This is sad news...
http://www.gamepolitics.com/2008/09/25/disbarred
...well actually it made my day. Good ridance you lunatic f**k!
Monday 29 September 2008
Monday 15 September 2008
The Mod Community Needs to Wake Up
Interesting survey:
http://www.hourences.com/book/surveyresults.htm
It's very skewed by the nature of the places where the survey originated, from the mod community. The interesting aspect for me is the disparity between what the mod community considers level design to be and what the actual job entails.
There is still the firm belief within the mod community that the level designer does the visuals as well as the gameplay. This is just not true anymore. Artists in the vast majorty of cases are responsible for environment art. The designers concentrate on gameplay only.
This belief led me to a rather dismal experience when trying to hire from the mod community not long ago. I'm from the mod community myself - the 1997 - 2000 era of mapping when BSP was king and the level designer was responsible for visuals. The attitude I came up against in the mod community was disbelief and even anger that we would not consider that part of the role.
Worse still however was the expectation of being able to work from home in their native country on a console project. It's just not a feasible proposition - for a start there is the sensitivity of the material being produced, procuring dev kits - but most of all modern development teams are just that - teams. The design role especially really relies on them being together in one place and having quick and easy lines of commincation. Notably most mod projects fall to pieces within months when they find it difficult to comminicate at the right times, or fall out because they misunderstand each other.
When this was pointed out to them the reaction was indignant anger. Why should they have to move? How dare I ask that they come over to the UK and be paid for a job they love to do?!
The mod community needs to wake up and smell the coffee a little bit. If you want to turn your hobby into a professional vocation then you have to understand that there are certain ways that things are done in the professional world.
Maybe the truth (as the survey suggests) is that the mod community is mostly made up of teenagers. They need to do a little growing up if this is something they want to pursue as a career.
http://www.hourences.com/book/surveyresults.htm
It's very skewed by the nature of the places where the survey originated, from the mod community. The interesting aspect for me is the disparity between what the mod community considers level design to be and what the actual job entails.
There is still the firm belief within the mod community that the level designer does the visuals as well as the gameplay. This is just not true anymore. Artists in the vast majorty of cases are responsible for environment art. The designers concentrate on gameplay only.
This belief led me to a rather dismal experience when trying to hire from the mod community not long ago. I'm from the mod community myself - the 1997 - 2000 era of mapping when BSP was king and the level designer was responsible for visuals. The attitude I came up against in the mod community was disbelief and even anger that we would not consider that part of the role.
Worse still however was the expectation of being able to work from home in their native country on a console project. It's just not a feasible proposition - for a start there is the sensitivity of the material being produced, procuring dev kits - but most of all modern development teams are just that - teams. The design role especially really relies on them being together in one place and having quick and easy lines of commincation. Notably most mod projects fall to pieces within months when they find it difficult to comminicate at the right times, or fall out because they misunderstand each other.
When this was pointed out to them the reaction was indignant anger. Why should they have to move? How dare I ask that they come over to the UK and be paid for a job they love to do?!
The mod community needs to wake up and smell the coffee a little bit. If you want to turn your hobby into a professional vocation then you have to understand that there are certain ways that things are done in the professional world.
Maybe the truth (as the survey suggests) is that the mod community is mostly made up of teenagers. They need to do a little growing up if this is something they want to pursue as a career.
Thursday 4 September 2008
Google Map based games
Having seen The Last Guy - a rather nice zombie game that appears to be based around google maps (well satellite photos at least), I got started thinking about other ideas you could play around with using google maps as a basis. I came up with the following ideas:
1. Fire Fighter
Fires may outbreak in cities or forest based areas. Make use of water resources, fire stations and various equipment to fight fires across the globe. May have a competitive aspect, where competing players fight to defeat as many fires as possible. Could be played at a local level within a city, or on a much larger scale to fight forest fires, etc.
2. Sim City
Recreate a similar feel to Sim City using real world locations and terrain.
3. Nuclear War
Already been done with Defcon, but might have a more pronounced effect with satellite imagery.
4. Racing
Drive cars across various cities or other routes in some form of race (create set course or find the fastest way from A -> B).
5. Treasure Hunt
Bury treasure at various point and leave a trail of clues and puzzles for players to solve.
6. "Real Life" RPG
Quest across the length and breadth of the world using the real world maps as the basis for a fictional story.
7. Recon
Mirror use of satellite immagery to recreate a recon scenario - bombing targets from a detached view, track targets to find locations, etc.
8. World Based Civilization
Similar style of game to civ - build and improve cities and take over other countries, form treaties, trade, etc.
9. Cops / Criminals
Act as a police commisoner deploying resources to track organised crime - or run a criminal organisation and avoid cops!
10. Pacman
Pacman using real city streets (thanks to Peter Field for that one!).
1. Fire Fighter
Fires may outbreak in cities or forest based areas. Make use of water resources, fire stations and various equipment to fight fires across the globe. May have a competitive aspect, where competing players fight to defeat as many fires as possible. Could be played at a local level within a city, or on a much larger scale to fight forest fires, etc.
2. Sim City
Recreate a similar feel to Sim City using real world locations and terrain.
3. Nuclear War
Already been done with Defcon, but might have a more pronounced effect with satellite imagery.
4. Racing
Drive cars across various cities or other routes in some form of race (create set course or find the fastest way from A -> B).
5. Treasure Hunt
Bury treasure at various point and leave a trail of clues and puzzles for players to solve.
6. "Real Life" RPG
Quest across the length and breadth of the world using the real world maps as the basis for a fictional story.
7. Recon
Mirror use of satellite immagery to recreate a recon scenario - bombing targets from a detached view, track targets to find locations, etc.
8. World Based Civilization
Similar style of game to civ - build and improve cities and take over other countries, form treaties, trade, etc.
9. Cops / Criminals
Act as a police commisoner deploying resources to track organised crime - or run a criminal organisation and avoid cops!
10. Pacman
Pacman using real city streets (thanks to Peter Field for that one!).
Monday 18 August 2008
Mine Carts - the holy grail of design(?)
Every game I've worked on I have designed a section with Mine Carts. Every game I have worked on has been released without a section with Mine Carts. Why?
Ever since I saw Temple of Doom as a kid, I've always been fascinated with the idea of getting an homage to them into a project. The whole sequence when you first see it is mind blowing - the whole rollercoaster ride feel, the danger from other carts, collapsing sections, selecting the right route.
The simple fact is Mine Carts don't actually have that much gameplay - they are quite simply a visual spectacle, but there is little interaction. You are a essentially a fixed point moving along a rail. Any kind of shooting is essentially a form of "Virtua Cop". Switching tracks or collapsing sections are extremely hard to telegraph at speed, and likely result in instant death - never fun.
Sure, a fairly good Mine Cart section could be done, but will it ever beat the thrill of seeing that sequence in Indiana Jones for the first time as a child? Simple answer: no...
Still, it won't stop me trying. It's gotta happen at least once - damn it, I need to satiate my inner child!
Ever since I saw Temple of Doom as a kid, I've always been fascinated with the idea of getting an homage to them into a project. The whole sequence when you first see it is mind blowing - the whole rollercoaster ride feel, the danger from other carts, collapsing sections, selecting the right route.
The simple fact is Mine Carts don't actually have that much gameplay - they are quite simply a visual spectacle, but there is little interaction. You are a essentially a fixed point moving along a rail. Any kind of shooting is essentially a form of "Virtua Cop". Switching tracks or collapsing sections are extremely hard to telegraph at speed, and likely result in instant death - never fun.
Sure, a fairly good Mine Cart section could be done, but will it ever beat the thrill of seeing that sequence in Indiana Jones for the first time as a child? Simple answer: no...
Still, it won't stop me trying. It's gotta happen at least once - damn it, I need to satiate my inner child!
Thursday 14 August 2008
How to get a job in Game Design
Design is by far the hardest discipline to get into as it's difficult to show aptitude and requires a lot of knowledge in different areas. I see lots and lots of really poor applications, but very few good ones.
What I would look for in a candidate's application is:
* A level built in a world editor such as Source's Hammer (Half-Life 2) or Unreal (you get the world editors free with the game).
* A well written and presented design document for an interesting game.
* A well written design specification for a particular game mechanic.
* A well written level design overview (perhaps using Sketchup - which is now free http://sketchup.google.com/download/ ).
* A game demo written in something like XNA ( http://creators.xna.com/ ).
What I definitely don't care about:
* Reviews of existing games.
* Screenshots of 3D models.
* Screenshots of levels (I'd want to see the level itself or at least a video - preferably with commentary to explain design decisions).
* Articles about games and sociology. This seems to be a huge topic in academic circles. In commercial terms, unless it is knowing your market better, I couldn't give a shit.
All in all I want to see applications where it is obvious that some effort has been put into them. Also people often seem to mistake what the design role is. Certainly the days of level designers building all the geometry are fading. These are generally art centric roles now. Design is now much more concerned where it should be - focused on gameplay.
It is essential that an designer has a decent portfolio of work to show a potential employer. We need to know how well rounded you are, where your strengths lie and your aptitude for particular things. We also want to see real passion for games and games development.
What I would look for in a candidate's application is:
* A level built in a world editor such as Source's Hammer (Half-Life 2) or Unreal (you get the world editors free with the game).
* A well written and presented design document for an interesting game.
* A well written design specification for a particular game mechanic.
* A well written level design overview (perhaps using Sketchup - which is now free http://sketchup.google.com/download/ ).
* A game demo written in something like XNA ( http://creators.xna.com/ ).
What I definitely don't care about:
* Reviews of existing games.
* Screenshots of 3D models.
* Screenshots of levels (I'd want to see the level itself or at least a video - preferably with commentary to explain design decisions).
* Articles about games and sociology. This seems to be a huge topic in academic circles. In commercial terms, unless it is knowing your market better, I couldn't give a shit.
All in all I want to see applications where it is obvious that some effort has been put into them. Also people often seem to mistake what the design role is. Certainly the days of level designers building all the geometry are fading. These are generally art centric roles now. Design is now much more concerned where it should be - focused on gameplay.
It is essential that an designer has a decent portfolio of work to show a potential employer. We need to know how well rounded you are, where your strengths lie and your aptitude for particular things. We also want to see real passion for games and games development.
Piracy & Used Games
The great piracy debate has been around for years. I was forwarded an interesting link to a blog where a developer had questioned a bunch of pirates as to what makes them do it:
http://www.positech.co.uk/talkingtopirates.html
Personally I used to pirate the odd game on the Amiga when I was a wee lad. I wouldn't ever pirate a game now - the biggest reason being that it's pissing in my own pond. Being a game developer you have to set a good example to your audience.
The reason why I pirated was simply price and it was so easy to do - like making a copy of a tape. When I were a lad I didn't have much money, so copying off your friend was an easy thing to do - all it required was a (pirated) copy of XCopy (how ironic). These days it's a little trickier (for consoles at least). It requires dedicated hardware to create discs, chip modifications or weird work arounds to get things running. The business of piracy makes some serious money for those involved. It certainly doesn't have the same "romantic" vision of the bedroom copying days.
As a member of the industry I do find it hard to justify the price of modern console games. Even I struggle to be able to afford them. If they were cheaper then I would most certainly buy more of them - it's as simple as that. When a game costs £50 a pop, you have to be damn sure that you are going to get your money's worth out of it (and I don't just mean in terms of number of hours - I mean quality of experience).
The excuse for these high prices is often the level of piracy that occurs forces them to hike costs, but this is a vicious circle. This ends up pushing more people to pirate games.
This has also caused the rapid growth of the second hand market, to the point where you can only make a £5 saving on a used game. This is ridiculous - and extremely bad for the whole industry. Developers and publishers are quick to blame retailers for this problem, but does it actually lie with publishers pushing for such high retail prices? It certainly fosters a market. If you only made a saving of £1 or £2 on a second hand game, then why would I buy the used copy over the new one?
Perhaps the industry needs to look hard at pricing and think about ways to get the costs of the products down (without increasing shovelware). I truly believe if we managed to get a game to the cost of a DVD - maybe a blueray (about £20), we'd get a lot more customers that pirate or buy second hand to "opt in" and buy the brand new copy, in the end giving us the developers and the publishers more profit.
Who jumps first?
http://www.positech.co.uk/talkingtopirates.html
Personally I used to pirate the odd game on the Amiga when I was a wee lad. I wouldn't ever pirate a game now - the biggest reason being that it's pissing in my own pond. Being a game developer you have to set a good example to your audience.
The reason why I pirated was simply price and it was so easy to do - like making a copy of a tape. When I were a lad I didn't have much money, so copying off your friend was an easy thing to do - all it required was a (pirated) copy of XCopy (how ironic). These days it's a little trickier (for consoles at least). It requires dedicated hardware to create discs, chip modifications or weird work arounds to get things running. The business of piracy makes some serious money for those involved. It certainly doesn't have the same "romantic" vision of the bedroom copying days.
As a member of the industry I do find it hard to justify the price of modern console games. Even I struggle to be able to afford them. If they were cheaper then I would most certainly buy more of them - it's as simple as that. When a game costs £50 a pop, you have to be damn sure that you are going to get your money's worth out of it (and I don't just mean in terms of number of hours - I mean quality of experience).
The excuse for these high prices is often the level of piracy that occurs forces them to hike costs, but this is a vicious circle. This ends up pushing more people to pirate games.
This has also caused the rapid growth of the second hand market, to the point where you can only make a £5 saving on a used game. This is ridiculous - and extremely bad for the whole industry. Developers and publishers are quick to blame retailers for this problem, but does it actually lie with publishers pushing for such high retail prices? It certainly fosters a market. If you only made a saving of £1 or £2 on a second hand game, then why would I buy the used copy over the new one?
Perhaps the industry needs to look hard at pricing and think about ways to get the costs of the products down (without increasing shovelware). I truly believe if we managed to get a game to the cost of a DVD - maybe a blueray (about £20), we'd get a lot more customers that pirate or buy second hand to "opt in" and buy the brand new copy, in the end giving us the developers and the publishers more profit.
Who jumps first?
Top Ten Games
Top Ten Lists - everyone's favorite pastime. Well, I thought I may as well do it myself (well if it's good enough for Warren Spector on his blog (http://junctionpoint.wordpress.com/2008/02/) then I think its probably good enough for me).
So - the list:
1. Half-Life Series
Bit of a cheat to begin with. I can't decide between Half-Life 1 or 2. The first was the game that really got me into game design by giving me the chance to edit my own levels in a real fashion - it eventually led to me getting a job in the games industry. The sequel however took everything in the first game and turned it up to 11. A beautiful and consistent world - a compelling story and believable, likeable characters. I particularly like the dystopian, Orwellian themes going on throughout City17, the wonderful character and audio design of the striders, and the incredibly well made set pieces that encourage emergent play within constained areas.
If it is purely on the game alone, it would have to be Half-Life 2, but I owe so much to the first game that it will always have a special place in my heart. If I'm really cheating I'd have to add deathmatch and Counter-Strike in with these as well. The joy of first entering the games industry really hits home on your first lunchtime, where you realise you have a large LAN and a room full of avid gamers. The number of deathmatch and CS sessions in the early days boggles belief!
And for a final cheat I'd also throw in Portal. In-fact - I should probably rename this Valve. Without a doubt in my mind they are the finest developers in our industry.
2. Civilization
If the award were to go to the game which has sucked up the most hours of my life, then Civilization would be the hands down winner. I have literally played civ for 20 hours straight some days (ah the joys of being a student). This game has really reached its peak with Civ IV, a really well crafted and balanced revision of the original.
This is a game to appeal to the power freak in us, it isn't for everyone. It's not high action, it's not frantically paced. Instead it sucks up hours as you micro-manage cities and carefully build your empire. I'm so power mad I have to play it on the easiest setting with the largest world. For me this game is not about the challenge, it is about constructing my perfect empire. I like to play the waiting game, building a massive powerful empire, then when my tech is so far advanced from my neighbours (i.e. tanks vs catapults) then it's time to crush them.
3. Syndicate
Playing this for the first time on the Amiga blew me away. A superb dystopian future world, realtime strategy gameplay and cyborgs with guns - does it get much better than this?
For me the persuadatron was the real gem of the game. I liked nothing more than attempting to persuade every single person on the map - thus resulting in an army of devotees following you around and a wall of machinegun fire everytime you pressed a button.
4. Dune 2
Another RTS, but probably the godfather of the genre. Again this is a megolmaniac's dream. The perfectionist in me relished the opportunity to build the most awesome defensive spectacle of a base I could - no matter that the way to win the game was to amass units.
Sure, there have been better RTS's since, but nothing has quite captured the same element of magic as the original in my eyes.
5. Legend
This is a bit of an obscure one - an RPG for the Amiga. Basically it had four characters: assassin, mage, troubadour and berserker, each with their own skills. The dungeons were designed to use interplay between each of the four character's skills. Some of the puzzles were particularly devious.
What was really fascinating was the magic system, which allowed you to construct your own spells out of runes. Through a simple system of basic mechanics you could create some complex behaviour - fantastically done.
6. Final Fantasy VII
The one everyone quotes and with good reason. The thing about FFVII for me though is the Materia system. I couldn't give a shite about the story, the characters or really the world itself for that matter (though I did well up a bit at the famous death). It's the purity of the battle system and the way the Materia system works that really sells the game for me. They haven't achieved as good a system since - at least not one that I have played.
It was the first and so far, last JRPG that I've gotten into and played to completion. I've played a few others since, but the mechanics haven't really gripped me in the same fashion.
7. Resident Evil
I was tempted to put Resident Evil 4 in place of the original, but I can't quite bring myself to do it. The original was truly great. It brought the element of horror and the first genuine jump moment for me into a game. Sure the acting was utterly terrible and the dialog worse, but it didn't mar the atmosphere of the game.
The fourth incarnation is by far a more polished and enjoyable experience, but the original has a special place in my heart - a fond memory of playing through the game with my flatmates at the time, lights down and eyes glued to the screen. Good times!
8. Call Of Duty 4
This is the most recent addition to the list, and I was initially tempted not to put it on. These "all time" lists tend to make it feel that you have to put older experiences in place of newer ones. However, COD4 is such an amazingly polished rollercoaster ride, so far beyond any "war" experience I've had before, it fully deserves to take its place in the top ten. In fact, I suspect it may climb higher in the years to come.
It succeeds so well at created scripted sequences that you believe in - particularly the fantastic "All Guillied Up" mission. There are so many lessons to learn from this game, that for the first time I'm inclined to play through the whole game again at home with my design anaylsis hat on. And I'm looking forwards to doing so!
9. Battlefield 1942 (Desert Combat Mod)
My earlier comment about the games industry and the realisation of a LAN and avid gamers most certainly applies to this entry. The Desert Combat Mod became a regular lunchtime and afterwork fixture.
This game has more frantic, laugh out loud moments than any other. It's particularly poingnaint for me as my wife started playing this game when we worked together as well. I could hear her laughter from the other side of the room during lunchtime sessions, and there was always a good post match discussion down in the smoking area on completion. Just a fantastic, fun game in the right scenario.
10. Wipeout 2097
This really crystalises the games becoming cool moment for me. Up until the orginal wipeout games still had a geeky vibe. All of a sudden Sony come out with this ultra cool looking game, with Designer's Republic designs and thumping tracks and slapped me in the face. I felt at this point the games industry had turned to a new direction and would soon become an industry to be reckoned with.
However, the original Wipeout had its issues. It was unforgivingly hard. A tiny tap of the edge of the circuit resulted in an immediate stop. It took the second revision - 2097 - to make it really playable and give it that real mass-market appeal. I can still look at 2097 and appreciate its asthetics now - and they still haven't managed to better the experience in the series since (though they did get a lot closer with Pure and Pulse).
So - the list:
1. Half-Life Series
Bit of a cheat to begin with. I can't decide between Half-Life 1 or 2. The first was the game that really got me into game design by giving me the chance to edit my own levels in a real fashion - it eventually led to me getting a job in the games industry. The sequel however took everything in the first game and turned it up to 11. A beautiful and consistent world - a compelling story and believable, likeable characters. I particularly like the dystopian, Orwellian themes going on throughout City17, the wonderful character and audio design of the striders, and the incredibly well made set pieces that encourage emergent play within constained areas.
If it is purely on the game alone, it would have to be Half-Life 2, but I owe so much to the first game that it will always have a special place in my heart. If I'm really cheating I'd have to add deathmatch and Counter-Strike in with these as well. The joy of first entering the games industry really hits home on your first lunchtime, where you realise you have a large LAN and a room full of avid gamers. The number of deathmatch and CS sessions in the early days boggles belief!
And for a final cheat I'd also throw in Portal. In-fact - I should probably rename this Valve. Without a doubt in my mind they are the finest developers in our industry.
2. Civilization
If the award were to go to the game which has sucked up the most hours of my life, then Civilization would be the hands down winner. I have literally played civ for 20 hours straight some days (ah the joys of being a student). This game has really reached its peak with Civ IV, a really well crafted and balanced revision of the original.
This is a game to appeal to the power freak in us, it isn't for everyone. It's not high action, it's not frantically paced. Instead it sucks up hours as you micro-manage cities and carefully build your empire. I'm so power mad I have to play it on the easiest setting with the largest world. For me this game is not about the challenge, it is about constructing my perfect empire. I like to play the waiting game, building a massive powerful empire, then when my tech is so far advanced from my neighbours (i.e. tanks vs catapults) then it's time to crush them.
3. Syndicate
Playing this for the first time on the Amiga blew me away. A superb dystopian future world, realtime strategy gameplay and cyborgs with guns - does it get much better than this?
For me the persuadatron was the real gem of the game. I liked nothing more than attempting to persuade every single person on the map - thus resulting in an army of devotees following you around and a wall of machinegun fire everytime you pressed a button.
4. Dune 2
Another RTS, but probably the godfather of the genre. Again this is a megolmaniac's dream. The perfectionist in me relished the opportunity to build the most awesome defensive spectacle of a base I could - no matter that the way to win the game was to amass units.
Sure, there have been better RTS's since, but nothing has quite captured the same element of magic as the original in my eyes.
5. Legend
This is a bit of an obscure one - an RPG for the Amiga. Basically it had four characters: assassin, mage, troubadour and berserker, each with their own skills. The dungeons were designed to use interplay between each of the four character's skills. Some of the puzzles were particularly devious.
What was really fascinating was the magic system, which allowed you to construct your own spells out of runes. Through a simple system of basic mechanics you could create some complex behaviour - fantastically done.
6. Final Fantasy VII
The one everyone quotes and with good reason. The thing about FFVII for me though is the Materia system. I couldn't give a shite about the story, the characters or really the world itself for that matter (though I did well up a bit at the famous death). It's the purity of the battle system and the way the Materia system works that really sells the game for me. They haven't achieved as good a system since - at least not one that I have played.
It was the first and so far, last JRPG that I've gotten into and played to completion. I've played a few others since, but the mechanics haven't really gripped me in the same fashion.
7. Resident Evil
I was tempted to put Resident Evil 4 in place of the original, but I can't quite bring myself to do it. The original was truly great. It brought the element of horror and the first genuine jump moment for me into a game. Sure the acting was utterly terrible and the dialog worse, but it didn't mar the atmosphere of the game.
The fourth incarnation is by far a more polished and enjoyable experience, but the original has a special place in my heart - a fond memory of playing through the game with my flatmates at the time, lights down and eyes glued to the screen. Good times!
8. Call Of Duty 4
This is the most recent addition to the list, and I was initially tempted not to put it on. These "all time" lists tend to make it feel that you have to put older experiences in place of newer ones. However, COD4 is such an amazingly polished rollercoaster ride, so far beyond any "war" experience I've had before, it fully deserves to take its place in the top ten. In fact, I suspect it may climb higher in the years to come.
It succeeds so well at created scripted sequences that you believe in - particularly the fantastic "All Guillied Up" mission. There are so many lessons to learn from this game, that for the first time I'm inclined to play through the whole game again at home with my design anaylsis hat on. And I'm looking forwards to doing so!
9. Battlefield 1942 (Desert Combat Mod)
My earlier comment about the games industry and the realisation of a LAN and avid gamers most certainly applies to this entry. The Desert Combat Mod became a regular lunchtime and afterwork fixture.
This game has more frantic, laugh out loud moments than any other. It's particularly poingnaint for me as my wife started playing this game when we worked together as well. I could hear her laughter from the other side of the room during lunchtime sessions, and there was always a good post match discussion down in the smoking area on completion. Just a fantastic, fun game in the right scenario.
10. Wipeout 2097
This really crystalises the games becoming cool moment for me. Up until the orginal wipeout games still had a geeky vibe. All of a sudden Sony come out with this ultra cool looking game, with Designer's Republic designs and thumping tracks and slapped me in the face. I felt at this point the games industry had turned to a new direction and would soon become an industry to be reckoned with.
However, the original Wipeout had its issues. It was unforgivingly hard. A tiny tap of the edge of the circuit resulted in an immediate stop. It took the second revision - 2097 - to make it really playable and give it that real mass-market appeal. I can still look at 2097 and appreciate its asthetics now - and they still haven't managed to better the experience in the series since (though they did get a lot closer with Pure and Pulse).
Wednesday 6 August 2008
Evolution, Innovation or Revolution?
I hear the word Innovation bandied around a lot in games of late. Innovation is held up as the ideal for every new game mechanic or feature. I'd suggest that most things are actually evolutionary not innovative.
Now I've always defined Innovation as the introduction of something completely new, but I've been told that this is revolution. Is it? Many have said the Wii remote is a revolution. I would say it is an innovation.
Revolution is the complete change of a paradigm to something new. So something I would consider that the Wii remote has completely changed the interface for one console, but the other consoles haven't yet thrown out the traditional pad, and I presume aren't necessarily likely to immediately. Therefore the Wii has had a large impact as an innovation but it is not a revolution. 3D would be classed a revolution, but motion sensing isn't quite there yet.
Personally I believe innovation has its place in games, but evolution is the main driving force of development. People take other ideas and improve upon them. The best ideas survive and carry through into other games - survival of the fittest just as Charles Darwin described.
Innovation shouldn't be held with such ridiculous esteem. Many innovative ideas aren't actually going to survive. Those great ideas that do (the Wii-mote) will enter the next cycle of evolution and again the fittest will survive.
Now I've always defined Innovation as the introduction of something completely new, but I've been told that this is revolution. Is it? Many have said the Wii remote is a revolution. I would say it is an innovation.
Revolution is the complete change of a paradigm to something new. So something I would consider that the Wii remote has completely changed the interface for one console, but the other consoles haven't yet thrown out the traditional pad, and I presume aren't necessarily likely to immediately. Therefore the Wii has had a large impact as an innovation but it is not a revolution. 3D would be classed a revolution, but motion sensing isn't quite there yet.
Personally I believe innovation has its place in games, but evolution is the main driving force of development. People take other ideas and improve upon them. The best ideas survive and carry through into other games - survival of the fittest just as Charles Darwin described.
Innovation shouldn't be held with such ridiculous esteem. Many innovative ideas aren't actually going to survive. Those great ideas that do (the Wii-mote) will enter the next cycle of evolution and again the fittest will survive.
Monday 28 July 2008
Sunday 27 July 2008
The Importance of Playtesting
Playtesting is an emerging discipline in games design that should hopefully become a required part of the production pipeline. Its value is often underplayed by many companies, even sometimes derided by designers, but it is quite simply the only way that you can properly guage how well you are building your game, and will result in you producing a better game if you approach it in the right way.
By far the leaders in this field are Microsoft. Their Games User Research department is just astounding.
http://mgsuserresearch.com/default.htm?MSID=8934bfd6814e40afb5835315db01c453&c00=1
Their site has a lot of links to talks that various members of the group have given at different games conferences. Having seen Ramon's talk at GDC this year, I was astounded to the level of depth they are now able to analyse games. However, not all of us have these facilities at our disposal.
However, we can attempt to replicate certain elements of their work on a tighter budget:
1. Provide Instrumentation
Having your game dump data as a player uses the game will allow you to collate much more information than user feedback or observation alone. Crunching the data can be tricky, so carefully plan out what data you want to watch beforehand - don't dump absolutely every scrap of information - only what you really need. For example, you might want to know what combos people are using in a fighting game, positions where people are dying often, or the times people are achieving in time trials.
2. Question your Subject
Asking for feedback from your test subject is vital. They should be encouraged to talk as much as possible about how they are feeling and what they are thinking as they are playing. This will provide vital information - sometimes people see things in a completely unexpected way. Also use questionaires to seek out answers to certain questions you may have - explore how they feel about certain aspects - and importantly whether they are enjoying the game experience.
3. Observe
There is nothing quite like watching someone play your game to understand the problems that people may encounter. It is vital however not to be tempted to give advice or show them solutions to problems (unless they are completely stuck for a protracted period of time and you want to press on with the testing).
By far the leaders in this field are Microsoft. Their Games User Research department is just astounding.
http://mgsuserresearch.com/default.htm?MSID=8934bfd6814e40afb5835315db01c453&c00=1
Their site has a lot of links to talks that various members of the group have given at different games conferences. Having seen Ramon's talk at GDC this year, I was astounded to the level of depth they are now able to analyse games. However, not all of us have these facilities at our disposal.
However, we can attempt to replicate certain elements of their work on a tighter budget:
1. Provide Instrumentation
Having your game dump data as a player uses the game will allow you to collate much more information than user feedback or observation alone. Crunching the data can be tricky, so carefully plan out what data you want to watch beforehand - don't dump absolutely every scrap of information - only what you really need. For example, you might want to know what combos people are using in a fighting game, positions where people are dying often, or the times people are achieving in time trials.
2. Question your Subject
Asking for feedback from your test subject is vital. They should be encouraged to talk as much as possible about how they are feeling and what they are thinking as they are playing. This will provide vital information - sometimes people see things in a completely unexpected way. Also use questionaires to seek out answers to certain questions you may have - explore how they feel about certain aspects - and importantly whether they are enjoying the game experience.
3. Observe
There is nothing quite like watching someone play your game to understand the problems that people may encounter. It is vital however not to be tempted to give advice or show them solutions to problems (unless they are completely stuck for a protracted period of time and you want to press on with the testing).
Monday 14 July 2008
Why I should have paid attention in school
I was thinking the other day of how many subjects are useful for the field of game design and I came to the realisation that pretty much every single subject has some sort of use for a game designer.
There's the obvious subjects such as Maths, English and Science, but even more obscure subjects hold some useful information.
There's the obvious subjects such as Maths, English and Science, but even more obscure subjects hold some useful information.
- Maths -for programmers it's an essential, but a designer definately needs a knowledge of mathematics. It helps when devising rules for mechanics and plays a hand in analysing playtesting data. It allows the designer to calculate desired angles and distances when building geometry, calculating the speed of elements and plays all sorts of other roles.
- English - a designer is a communicator. Thus english plays a vital role in defining how well a designer can communicate with others, both in the written word and verbally. Also english literature is a vital skill. Knowing stories, tales and the structure of writing will help enormously when working on narrative driven games. I'm not saying the designer should be writing the story, but they should definately have the knowledge of what works and what doesn't.
- Science - all the sciences hold a great deal of knowledge that is rich pickings for a designer. Chemistry and its compounds and formulas, Physics with its modelling of the real world, and Biology with its analysis of life - all these give the designer a starting point for simulation and ideas for twisting known science to produce something new (science fiction).
- Geography - the knowledge of geology, population, migration, peoples & culture is also essential to a designer. They need to know how real world populations develop to make their own worlds believable, they need to know how various strutures are formed so they can be twisted into something even more impressive.
- History - the knowldege of the past, events that shaped our culture and people that affected human development - all of these are vital to creating more believable worlds. They also provide immense inspiration.
- Design and Technology - this has pretty obvious translation to game design - the crafting of a product and the design process itself.
- Art - again art has a pretty obvious application in design.
- Religious Education - the study of other cultures is extremely useful to a designer, being able to understand these differences and imbue their own worlds with such details again will increase believability. Tackling the subject of real world religions in games does however is still a bit of a hot potato.
- Physical Education - this one I struggled with for a bit, but there is still plenty that applies to game design. Firstly the rules of team sports can have a direct correlation. But further elements such as muscle structure, movement and other aspects of physicality can also be applied.
In short, I didn't realise how useful this stuff was at the time. If you're wanting to be a game designer and you're still at school - pay attention - it will all be useful some day.
Friday 4 July 2008
Is this how you look playing games?
http://www.mrtoledano.com/frame_videogamers.php
If I look like these lot whilst playing games I may have to quit...
If I look like these lot whilst playing games I may have to quit...
Wednesday 2 July 2008
Games increasing on the High Street
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/hmv-videogames-are-the-new-rock-n-roll
It's interesting to see giants like HMV shifting their focus onto the games market. It really is proving that the erosion of traditional media has got them scared. This can only be a good thing for the games industry as a whole - more competition should free up the market and might hopefully stop Game's relentless pursuit of the secondhand market, which is undoubtable a very short-sighted way of making profit.
Personally, I always try to buy a game I like brand-new, I want to see money go to the developers. Game's cheeky profit margins on secondhand goods is getting ridiculous.
It's interesting to see giants like HMV shifting their focus onto the games market. It really is proving that the erosion of traditional media has got them scared. This can only be a good thing for the games industry as a whole - more competition should free up the market and might hopefully stop Game's relentless pursuit of the secondhand market, which is undoubtable a very short-sighted way of making profit.
Personally, I always try to buy a game I like brand-new, I want to see money go to the developers. Game's cheeky profit margins on secondhand goods is getting ridiculous.
Friday 20 June 2008
The Jig is Up
I can't help but laugh at this one:
http://www.kentmessenger.co.uk/news/default.asp?article_id=43527
"The Kent Messenger has left messages for the three, but has had no reply." - try the pub...
http://www.kentmessenger.co.uk/news/default.asp?article_id=43527
"The Kent Messenger has left messages for the three, but has had no reply." - try the pub...
Thursday 19 June 2008
Exploration in Games
Pretty interesting article on exploration in games:
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1856
I for one really enjoyed Oblivion, still keep meaning to go back to it, as I was about 100 hours in and only halfway through the main quest. But GTA IV came and interrupted my Oblivion session. With GTA IV story complete I'm thinking of returning, but to be honest I'm not sure I can be bothered.
The problem with these games is that they are such a time sap. It's all too easy to get lost in them, just wandering around the worlds taking it all in. Then you hit a certain point and you think, why am I actually bothering with this?
I tend to have better experiences with linear, narrative-driven games than with exploration games. I find them more focused, shorter and more succinct. I tend to remember parts of them in greater detail than I do with exploration games. Having said that, both Oblivion and GTA IV had stand out quests / missions that really do stick in my mind. Getting trapped in a painting in Oblivion was a fantasticly imaginative quest. The Heat style gun battle in GTA IV was easily my favorite section of the game.
Truth is, I do love exploration games, but I'm getting a bit long in the tooth (and family orientated) to sit through 100 hours of game. I need short bursts these days, and they say it's the younger generation that have short attention spans?
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1856
I for one really enjoyed Oblivion, still keep meaning to go back to it, as I was about 100 hours in and only halfway through the main quest. But GTA IV came and interrupted my Oblivion session. With GTA IV story complete I'm thinking of returning, but to be honest I'm not sure I can be bothered.
The problem with these games is that they are such a time sap. It's all too easy to get lost in them, just wandering around the worlds taking it all in. Then you hit a certain point and you think, why am I actually bothering with this?
I tend to have better experiences with linear, narrative-driven games than with exploration games. I find them more focused, shorter and more succinct. I tend to remember parts of them in greater detail than I do with exploration games. Having said that, both Oblivion and GTA IV had stand out quests / missions that really do stick in my mind. Getting trapped in a painting in Oblivion was a fantasticly imaginative quest. The Heat style gun battle in GTA IV was easily my favorite section of the game.
Truth is, I do love exploration games, but I'm getting a bit long in the tooth (and family orientated) to sit through 100 hours of game. I need short bursts these days, and they say it's the younger generation that have short attention spans?
Monday 16 June 2008
Unbelievable Plagarism!
I've seen some shocking rip-offs in my time, but Limbo of the Lost really does take the biscuit and shoves it where the sun don't shine...
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17885450
How on earth did they think they could get away with this? And they haven't, it got canned pretty damn quickly.
And someone dug up this article about the developers:
http://www.kentmessenger.co.uk/paper/default.asp?article_id=9644&slide_id=1&newspage=2&searchkeyword=&searchpage=1
What a bunch of goons.
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17885450
How on earth did they think they could get away with this? And they haven't, it got canned pretty damn quickly.
And someone dug up this article about the developers:
http://www.kentmessenger.co.uk/paper/default.asp?article_id=9644&slide_id=1&newspage=2&searchkeyword=&searchpage=1
What a bunch of goons.
Tuesday 10 June 2008
101 Things I Learned in Architecture School
Been given a fantastic book to read called "101 Things I Learned in Architecture School" by Matthew Frederick. It's amazing how many parallels can be drawn between the worlds of building design and level design.
I'm in the early stages of writing an article on level design using architectural theory, so this book is very useful, but it also contains a number of more generic design guidelines that I thought I'd share here:
1. "The more specific a design idea is, the greater its appeal is likely to be."
Designing for everyone often results in a watered down, uninteresting design. Designing specfically for one person or group of people will make that group much more interested in it, and in turn may attract more attention.
2. "Any design decision should be justified in at least two ways."
Having a single reason for a design decision might not be enough. The more justifications you have for a mechanic or level design, the more solid it is likely to be.
3. "Draw Hierarchically."
Changing this to "Design Hierarchically" makes sense - start with broad brush strokes to define the design then burrow down into the details. If you start with the details, that particular section of the game might be amazing, but might not work well in the whole composition.
4. "An architect knows something about everything. An engineer knows everything about one thing."
This really does apply to game designers. Artists and coders are effectively like engineers - very specialised in their fields, where as designers need to have working knowledge of all areas.
5. "Good designers are fast on their feet".
Design changes over the course of the project. A designer that is open to change will be a better fit than one who steadfastly sticks to the original vision.
6. "A good designer isn't afraid to throw away a good idea."
Sometimes a great idea just isn't right for the current project., no matter how great it is. Save it for a later date if it's really that good, but don't try and shoehorn a mismatching idea into your game.
7. "Being process-orientated, not product-driven is the most important and difficult skill for a designer to develop."
Something we are really focusing on at Ninja Theory is process-driven design. And it really is reaping its rewards. Sometimes it is hard to trust in the process and see it through, but by doing so it really does make things easier in the long run.
8. "If you can't explain your ideas to your grandmother in terms she understands, you don't know your subject well enough."
All too often people use terminology that is overly complex and elaborate when it doesn't need to be. Sometimes this is masking a lack of understanding, or is used to purposely bamboozle or impress other people.
9. "An effective oral presentation of a studio project begins with the general and proceeds toward the specific."
Presenting the design to the team can be tricky. It's too easy to start with minute detail and bore your audience. This advice is really useful. Begin with the broad picture and narrow it down as you get further along.
10. "Design with models!"
We use Sketchup to create our level designs, and it really allows us to understand spatial relationships as we build and also forces to think more about how elements are interwoven.
11. "Limitations encourage creativity."
There are many limitations when designing computer games. Work with these limitations and see them as aids rather than obstacles. They give you a framework within which you can build rather than being free to do whatever you want, which is often overly daunting.
I'm in the early stages of writing an article on level design using architectural theory, so this book is very useful, but it also contains a number of more generic design guidelines that I thought I'd share here:
1. "The more specific a design idea is, the greater its appeal is likely to be."
Designing for everyone often results in a watered down, uninteresting design. Designing specfically for one person or group of people will make that group much more interested in it, and in turn may attract more attention.
2. "Any design decision should be justified in at least two ways."
Having a single reason for a design decision might not be enough. The more justifications you have for a mechanic or level design, the more solid it is likely to be.
3. "Draw Hierarchically."
Changing this to "Design Hierarchically" makes sense - start with broad brush strokes to define the design then burrow down into the details. If you start with the details, that particular section of the game might be amazing, but might not work well in the whole composition.
4. "An architect knows something about everything. An engineer knows everything about one thing."
This really does apply to game designers. Artists and coders are effectively like engineers - very specialised in their fields, where as designers need to have working knowledge of all areas.
5. "Good designers are fast on their feet".
Design changes over the course of the project. A designer that is open to change will be a better fit than one who steadfastly sticks to the original vision.
6. "A good designer isn't afraid to throw away a good idea."
Sometimes a great idea just isn't right for the current project., no matter how great it is. Save it for a later date if it's really that good, but don't try and shoehorn a mismatching idea into your game.
7. "Being process-orientated, not product-driven is the most important and difficult skill for a designer to develop."
Something we are really focusing on at Ninja Theory is process-driven design. And it really is reaping its rewards. Sometimes it is hard to trust in the process and see it through, but by doing so it really does make things easier in the long run.
8. "If you can't explain your ideas to your grandmother in terms she understands, you don't know your subject well enough."
All too often people use terminology that is overly complex and elaborate when it doesn't need to be. Sometimes this is masking a lack of understanding, or is used to purposely bamboozle or impress other people.
9. "An effective oral presentation of a studio project begins with the general and proceeds toward the specific."
Presenting the design to the team can be tricky. It's too easy to start with minute detail and bore your audience. This advice is really useful. Begin with the broad picture and narrow it down as you get further along.
10. "Design with models!"
We use Sketchup to create our level designs, and it really allows us to understand spatial relationships as we build and also forces to think more about how elements are interwoven.
11. "Limitations encourage creativity."
There are many limitations when designing computer games. Work with these limitations and see them as aids rather than obstacles. They give you a framework within which you can build rather than being free to do whatever you want, which is often overly daunting.
Thursday 5 June 2008
Jack Thompson
Every game developer's favorite lawyer is in a spot of bother. One doesn't like to gloat (not too much at least), but I think a lot of people in the business will be rather pleased with this news.
http://kotaku.com/5013148/jack-thompson-walks-out-on-hearing-court-recommends-enhanced-disbarment
It really is about time the anti-video games brigade found another band wagon to jump on.
http://kotaku.com/5013148/jack-thompson-walks-out-on-hearing-court-recommends-enhanced-disbarment
It really is about time the anti-video games brigade found another band wagon to jump on.
Monday 2 June 2008
Makes The Blood Boil
This kind of thing makes me angry:
http://kotaku.com/5012146/egm-refuse-to-review-mgs4-because-konami-imposed-limitations
Imposing limitations on reviews? Really - just what justification do they have for this? Their game is so great that freedom of speech must be curtailed. It's utterly ridiculous. This kind of primadonna attitude from publishers about their top titles really does get under my skin. MGS 4 may be their biggest title to date, but that doesn't mean they can silence any critics of their game on a whim.
http://kotaku.com/5012146/egm-refuse-to-review-mgs4-because-konami-imposed-limitations
Imposing limitations on reviews? Really - just what justification do they have for this? Their game is so great that freedom of speech must be curtailed. It's utterly ridiculous. This kind of primadonna attitude from publishers about their top titles really does get under my skin. MGS 4 may be their biggest title to date, but that doesn't mean they can silence any critics of their game on a whim.
Friday 30 May 2008
The End of Single Player Games?
Phil Harrison, one time boss of Sony Worldwide Studios, now steering Atari towards the light, believes that single player games' time is up:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/single-player-games-on-the-way-out-says-phil-harrison
I have to say that I just don't agree. Yes, people like multiplayer and online aspects, but that doesn't mean they don't also like single player experiences (indeed there is still a majority of next-gen console owners who aren't online).
I for one tend to enjoy single player games on a console much more than most multiplayer experiences, this is really why I bought a console in the first place. To me a console game is lounging on the sofa in front of the TV taking a game at my own pace. I find playing multiplayer games on my PC over the LAN at work much more exciting than facing some unknown on the internet.
I think there is plenty of future left in the single player market. Sure there may be online aspects, one in particular is episodic content.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/single-player-games-on-the-way-out-says-phil-harrison
I have to say that I just don't agree. Yes, people like multiplayer and online aspects, but that doesn't mean they don't also like single player experiences (indeed there is still a majority of next-gen console owners who aren't online).
I for one tend to enjoy single player games on a console much more than most multiplayer experiences, this is really why I bought a console in the first place. To me a console game is lounging on the sofa in front of the TV taking a game at my own pace. I find playing multiplayer games on my PC over the LAN at work much more exciting than facing some unknown on the internet.
I think there is plenty of future left in the single player market. Sure there may be online aspects, one in particular is episodic content.
Wednesday 28 May 2008
Games Design Courses
The quality of game design degrees continues to be under the spotlight, and I've seen and heard first hand about some of the questionable teaching going on. From a design course that only teaches 3D modelling (the candidate I interviewed had not been taught a thing about A.I. or anything else technical for that matter) to another where the teachers were the Masters students that had just finished their postgrad (i.e. zero "real world" experience of development.
Game design degrees are really now the Media Studies degree of the 2000's - pretty much worthless. What's worse is that universities seem to be cynically pursing these courses as they attract a lot of students, and in turn a lot of money.
The result of this is students end up feeling very disgruntled when they complete their course, often blaming the industry itself:
http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/540/oped_from_the_outside_looking_in.php
In truth the answer to this guy's woes is a lack of talent. I won't embarass him by posting a link to his porfolio here, but suffice to say, he hasn't got a hope in hell of getting in with it. The horrible thing is that having done a degree it instills a sense of right in the student that they are now capable of getting into the industry.
There are notable exceptions to these rules. The University of Abertay in Dundee has a great reputation for producing good, knowledgeable candidates, and I have seen similar good things happening at the University of Teeside (I was lucky enough to be invited to do a talk at their regular games / animation festival Animex). By communicating and building relationships with the industry, these courses will strengthen and improve, particularly as ex-professionals cross over into teaching. However, to truly succeed, the universities simply looking for a fast buck need to stop.
Now the solution lies in the students being able to create a good portfolio, but much of this effort will have to be taken on themselves. In truth, the only way to get into the industry is through a lot of hardwork and a lucky break. Only a good portfolio will give a student that chance.
Game design degrees are really now the Media Studies degree of the 2000's - pretty much worthless. What's worse is that universities seem to be cynically pursing these courses as they attract a lot of students, and in turn a lot of money.
The result of this is students end up feeling very disgruntled when they complete their course, often blaming the industry itself:
http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/540/oped_from_the_outside_looking_in.php
In truth the answer to this guy's woes is a lack of talent. I won't embarass him by posting a link to his porfolio here, but suffice to say, he hasn't got a hope in hell of getting in with it. The horrible thing is that having done a degree it instills a sense of right in the student that they are now capable of getting into the industry.
There are notable exceptions to these rules. The University of Abertay in Dundee has a great reputation for producing good, knowledgeable candidates, and I have seen similar good things happening at the University of Teeside (I was lucky enough to be invited to do a talk at their regular games / animation festival Animex). By communicating and building relationships with the industry, these courses will strengthen and improve, particularly as ex-professionals cross over into teaching. However, to truly succeed, the universities simply looking for a fast buck need to stop.
Now the solution lies in the students being able to create a good portfolio, but much of this effort will have to be taken on themselves. In truth, the only way to get into the industry is through a lot of hardwork and a lucky break. Only a good portfolio will give a student that chance.
Monday 26 May 2008
My Top 10 Memorable Gaming Moments
We've all had moments in games where we finish them and feel utterly exhilerated, moments where we were "in the zone" or where events occured that had us mesmerised - things we won't forget. I thought I'd try and compile my top 10 most memorable moments:
10. F.E.A.R. - The fat programmer activates the turret
One of the hardest things to achieve in gaming is motivation for the player to feel emotion towards characters. In F.E.A.R. they achieved the need for retribution with aplomb. I have never before wanted to really kick the living shit out of a character as much as I wanted to when the fat programmer turns the security systems against you. Unfortunately I didn't have the same inclanation to actually finish the game. Running around a dull office block environment with a rather hackneyed story for a carrot just didn't do it for me. Shame, as the psychological scares were really well done.
9. Final Fantasy VII - Aeris Dies
It's a daring move by Square to kill of a party member which the player has spent hours nurturing and building up, but it sure does have an impact. I was quite honestly agape when she died - and really quite shocked. It sure does give you impetus to right the wrongs in the world. And having spent 100 hours in completing the game, it sure left an impression on me.
8. Resident Evil - Dogs jump through the window
Games never really tried to be scary. Then along came Resident Evil, and with the exception of the hammiest acting ever, really set a new standard in just how to make a scary game. The epitome of this is the dogs jumping through the window in the corridor, very near the start of the game. I really haven't had a shock like it before or since!
7. Shadow of the Colossus - the Eagle colossus
The game is elegant and beautiful, yet odly desolate and bleak. Killing the colossus truly feels like a crime, particularly when they are as well realised as the eagle. When you first jump up onto it, and the music rises in tempo in a crescendo, it really does make your heart soar. Flying through the air clining to various parts of the beast is a truly magical moment.
6. Grand Theft Auto IV - The heat style gun battle
This is probably only in my top ten right now as it's so fresh, but the heat style gun battle after robbing a bank in GTA IV really hit a chord with me. The battle in Heat is one of my favourite moments of cinema, so to be able to actually play through it was truly satisfying. When I died playing through it the first time, I was actually pleased, as I got to have another pop.
5. Half-Life 2: Episode 2 - The Strider Attack
The final part of episode 2 is a real heart attack moment. I don't think I've ever felt such an adrenaline rush, or being quite as on the edge of my seat as this section of gameplay. I almost had to stop playing because I was finding it almost too stressful. I died a few times, and was beginning to feel a vein of frustration. But then I finally completed it just as the final strider was charging up a shot to destroy the rocket. Talk about nick of time - virtually perfect balancing to get that feeling of overwhelming danger, but still make it possible, but then Valve really are the masters of fine tuning.
4. Half-Life 2: Episode 2 - the ant lion attack in the tunnels
Yes - the Half-Life series is my favorite, so it is appearing several times. Episode two had one really defining moment for me that made me go "wow", and that was the fight in the tunnels where the ant lions begin to attack. The setup and characterisation is brilliantly executed, making the moment where the attack begins feel truly tense and nerve-wracking.
3. Call of Duty 4 - The Sniper Mission
COD 4 is a superb set piece extravaganza, but it really shines in the sniper mission, which is both fast paced and tense. The real heart pounding moment occurs when running through the field and a group of soldiers approaches. Ducking down in the grass you really start to sweat as you have to second guess where the enemy soldiers will walk and move out of the way.
2. Half-Life - the introduction
Considering what FPS meant before Half-Life, the introduction was truly daring - 20 minutes of nothing but scene setting. We are placed in the shoes of Gordon Freeman's everyday life, giving us a sense of normality before it is all turned on its head. For me this left a real impression of how games can be fascinating and interactive without relying on conflict. It was something that was mirrored in the beginning of Half-Life 2 to great success.
1. Half-Life 2 - the fight under the bridge
I find it hard not to put the entirety of Half-Life 2 as the most memorable moment, for me a perfectly crafted game. It is in reality a constant procession of memorable moments sewn together - a real rollercoaster ride. But the moment that sticks in my mind the most must be the fight against the helicopter underneath the bridge. The feeling of danger is overwhelming with little room to move and a dangerous drop directly beneath. The satisfaction of taking down the chopper is really unparalled. A truly great moment.
10. F.E.A.R. - The fat programmer activates the turret
One of the hardest things to achieve in gaming is motivation for the player to feel emotion towards characters. In F.E.A.R. they achieved the need for retribution with aplomb. I have never before wanted to really kick the living shit out of a character as much as I wanted to when the fat programmer turns the security systems against you. Unfortunately I didn't have the same inclanation to actually finish the game. Running around a dull office block environment with a rather hackneyed story for a carrot just didn't do it for me. Shame, as the psychological scares were really well done.
9. Final Fantasy VII - Aeris Dies
It's a daring move by Square to kill of a party member which the player has spent hours nurturing and building up, but it sure does have an impact. I was quite honestly agape when she died - and really quite shocked. It sure does give you impetus to right the wrongs in the world. And having spent 100 hours in completing the game, it sure left an impression on me.
8. Resident Evil - Dogs jump through the window
Games never really tried to be scary. Then along came Resident Evil, and with the exception of the hammiest acting ever, really set a new standard in just how to make a scary game. The epitome of this is the dogs jumping through the window in the corridor, very near the start of the game. I really haven't had a shock like it before or since!
7. Shadow of the Colossus - the Eagle colossus
The game is elegant and beautiful, yet odly desolate and bleak. Killing the colossus truly feels like a crime, particularly when they are as well realised as the eagle. When you first jump up onto it, and the music rises in tempo in a crescendo, it really does make your heart soar. Flying through the air clining to various parts of the beast is a truly magical moment.
6. Grand Theft Auto IV - The heat style gun battle
This is probably only in my top ten right now as it's so fresh, but the heat style gun battle after robbing a bank in GTA IV really hit a chord with me. The battle in Heat is one of my favourite moments of cinema, so to be able to actually play through it was truly satisfying. When I died playing through it the first time, I was actually pleased, as I got to have another pop.
5. Half-Life 2: Episode 2 - The Strider Attack
The final part of episode 2 is a real heart attack moment. I don't think I've ever felt such an adrenaline rush, or being quite as on the edge of my seat as this section of gameplay. I almost had to stop playing because I was finding it almost too stressful. I died a few times, and was beginning to feel a vein of frustration. But then I finally completed it just as the final strider was charging up a shot to destroy the rocket. Talk about nick of time - virtually perfect balancing to get that feeling of overwhelming danger, but still make it possible, but then Valve really are the masters of fine tuning.
4. Half-Life 2: Episode 2 - the ant lion attack in the tunnels
Yes - the Half-Life series is my favorite, so it is appearing several times. Episode two had one really defining moment for me that made me go "wow", and that was the fight in the tunnels where the ant lions begin to attack. The setup and characterisation is brilliantly executed, making the moment where the attack begins feel truly tense and nerve-wracking.
3. Call of Duty 4 - The Sniper Mission
COD 4 is a superb set piece extravaganza, but it really shines in the sniper mission, which is both fast paced and tense. The real heart pounding moment occurs when running through the field and a group of soldiers approaches. Ducking down in the grass you really start to sweat as you have to second guess where the enemy soldiers will walk and move out of the way.
2. Half-Life - the introduction
Considering what FPS meant before Half-Life, the introduction was truly daring - 20 minutes of nothing but scene setting. We are placed in the shoes of Gordon Freeman's everyday life, giving us a sense of normality before it is all turned on its head. For me this left a real impression of how games can be fascinating and interactive without relying on conflict. It was something that was mirrored in the beginning of Half-Life 2 to great success.
1. Half-Life 2 - the fight under the bridge
I find it hard not to put the entirety of Half-Life 2 as the most memorable moment, for me a perfectly crafted game. It is in reality a constant procession of memorable moments sewn together - a real rollercoaster ride. But the moment that sticks in my mind the most must be the fight against the helicopter underneath the bridge. The feeling of danger is overwhelming with little room to move and a dangerous drop directly beneath. The satisfaction of taking down the chopper is really unparalled. A truly great moment.
The Use of Metacritic
Metacritic is becoming more and more the barometer of determining game quality. Is it a great scale to use?
Yes and No.
Using an average does give you a statistically better score than relying on one particular source. However, the review process metacritic does have issues:
* It is suspected by many that review scores are subject to many factors including advertising dollars spent with the publication by the publisher, or even how many free lunches the journalist got. Of course many journos can also get caught up in the hype machine and be swayed simply by that.
* Some reviewers like to be purposely harsh to get noticed, throwing in a contradictary opinion.
* Small scores like out of 5 skew results so 3/5 which is a fairly decent score when considered in that sense become 60% as a score out of 100, which is considered to be bad.
* Reviews without a score are attributed a score by metacritic themselves based on the content of the review, which is extremely subjective.
* Review scores are weighted according to the publication by metacritic themselves. This process is not transparent, and has no feedback to the public lending the sense that this is somewhat arbitrary.
So - is it reliable? Again - I think it does actually produce fairly decent results. The main problem is not from metacritic themselves, but the whole reviewing process. However, for all the corruption and one-up manship it generally does reflect the quality of a game.
Some publishers are now tying developer bonuses to metacritic scores. In a way I like this. It is a way of preserving the chances of a developer being paid that bonus - old style dirty tricks in this case (like purposely reducing the metacritic score) would simply be shooting themselves in the foot.
It's interesting to see that people have been analysing metacritic scores by publisher to show their quality bar:
http://kotaku.com/393104/the-big-publishers-metacritic-averages
Yes and No.
Using an average does give you a statistically better score than relying on one particular source. However, the review process metacritic does have issues:
* It is suspected by many that review scores are subject to many factors including advertising dollars spent with the publication by the publisher, or even how many free lunches the journalist got. Of course many journos can also get caught up in the hype machine and be swayed simply by that.
* Some reviewers like to be purposely harsh to get noticed, throwing in a contradictary opinion.
* Small scores like out of 5 skew results so 3/5 which is a fairly decent score when considered in that sense become 60% as a score out of 100, which is considered to be bad.
* Reviews without a score are attributed a score by metacritic themselves based on the content of the review, which is extremely subjective.
* Review scores are weighted according to the publication by metacritic themselves. This process is not transparent, and has no feedback to the public lending the sense that this is somewhat arbitrary.
So - is it reliable? Again - I think it does actually produce fairly decent results. The main problem is not from metacritic themselves, but the whole reviewing process. However, for all the corruption and one-up manship it generally does reflect the quality of a game.
Some publishers are now tying developer bonuses to metacritic scores. In a way I like this. It is a way of preserving the chances of a developer being paid that bonus - old style dirty tricks in this case (like purposely reducing the metacritic score) would simply be shooting themselves in the foot.
It's interesting to see that people have been analysing metacritic scores by publisher to show their quality bar:
http://kotaku.com/393104/the-big-publishers-metacritic-averages
Thursday 22 May 2008
Stunning Graffiti Animation
Jaw. Hitting. Floor.
Simply gobsmackingly good animation:
http://www.vimeo.com/993998
How long must this have took to do?
Simply gobsmackingly good animation:
http://www.vimeo.com/993998
How long must this have took to do?
Tuesday 20 May 2008
Time for a Rant - "Biting Off More Than You Can Chew"
I like to rant, anyone who knows me knows that. In fact there is a type of ranting named after me known as the Markument. But I haven't ranted up on this blog yet, so now it's about time...
Now the subject of this particular rant is budding game developers biting off more than they can chew. Having seen a few game design students' potential projects and having read this:
http://sol.gfxile.net/mmorpg.html
it has solidified my opinion that people are almost universally over ambitious when they try to make their first game. Seriously - I've witnessed a group of 3 students announce they will build a third person action adventure from scratch in less than a year. Then they announce that the story will be much better than several mainstream titles. Firstly you don't stand much hope of finishing what is probably the most complex type of game to produce (aside from RPGs for pure depth and girdth) and secondly you're expecting to make it better than a game that had 60+ professionals working on it for 3 or more years. You need to sniff the reality salts guys. I don't mind the ambition so much as the arrogance!
It just reminds me of Marc Echo - urban clothing designer - and his determined pitch to the games industry that he would show us how it is done. Yeah? That worked didn't it...
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/marceckosgettingup?q=getting%20up
Then there was the doorman that decided an MMO was his future and he pumped his (and his family's) life savings into it. Forget trying to get experienced people to help, he'll manage with a few friends and loyal companions!
Unfortunately even those who've been on the perimeter of game development don't always get it right:
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/pennyarcadeadventuresepisode1?q=penny%20arcade
I love the cartoon strips (even the lampooning of Heavenly Sword), but there is a slight bit of smug satisfaction when the critics don't get it right themselves.
Just remember - if you're going to start in game development, start small. Build a mod for an existing game. Build a small arcade game. Whatever you do don't start bragging about how you are going to revolutionise the industry - we've heard all that bullshit before.
Now the subject of this particular rant is budding game developers biting off more than they can chew. Having seen a few game design students' potential projects and having read this:
http://sol.gfxile.net/mmorpg.html
it has solidified my opinion that people are almost universally over ambitious when they try to make their first game. Seriously - I've witnessed a group of 3 students announce they will build a third person action adventure from scratch in less than a year. Then they announce that the story will be much better than several mainstream titles. Firstly you don't stand much hope of finishing what is probably the most complex type of game to produce (aside from RPGs for pure depth and girdth) and secondly you're expecting to make it better than a game that had 60+ professionals working on it for 3 or more years. You need to sniff the reality salts guys. I don't mind the ambition so much as the arrogance!
It just reminds me of Marc Echo - urban clothing designer - and his determined pitch to the games industry that he would show us how it is done. Yeah? That worked didn't it...
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/marceckosgettingup?q=getting%20up
Then there was the doorman that decided an MMO was his future and he pumped his (and his family's) life savings into it. Forget trying to get experienced people to help, he'll manage with a few friends and loyal companions!
Unfortunately even those who've been on the perimeter of game development don't always get it right:
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/pennyarcadeadventuresepisode1?q=penny%20arcade
I love the cartoon strips (even the lampooning of Heavenly Sword), but there is a slight bit of smug satisfaction when the critics don't get it right themselves.
Just remember - if you're going to start in game development, start small. Build a mod for an existing game. Build a small arcade game. Whatever you do don't start bragging about how you are going to revolutionise the industry - we've heard all that bullshit before.
Haze Gets a Kicking
Well, a while ago I was quite interested by Haze, but the demo served to kick my interest in the face. Now it seems that the game itself isn't setting the world on fire:
http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/875/875229p1.html
If IGN give you a kick to the chops, then I can only imagine when the harsh scores take their turn to put the boot in. Place your EDGE score predictions now...
http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/875/875229p1.html
If IGN give you a kick to the chops, then I can only imagine when the harsh scores take their turn to put the boot in. Place your EDGE score predictions now...
Monday 19 May 2008
More Interesting Sites
Some more interesting websites for research purposes:
http://www.infiltration.org/
http://www.urban-travel.org/documents/92.html
http://www.simoncornwell.com/urbex/frames.htm
http://www.abandoned.ru/
Can you tell I like urban expoloration sites? ;)
http://www.infiltration.org/
http://www.urban-travel.org/documents/92.html
http://www.simoncornwell.com/urbex/frames.htm
http://www.abandoned.ru/
Can you tell I like urban expoloration sites? ;)
Friday 16 May 2008
Videogame Tropes
Tropes are to be found in all entertainment forms - some to the point of cliche, but they can be useful as a starting point for ideas.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VideogameTropes
This site contains a number of tropes that will either be useful for a design idea, or at the very least a source of amusement.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VideogameTropes
This site contains a number of tropes that will either be useful for a design idea, or at the very least a source of amusement.
Thursday 15 May 2008
Beyond Good and Evil 2?
Rumours of a sequel to beyond good and evil 2 seem to have surfaced:
http://www.kotaku.com/390720/there-is-a-beyond-good--evil-2-sort-of
Let's hope it does enter into full production, as BGE was a really superb game that unfortunately didn't sell all that well.
http://www.kotaku.com/390720/there-is-a-beyond-good--evil-2-sort-of
Let's hope it does enter into full production, as BGE was a really superb game that unfortunately didn't sell all that well.
The 400 Project
Can you set out a set of rules for game design?
http://www.theinspiracy.com/400_project.htm
The 400 project aims to do just that, so far it doesn't seem to have got much backing, and whilst there are some sensible rules in there, can we really boil down the process of game design to following instructions?
Game design is part art, part science in my opinion. There are definate concepts and theories that can define the science part of design, but the real craft lies in the creativity. Rules and regulations tend to stifle the creative mind, indeed a lot of good art has been about throwing out the rulebook.
So while it may be a worthwhile exercise in defining these rules, as a designer, it is unlikely that these will pervade my everyday design life.
http://www.theinspiracy.com/400_project.htm
The 400 project aims to do just that, so far it doesn't seem to have got much backing, and whilst there are some sensible rules in there, can we really boil down the process of game design to following instructions?
Game design is part art, part science in my opinion. There are definate concepts and theories that can define the science part of design, but the real craft lies in the creativity. Rules and regulations tend to stifle the creative mind, indeed a lot of good art has been about throwing out the rulebook.
So while it may be a worthwhile exercise in defining these rules, as a designer, it is unlikely that these will pervade my everyday design life.
Tuesday 13 May 2008
Awesome Reference
Found a superb site for reference today: www.weburbanist.com
There's also a page with links for urban photography:
http://weburbanist.com/2007/11/20/from-abandonments-to-non-photographs-10-top-sites-for-alternative-urban-photography/
Which references the sites:
http://sleepycity.net/
http://www.opacity.us/
http://strictlynophotography.com/
http://blog.epicedits.com/2007/11/07/87-great-photography-blogs-and-feeds/
And a good search idea for flickr:
http://flickr.com/search/?q=urban&w=all
There's also a page with links for urban photography:
http://weburbanist.com/2007/11/20/from-abandonments-to-non-photographs-10-top-sites-for-alternative-urban-photography/
Which references the sites:
http://sleepycity.net/
http://www.opacity.us/
http://strictlynophotography.com/
http://blog.epicedits.com/2007/11/07/87-great-photography-blogs-and-feeds/
And a good search idea for flickr:
http://flickr.com/search/?q=urban&w=all
Monday 12 May 2008
Dail Mail give GTA IV 5/5
Oh the irony:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/reviews.html?in_article_id=563472&in_page_id=1924
This from the newspaper that also gave us:
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/columnists/mailonsunday.html?in_article_id=563775&in_page_id=1791&in_author_id=224
(Scroll to bottom for GTA comment)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/reviews.html?in_article_id=563472&in_page_id=1924
This from the newspaper that also gave us:
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/columnists/mailonsunday.html?in_article_id=563775&in_page_id=1791&in_author_id=224
(Scroll to bottom for GTA comment)
Friday 9 May 2008
"The 7 Commandments"
Someone posted a link to this on the Chaos Engine (private message board for games industry bods for those who don't know what that is):
http://www.cracked.com/article_16196_7-commandments-all-video-games-should-obey.html
I've got a few issues with them:
#7 Thou shalt let us play games with real-life friends.
Yes, playing against people in the same room is a great experience and is really suited to certain types of game - the games that they highlight such as Guitar Hero. However, other types of games that incurr high rendering costs when trying to do split screen, or require shoe horning of elements to provide such features - is it really such a great loss?
There are certain types of game that are designed for single players. There is nothing wrong with this. I personally really enjoy playing single player games - like reading a good book. Not every game suits multiplayer in the same room.
Squeezing four people together in one room to stare at a tiny corner of a TV to play Halo 3 isn't the same as sitting your fat ass in your lazyboy with plenty of space around you, a big HDTV with all the screen real estate to yourself, and a bluetooth headset to communicate with your pals. Horses for courses.
#6 Thou shalt not pad the length of your game.
Well I kinda agree with this and their quote "See, here's the thing. We don't mind short games." Ah I wish the gaming population at large shared this sentiment, as Heavenly Sword's main reason for getting a bit of a kicking in certain press circles was "it's too short".
Simple fact is that generating content for the next generation is a herculean task. So you get as much quality as you can into the game. Now to make it longer you either sacrafice a little quality or you put in padding. When you don't do this people seem to go for the juggular (they didn't with portal, but that was part of a much larger package - standalone would it have had a different reaction?).
#5 Thou shalt not force repetition on the player.
A good and valid point. Except with certain game mechanics. If that repetition is fun and balanced perfectly it can be the whole game itself. What is Tetris? The same mechanic repeated ad infinitum.
But yes, their points on limited save points, watching cutscenes and instant death QTEs are perfectly valid.
#4 Thou shalt make killing fun.
Well first of all this got my back up by trying to take on my favorite game Half-Life 2, but seriously - there needs to be progression. A "bullshit" weapon can actually be a lot of fun when the scenario is designed to suit. I personally dont hate handguns if they are implemented with thought. Having limited ammo also increases the tension.
But then they do have good points - particularly little rodent enemies - I'm pretty sick of these myself.
As for killing identikit enemies, well creating randomised enemies is not as easy as it sounds. There is quite an investment required in specific technology to be able to do this well. Is it really that much of an issue?
#3 Thou shalt admit when enough is enough
Escort missions. Hmmm. No one has ever liked them? I can think of one or two - I quite liked the Resident Evil 4 ones, even if they didn't. Admittedly it's very easy to do them badly, but that's not a reason for not trying.
CPU squad mates again falls under the above. But I've seen quite a few games with well controlled squad mates - Beyond Good and Evil and Half-Life2 Ep1 & 2. Think this point is moot as AI improves - again it's just one of those things that is easy to do badly.
First person jumping - someone had better tell DICE that, otherwise Mirror's Edge is going to be a disaster...
World War II games - yes they are running out of source material on that one...
The grizzled space marine - yes... can't really argue against that one!
#2 Thou shalt make sure your game actually works.
I could say how complex games are these days, but really they are right - there is no excuse for this - and the problem is likely to get worse now that patches are acceptable on consoles...
#1 Better graphics do not equal innovation and / or creativity.
Yup - again I can't argue against this one. Only I will say that great graphics can make brilliant mechanics even better. They increase the level of verisimillitude - believability in the world.
http://www.cracked.com/article_16196_7-commandments-all-video-games-should-obey.html
I've got a few issues with them:
#7 Thou shalt let us play games with real-life friends.
Yes, playing against people in the same room is a great experience and is really suited to certain types of game - the games that they highlight such as Guitar Hero. However, other types of games that incurr high rendering costs when trying to do split screen, or require shoe horning of elements to provide such features - is it really such a great loss?
There are certain types of game that are designed for single players. There is nothing wrong with this. I personally really enjoy playing single player games - like reading a good book. Not every game suits multiplayer in the same room.
Squeezing four people together in one room to stare at a tiny corner of a TV to play Halo 3 isn't the same as sitting your fat ass in your lazyboy with plenty of space around you, a big HDTV with all the screen real estate to yourself, and a bluetooth headset to communicate with your pals. Horses for courses.
#6 Thou shalt not pad the length of your game.
Well I kinda agree with this and their quote "See, here's the thing. We don't mind short games." Ah I wish the gaming population at large shared this sentiment, as Heavenly Sword's main reason for getting a bit of a kicking in certain press circles was "it's too short".
Simple fact is that generating content for the next generation is a herculean task. So you get as much quality as you can into the game. Now to make it longer you either sacrafice a little quality or you put in padding. When you don't do this people seem to go for the juggular (they didn't with portal, but that was part of a much larger package - standalone would it have had a different reaction?).
#5 Thou shalt not force repetition on the player.
A good and valid point. Except with certain game mechanics. If that repetition is fun and balanced perfectly it can be the whole game itself. What is Tetris? The same mechanic repeated ad infinitum.
But yes, their points on limited save points, watching cutscenes and instant death QTEs are perfectly valid.
#4 Thou shalt make killing fun.
Well first of all this got my back up by trying to take on my favorite game Half-Life 2, but seriously - there needs to be progression. A "bullshit" weapon can actually be a lot of fun when the scenario is designed to suit. I personally dont hate handguns if they are implemented with thought. Having limited ammo also increases the tension.
But then they do have good points - particularly little rodent enemies - I'm pretty sick of these myself.
As for killing identikit enemies, well creating randomised enemies is not as easy as it sounds. There is quite an investment required in specific technology to be able to do this well. Is it really that much of an issue?
#3 Thou shalt admit when enough is enough
Escort missions. Hmmm. No one has ever liked them? I can think of one or two - I quite liked the Resident Evil 4 ones, even if they didn't. Admittedly it's very easy to do them badly, but that's not a reason for not trying.
CPU squad mates again falls under the above. But I've seen quite a few games with well controlled squad mates - Beyond Good and Evil and Half-Life2 Ep1 & 2. Think this point is moot as AI improves - again it's just one of those things that is easy to do badly.
First person jumping - someone had better tell DICE that, otherwise Mirror's Edge is going to be a disaster...
World War II games - yes they are running out of source material on that one...
The grizzled space marine - yes... can't really argue against that one!
#2 Thou shalt make sure your game actually works.
I could say how complex games are these days, but really they are right - there is no excuse for this - and the problem is likely to get worse now that patches are acceptable on consoles...
#1 Better graphics do not equal innovation and / or creativity.
Yup - again I can't argue against this one. Only I will say that great graphics can make brilliant mechanics even better. They increase the level of verisimillitude - believability in the world.
Thursday 8 May 2008
Great Design Reference
The internet is a wonderful thing, but so hard to find what you want. So there's a few websites that really are great additions to the designer's toolkit.
Firstly there's the obvious:
www.gamasutra.com
But to be honest, I haven't read anything really interesting on there for quite a while.
Then there's great sites for locations:
www.trekearth.com
For general reference there is of course:
www.wikipedia.org
But there's also a great many other sites that are really good for sparking ideas. I really love:
www.darkroastedblend.com
I'll post up more weird and interesting websites as and when I find them.
Firstly there's the obvious:
www.gamasutra.com
But to be honest, I haven't read anything really interesting on there for quite a while.
Then there's great sites for locations:
www.trekearth.com
For general reference there is of course:
www.wikipedia.org
But there's also a great many other sites that are really good for sparking ideas. I really love:
www.darkroastedblend.com
I'll post up more weird and interesting websites as and when I find them.
Sunday 4 May 2008
The true story of GTA?
Saw this fairly interesting piece on a developer that claims that GTA was stolen from them:
http://www.geeteed.com/
Well - it's hard to totally believe it. If it were true, it sure is unfortunate, but as I have heard many times - ideas are cheap - it's the implementation that really counts.
Even if their game had come out, they probably wouldn't have hit the sweet spot - they probably would have sunk without trace. The original GTAs weren't explosively popular - popular enough, but it was GTA III that really launched the series anyway.
http://www.geeteed.com/
Well - it's hard to totally believe it. If it were true, it sure is unfortunate, but as I have heard many times - ideas are cheap - it's the implementation that really counts.
Even if their game had come out, they probably wouldn't have hit the sweet spot - they probably would have sunk without trace. The original GTAs weren't explosively popular - popular enough, but it was GTA III that really launched the series anyway.
Wednesday 30 April 2008
GTA IV
Bought a nice shiny copy of GTA IV yesterday morning for my PS3 (still keep meaning to buy a 360, but lack of cash and the red rings of death keep putting me off).
The game is very similar in feel to old GTAs (which is no bad thing), but the polish level has been turned up to 11. This is the GTA i've always wanted to play. The only current bugbear is the slow acceleration of the cars, but I imagine when some more beefy cars are acquired this issue will melt away. The old frustrations of saving the game and restarting a mission have evaporated, as these functions are a couple of button presses away.
As I heard someone say they were surprised when they found they couldn't do something - and that really sums it up. The attention to detail is exquisite. The depth is astounding.
I haven't even touched multiplayer yet - the urge to drive me through the singleplayer is too strong. The value for money with this game is insane.
Well done Rockstar - you've lived up to the hype.
The game is very similar in feel to old GTAs (which is no bad thing), but the polish level has been turned up to 11. This is the GTA i've always wanted to play. The only current bugbear is the slow acceleration of the cars, but I imagine when some more beefy cars are acquired this issue will melt away. The old frustrations of saving the game and restarting a mission have evaporated, as these functions are a couple of button presses away.
As I heard someone say they were surprised when they found they couldn't do something - and that really sums it up. The attention to detail is exquisite. The depth is astounding.
I haven't even touched multiplayer yet - the urge to drive me through the singleplayer is too strong. The value for money with this game is insane.
Well done Rockstar - you've lived up to the hype.
Monday 28 April 2008
Sketchup
Sketchup is becoming widely used by designers in the games industry for creating 3D visualisations of level designs.
Originally designed as an Architect's sketching tool, the workflow allows you to very quickly build up 3D space by drawing and extruding various elements.
Best of all the basic version is now free since google bought the product:
http://sketchup.google.com/
Personally I would never use it for building in game geometry, even though the pro version is capable. Maya, XSI and Max are much more powerful tools for building geometry. We use it at Ninja Theory as a tool to help build documentation and to provide a walkthrough of the level for the whole team.
Originally designed as an Architect's sketching tool, the workflow allows you to very quickly build up 3D space by drawing and extruding various elements.
Best of all the basic version is now free since google bought the product:
http://sketchup.google.com/
Personally I would never use it for building in game geometry, even though the pro version is capable. Maya, XSI and Max are much more powerful tools for building geometry. We use it at Ninja Theory as a tool to help build documentation and to provide a walkthrough of the level for the whole team.
Moved blogs
Well - my old blog keeps running out of bandwidth because of spam crawler thingys that keep attaching trackbacks in the vain hope I will purchase Viagra or a penis extension.
So I thought I'd start again over here. It looks nice and warm and less likely to be flooded with crap. It might actually encourage me to use the damn thing too!
I'll copy a few of the relevant posts over to make it more exciting with little work :)
So I thought I'd start again over here. It looks nice and warm and less likely to be flooded with crap. It might actually encourage me to use the damn thing too!
I'll copy a few of the relevant posts over to make it more exciting with little work :)
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