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20 Aug 04
So what does Penny Arcade have to do with human machine interfaces? Well, I keep advancing my theory that games are the cutting edge of user interface and human machine interaction thought. So when a site devoted to a traditional print media (comics) covering new media (games) decides to talk about players developing new game styles not envisioned by the creators and the compelling nature of a flawed game and the games developers and gamers play with each other outside of the context of the games themselves (I love bees) color me interested.
Developers often talk about emergent gameplay. That's where the player can experience more in the game world than even the developer imagined. And then you have games like Majestic or Missing that redefine the term "game world." Oh and don't forget things like Pac Manhattan and other hunter like phone games. That's why I like the term interactive entertainment. Games push the boundaries so far they become meaningless. The important thing about the entertainment is its interactivity.
That great thing is what that means for the future of gaming. What is it? We can't know. We can make some guesses, but like all artists designers will make games the defy any boundaries we set just to make the point that there are no boundaries. The thought of the whole "real world" becoming your game world has some great Matrix zen possibilities. Did I ever mention that I think we're about enter a golden age of gaming?
Jason
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19 Aug 04
Back in the saddle again. Welcome back, Kotter and all that. What a fun busy time I've had. And surprisingly exhausting. In truth I'm probably a very boring person. So trying to cram all kinds of activities into limited time just wore me out. I haven't really got much done on the site, but that may be a blessing in disguise. I didn't realize how much I was burning myself out on the site. Now that I've got a bit of perspective, I think there will be some changes.
The game of the day is going to a weekly game. I've exhausted all the low hanging fruit, and it was taking more and more time to find games I hadn't used. I had thought people might email me with some suggestions, but that hasn't happened so I'll move it to a weekly feature.
The Friday highlights is going on hold. If someone else wants to write one, I'll gladly put it up, but I've covered most of the games I wanted to without having to go back and replay games to refresh my memory. I'm sure it will pop back up from time to time.
I'll probably be doing a few different things to keep it interesting around here. I think keeping the site around is more important than any particular entry so I might have a lot on some days and less on others. Don't panic if you don't see something every day. I'm sure it will be more effective if I actually have something to say before I sit down to write.
I've been trying to catch up on what I missed while I was gone. If you haven't read Penny Arcade recently, I'd suggest you do so. It raised some interesting thoughts in me about human machine interfaces and the future of gaming. I'll probably go over those tomorrow.
Today I just wanted to point out that the Political Machine (official site) from Stardock is out now. If you're at all a political junkie (of US politics of course), it's worth checking out. On the surface it might just seem like a game, but if you dig deeper, you'll find realistic polling results, the influence of advocacy groups, and even dirty politics. Combine that with some historical fantasy elections (Could Lincoln beat Washington?) and the ability to make your own politician, you've got a pundit's dream. It's available now for around $20.
Jason
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9 Aug 04
It's vacation time. I have relatives coming to visit this week and will be showing them around Houston this week. I don't expect to have much time for updates this week. If I find some spare time, I'll probably be doing that behind the scenes work that you get no glory for doing but has to be done.
I'll point out that the forums are open. You can post and challenge there to your heart's content. Maybe someone will step up and fill the void. I know you guys have some great stories out there if you'll only write them up. What was your best online experience? Greatest thrill of victory? Closest loss? Do you recall any games where your opponent impressed you so much you wanted to know more about them? You don't have to write a novel, just put a few words down.
Don't forget you can also submit news you hear about or write up mini reviews through the news portion of the site. I'll make sure to find time to get any submissions up. With all the big releases due up I find it hard to believe no one wants to talk about them. If you just want to put up initial impressions of a new game, just state that and write it as a mini review.
If nothing else you can write me emails telling me to get back to work. After the break, I'll try to dig back in with a vengeance. Remember if you have nothing else to do you can join the Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War open beta. It's highly recommended.
Here's an interesting game to hold you over. It's Paraworld (official site) from SEK. It's from the team that brought you Diggles. It's a bit different. In Paraworld you slip between dimensions to find alternate universes. Oh and people have domesticated dinosaurs. Oh and Charles Darwin is one of the game's heroes. Interesting. Paraworld might be out next year.
Jason
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6 Aug 04
Welcome to Friday. Lights, camera, action, it's Highlights time. Friday is when I look back at a strategy or tactical game to find those nuggets of greatness where design and inspiration outshine technical limitations. It doesn't matter if you or I like the game. This isn't a balanced look at the highs and lows of the game. It's just pointing out that here, this game did this right.
So what am I looking at today? It's the Mechcommander series from FASA Interactive and Microsoft. The Mechcommander games are set in the Mechwarrior Universe. You play as a remote commander directing the actions of a team of pilots who guide their mechs into combat.
What are the highlights then? Well, the first has to be the pilot system. Each pilot is rated at their skill in general categories and has specialized skills. You can pay more to hire experienced pilots or you can throw rookies into the field to get them some experience. The pilot ratings directly affect how well the mech performs in combat. Some pilots can get extra range or accuracy out of certain weapons. Some have better control over their jump jets. Some favor close combat while others prefer long range mechs. Since you can customize the load out of each mech (and in two you have some control over pilot skill progression), you can maximize team performance by choosing the right pilots for the mission and matching them up with an appropriate mech with a load out optimized for them.
After the pilots, the next highlight is the science fiction atmosphere. The mechwarrior universe is set in the far future. The games go out of their way to make you feel it. From the opening cinematics (the original Mechcommander opener is one of my all time favorites) to the user interface to the various characters you run into over the course of the campaigns, you feel the impact of advanced technology on combat. While some characters may seem bizarre, it just reinforces the idea that even humanity is somewhat alien in the far future.
Next, there's the scope of battle. While in Mechwarrior, you see your missiles fire and your plasma bolts, it's something else to look down on even medium scale mech on mech battles. Mechs jumping, missiles tracking, buildings exploding, debris falling to the earth and reactors going critical all light up your screen like a fireworks display. Since each mech has so many weapons systems, something is always happening. The only lull in a battle is when one side is destroyed. Then you can survey the hulks, debris and smoking ruins surrounding your surviving team members.
Finally, there's the progression in terms of power. You may start out with a team of green pilots with a few light mechs, but you'll eventually lead a force of mass destruction. While most missions have weight limits, it's still fun to choose between a couple of Atlases and a Masakari or a huge group of medium and heavy mechs. After just a few missions, you'll stop feeling like you might not have enough fire power. It's just a question of the means of destruction you'll choose to inflict on your virtual enemies.
I looked for another space strategy game to end the week, but I couldn't find one. If you know of one I missed, drop me a line. So today's game is a mix of Sci Fi and Fantasy and a genre mix of RPG, RTS, and FPS. It's Forgotten World (official site) from Provox. Ok, admittedly, besides a passing mention I couldn't find any evidence of sci fi in the game's website. It's still an ambitious hybrid game. It might be seen this year.
Jason
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5 Aug 04
Wow, busy day today. This will be short. Gamers often cry "why don't you just make fun games?" It's reasonable question. The reasonable response is usually along the lines of "define what makes a game fun and we'll do it." Of course, most game designers have a good sense of fun. Otherwise they wouldn't be game designers. So why do so many games fall short in the fun category? Well, it's kind of like entropy. In
essence, the more fun options you put into a game the more opportunities there are for the player to get frustrated. Frustration isn't fun.
Today's game hopefully won't be frustrating. It's another space game. It's Conquest 2: The Vyrium Uprising (official site) from Warthog. The sequel to Frontier Wars is again a RTS game set in space. Can you become the greatest power in the universe?
Jason
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