tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65042822659106987082024-03-05T15:03:08.943-08:00Robert Walker - Software DeveloperDM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-91726182268481287372012-03-28T20:41:00.016-07:002012-03-28T22:08:05.771-07:00Simple Complexity (Or, Do I Really Have to Learn This?)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMN8kzkD69PVZCTpjqSqTrkgEBv_KIVVW1EhP9GZ1bJd5lTiQ5D-V2mBNMSNmlR1Bi1i3B_YGQ9k3pagk_InjGVxa1q3nYE5RycdJvS1VOZW9BK_1aBtRqZLvVX2kQ_KZoMFUxZpkOmVk/s1600/SC_Mass_Effect_Miranda.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMN8kzkD69PVZCTpjqSqTrkgEBv_KIVVW1EhP9GZ1bJd5lTiQ5D-V2mBNMSNmlR1Bi1i3B_YGQ9k3pagk_InjGVxa1q3nYE5RycdJvS1VOZW9BK_1aBtRqZLvVX2kQ_KZoMFUxZpkOmVk/s320/SC_Mass_Effect_Miranda.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725163586577786354" border="0" /></a>During Steam's massive Christmas holiday sale, Mass Effect 1 and 2 were offered for $5 each. I thought to myself "Awesome, I am totally going to buy these when I get home!" and then I quite unfortunately promptly forgot. Thankfully, you can now <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=ur2&docId=1000716161&camp=1789&creative=390957">get both games for $6 each</a> (this week only) on Amazon. I am currently about 3hrs into the first Mass Effect, so still quite a ways off from the ending controversy that seems to be all the buzz these days. What does this have to do with anything? Let's get down to it.<br /><br />During my brief time with Mass Effect (and also recently, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BXKJA0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002BXKJA0">Fallout 3</a>), I noticed myself doing something very intentionally contrary to what the designers hoped I would do. I was presented with tutorial text and even tutorial sections as I went throughout the game that only served to annoy me, rather than actually help me to learn anything about the game. Not that these sections were bad, or even lacking vital information - Fallout 3's opening sequence with your character growing up in the vault is very well constructed, but there is just something about tutorial text and the sequences that explain to the player how to do a thing, ask them to do it, and then congratulate them for doing it that just pushes my buttons. Consequently, I vehemently ignore these sequences then later on find myself asking “Now how do I do that one thing again?”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVr9rrdXoiOl0BuuoPFs0thOPiuTPXFSh8sUCsidMvRL-kzy5tQL6IfI32fQ4FlaBri2BhELlCAd8E21tL8nx1sKaQOw6HHY5UInDvwJkNj3maiwUSzqomhi7ex2ngR0nTT2w-txDUdmw/s1600/SC_Fallout_3_Pipboy.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVr9rrdXoiOl0BuuoPFs0thOPiuTPXFSh8sUCsidMvRL-kzy5tQL6IfI32fQ4FlaBri2BhELlCAd8E21tL8nx1sKaQOw6HHY5UInDvwJkNj3maiwUSzqomhi7ex2ngR0nTT2w-txDUdmw/s320/SC_Fallout_3_Pipboy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725164685825566818" border="0" /></a>Why is this? After taking some time to think about it, I realized that this manner of instructing the player is not conducive to natural learning. During our school years, we are given "tutorial text," asked to regurgitate the things we just read, and then congratulated for doing so; a process of memorization that is generally only successful if the person involved is actually interested in learning what you have to say. 5 minutes into a game I am not interested in learning to play the game, I just want to play it. "But that's contradictory, you can't play without knowing how to play!" one might say. This is only partially true. Think back to a time when you were a child. Was there a tutorial section on how to spin the merry-go-round? When you were learning to cross the monkey bars, did text rain down from the heavens to say "Be sure to put one arm in front of the other, you'll fall if you let go with both hands!" I'd be willing to bet there's a good chance this did not occur for you.<br /><br />The more likely scenario is that you touched the merry-go-round and realized that it moved, which prompted you to move it faster, as natural curiosity would have you do. You saw the monkey bars as a challenge and, after falling once or twice, realized that gravity is not your friend and you should fight it by holding on with one hand while reaching with the other. Sure, there are many skills that generally aren't learned in total absence of teaching, but to be the most effective, the learner must be actively involved in learning the skill (kicking on a paddleboard while learning to swim, shooting a basketball, etc), and there is generally much more power in showing the learner how to do something, rather than telling them.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OqxW5Co7FGoIJW3zCKJc4VtwhGUL7gGvFTWasUfcJPP37MZgnoVHFbBU18wHUm7rj2w8eDVd238FNRtImVjpBhBkZZPv42s3XIUgZ-bl-T-l-b2byO9m5YtBC7FqWaSqgZhsJoSed98/s1600/SC_NES_Controller.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OqxW5Co7FGoIJW3zCKJc4VtwhGUL7gGvFTWasUfcJPP37MZgnoVHFbBU18wHUm7rj2w8eDVd238FNRtImVjpBhBkZZPv42s3XIUgZ-bl-T-l-b2byO9m5YtBC7FqWaSqgZhsJoSed98/s320/SC_NES_Controller.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725166138731807394" border="0" /></a>How do we apply this to games, an activity that is very technical by nature? Surely, games in all of their complexity need copious amounts of tutorials if the player has any hope of achieving anything, right? Well, no, not really. There are 2 factors at play which create the perceived notion that the player must have everything explained to them every step of the way. The first is the modern input method. Rewind time 25 or so years and the most prevalent inputdevice in console gaming was the NES controller, king of simple and effective interfaces. It had directional input, one set of "active" buttons (A and B), and one set of buttons to forget about most of the time (select and start). If someone were handed one of these controllers, the amount of time for which they'd be confused as to what the buttons do would be relatively short, as there's generally only 2 buttons that actively do anything in game (excluding the start button, which tends to pause things), and the d-pad automatically denotes movement of some sort, so much so that even TV remotes have them.<br /><br />Fast forward to modern gaming and you will see that the standard XBOX 360 and PS3 controllers have 13 buttons on them, 10 of which are "active" buttons, along with 3 directional inputs. This is indeed a huge hurdle for most people, but assuming that they are willing to even pick up one of these monstrosities, there are a couple of assumptions you can make as a designer. First is an assumption about your audience in general. Either they've never touched a controller before, which we'll get into in a moment, or they are well versed with the controller, in which case you have little to teach them. In the case of someone who has never picked up a controller, unless you've done something strange with your use of the directional inputs, you can assume your player will figure out how to achieve basic movement. They will not be adept at it, they will not immediately be capable of navigating that obstacle course you have planned 5 hrs in, but with the directional inputs being the largest buttons on the controller, you can be assured that the user will play with them enough to figure out basic movement. Where this uninitiated user gets into trouble is with the rest of the buttons. “What do I press? I don’t want to press the wrong buttons, there so many of them” commonly stops the lay-user from further progressing in your game. So what does the developer do? At best, they put up context-sensitive markers on screen as you go from place to place, a giant “press this button now” prompt, if you will. At worst, they toss up one of these:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHPE2PNAMnCIZqv4q_zJVsoQIKSnpacnqSO-_q1B80ZKgwfM11Z74-L5-UADw-Y01tYxUohpbD7pUcHjBcH5h1qNFBrQp8w9uYiMWoPBP1yZu29PkkuZbPrWCUX-edQnnZVfI1tFj9fc/s1600/SC_XBOX_360_Config.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHPE2PNAMnCIZqv4q_zJVsoQIKSnpacnqSO-_q1B80ZKgwfM11Z74-L5-UADw-Y01tYxUohpbD7pUcHjBcH5h1qNFBrQp8w9uYiMWoPBP1yZu29PkkuZbPrWCUX-edQnnZVfI1tFj9fc/s320/SC_XBOX_360_Config.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725165027016668418" border="0" /></a><br />If you are guilty of the latter, I will quote Ernest Adams: “<a href="http://www.designersnotebook.com/Design_Resources/No_Twinkie_Database/no_twinkie_database.htm">Bad Game Designer, No Twinkie!</a>” The solution to this problem, however, is not a trivial one. For the players who are accustomed to gaming and using a controller, they will press all of the buttons anyway, just to get a feel for what’s what and map it to their preconceived notion of how your genre of game should function. For the newcomer-gamer, you now have a challenge to surmount that exists purely on the basis of the platform you decided to develop for.<br /><br />Surmounting this problem moves directly into factor #2 for why we feel that it is an imperative to explain everything to the player at every step: Every button does something unique. As developers, we have subconsciously given in to the notion that every button on a controller must be utilized for some action, which actually hinders us from taking a step back and thinking about how to simplify the control scheme to create a flow that only needs to be played to be learned, rather than memorized and practiced. Take a journey back to 1991 and look at the original <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_%281991_video_game%29">Sonic the Hedgehog</a> for the Sega Genesis. The Genesis controller had a directional input, 3 active buttons and a start button. The directional input does what you would expect, so we can ignore that. What do the buttons do? A causes sonic to jump. B causes sonic to jump. C causes sonic to jump. The designers did not feel the need to increase the number and types of actions sonic can perform to accommodate the controller. A doesn’t do a small jump while C does a large jump. The designers said “Our character needs to be able to jump and that’s it, make it so there’s no wrong button to accomplish this.”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXIAqDB5hk4thWuNR0zjF1p608tv7yREyIF1KrdbP5uwyOXJByrpHUlTx5RFF7eqM_uvHSfDcJ5p5KVQJcjTBDJ7rhoNraiucwn6A28cSlUMdY84y0uwAKwYJnPogUUlg5Q-qBFK4G5X0/s1600/SC_Double_Dragon_3.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXIAqDB5hk4thWuNR0zjF1p608tv7yREyIF1KrdbP5uwyOXJByrpHUlTx5RFF7eqM_uvHSfDcJ5p5KVQJcjTBDJ7rhoNraiucwn6A28cSlUMdY84y0uwAKwYJnPogUUlg5Q-qBFK4G5X0/s320/SC_Double_Dragon_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725166987345260658" border="0" /></a>Given Sonic’s limited vocabulary, this example may be a bit trivial. Let’s step back 1 year into what I deem to be one of the most difficult NES games I have ever played:<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Dragon_3:_The_Rosetta_Stone"> Double Dragon III</a>. The NES setup, you’ll recall, is one directional input, 2 active buttons, as well as a start and a select button. The action vocabulary for this game, however, is much more expansive. Your immediate goal is to fight any and everyone who crosses your path. Both active buttons accomplish this goal, one allowing you to punch, one allowing you to kick. Sometime during the beginning of the game, you will witness an enemy jump at which point you will ask yourself “How do I do that? There’s only two buttons, and I have already explored what they do separately, why not press them together? Whoa!” With this limited button configuration where every button accomplishes the player’s goal in some way or another, and given time to play with them, eventually the player learns to punch, kick, grab, jump, cyclone kick, mid-air somersault, use a buddy for a flying jump kick, and use a weapon.<br /><br />There are two major points to grasp from this. The first is that every button accomplishes the player’s current goal. There is no “wrong button.” New-comers to gaming need only to press any button to progress. The second is that through allowing the player to play with a small set of inputs, they will naturally explore and combine them in ways the developer can use to their advantage, offering them new moves or cool rewards for realizing that you can indeed press A and B together at the same time. I imaging that if Double Dragon III were created on the XBOX 360, there would be a button to punch, a button to kick, a button to jump, a button to grab, a button for “special moves,” a button for the buddy flying kick, and possibly a button to toss a weapon for good measure. While, if you have memorized this, it could very well serve to make it easier to perform these tasks, we have increased the button count from 2 to 7, and simply exploring buttons no longer causes everything you press to have an obvious and useful action. In other words, we have greatly increased the barrier to entry without changing the game’s mechanics, even though we simplified what needed to be pressed to perform the same actions!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1OZIXdI5sxu36BKg6C43_kGXE8Fdij55B4Q1JQiURp7Krl4GOF9hS5SFAFgmJubLjrBeGZ39VjtbTQEpBtCyXUVBqlmUt3-7qho-Y_l7tENHqGoP34wk5zFYeZg6etcqVqwucvXwYbY/s1600/SC_Earthbound.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1OZIXdI5sxu36BKg6C43_kGXE8Fdij55B4Q1JQiURp7Krl4GOF9hS5SFAFgmJubLjrBeGZ39VjtbTQEpBtCyXUVBqlmUt3-7qho-Y_l7tENHqGoP34wk5zFYeZg6etcqVqwucvXwYbY/s320/SC_Earthbound.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725168472752997762" border="0" /></a>So what can we do, given that we can’t force (nor do we want to force) people to play their XBOX 360 with an NES/Genesis controller, and people are not so prone to explore when the button count increases? If the game mechanics are simple enough, it is possible to take the Sonic approach, mapping every button to the same action. As less extreme examples, there are <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002CT1RA4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002CT1RA4">Earthbound</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009A4EV2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0009A4EV2">Dragon Quest VIII</a>, both of which are fully featured RPGs playable with one hand via the dpad and L-Button. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FQ9R4E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000FQ9R4E">Smash Brothers</a> does an excellent job, making the game essentially playable with two buttons and the dpad. Aside from that, consider if you really need to use every button on the controller, or if creating a seemingly more complicated control scheme through the use of fewer buttons actually helps to encourage users to discover how to play your game, rather than needing to be explicitly told.<br /><br />There is a lot more I would love to cover, but I am both out of space and out of time, so I will have to leave it at this until next time. In the meantime, think of ways you can reduce the ability for a user to press a “wrong button” by simplifying your control scheme, rather than putting up a horrible controller configuration image which will simply be ignored by the hardcore and scare off the uninitiated. As always, I would love to hear what you have to add to this conversation, so leave me a message in the comments!DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-69720065610053228032012-03-03T21:49:00.002-08:002012-03-03T21:53:50.212-08:00SlickEdit (Or, Time for A Commercial Break)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbx90qm6PIMXePY0RwrG7qtOZx-R6HkoJZ4FTSk5AjkJjqF-CUuALUgi_hXp3dr4bWLoZFA9VzZMzf1TiLeCFZuDUtuJrmlMAoQ780a6tECTeQ98WwRa3UyOOZDqaI0GY5yhZOAqDHLCU/s1600/SlickEdit.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbx90qm6PIMXePY0RwrG7qtOZx-R6HkoJZ4FTSk5AjkJjqF-CUuALUgi_hXp3dr4bWLoZFA9VzZMzf1TiLeCFZuDUtuJrmlMAoQ780a6tECTeQ98WwRa3UyOOZDqaI0GY5yhZOAqDHLCU/s320/SlickEdit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715915301858207778" border="0" /></a>I have more and more run into the need to work in various development environments lately, mainly going back and forth between Windows coupled with Visual Studio and various flavors of Unix with GCC or MinGW coupled with various text editors. On the Windows side, things are great. I will admit complete and total bias when it comes to using Visual Studio with Visual Assist. Nothing beats that combination for developing a C++ application, hands down. On the Unix side, however, I have been searching for a way to simplify my workflow and remove the need to work so heavily through the command line. Sure, the command line is more powerful than any user-friendly GUI will be without a heavy amount of tweaking and menus, but 99.5% of the time I don't need the power of the command line, I want the ease of use speed of an IDE that will let me drag and drop things, press a button to compile, another button to run, and click in some breakpoints here and there.<br /><br />A few days ago, my prayers were seemingly answered in the form of SlickEdit. It very easily lets me set up to use my pre-existing makefiles to build everything, while also offering the ability to have my workspace visually set up, allowing me to navigate through files easily and debug my applications in a visual interface, rather than through GDB command line. I haven't had a chance to fully go through SlickEdit's feature set yet, but I can say that I have seen enough to recommend it if you find yourself in a similar situation. I don't normally outright advertise a product here, but for this one, I will. <a href="http://www.slickedit.com/">Go get it here</a>. If you're one of those people who like to know all the ins and outs of your tools, pick up the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470122153/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0470122153">here</a>.DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-60397549675168492222012-02-25T08:26:00.004-08:002012-02-25T09:33:47.707-08:00Sick Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZBhn8KbaXS0arpzkaPZhkV-xAfoHJ3PKALehF6THhx7J1VRrwkK5gqp4jcxCRyokvp08rfEiIX2FNSBEyNFeYvPtqvGXy4uu0DesHwmPxj3Usd6-zw3bBRAYwuwFc3V5bsY9SZDxe40/s1600/CommonPerformanceMistakes.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZBhn8KbaXS0arpzkaPZhkV-xAfoHJ3PKALehF6THhx7J1VRrwkK5gqp4jcxCRyokvp08rfEiIX2FNSBEyNFeYvPtqvGXy4uu0DesHwmPxj3Usd6-zw3bBRAYwuwFc3V5bsY9SZDxe40/s320/CommonPerformanceMistakes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713113748395027090" border="0" /></a>It seems I was a bit incapacitated this week, so rather than a rant, here is something you may not have seen. At GDC in 2004, Pete Isensee outlined several common areas of performance loss in games found after analyzing the source of many titles for the XBOX. Whether or not you deem yourself to be an optimization guru and master of C++, this presentation is still very much worth your time. Check out his presentation <a href="http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1015171/Common-C-Performance-Mistakes-in">here</a>, get the slides <a href="http://www.tantalon.com/pete/files/gdc04_common_cpp_mistakes_in_games.ppt">here</a>.DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-1662026061818201122012-02-18T09:45:00.000-08:002012-02-18T10:16:55.882-08:00Best-Selling Games vs Best-Made Games (Or, Reaching A Larger Audience)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXl0UCUfoH9sDYbSwPcOz9H1-7q0hjiQ9GYKv2IGrHKyfFQtja2ajRWxrX8qDE4scSqsNNyaboLUjQ3Ks26alhq642-6_YfNhOJEVc85rdsY0_UkH53KMT0GyTODYsMBF4t7gK9Gq-yGg/s1600/WarioMoney.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXl0UCUfoH9sDYbSwPcOz9H1-7q0hjiQ9GYKv2IGrHKyfFQtja2ajRWxrX8qDE4scSqsNNyaboLUjQ3Ks26alhq642-6_YfNhOJEVc85rdsY0_UkH53KMT0GyTODYsMBF4t7gK9Gq-yGg/s320/WarioMoney.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710533918773910050" border="0" /></a>Recently I had a chance to reread Robert Kiyosaki's book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1612680011/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1612680011">Rich Dad Poor Dad</a>. In it there is a section where he discusses an interview he had with a young journalist who expresses her desire to become a best-selling author like him. Kiyosaki tells her that her writing is excellent, tough and clear, and asks her what is holding her back from achieving her dream. Quietly she responds: "My work doesn't seem to go anywhere. Everyone says my novels are excellent, but nothing happens. So I keep my job with the paper. At least it pays the bills." When she asks Kiyosaki for suggestions on getting her work to be more noticed, he gives her what is retrospectively almost an obvious answer: "Learn to become a salesman." Indignant at the thought of "stooping so low" as to learn to be a salesman, she begins to pack her things and begins to leave. Kiyosaki stops her momentarily and points out that the article she's written on him says "Best-<span style="font-style: italic;">selling</span> Author." He tells her that her ability to write is far beyond his. He says that she is a great writer, he is not. He points out that difference between them is that he is a great salesman, she is not. (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JNpdrqdS1E">Click here for the full excerpt</a>)<br /><br />Hopefully by now you are starting to connect what a book about business and finance and the game industry have to do with one another. How many times have you seen a best-selling title and thought "I can make something far better than this, why is it that their game is so popular?" How many times have you thought: "This game is so poorly made, all this company must care about is the bottom line!" I'm pretty sure the latter of these two statements is not completely true in most cases, but the simple answer is that the companies pushing these titles are better at selling than everyone else.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrL4I-jXRYz8r0D38_4xz6eD7x5XhVjcX717MwhTUUpwfEywWVo-yowsq5qQvGlHqQvtFfAdFcKZsTXsei2FjGxm-OIiJdZ1mo2iIqyd_5PAh1rTJfK7K3bKmwGPqarMSjbvTe6ZKudg/s1600/EveryTool.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrL4I-jXRYz8r0D38_4xz6eD7x5XhVjcX717MwhTUUpwfEywWVo-yowsq5qQvGlHqQvtFfAdFcKZsTXsei2FjGxm-OIiJdZ1mo2iIqyd_5PAh1rTJfK7K3bKmwGPqarMSjbvTe6ZKudg/s320/EveryTool.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710536658741332610" border="0" /></a>We all know at a basic level that marketing and salesmanship is important for getting your game to be noticed by the masses. We are no longer in the early days of gaming where simply making a great game was enough to boost you to superstardom. "If you build it they will come" is a great ideal, but it is no longer the reality of the industry we are in. Unless you know how to sell, how to capitalize on your game ideas, the chances of your developing that mega-hit that brings you fame and fortune are very slim. Let me be clear, I am not saying that we should sacrifice the quality of our games and focus on putting trash out there. No, I am saying that we as game developers need to make sure that we've added the tool of salesmanship to our game development tool-belt.<br /><br />A couple weeks ago, there was a <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6698/principles_of_an_indie_game_bottom_.php">feature here on Gamasutra by Jeff Vogel</a> in which he details the method by which he makes money doing what he loves. His message initially seemed to be about catering to a particular niche of gamer, or what kind of games to make if you want to make money. As you progress through the article thinking in terms of "Best Selling vs Best Made," you will notice, however, that he's actually discussing how to sell your game. This is a man who has figured out how to take something that is seemingly not popular and get it into the hands of the masses well enough that he can continue to do what he loves for a living. This is suggested reading if you have a few spare moments.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCESbqf8GFgLgLJXhiQchEMYe6skb9a168R0M6Gd8IRFciURj_OzAJHA9LLOKhZN0I1L3HBUM5za05OrmUs8hfT5vMmssJYx8cfE1XmqMCHvAN8g9mSyioZ08xrYsjcRs3GktGuaWNb8/s1600/UpgradePack.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCESbqf8GFgLgLJXhiQchEMYe6skb9a168R0M6Gd8IRFciURj_OzAJHA9LLOKhZN0I1L3HBUM5za05OrmUs8hfT5vMmssJYx8cfE1XmqMCHvAN8g9mSyioZ08xrYsjcRs3GktGuaWNb8/s320/UpgradePack.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710536787683996370" border="0" /></a>Around the same time, <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/TylerYork/20120209/9398/The_Principles_of_Game_Monetization.php">Tyler York also released an article</a> about selling your games. Specifically, they speak to balancing your game's content and style with the monetization thereof. This is a fairly short read, but they hit upon a few key points, and in particular one what was also made by Mr. Vogel: "Sell experiences." Meaning that, as game developers we are not so much in the business of selling things as we are of selling experiences. Our product is adventure, entertainment, drama, social connection. The actual content of our product is the means whereby we accomplish this, but a 20,000 page Tolkien-esque epic means nothing if the user-experience is not first and foremost in your design.<br /><br />Finally, <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/WojtekKawczynski/20120206/9367/Make_Your_Game_Easy_To_Buy_Lessons_from_Garage_Inc_and_KULA_BLOX.php">Wojtek Kawczynski gives us lessons learned</a> as he and his studio released two iOS titles: Garage Inc. and KULA BLOX. Primarily these lessons pertain to marketing on the app store, but the spirit behind the message is applicable to selling your products anywhere. Keep your marketing short and sweet and your message clear.<br /><br />Summarily, the ability to sell is equally as important as the ability to make a great game, assuming that you'd actually like people to know about and appreciate your game. It would be of great worth to all of us to take time out of our busy schedule creating great games to become at least half as good at selling our games. Such is my take on the matter, anyway. I'd love to hear thoughts anyone else may have on the topic, so leave me a comment!DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-84366185701954402142012-02-10T21:46:00.001-08:002012-02-10T22:29:30.842-08:00Making Small, Big (Or, The World Is A Character Too!)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbK_FB53VekEC8HQTD9oIHkDsddw5PBNg0eV9J0KXqt4DwZZuP2bOq7QkwnGpbPR92lBxeTngwKiZY0AfNLPZbpobcyQ90RRL0XGS_7mqZy5Pu5xD-61-pJZgI7tUvTidPzRbxyFixKM8/s1600/DreamFall-AprilConcept.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbK_FB53VekEC8HQTD9oIHkDsddw5PBNg0eV9J0KXqt4DwZZuP2bOq7QkwnGpbPR92lBxeTngwKiZY0AfNLPZbpobcyQ90RRL0XGS_7mqZy5Pu5xD-61-pJZgI7tUvTidPzRbxyFixKM8/s320/DreamFall-AprilConcept.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707750356807481890" border="0" /></a>Over the Christmas holiday I finally sat down and went through a few of the games in my backlog. Among them were <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CVWETI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004CVWETI">Radiant Historia</a> and <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/107100">Bastion</a>, two excellent games that everyone should take the time to experience. Both of these titles make the attempt to get the player engaged with and attached to the world they present, though they do it in somewhat different ways. This focus on player engagement with a world got me to thinking about various games I have become attached to over the years, and the difference between creating large worlds, and worlds that feel large.<br /><br />I will preface this conversation by stating that the opinions offered hereafter apply mainly to games in which story and engagement with the world is a primary factor in game-play. I am a fan of other, more action-oriented titles, but this conversation is not for them.<br /><br />Long ago, in a land far away, there used to be these mystical collections of writings which people commonly referred to as “books.” Many of these books contained tales of worlds as far and wide as one’s imagination, but due to the limitation of the medium, being that you can only describe so much at any one time in a coherent manner using words, these books generally focused the reader on a small subset of the world, commonly revisiting locations presented earlier in the story. Through clever use of dialog and other narrative techniques, these books were able to create in the reader’s mind a world that was much, much larger than what was actually penned by the author, while bringing the reader to fall in love with the locations that were purposefully designed.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjse9AP6q5p1AfLoCCwWWvgJgiAubgYXBXKpkP3LTTO7id0lbCdKEeWO72XaBpnBjnJcHRJ95ovvsxlNkGS1zAex-VxdmXEpAW5q7K-PqBkNwrQMpkQIkyU2WtuHWlNIaUeF22PF2NQgWo/s1600/ManiacMansionMap.gif"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 285px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjse9AP6q5p1AfLoCCwWWvgJgiAubgYXBXKpkP3LTTO7id0lbCdKEeWO72XaBpnBjnJcHRJ95ovvsxlNkGS1zAex-VxdmXEpAW5q7K-PqBkNwrQMpkQIkyU2WtuHWlNIaUeF22PF2NQgWo/s320/ManiacMansionMap.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707751778010097906" border="0" /></a>In the earlier generations of gaming, specifically the <span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);" class=" down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link"></span></span>80’s and 90’s we had such classics as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047SC3JC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0047SC3JC">Monkey Island</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004SVS0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00004SVS0">Maniac Mansion</a>, the early <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000035Y4P/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000035Y4P">Final Fantasy</a> titles, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E27DLM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001E27DLM">Chrono Trigger</a>, The Longest Journey, the list goes on and on. All of these titles were released at a time when there were pretty strict limits on both what content and how much content you could stuff into a single experience. To compensate, the developers were forced to reuse assets and locations, and to center a story around a small subset of the larger world they would have otherwise liked to create. Ever since, as technology advances, we have been trying ever harder to create larger and larger, more expansive and detailed worlds for players to become immersed in. Not that I think this is in and of itself a bad thing, but I’d like to posit that maybe it is not actually the correct direction for getting players immersed and interested in your world.<br /><br />I like to think of the locations in a game in the same way one might think of its supporting characters. The more time one spends with a specific character, the more one becomes attached to that character, their history, and what happens to them. It also gives the designer a chance to introduce the true characteristics of the character, or in this case, the world. Rather than appearing large and intricate, it gets the chance to actually feel large and intricate. This is an important distinction. Creating a world that is large is not the same as creating a world that feels large, and yet, one of these takes much more effort on the part of your artists and other talent.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmjae_5MUOfD20hZWP4vLcdKInrT2l3zohH472nxWpM9xK5842l3y7iAsRrv7xr66AwY0tdLjLzcmvQlx__jh9aLtFW2ZcRjRjlxxOisQOpW5qy0MMRBQw8e3yYrIB1JdvEQjQy6r3d4/s1600/TheLongestJourney01.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmjae_5MUOfD20hZWP4vLcdKInrT2l3zohH472nxWpM9xK5842l3y7iAsRrv7xr66AwY0tdLjLzcmvQlx__jh9aLtFW2ZcRjRjlxxOisQOpW5qy0MMRBQw8e3yYrIB1JdvEQjQy6r3d4/s320/TheLongestJourney01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707753829478728994" border="0" /></a>It is no secret that two of my favorite games are Ragnar Tørnquist’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000507UR/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0000507UR">The Longest Journey</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030EPOM2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0030EPOM2">Dreamfall</a>. In these games, Tørnquist presents a world, or set of worlds, technically, that are both massive and sprawling in terms of how they feel. These games, however, physically present a very small subset of the world. The Longest Journey, or TLJ, effectively took place in 9 areas: Newport, Marcuria, the Banda village, Roper Klacks’ castle, the Maerum village, the Alatian island, the space station, the Guardian’s Realm, and the area in which you start the game, which I won’t name to avoid spoilers. Each of these places had somewhere around 3-5 subsections, things such as the inside of a house or another part of a village, but ultimately, the entire game centered around these 9 places, which were not very large themselves (with maybe the exception of Newport, since travel was done via subway).<br /><br />Having such a limited selection of locales worked greatly to this game’s favor. The player spends the first several hours of the game becoming familiar with Newport, with its people, its culture, and the general lore of the world before you are suddenly shifted to the next area (pun totally intended). The amount of time the player spends in this area gives them time to bond with it, to feel like they have mastered its ins and outs, and to feel like it is a “home base” of sorts. Once ripped from it, the player experiences the exact bewildered and slightly curious feeling the designer intended. They have become familiar with the intricacies of “home,” but now there’s a new and potentially dangerous place to explore. If the game had been about exploring area after area all along, this transition would lose a large part of what makes it special.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQD_TXloinXg_BmNGxzcq4ceditSvWI3p0PHJnPWCoSYXqCWb0gGayxfT6M6_xw2omhDzhhqVj69UOE4lUzhRA2_tsyfdAKEcAlYPffezp_DEMa1lwDKWYK4N5l-6PsXrxuRGcbQiOKk/s1600/Bastion01.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQD_TXloinXg_BmNGxzcq4ceditSvWI3p0PHJnPWCoSYXqCWb0gGayxfT6M6_xw2omhDzhhqVj69UOE4lUzhRA2_tsyfdAKEcAlYPffezp_DEMa1lwDKWYK4N5l-6PsXrxuRGcbQiOKk/s320/Bastion01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707756126795226450" border="0" /></a>With few exceptions, the game continues in this manner, giving the player a chance to familiarize themselves deeply with each area before pulling them away, occasionally back to an area they’ve already seen. In the instances in which the player is returned to an area they’ve already seen, they are expected to have already become so familiar with the area that they can connect the plot points without a big “<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FpigqfcvlM#t=3m7s">Megaman Megaman, there’s a thing!</a>” explanation (warning -- language).<br /><br />By including the world as a character in the story, a designer embeds not just memories of the characters and events in the player's mind, but also memories of the experience. Done correctly, a player will look back on the game and think "I want more stories to take place here." By focusing on specific parts of the world while alluding to larger things, the designer is able to get the player to feel more like they are going on an adventure as they are shown more of the world little by little.<br /><br />On the other hand, creating a world that literally is immense is a risky proposition. It requires much, much more in the way of content to get a player to stay in one area long enough to come to appreciate it. Adventuring is much like eating cookies, an awesome snack in-between meals, but if all you find yourself doing is running from one place to the next, the adventure-cookies start to become much less awesome. Gorgeous vistas are great, but more so when you have a reason to appreciate them, rather than just running into them as you go from Town #631 to Town #765. I think you will find that even (good) games which literally have large, expansive worlds tend to focus on smaller sections, essentially marrying the concept of making the world feel large with making the world actually be large.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiobxMjMb9ZRzNkFtCQIwEVC5tR5Lnaz6FyNYun6O13qGU3K5y5pHJwMPAZBEeJZoSVA0TI7Grym89aeeAz82uRvqs-4sEilrv9WFCfd3Sd2AgV7FNTZL9sD6i2opQJZfcgZJEuRc-blpA/s1600/Bastion02.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiobxMjMb9ZRzNkFtCQIwEVC5tR5Lnaz6FyNYun6O13qGU3K5y5pHJwMPAZBEeJZoSVA0TI7Grym89aeeAz82uRvqs-4sEilrv9WFCfd3Sd2AgV7FNTZL9sD6i2opQJZfcgZJEuRc-blpA/s320/Bastion02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707757547736522098" border="0" /></a>Done improperly, a world that actually is large but is merely a placeholder for the content therein tends to feel empty, and much smaller than it actually is. I am sure we have all played games with huge areas between plot-points that are essentially nothing but the terrain-engine writer's desire to show off their work. The games themselves contain the same amount of content as a much smaller game, spread over a much larger area, and result in feeling like there is less to the world than if they had simply created a smaller world. I have seen many titles fall into this trap, and I have been guilty of it myself.<br /><br />In summation, your game world is going to exist, use it. If getting your player properly acquainted with your world and telling your 90hr epic tale is not going to fit in your budget and schedule for a single game, it is better that you condense everything into a well-crafted-but-smaller package than attempt to speed the player through your world so that they can experience all the content you want to show them. Just my two cents. Let me know what you think in the comments section.DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-54329826690168346362012-02-10T08:35:00.001-08:002012-02-10T08:40:03.137-08:00I'm Back!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlnLWCS4o6zaUvJE7-izUTxfuzJ1SkCt4shAF_Ayi4XlwuFbrO8n9gDPcpiGpK1JEtEmxbHQEyfw0qURFzTbb48by1VyoUd1UJBIe2vq1aqHDYF35JcmtR09RzIfdnVP6b1VST_Fxcv3Y/s1600/NintendoZone.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlnLWCS4o6zaUvJE7-izUTxfuzJ1SkCt4shAF_Ayi4XlwuFbrO8n9gDPcpiGpK1JEtEmxbHQEyfw0qURFzTbb48by1VyoUd1UJBIe2vq1aqHDYF35JcmtR09RzIfdnVP6b1VST_Fxcv3Y/s320/NintendoZone.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707547159638492626" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">Apparently "soon" is a relative term. The reason I have been gone so long is that I just finished up work on the recently released Nintendo Zone app included with the December 3DS update. I guess that gives away where the new job is! Things are going pretty well and life is beginning to settle down into a regular pattern, so I'm going to give this blogging thing another go. See you all tomorrow!</p>DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-4092296549537184332011-05-31T19:57:00.001-07:002011-05-31T20:34:27.013-07:00Taking Turns (Or Yes, It IS Your Job to Make Me Have Fun)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmRfCeCBBL89h_9F-UNX4n_K-gvqabCKlv6APatMDUodZzfcaO-foGnlu0vgMcHcfKum_tI_m1JZLfpTE4M9WBWSeqppatBYhehQ0ys67-x63jLIYk49j7527R-z8v1Bks3NPeqyl514/s1600/TakingTurns_Title.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmRfCeCBBL89h_9F-UNX4n_K-gvqabCKlv6APatMDUodZzfcaO-foGnlu0vgMcHcfKum_tI_m1JZLfpTE4M9WBWSeqppatBYhehQ0ys67-x63jLIYk49j7527R-z8v1Bks3NPeqyl514/s320/TakingTurns_Title.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613080163094894290" border="0" /></a>It's been far too long since my last post, though I can't say that life has been boring in the interim. First off, I'd like to thank <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/">Gamasutra</a> for featuring both of my previous posts, <a href="http://robwalkerdme.blogspot.com/2011/01/computer-science-vs-game-development-or.html">Computer Science Vs. Game Development</a> and <a href="http://robwalkerdme.blogspot.com/2011/02/cost-of-education-or-computer-science.html">The Cost of Education</a>, it's amazing that anyone cared about my random musings here, and I appreciated all of the conversation it spurred. With life being so hectic as of late, I decided to go with another rant piece this time, I'll get technical next time. With that said, let's get to it.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Recently, I had cause to take a week off from work and stay at home for a while. In the few minutes of free time I had here and there I decided to do some retro-gaming, playing a few old turn-based strategy games and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing_video_game">RPGs</a>. While playing, I came to a rather odd realization: I was actually enjoying the turn-based combat. Why is this odd? Isn't it normal to enjoy the games you play? Yes, it is, but this epiphany also made me realize that I have not been enjoying turn-based mechanics as they are so often implemented in newer games. In many recent titles (read JRPGs) that contain turn-based combat, I find myself mindlessly grinding through fight after fight, attempting only to get through it so I can get to the next <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacGuffin">Magic McGuffin</a> and continue the story. Yet, somehow, in these retro titles, I seem to enjoy the adventure, and combat is a bit more pleasurable to me. What is the difference between then and now? Well, not much, but it's the little things that make the big difference. For simplification of this topic, I'll discuss it in terms of the well known JRPG genre.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2lDcJOxPiMpECXBPmmN1ZulH1bR8bgKSTX-WHA6uZsYi7dilxJ8YtCT0bb2P8PQWo-E6JayTAAMmphKJYvRhhZ15jkF7oXp2PCM6uPYGeR5BqnpY571KgRYOfmafl3E8pbHtllPEsIE/s1600/TakingTurns_Dragon_Warrior.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2lDcJOxPiMpECXBPmmN1ZulH1bR8bgKSTX-WHA6uZsYi7dilxJ8YtCT0bb2P8PQWo-E6JayTAAMmphKJYvRhhZ15jkF7oXp2PCM6uPYGeR5BqnpY571KgRYOfmafl3E8pbHtllPEsIE/s320/TakingTurns_Dragon_Warrior.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613081082139032546" border="0" /></a>My first taste with turn-based combat systems came from a little title known as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002ST1YQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B0002ST1YQ">Dragon Quest</a>. I was probably about 6 or 7 years old, and a friend loaned me the game, espousing it to be something new and interesting. After the proper cartridge blowing ritual, I placed Dragon Quest (known then in America as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002ST1YQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B0002ST1YQ">Dragon Warrior</a>) into my NES and was greeted with the simplistic title screen with its famous fanfare intro music. After naming my hero and pressing start, I was greeted by a king, pleading for my help in restoring peace to his kingdom. "He even used my name in his request!" I thought. I ventured outside after collecting a few bits of treasure and began speaking to the townspeople. Wow, there were townspeople, and they had things to say! What kind of world was this I had entered? This was no platformer, SHMUP, or 2D brawler (as so many titles at that time were), and while the view was overhead similar to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004SVXW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B00004SVXW">Zelda</a> and many other NES titles at the time, I found there was no button I could press to make my hero swing a sword or otherwise attack anything. This game was something different.<br /><br />Upon venturing outside of the kingdom and taking my first couple of steps, BAM! "A slime draws near!" What do I do? Fight? Run? Cast a spell? Use an item? My child-gamer brain had no concept of fleeing from a battle, so the only obvious choice was to attack. Fight it was. "Rob attacks! The Slime's Hit Point have been reduced by 2," said the text scrolling across the screen, typo and all.<br /><br />"Hit points? What are those?" I thought to myself.<br /><br />"The Slime attacks! Thy Hit decreased by 1" the game responds before allowing me to input anything else.<br /><br />"Oh no! That HP thing in the corner went down! Ohhh, I get it, that stands for Hit Points. It's like my health bar, only it's numbers. Well, two can play at this game."<br /><br />"Rob attacks! The Slime's Hit Point have been reduced by 1. Thou hast done well in defeating the Slime. Thy Experience increases by 1. Thy GOLD increases by 1."<br /><br />"Heck yeah, I'm awesome. I dunno what experience is, but I got some money!"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhOUWPjA-zijsbVC2cv5Dug_aQSMSkxeiaP-W8tqBdSHU1_RfY1G7r_AAu5GVofVf7UkCDFhIT9W72nxjmAMaRDjC-JWBamgjAaGXjziJGwjwsmcOP_E6hU1eIxhicOz2WTzv_cdNGI0/s1600/TakingTurns_Dragon_Warrior_Slime.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhOUWPjA-zijsbVC2cv5Dug_aQSMSkxeiaP-W8tqBdSHU1_RfY1G7r_AAu5GVofVf7UkCDFhIT9W72nxjmAMaRDjC-JWBamgjAaGXjziJGwjwsmcOP_E6hU1eIxhicOz2WTzv_cdNGI0/s320/TakingTurns_Dragon_Warrior_Slime.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613081234022999378" border="0" /></a>In my mind, the battle between myself and the slime totally happened, sword in hand and all. This was some new breed of game, one in which towns had life, and battles, while not shown on screen, were in-depth and awesome (to my 7 year old brain). Apparently, the rest of the world thought so too, as this same system, very slightly altered since its introduction over 20 years ago, has been used in game after game after game. Sure, today it's hidden under fancy graphics and crazy sound effects, but this staple of the JRPG can be found everywhere.<br /><br />So, what has changed that makes this system so enjoyable in older titles, but makes me find it repulsive in new games? Put bluntly, games got easier. No, this is not the part where I go "back in my day we had to make it through the whole game without getting hit, with no continues or save points, uphill both ways!" I personally think making games easier and more accessible is often a good thing, but in this case, I have to say it has not done the genre well. Turn-based battle mechanics are essentially a virtual implementation of strategic counter-top game battle mechanics, derived from games such as Dungeons and Dragons, the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GS1B6M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B001GS1B6M">Warhammer</a> series, the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VI6CCI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B003VI6CCI">Magic: The Gathering</a> card games, or heck, even <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005Y402/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B00005Y402">Yu-Gi-Oh</a>. What makes these games interesting is the strategy needed to play them well. Not their depth or complexity, though those are a nice topping, but the strategy is the foundation of the entire system.<br /><br />Modern JRPGs have gained battle systems that are infinitely deeper and more complicated than those in times past. There are huge varieties of monsters, enough stats to make me feel like I should be tracking my progress in Excel, and so many varieties of spells and attacks that it takes forever just to try them all out. But for all of this added content, developers have decided that in the name of "accessibility" it was necessary to give me a Win Button. In other words, they have taken all of this new depth and complexity and told me: “Hey, if you’re not into this kind of thing, just press the attack button a few times and the battle will be over soon.” The problem with this is that it becomes the critical path through the game. Sure, I could go out of my way and explore all of the options and abilities and unique things the game has to offer to make the battles easier, but why? When the default option is so effective, why bother doing anything else?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPz-0Fzqq5tLc1zkh95zU9bwQkWYfn6U_V-sn-hZjiRk97OnES4N7HpLQM8U2PYnE1fBhGm1i9SoDx_TxS5VR8F-tKx1Ds5ehqM1qHCclHOwT1E7mW_Q6p4DWlRsuXbXGkTc8V4xtcXu4/s1600/TakingTurns_FFXIII_Battle01.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPz-0Fzqq5tLc1zkh95zU9bwQkWYfn6U_V-sn-hZjiRk97OnES4N7HpLQM8U2PYnE1fBhGm1i9SoDx_TxS5VR8F-tKx1Ds5ehqM1qHCclHOwT1E7mW_Q6p4DWlRsuXbXGkTc8V4xtcXu4/s320/TakingTurns_FFXIII_Battle01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613083772660193842" border="0" /></a>The most blatant example of this I have seen recently is in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FQ2DTA/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B000FQ2DTA">Final Fantasy XIII</a>’s battle system. Not only is it possible to get through the entire game with a simple sequence of attacks (do physical damage to stop the stagger bar from falling quickly, switch to magic to stagger quickly, switch back to physical for lots of damage and instant win), but the game has an “Auto-Battle” button, where it will select a mostly effective sequence of attacks for you. This causes battles to devolve into nothing more than continually pressing the Win Button and waiting for the battle to be over. Pro-tip: If a player is spending most of their time attempting to skip through your game, you’re doing it wrong. The existence of this Win Button actually causes this deep, thought out system to feel completely shallow and pointless, simply because there is no real reason for me to delve into the true mechanics of it. The game does not provide adequate incentive to explore further strategies. This failing is not limited solely to FFXIII, nor is it limited to only RPGs which provide an auto-battle mechanic, nor is it limited to the RPG genre itself. This failing is prevalent in all turn-based battle systems where there is a default path that will cause you to win in most cases. By giving the player a tool which works in most scenarios, you limit their desire to fully explore the depth of the system you have created for them. And while they would probably have fun if they explored your system a little further, most players won’t explore because there is no reason to.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUNjafXEvsHwD7ubV5RbCQSgleSXLnC-f2QA8BKjUZgzmqgwqjYbCHw2smagOd5wRSM2Rgdh2kHgej2R63sMH2zFXyd4N7BQYhuGOq9zHUocn6diMLbRQdCCc0IJJt6qkiQ5bChhWaxo/s1600/TakingTurns_BattleCosplay.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUNjafXEvsHwD7ubV5RbCQSgleSXLnC-f2QA8BKjUZgzmqgwqjYbCHw2smagOd5wRSM2Rgdh2kHgej2R63sMH2zFXyd4N7BQYhuGOq9zHUocn6diMLbRQdCCc0IJJt6qkiQ5bChhWaxo/s320/TakingTurns_BattleCosplay.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613083945326424338" border="0" /></a>I do not suggest throwing accessibility out the window and harkening back to the turn-based combat systems of old. No, gaming has evolved, and with good reason. I would, however, suggest taking a look at what those titles of old did right. Allow the player easy choices in the very beginning of the game, or, don't offer them any choices but the easy choices in the beginning. Give them the Win Button only long enough for them to learn the other important things about your game, then wean them from it quickly. By the time the player is a couple of hours into your game, the mindless alternative for combat should be completely gone. Repeatedly bashing the Win Button should work well as the player gets acclimated to your world, but this tactic should result in lost battles and dangerous situations should the player continue to use it as the game progresses. There is no fault in making your game harder as it progresses, even if this makes it less "accessible." You'd be surprised at how many players will try something more than once, if for no other reason than the fact that they managed to conquer earlier challenges (in this case with the help of the Win Button).<br /><br />In short, turn-based battles are a time-tested and very usable mechanic. So long as you don’t provide your player with any one particular dominant strategy, the battles can remain fresh and interesting, requiring thought and participation. But the second you introduce an easily usable dominant strategy into a system built on planning and problem solving, you negate the entire experience. It becomes no longer fun. To my fellow developers out there, I encourage you to take heed when trying to make these kinds of systems “accessible,” and remember where they came from and what makes them fun. Till next time, drop a comment or two in the comments section, let me know what you think.DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-25155193354864014422011-02-22T06:07:00.000-08:002011-02-22T06:34:59.872-08:00Random (AKA Mega Ran) - Black Materia: Final Fantasy VII<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JYMJC0?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004JYMJC0"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Y09-EdKKxFVurZu2ip90cu-R5qlDsaYjY73rbZEZwbYBzVMg2JL1uf-qUZSzGW1jws2VC1X2-bnnLFvP3OJF4ABWLSgjTvCyRNTvFoKZ2t-2mBgoJuYyXdgC0Ilr-5-icDnNkeW8VO8/s320/BlackMateria_Title.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576515510850101746" border="0" /></a><a href="http://megaran.com/">Mega Ran</a> does it again! Best known for his previous work in bringing the story of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LRQ91A?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001LRQ91A">Mega Man 9</a> to us in Rap / Hip-Hop form, Random has turned his attention to a childhood favorite of mine, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000JRSB?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00000JRSB">Final Fantasy VII</a>. Having just finished listening through it, I had to do a post about it. I can't recommend this album enough. Most of the tracks are very well done, particularly "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JYOWCK?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004JYOWCK">Mako Reactor</a>," "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JYOXHE?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004JYOXHE">Cry of the Planet</a>," and "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JYQVBU?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004JYQVBU">One Winged Angel</a>." If you are a fan of the Final Fantasy series, remixed video game music, or just hip hop in general, support these guys and pick up their album <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JYMJC0?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004JYMJC0">Here</a>.<br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.reddit.com/static/button/button1.js"></script>DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-72250110253853686582011-02-12T07:22:00.000-08:002011-02-12T10:44:10.731-08:00The Cost of Education (or Computer Science vs Game Development Part II)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOPmsGgazqEt-wFbzw0beEAN17fn0I2qYqPYY9A-VyURzATvgkfHPjSjN537tjFb0yzMcFDc6VHSwwfwnKEq8rZYxoU5TFIpW3F_i8sP2HZ1vaLIvw_vEjVrtfhIa-kmHH1sl9BOh0a8/s1600/GDCS2_Title.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOPmsGgazqEt-wFbzw0beEAN17fn0I2qYqPYY9A-VyURzATvgkfHPjSjN537tjFb0yzMcFDc6VHSwwfwnKEq8rZYxoU5TFIpW3F_i8sP2HZ1vaLIvw_vEjVrtfhIa-kmHH1sl9BOh0a8/s320/GDCS2_Title.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572825426109160066" border="0" /></a>I was going to write a tech post this week, really I was, but I got some interesting responses to <a href="http://robwalkerdme.blogspot.com/2011/01/computer-science-vs-game-development-or.html">my last post</a>, so let's continue with that for a moment. Like last time, this is a long post. If you don't want to read it all, skip to the bottom to get to the conclusion and summary.<br /><br />Last time I wrote about how to determine whether you should pursue a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1568814135?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1568814135">Game Development</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=robewalksoftd-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1568814135" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> degree or a degree in Computer Science or some other field, and I got some interesting feedback (though not in the comments section, put comments there, please!). One comment in particular is that I did not factor in the cost of a school vs. the degree you will be obtaining. This is a very important aspect of choosing not only which degree to pursue, but where to obtain said degree. Alright, cost of education vs. the opportunity the education brings, let's break it down.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyZB2L-oX2mlFhcPQ1WIZmjVIA6jRbilk1eyjLY7wfor1FjZhaKJm6Qc_JiuZFf_-nWKpYX9tgQhhCIMXPzPru0uhAftMAB4GmsJHHaLtihqZ6a0F4XFjkacMZCGzBo6Mux_G8UMdmL4/s1600/GDCS2_Debt.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyZB2L-oX2mlFhcPQ1WIZmjVIA6jRbilk1eyjLY7wfor1FjZhaKJm6Qc_JiuZFf_-nWKpYX9tgQhhCIMXPzPru0uhAftMAB4GmsJHHaLtihqZ6a0F4XFjkacMZCGzBo6Mux_G8UMdmL4/s320/GDCS2_Debt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572826976216684530" border="0" /></a>As is often mentioned by personal finance guru <a href="http://www.daveramsey.com/radio/home/#listenlive-tab">Dave Ramsey</a>, a college education is one of the largest things we will ever purchase and yet one of the things we shop around the least for. We become dead set on going to that dream school regardless of the cost, because we think that getting a degree from <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> school will open so many more doors and that the high price means that the education we get will totally make up for the cost. This is completely, utterly, and totally incorrect. College is an investment in yourself, that much is true, but your return on investment is not so much dependent on which college you went to as it is on how willing you are to do whatever work it takes to make yourself successful. The amount of work you will need to do to break even on your college investment, however, is a direct function of how much debt you go into for your education and how much you can realistically expect to make when you leave college.<br /><br />As a side note: If you have the money to pay cash for whatever school you want to attend, you can pretty much skip this post. There are probably better ways to spend your money than going to the most prestigious big name college for your field, but if you can pay cash for it, do whatever you want. I won't fault you for it at all. For the rest of us, pay close attention here. There exist a few companies that actually care what school you went to, but for the greater majority of companies, no one cares where your degree came from. The average job posting for a programming position requests "A degree in Computer Science or equivalent," not "A degree in Computer Science from Harvard or Yale or we're going to pass you up for the guy who has the degree from Harvard." That's simply just not how it works, but it's what we've been taught to believe. That whole myth of "all other things being equal, a company will choose the person who has the degree from the 'better' school." The problem with that myth is that "all other things" are very rarely equal.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBUjXhlEEDHQz5AkG_Tjx1uCghJvDV8r5k68PNTbX3StGU6wc8_5VIeFXc8TxlQcvW3cjwrpfz4J8GVaUhy4TdCf2jJsZ2R8JUDFY5yzQFyohRb56SvPRttPP7sZIn1hR7uNo_W3lWCo/s1600/GDCS2_Interview.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBUjXhlEEDHQz5AkG_Tjx1uCghJvDV8r5k68PNTbX3StGU6wc8_5VIeFXc8TxlQcvW3cjwrpfz4J8GVaUhy4TdCf2jJsZ2R8JUDFY5yzQFyohRb56SvPRttPP7sZIn1hR7uNo_W3lWCo/s320/GDCS2_Interview.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572828164052327618" border="0" /></a>I have been in the position of interviewing people for positions several times throughout my career at a few different companies. It generally goes something like this: The HR department weeds out people who have no degree at all and sends me the resumes of people who have degrees in some computer related field. These resumes then end up on my desk where I toss out the ones that have horrible grammar and spelling. I do a cursory glance to see what their degree was in so that I can come up with a few specific interview questions for them if I like the rest of their resume, then I look at their experience , their website, and any code samples they may have given. The thing to note here is that what got them through the door to my eyes was that they had a degree at all, not that they had a Computer Science degree and not that it was from Georgia Tech or some other fancy school. The thing that will get them past my desk and into an interview is either an impressive list of past experience, or a nice website with interesting projects listed. Preferably both.<br /><br />When I was interviewed for my current position, a position as a Software Developer for a non-gaming company, my degree in Video Game Development was the topic of conversation for all of about 30 seconds. The position called for a degree in "Computer Science or equivalent," they asked how Game Development compared to Computer Science, I explained the things I had learned, and we moved on. I say all of this to make the point that where you go to school is not nearly as important as <a href="http://www.chadpluspl.us/?p=110">what you learn while you are there</a>. More expensive schools do not necessarily teach you more. Most of the knowledge I have I gained outside of the classroom. Wherever you choose to go to school, you should plan on doing lots of outside study and using the time you have in college to its fullest to learn as much as you can and make yourself as impressive as you possibly can within your chosen industry.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_eD-X5ztvADF-jmX_ROJQScpiFntngyjDRF8Gqx-7j1KpLYx0FmjybCNvjWtTajxWJaHAxqPYuCH6JznU9pZ3WmpnpGfNzSTvurnjfbossNcLzm9o7WhsG5Ry_aCbD_gNNOEORg2FpCc/s1600/GDCS2_Walk.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_eD-X5ztvADF-jmX_ROJQScpiFntngyjDRF8Gqx-7j1KpLYx0FmjybCNvjWtTajxWJaHAxqPYuCH6JznU9pZ3WmpnpGfNzSTvurnjfbossNcLzm9o7WhsG5Ry_aCbD_gNNOEORg2FpCc/s320/GDCS2_Walk.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572829545212119730" border="0" /></a>That said, <span style="font-weight: bold;">shop around for college!</span> Yes, going to a school like <a href="http://www.fullsail.edu/">Full Sail</a> or <a href="https://www.digipen.edu/">DigiPen</a> may be your dream, but truth be told, those schools are <span style="font-style: italic;">expensive</span>. Unless you can pay cash, or you are willing to sacrifice a few years of your life after college repaying your student loans (or you don't mind having a $600/mo loan payment over your head for 30 years), go somewhere else. That's right, I just told you not to go to my <a href="http://www.fullsail.edu/degrees/game-development-bachelors">alma mater</a>, because if you can't afford it, what you will gain does not justify the cost. This goes for degrees in Computer Science or anything else for that matter. If you can't pay cash for your education and you don't want to lose a few years of your life paying back loans, either choose a cheaper school or stop and work for a while to save up the cash to go to your school of choice. You will thank yourself for it later. Rarely does life go perfectly as planned, and I know many people who have ended up in very stressful positions due to hiccups in life compounded with student loans. Don't forget, student loans are not bankrupt-able and will follow you to the grave, stealing money directly from your paycheck if you do not pay them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Conclusion / Summary:</span><br />Anyhow, this is getting long. Moral of the story: the price of the college you attend should be a major factor in choosing where you go to study. If this means you need to go to a local university and major in Computer Science rather than Game Development, that is okay. As I said before, the industry is much more about what you know and who you know than what degree you hold. That is part of what makes the computer industry so great. An impressive portfolio will trump a degree from a prestigious school any day. Just my two cents. As usual, leave a comment or two in the comment section if you like this or have anything to add to the discussion.<br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.reddit.com/static/button/button1.js"></script>DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-38028246431986814872011-01-29T07:37:00.001-08:002011-02-12T09:28:16.010-08:00Computer Science Vs. Game Development (or Which Degree Should I Get?)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4JsNixYYQ9KPXuB5a9ejJvjf1OZuPtDot1rPxVmG-R4daiKhWgKBT-dGXJcuyT6v_SfMJoWAh8e19oTMDZV5X8W_SP-pgzP6ND6nZolGs3DJ4_jO2Jaqot6A6NZzwYVxvJTElGM6r-q4/s1600/GameDegree_01.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4JsNixYYQ9KPXuB5a9ejJvjf1OZuPtDot1rPxVmG-R4daiKhWgKBT-dGXJcuyT6v_SfMJoWAh8e19oTMDZV5X8W_SP-pgzP6ND6nZolGs3DJ4_jO2Jaqot6A6NZzwYVxvJTElGM6r-q4/s320/GameDegree_01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567634322375151090" border="0" /></a>Note: This is long, if you don't want to read it, skip to the bottom to get to the conclusion and summary.<br /><br />Weekly blog post #4, go! This one has been on my todo pile for a while, so as long as I am in ranting mode, I might as well get this off of my chest. It is a problem that is highly prevalent on many game developer forums, and especially so on one I often frequent, <a href="http://www.gamedev.net/">GameDev.net</a>. Often, people will ask the question: "What should I do about college, <a href="http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson25.html">is a game degree right for me?</a>" Unfortunately, 9 times out of 10, the response is "get the 4 year degree in computer science, it makes you more marketable for non-gaming related jobs!" This answer comes almost as an automated response, as if the world has an away message posted just for this question.<br /><br />As a disclaimer, please note that everything I am going to say and, for that matter, everything on this blog is my personal opinion. I am asserting that I am correct because it’s my blog and my opinion, but that does not mean that you have to agree with me. I will also preface this by stating that I have been to both a <a href="http://www.gatech.edu/">prestigious 4 year college</a> and obtained a degree in Game Development from <a href="http://www.fullsail.edu/">Full Sail</a>, so I have experience with both sides of this argument. I have also worked several jobs, both in and out of the game development industry, so I can talk about the process of interviewing with non-gaming companies when you have a Game Development degree.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGZJ_WAnCG7bwfI0utPvVpIHyVtv3VGIiSqjsSSGHFXwfeDmQUPgGf2A7FS0xVbg4097RQ3tgOvsqurTYiW6DfKntPvlsRU7ND4qHHcA68jfO-J2gFmVQhnRObvem9N8EqnMgIHrCNxM/s1600/GameDegree_03.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGZJ_WAnCG7bwfI0utPvVpIHyVtv3VGIiSqjsSSGHFXwfeDmQUPgGf2A7FS0xVbg4097RQ3tgOvsqurTYiW6DfKntPvlsRU7ND4qHHcA68jfO-J2gFmVQhnRObvem9N8EqnMgIHrCNxM/s320/GameDegree_03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567645914293685122" border="0" /></a>I'd like first to clarify a common misconception about game development degrees. The misconception is that game development = game design, and that game design = sprawling out some concept art, a story, a few stats, and having other people make your games. Or worse, some people believe that game development goes <a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7675519043804402267#">something like this</a>. The position of "Idea Guy" does not exist unless you are funding the project or you are a proven developer with several successful titles under your belt. Even then, unless you are an indie or a huge name designer in the sphere of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shigeru_Miyamoto">Miyamoto</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hideo_Kojima">Kojima</a>, chances are you will not have full reign over the project you are designing, and that your personal game ideas will sit on the shelf, untouched until you either get enough money to fund your own project, or you learn to program and take up the reigns of creation yourself.<br /><br />I don't say this to destroy anyone's hopes of being a game designer. There are more opportunities now than ever to design your own games, but they all require having a skill and being very good at that skill. So if what you are looking to do is go to school for "game design," I recommend you rethink your focus and go to school to obtain a skill that will let you -develop- games. You can specialize in programming, art, animation, sound engineering, or any array of things that float your boat, but you must have something to bring to the table or you will never even start down the path of realizing your goals and getting your dream game made.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoNPEYLep1wO_WAQjKfHo7sp-RxvICSgziGmyihV-lU06QqSVd9arrw0nxakhDFxuoKIIXZ8l5YScGn0hjA8Ef_r_FcO74VQkY8T31KTy5rcPZsUlSM_sDlmMz_YjLTfy4tUSJhCLk8k/s1600/GameDegree_02.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoNPEYLep1wO_WAQjKfHo7sp-RxvICSgziGmyihV-lU06QqSVd9arrw0nxakhDFxuoKIIXZ8l5YScGn0hjA8Ef_r_FcO74VQkY8T31KTy5rcPZsUlSM_sDlmMz_YjLTfy4tUSJhCLk8k/s320/GameDegree_02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567646052041072370" border="0" /></a>So, what does all that have to do with the debate of Computer Science Degrees vs. Game Development Degrees? Mainly, I wanted to clarify the difference between "Development" and "Design." With a Game Development degree at any school worth its salt, you will be tasked with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1568814135?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1568814135">learning a good deal of programming</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=robewalksoftd-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1568814135" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />, as well as many other of the technical aspects of game development. Sure, there is a little design to be had, but most good game design school focus on teaching you usable skills to bring a project from start to finish, giving you hands on experience and letting you get your hands dirty. With a Computer Science degree at most schools you will be given a battery of classes, ranging from various forms of literature to health to math to lots of computing theory. A Computer Science degree will expose you to an array of topics you may not have otherwise even thought about, though lack of specialization will leave you needing to focus heavily on doing things outside of class in order to have a greater usable skill set immediately out of college. I recommend doing things outside of class regardless of which degree you decide to obtain, so this is nothing different.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The major benefit of a Computer Science degree is -not- that it makes you more marketable to companies when it comes to getting a job.</span> The benefit is just what I mentioned before: you get exposed to things you may not have otherwise thought about. If you are not quite certain which area of game development you might be interested in, going to a normal 4-year college and pursuing a Computer Science degree is a good way to start. Chances are that by the time you're done you may not even come out with a Computer Science degree, you may have decided that instead you like doing art more, or you may have decided that you enjoyed that one class you took in Japanese and went on to get a degree in International Business. The process of obtaining a Computer Science degree gives you the latitude to better decide what you really want to do.<br /><br />And it is exactly on that point that I differentiate the two degrees, <span style="font-style: italic;">deciding what you want to do</span>. If you know that you want to make games, that it's your one passion in life and you really don't want to do anything else, then go for the Game Development degree. You will come out with less knowledge of general things (which can honestly be picked up by reading a few books outside of class anyway), but you will come out with much more skill directly applicable to making your dreams into reality. You will also gain a hidden advantage: connections within the industry. When you are at a traditional school obtaining a Computer Science degree, you are surrounded by various types of students who all have aspirations to different careers, from making banking software to designing rockets. But when you are at a school learning game development you are surrounded by people like you, people who want to develop games for a living, who are seeking to enter your industry. A good portion of these people will succeed in getting into the industry at various companies. Some of these people will quickly rise through the ranks into positions of power at your favorite development houses. How much easier do you think it might be to get in at <a href="http://www.bungie.net/">Bungie</a> when you spent several years in school with the lead programmer? How much easier might it be to get your resume seen at <a href="http://www.valvesoftware.com/">Valve</a> when you've done level design with someone who is already working there? Most companies hire people first by asking around internally to see if anyone knows anyone who could fill a role. During your years obtaining a Game Development degree, as you interact with your peers you are basically putting in your bid for these positions way in advance.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQkhSVrJWanVuBL2CEg2uyhxGjnG0xA_BVMHNDgfazwNq4O_YQEH7oHWQNyB32-7ie_zudlxOeKihpuOE86KyDUEOFKtT0DQTVCUjvbHDABhwWFcpeJvmTnUcqNLt4Vp-t18E-6xXvenE/s1600/GameDegree_04.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQkhSVrJWanVuBL2CEg2uyhxGjnG0xA_BVMHNDgfazwNq4O_YQEH7oHWQNyB32-7ie_zudlxOeKihpuOE86KyDUEOFKtT0DQTVCUjvbHDABhwWFcpeJvmTnUcqNLt4Vp-t18E-6xXvenE/s320/GameDegree_04.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567647344859503202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Conclusion / Summary:</span><br />Do what you want to do. If you want to develop games, pursue your passion. There's no reason to go get a degree in psychology if you want to be a texture artist. There's no reason to go get a general degree in Computer Science when what you want to do is game programming. The biggest rationalization for Computer Science over Game Development is fear of commitment and fear of failure. If you want to be a game developer, go get the game development degree. Period. If you want to be a computer animator, go get the Computer Animation degree. Period. If you are not sure what you want to do in life, go get the Computer Science degree, not because it makes you more marketable, but because it leaves you with time and experience to figure out what it is you want to do, and that will make you more marketable.<br /><br />Anyhow, this has been a pretty long post and I could go on for days about it. Maybe if anyone has further questions or there's enough interest I will continue this conversation. Till then, I will see you next post! As always, leave a comment or two, let me know what you think.<br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.reddit.com/static/button/button1.js"></script>DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-82936121540179046692011-01-21T04:14:00.000-08:002011-01-21T04:24:16.273-08:00FFXIII-2. Squeenix, why?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvi0OUG7tqNCx3xqdmiyKx272NXcDwUXuWgTi8iBVgFx1zO4Tli7__7eu3_JV3QUdvzk84pR6ZoSJS2jszntXOZqAgLDDrNTT-XnVij_jtMHVbFc37kIAZB7R-siD5HBkRjgy2xVCCwP8/s1600/FFXIII-2.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvi0OUG7tqNCx3xqdmiyKx272NXcDwUXuWgTi8iBVgFx1zO4Tli7__7eu3_JV3QUdvzk84pR6ZoSJS2jszntXOZqAgLDDrNTT-XnVij_jtMHVbFc37kIAZB7R-siD5HBkRjgy2xVCCwP8/s320/FFXIII-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564613671446779890" border="0" /></a><br />You know what, I'm not even going to say it. I'll let the folks over at Elder-Geek <a href="http://elder-geek.com/2011/01/square-enix-must-be-stopped/">say it for me</a>.DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-58096026388080731832011-01-16T07:21:00.000-08:002011-02-12T09:30:18.877-08:00Clothing in Games - Part 2 (or, Maintaining Immersion in Your World)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEWRYyAXhqDPtWQ9ipNcEXO1fXAZQc1t_7E1P1xhk2H8orV67t9ys1O9-uOTcP2zm4ec_Q5mOJBLUgc5GOZDpUgdGKzsBOLvwKVB6bbBqvjDAXccfnouEtmhBMYhlUMAaC3YScyNfLDM/s1600/metal-gear-solid-4-coming-20041110055234468.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEWRYyAXhqDPtWQ9ipNcEXO1fXAZQc1t_7E1P1xhk2H8orV67t9ys1O9-uOTcP2zm4ec_Q5mOJBLUgc5GOZDpUgdGKzsBOLvwKVB6bbBqvjDAXccfnouEtmhBMYhlUMAaC3YScyNfLDM/s320/metal-gear-solid-4-coming-20041110055234468.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562804452842310978" border="0" /></a><br />Last time, we took a look at a few jarring examples of <a href="http://robwalkerdme.blogspot.com/2011/01/clothing-in-games-part-1.html">clothing in gaming gone wrong</a>. Examples in which the characters presented are dressed in a manner that is totally ridiculous for the situation and world which we are supposed to believe they inhabit. This time, I intended to talk about the flip-side of the coin, being games that use clothing to good effect, but it's not just the clothing that makes the game, there is a much greater issue to be had. Let's discuss.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The proper use of clothing, props, and other visuals in a story does not necessarily cause the player to become more immersed in the world presented, nor does it make a game better in and of itself. What it does do, however, is provide a sensible basis for the world on which the story can build. That's a bit of a mouthful, but what I am getting at is that in keeping most things in your game constrained to the theme of your world, you become free to do ridiculous things here and there without breaking the sense of believability. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hideo_Kojima">Hideo Kojima</a> and his team do this very well with the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001383L36?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001383L36">Metal Gear series</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=robewalksoftd-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001383L36" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />.<br /><br />The world of Metal Gear is based on the real world, so from this they have a very strict definition of what is "realistic" within the realm of their game, and they do well to stick to it... most of the time. And it is that "most of the time" that makes the ridiculous events in the game actually seem feasible. In the world of Metal Gear, you follow the story of Snake, a member of a special ops group known as Fox Hound. Throughout his journey, he meets with several people who are believably in various military factions, following orders from a chain of command, being equipped for battle, and generally acting like one would believe members of a high-pressure high-secrecy military group might act. Again, the game is based in the real world, so the weapons and gear you obtain have no basis in magic, they are generally real-world things that one might expect real world soldiers to carry. Even the history of the game is based on real world history.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvM-XSrX5YKRS2sSBNX5XLooM5hrbX9Hern0Rx6hY3ABxE09QRAokhmfvuERH6nTbgbpn7DI38meeBwyBnDd7eUTHESOW0PiCa2fD9WqkXXQKy5Yuu-jnZeKwoG8nfklPpWZQCDdb454/s1600/MGS_Vamp.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvM-XSrX5YKRS2sSBNX5XLooM5hrbX9Hern0Rx6hY3ABxE09QRAokhmfvuERH6nTbgbpn7DI38meeBwyBnDd7eUTHESOW0PiCa2fD9WqkXXQKy5Yuu-jnZeKwoG8nfklPpWZQCDdb454/s320/MGS_Vamp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562816120867964226" border="0" /></a>But just as we're getting used to the fact that everything is based on real-life technology and situations, the game throws us small curve-balls here and there. For example, in MGS2, we encounter Vamp, a seemingly immortal opponent who is believed to be some sort of Vampire. But as the game is so steeped in reality, we as players cannot accept him being a vampire, and neither can the characters in game. He remains over-the-top, yet gains an air of mystery rather than breaking our immersion. If every enemy we'd faced up to that point in the game were also over-the-top, we would have totally dismissed this character as just another crazy enemy in this crazy world, and have lost the chance to become more involved in the world of Metal Gear.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD54MTlbedINORLKFzqfcedzWynm2fHjD1D5qCHkOQHmqYutixZD0vuz7gVqlPaB8KKbw0MUcLr0-a6QXhSAXWRih4FYHWOvP87tztS8jsffUUYuXqvzXID5HvAGw6Mhlk2FiEW2o4j3E/s1600/MJ_Intro.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD54MTlbedINORLKFzqfcedzWynm2fHjD1D5qCHkOQHmqYutixZD0vuz7gVqlPaB8KKbw0MUcLr0-a6QXhSAXWRih4FYHWOvP87tztS8jsffUUYuXqvzXID5HvAGw6Mhlk2FiEW2o4j3E/s320/MJ_Intro.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562805056357149954" border="0" /></a>Let's take a look at this principle in a very different area of entertainment, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030A0ZD4?ie=UTF8&tag=robewalksoftd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0030A0ZD4">Michael Jackson's Moonwalker</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=robewalksoftd-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0030A0ZD4" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />. Or more specifically, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxonh6Z0NAw">the music video for his song Smooth Criminal</a>. The same principle for "realism" and immersion applies in any story being told, not just in video games. In the world of dancing 30's mobsters Michael Jackson portrays in this music video, the world is quickly set up as one in which we see that everyone in this night club can get down, and dancing is the main method of movement for everyone in the world.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhCnhshWsab1fIS4v1fvo-Wkf0Zz8Pt8m_kNehE0jmXHeEcxWdnRQyAnlKrHom1daG5Oa6w575GLr24Pj7MwC5mAwHO1fxqQYePCKciwz_SplMigXpvS7l6EDPw90e3BwWlOGwss7VaQ/s1600/MJ_CueBall.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhCnhshWsab1fIS4v1fvo-Wkf0Zz8Pt8m_kNehE0jmXHeEcxWdnRQyAnlKrHom1daG5Oa6w575GLr24Pj7MwC5mAwHO1fxqQYePCKciwz_SplMigXpvS7l6EDPw90e3BwWlOGwss7VaQ/s320/MJ_CueBall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562805293778319106" border="0" /></a>For the most part, MJ takes care to show off only his dancing skills, with a bit of aversion to special effects. It's impressive, but not because of tricky camera work and post processing. It's impressive just because the man is skilled. But he doesn't completely avoid special effects. Like I said, grounding your story in what is real for your world doesn't increase immersion on its own, but it sets you up to be able to bend the rules of your world without removing your player, or in this case, viewer, from your world. Seen in the picture here, MJ grabs a cue ball and smashes it into dust with one hand. This is ridiculous, but he doesn't focus on it and the scene quickly moves on. The viewer goes "wow, he's strong" and keeps on watching.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Df3O-hq1gVeQUGIZYLCvd2wwy7F6ixFrRUB-C1jMJvjGgV7btf6MupVNXa0t-4JKHrFTd2uSTfMHkDbMAfI78T9tlTfMBVS41h6985gWseYTDoI8HfwsKIOlEeN9JYfYuA5Mc0Mpj6c/s1600/MJ_Lean.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Df3O-hq1gVeQUGIZYLCvd2wwy7F6ixFrRUB-C1jMJvjGgV7btf6MupVNXa0t-4JKHrFTd2uSTfMHkDbMAfI78T9tlTfMBVS41h6985gWseYTDoI8HfwsKIOlEeN9JYfYuA5Mc0Mpj6c/s320/MJ_Lean.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562805573063864866" border="0" /></a>So the video continues, mostly grounded in reality for the world of dancing mobsters with a few special effects here and there, until we get to the point that this video is most famous for. The Lean. If you are old enough to remember this music video, chances are you have probably attempted this dance move at some point in your life. Pretty much every dance move MJ has done in the video to this point has been realistically possible. Difficult, sure, but he did it and it was humanly feasible. So when suddenly he and a bunch of other people decide they feel like being at a 45 degree angle, the whole world goes "Whoa, how did he do that?" We are slightly skeptical of its possibility, but we think "everything else has been real... maybe it is actually possible to do that?"<br /><br />And that's the point. Everything else has been "real," so our willingness to believe something that is ridiculous is increased. All of the stuff up to that point didn't so much serve to increase your immersion in the world as it did to simply keep you from becoming no longer immersed. There's nothing particular interesting about things that blend in with the rest of the world, but they don't take you out of it either. Then, when a curveball like being able to lean to an extreme angle is thrown, it doesn't make you go "that was ridiculous! Who even does that!?"<br /><br />I guess what I'm trying to say is: Game developers, when you are writing your story and populating your world, please try to mitigate how much of it is ridiculous. There's power in modesty. Simplicity doesn't engage people off the bat, but it allows them to be sucked in and tricked into believing all kinds of crazy things are possible. So next time you want to make every character and enemy in your game ridiculous, stop and think of what kind of impact you are having on your world and the player's experience. As developers, we're already immersed in our game worlds, because they are our game worlds, but others need a bit of help getting there. Don't be afraid to tone it down in general so that you can ratchet up the craziness here and there. Anyhow, that's my two cents. Leave me a comment or two below.<br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.reddit.com/static/button/button1.js"></script>DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-18875796134300853732011-01-08T17:39:00.000-08:002011-02-12T09:30:42.102-08:00Clothing in Games - Part 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYeOwScpbR81Xyn3KWDzB3SK6hFi7QkphL18P5V91XDVYSA_H6ff_QRM3jYH5OFrTZILMQAB5VOYnamHXap6MiP37qNNhnAJuRtisolozpNq21Pl0XrtFVHGLW-sY-8BJXCoz2Ih3UgFo/s1600/ZoeTitle.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYeOwScpbR81Xyn3KWDzB3SK6hFi7QkphL18P5V91XDVYSA_H6ff_QRM3jYH5OFrTZILMQAB5VOYnamHXap6MiP37qNNhnAJuRtisolozpNq21Pl0XrtFVHGLW-sY-8BJXCoz2Ih3UgFo/s320/ZoeTitle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559991759981049346" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />It's 2011! As many of you may have noticed, things have been extremely quiet around these parts for almost half a year now. I have been extremely busy helping to finish up a project for a game studio located out in Illinois, as well as adjusting to life with a new addition to the family. That's right, I'm a daddy now! Things have finally calmed down a bit, so I can start making regular updates. Let's get right into it then, shall we?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8MPMMXy18EhOyE58cBQb67fsUhdi4Fj4yOYSZGlVqckjLcyZhjztVguuLg6fcM0FqEEnU3IidgJHsQmd2z6MCr34yBd8k3r4UYy9XU3V-0NvKJCPFalL6Ouxtn5-d-2CenReHjMcr38/s1600/GoldenAxeCover.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8MPMMXy18EhOyE58cBQb67fsUhdi4Fj4yOYSZGlVqckjLcyZhjztVguuLg6fcM0FqEEnU3IidgJHsQmd2z6MCr34yBd8k3r4UYy9XU3V-0NvKJCPFalL6Ouxtn5-d-2CenReHjMcr38/s320/GoldenAxeCover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559992039479980370" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I want to take this update and do something a little different than my usual tech update, I'm going to take this time to rant on a topic that has been bothering me for quite some time in the gaming industry: Clothing. The topic of hyper-sexualization in video games has been discussed almost to death. We've all heard the arguments of Laura Croft (Tomb Raider) and her seeming counterpart in this argument, Alex Vance (Half-Life 2), and that's all well and good, but that's not quite the angle I'm talking about here. What I am talking about is the realistic use of clothing for whatever flavor of "realistic" the game in question may represent. If your game is about barbarians fighting in some medieval fantasy universe, then chainmail bikinis and hulking male leads are completely okay within the context of your universe. No, what irks me and ruins my immersion in a game is when a character's clothing is completely ridiculous even within the context of the world provided.<br /><br />This is seen far more often with female characters, especially in the MMO space, than it is with male characters. I was browsing <a href="http://www.gameartisans.org/forums/index.php">http://www.gameartisans.org/</a> the other day and ran into some <a href="http://www.gameartisans.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3343">art by Mr. David Rapoza</a> (<a href="http://daverapoza.blogspot.com/">http://daverapoza.blogspot.com/</a>) that got me thinking about this whole topic. Lets take a look.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LTXjlJRiBfeXE_8sUwtAR8K3B9qG5ot5ATYJPgdApG5AuDCOJIB59D29zl2jEZFR5HJnW8umlTtw7Z9tWFtuz-g_tXquywzCvl1TxmViOD7x4htY9vE5OjK96UsHELuC12lHFnA0dJk/s1600/RuneMageMale.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LTXjlJRiBfeXE_8sUwtAR8K3B9qG5ot5ATYJPgdApG5AuDCOJIB59D29zl2jEZFR5HJnW8umlTtw7Z9tWFtuz-g_tXquywzCvl1TxmViOD7x4htY9vE5OjK96UsHELuC12lHFnA0dJk/s320/RuneMageMale.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559993151404805666" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Here we have your standard MMO-flavored male magician of some sort. They come in many varieties, but in general, a male magician in an MMO will have light clothing and be equipped with an item or two to aid them in battle, as one might expect from a magician. This style of clothing would fit in nicely with whatever fantasy world this magician happens to be part of. Pants, boots, gauntlets, and I'm sure he'd dawn a cape should the need arise to travel long distance or through harsh climates. All terrain mage, ready for battle.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd6aYnC-QiAyCRzfgKditnZIpSMmuN8IZgsPoQJj9NaT9nkJ3XHu3jmPGzBn3sYLsNq-uPLWMcNlqfiII8nLrPjNhIZucSrs3Om8qtJLP4TJ5iCGe2b2nEeBsD5cqXKhbVNH4dOUkxDmw/s1600/RuneMageFemale.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 187px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd6aYnC-QiAyCRzfgKditnZIpSMmuN8IZgsPoQJj9NaT9nkJ3XHu3jmPGzBn3sYLsNq-uPLWMcNlqfiII8nLrPjNhIZucSrs3Om8qtJLP4TJ5iCGe2b2nEeBsD5cqXKhbVNH4dOUkxDmw/s320/RuneMageFemale.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559993746113331922" border="0" /></a><br />In the other corner, we have your standard MMO-flavored female magician. While her clothing may be loosely similar in design to that of the male magician if you are considering only style and material (what little material there is), one could hardly say that this is any kind of way to go into battle. While it may be nice for guys to look at, it totally does not fit into the game world, unless we are playing a game where all female mages also double as ladies of the night. By looking at the male magician, we know that this world is not lacking in cloth material with which to cover oneself, so what's the deal here? Does the Mage Guild have a dress-code requiring all female mages to dress in as little clothing as possible? Is someone playing a prank on her, having stolen the rest of her outfit?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmj4XlMJ4nbtBdb0N6n-OdNQwnDQ37TVRcQec8-DSNg9oBKe-20U7MQytUzvPhyzFMI7hG2qFxU_omG1ip5X-rNVGciARmpBVx2BKo1iOKkyOxxfyaLyVW6eNS2A960LualmVLVQ5xsoQ/s1600/SoldierMale.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 207px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmj4XlMJ4nbtBdb0N6n-OdNQwnDQ37TVRcQec8-DSNg9oBKe-20U7MQytUzvPhyzFMI7hG2qFxU_omG1ip5X-rNVGciARmpBVx2BKo1iOKkyOxxfyaLyVW6eNS2A960LualmVLVQ5xsoQ/s320/SoldierMale.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559995039335954978" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Let's take a look at another example. Here we have a soldier, covered head to toe in armor. This guy is seriously ready for whatever battles await him. Full plated armor, shield, sword, and helmet, he's pretty much what you would expect from a knight in any medieval fantasy. Better not get in his way, he's ready to mess you up.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1TLppa5rUHgBZ0J7lm6HQquMN6ZSlQTK9NZpCMzUjU3Iju9lgorHtx11JtmuQ5zPixwsRZKAw565AKqCa6_HBpGkFsq4cWQt1_3SfK39fz5dJBL4tbZvhKz-73_jNcsSkzUu3iCVvyw/s1600/SoldierFemale.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1TLppa5rUHgBZ0J7lm6HQquMN6ZSlQTK9NZpCMzUjU3Iju9lgorHtx11JtmuQ5zPixwsRZKAw565AKqCa6_HBpGkFsq4cWQt1_3SfK39fz5dJBL4tbZvhKz-73_jNcsSkzUu3iCVvyw/s320/SoldierFemale.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559995451254239666" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />And then... wait, what? I guess one could technically say there's a sword, shield, and some kind of armor, kind of. This clothing serves no purpose at all, unless she is constantly bombarded by enemies who can do nothing but swing straight down from overhead, and even then wouldn't a helmet at least be nice?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To my fellow game developers: I have done extensive research over many years and I have learned one very interesting thing: Women wear clothing too. I know, shocking, but it's true. I am in no way asserting that all games are this way, but game after game that I play has a world where all male characters and fat people (yes, we seem to stick fat women in the same category as men) are dressed sensibly to the world around them. Why can we not apply this to everyone? Is the female form too tempting for artists to cover it up modestly? Are our games so marketing and executive driven that we absolutely have to make sure that no moderately attractive person in the game is dressed in a manner that makes sense in their environment? Or are we as an industry so childish that we are still saying "Boobies, they are for the 'mature' crowd," defining "mature" as "almost naked" rather than "sensible and deep." Just a thought, really. Leave a comment or two for me in the comments section.<br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.reddit.com/static/button/button1.js"></script>DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-24103835325647189482010-08-05T07:42:00.000-07:002010-08-05T07:48:38.667-07:00Rubber Ducking?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvsVaJtmVYnQXxQJf4GX1gF3g7NZzNvzydoTIVBLOiFas_40LB4q1pxKLG16LBM40dBZxzfOC9fhGaiUIw0XIzSVnppIRiVIhd-qwiu5UnRuS3pHw0gCZZJK5CI2mhPRvl6x-xyNRSly4/s1600/RubberDuck.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvsVaJtmVYnQXxQJf4GX1gF3g7NZzNvzydoTIVBLOiFas_40LB4q1pxKLG16LBM40dBZxzfOC9fhGaiUIw0XIzSVnppIRiVIhd-qwiu5UnRuS3pHw0gCZZJK5CI2mhPRvl6x-xyNRSly4/s320/RubberDuck.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501936618587828434" border="0" /></a>It's been a while since I've made a blog post, and I don't have anything major to post about right now, so I figured I'd toss up something light and interesting. Apparently there is a development / debugging technique known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging">Rubber Ducking</a>. The idea that we as developers should keep a rubber duck by our desks at all times to help us get through debugging strange bugs and ironing out the kinks in our systems. What's funny is that I am of the opinion that this might actually be a good practice... rubber duckies for everyone!DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-77091571365329044182010-03-24T14:48:00.001-07:002010-03-24T14:49:47.217-07:00nVidia's new Parallel Nsight<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-T2JfwDC4APTEtqcsSLh01nZqvjwS2DzPuZfi99f8eGiQWhKpaymWlTgtWB6bq9JmmgcQlAE2zma2UUAjWYqdhdYhar7wGdfqTrJQjpcyrsiDzzm6cwXVQuxWY7UIMUqR3P1m9iMuLE/s1600/Nsight.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-T2JfwDC4APTEtqcsSLh01nZqvjwS2DzPuZfi99f8eGiQWhKpaymWlTgtWB6bq9JmmgcQlAE2zma2UUAjWYqdhdYhar7wGdfqTrJQjpcyrsiDzzm6cwXVQuxWY7UIMUqR3P1m9iMuLE/s320/Nsight.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452320726727052818" border="0" /></a>This is quite possibly one of the most awesome things I have seen recently. nVidia, someone needs to bake you a tray of cookies. In short, nVidia unveiled their feature-rich graphics debugging tools for Visual Studio. I'm not even going to try to go over it here, just <a href="http://nvidia.fullviewmedia.com/gdc2010/10-kumar-iyer.html">follow this link</a>.DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-39271862845961361522010-02-28T15:38:00.001-08:002010-02-28T15:39:56.766-08:00It Starts...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4873BA4MAQuxpafe8d7sKYrC0yo7Muy0Iwo8K9hPQ8RWKtf9K4vpRPndn2-p_rAgtkQjN9ARWS8Zmg0zpXYY3LJHrSOgWu_KucWOFGy-p2fQfaAKPfEQN1ZvBmVyGJjYoGt160dCprrI/s1600-h/TitleScreen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4873BA4MAQuxpafe8d7sKYrC0yo7Muy0Iwo8K9hPQ8RWKtf9K4vpRPndn2-p_rAgtkQjN9ARWS8Zmg0zpXYY3LJHrSOgWu_KucWOFGy-p2fQfaAKPfEQN1ZvBmVyGJjYoGt160dCprrI/s320/TitleScreen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443442998351295042" border="0" /></a>I set a personal goal recently to get a least one post up per month, so ready or not, here it goes! While the title screen may not make for a very impressive screenshot, there has been a fair bit of coding going on in the background. Well, as much as is possible when you have no real free time to speak of anyway. Of particular note, the GUI system has been rewritten to have a cleaner and more user-friendly interface and, as you may be able to tell from this post's screenshot, the "Bounce!" project has been started. Unfortunately, after getting a good ways into the project I learned that there is already another indie game with the title "<a href="http://www.moddb.com/games/bounce">Bounce</a>" so I will need to come up with a different name before too much longer.<br /><br />The game will basically be a 3D remake of <a href="http://robwalkerdme.blogspot.com/2008/10/dms-pong.html">my old Pong-type game from back in college</a>, featuring a variety of characters batting a shiny glowing orb back and forth while moving around on hovering platforms. I intend to add a few new game concepts to spice things up a little, and ultimately I'd like to give this tiny little game a very high level of polish. This might actually even involve paying an artist or two to replace my horrible programmer art! I still don't have tons of time to devote to the project, but I am excited that things are moving forward, slowly but surely.DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-25959069371930749212010-01-13T19:16:00.000-08:002010-01-13T19:24:39.366-08:00Font Builder - Part II<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxV3QpRdgaHpAg1wNhM-yHT2dZhYChLQ6osxZwf5DlzH6zBO0NJATTLMB8w_gvW2hIxNhru-5wKt6HyvBxiySa8H-OC6RUy6F10CvTsyepNOTollDxMBPaUu9S3k5fEjZhxpr0MzDIPlE/s1600-h/FontBuilder02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxV3QpRdgaHpAg1wNhM-yHT2dZhYChLQ6osxZwf5DlzH6zBO0NJATTLMB8w_gvW2hIxNhru-5wKt6HyvBxiySa8H-OC6RUy6F10CvTsyepNOTollDxMBPaUu9S3k5fEjZhxpr0MzDIPlE/s320/FontBuilder02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426429214093653698" border="0" /></a>Yay, a new update! I'm not exactly at liberty to say why I don't have any free time these days, but suffice it to say that I literally get about 20-30 mins per week to attribute to continuing to move things forward. Not much, but slow progress is still progress! Between the last update and now I have reworked the font tool a bit. You can now add custom ranges to a font palette with full unicode support. Again, <a href="http://www.freetype.org/">FreeType</a> is awesome for helping me not have to manually decode fonts, I highly recommend it to anyone finding themselves needing to render fonts in a bitmapped fashion.<br /><br />Writing this tool had the desired effect of helping me to find and fix some bugs with my font system, and now I should be in a good position to begin moving forward on actual game-related tech. Inching forward day by day, I will get this project finished no matter how little free-time I have to do it!DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-60069931152524551312009-12-13T12:57:00.000-08:002009-12-13T12:58:50.767-08:00Font Builder<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ZmcQuQlxabTp7TDlLLcPsjtha-OronUvs_noli09iJNtUP5N_NyjhU0KEyIBPQIFiOUl5WxGw_mXrAHLhJOAXP6pSyA8cAxTU3y8l8vmv5FU0jq7RaSlxo1SbwfLUzbWoxLWPwZxayI/s1600-h/FontTool01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ZmcQuQlxabTp7TDlLLcPsjtha-OronUvs_noli09iJNtUP5N_NyjhU0KEyIBPQIFiOUl5WxGw_mXrAHLhJOAXP6pSyA8cAxTU3y8l8vmv5FU0jq7RaSlxo1SbwfLUzbWoxLWPwZxayI/s320/FontTool01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414828089444175778" border="0" /></a>Updates, go! In a continuing effort to gather all of the things I need to make my fancy-schmancy version of Pong, I've thrown together a font tool in what little free time I have these days. This tool allows you to build font definitions usable by my engine to display text. The engine can support any standard true-type font and will be eventually extended to allow for custom bitmapped fonts through the use of this tool. The code to support the GUI environment has been rewritten and everything is a lot cleaner and more user-friendly than before. All in all it's a pretty small step forward, but at least it's a step forward. With the holiday season coming upon us, hopefully I'll find a spare couple of hours here or there to make a good bit of progress as I did over Thanksgiving weekend. Anyhow, till next time!DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-14615799255539862492009-11-27T19:30:00.000-08:002010-01-14T05:27:32.572-08:003DS Material Plug-in<a style="" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJ85HQAmq7oyfluvU-m4JfNNeVgM7e552ZSaudkMSjaKftFRIeXJIyOH3EwLIx5QIHIpvAZsPYhFUrMhM3LhjBlspTiEg9aw6ofzDmsYUiA_P3Xd8ADc16HBenKbhC-3KYmW7DYvJNAQ/s1600/DM3DLive01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJ85HQAmq7oyfluvU-m4JfNNeVgM7e552ZSaudkMSjaKftFRIeXJIyOH3EwLIx5QIHIpvAZsPYhFUrMhM3LhjBlspTiEg9aw6ofzDmsYUiA_P3Xd8ADc16HBenKbhC-3KYmW7DYvJNAQ/s320/DM3DLive01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408998910666305554" border="0" /></a>Wow, 3 posts in a single month! Thanksgiving break has given me time to complete the model exporting portion of my 3D Studio Max plug-in utility. As you can see in the image to the left, I have written a custom material plug-in that allows you to create materials in a way directly usable by the engine, minimizing the amount of time and potential bugs that go along with creating textures and materials for game objects.<p><br />Working with MaxScript to create the plug-in is actually pretty simple. <a href="http://max.cgcookie.com/2008/11/22/custom-scripted-shader-in-3d-studio-max/">This</a> site was a pretty nice starting point for figuring out where to start with creating the plug-in, and the MaxScript documentation itself is not half bad. I'll likely write up a tutorial on how I went about creating the plug-in at some point in the future, as some parts of it are not so obvious as others. With this, I no longer have to manually code little debug primitives to test things, so I'm quite excited about moving forward to getting the actual game started.</p><p><br />And yes, to answer the question, that is the Yuna model from FFX-2, and Rikku from FFX. They just happened to drop in to help me test my plug-in and make sure things integrate smoothly into my engine. The models came from a place that no longer exists (I believe), so I can't really offer a link to where you might find them, but I'm sure they're still available in some forgotten corner of the internet. . .</p>DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-29472079905659625972009-11-24T06:12:00.000-08:002009-11-24T14:42:59.133-08:00Attack of the clones!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS9cugkLqqLMuugW1ZjEdyrUvWsXluGpdRMg_aBpEZRLcfUVvvsbXfL5LVeVrnjJsWfkc2fLfRossCpT7y4P31mdf-_AxohUzJpdsvzQmSH2ii-WT3puTnCIjHSCERRxiVVMmw2Tq325w/s1600/CloneTest.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS9cugkLqqLMuugW1ZjEdyrUvWsXluGpdRMg_aBpEZRLcfUVvvsbXfL5LVeVrnjJsWfkc2fLfRossCpT7y4P31mdf-_AxohUzJpdsvzQmSH2ii-WT3puTnCIjHSCERRxiVVMmw2Tq325w/s320/CloneTest.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407804350433131746" border="0" /></a><br />In my attempts to post a little more consistently, this is a miniature progress update. The latest feature to grace the DM3D Engine: The ability to clone scene nodes and resources. The image here was generated using only primitives and the clone functionality, creating a nice (physically impossible) stack of boxes that all properly share mesh, texture, and shader resources. I am currently working on revamping and extending the <a href="http://robwalkerdme.blogspot.com/2009/07/its-been-while.html">3D Studio Max plugin I began working on back in July</a>. Once this is finished, I will be able to finally begin work on my special version of Pong. Hurrah!DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-50338041618078270702009-11-12T19:05:00.000-08:002009-11-12T19:16:36.753-08:00Materials, textures, and models<a style="" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1UiLoAPYy1yk0UG1L0wF8miXYtU2ebdGXgZvlP6-fZBO5ZGoa2SVbQTxJ-0YN3BdpcsI-RIMf_Maly_NLXg5Le0x2XrrLmAoiDsKiVZjD7fhRsLdDIJFIgiTWMGrBwYLixE39zV-QzE/s1600-h/Materials02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1UiLoAPYy1yk0UG1L0wF8miXYtU2ebdGXgZvlP6-fZBO5ZGoa2SVbQTxJ-0YN3BdpcsI-RIMf_Maly_NLXg5Le0x2XrrLmAoiDsKiVZjD7fhRsLdDIJFIgiTWMGrBwYLixE39zV-QzE/s320/Materials02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403419150180592322" border="0" /></a><br />Finally getting back into the groove of life after all of the big changes that have happened recently. I have next to no time to work on this project these days, but that doesn't stop me from putting in an hour or two whenever I get the chance (which seems to be maybe once a week or so). Anyhow, in the time since my last tech-related post I've completely revamped the way meshes are loaded and the way materials and textures are handled and I really like how nice it has become. <P> I've also updated the engine to be initialized using an XML config file, which makes setting things up nice and easy. Getting the window created, mesh, textures, and shaders loaded, and everything rendering is done in just a dozen or so lines of code. With my lack of free time I may be moving a little slowly, but I am getting somewhere. Stay tuned for more updates.DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-65042783575960989062009-10-11T16:24:00.000-07:002009-10-11T16:32:48.921-07:00Server down!<a style="" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdC-To7CUmSKv92MNEDYhitmPUgWmNKvMZW87mfjt5-pPXynLEPuN-Pi0emIUYxJpE763x6MrTGW0oyD95yTFQQQ3R0sSv5_Ls_rMHD4Egxx3SnaTh3FUFiyK5-TQJcT2Opyi29dL-P3U/s1600-h/Tubes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdC-To7CUmSKv92MNEDYhitmPUgWmNKvMZW87mfjt5-pPXynLEPuN-Pi0emIUYxJpE763x6MrTGW0oyD95yTFQQQ3R0sSv5_Ls_rMHD4Egxx3SnaTh3FUFiyK5-TQJcT2Opyi29dL-P3U/s320/Tubes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391488503117657586" border="0" /></a><br />I've forgotten to mention that the server which all of my demos are hosted on is currently down. It will be back up in a while (likely a week or so). This is due to having moved and not having the time to orchestrate the timing of reconfiguring a router that doesn't belong to me. I apologize to anyone this inconveniences in the mean time.DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-38541264777514411252009-10-04T17:38:00.001-07:002009-10-11T16:33:04.140-07:00Life's changes. . .Wow. Life. If you've been wonder what happened to me for the last few months, that sentence about sums it up. Since my last post I quit my old job, got a new one, and moved across the country just in time to catch a storm which left 3½ft of water in my basement. Life. All that aside, things are pretty good, so I can't really complain. New stuff coming soon, just thought I'd let you all know I'm still alive.DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-63320801750481179932009-07-11T19:29:00.000-07:002009-10-11T16:34:21.574-07:003DS Max Integration!<a style="" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYKZJpGE51xM_Cj4Pej1Bxn3gkGPZTO5NwqpkaT7Eoamk-3NsDsADHH35vOhZFVSuH7PtdSUtE8uGgxN-HsyySPyCfw15gDCDtq3NE5iIjfSi7oZoUDvnNQ7Se0u2KmjUqNqRB8QHCaI/s1600-h/DM3DMaxLiveView04.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYKZJpGE51xM_Cj4Pej1Bxn3gkGPZTO5NwqpkaT7Eoamk-3NsDsADHH35vOhZFVSuH7PtdSUtE8uGgxN-HsyySPyCfw15gDCDtq3NE5iIjfSi7oZoUDvnNQ7Se0u2KmjUqNqRB8QHCaI/s320/DM3DMaxLiveView04.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357395521733856418" border="0" /></a>It's been a while since I've posted anything here. Don't worry, I haven't abandoned the project, life has just gotten really hectic as of late. That aside, I find myself with a bit more free time these days, so I can once again bet back into the swing of things with coding my engine, codenamed DM3D.<br /><br />After a long and arduous battle with the 3D Studio Max SDK, I managed to integrate the engine directly into the 3D Studio Max interface. This will prove extremely useful as I make models and objects for the small games I have in mind. The idea for adding this functionality was admittedly conceived after I ran into a tool for the <a href="http://www.ogre3d.org/">Ogre3D</a> engine known as <a href="http://www.ofusiontechnologies.com/">oFusion</a>. I will be creating an external "level editor" for future games, though I believe having the ability to view art within the modelling application itself exactly as it will appear in game will be of large benefit in the future.<br /><br />I have also been researching and playing around with the now-popular techniques for deferred shading and deferred lighting. There is certainly a lot to consider when it comes to deferred versus forward rendering techniques, but I am really beginning to like the advantages offered by a deferred rendering solution. If I can come up with a satisfactory way to solve the alpha-blending issue, I will most likely implement this technique.<br /><br />As always, other small advances have been made, bugs have been fixed, things have been changed. I'm still alive, the project lives on! By the way, I failed to mention in any posts before, if you have any questions about how I've implemented a certain technique or you have any suggestions, feel free to drop me an email, the address can be found on my profile page by following the "View My Complete Profile" link on the right side of the page.DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504282265910698708.post-74301671937850839972009-03-11T18:54:00.000-07:002009-03-11T19:13:06.858-07:00Going International<a style="" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWvbFfrmOeUUK3pKRgaeHN3qAiEX2rrvpfYji49_PUyYEOoZM2dbL_4pWVLIlfaCAEiHODKH3dvJS7UuN5wE8sRbAGDeBk6c9w1LHeggiqmim5M5i8IMgI1fx80GxxPzhpA6naVZFi2k/s1600-h/GUI_PT4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWvbFfrmOeUUK3pKRgaeHN3qAiEX2rrvpfYji49_PUyYEOoZM2dbL_4pWVLIlfaCAEiHODKH3dvJS7UuN5wE8sRbAGDeBk6c9w1LHeggiqmim5M5i8IMgI1fx80GxxPzhpA6naVZFi2k/s320/GUI_PT4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312117316850183794" border="0" /></a>Hello everyone. I know I really should update this blog more often... I'm trying, really! Things are really starting to move forward over here. A few more little features to finish up and it will be time to start a small game. This project started out with a simple desire to learn more about the math behind graphics and physics coding and has turned into a full-blown desire to make something awesome. Don't worry, I have quite a bit of experience in software architecting and the amount of effort that goes into making a game (it is what I do for a living, after all), so there's no need to fear that I'll be jumping off the deep end and trying to compete with a commercial AAA product with my little project I devote maybe an hour per day to single-handedly.<br /><br />That said, I'll be starting on a version of Pong I've been thinking of for the last couple of months. That's right, Pong. "But why do you need all this fancy 3D technology and a real game engine to make Pong?" you may ask. Wait and see, my friend, wait and see.<br /><br />Anyhow, on the update front, there have been lots of new toys and updates added to the engine, the most recent of which is support for true-type fonts (and pretty much any other type) utilizing the FreeType library (<a href="http://www.freetype.org/">http://www.freetype.org/</a>). With this added functionality there's now real support for unicode text within the engine, which is awesome for making localization easier. I've also added support for sprites with transformations calculated on the GPU, as well as simple 2D rendering via a very easy to use interface. In addition to that, single-pass multi-texturing is also available, able to render as many textures in a single pass as your video card can handle.<br /><br />Overall, it's been a productive month, as far as a project being done in my "freetime" can be considered productive. I can't wait to actually start work on Pong. I love game dev.DM21http://www.blogger.com/profile/09754761529510489725noreply@blogger.com0