I must be doomed...cursed....fated,destined to fail each and every little thing in this miserable life,one after another!!!!! One of our “fun” modules turned to disaster this week when we submitted it to our lecturers laptop.Its large, glowing initials pulsing at us as, if it was laughing. DELL X.P.S.,Xtremely Pathetic Submission that's what it wanted to say!I could see its flashing lights swaying like KITT from Knight Rider,tauting me! It couldn't have picked a worse time to act up.We had been defeated, and all that was left was for us to hold our heads in our hands as we felt a good mark slip from our reach!
If I ever come across the people that worked on that damn Oblivion construction set they better scarper quick before I teleport their arse half way across the country or stick one of those long fine-steel swords somewhere the sun don't shine!
Why..oh..why!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Writing Games Analysis Module
I'm in total agreement with what was discussed in one of our lectures lately.
I think it would be hugely beneficial to run the Writing Games Analysis module earlier in our course. I feel the teachings of this modules have set alight the fuse of my creativity and it is only a matter of time before it explodes with jaw dropping force amongst the games design community!I only regret that this has not happened long before now.Running this module early in the course would almost definitely lead to move creative graduates with wilder and wilder design ideas......I guess the world will never know what could have been!!!!
I think it would be hugely beneficial to run the Writing Games Analysis module earlier in our course. I feel the teachings of this modules have set alight the fuse of my creativity and it is only a matter of time before it explodes with jaw dropping force amongst the games design community!I only regret that this has not happened long before now.Running this module early in the course would almost definitely lead to move creative graduates with wilder and wilder design ideas......I guess the world will never know what could have been!!!!
Game Proposal!
Ah so its nearly time now to start that auld assignment for our writing games analysis course. So many ideas are floating around in this big brain of mine but which is the way to go?? Im thinking an educational game,for a younger audience perhaps......so what do kids need to be educated on in this day and age then????
Thinking back to my secondary school days,I was involved in my schools environmental group. Yeah I no what your all thinking.....sad!!.....but hey it got me out of double maths so I think ot was a fare trade!We crushed cans and recycled them,picked up litter within the school grounds things like that.We also learned about energy conservation and other techniques to preserve our surroundings.
I think there should be more games that promote environmental awareness and that could be encorporated into the everyday education of todays youths,after all why not start as we mean to go on.
Thinking back to my secondary school days,I was involved in my schools environmental group. Yeah I no what your all thinking.....sad!!.....but hey it got me out of double maths so I think ot was a fare trade!We crushed cans and recycled them,picked up litter within the school grounds things like that.We also learned about energy conservation and other techniques to preserve our surroundings.
I think there should be more games that promote environmental awareness and that could be encorporated into the everyday education of todays youths,after all why not start as we mean to go on.
Spaces!!!
Well as the all-knowing Liam Murray once said ...“ya cant talk about game spaces without mentioning GTA” ...so maybe that's the place to start.Grand Theft Auto presents the player with a massive free to foam environment.This enormous game space gives the player the feeling of freedom,the feeling that they can do whatever they want!And thanks to the great folks at Rockstar we pretty much can!Woo-hoo!!!
Another game which I enjoy is SWAT 4,its small game spaces, that of a single house for example is at the opposite end of the spectrum compared to GTA.The player commands two teams of SWAT officers through a given level,with the power of viewing and commanding either team through their head-cams and radios. If the room has multiple exit routes the teams may split up but the commanding player can choose their own path while still maintaining control of his/her squad through an on screen window that displays a view of the game space from one of the team members perspectives. This ability to view the game space from multiple dynamic perspectives simultaneously is an enormously attractive feature in my opinion.
We talked about how the game space in which the game exists contributes to the impact of the game on its players.There are so many features of the game space that impact us, ranging from the size of the space itself to the colors used in the game space, the audio, how it is used to build suspense at times and at other to relax the player, after a big action sequence for example.As in SWAT the levels are usually dark and gloomy,silence builds tension and puts the player on the edge of their seat.Hearing a hostage talking to the perp behind a closed door begging for mercy increases this tension and finally busting through this door into a hostile situation requires all the players focus to provide a positive outcome.It is clear that all of these space related features impact the player significantly.
Another game which I enjoy is SWAT 4,its small game spaces, that of a single house for example is at the opposite end of the spectrum compared to GTA.The player commands two teams of SWAT officers through a given level,with the power of viewing and commanding either team through their head-cams and radios. If the room has multiple exit routes the teams may split up but the commanding player can choose their own path while still maintaining control of his/her squad through an on screen window that displays a view of the game space from one of the team members perspectives. This ability to view the game space from multiple dynamic perspectives simultaneously is an enormously attractive feature in my opinion.
We talked about how the game space in which the game exists contributes to the impact of the game on its players.There are so many features of the game space that impact us, ranging from the size of the space itself to the colors used in the game space, the audio, how it is used to build suspense at times and at other to relax the player, after a big action sequence for example.As in SWAT the levels are usually dark and gloomy,silence builds tension and puts the player on the edge of their seat.Hearing a hostage talking to the perp behind a closed door begging for mercy increases this tension and finally busting through this door into a hostile situation requires all the players focus to provide a positive outcome.It is clear that all of these space related features impact the player significantly.
Rules, rules, rules, and more bloody rules!
Right, so lately in class we were discussing the topic or rules in games.As we contemplated over what exactly rules were, a few words came into focus.We suggested that rules are constraints,or ideas that govern or limit our behaviour.Rules dictate what we can and cant do,or what we are and we are not supposed to do.
We discussed the game of x’s and o’s,its explicit rules and also its unwritten rules.These unwritten rules being I guess the assumptions we bring with us into the game.For instance an explicit rule for x’s and o’s is that players take alternative turns. An unwritten rule for the game is that a player must make their play in a reasonable amount of time.Who defines what the reasonable amount of time is? Each player could have a different perception of what constitutes a reasonable amount of time. Also this rule could be abused and allow a player that has no chance of winning to defer playing and therefore effectively leave the game in a draw.
It was suggested that it would be impossible to create a rule for every situation that may present itself in a game.After all, suppose we state that a move must be made within 5 minutes, then suppose your opponent falls victim to a crippling disease and cannot make his move.Surely we have to create a rule then for this type of situation where the players inability to move is out of his/her control.In this situation,each rule becomes the parent of more rules and so on and so forth.
We discussed the game of x’s and o’s,its explicit rules and also its unwritten rules.These unwritten rules being I guess the assumptions we bring with us into the game.For instance an explicit rule for x’s and o’s is that players take alternative turns. An unwritten rule for the game is that a player must make their play in a reasonable amount of time.Who defines what the reasonable amount of time is? Each player could have a different perception of what constitutes a reasonable amount of time. Also this rule could be abused and allow a player that has no chance of winning to defer playing and therefore effectively leave the game in a draw.
It was suggested that it would be impossible to create a rule for every situation that may present itself in a game.After all, suppose we state that a move must be made within 5 minutes, then suppose your opponent falls victim to a crippling disease and cannot make his move.Surely we have to create a rule then for this type of situation where the players inability to move is out of his/her control.In this situation,each rule becomes the parent of more rules and so on and so forth.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Games Industry!
Typical,I miss a class and we have a guest speaker!!!! Its a good thing some of the class avoided my crippling hang-over and were able to fill me in! Apparently his name was Gary,unless I've been misinformed. From what I've heard,this well connected shop owner seems to have enlightened my peers a great deal. It was one of the few times I've heard of people actually talking about the kind of jobs that are out there for us. I'm fed up having people coming up to me at home telling me "did you hear Dell have sacked another three hundred!". Aside from mainstream game development,he mentioned work in the support field, modeling,and even marketing which I was surprised to hear.
Online Communities!
Right,so the mayhem is over,presentations are done and dusted,normal service is resumed people.Ah, so this week we discussed massively multiplayer online games (MMOG) and their biggest sub genre, massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG). Well I cant say I'm their biggest fan!That said I haven't much experience with them either. The game of focus was EverQuest. In the fantasy world of Norrath you customize your character,explore the game world,complete quests and other such bull muck! Not particularly exciting in my opinion but there are some interesting aspects of these MMO games, communities being among them. These games give the player the ability to join a faction,guild or community within the game. This ability adds a great deal to the players experience. I've never played EverQuest but I do enjoy other team based games,such as online first person shooters. The team play adds depth to a game.Not wanting to let the side down is enough,combing brains and brawn to accomplish a common goal. Also I feel that the players acceptance and sense of belonging, have led to the popularity of these such games.
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