I've got a little down time today. I finished the documents I'm working on ahead of schedule.
Indie game dev: Delving a little farther into pixel art. I'm still no pro, that's for sure. How complicated does a game have to be for it to sell well for PC or a hand held console? I read how 1 button games are doing very well on cell phones but nothing about that type of games enjoying successes on the Nintendo DS, etc.
Be sure and check out the Grill Station 3 for a good laugh too.
Grabber: It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's an Extreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeme Skier!
Platform: Nintendo DS
Selling Points: Simple, fun, easy to pick up and play. Crazy dual screen stunt animations liven things up.
Game
Play: Use the stylus to draw the mountain as your Extreeeeme Skier goes down it! Add some large smooth bumps to build up speed. Draw a bunch of jagged moguls to rattle him around. Draw a huge ramp if you want him to get big air! The right speed and slope combination can launch the skier and he'll do some crazy tricks!
Careful not to hurt your skier too badly by slamming her up against a wall or not giving him a place to land after he jumps.
Fun Factor: Extreeeeeme Skier combines a few activities that I find fun: building my own track, watching something(in this case, your skier) fly through it and see if the skier does a cool trick.
Grabber: Blow **** up, you're the pro, we're paying you to do it!
Platform: PC, Wii
Selling Points: This explosive combination of puzzle and top down shooters is sure to capture and enthrall fans of both genres. Easy learning curve but difficult to master!
Game Play: You're a demolition specialist! Place and set off charges using the easy point and click abilities of the PC Mouse or the Wii remote.
Urban demolitions is a very tricky process. You want to collapse a building quickly and with minimal charges but you have to watch where the debris will go. With a bit of planning and calculation, you can control where the chunks will fall.
Structures will have real physics. Players can use a "structural integrity" vision camera to help them see where stress points in the structures they have to demolish are to help them pin point where they need to place charges. The view will resemble a "thermal camera" using a mix of color and texture to denote levels of stress.
Fun Factor: I like fire and I do miss a good "puzzle shooter" of which I've only encountered 1 of. At least 1 good one. There's a number of shotoers that feel like puzzles in the frustrating way in that sense of "you must always be in the right place at the right time or your life is forfit."
I'm glad I'm not doing it. Behold the story of a Crytek game designer.
Quote:
In 2004 the Bavarian authorities sent in the state troopers… When the
small tech team appeared to inspect [Crytek's] computers, they were
accompanied by over one hundred flak-jacketed riot police, all armed
with Heckler and Koch sub-machine guns.
Wow.
This is just frightning.
I've heard there are a number of people in the game industry who don't play games.
This is rather sad, especially coming from designers. Why waste your company's resources on trying something out if someone's already done it before? Even if you're playing games that are completely unrelated to whatever product you're working on, who knows. There could be lessons in UI, camera, etc. learned from playing other games.
I will hopefully beat Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth soon and view the almighty "A" ending. Man this game has an amazing amount of replay-ability but sadly, it has high chances of making users repeat crap grinding sessions they may not care to repeat. If someone was able to figure out how to do the A ending without any guides or FAQs, either they have amazing luck or fortitude. Or both.
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin has been a load of fun too. This game is allegedly overflowing with secrets warranting a strategy guide purchase. I'll see how well I manage without one. I am liking the multiple character action big time. The touch screen gimmickry that irritated me in the first Nintendo DS Castlevania is thankfully gone. The sidequests I've beaten so far are quite amusing.
Gurumin: A Monsterous Adventure will be released in English come next Feb but I've been playing through my import. It reminds me of all the things I liked about Threads of Fate. Yes, I know ToF was a crap game but there are apsects of that game that have merit and are worth rescuing from the sludge. If you like Action or "Real Time Combat" RPGs, this game definitely warrants a look. I was hoping to finish this game before Ys Origin enters my life. Probably won't happen alas.
Phantasy Star Universe: Yeah, I'm a sucker for these darn "real time RPGs." I'd have to say between strategy RPGs such as Fire Emblem and action RPGs, you'd coverabout 80% of my absolute favorite games of all time. Sega gave me an action RPG that while flawed, I could enjoy with my friends. As I've seen from the crops of MMOs out there, a shitty game no one would dare touch as a single player game can be made enjoyable when you get to talk smack over it with your buddies. Behold the power of friendship - nullifies bad gameplay.
Metal Gear Portable Ops has the real time stealth action with friends that can wrench me away from Phantasy Star Universe. I just need more of my usual gaming crew to jump on this game. Alas, asking them to get PSPs just for this is unreasonable.
For those of you with Wiis, Gunstar Heroes is going to hit the Virtual Console soon. Now there's a great platformer I miss.
There are only 14 days until Christmas...Have you hit everyone on your list? I know I'm going to be gone on Saturday so I'm turning this in early.
Grabber: You've been always taught that it's better to give than recieve. Now it's fun!
Platform: PC, Nintendo DS.
Selling Points: Classic adventure games thought to be a lost form of gaming have made a come back, especially on the DS as of recent.
Most of these adventure games are dreadfully linear and are only worth one play through, if that. Quick, mission oriented and free formed gaming with the slick touchscreen interface to help users keep their ducks in a row so to speak resolves many issues the DS adventure game offerings have.
Game
Play: All of your friends envy you because you have an unbelievable ability to get them gifts that are better than what they could have ever picked for themselves!
Little do your friends know that you are quite the detective! You talk with neighbors, your friends' friends, maybe even do a few less savory routines like dumpster diving and stalking. But no matter, to get the dirt, you've got to get a bit dirty.
Once you've got an item on your list, the other thing you're most proud of is your mad bargain hunting skills. This is important since you're not the richest person in the world. Your budget is limited but oh there are sales out there. Tons of them(heck, you pulled a Sunday Paper Circular from your best friend's recycling bin advertising a blowout sale that had a few items circled!) Get all the items you planned for when they're on an uber sale! Camp out, fight through a line, that might end up happening if you didn't plan better earlier.
Fun Factor: Shopping is a pleasurable activity. Couple that with a self-paced adventure plus some over the top hijinks and you've definitely got a recipe for fun!
Yeah, I know it's late. Tis the season to be sick. Using the computer certainly doesn't help. *hck*
Grabber: Stay alive! It's survival of the fittest in this game of germ warfare.
Platform: PC
Selling Points: A unique blend of beloved gameplay elements in an easy to understand setting.
Game Play: Spread from host to host starting as one lonely bacteria. Absorb plasmids - rings of DNA that affect your characteristics - to gain new abilities such as drug resistance, superior mobility, fighting abilities and more.
As you fight and beat other germs, you can spread around and absorb plasmids from other defeated bacteria. Balance your horde carefully for when the host gets sick, your germ population will be drastically reduced.
Fun Factor: Survival, Puzzle, strategy and action all come together.
Grabber: Put on a show where you and your friends are the stars.
Platform: Wii
Selling Points: A charming cooperative game that makes use of new control schemes only possible on the Nintendo Wii.
The Wii's Connect24 allows for players to play online together.
Game
Play: Gameplay changes depending on the type of performance the player is giving. For acrobats, players twirl and move the Remote like they'd want to see the acrobats flip through the air. Players time the movements of the circus star they control so the stars grab each other, flip each other around and perform increasingly spectacular moves.
For players whose timing and coordination is considerably less precise, consider the role of the clown where the audience laughs harder with every slip, fumble or otherwise screw up. Mistakes are forgiven, even encouraged. Be spontanious, fool around and be suprised with the results.
Fun
Factor: The acrobats poses the challenge of working with a partern with mechanical precision while the clowns still offer a whimsical good time especially when players' timing is less than perfect. There are 2 distinct roads to a putting on a great show.
Apple Computer has been pretty good at creating minimalist yet effective user interfaces. They've posted a very handy guide on their developer site.
Rant: Gads, I think I'm losing it with these Design of the Week ideas. While I confident in my ability to articulate ideas now, is it just me or have my ideas this last month or so really gone down the drain?
A lot of these ideas seem like simulations of things no one else has cared to do or activities(which is something I swore I didn't want to post.) I wonder if other designers out there have felt like the quality of their work at times has slipped?
Another rant-worthy thing: The Real Price of Virtual Gold on MTV. I have a design for an MMO and it's sad, someone actually told me it needs money sinks like World of Warcraft. I live on the west coast. I've seen some massive sink holes. Needing something with such a horrible association feels retarded. Dear Sonic Team. I do love how you've designed Phantasy Star Universe to not have a lot of the idiotic crap I hear people ranting about in MMOs. Love, me.
Grabber: Set sail for a high tech treasure diving adventure!
Platform: Wii
Selling Points: Whimsical first person action that takes advantage of the Wii's motion sensing capabilities as well as the Wii Remote's vibration.
The Wii's Connect24 and Microtransaction systems allow for expanadbility, selling new areas to explore on the cheap.
Game
Play: The game is divided up into 3 major phases. One is pin pointing a wreck. Sail around the world, send out deep sea scanning probes to look for wrecks. The next phase would be to take pick the right equipment and go in. Dive down yourself if for wrecks up to 100 feet deep but beyond that, control a robot to do the work for you. The final phase is extracting your treasures! Do so carefully manipuating the environment with the Wii controllers in order to keep the treasures in tact.
Fun
Factor: Exploring, discovering treasure underwater is thrilling and interesting. A lot of people dream of uncovering a sunken Pirate's booty or a piece of the Titanic.
