written by Blain Newport on Monday, 31 January, 2011
Salt Racer brought up the subject of the next generation of consoles and how nobody talks about it. I suspect that's because they're still a ways off. Well, maybe not Nintendo, but trying to predict their next move seems foolhardy.
Sony and Microsoft are making money right now. They like that. Both companies lost huge sums on launching the last hardware, and that wasn't during a prolonged recession, so they probably want to hold off as long as possible without getting caught napping.
Microsoft spent 500 million promoting Kinect and will want to spend at least two holiday seasons (2010 and 2011) cashing in on that investment. Sony also invested in their motion controls, and the thought of another launch like the PS3 probably still makes some of the Sony folks break out in a cold sweat.
That said, Sony is introducing a hand-held that can play Metal Gear Solid 4 (at reduced frame rate, but still). If that much power can fit into a hand-held, full HD 3D consoles could probably be ready today, if it wasn't for the economic roadblocks.
My guess is we'll see announcements at E3 2012. But that's just a guess.
31 January, 2011
Game Journal: The Witcher
written by Blain Newport on Monday, 31 January, 2011
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 064a - Law of Surprise
0:00 - Grand Master
1:50 - King of the Wild Hunt
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 064a - Law of Surprise
0:00 - Grand Master
1:50 - King of the Wild Hunt
30 January, 2011
Game Journal: Mass Effect 2
written by Blain Newport on Sunday, 30 January, 2011
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
You may remember Sweet Shephard from my Mass Effect 1 game journal. While customizing her armor for Mass Effect 2, I realized that the origin I'd chosen for her (Earth born, war hero, engineer) meant she was basically Miles O'Brien from Star Trek. So I decided to deck her out in engineering colors.
And then I realized that she looked like a black Samus Aran (the protagonist from the Metroid games). I liked it. She had a lot of good sci-fi history behind her.
She did not, however, have good lighting. I wonder if any of the testers played black characters?
My renegade character based on Firefly's Jayne Cobb also made his way through Mass Effect 2. The actor who plays Jayne (Adam Baldwin) voices a minor character in Mass Effect 2. I had Jayne Shephard risk the minor character's life as two Jayne's in the universe was definitely too many. But he survived, and the universe hasn't imploded, yet.
The character in the background is supposed to be this disturbingly cavalier mercenary. He and Jayne got along great.
And finally I made a third run through with a goth Asian woman (who I named after a nice Asian girl I went to elementary school with. Don't ask me why). After being pushed down the Paragon and Renegade path by game systems that gate important choices behind you having enough "good / bad points", I wanted to have one playthrough with a character who didn't care about being effective. She chose whatever she felt like. She ignored loyalty quests. And she hated everyone. When her final mission was over...
two thirds of her team were dead. It was liberating. I'll be curious if her horrible choices will actually make her life harder in Mass Effect 3.
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
You may remember Sweet Shephard from my Mass Effect 1 game journal. While customizing her armor for Mass Effect 2, I realized that the origin I'd chosen for her (Earth born, war hero, engineer) meant she was basically Miles O'Brien from Star Trek. So I decided to deck her out in engineering colors.
And then I realized that she looked like a black Samus Aran (the protagonist from the Metroid games). I liked it. She had a lot of good sci-fi history behind her.
She did not, however, have good lighting. I wonder if any of the testers played black characters?
My renegade character based on Firefly's Jayne Cobb also made his way through Mass Effect 2. The actor who plays Jayne (Adam Baldwin) voices a minor character in Mass Effect 2. I had Jayne Shephard risk the minor character's life as two Jayne's in the universe was definitely too many. But he survived, and the universe hasn't imploded, yet.
The character in the background is supposed to be this disturbingly cavalier mercenary. He and Jayne got along great.
And finally I made a third run through with a goth Asian woman (who I named after a nice Asian girl I went to elementary school with. Don't ask me why). After being pushed down the Paragon and Renegade path by game systems that gate important choices behind you having enough "good / bad points", I wanted to have one playthrough with a character who didn't care about being effective. She chose whatever she felt like. She ignored loyalty quests. And she hated everyone. When her final mission was over...
two thirds of her team were dead. It was liberating. I'll be curious if her horrible choices will actually make her life harder in Mass Effect 3.
Thoughts on 3D
written by Blain Newport on Sunday, 30 January, 2011
So... 3D. Maybe I missed it, but I haven't heard anyone say anything about 3D that stuck with me. Some people wrote it off immediately because it costs too much, most implementations require you to wear glasses, it narrows the viewing angle, and it dims the picture. Essentially the tech is too fidgety and expensive to be ready for prime time.
Regardless, I think 3D is a good idea. Consider for a moment that every baseball game ever made has forced players to judge pitches with no sense of depth. It's absurd isn't it? And how much easier will it be to judge distances in platformers and driving games? Why would you ever play a flight sim in 2D again?
I don't expect 3D will revolutionize games. I don't see new types of play coming from it. But when the tech finally gets sorted, it will make a lot of common tasks in games more manageable.
The real question is how long it will take the research and development people to come up with a solution that's cost effective and not a hassle. The last few years have seen a lot of money dumped into 3D. But it's been tried and abandoned many times before, so who knows if this is the push that will make it ubiquitous or not.
I doubt it. But I'm a late adopter. So I always doubt it. :P
So... 3D. Maybe I missed it, but I haven't heard anyone say anything about 3D that stuck with me. Some people wrote it off immediately because it costs too much, most implementations require you to wear glasses, it narrows the viewing angle, and it dims the picture. Essentially the tech is too fidgety and expensive to be ready for prime time.
Regardless, I think 3D is a good idea. Consider for a moment that every baseball game ever made has forced players to judge pitches with no sense of depth. It's absurd isn't it? And how much easier will it be to judge distances in platformers and driving games? Why would you ever play a flight sim in 2D again?
I don't expect 3D will revolutionize games. I don't see new types of play coming from it. But when the tech finally gets sorted, it will make a lot of common tasks in games more manageable.
The real question is how long it will take the research and development people to come up with a solution that's cost effective and not a hassle. The last few years have seen a lot of money dumped into 3D. But it's been tried and abandoned many times before, so who knows if this is the push that will make it ubiquitous or not.
I doubt it. But I'm a late adopter. So I always doubt it. :P
29 January, 2011
Game Journal: The Witcher
written by Blain Newport on Saturday, 29 January, 2011
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 063f - To The Death
0:00 - Adda
3:20 - Shani
4:00 - Grand Master
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 063f - To The Death
0:00 - Adda
3:20 - Shani
4:00 - Grand Master
28 January, 2011
Magicka: OCD of Ultimate Power
written by Blain Newport on Thursday, 27 January, 2011
THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS MECHANICAL SPOILERS FOR MAGICKA.
Magicka was just barely on my radar until this piece on Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Now it's taken over my brain.
The premise is simple. You are a wizard. After a five minute tutorial, you have control over all the elements. You learn other spells, but they're almost irrelevant because once you learn to control and combine the elements, you can wreak amazing devastation. Plus there's no mana to worry about. So you can throw the most powerful spells around at a whim.
It takes a lot of time and experimentation to figure out the best spells. Every element can be cast in multiple ways. You can cast it on yourself (mostly for healing or casting shields). You can cast it in a direction. You can cast it all around you, which can be handy when surrounded by enemies. You can also combine elements to change their form. Fire is usually a jet, but with earth, it's an explosive fire ball. With arcane energy it's a beam. With lightning, you can arc it along a line of enemies. There are a couple hidden elements and a hidden delivery mechanism as well. Plus certain elements cancel each other out, so there's a lot to experiment with.
Then there's the control mechanism. At first I put my hands on the keyboard like I would for most games, with my pinky resting on the shift key. But I eventually realized that my index finger wasn't fast enough to be responsible for four keys and moved up to the normal typing position. I also spent a lot of time figuring out how the game takes input so I could cast as fast as possible.
As a touch typist who used to play piano, I'm here to tell you that the power this game puts at my fingertips is madness. The damage I can dish out, the crowd control I can exercise, and the multi-level defense I can erect is absurd. I have to hold myself back to keep the game interesting.
The vast majority of games don't allow for this kind of play. Designers want players to have the same tools so they can balance the difficulty more precisely. The fact that Magicka even supports game pads makes me question if Arrowhead (the developer) understands how much more powerful the keyboard is. But if this is all an accident, why doesn't it feel like one? Why doesn't the game seem too easy?
I suspect the learning curve is the key. If the magic system had been even a tiny bit simpler, this power would have felt unearned. But because it took me over twenty hours to master, and there are still new spells to experiment with and many optimizations to learn, I feel like I'm earning this power.
I am a wizard.
THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS MECHANICAL SPOILERS FOR MAGICKA.
Magicka was just barely on my radar until this piece on Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Now it's taken over my brain.
The premise is simple. You are a wizard. After a five minute tutorial, you have control over all the elements. You learn other spells, but they're almost irrelevant because once you learn to control and combine the elements, you can wreak amazing devastation. Plus there's no mana to worry about. So you can throw the most powerful spells around at a whim.
It takes a lot of time and experimentation to figure out the best spells. Every element can be cast in multiple ways. You can cast it on yourself (mostly for healing or casting shields). You can cast it in a direction. You can cast it all around you, which can be handy when surrounded by enemies. You can also combine elements to change their form. Fire is usually a jet, but with earth, it's an explosive fire ball. With arcane energy it's a beam. With lightning, you can arc it along a line of enemies. There are a couple hidden elements and a hidden delivery mechanism as well. Plus certain elements cancel each other out, so there's a lot to experiment with.
Then there's the control mechanism. At first I put my hands on the keyboard like I would for most games, with my pinky resting on the shift key. But I eventually realized that my index finger wasn't fast enough to be responsible for four keys and moved up to the normal typing position. I also spent a lot of time figuring out how the game takes input so I could cast as fast as possible.
As a touch typist who used to play piano, I'm here to tell you that the power this game puts at my fingertips is madness. The damage I can dish out, the crowd control I can exercise, and the multi-level defense I can erect is absurd. I have to hold myself back to keep the game interesting.
The vast majority of games don't allow for this kind of play. Designers want players to have the same tools so they can balance the difficulty more precisely. The fact that Magicka even supports game pads makes me question if Arrowhead (the developer) understands how much more powerful the keyboard is. But if this is all an accident, why doesn't it feel like one? Why doesn't the game seem too easy?
I suspect the learning curve is the key. If the magic system had been even a tiny bit simpler, this power would have felt unearned. But because it took me over twenty hours to master, and there are still new spells to experiment with and many optimizations to learn, I feel like I'm earning this power.
I am a wizard.
27 January, 2011
Game Journal: The Witcher
written by Blain Newport on Thursday, 27 January, 2011
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 063e - To The Death
0:00 - Toruviel
2:30 - Grand Master
5:30 - Siegfried
8:00 - Grand Master
9:50 - Adda
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 063e - To The Death
0:00 - Toruviel
2:30 - Grand Master
5:30 - Siegfried
8:00 - Grand Master
9:50 - Adda
26 January, 2011
Game Journal: The Witcher
written by Blain Newport on Wednesday, 26 January, 2011
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 063d - To The Death
0:00 - Grand Master
2:00 - King of the Wild Hunt
3:00 - Toruviel
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 063d - To The Death
0:00 - Grand Master
2:00 - King of the Wild Hunt
3:00 - Toruviel
24 January, 2011
Game Journal: The Witcher
written by Blain Newport on Monday, 24 January, 2011
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 063c - To The Death
0:00 - Grand Master
3:20 - Shani
7:30 - Abigail
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 063c - To The Death
0:00 - Grand Master
3:20 - Shani
7:30 - Abigail
23 January, 2011
Game Journal: The Witcher
written by Blain Newport on Sunday, 23 January, 2011
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 063b - To The Death
0:00 - survivors
4:00 - road clearing
7:30 - into the cloister
9:00 - Grand Master
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 063b - To The Death
0:00 - survivors
4:00 - road clearing
7:30 - into the cloister
9:00 - Grand Master
22 January, 2011
Game Journal: The Witcher
written by Blain Newport on Saturday, 22 January, 2011
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 063a - To The Death
0:00 - talents
6:00 - potion up
9:20 - zeugl
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 063a - To The Death
0:00 - talents
6:00 - potion up
9:20 - zeugl
19 January, 2011
Game Journal: The Witcher
written by Blain Newport on Wednesday, 19 January, 2011
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 062c - Epilogue Begins
0:00 - a little looting and prophecy
2:20 - next house
3:20 - street fight
5:10 - wounded knight
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 062c - Epilogue Begins
0:00 - a little looting and prophecy
2:20 - next house
3:20 - street fight
5:10 - wounded knight
18 January, 2011
Game Journal: The Witcher
written by Blain Newport on Tuesday, 18 January, 2011
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 062a - Epilogue Begins
0:00 - chapter intro
2:20 - kings
6:10 - consequence pictures
7:20 - Dandelion
Witcher 062b - Epilogue Begins
0:00 - navigation
0:30 - Siegfried
3:10 - safe house
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 062a - Epilogue Begins
0:00 - chapter intro
2:20 - kings
6:10 - consequence pictures
7:20 - Dandelion
Witcher 062b - Epilogue Begins
0:00 - navigation
0:30 - Siegfried
3:10 - safe house
14 January, 2011
Game Journal: The Witcher
written by Blain Newport on Friday, 14 January, 2011
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 061c - Bizarro Chapter Four
0:00 - Berengar
0:30 - Rayla
1:00 - adjutant
2:30 - village mess
5:20 - leaving
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 061c - Bizarro Chapter Four
0:00 - Berengar
0:30 - Rayla
1:00 - adjutant
2:30 - village mess
5:20 - leaving
13 January, 2011
Game Journal: The Witcher
written by Blain Newport on Thursday, 13 January, 2011
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 061b - Bizarro Chapter Four
0:00 - last of the lovers
1:50 - Dagon storyline
5:00 - letter
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 061b - Bizarro Chapter Four
0:00 - last of the lovers
1:50 - Dagon storyline
5:00 - letter
10 January, 2011
Game Journal: The Witcher
written by Blain Newport on Monday, 10 January, 2011
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 061a - Bizarro Chapter Four
0:00 - healer
0:30 - Alvin
3:40 - The Adam Cover-up
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 061a - Bizarro Chapter Four
0:00 - healer
0:30 - Alvin
3:40 - The Adam Cover-up
08 January, 2011
How Many Shooters?
written by Blain Newport on Saturday, 8 January, 2011
This article does not have a point. It's just a sanity check.
I took a look at GamePro's list of "big games" for 2011 and was surprised to see how many shooters were on it. I'd heard people complain about how many FPS games come out, but I always thought they were exaggerating because there are a few shooters that get a lot of coverage. But seeing how many shooters were coming out just in the first quarter of 2011 gave me pause for thought.
Q1 2011 (7)
Bulletstorm
Conduit 2
Crysis 2
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Fear 3
Homefront
Killzone 3
Q2-4 2011 (5)
Duke Nukem Forever
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
Rage
Resistance 3
Socom 4
That's some serious front loading. We've got more shooters in the first three months than the rest of the year.
But is it really more shooters overall than previous years?
2010 (9)
Aliens vs Predator
Bad Company 2
BioShock 2
CoD BlOps
Fallout: New Vegas
Halo: Reach
MAG
Medal of Honor
Singularity
It's a little more. But looking at the bigger picture, there were five hundred games on the list I looked at. I will not take any complaints about there being too many shooters seriously for the time being.
This article does not have a point. It's just a sanity check.
I took a look at GamePro's list of "big games" for 2011 and was surprised to see how many shooters were on it. I'd heard people complain about how many FPS games come out, but I always thought they were exaggerating because there are a few shooters that get a lot of coverage. But seeing how many shooters were coming out just in the first quarter of 2011 gave me pause for thought.
Q1 2011 (7)
Bulletstorm
Conduit 2
Crysis 2
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Fear 3
Homefront
Killzone 3
Q2-4 2011 (5)
Duke Nukem Forever
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
Rage
Resistance 3
Socom 4
That's some serious front loading. We've got more shooters in the first three months than the rest of the year.
But is it really more shooters overall than previous years?
2010 (9)
Aliens vs Predator
Bad Company 2
BioShock 2
CoD BlOps
Fallout: New Vegas
Halo: Reach
MAG
Medal of Honor
Singularity
It's a little more. But looking at the bigger picture, there were five hundred games on the list I looked at. I will not take any complaints about there being too many shooters seriously for the time being.
06 January, 2011
Game Journal: The Witcher
written by Blain Newport on Thursday, 6 January, 2011
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 060d - The End Of Azar
0:00 - Azar
3:50 - the boss
4:30 - leaving with Yaevinn
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 060d - The End Of Azar
0:00 - Azar
3:50 - the boss
4:30 - leaving with Yaevinn
05 January, 2011
Game Journal: The Witcher
written by Blain Newport on Wednesday, 5 January, 2011
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 060c - The End Of Azar
0:00 - exploring
2:30 - Azar
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 060c - The End Of Azar
0:00 - exploring
2:30 - Azar
04 January, 2011
Game Journal: The Witcher
written by Blain Newport on Tuesday, 4 January, 2011
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 060b - The End Of Azar
0:00 - cave wandering
4:20 - Azar
4:50 - koschey fight
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 060b - The End Of Azar
0:00 - cave wandering
4:20 - Azar
4:50 - koschey fight
03 January, 2011
Game Journal: The Witcher
written by Blain Newport on Monday, 3 January, 2011
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 060a - The End Of Azar
0:00 - talents
3:10 - Yaevinn
6:40 - catacombs
GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.
Witcher 060a - The End Of Azar
0:00 - talents
3:10 - Yaevinn
6:40 - catacombs
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