Saturday, August 29, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Keeping the learning going.
I decided to try out the game Plants vs Zombies. I found it interesting how the game introduced it's mechanics, and the way it attempted to vary the game play. I believe it is important to have variation in games, to maintain the sense of learning. If every stage is approached in the same manner, it can quickly become repetitive (though repetition is not always bad; it is in fact, a rather important part of learning.)
Previously, I had been thinking about some other Turret Defense style games such as Monsters (PS3) and Defense Grid the Awakening (on Steam). While thinking about them, I'd come to believe that it was a good idea to vary the balance of the towers occasionally, as a way to encourage different approaches to different levels (and perhaps even the same level sometimes).
The expansion to Monsters, did change the balance of things, making it a somewhat different experience from the game's initial levels, which I believe helped make the expansion better since what towers were most effective in a given situation, had to be learned all over again.
The primary form of variation presented by the Monsters game was in the form of what path the monsters took, and what sorts of monsters came. Each level often involved memorizing a different build order, with the task of figuring out the right build order being the main challenge.
Defense Grid the Awakening created variation primarily through excellent amounts of variation in level layout. Different levels could often require vastly different approaches to beating them. In some instances, the levels would be designed in such a way, that many different approaches could all work, allowing creativity to thrive.
Plants vs Zombies doesn't have complicated level design. It's a fairly simple game. To create challenge, they give players a variety of different types of plant (tower) that all end up competing for the same resources, presenting the player with the difficult task of figuring out what to plant, when, and where. The primary tug-o-war was between investing in the now (damage dealing plants), and investing in the future (resource producing plants).
The variation Plants vs Zombies provided came largely in the form of new plants frequently becoming available, and the changes between day, night, and the backyard with a pool. These changes affected what plants were available, and where they could be placed.
Previously, I had been thinking about some other Turret Defense style games such as Monsters (PS3) and Defense Grid the Awakening (on Steam). While thinking about them, I'd come to believe that it was a good idea to vary the balance of the towers occasionally, as a way to encourage different approaches to different levels (and perhaps even the same level sometimes).
The expansion to Monsters, did change the balance of things, making it a somewhat different experience from the game's initial levels, which I believe helped make the expansion better since what towers were most effective in a given situation, had to be learned all over again.
The primary form of variation presented by the Monsters game was in the form of what path the monsters took, and what sorts of monsters came. Each level often involved memorizing a different build order, with the task of figuring out the right build order being the main challenge.
Defense Grid the Awakening created variation primarily through excellent amounts of variation in level layout. Different levels could often require vastly different approaches to beating them. In some instances, the levels would be designed in such a way, that many different approaches could all work, allowing creativity to thrive.
Plants vs Zombies doesn't have complicated level design. It's a fairly simple game. To create challenge, they give players a variety of different types of plant (tower) that all end up competing for the same resources, presenting the player with the difficult task of figuring out what to plant, when, and where. The primary tug-o-war was between investing in the now (damage dealing plants), and investing in the future (resource producing plants).
The variation Plants vs Zombies provided came largely in the form of new plants frequently becoming available, and the changes between day, night, and the backyard with a pool. These changes affected what plants were available, and where they could be placed.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Short amusing game.
http://armorgames.com/play/4309/this-is-the-only-level
Sometimes, changing the mechanics is a more valuable trick than changing the level.
Sometimes, changing the mechanics is a more valuable trick than changing the level.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Hilarious 3rd Edition DnD observations.
http://everything2.com/title/Humour%253A+D%2526D+Third+Edition
"Deities are capable of casting Contact Other Plane to converse with themselves - but they "resent such intrusion" and even have a flat percentage chance of lying to themselves."
"The 20th level Expert Trapmaker with Search, Profession: Trapmaker, Craft: Trapmaking, Knowledge: Famous Traps and Knowledge: Magical Traps all maxed out at 23 ranks, cannot attempt to find a trap if the Search DC is over 20, but the 1st level rogue with none of those skills can."
"Deities are capable of casting Contact Other Plane to converse with themselves - but they "resent such intrusion" and even have a flat percentage chance of lying to themselves."
"The 20th level Expert Trapmaker with Search, Profession: Trapmaker, Craft: Trapmaking, Knowledge: Famous Traps and Knowledge: Magical Traps all maxed out at 23 ranks, cannot attempt to find a trap if the Search DC is over 20, but the 1st level rogue with none of those skills can."
Friday, August 21, 2009
Gills vs Lungs
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/08/why-whales-dont-have-gills.html
Makes me wonder how long it takes for Giant Squid to get as large as they sometimes do.
Makes me wonder how long it takes for Giant Squid to get as large as they sometimes do.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
RFID chips are not safe.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/08/fed-rfid/
RFID chips are a potentially serious security risk. Not enough is being done yet to protect against the risk they entail. It's like having a password that can be seen by anyone with the right equipment (and it's not hard to obtain the right equipment if someone wants to).
RFID chips are a potentially serious security risk. Not enough is being done yet to protect against the risk they entail. It's like having a password that can be seen by anyone with the right equipment (and it's not hard to obtain the right equipment if someone wants to).
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
I believe this is the best argument I've seen so far, for allowing easy full respecs in a game:
Written by TheKommissar
http://forums.champions-online.com/showpost.php?p=730938&postcount=12
In a PvP environment, being able to quickly and easily change tactics and power choices can dramatically enhance the meta game, and greatly increase the speed with which new tactics and counters are developed.
I'm for easy full respecs at any time without a cost or time requirement. Want to know why? Well I am a hardcore Guild Wars vet and the devs in that game allowed full respecs anytime you were in town. This led to ALOT of customized builds and experimental builds from anyone because they weren't stuck with one build and they didn't follow the FOTM builds because the freedom allowed players to customize their own build to their own style without frustration of re-leveling. One great advantage to this is that it allows the devs to easily take a close look to see what exactly the FOTM of the month is and allows them to adjust the abilities accordingly. This led to one of the most balanced "mmos" in existence.
I see the endgame for many people in CO to be about the team arena and running prebuild guild teams. This is exactly what Guild Wars is and allowing people to respec completely easily in the training area will not only help the devs balance the game much easier and better, but will pretty much let anyone come up with character builds on their own without much time dedication and frustration. There are literally thousands of character builds in Guild Wars made famous by even the most casual of players because they were allowed to experiment, and even though many were one trick ponies, it did not lead to FOTM builds at all.
Of course there will be FOTM builds, but if we are allowed to easily respec the devs not only will have an easy time adjusting skills but as players we will get to enjoy changing dynamics in the power abilities rather than being left with stagnant abilities that pretty much won't be changed since launch.
Think of it like this, lets say Guild A is number 1 on the server and running a current FOTM and is dominating the arena. Guild B (who is in 2nd place) can either spend weeks releveling alts to compete with the FOTM, or they can easily respec and counter the build that Guild A is running and thus keeping the arenas from becoming stale and boring. This changes Flavor of the Month into Flavor of the Moment.
Written by TheKommissar
http://forums.champions-online.com/showpost.php?p=730938&postcount=12
In a PvP environment, being able to quickly and easily change tactics and power choices can dramatically enhance the meta game, and greatly increase the speed with which new tactics and counters are developed.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
A neat trailer for EVE online
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08hmqyejCYU&hd=1
EVE has a level of complexity most games can only dream of. It is also one of the most cruel and unforgiving games out there.
EVE has a level of complexity most games can only dream of. It is also one of the most cruel and unforgiving games out there.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Real Money games.
I tried out some Entropia, to learn a bit about how it worked, and test how feasible money making is in that game. The game does not appear to follow standard MMO structure. Instead, it appears to follow classic Casino rules. The basic gameplay is essentially a bunch of slot machines. You put money in, and hope to get some back. As far as I can tell, the fundamental constriction on the game's balance of resources, is the simple fact that anything can be sold back to the makers of the game for PED (the in game currency) which has a fixed exchange rate with US$. Due to this, they must carefully control the cost of acquiring loot, and the value of said loot to ensure you can never get more than you spend.
Personally, I think it would be better to make a game that followed the MMO model more closely instead of the standard casino model. A game where you truely could participate in nearly any activity without spending real money. It would just take time. I feel like there is a gap waiting to be filled.
Take EVE Online's market structure, and focus on time as a resource. Add Entropia's Real Money backed internal currency (with a highly restricted supply). Then have the entire game designed such that a player doesn't ever actually need currency to advance. All things can be obtained if spends enough time on enough things. Standard MMO advancement means that an old player will likely have an advantage over new players, but ideally the gap should not get too big, possibly due to resource sinks.
Due to the need for currency sinks (to pay for the game service) combined with an ever growing amount of non-currency resources, the game is likely to suffer from some rather strong deflationary pressure. However, the lower the price is for goods, the more likely people are to prefer paying real money, instead of time, to acquire them, which would help lift prices back up. I would be very interested in learning what price things end up stabilizing at.
Personally, I think it would be better to make a game that followed the MMO model more closely instead of the standard casino model. A game where you truely could participate in nearly any activity without spending real money. It would just take time. I feel like there is a gap waiting to be filled.
Take EVE Online's market structure, and focus on time as a resource. Add Entropia's Real Money backed internal currency (with a highly restricted supply). Then have the entire game designed such that a player doesn't ever actually need currency to advance. All things can be obtained if spends enough time on enough things. Standard MMO advancement means that an old player will likely have an advantage over new players, but ideally the gap should not get too big, possibly due to resource sinks.
Due to the need for currency sinks (to pay for the game service) combined with an ever growing amount of non-currency resources, the game is likely to suffer from some rather strong deflationary pressure. However, the lower the price is for goods, the more likely people are to prefer paying real money, instead of time, to acquire them, which would help lift prices back up. I would be very interested in learning what price things end up stabilizing at.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Online Culture
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/loyola_university_professor_be.html
"Myers, who in 1984 became one of the first university-level professors to study video games. He believes it proved that, even in a 21st century digital fantasyland, an ugly side of real-world human nature pervades, a side that oppresses strangers whose behavior strays from that of the mainstream."
Sadly, my own experiences lead me to conclude that the increased fragmentation of society caused by virtual worlds and virtual communities, actually increases the tendency towards exclusion of others.
When there is one main group, the excluded ones band together even when they don't have much in common. Because there are so few around with similar tastes/interests, they can't exclude people different from them and still have a group.
Online, where communities are easily entered and left, once a community reaches sufficient size, it starts developing it's own set of traits/behaviors that become required for acceptance. Stray, and they will condemn you.
"Myers, who in 1984 became one of the first university-level professors to study video games. He believes it proved that, even in a 21st century digital fantasyland, an ugly side of real-world human nature pervades, a side that oppresses strangers whose behavior strays from that of the mainstream."
Sadly, my own experiences lead me to conclude that the increased fragmentation of society caused by virtual worlds and virtual communities, actually increases the tendency towards exclusion of others.
When there is one main group, the excluded ones band together even when they don't have much in common. Because there are so few around with similar tastes/interests, they can't exclude people different from them and still have a group.
Online, where communities are easily entered and left, once a community reaches sufficient size, it starts developing it's own set of traits/behaviors that become required for acceptance. Stray, and they will condemn you.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Depression
http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/2009/03/08/the-true-cause-of-depression/
Reminds me of an article I read elsewhere on the idea that despair is a natural response to discovering that a goal cannot be reached, developed to help a person stop trying, and move on to something else. Depression then, could be the result of a person being unable or unwilling to abandon the goal, thus causing the despair to stick.
Reminds me of an article I read elsewhere on the idea that despair is a natural response to discovering that a goal cannot be reached, developed to help a person stop trying, and move on to something else. Depression then, could be the result of a person being unable or unwilling to abandon the goal, thus causing the despair to stick.
Friday, August 07, 2009
More Than a Traumatic Birth
http://web.archive.org/web/20100922004327/http://www.truebirth.com/2008/02/more-than-a-traumatic-birth/
People often underestimate the psychological impact of life's horrors.
People often underestimate the psychological impact of life's horrors.
By Danell Swim
February 10, 2008Childbirth is regarded as the most painful episode of a woman’s life, but also the most joyful. When women speak of a traumatic birth experience, most assume it to be an extremely painful event, or that something necessitated an emergency situation. For some, that is all the traumatic event is; 12 hours of tortuous labor with a supportive person by their side. Or a drop in the baby’s heart rate that sends everyone scrambling to get him out before he’s harmed. But for some, the traumatic event goes much deeper.
Sometimes women are held down while pleading to be let go; having vaginal exams forced on them; and their waters broken without giving consent. Some women call this Birth Rape, because it can be such a violent act that centers on their genitals, without their permission. The term is shocking, and upon hearing the stories of these women who have been assaulted, it is accurate.
We know from psychologists that most rapists do it not for sexual gratification, but for power. It may be the same for these care providers, who are so unfit to be working with vulnerable, emotional, feeling human beings.EK in CT told me of her painful experience:
My doctor told me that I he had to check my cervix, but he was in a hurry and “couldn’t wait” for my contraction to end. I was on Pitocin and the contractions just went on and on. So he forced his hand inside me after I screamed for him to stop, without using any lubrication. He told me “you’re only dilated to 5cm, don’t be such a baby” and left the room.
Unlike a painful childbirth, or a situation where there is a medical emergency, these Birth Rapes are perpetrated by an individual, or several individuals. It is not medically necessary, and yet the act is horrific, and leaves emotional and sometimes physical scars.
Pam recounts the traumatic cesarean birth that still haunts her:
Seven years ago I was scared into an induction. I was held down and told I had to let the doctor break my water. I was told it was my fault my cervix was swelling. I was butchered open, 9″ wide, and left with a gaping wound. I suffered complications and had additional surgeries. It scared me forever. A scar that extends deep within my soul. I had terrible PPD and PTSD. The flashbacks were consuming and wrecked my family’s life.
Like rape victims, women who are victimized during birth are made to feel responsible for the act itself. They are told that it has to be this way, or that their baby will die if it isn’t done this way. Sometimes, they aren’t even given the opportunity to say no, as they are (like Pam) held down against their will. Later, they are told that they were bad, and it had to be done. Coercion is a tactic that many assailants use.
The result of these experiences can be life-long. These traumatic birthing experiences bring about more cases of post-partum depression (PPD), and sometimes even post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some women choose to not have more children, while others just live with the lie and pretend that everything is fine.
LC says:
The birth rape at the end of my second pregnancy is still always on my mind and the post traumatic stress still remains. Sure, I go throughout my day, functioning, smiling, but in my head I’m a mess. Everyone thinks I’m fine because I look fine and I got my healthy baby and I’m alive.
Some women refuse to see healthcare workers again, neglecting their own health and that of their children.
AM wrote to me about her post-partum period:
For 2 years after my son was born, I refused to take him to the doctor, or go to one myself. Even driving by the doctor’s office where I knew my old doctor worked was enough to make me sick. I identified with women who turned away from medicine for holistic treatment, but it wasn’t because I believed in it, it was because I wanted to believe in it. Because I was too scared to do anything else.
The treatment these women received was enough to make them suffer to their very core, and do irreparable damage to their psyche. And yet the doctors who committed the act still practice, and the cycle continues.
Upon graduating from medical school, young doctors take an oath to protect their patients, and treat them with respect. In order to practice in this country, they are pledged to gain informed consent from their patients before providing treatment. Despite these oaths, they are causing such harm to women who deserve their utmost admiration and kindness.This is why women choose to call it Birth Rape. Yes, it is used to shock. It is used to bring attention to something that is so significant, and yet never talked about.
It is Birth Rape, and it happens every day.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Compassion
http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/2009/05/17/what-compassion-is/
"the feeling of genuine compassion for another person is, in my view, one of the most joyful experiences available to human beings."
I have had the opposite experience. For me, genuine compassion is one of the most painful things I can experience. This is why I avoid people.
"the feeling of genuine compassion for another person is, in my view, one of the most joyful experiences available to human beings."
I have had the opposite experience. For me, genuine compassion is one of the most painful things I can experience. This is why I avoid people.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Monday, August 03, 2009
Difficulty in Games
I've come to realize something that probably should have been more obvious to me. Whether or not I enjoy difficulty in a game depends almost entirely upon how much I enjoy what is being made difficult. For example: I often have little interest in a real challenge in City of Heroes, because my primary interest in the game is the story and character creation.
When attempting to follow a story arc, I generally find any difficulty to be a hindrance to my enjoyment of it. The (almost) only time I enjoy difficulty in CoH, is when I'm on a team. Even then, whether or not I enjoy difficulty depends almost entirely upon what type of character I'm playing.
If I'm playing a tank, I favor having little to no difficulty. My primary focus is typically upon keeping the fights coming quick, and gathering large numbers of enemies into a single place (herding). Often, the part I most enjoy about tanking, is having a large number of enemies trying and failing to take me down. Any difficulty then diminishes that joy.
If I'm playing a damage dealer, I don't mind having enemies prove hard to kill. In fact, having them go down too fast can make it boring. However, if I find myself in danger of dying all the time, it's not going to be fun.
If I'm playing a character who provides the team with buffs, having teammates or myself take large amounts of damage diminishes how much I feel I am helping, which makes things less fun. Often, I find that when I play a support character, I want things to be easy but not so easy that I feel useless.
If I'm playing a healer, I tend to like having the difficulty level vary. Times of difficulty engage me in my healing efforts, and make me feel needed, while the easier times allow me to rest, relax, and recover for the next time I'm really needed.
In another game, God Hand, I found the difficulty helped improve my fun. For me, the main joy of the game, was setting up different selections of moves on the combo button, to find the perfect combo that could let me win fights with little more than one button. The difficulty of the fights, combined with the complexities of how the various moves worked with each other, made the task an interesting challenge.
When playing Skies of Arcadia, I found some areas of difficulty to be enjoyable, while others were annoying. The basic combat was of limited interest to me, and while some fights offered interesting challenges, it really wasn't something that improved the game for me. The challenges I did enjoy though, were the ship to ship fights. I really enjoyed the ship vs ship combat system, and found many of the challenges to be quite interesting. It was a bit of a disappointment that soon after finally gaining the ability to use whatever weapons and accessories for the ship I wanted, the challenge level of those fights went way down. Once a full heal spell was acquired, it became laughable.
In Hellgate: London, one of my big complaints, is with some of the missions that get difficult in a very annoying way. They add in some extra mini-game style challenges that become extremely frustrating when they don't go well. If the difficulty were low enough on them, it might not be an issue, but several times I've had them prove to be a very unpleasant challenge. Overall, I find my enjoyment in Hellgate: London does not come from the challenges the game presents, but instead from the randomness, special effects, and the carnage. I also had some interest in the main story, though that only lasted until I beat the game. As a result, difficulty was generally an annoyance, not a pleasure.
I suppose the general system I like most, is when the story can be gotten with little or no difficulty, but difficult challenges are available for those who want them. I do believe it is important for almost any game to include an easy mode for people who just don't have much interest in the challenges. MMO's should not be excluded from the easy mode rule in my opinion (you just won't get much bragging rights for winning on easy).
When attempting to follow a story arc, I generally find any difficulty to be a hindrance to my enjoyment of it. The (almost) only time I enjoy difficulty in CoH, is when I'm on a team. Even then, whether or not I enjoy difficulty depends almost entirely upon what type of character I'm playing.
If I'm playing a tank, I favor having little to no difficulty. My primary focus is typically upon keeping the fights coming quick, and gathering large numbers of enemies into a single place (herding). Often, the part I most enjoy about tanking, is having a large number of enemies trying and failing to take me down. Any difficulty then diminishes that joy.
If I'm playing a damage dealer, I don't mind having enemies prove hard to kill. In fact, having them go down too fast can make it boring. However, if I find myself in danger of dying all the time, it's not going to be fun.
If I'm playing a character who provides the team with buffs, having teammates or myself take large amounts of damage diminishes how much I feel I am helping, which makes things less fun. Often, I find that when I play a support character, I want things to be easy but not so easy that I feel useless.
If I'm playing a healer, I tend to like having the difficulty level vary. Times of difficulty engage me in my healing efforts, and make me feel needed, while the easier times allow me to rest, relax, and recover for the next time I'm really needed.
In another game, God Hand, I found the difficulty helped improve my fun. For me, the main joy of the game, was setting up different selections of moves on the combo button, to find the perfect combo that could let me win fights with little more than one button. The difficulty of the fights, combined with the complexities of how the various moves worked with each other, made the task an interesting challenge.
When playing Skies of Arcadia, I found some areas of difficulty to be enjoyable, while others were annoying. The basic combat was of limited interest to me, and while some fights offered interesting challenges, it really wasn't something that improved the game for me. The challenges I did enjoy though, were the ship to ship fights. I really enjoyed the ship vs ship combat system, and found many of the challenges to be quite interesting. It was a bit of a disappointment that soon after finally gaining the ability to use whatever weapons and accessories for the ship I wanted, the challenge level of those fights went way down. Once a full heal spell was acquired, it became laughable.
In Hellgate: London, one of my big complaints, is with some of the missions that get difficult in a very annoying way. They add in some extra mini-game style challenges that become extremely frustrating when they don't go well. If the difficulty were low enough on them, it might not be an issue, but several times I've had them prove to be a very unpleasant challenge. Overall, I find my enjoyment in Hellgate: London does not come from the challenges the game presents, but instead from the randomness, special effects, and the carnage. I also had some interest in the main story, though that only lasted until I beat the game. As a result, difficulty was generally an annoyance, not a pleasure.
I suppose the general system I like most, is when the story can be gotten with little or no difficulty, but difficult challenges are available for those who want them. I do believe it is important for almost any game to include an easy mode for people who just don't have much interest in the challenges. MMO's should not be excluded from the easy mode rule in my opinion (you just won't get much bragging rights for winning on easy).
Sunday, August 02, 2009
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