Steve Jackson Ate my Brain

Alright, not literally. But the guy does seem hell bent on publishing every good idea I ever had. Have you seen Munchkin Quest? Ok, so you take the nice mechanics of Munchkin and put it on a board that randomly configures with dungeon rooms and doors, and Wham-O, you got a great game.

I knew I should have ran with that. The good news is all my great ideas are being made by a guy who I think is one of the best (if not the best) designer in the industry. The bad news is none of my great ideas are being made by me. This one only hurts because I abandoned the last prototype to play World of Warcrack.

Sigh. I hate you Blizzard. I really, really hate you.

Commence the Rebukes

All right, I signed up for face book. I couldn't help it - I wanted to view Craig's page after he sent me a clip of M.U.L.E., which we all know is one of my top ten Multiplayer Games of all time.

And then the onslaught begins... widgets, friend requests. I get why Wayne shut his account down. The email load alone is pushing me into an autistic episode. Milestone reached - First friend request from somebody I don't really want to be friends with. I honestly thought it would take longer.


"Flame shields up."

Custom Controlers are the Work of the Devil

I mean that in the best possible way. "Ace Combat 6", for the 360 looks sweet. Everybody in the room was quite impressed when we ran the demo. And now it has a joystick and throttle. This where it all starts with the consoles. Spending more and more money on fancy bits of plastic to "enhance" your game play. On the upside, these at least look like quality controllers. (But a mouse and keyboard for Halo 3, too much to ask).

Before I rant on, I should also add that my current experience with rechargables in the 360 pads is very positive. After the better part of two plus weeks, they need a recharge. Nickel metal hydride FTW.

Anyways, the package, which includes the game, is about 120. The game is going to be about 65-ish anyways, that means for about 60 bucks you get a decent looking stick and throttle. Not too shabby. I'm very, very tempted. I also remember how this went with my custom controlers on the 2600. Bad, bad, bad...

Oh yes, Cosmic Commander, I remember your shoddy butt.

My 32nd Cut

I keep going back to this one idea. I think it should be a great game. My wheels hit the ground spinning. I play out the inertia. I run out of gas.

Is it possible that the idea itself is fundamentally flawed? Is it ok to design games you know no one will ever get to play? Is that as crazy as it sounds?

Self doubt is a necessary evil.