LVL Headed

I’ve got some special stuff coming up soon, so just hold on.  Just take this post as a “I’m not dead” notice.

-SKT

I came back from work today only to find some newspaper-clippings from New Orleans on my dresser.  The article within states that Electronic Arts is opening up a large testing center in Baton Rouge thanks to Louisiana’s new incentives for electronic entertainment companies.

I drove 2,000 miles across the U.S. of A., only to find that the games industry is branching out only 4 hours from where I used to live.  I spent four days in a car to get a job I now could have gotten without worrying about getting a new driver’s license.

Oh well.  It’s still better here.

I was thinking about trading card games today, and as I just want to chronicle this idea, this won’t be a long post.

I’ve played with the idea of time as a resource before.  As part of my Independent Project at Centenary College, I created a card game in which player’s cards had a limited amount of turns in play which could be manipulated a few ways in order to create a winning strategy.

But today I saw a card from the Street Fighter collectible card game, and it got me thinking about other ways to use time.  I’ve heard of other trading card games that go without turns in “real time,” meaning players are just laying down cards as quickly as they can.  I don’t think I would be into that, I’d like to give my games a little more thinking time.

Then I thought about timers.  Perhaps a special timer.  Each player would have a certain amount of seconds for their turn, and each card would cost time.  The timer would count down from, oh, lets say 30 seconds, but there would be buttons to subtract time from the timer for each card.  That way, the longer players thought about their turn, the less they would be able to do with it.  That just might make it like a real fight!

I’m going to keep this here so I can remember it.  If you stumble upon this, let me know what you think.

This week I got angry.  I read an article on Gamasutra by Ernest Adams (of No Twinkie Database fame) entitled “The Tao of Game Design.”  And during the process of reading, I felt the kind of inner-excitement I only feel when I disagree with something.

So to say that I became angry isn’t quite true.  It’s just that my vice is debate, and so when I spot something I disagree with I gain an urge to speak out against it, an urge that just won’t go away until I fall into temptation.

So if you now look at the end of the article in the comments section, you can see some of the “excited” messages I left.  If you need to know, I post under my name: Steven Turner.

Now it’s been a few days, and after looking back at it, I see what bothered me.  It wasn’t what he was trying to say, it was the details.  His point was good, but he lead up to it with things that, first of all, I still don’t think are correct (his observations about media, his juxtaposition of making a game fun or making it meaningful), and second of all, didn’t really have anything to do with his main point.  It was an awkward article, full of the kinds of assumptions that tweak me, full of filler, but with a decent (but definetly not eye-opening or discipline-expanding) conclusion.

To really get what Adams was saying, I recommend that you don’t read the article.  Instead, read the comment left towards the end by one Jacek Wesołowski.  You’ll get the point and you’ll understand it better.

For now, I’m going to try and let the technical stuff lie.  I know in my heart of hearts that Adams wasn’t really suggesting that fun games and meaningful games are diametrically opposed to one another, or that games are the only medium which require participation and thought from both the designer and the reader (technically, they all do), it’s just that he was probably trying to stretch out his essay a little bit.

So to Adams, who will very likely never read this…

Sorry.

The above video is from Game Trailers, with the narrator explaining some of the decisions made in the new Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe game.  I haven’t been keeping up with this game that much since I’m a diehard Marvel vs Capcom 2 fan (I’ll take Wolverine vs Megaman over Superman vs Scorpion anyday), but I just found this video a little interesting and odd.

The first thing gone over in the video is the inclusion of Superman and how the developers took his powers into account when making the game.  So how did the game developers manage to balance the game while keeping the characters true to their roots?  They did it with a plot device.

I was hoping for something cool, as if the developers had locked themselves in a room for months just trying to figure out “How do we make Superman a normal fighter?”  But instead we get some excuse about how Superman is weak against Kryptonite and magic, and since Mortal Kombat takes place in a universe of sorcery, everything works out just fine on its own.  Even this plot device excuse is a little weak, seeing as how in the video Scorpion is hurting Superman just by punching him.  Does Scorpion have magic fists?  Is this explained in story mode as well?

This seems to me just another example of how awkward these two themes fit together.  If they had said something along the lines of Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe Villains, then I could see how that would work out.  Both fighters from either side would come into the battle with the same goal - total havok.  But to have the Flash fight some guy with a bicycle kick and expect us to think it’s totally rational?  Does the Flash have a fatality?

I’ll admit that Marvel vs Capcom 2 kind of has the same problem, and I’ve already stated I love that game.  But Marvel vs Capcom just goes right around the issue.  There’s no plot, no reason, just a bunch of people duking it out.  Marvel vs Capcom doesn’t try to explain itself, it just is.  Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe could try doing the same, but then the basic premise of fighting and fatalities is comprimised by DC’s do-gooders.  It’s not just in the storyline where the two mis-match, it’s in the basic theme.

Anyways, I just thought this was weird.

A decade from now I will turn to my cyborg grandchildren, and I will tell them “I was there.” And I will also tell them “It kind of sucked.”

Yesterday was the opening of the 4th annual I Am 8-Bit art show, and it was right here in Los Angeles. I owned the art book and I love games, so of course I had to go. Only it wasn’t so much of an art show as it was just a big party. We waited in line around the corner to get in and the place was packed with people hanging out and talking and dancing and drinking (If I remember correctly, the event was sponsored by Colt 45). When we finally did get in, it was pretty difficult to work our way around the people just standing around and partying to look at the (wonderful) art hanging on the walls.

In the first paragraph, I said it kind of sucked. This is not in any way because of the artwork inside. It was all beautiful and creative and wondrous, and it made me proud to be a part of the culture. I’ll try to go back some time and append some pictures into this post, though I’m sure you could just google it and find pictures on any other site. No, it wasn’t the art, it was the atmosphere. It was as if nobody gave a damn about the artwork. I think one of the pieces had been broken, and I witnessed some guy leaning against a wall-sized canvas painting. Leaning on it. Butt rubbing against it, faced the other way just so he could look at the DJ.

Unbelievable.

The evening ended pretty well though as I did get one of the wonderful MegaMan 9 posters. I can’t wait for that friggin’ game to come out.

So I’m travelling to Los Angeles again in order to start my life there.  This time, instead of flying off with a handful of luggage, I’m hauling all my worthy worldly possessions and driving there.  From Louisiana.  More specifically, from New Orleans.

This is day two.

I’m travelling to Los Angeles in order to fulfill my dream of working within the games industry, and I feel like I’m being given a sign.  I’ve been in the car, doing the same thing for at least 10 hours every day, and I’m feeling great about it.  At no point have I really felt bored (mostly thanks to podcasts, music, and the odd audio-book).  And when I get to Los Angeles, I’ve got an interview for a testing job in which I’ll be required to sit still and do the same thing for at least 10 hours a day.  It’s become obvious to me that I can do nothing but soak myself in media and feel great, so I’m crossing my fingers for a good interview and a position as a tester.

Well, I’ve driven a little more than a thousand miles, and I’ve got a little less than a thousand to go.  And I’m feeling pretty good about it all.

See you in L.A.

Tuesday, July 8th - Rode down to New Orleans with my girl Lauren.  She listened to this interesting podio-book called Heaven, which got nerdier and nerdier as it went on.  I’ve got it on my iPod now and plan to listen through it soon.

Wednesday, July 9th - Prepared for the flight.

Thursday, July 10th - Got up at 4 am (New Orleans time), arrived at LAX at 9 am (Los Angeles time), and went looking for apartments.  The sky was grey and we drove through bad traffic and bad neighborhoods, giving us a first impression of Los Angeles as the most terrible place on earth.  We walked, drove, and searched all day with nothing promising coming up.  Everyone felt their spirits about to splinter.

Friday, July 11th - Once again, the search was on.  There was a pattern of joking and fighting as we rode through Los Angeles looking for good neighborhoods.  Except we actually found the good neighborhoods.  And Los Angeles stopped seeming so bad.  The people were friendly when they weren’t driving, we could finally feel that shimmer of stardom eminating from Hollywood, and the prospect of living in this megalopolis presented us with hope.  We filled out an application for an apartment, the first application yet, looked a little more and returned to the hotel.

Saturday, July 12th - The morning was spent freaking out about being able to find apartments in the time we had.  It was true, time was running out, and we had only applied to one place.  Then we got the call: The Apartment Manager accepted our application and invited us over to sign the lease.  We rode over and signed the HELL out of that thing.  Apartment done.  Now on to banks, furnishings, and the little details.

Sunday, July 13th through Monday, July 14th - It’s all a bit of a blur now.  Though we’ve found an apartment, there is no fun to be had, nor any celebration.  We are back to work, meeting people, setting up checking accounts, looking for nearby stores, buying a bed and a few things that we’ll need when we finally move in.  We eat at The Rainbow, the food is ok but Lauren grabs me a copy of the print version of The Onion, and I am happy.

Tuesday, July 15th - We take the stuff we’ve gotten and drop it off at the apartment.  Then we look at other furniture, pass it up, get some giant deli sandwiches, and finally head to the airport.  I haven’t mentioned it that much, but each day has improved my view of Los Angeles.  By this point I am truly excited to be moving here.  I’m ready to explore.

Wednesday, July 16th - I wake up at 7:30, despite getting off the plane at midnight prior, and get dropped off at the bus station where I ride from New Orleans to Shreveport over 8 hours of reading and listening to podcasts and music.  I actually enjoy myself.

Thursday, July 17th - I get up, ready to meet with someone about a quick web job before I leave town.  Then my car breaks down.  Now I’ve got to figure this all out before I leave.

Back to work.

I’ve made a game using Game Maker and I’ve entered it into the new competition there.  So far, it’s doing okay.  I don’t really care if it wins, I’d just like to see how people are liking it.

No Extra Lives
Added: 25 June 2008
By: AerodynamicHair

Apparently, at least one guy likes it.  That guy is a cool guy.

Recently I’ve been playing Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (after getting a cheap deal on Amazon), and the battle system has just blown me away.  The mini-game attacks, the way levelling up works, and all the subtle interactions between the types of enemies and the types of attack.  It’s fun, and it’s one of the rare games these days that I can’t stop playing.

But Paper Mario got me thinking about the other RPGs out there, and where all the fun was.  If you think about it, your average jRPG is like an easy game theory puzzle.  Forget the prisoner’s dilemma, in games like Final Fantasy you just worry about attacking or defending, or perhaps which method of attack to use.  Your attacks don’t take any skill to implement, you simply choose the option and it happens.  Why is this fun?

It’s gambling.  That’s where the fun is.  If the player knew everything in these battles, such as the enemy’s HP, whether or not the attack would be a success, whose turn was next, and so on, the choices would become obvious, and it wouldn’t be fun at all.  Instead, it’s all a guessing game in which the player puts their bet either on Attack or Defend, and then watches the outcome to see if they’ve made the right decision.

This is not exactly how Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door works.  Your attacks are more successful if you have good timing and you can see which special attacks enemies can use on you from the start.  There’s less of a bet here, and more need of skill, even if that skill is just pressing a button or releasing the joystick at the right time.

RPGs, or at least Japanese RPGs ask the player to gamble on their actions, and give the player options to better their wagers through the manipulation of statistics.  The fun in Final Fantasy is to try to make a perfect warrior through the acquisition of higher stats, better weapons, bigger spells, and better tricks.  The player attempts to better their odds in games of chance in which the odds are continually stacked against them.  Enemies continue to get stronger and meaner, and so the player adds their stats to make themselves stronger as well.

My wish is for RPGs to experiment more with their statistics.  I want a game in which the main object is to manipulate the system in your favor in each battle.  I want a game that incorporates gambling-style risk and reward, but not in a silly “let’s just put in an attack with a roulette wheel” sense.

And on the other hand, I’m having lots of fun with Paper Mario, which straight-up tosses most of the statistic-based play to the side in order to experiment with other gameplay mechanics.

Oh, and while I’m on the subject, let me say a few words about random encounters.  Paper Mario presents the player with a set number of enemies for each level that you can either rush into to fight or try to avoid.  This is a great system because it gives the designers more control over how the character levels up.  Random encounters give the player loopholes in the game, such as being able to run in a circle outside of a town for hours on end until the player reaches level 1000.

I should clarify, but I’ll leave that for a later rant.