Finished the System Shock 2. Great ride right up to the end. The end features two relatively un-inspired boss battles, back to back. And, like most people, I have to say relative to the rest of the game, it feels rushed. For the majority of SS2, you creep around, sneaking and shooting, hacking and hunting. These last too confrontations are straight run and gun. And the 'organic' level is just major aggravation.
If you're going to give it a go, at least seek out one of the hi-res texture replacement packs. I may fiddle with one of the model upgrades as well, but now that I've been through once, I'm probably done. Being very story driven, I've seen it, I'm not sure it will have the same impact the second time around.
Bioshock. Fallout 3. Lots of good gaming coming up. And at some point I should play the main story of Oblivion.
Showing posts with label Video Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Video Games. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Vacation Off
I'm back. Three weeks is about one week too long. My dad says never take more than 2 weeks off, because you forget where you work. Deliberately.
Keycon: Yes, that was a glorious mess. My table ran fine, though I have yet to actually make a profit. Scott, now officially dubbed Henchman #1, was very successful at selling stuff. This will be of great benifit as we move into phase 2 - Portable T-Shirts. We also have begun the planing for a hospitality suite themed around a viking long hall. I've got it half planned in my head.
Gaming: Played out my free month of City of Villians. And hey, it's OK. The client is very stable, the content is well designed, and the characters are fun. I think the secret base is a bit wonky from the design end, at least as a solo player, but it's not a necessary game element, so skip it. If I had $15US just lying around, I would play more. Which evolves nicely into my feelings about MMOs in general at this point. Don't hook up for a long subscription. Yes you can save $0.50 per month by agreeing to pay for 6 months at a time. But what if you want to take a break and pay something else?
Further, all of the games I've played keep your data after your account goes inactive. I can still flip Blizzard $15 and play my same old WoW characters for a month, even though I haven't been on in about 6 months. Along this thinking I've cut my LotR:OL subscription down to monthly (which is still only $10USD because I pre-ordered, thanks Turbine!). Yes if I do cancel I lose my special rate. So what?
Costumes: Kudos to David. I wore my Ghostbusters uni most of Keycon and got at least a dozen comments about how cool it was, and not all of the comments were from attendees. Not my design, so Good on You.
The potential of selling the house and moving has appeared on the horizon. I am apprehensive. There's a lot of effort to go into my shack if I want to get out what I need to move. And you know how I feel about effort.
Keycon: Yes, that was a glorious mess. My table ran fine, though I have yet to actually make a profit. Scott, now officially dubbed Henchman #1, was very successful at selling stuff. This will be of great benifit as we move into phase 2 - Portable T-Shirts. We also have begun the planing for a hospitality suite themed around a viking long hall. I've got it half planned in my head.
Gaming: Played out my free month of City of Villians. And hey, it's OK. The client is very stable, the content is well designed, and the characters are fun. I think the secret base is a bit wonky from the design end, at least as a solo player, but it's not a necessary game element, so skip it. If I had $15US just lying around, I would play more. Which evolves nicely into my feelings about MMOs in general at this point. Don't hook up for a long subscription. Yes you can save $0.50 per month by agreeing to pay for 6 months at a time. But what if you want to take a break and pay something else?
Further, all of the games I've played keep your data after your account goes inactive. I can still flip Blizzard $15 and play my same old WoW characters for a month, even though I haven't been on in about 6 months. Along this thinking I've cut my LotR:OL subscription down to monthly (which is still only $10USD because I pre-ordered, thanks Turbine!). Yes if I do cancel I lose my special rate. So what?
Costumes: Kudos to David. I wore my Ghostbusters uni most of Keycon and got at least a dozen comments about how cool it was, and not all of the comments were from attendees. Not my design, so Good on You.
The potential of selling the house and moving has appeared on the horizon. I am apprehensive. There's a lot of effort to go into my shack if I want to get out what I need to move. And you know how I feel about effort.
Monday, March 12, 2007
100!
This post will have little to nothing to do with it's title. But it is my 100th post.
I'm chewing on a bit of game design philosophy. Here's the rule: No effect, change or alteration to rules "in play" should require heavy or extraordinary measures to counter act. Change should be small and incremental. Change should build over time.
For example, leveling up. Leveling up is a game mechanic that many of us are familiar with, and has varying degrees of effect depending on where and how it is implemented. I think it produces artificial hurdles in the system. At level 5, my mojo is sufficient to take on 3 level 5 monsters, 2 level 6 monsters and perhaps 1 level 7 monster (if I really grok my character and get a few lucky rolls). When I promote to level 6, suddenly that level 7 monster becomes "easier".
I don't really like that. I think your ability should gradually increase from 5 to 6. And when your ability reaches a certain point, your title upgrades, recognizing your increased skill. And how that affects what you do should also gradually increment. So, the level 7 monster starts out being all difficult to vanquish at the beginning of level 5, but you can tell you're getting close to 6 when the same monsters are not challenging you the same waythey once were.
Just a stray thought.
I'm chewing on a bit of game design philosophy. Here's the rule: No effect, change or alteration to rules "in play" should require heavy or extraordinary measures to counter act. Change should be small and incremental. Change should build over time.
For example, leveling up. Leveling up is a game mechanic that many of us are familiar with, and has varying degrees of effect depending on where and how it is implemented. I think it produces artificial hurdles in the system. At level 5, my mojo is sufficient to take on 3 level 5 monsters, 2 level 6 monsters and perhaps 1 level 7 monster (if I really grok my character and get a few lucky rolls). When I promote to level 6, suddenly that level 7 monster becomes "easier".
I don't really like that. I think your ability should gradually increase from 5 to 6. And when your ability reaches a certain point, your title upgrades, recognizing your increased skill. And how that affects what you do should also gradually increment. So, the level 7 monster starts out being all difficult to vanquish at the beginning of level 5, but you can tell you're getting close to 6 when the same monsters are not challenging you the same waythey once were.
Just a stray thought.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Diablo II
Some things never really get old. I would have thought, after two years of playing WoW, that going back to off-line, pixelated, NOT 3D, no Night-ElF-Diablo II (Technically DII:LoD) would be short lived. It's just a strong game for the money.
It's also fairly obvious that the school of hard RPG knocks (by which I mean trying to adventure in Darkshire on a PvP server as the Alliance), has increased my RPG'ing stat (by at least 1). The bosses don't seem as tough. On the other hand there have been several sweeping patches since I stopped playing about 3 years ago.
It's also fairly obvious that the school of hard RPG knocks (by which I mean trying to adventure in Darkshire on a PvP server as the Alliance), has increased my RPG'ing stat (by at least 1). The bosses don't seem as tough. On the other hand there have been several sweeping patches since I stopped playing about 3 years ago.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Into the Darkness
The dark ages begin now.
I will not re-new my World of Warcraft account. Today.
One day at a time. Thats what they say. One day at a time.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Shakes
Well, officially, I've got World of Warcraft Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. I have two days until my account officially expires. And I've re-installed Diablo II.
All I need to do is stay away. I know that once my account expires the hurdle will get larger. It will be more effort to go back an re-activate my account. Of course Blizzard has indicated that they will maintain my data for me, so no worries, you can just jump back in where you left off.
Rotters.
Something else will come along. I still haven't picked up 2142. And when the game isn't being ruined by some goofball with a hack, Battlefield 2 still rocks. And I have a lot of G.E. work to catch up on.
All I need to do is stay away. I know that once my account expires the hurdle will get larger. It will be more effort to go back an re-activate my account. Of course Blizzard has indicated that they will maintain my data for me, so no worries, you can just jump back in where you left off.
Rotters.
Something else will come along. I still haven't picked up 2142. And when the game isn't being ruined by some goofball with a hack, Battlefield 2 still rocks. And I have a lot of G.E. work to catch up on.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Fourex (4x)
I discovered that Space Empires V came out while I wasn't looking. Well I wasn't really paying all that much attention, but 4x games don't come out all that often anymore. That would be Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate for the uninitiated (as coined by Alan Emrich in an early article on the subject). Some of the best 4x gaming has been presented in the iconic Civilization series (that would be Sid Meier's Civilization , not Avalon Hill's Civilization , which has it's own merits but lacks the whole computer presentation).
These games usually feature a set of interlinked modules designed to present you with the concept of running an empire, and not always in space. Those modules can include economy, technology, espionage, military (which may have both a strategic and tactical sub module and if it has a tactical sub module that module is often divided into space and ground combat), and diplomacy. The genre has a long history of single player only presentation, multi-player support often added as an after thought - well, honestly who can get their buddies to sit around for literally hours and hours and hours to play a game. The other aspects of the game are common to all games - the User Interface (UI), the Artificial Intelligence (AI or Non Human Opponents), graphical and sound design.
Funny thing is I should just stop reading reviews, as they completely fail to present me with enough meaningful information on these games. I've looked over some reviews, and I now know that the AI may or may not be competent and that the tech tree is deep.
Yes, they have left a bit out. The reviews never cover all of it. And rarely cover the bits I am most often disappointed with once there.
Unfortunately, I find myself at odds with most fans of the genre. Of course, having had several cracks at putting together a design for just such a game, I have some fairly solidified ideas about what I'm looking for.
Lately I've been thinking that a return to the sensibilities of play by email empire games might be the way to go. I vaguely remember a discussion about something called a 'Pit Boss' mode for Civilization 4. I see a download for an application from the Firaxis Web, named such, but I need to do some research to see if it works the way I think it should.
Anyways, the deal is that I can't tell from the reviews if the parts of the genre that interest me are simulated well or at all. I know the thing has a combat model. I have no idea how it works. And being that combat is one of the primary parts of the genre (the exterminate part, usually) that leaves me neutral on reviews that don't bother to mention it. At least there's a demo.
I'll get back to you on it.
These games usually feature a set of interlinked modules designed to present you with the concept of running an empire, and not always in space. Those modules can include economy, technology, espionage, military (which may have both a strategic and tactical sub module and if it has a tactical sub module that module is often divided into space and ground combat), and diplomacy. The genre has a long history of single player only presentation, multi-player support often added as an after thought - well, honestly who can get their buddies to sit around for literally hours and hours and hours to play a game. The other aspects of the game are common to all games - the User Interface (UI), the Artificial Intelligence (AI or Non Human Opponents), graphical and sound design.
Funny thing is I should just stop reading reviews, as they completely fail to present me with enough meaningful information on these games. I've looked over some reviews, and I now know that the AI may or may not be competent and that the tech tree is deep.
Yes, they have left a bit out. The reviews never cover all of it. And rarely cover the bits I am most often disappointed with once there.
Unfortunately, I find myself at odds with most fans of the genre. Of course, having had several cracks at putting together a design for just such a game, I have some fairly solidified ideas about what I'm looking for.
Lately I've been thinking that a return to the sensibilities of play by email empire games might be the way to go. I vaguely remember a discussion about something called a 'Pit Boss' mode for Civilization 4. I see a download for an application from the Firaxis Web, named such, but I need to do some research to see if it works the way I think it should.
Anyways, the deal is that I can't tell from the reviews if the parts of the genre that interest me are simulated well or at all. I know the thing has a combat model. I have no idea how it works. And being that combat is one of the primary parts of the genre (the exterminate part, usually) that leaves me neutral on reviews that don't bother to mention it. At least there's a demo.
I'll get back to you on it.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Back from Vacation
Vacation.
Should be restful recuperation. Is always me getting really bad flu or cold. At least I squeezed in some gaming. Of which I hasten to point out that my anual pile to acquire grows. It always happens as summer wraps up.
So now we have:
Battlefield 2142 (Demo is good for now, and I still have lots of maps I've hardly played on B2 and SpecFor)
Warhammer: Mark of Chaos (demo is out today, so this may come off or go up)
Warhamer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade (wasn't really impressed with the Tau in the demo, but it's the single player campaign I really want to see)
Supreme Commander (in on the closed beta - w00t - but it's multiplayer only. I like my rts off line)
Neverwinter Nights 2 (I'm mixed on this. WoW is really filling the RPG niche for me right now. And the gaming niche. And the not-sleeping-to-game niche)
My PSP kind of rocks. And kind of sucks. I have two anthologies of old arcade games now. And that's cool. But the darn thing is just a bit too wee for my giant hands.
I now have a close enough collection of Republic troops (I think). I'm going to start on rules soon. Or not. I've been printing G.E. (v7) stuff and it's starting to look really tempting to set up a game.
I have to admit though, I don't look forward to 12 hour sessions of gaming like I used to.
Should be restful recuperation. Is always me getting really bad flu or cold. At least I squeezed in some gaming. Of which I hasten to point out that my anual pile to acquire grows. It always happens as summer wraps up.
So now we have:
Battlefield 2142 (Demo is good for now, and I still have lots of maps I've hardly played on B2 and SpecFor)
Warhammer: Mark of Chaos (demo is out today, so this may come off or go up)
Warhamer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade (wasn't really impressed with the Tau in the demo, but it's the single player campaign I really want to see)
Supreme Commander (in on the closed beta - w00t - but it's multiplayer only. I like my rts off line)
Neverwinter Nights 2 (I'm mixed on this. WoW is really filling the RPG niche for me right now. And the gaming niche. And the not-sleeping-to-game niche)
My PSP kind of rocks. And kind of sucks. I have two anthologies of old arcade games now. And that's cool. But the darn thing is just a bit too wee for my giant hands.
I now have a close enough collection of Republic troops (I think). I'm going to start on rules soon. Or not. I've been printing G.E. (v7) stuff and it's starting to look really tempting to set up a game.
I have to admit though, I don't look forward to 12 hour sessions of gaming like I used to.
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