xeophin's blog

Look what I've found over at the Game Producer Blog:

Imagine there’s bunch of goblins guarding a treasure cave. Each goblin would have motivations, such as these:

• Need for food (avoiding hunger)
• Shelter (avoid rain for example)
• Being safe (for example, sticking with a bigger group or perhaps running away)
• And so on…

Now, our hero arrives near the treasure cave and thinks for a moment about the situation. In our typical RPG, you’d usually draw your sword and hack’n’slash em.

But what if we could instead have AI that reacts to different stuff. For example, hero could leave food near and make noises that attract goblins to check out the noises. When goblins go check noises (that would be programmed in a common “guarding behavior” AI), they would see food… and hungry goblins would remain there to eat the food. Others might instead return. If there wasn’t any food, all goblins would return back.

Or what if hero uses a rain spell: it starts rain and it causes goblins to scatter: some go find shelter at nearby trees… some perhaps would go back to cave.

Really, there is not much I can add to this post, other than the fact that I really love the idea and would be interested in implementing the idea in some game. As a matter of fact, Dwarf Fortress, does something similar (though not in a RPG setting).

Edit: And now even with the proper link.

Source: Flickr

In case you still have some people around you that make a fuss about the bad influence of "killer games" (as they are called in the German speaking world), consider this (as written in a beautiful essay on game architecture that is totally worth your time to read, but I digress):

Professional Counter-Strike players […] have been known to turn off the graphics entirely because it is “distracting,” leaving only the most minimal in-game representation of walls and floors. In their mind, the surface textures on a game level might be likened to a tennis court with a neon strobe-light floor […]. That narrative skin doesn’t matter because that’s not how the residents of de_dust understand their home.

Not exactly news to me, but it proves that I'm right: good players will see past the metaphors that are painted over the game mechanics. They see the innermost workings of the games, the little cogs and wheels that click into each other – and with that knowledge, they will beat the game.

First person shooters are, in the end, not so different from chess. A complex ballet of action and reaction, of knowing when to go and when to stop. An exercise in spatial awareness.

Those people that are still fascinated by the shiny pixels, the hyperrealistic dirt splattered over nondescript ruins are likely not very good players at all – and mostly too young to play those games anyway.

Every gamer knows those buildings that are just standing in a level for effect, to make it seem like you are standing in a huge, buzzing city. But whenever you try to enter one of those doors, you just bump head-first into some flat texture.

The thing is – the same thing happens in the real world as well from time to time. Which is exactly why the bldgblog's post on subway air vents disguised as houses has such a gamey feel.

Makes you wonder whether you could reverse that – create levels that seemingly consists of pure facades turn into actual buildings, where stuff is hidden, where dungeons open up. Question is – how do you visualise that? Directly followed up by the question of whether the general public is ready to play games that are meta on some level.

Yes, I should still play Robert Yang's Level with Me.

No, not this one (although it is pretty cool, too). This one:

Oh, the Japanese weirdness knows no bounds.

Source: Flickr

Since I'm always on the lookout for game studies related material, here is a new, interesting journal: Well Played.

The Well Played Journal is a forum for in-depth close readings of video games that parse out the various meanings to be found in the experience of playing a game. It is a reviewed journal open to submissions that will be released on a regular basis with high-quality essays.

Contributors are encouraged to analyze sequences in a game in detail in order to illustrate and interpret how the various components of a game can come together to create a fulfilling playing experience unique to this medium. Through contributors, the journal will provide a variety of perspectives on the value of games.

The very first issue tackles Minecraft, Left 4 Dead 2, Little Big Planet, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Afterland, a MIT GAMBIT project (of the serious kind).

The journal is released under a CreativeCommons License, so grab it while it's hot! [found via jesperjuul.net]

Source: Flickr

Half a year after my bachelor's thesis game was presented at the bachelor's exhibition, it is now available as a download on this website.

The version is still largely the one that could be seen at the exhibition, with an additional, though very rough, English translation added.

Still, there are some bugs around. It might be best to understand the current state of the game as a tech demo: Most of the functionality is here, but it still lacks content and proper balancing. Play around – and tell me what you think.

Download

• ID: Me, You (and everybody else) – Mac OS X Intel, Revision 117
• ID: Me, You (and everybody else) – Windows, Revision 117

Known issues

• Some dialogue options lead astray or produce errors. If you encounter one, please let me know the last working option. Pressing ESC will allow you to interrupt the dialogue and start again.
• Moving around while carrying the moving box and looking at the floor will make you bump around – weird physics. Should have exchanged the box model with another one upon picking it up.
• Kicking the ball around might result in it dropping out of the level.

The complete list of all known issues can be found over here.

If you encounter bugs or have other suggestions, please get in touch with me. Thank you!

Source: Flickr

Actually, this is quite old and Janina told me about it a long time ago, but it remained in my little box of ideas that still need to be processed.

So, Disney actually produced an iPad game for their Cars franchise – using actual toy cars, that can be dragged over the iPad screen, controlling the game.

Probably best to have a look at it:

What's interesting is the fact that the idea is not entirely new. Infocom had a similar concept named feelies, packing physical artefacts with their video games, some of them even necessary to solve the puzzles, acting as a sort of copy protection.

What fascinates me is the combination of a video game and a physical artefact. Not necessarily just a special controller, like Guitar Hero and co., but actual objects that are relevant to gameplay in some other way. I haven't exactly have an idea how to pull it off right now, but it is an idea I'd like to explore further.

Source: Flickr

Given the fact that I've produced a game that is all about bullying as my bachelor's thesis, I'm now more aware of the topic. Even more so given the fact that the game in its current form is still more a proof of concept rather than a proper game. Since I plan to finish and release the game at some point, I keep an eye open for any developments and insights on the field.

It is therefore extremely interesting to stumble on a recent study by Alice E. Marwick and Danah Boyd called The Drama! Teen Conflict, Gossip, and Bullying in Networked Publics. The authors argue that teenagers are wary to call bullying what it is. Instead, they opt to call it "drama".

Using drama, the teenagers are able not to get pushed into the role of the victim, instead staying above the situation:

Dismissing a conflict that’s really hurting their feelings as drama lets teenagers demonstrate that they don’t care about such petty concerns. They can save face while feeling superior to those tormenting them by dismissing them as desperate for attention. Or, if they’re the instigators, the word drama lets teenagers feel that they’re participating in something innocuous or even funny, rather than having to admit that they’ve hurt someone’s feelings. Drama allows them to distance themselves from painful situations.

Obviously, this does not solve the underlying problem. Bullying still happens, just by another name. Feelings still get hurt, and this needs to be addressed. Yet, it is something that I will have to keep in mind when developing the story further.

Source: Flickr

When there is actually something happening it the Swiss games' scene, it should be noted. Even more so when the game is

• available for free
• based on a clever idea
• and released without much fanfare.

Well, here comes the fanfare.

Roman Schmid (likely known to you as @bummzack on Twitter) created a Tetris clone for two, playable on your iPad, named Block Duel. It's not just your normal 1v1 game you know from the GameBoy version. You play on the same screen, one player with white blocks, the other with black ones – and whatever your opponent drops on his side becomes a hole from your perspective. It is, in short, a clever play on negative space – but what else could you expect from a person well thought in the arts of graphic design?

So, if you and your loved one have grown tired of Orbital¹, Block Duel might be just the thing for you.

Read more about it on Roman Schmid's website or grab it directly on the app store. Oh, did I mention it's free? Yes, it totally is.

Source: Flickr

If it weren't for developers like [Defiant Development][2], you'd easily believe that creativity in the games industry is nearly extinct.

But those guys actually manage to take a really old and tired concept – i.e. a first person shooter – and spin it in order to make something else entirely:

A first person shooter.

Seriously. Hear me out.

Warco is a first-person game where players shoot footage instead of a gun. A work in progress at Brisbane, Australia-based studio Defiant Development, the game is a collaboration of sorts; Defiant is working with both a journalist and a filmmaker to create a game that puts you in the role of a journalist embedded in a warzone.

The game itself — the title of which is actually short for “war correspondent” — follows the story of journalist Jesse DeMarco. Players will experience the process of filming conflicts, going into dangerous situations armed with nothing but a camera. They will then edit the footage into a compelling news story. The scenarios range from intense bursts of action to quieter moments as you discuss the events of the day with fellow journalists in a hotel. Though the main mechanic will be filming the action, Warco is also very much about choice.

Well, this is how [WIRED][1] puts it, anyway. The developers obviously make it [sound a bit more dramatic][3]:

WARCO lets players shoot and record what they see ‘through the lens’ – framing shots, panning and zooming, grabbing powerful images of combatants and civilians caught up in war. They’ve got AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades – you’ve got a flak jacket, a video camera, and a burning desire to get the story.

Source: Flickr

Having a collection of ideas and sources of inspiration is always good, and it is even better when they are shared with like-minded people.

Which is why it is awesome that Janina, whom you know from over here has now her own blog, on which she shares what inspires her.

Janina: Welcome to the club!

Everyone else: go ahead and visit her blog!

Source: Flickr

The praise that Bioshock has received from other critics is – after having played through the game – definitely well earned. Even though I'm usually not exactly a very good FPS player, I managed to get through the whole game. And it definitely was worth it. The world building in Bioshock is excellent, be its embedment into the historical background, or the rich story that shines through at every corner, or finally the beautifully captured art deco architecture, which simply is a joy to explore and walk through.

Gameplay itself is reasonably varied as well. While some parts leave the player wondering whether they were just added to draw out game length¹, the "magic" abilities one receives over time offer enough variation and allow the player to change his tactics over time.

Later in the game, some near-failure states are added: at one point, one continually looses maximum health, forcing the player to react faster. At another, the player isn't able to choose his currently activated plasmid. Not only is the game randomly cycling between the equipped plasmids, but between others as well, allowing the player to test out previously unavailable plasmids – and requiring him to change his tactics to deal with splicers every minute or so.

With Bioshock having distinct horror elements as well, sound plays an important element as well.

Source: Flickr

Having visited TEDxZurich already payed off. Thomas Amberg introduced me to the concept of Gadgeteer, modular controllers than can be easily assembled and programmed using C#:

Even someone with little or no electronics background can build devices made up of components like sensors, lights, switches, displays, communications, motor controllers, and much more. Just pick your components, plug them into a mainboard and program the way they work together. .NET Gadgeteer utilizes the .NET Micro Framework to make writing code for your device as easy as writing a desktop, Web or Windows Phone application.

The brain child of Microsoft, Gadgeteer works in some ways similar to Phidgets and Arduino. Too bad it seems a bit pricier than the other two options.

Given the fact that Gadgeteer is programmed using C#, it might also be interesting for the game design course at the Zurich University of the Arts, given their use of Unity3D as their main engine – good for students, who then don't have to learn yet another programming language … ;)

Source: Flickr

When it comes to games, I often find that architecture can yield the best inspirations – especially when it comes from sources like the BLDGBLOG.

In this case, it's all about trapdoors. Funny things, trapdoors. Even funnier that they are not in much use when it comes to games.

Most levels are, when analysed thoroughly, mostly 2D: they might go up and down and wind around themselves a bit – but in the end, they're just long strips. Trapdoors undermine this simple structure, by opening up unexpected shortcuts. Yes, this might confuse the players … but couldn't this be fun, too?

I have not yet played Deus Ex: Human Revolution, but I do hope that this game uses trapdoors (and other unexpected shortcuts) more often.

A Spatial History of Trapdoors, as BLDGBLOG proposes, would be a good start to explore those devices:

Someone should write a short history of the trapdoor as spatial plot device in Broadway plays, literary fiction, Hollywood thrillers, and even dreams, CIA plots, Dungeons & Dragons modules, and more. How does the trapdoor, as an unexpected space of strategic perforation and architectural connection, serve both to move a plot forward and to give spatial form to characterization?

Source: Flickr

There are cases when iconic buildings are somewhat created by accident. One of them is the winding tower of the former Shime coal mine near the city of Fukuoka in Japan. Having been abandoned a long time ago, it has been built during the second world war, and features a rather peculiar design, as an article on the WebUrbanist notes:

The 47.65 meter (156.3 ft) tall tower is of an odd design, having offices and control rooms located above the actual, long gone winding mechanism – huge reels of cable which raised loads of coal from the mine and lowered empty containers and workers back into the depths of the mine up to 430 meters (1,411 ft) below.

Towering over the city of Shime, it does rather seem like a paleo-futuristic fortress. No wonder, as WebUrbanist explains, it got discovered as the ultimate anti-zombie fortress:

For decades the Shime winding tower quietly mouldered away in obscurity until suddenly – Teh Intarnets! It seems some imaginative wag with a liking for zombie flicks stumbled upon (possibly via StumbleUpon) an image of the tower, and immediately deduced it would make the Best. Anti-Zombie Fortress. EVAR.

And so it began: one thread at Reddit begat another, and yet another, and soon Photoshop contests ensued along with much hilarity. The Anti-Zombie Fortess Meme soon took on a life of its own, and it takes no braiiiins to figure the Shime winding tower is destined to be cast as a prime location for some upcoming zombie flick.

Of course, as a game designer, this design offers other possibilities and ideas.