Spoiler alert! The following feature contains story elements from the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. This is not a review but an analysis of the story told in Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare series. For those of you that will never play the game, skipped the “No Russian” mission, or missed the subtleties I encourage you to read on.
With only one lead on Makarov and no way of connecting the ultranationalist to the attack at Zakahev International, taskforce 141 is hard pressed to find credible evidence to prove the Russian attack on US soil is unwarranted. Desperately fighting a battle to clear civilians from Russian occupied territory the bulk of the United States military is engaged with the Russian invasion. Reunited with General Sheperd, the 141 hatches a plan to attack the Kamchatka Peninsula in an attempt to gain a foothold on Russian soil and prepare for a counter attack. Coincidentally, the gulag holding the mystery prisoner is close at hand. After securing oil rigs off the costs being used as surface to air missile strikes the taskforce attacks the gulag in a joint effort with US naval forces. The 141 finds the prisoner who is revealed to be Captain Price. Price has been locked away, seemingly to keep him from Makarov and the British and US governments alike. After a narrow escape from deep within the prison Price joins the 141 and the hunt for Makarov.
Captain Price doesn’t waste any time catching up with current events. Whether he was being fed information through some friends in the prison is unclear but he certainly is not surprised by current developments in the world. He immediately heads an effort by the 141 to attack a Russian military dock yard, enters a nuclear submarine armed with ICBM with nuclear warheads, and then launches one aimed squarely at the United States. The missile is detonated high in the atmosphere creating a huge magnetic pulse which knocks out all electronics and communications of the US and Russian forces fighting in the nation’s capital. Despite his intentions, the launch of the missile has one repercussion Price did not plan on. The US military may have managed to regain the high ground and the advantage against the Russian invading force but the ICBM spurs the secretary of defense to give General Sheperd more control over US military activities.
12.13.2009
Slow As Sunday: Modern Warfare 2 retold (part three)
Spoiler alert! The following feature contains story elements from the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. This is not a review but an analysis of the story told in Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare series. For those of you that will never play the game, skipped the “No Russian” mission, or missed the subtleties I encourage you to read on.
part one can be found here.
part two can be read here.
Taskforce 141 returns from their mission, having successfully retrieved the ACS module, only to find that the CIA’s undercover operation has gone awry. Now the whole of Russia is crying for retribution and General Sheperd is ordering 141 to find the information that connects the bullet that killed Pvt. Allen to Makarov and the wholesale slaughter at Zakaev International Airport. The good news is that General Sheperd knows where Makarov’s favorite gun dealer is, the bad news is that so does Makarov. Just as the 141 catches up with Alejandro Rojas in Rio de Janeiro a conflict breaks out. Suddenly 141 is chasing Rojas while fending off armed militia in a chase that leads to a favela, a.k.a. a slum, just outside the city. Captain McTavish finally apprehends Rojas, but the information gained through his interrogation reveals little of the physical connections between Makarov and the Zakaev incident. What the team does discover is the location of and serial number for a prisoner in Russian custody that Makarov has expressed hatred toward.
Before the taskforce can be extracted and use this new intel, the Russian military invades United States soil. A carefully coordinated attack by air by-passes early warning systems. 141 was too late in retrieving the ACS module and now the Russians have used the encryption module to slip in undetected. Sergeant Foley and his Army Rangers, who have recently returned from Afghanistan, engage this new threat and defend civilians as they are evacuated. During there efforts, Foley is contacted by Gen. Sheperd and ordered to escort a person of importance to safety. Fighting heavy resistance, the Rangers mange to push through but find the MVP dead and an open briefcase besides his corpse. The contents are picked up by Private James Ramirez and remain and mystery for the rest of the story.
part one can be found here.
part two can be read here.
Taskforce 141 returns from their mission, having successfully retrieved the ACS module, only to find that the CIA’s undercover operation has gone awry. Now the whole of Russia is crying for retribution and General Sheperd is ordering 141 to find the information that connects the bullet that killed Pvt. Allen to Makarov and the wholesale slaughter at Zakaev International Airport. The good news is that General Sheperd knows where Makarov’s favorite gun dealer is, the bad news is that so does Makarov. Just as the 141 catches up with Alejandro Rojas in Rio de Janeiro a conflict breaks out. Suddenly 141 is chasing Rojas while fending off armed militia in a chase that leads to a favela, a.k.a. a slum, just outside the city. Captain McTavish finally apprehends Rojas, but the information gained through his interrogation reveals little of the physical connections between Makarov and the Zakaev incident. What the team does discover is the location of and serial number for a prisoner in Russian custody that Makarov has expressed hatred toward.
Before the taskforce can be extracted and use this new intel, the Russian military invades United States soil. A carefully coordinated attack by air by-passes early warning systems. 141 was too late in retrieving the ACS module and now the Russians have used the encryption module to slip in undetected. Sergeant Foley and his Army Rangers, who have recently returned from Afghanistan, engage this new threat and defend civilians as they are evacuated. During there efforts, Foley is contacted by Gen. Sheperd and ordered to escort a person of importance to safety. Fighting heavy resistance, the Rangers mange to push through but find the MVP dead and an open briefcase besides his corpse. The contents are picked up by Private James Ramirez and remain and mystery for the rest of the story.
12.07.2009
Slow As Sunday: Modern Warfare 2 retold (part two)
Spoiler alert! The following feature contains story elements from the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. This is not a review but an analysis of the story told in Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare series. For those of you that will never play the game, skipped the “No Russian” mission, or missed the subtleties I encourage you to read on.
Part one of the retelling of Modern Warfare 2 can be found here.
With taskforce 141 currently busy (read “running for their lives”) General Sheperd briefs his latest recruit, Private Joseph Allen, on his plan to deal with Makarov. The CIA has gone to great lengths to obtain a cover ID, Alex Borodin, that will be used by the Private to get close to Makarov. What Allen will do once he is close to Makarov is unclear. The implication is that he will be deep under cover for the purpose of reporting Makarov’s activities and plans. What neither Allen or Sheperd realized is Makarov was prepared for the army ranger turned undercover agent. Before you know it Allen, now Borodin, is deep under cover and is participating in an attack on the Russian Zakahev International Airport. Hundreds of Russian civilians and law enforcement are killed while the Makarov, Borodin, and two Ultra-Nationalists all armed to the teeth carve a path of death and destruction through the airport. Just when it looked as if these villains were going to get away, Makarov turns and kills Borodin/Allen, sending a message to the Russian people.
The information revealed during and directly after the “No Russian” mission colors the rest of the story. First, we assume that Allen is quickly identified by Russian intelligence and the news of his identity is either leaked or deliberately given to the media. What kind of half truth the Russians fabricated is not known. Undoubtedly Allen was identified as an American, and in all likelihood as a solider, but his ties to the CIA were not verified. Even if they did release information that Allen was a CIA operative, Russian media could use that fact to call into question what involvement the Americans had in recent terrorist attacks. Maybe not all acts of violence were the doing of mad man Makarov but secret operations by the American government. Whatever the case may be, the right individuals in power were swayed, and now the Ultra-Nationalists plan was coming together. They have partial control of the military and support from those who were once on the fence. Makarov and the Ultra-Nationalists have aligned Russia and its people squarely against the United States of America.
Part 3 next week!
Part one of the retelling of Modern Warfare 2 can be found here.
With taskforce 141 currently busy (read “running for their lives”) General Sheperd briefs his latest recruit, Private Joseph Allen, on his plan to deal with Makarov. The CIA has gone to great lengths to obtain a cover ID, Alex Borodin, that will be used by the Private to get close to Makarov. What Allen will do once he is close to Makarov is unclear. The implication is that he will be deep under cover for the purpose of reporting Makarov’s activities and plans. What neither Allen or Sheperd realized is Makarov was prepared for the army ranger turned undercover agent. Before you know it Allen, now Borodin, is deep under cover and is participating in an attack on the Russian Zakahev International Airport. Hundreds of Russian civilians and law enforcement are killed while the Makarov, Borodin, and two Ultra-Nationalists all armed to the teeth carve a path of death and destruction through the airport. Just when it looked as if these villains were going to get away, Makarov turns and kills Borodin/Allen, sending a message to the Russian people.
The information revealed during and directly after the “No Russian” mission colors the rest of the story. First, we assume that Allen is quickly identified by Russian intelligence and the news of his identity is either leaked or deliberately given to the media. What kind of half truth the Russians fabricated is not known. Undoubtedly Allen was identified as an American, and in all likelihood as a solider, but his ties to the CIA were not verified. Even if they did release information that Allen was a CIA operative, Russian media could use that fact to call into question what involvement the Americans had in recent terrorist attacks. Maybe not all acts of violence were the doing of mad man Makarov but secret operations by the American government. Whatever the case may be, the right individuals in power were swayed, and now the Ultra-Nationalists plan was coming together. They have partial control of the military and support from those who were once on the fence. Makarov and the Ultra-Nationalists have aligned Russia and its people squarely against the United States of America.
Part 3 next week!
11.29.2009
Slow As Sunday: Modern Warfare 2 story retold (part one)
Spoiler alert! The following feature contains story elements from the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. This is not a review but an analysis of the story told in Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare series. For those of you that will never play the game, skipped the “No Russian” mission, or missed the subtleties I encourage you to read on.
Five years after Imran Zakhaev was killed and a nuclear launch against the United States prevented, attitudes in Russia have shifted towards the teachings of the once radical. While not explicit, I believe that Zakhaev’s followers were more prevalent than first believed. Infiltrating the military and government at all levels, Zakhaev’s spiritual successor Makarov was able to slowly twist the Russian peoples’ attitudes to those of the Ultra-Nationalists. Like Zakhaev, Makarov has a thirst for death and destruction and uses them as tools to further his agenda of war. Attacks are made at various targets worldwide fueling the bloodlust of Makarov’s recruits and training them for the coming war.
While Makarov is seen as a threat by the United States there is little action taken to reign in this mad man. Whether Makarov is protected by the Russian government or is slippery enough to evade all nets is not revealed. There is at least one US military leader that is taking steps to put an end to the destruction and death. General Sheperd, who lead the military action against Al-Asad in Afghanistan, is now the head of a small military operation. The General's Taskforce 141 is composed of various special operations members, hand picked by General Sheperd, from the British and United States military and intelligence agencies. Their current mission is the retrieval of the encryption module from a downed US satellite from a Russian military base. At the same time General Sheperd is recruiting the latest member of his taskforce from the Army Rangers, Private Joseph Allen. While inspecting the abilities of this new recruit there is a rebel attack in the Afghani city near the military outpost Allen’s unit is stationed in. General Sheperd goes with the unit to retaliate against the attack. The counter attack is successful and the General takes Pvt. Allen with him to his new assignment.
Thus ends part one of the retelling of Modern Warfare 2. Check back next week for the second part.
Five years after Imran Zakhaev was killed and a nuclear launch against the United States prevented, attitudes in Russia have shifted towards the teachings of the once radical. While not explicit, I believe that Zakhaev’s followers were more prevalent than first believed. Infiltrating the military and government at all levels, Zakhaev’s spiritual successor Makarov was able to slowly twist the Russian peoples’ attitudes to those of the Ultra-Nationalists. Like Zakhaev, Makarov has a thirst for death and destruction and uses them as tools to further his agenda of war. Attacks are made at various targets worldwide fueling the bloodlust of Makarov’s recruits and training them for the coming war.
While Makarov is seen as a threat by the United States there is little action taken to reign in this mad man. Whether Makarov is protected by the Russian government or is slippery enough to evade all nets is not revealed. There is at least one US military leader that is taking steps to put an end to the destruction and death. General Sheperd, who lead the military action against Al-Asad in Afghanistan, is now the head of a small military operation. The General's Taskforce 141 is composed of various special operations members, hand picked by General Sheperd, from the British and United States military and intelligence agencies. Their current mission is the retrieval of the encryption module from a downed US satellite from a Russian military base. At the same time General Sheperd is recruiting the latest member of his taskforce from the Army Rangers, Private Joseph Allen. While inspecting the abilities of this new recruit there is a rebel attack in the Afghani city near the military outpost Allen’s unit is stationed in. General Sheperd goes with the unit to retaliate against the attack. The counter attack is successful and the General takes Pvt. Allen with him to his new assignment.
Thus ends part one of the retelling of Modern Warfare 2. Check back next week for the second part.
11.25.2009
The gloves that touch
I was out and about with my buddy Sean this last Saturday. We visited a local sports apparel retailer and found something quite unexpected. Tucked away in the winter wear were these nifty pairs of gloves specifically designed to work with touchscreen devices without needing to take off the gloves. The 180's touch it gloves are a winter necessity for technophiles. The little nubs on the tips of the thumb and first finger allow the use of touchscreen devices while keeping your digits toasty.
I hardly expected to find this techie winter god send in the same place where I used to buy inline skates but wonders never cease. If you want to get your hands into a pair of these iPhone friendly coverings you can order them directly from 180's.
11.20.2009
Reinventing sports franchises continued
When a new sports video game is slated for release nearly the entire staff, all three development teams, would work together to lay the ground work for the project. Cooperation will help the project in the initial phases and bring together the unique expertise from different areas of development together. The three team structure will remain intact while members from both the support team and content team would join the main dev team in an effort to bring fresh new ideas, support, and help to the development of the new title. The support and content team’s separate projects will not be abandoned. Essential staff will remain to work on those projects until after the new title has reached a more complete stage. This would all but guarantee that each team will have working knowledge of the methods and inner workings of the other dev teams, and a deeper understanding of the mechanics of the new title.
This policy of flexible team structure, sharing of information and resources, and a spirit of unified effort towards making the franchise the best it can be is a boon for the workers and management. Each team will have their own respective lead project coordinators and their ability to communicate and work together is key to the success or failure of this model. In this respect each lead will have to have a clear picture of their own team’s projects, their team’s abilities, and how their efforts mesh with the overall goal of making a great videogame.
After the release of the latest entry in the sports franchise series the content dev team should begin work on the DLC. Chances are the season has already begun for the sport has already begun or will begin shortly after the release. Within months the content on the disk will not be an accurate picture of the real life state of the sport. The content team will need to work in overdrive to provide constant updates and new content to players of the new title. Thanks to the three team model they don’t have to work alone. While the main dev team takes a break before starting on the next game, the support dev team will help the content dev team test new content and provide player feedback. This feedback will help guide the direction of the DLC. Requested content could be rapidly produced, meeting the demand of the player’s quickly and to their satisfaction.
Each team lead will be responsible for their respective team and also participate in the design and construction of new titles and features for future iterations of the franchise. Here we come to a point where my own ideas come to an impasse. I’ve little experience when it comes to the workings of higher levels of software development management. What I do know comes from books on game design, which stick to more traditional models. Should there be a group of producers and higher management that over see the whole of the franchise or should the team leads be solely responsible for the content they produce? Tradition would suggest the former but I have misgivings about taking creative power and authority away from the lead designers.
There’s still a lot to cover, including the benefit this structure would have for fans, but I’m going to stop here. When I first had the idea for this article I didn’t realize the scope and complexity that needs to be addressed. I’ll probably come back to the topic in the future, especially if I’m reviewing a new sports title, but for right now I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.
This policy of flexible team structure, sharing of information and resources, and a spirit of unified effort towards making the franchise the best it can be is a boon for the workers and management. Each team will have their own respective lead project coordinators and their ability to communicate and work together is key to the success or failure of this model. In this respect each lead will have to have a clear picture of their own team’s projects, their team’s abilities, and how their efforts mesh with the overall goal of making a great videogame.
After the release of the latest entry in the sports franchise series the content dev team should begin work on the DLC. Chances are the season has already begun for the sport has already begun or will begin shortly after the release. Within months the content on the disk will not be an accurate picture of the real life state of the sport. The content team will need to work in overdrive to provide constant updates and new content to players of the new title. Thanks to the three team model they don’t have to work alone. While the main dev team takes a break before starting on the next game, the support dev team will help the content dev team test new content and provide player feedback. This feedback will help guide the direction of the DLC. Requested content could be rapidly produced, meeting the demand of the player’s quickly and to their satisfaction.
Each team lead will be responsible for their respective team and also participate in the design and construction of new titles and features for future iterations of the franchise. Here we come to a point where my own ideas come to an impasse. I’ve little experience when it comes to the workings of higher levels of software development management. What I do know comes from books on game design, which stick to more traditional models. Should there be a group of producers and higher management that over see the whole of the franchise or should the team leads be solely responsible for the content they produce? Tradition would suggest the former but I have misgivings about taking creative power and authority away from the lead designers.
There’s still a lot to cover, including the benefit this structure would have for fans, but I’m going to stop here. When I first had the idea for this article I didn’t realize the scope and complexity that needs to be addressed. I’ll probably come back to the topic in the future, especially if I’m reviewing a new sports title, but for right now I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.
11.15.2009
Slow As Sunday: Reinventing sports franchises
Every year it is the same story again and again. The next installment of a big sports franchise is coming to stores. The new game features only slight improvements over past installments but still feels like the same old same old. Production values suffer from the lack of time spent on development. Time is not a luxury sports games can afford. Athletes are injured or traded, old teams fade into oblivion or new teams spring up in less time than it takes to create a well crafted AAA title. There are also problems with expanding the size of the development team. Changes take place in the real world far more quickly than even yearly installments can adapt to. Only the best and most energetic team leads can keep track of all the personnel and resources that would be needed to create a masterful videogame.
While playing SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 I thought of a solution to these problems. After discussing the ideas with Editor in Chief of Gaming Nexus Charles Husemann I was able to take my own ideas and his suggestions and come up with a rough model; a new way to offer content to gamers and fans of sports franchises while offering a polished gameplay experience. Instead of the normal one year development cycle, development teams should shift to a two year cycle. I can hear the arguments already “Wouldn’t that mean less content?” Well the answer is yes and no.
Yes, there will be less features and “innovations” to gameplay coming out every year. Most would admit that despite the new features that come out every year it takes two or three years for them to reach refinement. Team management, player created characters, and online multiplayer are all features that have just recently hit the sweet spot for many franchises. No, there would be even more content made available to players via downloadable content. DLC has already extended the life of videogames, and unlike mods, are proven source of revenue for publishers and developers. Regular roster updates are already in NBA ‘09 and ‘10 and the FIFA series but updates don’t have to stop there. New players, coaches, announcers, content for created athletes, sound tracks, and many other forms of content can be updated, changed, or added to.
Let us explore the development team structure needed for a two year, continuously updated, development cycle. Three separate teams working together on every game title would be ideal. The teams will be the main dev team which focuses on the creation of a new title, the support dev team that works to fix bugs in the new title and DLC, and a content dev team that focuses on creating new content for the new title and the DLC to follow the initial release. Splitting into three teams has many advantages. The main dev team will have two years to create new features and a polished gameplay experience without having to worry about staying up to date with every change in the sport. The content dev team will be constantly working with the tools provided by the main and support team to continuously update the experience for the user and the new content featured in the current and future title. The support dev team will be responsible for communication between all three teams, testing content, and communicating and sharing the ideas of the fans with the other dev teams in order improve upon the franchise. Over the course of two years, these three teams will be constantly working, creating, and inventing with enough time to polish, test, and innovate.
The costs and profits of creating videogames, distributing them, and advertising them is not a responsibility I envy. A publisher might think that by offering a new title every other year may hurt the bottom line and keep the franchise from being able to compete. This is not so. A two year cycle would produce a more polished video game without having to swell the development team to an unmanageable size. Any disadvantage that might come from not having the latest and greatest features of the rival company will only be relevant for a year. When the new entry in the series is released, has the new features, and implements them better than the competition it will be clear that their brand has the better game. PR could be shifted away from advertising the new slight improvements that come each year to supporting and growing user created content and the DLC offered by the developer. There is even potential to make more money using the two year cycle. For a small monthly price, say $5, publishers could make just as much money as they did before and potentially more with intelligent use of in-game advertisements. I’m not a particular fan of the practice, but I do like the idea that with constant updates there will be more changes in advertisements and more free content made available by sponsors.
I’m afraid this entry is already running long and I’ve barely scratched the surface of the how and whys of a two year development cycle. I’ll be continuing to discuss the different elements of the production cycle and how publishers, developers, and, most of all, players will benefit from the two year cycle. If there are any particular aspects or ideas you’d like to offer leave them in the comments section. I’ll try to address all concerns and suggestions later this week.
While playing SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 I thought of a solution to these problems. After discussing the ideas with Editor in Chief of Gaming Nexus Charles Husemann I was able to take my own ideas and his suggestions and come up with a rough model; a new way to offer content to gamers and fans of sports franchises while offering a polished gameplay experience. Instead of the normal one year development cycle, development teams should shift to a two year cycle. I can hear the arguments already “Wouldn’t that mean less content?” Well the answer is yes and no.
Yes, there will be less features and “innovations” to gameplay coming out every year. Most would admit that despite the new features that come out every year it takes two or three years for them to reach refinement. Team management, player created characters, and online multiplayer are all features that have just recently hit the sweet spot for many franchises. No, there would be even more content made available to players via downloadable content. DLC has already extended the life of videogames, and unlike mods, are proven source of revenue for publishers and developers. Regular roster updates are already in NBA ‘09 and ‘10 and the FIFA series but updates don’t have to stop there. New players, coaches, announcers, content for created athletes, sound tracks, and many other forms of content can be updated, changed, or added to.
Let us explore the development team structure needed for a two year, continuously updated, development cycle. Three separate teams working together on every game title would be ideal. The teams will be the main dev team which focuses on the creation of a new title, the support dev team that works to fix bugs in the new title and DLC, and a content dev team that focuses on creating new content for the new title and the DLC to follow the initial release. Splitting into three teams has many advantages. The main dev team will have two years to create new features and a polished gameplay experience without having to worry about staying up to date with every change in the sport. The content dev team will be constantly working with the tools provided by the main and support team to continuously update the experience for the user and the new content featured in the current and future title. The support dev team will be responsible for communication between all three teams, testing content, and communicating and sharing the ideas of the fans with the other dev teams in order improve upon the franchise. Over the course of two years, these three teams will be constantly working, creating, and inventing with enough time to polish, test, and innovate.
The costs and profits of creating videogames, distributing them, and advertising them is not a responsibility I envy. A publisher might think that by offering a new title every other year may hurt the bottom line and keep the franchise from being able to compete. This is not so. A two year cycle would produce a more polished video game without having to swell the development team to an unmanageable size. Any disadvantage that might come from not having the latest and greatest features of the rival company will only be relevant for a year. When the new entry in the series is released, has the new features, and implements them better than the competition it will be clear that their brand has the better game. PR could be shifted away from advertising the new slight improvements that come each year to supporting and growing user created content and the DLC offered by the developer. There is even potential to make more money using the two year cycle. For a small monthly price, say $5, publishers could make just as much money as they did before and potentially more with intelligent use of in-game advertisements. I’m not a particular fan of the practice, but I do like the idea that with constant updates there will be more changes in advertisements and more free content made available by sponsors.
I’m afraid this entry is already running long and I’ve barely scratched the surface of the how and whys of a two year development cycle. I’ll be continuing to discuss the different elements of the production cycle and how publishers, developers, and, most of all, players will benefit from the two year cycle. If there are any particular aspects or ideas you’d like to offer leave them in the comments section. I’ll try to address all concerns and suggestions later this week.
11.01.2009
Slow As Sunday: Videogame Burnout
Tis the season of videogame release dates. From now until the beginning of next year reviewers and players alike will be bombarded by a large number of AAA titles that many of us have been waiting for since their announcement a year or more ago. Already I’m feeling overwhelmed by the number of great games that are coming out and have stopped caring about the hype associated with big name titles. How does one deal with videogame burnout? Let us explore some possibilities.
Take your time
You get that one title you’ve been waiting for all year and then realize that just one week from now you’ll also be picking up your pre-order for another title you’ve been wanting to play. Soon you’ll be sitting down for your nightly video game fun faced with the choice of which two game you will spend time with. This may sound like a problem that a hardcore gamer would want to have, more choices between great games, but it can be difficult to make a decision. The best way to solve this problem is realize a simple truth; you do not have to play a game because you own it. Take your time getting to the next game on your list. Your brain will be much better off focusing on one epic game at a time rather than bouncing back and forth between two story lines.
Moderation
You’ve finally got that 100 hour epic RPG and can’t wait to get started creating a customizing your character. Before you put the finishing touches on the nose of your new mage/fighter half elf an hour has already flown by and you don’t even know what the premise of the story is yet. There are those games that hold our attention for a very long time and we escape into a well crafted virtual world for the better part of our free time. Beware burnout! If you know that a game will take you the better part of a month to complete then plan some days where you don’t touch the game at all. I’m sure there are those who can afford to submerge themselves completely in a game, but my rule is that when I start dreaming about the video game it’s time to cut back on how often I play it.
Socialize
You just beat that game you’ve been playing for two weeks and you can’t wait to tell your friends. Then you realize that you haven’t called your friends and have hardly left your home for two weeks. Staying connected to the outside world is essential in avoiding videogame burn out. I’m not talking about chatting on forums or posting your recent achievement on face book. Step out of the virtual world and connect with real people. The familiar virtual worlds of video games have rules and mechanics that will become familiar to the point of seeming second nature. Refresh your mind by interacting with one of the most unpredictable and entertaining of nature’s creatures; humans.
These are only three different methods for three different problems and videogame burnout can take on many different forms. Fortunately most can be solved simply by prioritizing and managing your time with videogames in order to keep things fresh.
Take your time
You get that one title you’ve been waiting for all year and then realize that just one week from now you’ll also be picking up your pre-order for another title you’ve been wanting to play. Soon you’ll be sitting down for your nightly video game fun faced with the choice of which two game you will spend time with. This may sound like a problem that a hardcore gamer would want to have, more choices between great games, but it can be difficult to make a decision. The best way to solve this problem is realize a simple truth; you do not have to play a game because you own it. Take your time getting to the next game on your list. Your brain will be much better off focusing on one epic game at a time rather than bouncing back and forth between two story lines.
Moderation
You’ve finally got that 100 hour epic RPG and can’t wait to get started creating a customizing your character. Before you put the finishing touches on the nose of your new mage/fighter half elf an hour has already flown by and you don’t even know what the premise of the story is yet. There are those games that hold our attention for a very long time and we escape into a well crafted virtual world for the better part of our free time. Beware burnout! If you know that a game will take you the better part of a month to complete then plan some days where you don’t touch the game at all. I’m sure there are those who can afford to submerge themselves completely in a game, but my rule is that when I start dreaming about the video game it’s time to cut back on how often I play it.
Socialize
You just beat that game you’ve been playing for two weeks and you can’t wait to tell your friends. Then you realize that you haven’t called your friends and have hardly left your home for two weeks. Staying connected to the outside world is essential in avoiding videogame burn out. I’m not talking about chatting on forums or posting your recent achievement on face book. Step out of the virtual world and connect with real people. The familiar virtual worlds of video games have rules and mechanics that will become familiar to the point of seeming second nature. Refresh your mind by interacting with one of the most unpredictable and entertaining of nature’s creatures; humans.
These are only three different methods for three different problems and videogame burnout can take on many different forms. Fortunately most can be solved simply by prioritizing and managing your time with videogames in order to keep things fresh.
10.25.2009
Slow As Sunday: Ultimate Mario
Nintendo's official mascot is a multi-talented mustachioed Italian gentleman with a thirst for adventure and a penchant for sports. So I ask the question: Why hasn't there been a Mario game that showcases all of Mario's talents? Imagine, if you will, a video game that is the ultimate tribute to Mario's past and present, mixing game elements that include puzzle solving, platform navigation, cart racing, golf, tennis, baseball, soccer and everything that the little plumber that could can take on. The game would take place in an open world where the player chooses what objectives to tackle, without any strict story progression to hinder exploration. Sure the Mario Party games showcased many of Mario's unique talents but players were stuck traversing a wacky "life sized" board game. Let's take a romp through this imaginary land and see where we end up.
Starting at Princess Peach's castle, Mario heads to the garage attached at the west end to borrow a motorcycle. Proceeding down a path he comes to a broken bridge on a cliff with platforms in the sky in sight. Revving the engine, Mario leaps off the bike and equips his flying cap in mid air, taking to the skies and the nearest platform. From the floating disk he can see the mighty expanse of the kingdom below and notices he is not alone on his perch. Two flying Koopas are arguing who can fly the fastest, Mario stumbles into the conversation and instead of pouncing on the Koopas right there and then, accepts their challenge to a race. The next thing he knows Mario is waiting for the timer to count down while he and the koopas line up to jump off the platform and race around an obstical course of flying rings. Finishing the race in first, and collecting his winnings in gold coins, Mario looks for his next challenge, and notices far below a tennis court...
This Ultimate Mario game should be made, as it has been a good long deal since I've tramped about the Mushroom Kingdom with a sense of freedom and a lust for exploration. More importantly I think a game like this needs to be made for all the other Mario games to make sense. Mario's list of skills and abilities have increased dramatically since his days as a plumber and I don't think it is necessary for a princess to be kidnapped in order to enjoy deploying them. Call me looney or a mad genius, I just think it would be a good time.
Starting at Princess Peach's castle, Mario heads to the garage attached at the west end to borrow a motorcycle. Proceeding down a path he comes to a broken bridge on a cliff with platforms in the sky in sight. Revving the engine, Mario leaps off the bike and equips his flying cap in mid air, taking to the skies and the nearest platform. From the floating disk he can see the mighty expanse of the kingdom below and notices he is not alone on his perch. Two flying Koopas are arguing who can fly the fastest, Mario stumbles into the conversation and instead of pouncing on the Koopas right there and then, accepts their challenge to a race. The next thing he knows Mario is waiting for the timer to count down while he and the koopas line up to jump off the platform and race around an obstical course of flying rings. Finishing the race in first, and collecting his winnings in gold coins, Mario looks for his next challenge, and notices far below a tennis court...
This Ultimate Mario game should be made, as it has been a good long deal since I've tramped about the Mushroom Kingdom with a sense of freedom and a lust for exploration. More importantly I think a game like this needs to be made for all the other Mario games to make sense. Mario's list of skills and abilities have increased dramatically since his days as a plumber and I don't think it is necessary for a princess to be kidnapped in order to enjoy deploying them. Call me looney or a mad genius, I just think it would be a good time.
10.23.2009
Side Note update
An interesting turn of events did occur. When I took that step, as described in my side note, of offering something meaningful to say in response to a "u suck" comment, I opened up a line of communication. When I treated that player with respect I received respect in turn and now we have a meaningful, yet stunted conversation going on Xbox Live. The negative image giving to Live by its overzealous and immature users has twisted other users' expectations. Instead of treating everyone we meet online as a prepubescent slavering X-bot, we should treat each other with respect. Matching any hostile, vulgar, and crude comment with a response that is respectful, or offering up no response at all. I'm not saying take out all the trash talk and competition. We can still taunt, one-up, and goad each other to distraction with respect.
Case in point. A day after my exchange with this individual we played another match, afterwards I received this message
"teams grew uneven towards the end,but pretty fair at 1st.well played."
If that isn't a major improvement over "u suck" I don't know what is.
Case in point. A day after my exchange with this individual we played another match, afterwards I received this message
"teams grew uneven towards the end,but pretty fair at 1st.well played."
If that isn't a major improvement over "u suck" I don't know what is.
10.21.2009
Side note
I just got done playing a rather unbalanced match of Battlefield 1943 on Xbox Live. I played my best, as I always do, but my team struggled in the first 3-4 minutes as the teams were at a 5/7 split with mine being the former. Perseverance prevailed and as is want from competitive online games with open teams, the balance of the match quickly swung in our favor as more players joined. In the end I was the top scorer for my team on account of staying in the match for the duration and my humble (read:top notch) sniping skills.
I just got done with the match and was about to shut off for the night and get some sleep when a the top scorer from the other team sent me a message. I expected a congratulations or a like minded gripe about the unevenness of the teams but that was foolish of me.
The message was simply "u suck".
I understood the player's frustration all too well and I know why he might have thought it was I who somehow managed to snag the win out of nothing. While I confess to being good at the game, I'm not that good. So I sent a message back which read "it was a good match. the tides of war change swiftly. i look forward to playing you in a match where the teams are even for the duration."
I suspect the response will not be as kind.
I just got done with the match and was about to shut off for the night and get some sleep when a the top scorer from the other team sent me a message. I expected a congratulations or a like minded gripe about the unevenness of the teams but that was foolish of me.
The message was simply "u suck".
I understood the player's frustration all too well and I know why he might have thought it was I who somehow managed to snag the win out of nothing. While I confess to being good at the game, I'm not that good. So I sent a message back which read "it was a good match. the tides of war change swiftly. i look forward to playing you in a match where the teams are even for the duration."
I suspect the response will not be as kind.
10.20.2009
Getting hammered and waxing philosophical
My weekend was full of surprises, dissapontments, and some startling realizations. On Saturday I went with my younger sister to the Haunted Trail of Horror in Kenton, OH as part of her senior project for high school. The experience was, different. I was used to her clinging on to my arm for dear life and jumping at shadows while I laughed all the while. This time her friend Elizabeth had joined us, who I suspect is secretly a world renowned track star, and she dragged my sister from haunted horror to frightful obstacle with my large frame following close behind the man chasing them with a chain saw. The video that was recorded is dark, with mostly screams and curses in the audio, none of which were mine.
Later that evening after a long car ride home, my buddy Sean and I took to the road once again in search of an elusive party which I had been invited. It ended up being a dud. I got a call from Bobby, the guy who invited me, explaining that the party had died down and there was no reason to come out anymore. So I wandered the streets of downtown trying to get back to the freeway to go home, meanwhile Sean was proclaiming our inevitable death around every street corner saying "Man, were going to get shot!"
Sunday was stress and more stress as I dealt with issues at home while trying to get some play time in with a preview copy of SmackDown vs Raw 2010, which was buggy as hell. Thankfully a form of salvation came when a recent acquaintance, waxing on friend, named Collin invited me out for a smoke at the Shi Sha lounge downtown. After a hookah of melon and mango we sauntered on down to Hound dogs to grab a pie and some beer. I thought we were done after that but Collin had other plans. He took me to one of his favorite haunts. A place that I had passed up once in search of a Guinness because of the loud Eminem song playing on the juke box. I have nothing personal against Eminem, but that is not the type of music I expect when I enter a pub.
Ah, so to make a long story short and to get to the culmination of the weekend, I had some fun. I met Collin's pub friends and then he took me home but beer brings out the philosopher in all of us, it should be said. We had a smoke and I prompted a discussion of the possibilities of human memories being mapped and stored. A honest and deep conversation began that I had no intention of starting, but which seems to be fueled by alcohol like gasoline to a fire. Many revelations and reflections took place and I walked away feeling quite refreshed and hopeful. It may sound strange, but discussions of death help me to find hope in life.
Later that evening after a long car ride home, my buddy Sean and I took to the road once again in search of an elusive party which I had been invited. It ended up being a dud. I got a call from Bobby, the guy who invited me, explaining that the party had died down and there was no reason to come out anymore. So I wandered the streets of downtown trying to get back to the freeway to go home, meanwhile Sean was proclaiming our inevitable death around every street corner saying "Man, were going to get shot!"
Sunday was stress and more stress as I dealt with issues at home while trying to get some play time in with a preview copy of SmackDown vs Raw 2010, which was buggy as hell. Thankfully a form of salvation came when a recent acquaintance, waxing on friend, named Collin invited me out for a smoke at the Shi Sha lounge downtown. After a hookah of melon and mango we sauntered on down to Hound dogs to grab a pie and some beer. I thought we were done after that but Collin had other plans. He took me to one of his favorite haunts. A place that I had passed up once in search of a Guinness because of the loud Eminem song playing on the juke box. I have nothing personal against Eminem, but that is not the type of music I expect when I enter a pub.
Ah, so to make a long story short and to get to the culmination of the weekend, I had some fun. I met Collin's pub friends and then he took me home but beer brings out the philosopher in all of us, it should be said. We had a smoke and I prompted a discussion of the possibilities of human memories being mapped and stored. A honest and deep conversation began that I had no intention of starting, but which seems to be fueled by alcohol like gasoline to a fire. Many revelations and reflections took place and I walked away feeling quite refreshed and hopeful. It may sound strange, but discussions of death help me to find hope in life.
10.18.2009
Slow As Sunday: World of Warcraft, Evony, Bruce and lawsuits
World of Warcraft has set the industry standards for MMOs, not for being the first, rather they are the biggest, and arguably the best, at running/maintaining/building/rebuilding an online virtual world and even spying on their customers. A stink was raised by a hacker years ago on how the WoW servers run a program while WoW is running known as the “warden client”. Essentially the warden watches what programs are running at the same time as WoW in order to detect any programs with names that match a program that is considered in line with end user license agreement’s definition of an “unauthorized third party program”. Not such a big deal really. Keeping track of what programs are running at the same time as WoW is an effective way of keeping track of cheaters or hackers. Millions of players trust Blizzard with their personal data and I haven’t been given any reason to mistrust Blizzard to a point where I refuse to allow them access to my computer.
This practice of “spying” is not limited to WoW. As I said, they have become the standard to which all MMOs are judged and that includes how they go about detecting “unauthorized third party programs”. The free-to-play game Evony, yes the one that has lingerie models seemingly ripped from catalogs advertising all over other websites, has a cloud of controversy surrounding it. To make a long story short, a blogger by the name Bruce Everriss is being sued by Evony, LLC for posting defamatory and false statements online. So how are the two connected? In the Evony's terms of use agreement they include two agreements as follows:
You hereby acknowledge and agree that:
WHEN RUNNING, THE GAME MAY MONITOR YOUR COMPUTER'S RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY (RAM) AND/OR CPU PROCESSES FOR UNAUTHORIZED THIRD PARTY PROGRAMS RUNNING CONCURRENTLY WITH EVONY. AN "UNAUTHORIZED THIRD PARTY PROGRAM" AS USED HEREIN SHALL BE DEFINED AS ANY THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE THAT, WHEN USED SIMULTANEOUSLY OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE GAME, WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF SECTIONS 1, 2 OR 9.
…
WHEN THE GAME IS RUNNING, REGAN MERCANTILE US, LLC MAY OBTAIN CERTAIN IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR COMPUTER AND ITS OPERATING SYSTEM, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION YOUR HARD DRIVES, CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT, IP ADDRESS(ES) AND OPERATING SYSTEM(S), FOR PURPOSES OF IMPROVING THE GAME AND/OR THE SERVICE, AND TO POLICE AND ENFORCE THE PROVISIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT AND THE EULA.
Before we go any further I would like to point out that the suit against Mr. Everiss is still pending and the “truthiness” (to borrow Stephen Colbert’s word) of his claims about the alleged goings on in real life and the game world of Evony have not being revealed by the courts, yet. Mr. Everiss, as far as I know, does not site the monitoring of third party software as a reason not to play Evony. I refuse to play Evony, and have Evony played on my computer, because their might be some truth in Mr. Everiss’ claims and I do not want any software, browser based or no, running on my computer while the integrity of the company who runs it, and has such access to information on my computer, is in question. The language of Evony's terms of use agreement are similar to World of Warcraft's in regards to monitoring what programs are running while the game is, leading me to believe that Evony has the same or similar access to my computer as the WoW warden.
Make sure you skim through the end user license agreement and any other legal documentation pertaining to a piece of software before you commit to an installation. Strange and dark secrets can be found hidden behind legal jargon and in the 1s and 0s of your favorite game. Take comfort in the knowledge that most companies don’t wish or have the good sense not to invade your privacy more than they have too and that there are individuals like Bruce Everiss who are plugged into the video game industry and are willing to call companies out and make the public aware of any risky practices, rumored or true. Awareness and alertness is one of the best tools in fighting against fraud and other criminal activity and we should all be a little more aware of what goes down in our digital neighborhood.
This practice of “spying” is not limited to WoW. As I said, they have become the standard to which all MMOs are judged and that includes how they go about detecting “unauthorized third party programs”. The free-to-play game Evony, yes the one that has lingerie models seemingly ripped from catalogs advertising all over other websites, has a cloud of controversy surrounding it. To make a long story short, a blogger by the name Bruce Everriss is being sued by Evony, LLC for posting defamatory and false statements online. So how are the two connected? In the Evony's terms of use agreement they include two agreements as follows:
You hereby acknowledge and agree that:
WHEN RUNNING, THE GAME MAY MONITOR YOUR COMPUTER'S RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY (RAM) AND/OR CPU PROCESSES FOR UNAUTHORIZED THIRD PARTY PROGRAMS RUNNING CONCURRENTLY WITH EVONY. AN "UNAUTHORIZED THIRD PARTY PROGRAM" AS USED HEREIN SHALL BE DEFINED AS ANY THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE THAT, WHEN USED SIMULTANEOUSLY OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE GAME, WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF SECTIONS 1, 2 OR 9.
…
WHEN THE GAME IS RUNNING, REGAN MERCANTILE US, LLC MAY OBTAIN CERTAIN IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR COMPUTER AND ITS OPERATING SYSTEM, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION YOUR HARD DRIVES, CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT, IP ADDRESS(ES) AND OPERATING SYSTEM(S), FOR PURPOSES OF IMPROVING THE GAME AND/OR THE SERVICE, AND TO POLICE AND ENFORCE THE PROVISIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT AND THE EULA.
Before we go any further I would like to point out that the suit against Mr. Everiss is still pending and the “truthiness” (to borrow Stephen Colbert’s word) of his claims about the alleged goings on in real life and the game world of Evony have not being revealed by the courts, yet. Mr. Everiss, as far as I know, does not site the monitoring of third party software as a reason not to play Evony. I refuse to play Evony, and have Evony played on my computer, because their might be some truth in Mr. Everiss’ claims and I do not want any software, browser based or no, running on my computer while the integrity of the company who runs it, and has such access to information on my computer, is in question. The language of Evony's terms of use agreement are similar to World of Warcraft's in regards to monitoring what programs are running while the game is, leading me to believe that Evony has the same or similar access to my computer as the WoW warden.
Make sure you skim through the end user license agreement and any other legal documentation pertaining to a piece of software before you commit to an installation. Strange and dark secrets can be found hidden behind legal jargon and in the 1s and 0s of your favorite game. Take comfort in the knowledge that most companies don’t wish or have the good sense not to invade your privacy more than they have too and that there are individuals like Bruce Everiss who are plugged into the video game industry and are willing to call companies out and make the public aware of any risky practices, rumored or true. Awareness and alertness is one of the best tools in fighting against fraud and other criminal activity and we should all be a little more aware of what goes down in our digital neighborhood.
10.12.2009
Slow as Sunday: Fable Axe
In episode 47 of Epic Battle Cry, my personal guilty listening pleasure, Tony Grice, Daniel Kaiser, and Brent Adams discussed the recently released Fable II episode 1. During their discussion they decided that they like the idea of consumers being able to try a game before investing all of their money into the final product, claiming that most gamers don’t finish games and therefore don’t get their full money’s worth. I think that thriftiness is not the only thing at stake when a full game is broken down and sold like a stripped out car.
Episodic games have had a recent reemergence with games like Sam and Max and Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People by Telltale Games. These titles are meant to be small, easy to digest, and played in one or two sittings while offering a near full game experience in less time than a huge AAA title. The tactic that Lionhead Studios is taking is different from other episodic games. Essentially Fable II has different chapters, stages in the main character’s life where there is a transition from one phase to another. Chapters allow the important events to be experienced in game without having to explain all the details of the characters life or having to come up with some wacky reason why they’ve grown up (Link in The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time). This structure of chapters works well with an episodic format however there are some things about the character that never change. The inventory for instance, or stat points a player has earned and invested would need to be consistent from chapter to chapter and episode to episode. Transferring the data is easy to do when one is breaking down and playing bits of a complete game. Consistency is not something episodic games embrace readily.
The problem with releasing a full game in smaller chunks is in the implementation and timing. If a development team is under pressure from the publisher, or in Blizzard’s case with Star Craft II and its fans, then releasing an episode of a full game could satiate them long enough for the team to continue work. Releasing a game that wasn’t meant to be episodic can break up an otherwise coherent and epic story, bring unfair criticism from reviewers (wasn’t long enough, should have more features etc.), and worst of all cement features/characters/plot that could have been changed or adapted as the game’s development progressed. Sure it may be convenient for gamers to purchase a game in small doses, adding revenue to complete a project. If the first two episodes don’t have players hooked and sales for the third or fourth episode aren’t very successful then a publisher might drop the title leaving both a development team, and players who were deeply interested, an unfinished game.
My advice for anyone looking to take a full game and break it into episodes is know your game and know yourself. If you have made sequels and know how to continue a story and improve upon the ideas of the original then you already have a good sense of how an episodic game is made. Some genres are better for playing in smaller chunks and are more easily adapted to the episodic format. If you want to tell a grand epic story that’s non-stop action and suspense then episodes should not be your first choice.
Episodic games have had a recent reemergence with games like Sam and Max and Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People by Telltale Games. These titles are meant to be small, easy to digest, and played in one or two sittings while offering a near full game experience in less time than a huge AAA title. The tactic that Lionhead Studios is taking is different from other episodic games. Essentially Fable II has different chapters, stages in the main character’s life where there is a transition from one phase to another. Chapters allow the important events to be experienced in game without having to explain all the details of the characters life or having to come up with some wacky reason why they’ve grown up (Link in The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time). This structure of chapters works well with an episodic format however there are some things about the character that never change. The inventory for instance, or stat points a player has earned and invested would need to be consistent from chapter to chapter and episode to episode. Transferring the data is easy to do when one is breaking down and playing bits of a complete game. Consistency is not something episodic games embrace readily.
The problem with releasing a full game in smaller chunks is in the implementation and timing. If a development team is under pressure from the publisher, or in Blizzard’s case with Star Craft II and its fans, then releasing an episode of a full game could satiate them long enough for the team to continue work. Releasing a game that wasn’t meant to be episodic can break up an otherwise coherent and epic story, bring unfair criticism from reviewers (wasn’t long enough, should have more features etc.), and worst of all cement features/characters/plot that could have been changed or adapted as the game’s development progressed. Sure it may be convenient for gamers to purchase a game in small doses, adding revenue to complete a project. If the first two episodes don’t have players hooked and sales for the third or fourth episode aren’t very successful then a publisher might drop the title leaving both a development team, and players who were deeply interested, an unfinished game.
My advice for anyone looking to take a full game and break it into episodes is know your game and know yourself. If you have made sequels and know how to continue a story and improve upon the ideas of the original then you already have a good sense of how an episodic game is made. Some genres are better for playing in smaller chunks and are more easily adapted to the episodic format. If you want to tell a grand epic story that’s non-stop action and suspense then episodes should not be your first choice.
10.04.2009
Slow As Sunday: I Did Not Get the Freebie
I have been interested in Halo 3: ODST not because of the single player, but the separate Halo 3 multi-player disc. My plan was to install the game disc for the multiplayer from a borrowed copy of ODST in order to obtain the extra map packs that I have yet to download myself. After minutes of installing the disc and swapping out my own copy of Halo 3 with the ODST multiplayer disc, I was disappointed that I couldn't play Halo 3 "from the hard drive" in the game library on the 360's dashboard. When I fired up the game I was equally bummed to find that my scheme didn't work at all. The conclusion of my little experiment was that installing a disc does not allow that data to be read by a "different disc".
Since the Halo 3 ODST and the Halo 3 we're the same game, but not the same kind of game disc, thier data cannot be read by each other. This is why Bungie put all the downloadable content onto the multiplayer disc for ODST; because existing content for Halo 3 could not be read by the ODST disc. There is an exception, but not in this case, of discs able to be read by different copies of the same game. My copy of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion which is a game of the year edition, has a separate disc that, when installed following the prompts given when the disc inserted the content, is available for any copy of Oblivion that is placed in that 360. Notice that I said 'follow the prompts'. The process of installing the Oblivion disc is different than what I tried to do with the borrowed copy of ODST.
Now we run into a situation that few videogame publishers have developed a solution for. How do you give players without internet access to downloadable content the ability to play the DLC for their single player games? Earlier solutions we're to resell the same game with the added content i.e. Super Street Fighter II. Another attempt was to sell the DLC as a separate disc, either by itself or with original copy of the game, and is installed and played with an original copy. Rock Star's solution for the Grand Theft Auto IV DLC was to sell it on a separate disc that could be played by itself, but it only has the extra content and not the original game content. Fortunately not every gamer has to worry about where there extra content is coming from. Most home video game consoles are hooked up to the internet and receive constant updates and purchased content just fine.
Since the Halo 3 ODST and the Halo 3 we're the same game, but not the same kind of game disc, thier data cannot be read by each other. This is why Bungie put all the downloadable content onto the multiplayer disc for ODST; because existing content for Halo 3 could not be read by the ODST disc. There is an exception, but not in this case, of discs able to be read by different copies of the same game. My copy of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion which is a game of the year edition, has a separate disc that, when installed following the prompts given when the disc inserted the content, is available for any copy of Oblivion that is placed in that 360. Notice that I said 'follow the prompts'. The process of installing the Oblivion disc is different than what I tried to do with the borrowed copy of ODST.
Now we run into a situation that few videogame publishers have developed a solution for. How do you give players without internet access to downloadable content the ability to play the DLC for their single player games? Earlier solutions we're to resell the same game with the added content i.e. Super Street Fighter II. Another attempt was to sell the DLC as a separate disc, either by itself or with original copy of the game, and is installed and played with an original copy. Rock Star's solution for the Grand Theft Auto IV DLC was to sell it on a separate disc that could be played by itself, but it only has the extra content and not the original game content. Fortunately not every gamer has to worry about where there extra content is coming from. Most home video game consoles are hooked up to the internet and receive constant updates and purchased content just fine.
9.27.2009
Slow As Sunday: Catching up with Apple
Where the iPod took existing technology and improved upon the form factor and the marketing of portable digital music players, the Touch and iPhone have changed the landscape of the portable casual gaming market. Not all applications available for download in the Apple Application Store are videogames, By my calculation there are just under 8000 video game or video game related apps on iTunes. This level of competition for these “casual” games means that prices are driven not by the quality of the product, after all any game made by a large company can be made at a lower development cost at a small developer, but by the prices set by competitors for similar games.
This level of competition is limited in console and high end PC “hardcore” because of the high cost of development for those games, meaning that those games that have the highest budget (on average) bring in a higher return in investment. In the Apple App Store the opposite is true. The games with a smaller development team can sell their product for a lower price and still get more return from their investment than what a larger company with a larger budget could manage. The big advantages for larger companies are brand recognition and revenue for advertising. Despite these advantages there are some concerns with the business model the folks at Apple have already established as evident in this article by the New York times:
“The next breakthrough in gaming is not going to be in hardware,” Yoichi Wada, president of a top Japanese game maker, Square Enix, told Game Show participants. “It’s going to be in how to create a successful business model.”
“As a platform, the cellphone has the biggest potential, because everybody owns one,” said Kazumi Kitaue, chief executive at another game maker, Konami Digital Entertainment.
“We are going to move away from a market where it’s the hardware that fights against each other,” Mr. Hanamura [president of the Tokyo market research company, Enterbrain
] said at a recent presentation. “We are going to be moving to an era when different software stores fight against each other.”
“The quality of cellphone games is varied, and you couldn’t play many of them for hours,” said Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony’s games development arm.
“Will a company be able to operate completely on these games? No,” Mr. Yoshida said. “After all, we’re talking about the kind of games people make sitting in a cafe with a laptop.”
The first concern expressed by these Japanese giants of gaming is quite simple but still rather “frightening” because it means that companies will have to completely change their business models in order to compete in the video game industry. The transition of hardware being the main selling point of video games, to software driving the market. We’ve already seen evidence of this shift by various companies; download services like Steam and Impulse, even companies that are tackling the biggest issues of performance versus software such as OnLive, GaiKai, and now Full Circle. All of these services are geared toward the digital distribution and how people pay for and play games, all on the PC.
Personal computers are the future of video game consoles. Let me explain; it is evident that multifunctional is becoming more important to consumers as evident by the success of smart phones such as the iPhone, it is also evident it is possible to take a low end PC or laptop and using software optimization or a broadband connection to stream from a different PC to achieve the same high end gaming that consoles deliver. So it will become possible, through software, to develop a unique hardware/software combination that delivers the function of PCs, the portability of smart phones, and the ability to play high end “hardcore” games all on the same system. Sony already has a decent candidate to fill that role in the Vaio P series. Something small enough to be carried around but large enough to act as a small laptop if necessary, and best of all it already has all the necessary software and hardware to run a service like OnLive, GaiKai, or Full Circle. Now all that’s missing is cell phone service and a docking station for an easy transition of using it as a multifunction device to playing video games on your high resolution monitor or HD TV. So in the end the solution will be, in my opinion, not purely software as the gaming industry is leaning towards.
There soon will be working software that can span the bridge of portable and high end gaming and with it will come this piece of hardware that is able to bridge all functions of a PC, netbook, smart phone, and video game console because of this software. One problem would still remain with software/hardware setup. The cost of making high end games, and the competition of making low end games. I cannot imagine the business model that would solve this. I imagine that Microsoft and Sony already have their own solutions to the cost vs. function problem but I’m also afraid that those solutions will be focused heavily on the old infrastructure of video game consoles and not all purpose devices. After all, why would they sell you a all purpose device when they can sell you a zune/walkman, high end PC, video game console, and cell phones that perform the same functionality that you want with the profits that they want? In the mean time Apple will continue to lightly hold the reins of their application producing giant while counting the money they’re making from the “casual” audience in the other.
This level of competition is limited in console and high end PC “hardcore” because of the high cost of development for those games, meaning that those games that have the highest budget (on average) bring in a higher return in investment. In the Apple App Store the opposite is true. The games with a smaller development team can sell their product for a lower price and still get more return from their investment than what a larger company with a larger budget could manage. The big advantages for larger companies are brand recognition and revenue for advertising. Despite these advantages there are some concerns with the business model the folks at Apple have already established as evident in this article by the New York times:
“The next breakthrough in gaming is not going to be in hardware,” Yoichi Wada, president of a top Japanese game maker, Square Enix, told Game Show participants. “It’s going to be in how to create a successful business model.”
“As a platform, the cellphone has the biggest potential, because everybody owns one,” said Kazumi Kitaue, chief executive at another game maker, Konami Digital Entertainment.
“We are going to move away from a market where it’s the hardware that fights against each other,” Mr. Hanamura [president of the Tokyo market research company, Enterbrain
] said at a recent presentation. “We are going to be moving to an era when different software stores fight against each other.”
“The quality of cellphone games is varied, and you couldn’t play many of them for hours,” said Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony’s games development arm.
“Will a company be able to operate completely on these games? No,” Mr. Yoshida said. “After all, we’re talking about the kind of games people make sitting in a cafe with a laptop.”
The first concern expressed by these Japanese giants of gaming is quite simple but still rather “frightening” because it means that companies will have to completely change their business models in order to compete in the video game industry. The transition of hardware being the main selling point of video games, to software driving the market. We’ve already seen evidence of this shift by various companies; download services like Steam and Impulse, even companies that are tackling the biggest issues of performance versus software such as OnLive, GaiKai, and now Full Circle. All of these services are geared toward the digital distribution and how people pay for and play games, all on the PC.
Personal computers are the future of video game consoles. Let me explain; it is evident that multifunctional is becoming more important to consumers as evident by the success of smart phones such as the iPhone, it is also evident it is possible to take a low end PC or laptop and using software optimization or a broadband connection to stream from a different PC to achieve the same high end gaming that consoles deliver. So it will become possible, through software, to develop a unique hardware/software combination that delivers the function of PCs, the portability of smart phones, and the ability to play high end “hardcore” games all on the same system. Sony already has a decent candidate to fill that role in the Vaio P series. Something small enough to be carried around but large enough to act as a small laptop if necessary, and best of all it already has all the necessary software and hardware to run a service like OnLive, GaiKai, or Full Circle. Now all that’s missing is cell phone service and a docking station for an easy transition of using it as a multifunction device to playing video games on your high resolution monitor or HD TV. So in the end the solution will be, in my opinion, not purely software as the gaming industry is leaning towards.
There soon will be working software that can span the bridge of portable and high end gaming and with it will come this piece of hardware that is able to bridge all functions of a PC, netbook, smart phone, and video game console because of this software. One problem would still remain with software/hardware setup. The cost of making high end games, and the competition of making low end games. I cannot imagine the business model that would solve this. I imagine that Microsoft and Sony already have their own solutions to the cost vs. function problem but I’m also afraid that those solutions will be focused heavily on the old infrastructure of video game consoles and not all purpose devices. After all, why would they sell you a all purpose device when they can sell you a zune/walkman, high end PC, video game console, and cell phones that perform the same functionality that you want with the profits that they want? In the mean time Apple will continue to lightly hold the reins of their application producing giant while counting the money they’re making from the “casual” audience in the other.
9.23.2009
The wise men
Listeners of the podcast I produce called of Dice and Men may notice in a couple weeks that I haven't posted a new recording of the guys and I flimflamming about pen and paper games. I've had a falling out with my gaming group making it impossible, at this time, to determine whether or not the recordings will continue in the future. So for this month at least, there will be no post and in the future those on the broadcast or the format itself may be changed. These things happen and unfortunately even when the evidence was staring me in the face I refused to prepare a contingency for the inevitable, which amounts to bad planning on my part. I wish I could promise that Of Dice and Men will come back and be better than ever, but in my heart I feel that I could never find such a great bunch of guys to work with again. C'est la vie.
9.21.2009
Slow As Sunday Full Circle
Originally featured on GamingNexus.com
Forgive my lateness. I spent most of Sunday recovering from a very busy Saturday.
First OnLive, then GaiKai, Spawn Lab's HD 720 and now Full Circle from MechaWorks are products that seek to take existing technologies and apply them to gaming with new twists and features. OnLive maybe the best funded and first to get real attention this year but now that it has successfully reopened minds that were once closed due to the not so distant dark days of the phantom menace , OnLive has unofficially opened the doors to re-imagining video game consoles and services.
Full Circle is a software service somewhere in between the HD 720 and OnLive that offers some promise. Like the HD 720, Full Circle connects any PC or Mac with a broadband internet connection to "sync" video game consoles or more powerful PCs so they can be played remotely. Unlike the HD 720's software, Full Circle opts for a shutting down of the OS so that the full potential of a computer is used while the software is running. This is to allow the Full Circle software to run multiple applications on up to three screens, allowing for web browsing, video games, and even blu ray movies to be played simultaneously. Full Circle is meant to replace your console, the software acting as platform to launch games, so that you could have one dinky little netbook that could allow you to do all your gaming in HD, on multiple screens, and run other applications to boot.
This all sounds too good to be true, but stacked up against the seeming impossible small latency that OnLive claims to have achieved, the ease of use of GaiKai as a simple website application, and the power wasting of having to run a console plus additional hardware for the HD 720, FullCircle couldn't be in better company.
Forgive my lateness. I spent most of Sunday recovering from a very busy Saturday.
First OnLive, then GaiKai, Spawn Lab's HD 720 and now Full Circle from MechaWorks are products that seek to take existing technologies and apply them to gaming with new twists and features. OnLive maybe the best funded and first to get real attention this year but now that it has successfully reopened minds that were once closed due to the not so distant dark days of the phantom menace , OnLive has unofficially opened the doors to re-imagining video game consoles and services.
Full Circle is a software service somewhere in between the HD 720 and OnLive that offers some promise. Like the HD 720, Full Circle connects any PC or Mac with a broadband internet connection to "sync" video game consoles or more powerful PCs so they can be played remotely. Unlike the HD 720's software, Full Circle opts for a shutting down of the OS so that the full potential of a computer is used while the software is running. This is to allow the Full Circle software to run multiple applications on up to three screens, allowing for web browsing, video games, and even blu ray movies to be played simultaneously. Full Circle is meant to replace your console, the software acting as platform to launch games, so that you could have one dinky little netbook that could allow you to do all your gaming in HD, on multiple screens, and run other applications to boot.
This all sounds too good to be true, but stacked up against the seeming impossible small latency that OnLive claims to have achieved, the ease of use of GaiKai as a simple website application, and the power wasting of having to run a console plus additional hardware for the HD 720, FullCircle couldn't be in better company.
9.18.2009
When did losing become precious?
I was playing Super Smash Bro.s Brawl with my girlfriend tonight and she kept getting upset that I was setting the computer opponents difficulties up to high. I'm pretty good at Smash Bro.s, I've been playing the series since the original, so Renae never wants to play against me head to head because try as I might she gets upset. If I screw around and don't take the game seriously she gets angry and if I take it series I mop the floor with her avatar and she gets even more upset. Her complaints were loudest when the cpu controlled fighters beat us both before the end of the match and we had to watch the end of the fight play out with no input of our own. I realize now that the reason why she got upset with me then was that my meddling was causing her to not have any fun. I set the difficulty up so high in the first place because I like a challenge, and just fighting her meant there wasn't much of any. So I called her a sore loser and wondered why she was so upset. Maybe one of the reasons why Rock Band and Guitar Hero are so successful is that players can set their own difficulty challenge without interfering with the other players. Maybe I'm just so used to being beaten by a smarter, faster computer that I don't care about failure anymore.
9.13.2009
Slow As Sunday: We Hardly Knew Ye
As Featured on GamingNexus.com
Death comes to us all, at one point or another. I've always said, I'd like to die once before I go, just to see what it was like. In death we live on in the memory of our loved ones and the records kept in the ever expanding history of the human race. Those memories are filled with what we did in life, what we revealed of ourselves publicly and privately, and, of course, our achievement points. When I kick the bucket it is my wish that the priest read the list of my video game accomplishments as though I performed them in real life. Nathan was heroic and daring, on the planet of New Mombasa he wiped out entire battalions of brutes with reckless abandon and the world was a safer place for his bravery. In Azeroth Nathan slew thousands of boars to clothe and feed those who needed the gooey bits that resided in the creatures' remains. His gear was epic and as a healer saved many a party from wiping.
It may seem ridiculous, but there are those who are still alive who are most famous for, and will be remembered for their video game prowess. So will there come a day when it is social acceptable to have your achievement points etched into your grave marker? Maybe, but it would be a long time before that social evolution took place. More likely would be the creation of internet shrines, websites where the scores of the dead are immortalized and honored. When visiting do make sure your antivirus software is up to date. Greatness isn't contagious but Trojan viruses are.
Death comes to us all, at one point or another. I've always said, I'd like to die once before I go, just to see what it was like. In death we live on in the memory of our loved ones and the records kept in the ever expanding history of the human race. Those memories are filled with what we did in life, what we revealed of ourselves publicly and privately, and, of course, our achievement points. When I kick the bucket it is my wish that the priest read the list of my video game accomplishments as though I performed them in real life. Nathan was heroic and daring, on the planet of New Mombasa he wiped out entire battalions of brutes with reckless abandon and the world was a safer place for his bravery. In Azeroth Nathan slew thousands of boars to clothe and feed those who needed the gooey bits that resided in the creatures' remains. His gear was epic and as a healer saved many a party from wiping.
It may seem ridiculous, but there are those who are still alive who are most famous for, and will be remembered for their video game prowess. So will there come a day when it is social acceptable to have your achievement points etched into your grave marker? Maybe, but it would be a long time before that social evolution took place. More likely would be the creation of internet shrines, websites where the scores of the dead are immortalized and honored. When visiting do make sure your antivirus software is up to date. Greatness isn't contagious but Trojan viruses are.
9.12.2009
Went to see a real fake Rock Band
Dark Side of the Moon is a Pink Floyd tribute band made up of Ohioans from around the state. Tonight, at their performance at Screamin' Willies, I sat and listened with closed eyes to the melancholy wail of the guitar blending in with the punctuations of singing and drums that make up the mostly instrumental stylizing of Pink Floyd, and I contemplated. I was trying to figure out why anyone would want to make a simulator of the inside of a dingy bar where you control the characters on stage as they played music that only a dozen of the patrons actual came to listen to, instead of just to drink. That's when it clicked; music rhythm games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero aren't bar simulators, but band simulators. As I watched the lead singer, the bassist, the guitarist, and the sax player jam and really get into the music (I couldn't see the drummer very well) I realized that those smiles on their faces, the way they moved around the stage, even the way they visibly relaxed when a song was finished, those were the same things I experienced when I play Rock Band 2. The fun doesn't come from pressing corresponding colored buttons to gems falling down a path on the screen. I have fun being a part (a very small part) of the spirit and driving force behind a song, as a make-believe member of the band. Now I wonder why others have a hard time seeing the same thing.
9.09.2009
Football, not football
Before heading out to a bar to catch the US vs Trinidad world cup qualifier, my friend Sean and I played some FIFA 2005 on his old Xbox. I had a blast playing the game, but at first I was frustrated by my team's lack of control over the ball and their inconsistent passing. Then I watched the match tonight, and realized that the video game was a fairly accurate recreation of real life football. Sometimes players lose control of the ball, sometimes they make a bad pass, and more often than not they miss the goal completely when attempting a scoring shot. All of these things happen in FIFA 2005 and in the context of it being a sports game, these "mishaps" are right to be included in the gameplay. From a professional video game player's perspective who doesn't know much about football these little foibles seem more like unresponsive controls and simple minded AI non-player characters. This leads me to the conclusion that simulators, which most sports video games fall under, lean more towards realism than fun, which might explain why they have such a limited audience. One thing is for sure, I'm going to get better until I beat Sean at his own game.
Slow As Sunday featured on Gaming Nexus.com
Here was this weeks Slow As Sunday column featured on GamingNexus.com
Dear Cryptic, I scoffed when you announced the lifetime memberships promotion at a whopping $200 for Champions Online. Then my jaw hung slack when the life time memberships sold like hot cakes. Then the promotion stopped and the game was released and then the launch day poo storm hit and the forums exploded with bug reports and complaints. Funny thing is that some "lifers" as they're called in the Champions Online forums we're fairly level headed about the whole predicament. The really funny thing is that the folks at Crtl+Alt+Del answers a common question in forums in a way that Cryptic could not. What convinced those gamers to sign up for the lifetime subscription anyway? A lifetime subscription is cheaper than paying for a monthly subscription fee once a month, if you play the game for more than a year, but Champions Online isn't going to last forever, and on the off chance that it does, you will probably get bored with the game and quit at some point. To make matters worse Cryptic sold the lifetime memberships until the day before the game launched. This left anyone who didn't get into the beta testing a big dilemma to decide if they want to pay $200 for an unproven MMORPG or miss out on the potential savings. Joining a new MMO is a risky business for most players because if the MMO cannot garner any support and build up a community of players then virtual worlds can become barren ghost towns in a matter of months after launch. Who would want to be stuck with a lifetime subscription to a MMO that has massive but no multiplayer? Not me. Whoever tries this pricing scheme next please only sell 4-5 year subscriptions with an option to extend at a reduced rate if the game lasts that long. It would be more realistic while leaving the option open to continue saving if the game does make it past it's 5th year anniversary. Also please offer the 4-5 year subscription option open to players within the month of the game's release. It will take you that long to patch a lot of the bugs you and get your game running the way it should, and you can build up a larger, more solid community base during that time. Lastly, give the people who payed hundreds of dollars to play your game free In game content, always. If that option isn't economically viable, then at least give the people who ponied up exclusive in game content, and keep giving them more exclusive content, that way you can keep you base happy.
Dear Cryptic, I scoffed when you announced the lifetime memberships promotion at a whopping $200 for Champions Online. Then my jaw hung slack when the life time memberships sold like hot cakes. Then the promotion stopped and the game was released and then the launch day poo storm hit and the forums exploded with bug reports and complaints. Funny thing is that some "lifers" as they're called in the Champions Online forums we're fairly level headed about the whole predicament. The really funny thing is that the folks at Crtl+Alt+Del answers a common question in forums in a way that Cryptic could not. What convinced those gamers to sign up for the lifetime subscription anyway? A lifetime subscription is cheaper than paying for a monthly subscription fee once a month, if you play the game for more than a year, but Champions Online isn't going to last forever, and on the off chance that it does, you will probably get bored with the game and quit at some point. To make matters worse Cryptic sold the lifetime memberships until the day before the game launched. This left anyone who didn't get into the beta testing a big dilemma to decide if they want to pay $200 for an unproven MMORPG or miss out on the potential savings. Joining a new MMO is a risky business for most players because if the MMO cannot garner any support and build up a community of players then virtual worlds can become barren ghost towns in a matter of months after launch. Who would want to be stuck with a lifetime subscription to a MMO that has massive but no multiplayer? Not me. Whoever tries this pricing scheme next please only sell 4-5 year subscriptions with an option to extend at a reduced rate if the game lasts that long. It would be more realistic while leaving the option open to continue saving if the game does make it past it's 5th year anniversary. Also please offer the 4-5 year subscription option open to players within the month of the game's release. It will take you that long to patch a lot of the bugs you and get your game running the way it should, and you can build up a larger, more solid community base during that time. Lastly, give the people who payed hundreds of dollars to play your game free In game content, always. If that option isn't economically viable, then at least give the people who ponied up exclusive in game content, and keep giving them more exclusive content, that way you can keep you base happy.
Back and better than ever
So what happened? Where did I lose my blogging way? I got a job, is the short answer. I'm back, and as you may guess this means that I am currently not employed. The benefit to you is that now I can once again return to the internet and bombard the world with my wit and wisdom on a regular basis. When I'm not writing for GamingNexus.com. Speaking of which my review for the Xbox 360 version of Wolfenstein just went up. The game I'm currently working on reviewing is Defense Grid: the Awakening, a XBLA title that took me many tries to complete it's dastardly designed levels, but ultimately took less than 10 hours combined game time to complete all the levels. I've been debating on whether to finish each level on the different play through styles included, but they're either too easy or too hard and don't change the map in anyway, so there isn't much appeal for me.
Since my release from the bounds of drudgery and pay-checkery I've found time to play a lot more Call of Duty 4 and Battlefield: Bad Company online multiplayer. Switching back and forth between them is kind of awkward sometimes, not because the control schemes are different, but because in Battlefield I perform well, and in COD 4 I don't do so well. My brother claims its the opponents I play against, he assumes everyone who plays Battlefield: Bad Company online is under the age of 10, and that's why I do so well. I like to think its because my style of play is more suited to Battlefield than COD 4. I like to be slow and methodical, flanking the enemy position, retreating and reloading and then going back to do it all again rather than the fast paced twitchy gameplay that COD is mostly comprised of. I'm still looking forward to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in November, but I might also be downloading 1943 to get my first person shooter multiplayer fix.
Since my release from the bounds of drudgery and pay-checkery I've found time to play a lot more Call of Duty 4 and Battlefield: Bad Company online multiplayer. Switching back and forth between them is kind of awkward sometimes, not because the control schemes are different, but because in Battlefield I perform well, and in COD 4 I don't do so well. My brother claims its the opponents I play against, he assumes everyone who plays Battlefield: Bad Company online is under the age of 10, and that's why I do so well. I like to think its because my style of play is more suited to Battlefield than COD 4. I like to be slow and methodical, flanking the enemy position, retreating and reloading and then going back to do it all again rather than the fast paced twitchy gameplay that COD is mostly comprised of. I'm still looking forward to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in November, but I might also be downloading 1943 to get my first person shooter multiplayer fix.
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