere for much cheaper. Why bother with a $2000 TV with extra glasses for each person anyway? Something like this, in an economy like this, is destined for failure. Plus, it raises a few questions. How would someone who needs glasses normally wear 3D glasses? How uncomfortable would that be? How uncomfortable are the glasses in the first place? What if you only have enough glasses for your family, and some friends come over and want to watch a movie? Can you turn the 3D off on a 3D movie? Where is the 3D content? People who are interested in actually buying things like this have these questions, so it's up to companies like Sony to provide the answers. So far, the answers are not adequate for adoption if you ask me. Maybe next generation.

Microsoft has a lot riding on Kinect, and their marketing budget shows it. From broadcasting a show in Times Square, hiring Cirque de Soleil to show off Kinect, dedicating 3/4 of their time to shine on Kinect this year, they're pushing pretty hard here. The problem lies in their opening lineup, though. With 4 fitness games, 3 sports compilations and 2 dance games making up more than half their launch library, it's becoming clear (or at least sending the message) that Kinect functionality is fairly limited in scope. It doesn't matter the hype, if the games don't deliver, the word will spread quickly and sales will drop dramatically. That's the thing about hype. You will get sales on opening day, no doubt. But true staying power only happens when the games are good. I see bunches of Wii knock-offs here and even there the success is limited to quality products only. Also marking against Kinect is the fact that it is still an optional add-on device. The most successful add-on ever is the Wii balance board, so they might be right in that using Kinect as a fitness aid may be a good idea, but they might be wrong in that the ship has already sailed on that one, and most anyone interested in health and gaming has already picked up Wii Fit+ and EA Active. Who knows, except I'm sure that after launch, no fitness product for Kinect will succeed, considering how saturated the launch will be.

Nintendo is a brutal company to work against. They've been two steps ahead of the competition this whole generation. They're making Microsoft and Sony look foolish now that their consoles need motion controls, and not the other way around. Plus, with how long it took for them to get up to speed on that front, Nintendo is already established market leader and ready to take customers into their core market base with bridge games with mass market appeal. Plus, with the 3DS, Sony's portable market is destined to shrink from launch day forward. Sony managed 31% of the market, more than any other portable competitor ever, so their unprecedented feat didn't go unnoticed. This, though, is the coup de grace. If Nintendo had their way, Sony's PSP will be irrelevant in 2 years. Sony will have to put out a great new PSP that does everything 3DS does and better, but by then, Nintendo's market will have already established, and they will be forced to play keep up. It wasn't a lack of competition that gave the Game Boy its dominating success, but a lack of competence in its competition. It was about 7 years ago that Nintendo held 95% of the portable market, and a look back at portable history will show many machines in the graveyard, all of them more capable than the Game Boy. If Sony rushes the next portable out, it will be dead on arrival.

So there you have it. Questions, comments, concerns, you know where to put 'em.

Natal/Kinect Yawnatogs

Still, so far, nobody outside of paid actors have played with this device. This is really bad news. The way to get real impressions on people and to make buzz and headlines in video games is to have people play video games. Simple, isn't it? Apparently Microsoft is still learning how to play the game here.

The games they did have nobody wanted, and the ones they wanted weren't ready for anything outside of speculative renderings with actors flailing around in front of them. Microsoft is four years too late to pull something like this. They need to prove their worth on Nintendo's terms if they play copycat with Nintendo's strategies. Which means, then, getting people to play your products and let everyone else do the talking. Instead, they show this crap off to you and expect you to be tantalized with the prospect of playing a game, but for you to not play it. Fantastic.

Why is this not ready for anyone to try, if it's supposed to be released in November? Why, of all places E3, would you not have people play your games? And for that matter, why are we not talking about a price point for this product? Is the reality of this product so scary?

As soon as my concerns are addressed, I will have a different opinion, and my criticisms will be retracted, but things are not looking up for XBOX right now.

Big Days Ahead

The big show is coming in a couple days. I'll be watching up to the minute for the press conferences for the bunches of big news. I think you guys know where most of my attention will go, but I will watch for anything and everything that catches my eye. I will put my business hat on and do some amateur analysis of the direction each major company will take. I have so far been on a perfect record for hardware, knowing which is the best and worst of the bunch, but I need a bit more practice and insight for the software. I know what I like, but I'm not quite there on what sells. I will nonetheless make my predictions anyway.

The buzz surrounding the 3DS is making me excited, and I can't wait to see what it is. There's rumors of a new PSP, so that might catch my interest (though with more than a few models and packages out, it'd take something special). Project Natal doesn't excite me, and it'd also take a lot to make me want that add-on. Sony's Move, well, I already own a Wii, and the PS3 games already available haven't made me buy one, so it'll probably wait even longer than Natal, if ever.

I'm always down for a new Zelda game, but that track might not last forever. Spirit Tracks was nice, and Phantom Hourglass actually surprised me, but something about Anouma's direction with the series has left me wanting. He did great with Majora's Mask, and Wind Waker was great, too, but subsequent entries have petered out a bit. Looking at the interviews with him, Miyamoto and Iwata, big change is in order for the Zelda series, a return to roots of sorts, and that must be good.

For Nintendo in general, I expect them to do just fine. The past year has been pretty good, so for the next year, even if they do just as good as this one, it'll be okay. They will do better, though, just because of the 3DS reveal and details. Plus, I heard that the conference is 2 hours long, so they must have a lot to go over to keep everyone's eyes on them for that long. We'll see if that's true in a couple days.

For the Sculptor in All of Us

Link.

I've been toying with this program for about an hour now, and I have to say, this stuff is really good. Here's the first model I started just to show you what I did in short order. The full-size one looks better than this.

Something like this might usually go in an email, but my blog has a bit more coverage than my current mailing list, so I thought I'd put it here.

Anyway, this is fun to use, easy to understand (it's like sculpting), plus there is a community behind it with tons to show as far as tutorials, extra tools, and just plain showing off what they can do with this free program.

Have fun!

15-hour Game Session

Well, really, the title's about the size of it. My gaming group just had an all-night Pathfinder RP session from approximately 5pm-8am. I'm ridiculously tired right now, so after I wake up, and post on the campaign journal, I might have something good to post here.

Speed Runs

I watch a lot of video game speed runs. They're entertaining to me. Some runs come with commentary tracks, too, taking you "behind the scenes" of quick game play. Recently added to the list of systems with speed runs is everyone's favorite flop of a system the Virtual Boy. Since 3d is new again now, videos on youtube and other encoded video has shown up capable of displaying it. Perfect match then, for the ol' VB. The first tool-assisted VB run (I think technically all VB runs would be tool-assisted) I've seen was for Wario Land. Be aware, that to see this one properly it needs a red-blue pair of 3d glasses. It's not too necessary, though, to get the idea of what's going on, it just looks funny.

Haters in the Game Industry

Link Here. Actually, I'm not sure I want to give them more traffic. So, I'll sum up: game sales fall, and an analyst blames Nintendo.

This and this is what's actually happening.

This sort of thing happens all the time, so it's not news to me. Whenever something happens in the industry, Nintendo is doomed. Sales are up, and Nintendo is doomed. Sales are down, and Nintendo is doomed. Nintendo breaks sales records, and Nintendo is doomed. I wish it were an inside joke, but inside the industry, some people have a vested interest in Nintendo failing at every corner.

Help Some Indie Developers

Link Here.

Contribute as much or as little as you want to these devs as they offer an open price for a bundle of games. Make a donation to charity while you're at it, too. I did.

Campaign Journal

Very soon, likely next week, my gaming friends and I will embark on our biggest journey yet. We will take on the Age of Worms adventure path. This game will take us through every level of game play (1-20), and will most likely take one year for us to complete. Considering that we meet twice a week, for usually 5 hours each day, that makes for 520 hours of gaming together.

My friends and I will be chronicling our deeds with an online campaign journal, where we will post our experiences throughout the game. As a group that has had the deserved reputation of never finishing a game, our first real complete game in a very long time was the last time I ran a game (we went through the Legacy of Fire, a 1-15). So, with me at the helm once more, the lofty goal of a complete game is one I'm very interested in meeting, and one I'm encouraging. The journal is one way I'm doing that.

The journal will be found here.

So if my blog is neglected, you guys will know precisely why.

UPDATE: My character's origin is up.

Design Thoughts

Getting one of those, "A-ha!" moments is a fantastic motivator when designing anything. It's a very satisfying feeling to progress in a fashion that allows for these moments to occur.

I've been on and off with this game of mine for 7 years now. What draws me back most often is two things: a fundamental dissatisfaction with tabletop RPGs as they are, and those "A-ha!" moments.

I've made it a routine of mine to at least take a look at something different every week, despite not making much headway lately. Maybe I was hoping for a breakthrough, but maybe I was just making a habit out of doing nothing with it. Either way, I have at least temporarily alleviated the lack-of-progress condition I've had.

Every now and then I like to play-test the design in progress with a group I trust to give honest feedback. Each time it's been different people, and each time I've made big strides in how the game itself functions at the table. I look at everything at this time. What they react to, how they react, what I'm doing, how I feel about the flow of the game, after-session feedback, are all things I think about after each session. This is interactive entertainment, and the more engaged they are, the more interactive it becomes.

One of these days I'd like whoever is reading this blog to play my finished game, or even play as a tester when the opportunity shows itself.

Scottish Pirate Metal

You know, I have an interesting taste in music. I'll elaborate on this in later posts, but just know that I found this pretty entertaining, and I'm not much into metal. Pirates are awesome, though, so that just may explain it.

Quote of the Day

Link.

“…With No More Heroes 1, the idea came when I was literally sitting on the toilet. It was the result of trying to empty my bowels, if you like. With No More Heroes 2, I tried to get rid of whatever was left in my bowels, and luckily it happened. What we are hoping to do now with No More Heroes 3 is probably to digest everything we eat, and then purge absolutely everything in our guts, just like diarrhea.” – Suda51

Game development as described by an infamous developer.

Random News Update

I had a breakthrough in game design for my RPG yesterday. I hope this turns out well.

I successfully trained a cashier in kiosk, the first cashier to do so, in three days (faster than expected, to be sure. Most trainees are given at least a week or two).

I just finished a drink my roommate and I made up, the Kall of Kahloohoo (Vodka, Kahlua, and Yoohoo, and named after Call of Cthulu if you didn't get the reference). It knocked me on my ass. Plus, it was delicious, and I don't like coffee.

The last four US Virtual Boy games are estimated total cost $260 that I don't have. That will have to wait a bit. I need a new stand, too, which I haven't found separately. The only way to get them soon is be lucky enough to find them in a thrift shop again.

For people who loved Donkey Kong Country 2, remixed, remastered and redone music from the game is now available for your enjoyment.

Link here for story and youtube video.

Torrent here if you just want it now.

Ironbeard Still At It

I just got a hold of a demo of this game. I then proceeded to play it for 2 hours, which is something I haven't done with a demo since Metal Gear Solid back in 1998. I'm really liking it, and will likely post impressions on this game when I get it.

Piracy Addendum

Well, what do you know. Try any harder, industry, and every last customer will leave you for greener pastures.

Design Talk Commentary

The big picture to take away from the speech itself is this: a very possible future where technology is quite disposable, and sensors everywhere influencing our behavior. The speech itself shows real examples of current trends that already have this paradigm, and where it could lead. Let's discuss this.

The idea is pretty sound, and also a bit scary. First of all, those paranoid conspiracy theorists that talk about world domination through social engineering would be partially right. Only, it's not the government, but corporations competing for mindset and dollars. I'm not so sure of a few examples he gave, but certainly business would want to have a say in people's behavior.

The points and rewards programs work. I've seen this personally; most of the clientele at my workplace are repeat customers with reward cards, and the more they spend, the better the rewards (easy enough to understand). Better yet, the casino just added a higher tier customer (giving us 4) with even more extras (the list is really long, even getting their own exclusive clothing line). Seeing this applied everywhere business happens is no surprise, as any advantage one corporation gets, the others have to follow or fall far behind.

For some situations (namely, the insurance example), this might not be so bad. It might really work in your favor if you already live a healthy lifestyle. Personally, I don't need anyone to tell me how to live (unless my behavior is endangering me), but don't mind the idea of incentives. I am already under surveillance for many of my waking hours, so that isn't really new to me (what's unsettling is when people know who you are, and you don't even know what they look like).

All in all, it's good to at least consider the possibilities, as nobody really knows what the future holds.

Piracy

You know how it goes.

Really, there's not much to see here, as this happens all the time. Some new digital rights management scheme fails in a day, and piracy ensues. I understand the need for a company to protect its intellectual property, and to make money from the product they spent thousands and thousands of dollars and hours to make in the first place, but DRM, as it has been, is far beyond a flawed approach. The mantra goes nowadays, "You only hurt the real customers who have to go through all the hoops to get your game to work. The pirates circumvent all your protection, so they don't have any of the hassle." This is entirely true, yet we see this situation repeated ad nauseam in the entertaiment businesses as a whole.

The typical response goes a little like this. The argument presented ignores a lot of things, here. First, nothing is said about the legitimate customer. I've seen personal accounts of DRM so invasive that people who buy the game have to pirate it anyway because the game doesn't work, and pirates fix it. That shouldn't be a part of the playing of a game; the game to get the game to work. It's not a matter of inconvenience, it's a matter of even being able to play the game they bought. This should be a sign of a broken system, yet people are actually defending it. Secondly, who says a game must be bought before you get to play it? Why not a trial period, a demo, or even shareware (remember that)? What happens when I go over to a friends place and play the game over there first? I didn't buy it, but I'm playing the game. If getting an idea of what you're buying into before you buy it is criminal, I'm not interested in legal activities. I like Tycho's statement in the news section: "Pirates always win, on a long enough timeline. Honestly, the timeline doesn't even need to be that long."

Being exclusionary only hurts the image of a notoriously exclusive hobby.

I Love These Commercials

Not much to add, other than, "Enjoy!"

Very Interesting Design Talk

Link Here.

Please, if you're interested in games, take the time to watch the video, as it's one of the more important messages about the future of games I've seen or read in the past 3 years.

I will post a commentary later, when time allows it.

As an aside, I've noticed that so much of my blog has been gaming related, it doesn't really look like a personal blog. I'm not sure what to make of that just yet.

New Classics, Revisited

Last year I made a post of what I believed at the time to be the future classic games; ones that would be played years from now, as today's classics are. Well, after a bit of time, a couple of those have been a bit left behind, and so far I am 2/5 (still "classic" are Wii Sports and Resident Evil 4). Not one to give up, I am bringing this topic up to speed with more current events and better information. With that in mind, here are some more future classics.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii - Now, somebody out there might be thinking (is anyone even reading this?), what about Super Mario Galaxy? That game was a masterpiece! Well, yes, it was, and I'm sure you loved it, but whoever had that thought is a gamer. Gamers do love them some Galaxy, to be sure, but it seems to be gamers exclusively that love this game. Show me anyone with two hands, though, and I'll show you somebody who loves them some Super Mario Bros. That's the indefatigable appeal of New Super Mario Bros. Wii. So why not both, you ask (who are you, anyway?)? Well, I have some news for you.

Mario Kart Wii - Last Mario game, I swear, but this is already the best-selling racer of any kind ever, and still going (sales people say, "Look at those legs" for games that just keep selling, which is just south of 21 million as of this post). The only way to unseat this one is to make a better Mario Kart.

Shaq Fu - Wait, or was it Superman 64

Actually, after looking at all the other releases lately, I can't think of much. Classics certainly are a rare gem, though, so perhaps this is for the better.

Now, back to playing me some Waterworld