There are big changes coming to the game. They're just in basic note form and in my mind at the moment, but I'm really excited about it. More streamlining and hopefully better control over the length of the game.
The core game is remaining pretty much intact and very recognisable from the original version, but the player's goals and end game are getting a radical overhaul.
I think the sheer amount of time that has gone by since I last looked at the game has allowed me to come back to it with fresh eyes. There have also been some new games appearing here and there that have probably influenced me, although I can't think of them off the top of my head.
No time scales yet as I still have to figure out which programmes to use on my PC. I want to avoid spending any more money, but I've used some free programmes in the past and they haven't been as comfortable and easy to use as Office.
I'm also still debating on whether to take up more Open Uni modules in the new year, which could put everything on a back burner again. I don't think I will as we maybe moving early next year, but I sort of feel compelled to. We'll see.
Maybe I will have a burst of enthusiasm and do everything in a week!
Friday, 21 November 2014
My PC.
Back in 2010 my old gaming PC gave up the ghost. In reality it was the graphics card that finally got fried, but all the other component were so out of date and worth so little that I chucked the whole thing.
I had already started taking my first steps into console gaming and had thought that I might never get another gaming quality PC again. How wrong was I!
Console gaming was glorious for a few years, but has recently grown thin and unsatisfying. The watered down gaming experience, over-the-top cinematic cut scenes before or after a thin, story driven level and the clear target towards a younger audience has driven me away. I have craved the meatier gaming experience that can only be had from a PC.
So, once I finished my Open Uni in September I took the plunge.
What startled me the most was how cheap you can get a good gaming PC. I had budgeted £500 for the PC, thinking that would be a cheap gaming machine, but a friend of mine and I looked around and were able to get all the main components for not much over £350! I should point out I already own a monitor, so that's £100 I didn't have to spend. I'm just so glad I didn't get rid of my old PC monitor!
The most important part of the PC is a Radeon R-9 270X windforce graphics card, which was about £160. Once I added a copy of windows, key board and a couple of extra cooling fans it was almost £500. The extra cooling fans are a bit of a luxury, but I wanted to make sure it ran as cool as possible. I also made sure I got a smaller case as I wanted it to be compact and as portable as reasonably possible.
Anyway, it's running really well. I invested in the Elite: Dangerous beta and have been blown our by the graphics and scale of that game. I'm also really looking forward to doing multiplayer gaming with friends.
I haven't spent much dedicated time on it yet, except for a few afternoons and evenings, but I hope to write up some thoughts as I make my first steps back into PC gaming.
Oh, and lastly, the games are so cheap!!!
Sunday, 2 November 2014
I'm back!
I never intended to be away from my blog for so long, but I had intended to get away from writing on my blog for a while.
Over the last few months I've finished off my Open Uni modules and been trying to rehab my knee. It's nice to no longer have to worry about OU! For the time being anyway.
In all honesty, I have done a huge amount of anything over the last month or two, since finishing my OU. I haven't been playing many games or thinking about very much, but I do have some subjects I want to write about so I hope to write more on here later today or in the next few days.
It's nice to be back.
Sunday, 15 June 2014
World of Tanks - more thoughts on it and free-to-play games
I've been meaning to write some more about World of Tanks (WoT) for a while because I've sort of fallen out with the game.
To begin though, I would like to talk about why it is a very good game! Free-to-play (F2P) games are becoming ever more popular and WoT has the best design for this game format that I have seen. Other F2P games put up pay walls or exclusive content that restricts non-paying customers heavily and makes them feel restricted. WoT method of drawing payments out of their customers is very well thought out and quite subtle.
In WoT any player can use any tank, once they've unlocked it, and play on any map. The game gives each player so many garage slots so you can have a certain amount of tanks to run around in basically doesn't restrict you very much at all.
So, how do they make their money? They make their money by tempting you in with the accessible and addictive gameplay, which has a great feeling of being realistic, even if it's not - this is a very well designed game! A player can pay to have "premium" membership for a certain amount of time, which gives them +50% experience and money, after each game, which obviously increases the speed at which you can get new tanks. Also, money will buy you more garage slots, for when you fill up your allocation and get tempted into having more variety to play with, and the last main thing a player can buy is exclusive tanks; so I kind of lied when I said any player can use any tank, but these exclusive tanks are generally quite obscure and very limited, with no upgrade options.
So why have I fallen out with the game?
Well, I haven't totally fallen out with it, as I said above, it's a good game and I enjoy trundling around in WW2 military hardware. The problem comes in when you start looking at the tier system they use to balance their games. The games you play have no context, it is purely what the title says, it's a world of tanks, so Tiger tanks end up fighting against other high end battle tanks, and not the tanks they actually fought against - because that wouldn't be fair - and are consequently very average against their opposition. For example, Tiger tanks are so heavily armoured and powerful that they are placed in a tier along side late war and post war concept and prototype tanks, which have been designed as they were intended and therefore generally outshine the Tiger, with it's flat unsophisticated armour and cumbersome manoeuvrability of a tank designed before WW2.
Most battles have a variety of tiers of tank, normally spanning 3 tiers, so you might be a low tier tank in a battle, or "top dog". This is good because it gives variety and forces players to think tactically, but it's terrible because it destroys the historical context even more!
The designers have built a game that is a tank death match, which sounds better to me than the reality feels. I increasingly wish to fight a more historical scenario and not a well balanced death match or king of the hill, with "evenly" matched teams of randomly assorted tanks.
To begin though, I would like to talk about why it is a very good game! Free-to-play (F2P) games are becoming ever more popular and WoT has the best design for this game format that I have seen. Other F2P games put up pay walls or exclusive content that restricts non-paying customers heavily and makes them feel restricted. WoT method of drawing payments out of their customers is very well thought out and quite subtle.
In WoT any player can use any tank, once they've unlocked it, and play on any map. The game gives each player so many garage slots so you can have a certain amount of tanks to run around in basically doesn't restrict you very much at all.
So, how do they make their money? They make their money by tempting you in with the accessible and addictive gameplay, which has a great feeling of being realistic, even if it's not - this is a very well designed game! A player can pay to have "premium" membership for a certain amount of time, which gives them +50% experience and money, after each game, which obviously increases the speed at which you can get new tanks. Also, money will buy you more garage slots, for when you fill up your allocation and get tempted into having more variety to play with, and the last main thing a player can buy is exclusive tanks; so I kind of lied when I said any player can use any tank, but these exclusive tanks are generally quite obscure and very limited, with no upgrade options.
So why have I fallen out with the game?
Well, I haven't totally fallen out with it, as I said above, it's a good game and I enjoy trundling around in WW2 military hardware. The problem comes in when you start looking at the tier system they use to balance their games. The games you play have no context, it is purely what the title says, it's a world of tanks, so Tiger tanks end up fighting against other high end battle tanks, and not the tanks they actually fought against - because that wouldn't be fair - and are consequently very average against their opposition. For example, Tiger tanks are so heavily armoured and powerful that they are placed in a tier along side late war and post war concept and prototype tanks, which have been designed as they were intended and therefore generally outshine the Tiger, with it's flat unsophisticated armour and cumbersome manoeuvrability of a tank designed before WW2.
Most battles have a variety of tiers of tank, normally spanning 3 tiers, so you might be a low tier tank in a battle, or "top dog". This is good because it gives variety and forces players to think tactically, but it's terrible because it destroys the historical context even more!
The designers have built a game that is a tank death match, which sounds better to me than the reality feels. I increasingly wish to fight a more historical scenario and not a well balanced death match or king of the hill, with "evenly" matched teams of randomly assorted tanks.
--------------------------------------------------
I feel I've got to a point with WoT where I've got what I want out of it. I've got all the tanks I loved from WW2 and had some great evenings playing with mates. It's so easy to pick up and play that I'm sure I'll dip into it every now and then.
I still recommend this game. It's definitely better played with a group though. Also, I think it's a prime example of how F2P should be done, I really hope other companies looking to build F2P games learn from this (I'm looking at you EA)!
Thursday, 12 June 2014
Mine craft - easier than expected!
If you can stretch your memory back a month or so I talked about some games I'd like to complete in the coming months. Well pretty much a day or two after posting it my friend and I slayed the Ender Dragon in a couple of hours of concerted effort. To be fair there were many hours of preparation leading up to that final push though.
My friend had started the world where we did the deed, building good accommodating for us all to store our resources and rest at night in relative peace. This is very important as night time can be very dangerous in minecraft and when you're settling into some crafting you need a safe haven to be able to get on with it without creepers blowing you and your hard work apart.
Once we had plenty of iron, it was then onto hunting Endermen, which come out mostly at night. I recommend pumping character levels into a beastly sword and then lingering around large deserts, as it's easier to spot Endermen's creepy eyes in the distance.
After gathering enough of the Endermen's eyes you then need to find the fortress in the main world and also make some daring dashes into the Nether to find ingredients for brewing and alchemy - I don't want to give too much away, but there are things that need to be made with special ingredients!
After you've found the fortress and gathered the necessary items you can then open the portal leading to, The End!
I now have important advice - don't go into The End, "all guns blazing". On your first venture into The End go basically naked, with just a pick axe, lots of ladders and lots of dirt blocks. You'll need to get your barings and find the Ender Dragon, build a bridge maybe or dig yourself out of a hole. Then run for the towers and put your ladders up the sides.
When you've got ladders up the sides of each tower in The End, die. Respawn, put some armour on, take a good sword, bow and lots of arrows and destroy all the orbs at the tops of each of the towers, then using your bow you can now kill the Ender Dragon. Your best bet is to wait until it lands and unleash on it then.
The End is also full of Endermen, so a bucket of water is also useful. Endermen don't like water.
My friend had started the world where we did the deed, building good accommodating for us all to store our resources and rest at night in relative peace. This is very important as night time can be very dangerous in minecraft and when you're settling into some crafting you need a safe haven to be able to get on with it without creepers blowing you and your hard work apart.
Once we had plenty of iron, it was then onto hunting Endermen, which come out mostly at night. I recommend pumping character levels into a beastly sword and then lingering around large deserts, as it's easier to spot Endermen's creepy eyes in the distance.
After gathering enough of the Endermen's eyes you then need to find the fortress in the main world and also make some daring dashes into the Nether to find ingredients for brewing and alchemy - I don't want to give too much away, but there are things that need to be made with special ingredients!
After you've found the fortress and gathered the necessary items you can then open the portal leading to, The End!
I now have important advice - don't go into The End, "all guns blazing". On your first venture into The End go basically naked, with just a pick axe, lots of ladders and lots of dirt blocks. You'll need to get your barings and find the Ender Dragon, build a bridge maybe or dig yourself out of a hole. Then run for the towers and put your ladders up the sides.
When you've got ladders up the sides of each tower in The End, die. Respawn, put some armour on, take a good sword, bow and lots of arrows and destroy all the orbs at the tops of each of the towers, then using your bow you can now kill the Ender Dragon. Your best bet is to wait until it lands and unleash on it then.
The End is also full of Endermen, so a bucket of water is also useful. Endermen don't like water.
------------------------------------
I love the different realms in Mine Craft, they add nice levels of detail and the fact you need to visit them to find special ingredients gives them an added purpose. I look forward to one day playing Mine Craft on a PC or next-gen console where the worlds will be much bigger and there'll be more to explore!
Monday, 26 May 2014
Games wish list
I did a wish list a year or two back and thought I might put up some games which I'd like to get my hands on or play in the coming year. Firstly though I'll briefly talk about the games on my previous list.
The three games from my previous list were Z-pocalypse, Gears of War board game and Relic.
First off then, Z-pocalypse. One of my friends got this some months ago now and we played it a good few times. It's hugely challenging, but once you get over the quite steep tactical learning curve you can begin the enjoy it.
Second off, Gears of War board game. This one is a real gem and I'm so chuffed my brother painted the models before giving it to me. A fantastic tactical, fully co-op, military shooter. It's very challenging, but if you can get your tactics together and with a smidge of luck the missions are beatable.
Finally, Relic. Another friend of mine got this a while back and we've played it a few times. A nice variation on Talisman, but I wouldn't say it is a replacement, as many critics have suggested. I'm waiting for my mate to get the expansion though, should make for some very interesting alternative game modes; including some player interaction!
Now on to my wish list:
Talisman: Highland expansion. This is an easy one, but one I hadn't originally considered much. Since getting the City expansion it's whetted my appetite for another corner though, as they bring so much to the game. In some ways they help to stream line it and give players areas that suit them better for a certain part of the game, depending on their level. The Highlands looks like the kind of area for new-ish characters to prepare them for the high level danger of the Dungeon.
Eldrich Horror. I've had half an eye on Arkham Horror for years. A friend from my old gaming group got Arkham Horror last year and enjoys it; sadly I've not had a chance to go down and play it. The problem is I've heard too many mixed reviews of Arkham Horror - it's too long (3-4 hours or more...), too random, without the PvP which can keep an elongated game of Talisman alive, and too many fiddly rules. The reviews for Eldrich Horror have nearly been unanimously praising it for being everything that was great from Arkham Horror, in half the time and without the fiddliness. Plus, my girlfriend loves the books and I've started to enjoy them too; it's such a captivating universe. But, I do prefer the setting of Arkham Horror; running around a city steeped in Lovecraftian mythos is more appealing then travelling around the world. The idea of globe trotting is growing on me though and I feel this is a must have game. I really can't wait to get my hands on a copy!
X-wing miniatures game. Now, this one isn't as clear cut as the above two, but is one that niggles the back of my every day thoughts. I'm increasingly becoming more thoughtful about miniature gaming, as I've mentioned in recent blog posts and this looks like a nice, tangible game, with really nice looking, pre-painted models! The mechanics and unit selection look exciting, great for multiplayer (3+ players) game, with interesting characters and game mechanics. The core set is £30, which doesn't come with much beyond the rules, but is so tempting. It has the potential to become an epic money sink, but I feel that I have reasonable self control...
Star Wars: Age of Rebellion. Another less clear cut one, but one I will almost certain pick up soon-ish - if that makes sense? I bought the Edge of the Empire beginner game and enjoyed GMing my mates through the starter adventure. Age of Rebellion brings in playing as the rebel alliance, the beginner game comes with more dice and more tools for running adventures so it'd be a great item to pick up just to help run Edge of the Empire. It's not mega expensive and if I then pick up Edge of the Empire core rulebook I'll have nearly all the resources I need to run a full blown story.
The three games from my previous list were Z-pocalypse, Gears of War board game and Relic.
First off then, Z-pocalypse. One of my friends got this some months ago now and we played it a good few times. It's hugely challenging, but once you get over the quite steep tactical learning curve you can begin the enjoy it.
Second off, Gears of War board game. This one is a real gem and I'm so chuffed my brother painted the models before giving it to me. A fantastic tactical, fully co-op, military shooter. It's very challenging, but if you can get your tactics together and with a smidge of luck the missions are beatable.
Finally, Relic. Another friend of mine got this a while back and we've played it a few times. A nice variation on Talisman, but I wouldn't say it is a replacement, as many critics have suggested. I'm waiting for my mate to get the expansion though, should make for some very interesting alternative game modes; including some player interaction!
------------------------------------------------
Now on to my wish list:
Talisman: Highland expansion. This is an easy one, but one I hadn't originally considered much. Since getting the City expansion it's whetted my appetite for another corner though, as they bring so much to the game. In some ways they help to stream line it and give players areas that suit them better for a certain part of the game, depending on their level. The Highlands looks like the kind of area for new-ish characters to prepare them for the high level danger of the Dungeon.
Eldrich Horror. I've had half an eye on Arkham Horror for years. A friend from my old gaming group got Arkham Horror last year and enjoys it; sadly I've not had a chance to go down and play it. The problem is I've heard too many mixed reviews of Arkham Horror - it's too long (3-4 hours or more...), too random, without the PvP which can keep an elongated game of Talisman alive, and too many fiddly rules. The reviews for Eldrich Horror have nearly been unanimously praising it for being everything that was great from Arkham Horror, in half the time and without the fiddliness. Plus, my girlfriend loves the books and I've started to enjoy them too; it's such a captivating universe. But, I do prefer the setting of Arkham Horror; running around a city steeped in Lovecraftian mythos is more appealing then travelling around the world. The idea of globe trotting is growing on me though and I feel this is a must have game. I really can't wait to get my hands on a copy!
X-wing miniatures game. Now, this one isn't as clear cut as the above two, but is one that niggles the back of my every day thoughts. I'm increasingly becoming more thoughtful about miniature gaming, as I've mentioned in recent blog posts and this looks like a nice, tangible game, with really nice looking, pre-painted models! The mechanics and unit selection look exciting, great for multiplayer (3+ players) game, with interesting characters and game mechanics. The core set is £30, which doesn't come with much beyond the rules, but is so tempting. It has the potential to become an epic money sink, but I feel that I have reasonable self control...
Star Wars: Age of Rebellion. Another less clear cut one, but one I will almost certain pick up soon-ish - if that makes sense? I bought the Edge of the Empire beginner game and enjoyed GMing my mates through the starter adventure. Age of Rebellion brings in playing as the rebel alliance, the beginner game comes with more dice and more tools for running adventures so it'd be a great item to pick up just to help run Edge of the Empire. It's not mega expensive and if I then pick up Edge of the Empire core rulebook I'll have nearly all the resources I need to run a full blown story.
Monday, 19 May 2014
Modelling projects. What... me?
My brothers are big modellerers, they make nice looking terrain, paint armies and despite their grumbles, I think they secretly really enjoy it. I have enjoyed painting, for a short period in my late teens when I plowed through an entire Warhammer Fantasy Dwarf army.
But why then and not now, I hear no-one cry!? Well, my Dwarf army had a very simple paint scheme and I was able to batch them out regiment at a time. I'd try and fob the characters off on someone who cared about painting more, because I actually preferred just bosching through hordes of guys who basically looked the same.
Now, how and why would I get back into this?
The why is that my brothers do pester me about it, but for reasonable reasons. They/we have some great tabletop games! Flames of War, Deadzone/Necromunda, old Warhammer/Saga (or Oldhammer, as some people with large beards call it). These are all great games, which I really want to play, and I secretly want my own little forces for each. This has the annoying dilemma of then having models which need paint applied to them and there's only so much good will I can harbour before someone turns around and tells me to do it myself!
The how, well that's only theoretical at the moment. If you don't enjoy painting, but want to play a game that requires models that need painting, you need to find a style of painting to paint your miniatures with, where the paint jobs don't look too bad.
For a Flames of War army, which I think I'd like some plucky Brits and some dastardly Germans, I think this could be quite easy. For the Brits, copious amounts of green, a few splodges of flesh (on their faces preferably), a few detaily bits and lots of tactical washes; for the Germans, exchange green for grey and I reckon that would do the trick. Then some careful transfer placement and Robert's your father's brother!
For Deadzone, I'm yet to really play it, but I'm hoping to use a gang of models which will all cross over into Necromunda. I don't aim to have more than 10 really, and I got a friend to paint two of them! So I think I maybe able to suffer the remaining 8.
There are some interesting speed painting websites out there. If I was to go any further than these games I think I'd need to do some research.
But why then and not now, I hear no-one cry!? Well, my Dwarf army had a very simple paint scheme and I was able to batch them out regiment at a time. I'd try and fob the characters off on someone who cared about painting more, because I actually preferred just bosching through hordes of guys who basically looked the same.
Now, how and why would I get back into this?
The why is that my brothers do pester me about it, but for reasonable reasons. They/we have some great tabletop games! Flames of War, Deadzone/Necromunda, old Warhammer/Saga (or Oldhammer, as some people with large beards call it). These are all great games, which I really want to play, and I secretly want my own little forces for each. This has the annoying dilemma of then having models which need paint applied to them and there's only so much good will I can harbour before someone turns around and tells me to do it myself!
The how, well that's only theoretical at the moment. If you don't enjoy painting, but want to play a game that requires models that need painting, you need to find a style of painting to paint your miniatures with, where the paint jobs don't look too bad.
For a Flames of War army, which I think I'd like some plucky Brits and some dastardly Germans, I think this could be quite easy. For the Brits, copious amounts of green, a few splodges of flesh (on their faces preferably), a few detaily bits and lots of tactical washes; for the Germans, exchange green for grey and I reckon that would do the trick. Then some careful transfer placement and Robert's your father's brother!
For Deadzone, I'm yet to really play it, but I'm hoping to use a gang of models which will all cross over into Necromunda. I don't aim to have more than 10 really, and I got a friend to paint two of them! So I think I maybe able to suffer the remaining 8.
There are some interesting speed painting websites out there. If I was to go any further than these games I think I'd need to do some research.
Games I want to complete
Going on from my previous, very boring, post, I thought I'd put another post up with my list of games, which I'm keen to play and complete in the near future:
- Dark Souls. I'm a bit stuck on this one. Got to a boss which is actually 2 bosses and they're really difficult!
- Dark Souls 2. I bought this as a treat (when it dropped in price), for when I finished my Open Uni. However, I haven't played it yet because I feel I should complete Dark Souls 1 first! But it's so hard I might have to give up on that idea and just dive into this one. Don't think there's any particular story progression between them...?
- Gears of War(s). Been talking to my mates about these games; mostly because we've been loving the board game! Want to play through the whole series again on hardest difficulty. I'm also hoping to play Gears of War 3 in four player co-op! Also, I still want to complete a horde mode!
- Broken Age. Point and click adventure?! Hell yes! Played a few minutes here and there of this game, which I followed nearly all the way from the kickstarter. Really enjoying it and want to give it some proper time to enjoy it! Thank you Machinarium for bringing the world of point and click adventures to me - please click the link and enjoy!
- Mine Craft. This isn't really a game you play to complete, but my friends and I are trying to setup a world where we can realistically have a good crack at the Ender Dragon and "win" the game.
- Dark Souls. I'm a bit stuck on this one. Got to a boss which is actually 2 bosses and they're really difficult!
- Dark Souls 2. I bought this as a treat (when it dropped in price), for when I finished my Open Uni. However, I haven't played it yet because I feel I should complete Dark Souls 1 first! But it's so hard I might have to give up on that idea and just dive into this one. Don't think there's any particular story progression between them...?
- Gears of War(s). Been talking to my mates about these games; mostly because we've been loving the board game! Want to play through the whole series again on hardest difficulty. I'm also hoping to play Gears of War 3 in four player co-op! Also, I still want to complete a horde mode!
- Broken Age. Point and click adventure?! Hell yes! Played a few minutes here and there of this game, which I followed nearly all the way from the kickstarter. Really enjoying it and want to give it some proper time to enjoy it! Thank you Machinarium for bringing the world of point and click adventures to me - please click the link and enjoy!
- Mine Craft. This isn't really a game you play to complete, but my friends and I are trying to setup a world where we can realistically have a good crack at the Ender Dragon and "win" the game.
Not doing very much
Things are a bit strange at the moment. I've had numerous thoughts and ideas that I have wanted to post up on here, but when I've come round to sitting in front of the computer they have escaped me. Rather frustrating, but it says something about my mental state at the moment.
I finished my Open Uni the other week. Huzzah! As I was leading up to the deadline I was getting very restless and keen to get on with other things, but now the deadline has passed I've fallen into a bit of a slump.
Things on my to do list at the moment at:
- Wastelands.
- Learning Swedish.
- Applying my new programming skills.
- Fitness.
- Job/career progression.
Lets look at these one at a time.
Wastelands. Despite my current mental slump this is on my mind nearly constantly. The rules are going to go through another revision and I hope to build momentum again and try to inspire my friends to get involved once again.
Learning Swedish. This isn't too bothersome. Rosetta Stone is a very easy to pick up program and easily facilitates 10 minute lessons, which are great to fit in between things or when I get a random impulse.
Applying new programming skills. Having just come to the end of a IT module about Java programming, I feel I have knowledge which, if I can spend some time on it, will allow me to start making little games and pissing about with different ideas.
Fitness. This is very important, as it definitely has a big impact on everything else. The old cliché of "healthy body, healthy mind", is very true. I went for my first proper jog last week in over a year, at first I thought it had gone fine, but for the next few days I was nursing a very sore knee. Still a little way to go before I can really get back on top of this, which means I find myself lacking energy and enthusiasm.
Job/career. To make my Open Uni worthwhile I need to start trying to find IT jobs. I question myself sometimes, wondering whether it's what I actually want to do, but I just can't think of anything else and as I'm studying IT and computing, what else should I do?
I realise this isn't a very interesting post with not much to do with gaming. Sorry.
I finished my Open Uni the other week. Huzzah! As I was leading up to the deadline I was getting very restless and keen to get on with other things, but now the deadline has passed I've fallen into a bit of a slump.
Things on my to do list at the moment at:
- Wastelands.
- Learning Swedish.
- Applying my new programming skills.
- Fitness.
- Job/career progression.
Lets look at these one at a time.
Wastelands. Despite my current mental slump this is on my mind nearly constantly. The rules are going to go through another revision and I hope to build momentum again and try to inspire my friends to get involved once again.
Learning Swedish. This isn't too bothersome. Rosetta Stone is a very easy to pick up program and easily facilitates 10 minute lessons, which are great to fit in between things or when I get a random impulse.
Applying new programming skills. Having just come to the end of a IT module about Java programming, I feel I have knowledge which, if I can spend some time on it, will allow me to start making little games and pissing about with different ideas.
Fitness. This is very important, as it definitely has a big impact on everything else. The old cliché of "healthy body, healthy mind", is very true. I went for my first proper jog last week in over a year, at first I thought it had gone fine, but for the next few days I was nursing a very sore knee. Still a little way to go before I can really get back on top of this, which means I find myself lacking energy and enthusiasm.
Job/career. To make my Open Uni worthwhile I need to start trying to find IT jobs. I question myself sometimes, wondering whether it's what I actually want to do, but I just can't think of anything else and as I'm studying IT and computing, what else should I do?
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I realise this isn't a very interesting post with not much to do with gaming. Sorry.
Tuesday, 29 April 2014
Feeling the Gears of War love.
My brother gave me Gears of War (GoW) the board game for xmas and very kindly kept hold of it for 4 months so that he could paint all the minis inside. And they look fantastic! I generally dislike painting and avoid it at all costs, but I have to say it makes the game that much more engrossing when the bulk of objects players are looking at are well painted.
But how is Gears of War as a board game?
Well, it's a few years old now, I think it came out in 2011? That could be way off and a quick interweb search will find out the truth. The fact of it is though that after playing the first 2 missions, me and my gaming group love this game. We fell right into it, the rules are very straight forward and it's hard to miss any rules out as the game follows a very easy to follow sequence of phases - heal phase (draw 2 cards), order phase (play a card), locust activation phase (draw a locust AI card and do what it says).
What makes the game even better in my eyes is that it is purely co-operative. No-one in our group loves being a lone bad guy player, we like to either be at each other's throats or working together to beat a game.
How co-operative is it?
The co-operative element in GoW is very important and hard to avoid. However knowledgeable and accomplished a player maybe at the game, they will not succeed without helping and being helped by the other players.
A player uses cards to perform actions. When a player takes damage they lose cards. When a player wants to perform a 'special' action they need to discard a card. At the beginning of a player's turn they only draw 2 cards. This should highlight the fact that a player really only gains 1 card per turn and as soon as they take 1 damage or need to pick up some extra ammo, they're breaking even. However, all is not lost; some of the order cards players have will allow other players to draw cards or player's to perform actions out of sequence - these cards are vital to progressing.
These mechanics, mixed with the fact the bad guys (the locust) can do a lot of damage quite easily, means the players need to get moving, be daring and decisive to win. If you think hunkering down behind cover is probably better than charging in guns blazing, you may want to think again. But equally, charging in guns blazing without proper covering fire or the right weapon for the right job is just as stupid.
Any problems with the game?
I feel I really must start to be more critical of games. This blog has generally been a place for me to spew random thoughts and ideas out, but I end up ranting about my favourite games and glorifying them without equal and fair attention to the cons. And I believe some people do read this blog...
So, I can imagine if you have one very good player this game doesn't stop them from just telling the other players what they need to do. A bit like Pandemic, for all it's well deserved praise, this game could be boring for new players to play if the experienced heads don't let them make their own mistakes. I've been very lucky in that I've had very little extra exposure to this game than my gaming group, so each time we play we're essentially as knowledgeable about it as each other.
Also, re-playability cooooould be a problem. I hesitate here a little as this is a tactical combat game. What that means to me is that it's less about the goal as it is about the game mechanics. For example, I don't play battlefield or dark souls because I want to complete it, but because I love playing it. So far I can easily see myself playing missions again just because it's fun to play it. BUT, if you are a more classical board gamer, you may get bored going through the same missions again once you've completed them, as you're essentially just running through the same list of objectives. I think there are 7 or 8 missions in the box, each with randomly drawn map tiles, which do significantly alter how the flow of the game will go.
Lastly, some of the missions have locust creatures which aren't represented by models in the game, thus requiring you to use alts. For a top quality Fantasy Flight game, that's pretty crazy? And with no expansions looking like coming out, this fault will probably never be rectified - except for acquiring them from Heroclix, which are pretty poor quality models, but might be the only answer.
Conclusion?
If you like challenging, tactical combat, I don't know of any board games that do it better than this. The AI cards are very well designed and work almost seamlessly; the AI never seems to do anything stupid or that doesn't make sense.
It is a relentless struggle and steeped in Gears of War theme.
The models are stunningly beautiful for a ~£50 board game and if you, or someone willing, can spare the time to paint them they look even better.
Going back to re-playability, this game would love a big box expansion with more minis in, fresh board pieces and new missions. It's been out a good few years, with newer games getting multiple expansions during the time it's been out. There is only one little card expansion for GoW, with 2 new missions.
For the next few months I think this is going to be a regular on my gaming table and I'm looking forward to seeing how the horde mode works.
I'm really keen to get back into some xbox GoWing too....
But how is Gears of War as a board game?
Well, it's a few years old now, I think it came out in 2011? That could be way off and a quick interweb search will find out the truth. The fact of it is though that after playing the first 2 missions, me and my gaming group love this game. We fell right into it, the rules are very straight forward and it's hard to miss any rules out as the game follows a very easy to follow sequence of phases - heal phase (draw 2 cards), order phase (play a card), locust activation phase (draw a locust AI card and do what it says).
What makes the game even better in my eyes is that it is purely co-operative. No-one in our group loves being a lone bad guy player, we like to either be at each other's throats or working together to beat a game.
How co-operative is it?
The co-operative element in GoW is very important and hard to avoid. However knowledgeable and accomplished a player maybe at the game, they will not succeed without helping and being helped by the other players.
A player uses cards to perform actions. When a player takes damage they lose cards. When a player wants to perform a 'special' action they need to discard a card. At the beginning of a player's turn they only draw 2 cards. This should highlight the fact that a player really only gains 1 card per turn and as soon as they take 1 damage or need to pick up some extra ammo, they're breaking even. However, all is not lost; some of the order cards players have will allow other players to draw cards or player's to perform actions out of sequence - these cards are vital to progressing.
These mechanics, mixed with the fact the bad guys (the locust) can do a lot of damage quite easily, means the players need to get moving, be daring and decisive to win. If you think hunkering down behind cover is probably better than charging in guns blazing, you may want to think again. But equally, charging in guns blazing without proper covering fire or the right weapon for the right job is just as stupid.
Any problems with the game?
I feel I really must start to be more critical of games. This blog has generally been a place for me to spew random thoughts and ideas out, but I end up ranting about my favourite games and glorifying them without equal and fair attention to the cons. And I believe some people do read this blog...
So, I can imagine if you have one very good player this game doesn't stop them from just telling the other players what they need to do. A bit like Pandemic, for all it's well deserved praise, this game could be boring for new players to play if the experienced heads don't let them make their own mistakes. I've been very lucky in that I've had very little extra exposure to this game than my gaming group, so each time we play we're essentially as knowledgeable about it as each other.
Also, re-playability cooooould be a problem. I hesitate here a little as this is a tactical combat game. What that means to me is that it's less about the goal as it is about the game mechanics. For example, I don't play battlefield or dark souls because I want to complete it, but because I love playing it. So far I can easily see myself playing missions again just because it's fun to play it. BUT, if you are a more classical board gamer, you may get bored going through the same missions again once you've completed them, as you're essentially just running through the same list of objectives. I think there are 7 or 8 missions in the box, each with randomly drawn map tiles, which do significantly alter how the flow of the game will go.
Lastly, some of the missions have locust creatures which aren't represented by models in the game, thus requiring you to use alts. For a top quality Fantasy Flight game, that's pretty crazy? And with no expansions looking like coming out, this fault will probably never be rectified - except for acquiring them from Heroclix, which are pretty poor quality models, but might be the only answer.
Conclusion?
If you like challenging, tactical combat, I don't know of any board games that do it better than this. The AI cards are very well designed and work almost seamlessly; the AI never seems to do anything stupid or that doesn't make sense.
It is a relentless struggle and steeped in Gears of War theme.
The models are stunningly beautiful for a ~£50 board game and if you, or someone willing, can spare the time to paint them they look even better.
Going back to re-playability, this game would love a big box expansion with more minis in, fresh board pieces and new missions. It's been out a good few years, with newer games getting multiple expansions during the time it's been out. There is only one little card expansion for GoW, with 2 new missions.
For the next few months I think this is going to be a regular on my gaming table and I'm looking forward to seeing how the horde mode works.
I'm really keen to get back into some xbox GoWing too....
Thursday, 3 April 2014
World of Tanks - more British tanks please...
World of Tanks is a pretty good game.
Still playing this with one of my friends, and every now and then a few other people too. The game really works best when playing as part of a team, as the different tank classes compliment each other and cover each other's weaknesses.
I really just wanted to write this post as I'm eagerly anticipating more British tanks! I've been reading about the Cromwell medium tank and it's successors and they sound really exciting. Also, the Sherman is already in the game for the yanks, but us Brits had our own adaptation of it, the Sherman Firefly, and for some reason they've neglected to put this into the British tank tech-tree!
The Sherman Firefly was a basic Sherman with the British 17 pounder (edit - 17 pounder, not 18) anti-tank gun on it. For various reasons the yanks disregarded it and I'd be interested to find out why this was, but German accounts state that these Shermans were particularly feared and at the very end of the war the yanks did start to order these tanks from us Brits only for the war in Europe to end and the delivery never took place.
If you have some spare time and a relatively good gaming PC or an xbox 360, I strongly recommend this game.
It's free and based on WW2 tanks - what's not to like?!
Still playing this with one of my friends, and every now and then a few other people too. The game really works best when playing as part of a team, as the different tank classes compliment each other and cover each other's weaknesses.
I really just wanted to write this post as I'm eagerly anticipating more British tanks! I've been reading about the Cromwell medium tank and it's successors and they sound really exciting. Also, the Sherman is already in the game for the yanks, but us Brits had our own adaptation of it, the Sherman Firefly, and for some reason they've neglected to put this into the British tank tech-tree!
The Sherman Firefly was a basic Sherman with the British 17 pounder (edit - 17 pounder, not 18) anti-tank gun on it. For various reasons the yanks disregarded it and I'd be interested to find out why this was, but German accounts state that these Shermans were particularly feared and at the very end of the war the yanks did start to order these tanks from us Brits only for the war in Europe to end and the delivery never took place.
If you have some spare time and a relatively good gaming PC or an xbox 360, I strongly recommend this game.
It's free and based on WW2 tanks - what's not to like?!
TALISMAN!
I love Talisman. I think it is a glorious game, which always leaves you with a story to tell afterwards, even if you have the most mundane of games.
My friends and I played with both the Dungeon and the City expansion in one big game the other day and it was fantastic! I really felt that we, as players, had more control over our destinies than normal. Talisman is a game notorious for being almost completely luck based, but I would say it's moved on. For example, the city has shops that you don't need to roll the exact number to get to, as long as you have enough move you can walk into the shop and end your movement. Also, the different areas have clearly different characters and you move to that area having a good idea of what you will encounter. It has made me, more than ever, want to get the Highlands expansion, as it's a bit easier than the Dungeon and would act as a great area to go to before heading to the Dungeon.
Another big change aspect that I think affected the game was that I had sifted out a fair few cards from the main board's adventure deck, cards that I thought only slowed the game and didn't add any significant gameplay moments. This made the main game board far more productive and exciting and made moving between the corners less of a drag.
The one thing that really annoyed me though was the character I played, the Bounty Hunter. He was insanely powerful! I really cannot understand how a character like that was allowed to be put into the game, it's not like his abilities really epitomised a Bounty Hunter, they were just massively over powered! This is annoying in more than one way, not just that he was very powerful, but almost impossible to 'house rule' against, unlike the Dark Cultist who can easily be balanced by stopping them from using creatures as trophies if they decide to sacrifice them - easy. I think the Bounty Hunter is going to get a comfortable place at the bottom of my box, only to be used by novice players and on the odd occasion.
I'd like to conclude this post by stating, to all you Talisman nay-sayers, that the game is a toolset for you to enjoy! You don't have to play with every card, every time. Like so many games, if there are aspects that annoy you then take the parts out! I've done this with my Talisman set and it's made the game even better. I've got a nice little stack of unused cards in the bottom of my box, which I can re-integrate at any time, but until then, I'll keep adding to it until my adventure decks are filled with only exciting, perilous and non-time-wasting type cards. Just how I like it to be.
My friends and I played with both the Dungeon and the City expansion in one big game the other day and it was fantastic! I really felt that we, as players, had more control over our destinies than normal. Talisman is a game notorious for being almost completely luck based, but I would say it's moved on. For example, the city has shops that you don't need to roll the exact number to get to, as long as you have enough move you can walk into the shop and end your movement. Also, the different areas have clearly different characters and you move to that area having a good idea of what you will encounter. It has made me, more than ever, want to get the Highlands expansion, as it's a bit easier than the Dungeon and would act as a great area to go to before heading to the Dungeon.
Another big change aspect that I think affected the game was that I had sifted out a fair few cards from the main board's adventure deck, cards that I thought only slowed the game and didn't add any significant gameplay moments. This made the main game board far more productive and exciting and made moving between the corners less of a drag.
The one thing that really annoyed me though was the character I played, the Bounty Hunter. He was insanely powerful! I really cannot understand how a character like that was allowed to be put into the game, it's not like his abilities really epitomised a Bounty Hunter, they were just massively over powered! This is annoying in more than one way, not just that he was very powerful, but almost impossible to 'house rule' against, unlike the Dark Cultist who can easily be balanced by stopping them from using creatures as trophies if they decide to sacrifice them - easy. I think the Bounty Hunter is going to get a comfortable place at the bottom of my box, only to be used by novice players and on the odd occasion.
I'd like to conclude this post by stating, to all you Talisman nay-sayers, that the game is a toolset for you to enjoy! You don't have to play with every card, every time. Like so many games, if there are aspects that annoy you then take the parts out! I've done this with my Talisman set and it's made the game even better. I've got a nice little stack of unused cards in the bottom of my box, which I can re-integrate at any time, but until then, I'll keep adding to it until my adventure decks are filled with only exciting, perilous and non-time-wasting type cards. Just how I like it to be.
Tuesday, 25 March 2014
How much effort should a player need to commit to enjoy a game?
I was thinking about this today, while at work. Or rather, I was thinking about Dark Souls and thinking, would I have the opinion I have for this game if my mate hadn't made me play the game? And, in addition to that, given me some insight into it and some assistance.
I know that I wouldn't have enjoyed this game if I had no prior knowledge of it and just dived in. I would have got annoyed and probably put the game down pretty quickly. I honestly think I'd have never got past the "tutorial" - anyone who's played Dark Souls will know what part I'm referring to. I always go on about story and immersion and, on the surface at least, this isn't evident in Dark Souls.
Having been given a small insight into the game before getting into it gave me that little nudge so that I could figure out some big questions pretty quickly and meant I could get into the game. And now, having invested a lot of hours into it I think my mentality has been changed. My enjoyment for point and click adventures has grown since my exposure to Dark Souls, I think. It has been a defining game in my life and something of a epiphany - I now have a far greater appreciation for difficult challenges and seemingly impossible puzzles. I will certainly never look at computer games in the same way.
Going back to the title though, I think it's a difficult question. But I feel that developers have got softer and softer over the years; the vast majority of mainstream computer games now are like joy rides, you just hop on and once it's finished you hop off. Quick saves, life regeneration, waypoints and "heroic" player characters have taken the challenge out of games and I think it's been a deliberate move to make people feel good about themselves and make lots of sales.
If anyone reads this post I'd like them to think about what the most challenging game they ever played was and how old that game is? If I was to put Dark Souls to one side then I'd have to say it was Doom 2 - one of the greatest FPS ever - a game almost 20 years old.
I know that I wouldn't have enjoyed this game if I had no prior knowledge of it and just dived in. I would have got annoyed and probably put the game down pretty quickly. I honestly think I'd have never got past the "tutorial" - anyone who's played Dark Souls will know what part I'm referring to. I always go on about story and immersion and, on the surface at least, this isn't evident in Dark Souls.
Having been given a small insight into the game before getting into it gave me that little nudge so that I could figure out some big questions pretty quickly and meant I could get into the game. And now, having invested a lot of hours into it I think my mentality has been changed. My enjoyment for point and click adventures has grown since my exposure to Dark Souls, I think. It has been a defining game in my life and something of a epiphany - I now have a far greater appreciation for difficult challenges and seemingly impossible puzzles. I will certainly never look at computer games in the same way.
Going back to the title though, I think it's a difficult question. But I feel that developers have got softer and softer over the years; the vast majority of mainstream computer games now are like joy rides, you just hop on and once it's finished you hop off. Quick saves, life regeneration, waypoints and "heroic" player characters have taken the challenge out of games and I think it's been a deliberate move to make people feel good about themselves and make lots of sales.
If anyone reads this post I'd like them to think about what the most challenging game they ever played was and how old that game is? If I was to put Dark Souls to one side then I'd have to say it was Doom 2 - one of the greatest FPS ever - a game almost 20 years old.
Monday, 17 March 2014
Some thoughts on tabletop gaming - setup and deployment
Morning all,
I've been thinking a lot about table top gaming for a little while now - I think I mentioned that in a post a couple of months back?
I miss the tactile, physical nature of it. Seeing the models, moving formations of troops around, unleashing death upon my enemy from up close or far away, depending on what troops I have at my disposal.
Anyway, one of the thoughts I had recently was about setup and deployment, because I think this was a large reason behind the game becoming stale for me and my friends. By setup I'm referring to the terrain on the board and deployment is where the armies are first allowed to be positioned, obviously.
So, the classic table top game in our gaming group generally involved one side - usually the side with most firepower - setting up in a line of death, and the other - the side with better close combat - trying to deploy in such a way that they would take minimal damage before being able to engage the enemy. After years of this, we got bored of it and now it seems board games have taken over!
My thoughts started about how we always wanted to try and involve more story in our games, give them meaning. This was great in theory, but it really required a games master to be involved and the story HAS to mean something, otherwise it's just gloss over another round of tedious blood baths. Then my thoughts moved to how to make the actually game play fun, without a story to give it context.
What I would really like to try if/when I play some table top gaming is to make sure there are no defensible positions within any forces deployment zone. So when you set the board up you make it so each side can't see each other. In the middle of the table could be a village or a mountain or dense forest. Each army is then forced to move and find cover, find defensive positions and think how best to out-manoeuvre their opponent.
When putting terrain on the board, don't place things laterally, put hedgerows and walls at angles, so it covers from one direction, but not the other. Put a house right in the middle of an open area, so it doesn't turn into a killing field.
Basically, don't have the middle of the board as an open area the players fight across. Make the middle of the board an impassable obstacle the players have to fight around.
Playing attacker-defender sounds good in theory, but in my experience I can only see it working with a strong narrative. I'd like to try making the action dynamic and tricky by forcing the players to have to figure out where they need to go and how best to get there troops there without dying hideously.
I've been thinking a lot about table top gaming for a little while now - I think I mentioned that in a post a couple of months back?
I miss the tactile, physical nature of it. Seeing the models, moving formations of troops around, unleashing death upon my enemy from up close or far away, depending on what troops I have at my disposal.
Anyway, one of the thoughts I had recently was about setup and deployment, because I think this was a large reason behind the game becoming stale for me and my friends. By setup I'm referring to the terrain on the board and deployment is where the armies are first allowed to be positioned, obviously.
So, the classic table top game in our gaming group generally involved one side - usually the side with most firepower - setting up in a line of death, and the other - the side with better close combat - trying to deploy in such a way that they would take minimal damage before being able to engage the enemy. After years of this, we got bored of it and now it seems board games have taken over!
My thoughts started about how we always wanted to try and involve more story in our games, give them meaning. This was great in theory, but it really required a games master to be involved and the story HAS to mean something, otherwise it's just gloss over another round of tedious blood baths. Then my thoughts moved to how to make the actually game play fun, without a story to give it context.
What I would really like to try if/when I play some table top gaming is to make sure there are no defensible positions within any forces deployment zone. So when you set the board up you make it so each side can't see each other. In the middle of the table could be a village or a mountain or dense forest. Each army is then forced to move and find cover, find defensive positions and think how best to out-manoeuvre their opponent.
When putting terrain on the board, don't place things laterally, put hedgerows and walls at angles, so it covers from one direction, but not the other. Put a house right in the middle of an open area, so it doesn't turn into a killing field.
Basically, don't have the middle of the board as an open area the players fight across. Make the middle of the board an impassable obstacle the players have to fight around.
Playing attacker-defender sounds good in theory, but in my experience I can only see it working with a strong narrative. I'd like to try making the action dynamic and tricky by forcing the players to have to figure out where they need to go and how best to get there troops there without dying hideously.
-----------------------------------------
On another note, we never figured out how to make a good objective based game of 40k - it always ended up being a blood bath no matter how hard with tried. What I would like to try is having a steady flow of reinforcements. Try to make the game only end when the objectives are captured. It may result in some long games, but with a little thought I think they could be epic!
Sunday, 2 March 2014
Not much to write about at the moment, except a few things...
Hello!
I spend my life dreaming of playing and designing games. But my thoughts recently have been too erratic to put down in any cohesive way.
Recently I've been enjoying the delights of World of Tanks on xbox live. It's a thoroughly gripping and well designed game, which you can enjoy for free, but equally, if you want, can start pumping all your cash into the progress more quickly!
I feel the design of World of Tanks is very good though because I don't really feel any great need to pump money into it, at least, not for a good long time. It's only now that I've got some of the higher level tanks in my sights (to unlock) that investing a little money is starting to become more tempting. But I think this is a perfectly legit way to have designed the game. Forcing people to invest money to get any real depth out of a game from the get-go, when you've advertised it as free-to-play, is scandalous and becoming all too common - particularly in the mobile gaming market. Making an investing feel more and more appealing as people invest more and more time in the game feels a very sensible and honest approach.
Xbox live recently reduced Dante's Inferno to a few quid, so I invested. I've mentioned it in the distant past on this blog, but just to quickly go over it again, this is a God of War style hack'n'slash but set in the awesome setting of hell. As a single player experience, for a few quid, this game is an absolute must for those who like good story, engrossing game play, a stunningly evocative setting and harrowing sound track. Can't wait to give a little time to this one again.
I've not played Dark Souls since I downloaded World of Tanks. But it sits there, whispering in my ear, tempting me to dare crack it. To be honest I'm glad of the break from it. It'll make it that much more pleasurable when I decide to go back.
-------------------------------
In boardgaming news, my mates and I finished a whole campaign of Descent! Was a little bit of an anti-climax at the end, but we enjoyed it and look forward to playing again and even trying a different campaign. There are a few aspects to the game which were a turn off for me and I may discuss them in the future, but overall it was a very easy to get into, exciting and challenging game. I recommend it to anyone who likes dungeon crawling but doesn't have enough time for proper RPGing or one of the old skool dungeon crawlers.
This week I'm hoping to play with my the Talisman City expansion, along with everything else. And also try out Zpocalypse for the first time. I've also made a couple of updates to Wastelands which I really want to play test again. I want time to design games again... but priorities and deadlines... blah blah blah...
I spend my life dreaming of playing and designing games. But my thoughts recently have been too erratic to put down in any cohesive way.
Recently I've been enjoying the delights of World of Tanks on xbox live. It's a thoroughly gripping and well designed game, which you can enjoy for free, but equally, if you want, can start pumping all your cash into the progress more quickly!
I feel the design of World of Tanks is very good though because I don't really feel any great need to pump money into it, at least, not for a good long time. It's only now that I've got some of the higher level tanks in my sights (to unlock) that investing a little money is starting to become more tempting. But I think this is a perfectly legit way to have designed the game. Forcing people to invest money to get any real depth out of a game from the get-go, when you've advertised it as free-to-play, is scandalous and becoming all too common - particularly in the mobile gaming market. Making an investing feel more and more appealing as people invest more and more time in the game feels a very sensible and honest approach.
Xbox live recently reduced Dante's Inferno to a few quid, so I invested. I've mentioned it in the distant past on this blog, but just to quickly go over it again, this is a God of War style hack'n'slash but set in the awesome setting of hell. As a single player experience, for a few quid, this game is an absolute must for those who like good story, engrossing game play, a stunningly evocative setting and harrowing sound track. Can't wait to give a little time to this one again.
I've not played Dark Souls since I downloaded World of Tanks. But it sits there, whispering in my ear, tempting me to dare crack it. To be honest I'm glad of the break from it. It'll make it that much more pleasurable when I decide to go back.
-------------------------------
In boardgaming news, my mates and I finished a whole campaign of Descent! Was a little bit of an anti-climax at the end, but we enjoyed it and look forward to playing again and even trying a different campaign. There are a few aspects to the game which were a turn off for me and I may discuss them in the future, but overall it was a very easy to get into, exciting and challenging game. I recommend it to anyone who likes dungeon crawling but doesn't have enough time for proper RPGing or one of the old skool dungeon crawlers.
This week I'm hoping to play with my the Talisman City expansion, along with everything else. And also try out Zpocalypse for the first time. I've also made a couple of updates to Wastelands which I really want to play test again. I want time to design games again... but priorities and deadlines... blah blah blah...
Thursday, 13 February 2014
Dark Souls is incredible
Yes, I've just posted about how I want time to design Wastelands and now I'm writing again, straight away, to rave about a game I've been playing in free time. Well let me make my excuses first:
- Dark Souls in the only game I've played in a good few weeks and I've only just about clocked up 20 hours, which is less than 1 hour a day.
- Like when I got addicted to FTL, Dark Souls takes up short time slots just before I hit-the-sack, or when I'm waiting to do something or for someone or something. Basically, not properly constructive time.
With that out of the way I'll continue...
I just read when I previously posted about Dark Souls a couple of years ago and it pretty much sums it up:
http://musingsofagamefanatic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/dark-souls-brutal.html
But, I will now like to talk about it a little more, because I've got a lot better at the game, I've progressed a lot further and I've been able to appreciate a great deal more.
It really started to come together after I killed the Gargoyles - the big boss monsters guarding the first bell. It probably took me about 2 hours to finally learn how to kill them and pull it off. Honestly, if you asked me to kill them again I seriously doubt I'd do it the first 5 times - they were so hard! But after I managed it I felt the learning curve stopped being quite so steep, I found myself starting to be able to cope with changes in the environment, new enemies and mentally I felt the Gargoyles had been such a strong training tool, that I was more adaptable from then onwards. And I needed to be.
Dark Souls is a beautifully crafted game. Graphically there are a few frame rate issues and it doesn't look AAA, as I said in my previous post, but the game design is nearly flawless.
The world in Dark Souls all fits together beautifully. One area will fit into the next and then you realise that doors open into other areas, which become short cuts to others. At first this is confusing, but then you realise how this builds a wonderful world where you can explore and find short cuts and areas completely irrelevant to completing the main quest. The game really encourages exploration.
Also, at least at the point I am still at, there's no easy teleporting from one area to another. As I descended into the Depths and then further down into Blight Town, where I am now, a dark feeling came across me as I realised, "Once I'm finished down here, I've got to go up again..." No easy quick travel or teleportation, just a maze like slog up through dangerous enemies and traps, desperately finding one bonfire after another to rest at.
I was chatting to the friend who originally lent me Dark Souls 2 years back and we agreed that Dark Souls is so well designed that each area feels like a hurdle, which is hard to get over, not just another chapter in a story. Each area brings new enemies, which are nearly also very different from the previous area, the lighting will be totally different, the style of combat and things to look out for will change and the bosses guarding the key points will all require new tactics and things to consider. Even a veteran player will struggle to name all the bosses and mini bosses and how to kill them - and even if they can, I'll bet they can't actually do it all without a great deal of re-learning.
I hope I've not bored people who mind read this too much. Dark Souls is a truly great game and one which people should put time in to learn and appreciate. It's hard, very hard, but so rewarding.
And after 20 hours of gameplay I've rung the second bell and my friends say I've just got past the "easy bit"...
- Dark Souls in the only game I've played in a good few weeks and I've only just about clocked up 20 hours, which is less than 1 hour a day.
- Like when I got addicted to FTL, Dark Souls takes up short time slots just before I hit-the-sack, or when I'm waiting to do something or for someone or something. Basically, not properly constructive time.
With that out of the way I'll continue...
I just read when I previously posted about Dark Souls a couple of years ago and it pretty much sums it up:
http://musingsofagamefanatic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/dark-souls-brutal.html
But, I will now like to talk about it a little more, because I've got a lot better at the game, I've progressed a lot further and I've been able to appreciate a great deal more.
It really started to come together after I killed the Gargoyles - the big boss monsters guarding the first bell. It probably took me about 2 hours to finally learn how to kill them and pull it off. Honestly, if you asked me to kill them again I seriously doubt I'd do it the first 5 times - they were so hard! But after I managed it I felt the learning curve stopped being quite so steep, I found myself starting to be able to cope with changes in the environment, new enemies and mentally I felt the Gargoyles had been such a strong training tool, that I was more adaptable from then onwards. And I needed to be.
Dark Souls is a beautifully crafted game. Graphically there are a few frame rate issues and it doesn't look AAA, as I said in my previous post, but the game design is nearly flawless.
The world in Dark Souls all fits together beautifully. One area will fit into the next and then you realise that doors open into other areas, which become short cuts to others. At first this is confusing, but then you realise how this builds a wonderful world where you can explore and find short cuts and areas completely irrelevant to completing the main quest. The game really encourages exploration.
Also, at least at the point I am still at, there's no easy teleporting from one area to another. As I descended into the Depths and then further down into Blight Town, where I am now, a dark feeling came across me as I realised, "Once I'm finished down here, I've got to go up again..." No easy quick travel or teleportation, just a maze like slog up through dangerous enemies and traps, desperately finding one bonfire after another to rest at.
I was chatting to the friend who originally lent me Dark Souls 2 years back and we agreed that Dark Souls is so well designed that each area feels like a hurdle, which is hard to get over, not just another chapter in a story. Each area brings new enemies, which are nearly also very different from the previous area, the lighting will be totally different, the style of combat and things to look out for will change and the bosses guarding the key points will all require new tactics and things to consider. Even a veteran player will struggle to name all the bosses and mini bosses and how to kill them - and even if they can, I'll bet they can't actually do it all without a great deal of re-learning.
I hope I've not bored people who mind read this too much. Dark Souls is a truly great game and one which people should put time in to learn and appreciate. It's hard, very hard, but so rewarding.
And after 20 hours of gameplay I've rung the second bell and my friends say I've just got past the "easy bit"...
Just one month please!
I've had a lot of ideas running around in my head recently for game design and in particular Wastelands.
When I last left Wastelands I knew the game wasn't perfect, but I was in a pretty happy place knowing that it was fairly stable and very playable. In the last few weeks however I've had a few revelations, which I think will tweak the game in such a way as to be able to run even closer to my design brief and prevent even more of the, "what do I do?", syndrome which is caused when an aspect of the game just doesn't sink into a new player's mind.
Now, as of the beginning of February I've got a 4 month overlap between my Open Uni modules and consequently Wastelands will have to sit quietly and wait it's turn. Maybe if there's a gap between deadlines I'll give it a weekend. I have still not even sent a trial copy to my friend's down south, and they have been waiting for well over a year now! Probably more like 18 months...
I'm really excited for that time when I can really put time into Wastelands, and then the games that surround it - which are just quiet whispers at the moment.
When I last left Wastelands I knew the game wasn't perfect, but I was in a pretty happy place knowing that it was fairly stable and very playable. In the last few weeks however I've had a few revelations, which I think will tweak the game in such a way as to be able to run even closer to my design brief and prevent even more of the, "what do I do?", syndrome which is caused when an aspect of the game just doesn't sink into a new player's mind.
Now, as of the beginning of February I've got a 4 month overlap between my Open Uni modules and consequently Wastelands will have to sit quietly and wait it's turn. Maybe if there's a gap between deadlines I'll give it a weekend. I have still not even sent a trial copy to my friend's down south, and they have been waiting for well over a year now! Probably more like 18 months...
I'm really excited for that time when I can really put time into Wastelands, and then the games that surround it - which are just quiet whispers at the moment.
Monday, 20 January 2014
Castle Crashers
I forgot how much fun this game is! It's been on xbox live arcade for some years now, but even more up to date side scrolling hack'n'slash games don't come up to the standard of this legendary game - it was/is(?) in the top arcade games on xbox live ever since it was released about 5 years ago!
If anyone reading this enjoys streets of rage or golden axe, this is an ultra fun 1-4 player with the addition of collectable weapons, pets and characters, all set in a bizarre, spoofy medieval fantasy world.
Just spend the small amount of money for the game and it's expansions, then drag 3 friends round and enjoy every aspect of this brilliantly designed arcade side-scroller.
If anyone reading this enjoys streets of rage or golden axe, this is an ultra fun 1-4 player with the addition of collectable weapons, pets and characters, all set in a bizarre, spoofy medieval fantasy world.
Just spend the small amount of money for the game and it's expansions, then drag 3 friends round and enjoy every aspect of this brilliantly designed arcade side-scroller.
Homage to my gaming group
Just a quite post to say that the gaming group I've been playing with for the last year or so are mega unreliable, but when we actually get together I've rarely had such fun playing boardgames, roleplay games and 4 player console games.
Our regular Talisman games are epic, we've indulged in a fair bit of Pathfinder roleplay and are currently exploring the depths of Descent. Looking forward to trying Relic, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and maybe some Star Wars Edge of the Empire, if I actually give in to buying the beginner the box for us to try.
Bring on next Monday!
Our regular Talisman games are epic, we've indulged in a fair bit of Pathfinder roleplay and are currently exploring the depths of Descent. Looking forward to trying Relic, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and maybe some Star Wars Edge of the Empire, if I actually give in to buying the beginner the box for us to try.
Bring on next Monday!
Dark Souls and Shadow of the Colossus
I've been thinking for a few weeks now that I should go back to Dark Souls and give it another crack. But just recently I saw a bit of a live stream of Shadow of the Colossus and remember a friend of mine raving about it a few years back. I think these are two games that have aged very well and really deserve to be played fully. Consequently my note here today is more a reminder to me for the future, when I have a bit of time, and if you've never heard of either of these days then shame on you!!
Tuesday, 14 January 2014
Battlefield 4. The down turn for Battlefield games?
I've known about this game coming out for a long time and in fact it's been out for a while now, but I've felt no inclination to buy it.
I think one of the reasons for not wanting to get it is because of the next gen consoles, which I have no urgency to buy, and I feel that I would buy a game like Battlefield 4 when I get a PS4, as I really doubt the xbox 360 can do the game justice.
The other is that the game just looks too big. I played the beta a little and found the only playable level huge and kind of uncharacterful. It was just a bit bland. They're trying to accommodate every style of modern warfare into one arena but I think it's gone too far. Some friends of mine didn't like Battlefield 3 for this reason.
To a certain extend Battlefield 3 did lack something from Bad Company 2, but it also felt a bit more of a simulation. I always said I preferred the gameplay in Battlefield 3, I liked how it felt a little more real with the suppression and more realistic approach to weapons and kit selection. I was also lucky that both my brothers and another mate all hopped into Battlefield 3 and we enjoyed it for a good while together.
If I had to choose between my favourite between Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3, it would be tough. I think as a whole package Bad Company 2 was so much slicker and I think my brothers, friends and I had more fun in it. The maps in Bad Company 2 seemed better designed and were a lot more personal. Also, the Vietnam expansion was brilliant!
So, on the surface Battlefield 4 really doesn't excite, they've gone too far!!! I miss the days when DiCE would bring out a new Battlefield game set in a different setting - not just pump out yet another modern day shooter. But I think this is the future for them now. A steady stream of modern day shooters pumped out one after the other.
I miss Battlefield 2142. How about an update of that one?
I think one of the reasons for not wanting to get it is because of the next gen consoles, which I have no urgency to buy, and I feel that I would buy a game like Battlefield 4 when I get a PS4, as I really doubt the xbox 360 can do the game justice.
The other is that the game just looks too big. I played the beta a little and found the only playable level huge and kind of uncharacterful. It was just a bit bland. They're trying to accommodate every style of modern warfare into one arena but I think it's gone too far. Some friends of mine didn't like Battlefield 3 for this reason.
To a certain extend Battlefield 3 did lack something from Bad Company 2, but it also felt a bit more of a simulation. I always said I preferred the gameplay in Battlefield 3, I liked how it felt a little more real with the suppression and more realistic approach to weapons and kit selection. I was also lucky that both my brothers and another mate all hopped into Battlefield 3 and we enjoyed it for a good while together.
If I had to choose between my favourite between Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3, it would be tough. I think as a whole package Bad Company 2 was so much slicker and I think my brothers, friends and I had more fun in it. The maps in Bad Company 2 seemed better designed and were a lot more personal. Also, the Vietnam expansion was brilliant!
So, on the surface Battlefield 4 really doesn't excite, they've gone too far!!! I miss the days when DiCE would bring out a new Battlefield game set in a different setting - not just pump out yet another modern day shooter. But I think this is the future for them now. A steady stream of modern day shooters pumped out one after the other.
I miss Battlefield 2142. How about an update of that one?
Sunday, 12 January 2014
Iron Brigade is a lot of fun, but where do I go now?
In my previous post I've mentioned about short bouts of gaming and Iron Brigade has pretty much dominated this time, along with a little revival into Skyrim (I think I'm actually enjoying it!).
A mate of mine and I have been working away at it and completed all the achievements and nearly finished all our regimental targets! We're still enjoying it to. It definitely has been a game where once we finished what the game set us as targets we've just embraced the freedom to try crazy stuff and just play with whatever weapons we want. It's been fantastic fun and I don't think we'll be binning the game too soon, as it's just perfect for our short xbox live binges of mayhem and destruction.
This game was definitely one of my favourite discoveries of last year and I feel slightly guilty that I only discovered it after it was being given away for free, as I feel I want to give some money to Double Fine for making such a fine game! (see what I did there?).
I do have my eye out for a new game to indulge in. The same friend who I've been playing Iron Brigade with has now purchased GTA V, which is a great selection, but I fear I cannot commit to such a large game as I have so much else on. The pressure may become too much though... we'll see.
A mate of mine and I have been working away at it and completed all the achievements and nearly finished all our regimental targets! We're still enjoying it to. It definitely has been a game where once we finished what the game set us as targets we've just embraced the freedom to try crazy stuff and just play with whatever weapons we want. It's been fantastic fun and I don't think we'll be binning the game too soon, as it's just perfect for our short xbox live binges of mayhem and destruction.
This game was definitely one of my favourite discoveries of last year and I feel slightly guilty that I only discovered it after it was being given away for free, as I feel I want to give some money to Double Fine for making such a fine game! (see what I did there?).
I do have my eye out for a new game to indulge in. The same friend who I've been playing Iron Brigade with has now purchased GTA V, which is a great selection, but I fear I cannot commit to such a large game as I have so much else on. The pressure may become too much though... we'll see.
Merry new year...
2013 was a fairly rubbish year for me. So I'm very pleased to be in a new one, not that it should actually make any difference, but it sort of does - doesn't it?
Anyway, when I look back over my posts for last year it all started out with a lot of optimism, but then slowly dwindled as the year went on. To be honest there were a few reasons for this: my right knee was being rubbish and not working, Open Uni required a lot of time and I had to change jobs which cut out nearly all my free time. But that aside, I think things can only really get better at the moment. My GF and I have been ill for a fairly long time since xmas, but we're both nearly fully up and running and ready to tackle the new year!! (a few weeks late, granted).
So what were my favourite things from last year, I hear you cry! Well, I did have a good couple of weeks where I knocked out Wastelands v2.3 and I am still pretty chuffed with it because it was definitely the most successful version to date, although still in dire need of a lot more play testing. Also, I indulged in RAGE!!! a great amount and really enjoyed beating it on nightmare difficulty! I also chatted a lot to mates and my brothers about good old games, which I think we will be seeing a sort of revival this year. I should say, not so much of a revival, but a re-imagining. We tried to "revive" our 40k gaming a few years back to much stale boringness. But now my brothers have discovered Bolt Action and Flames of War and they look very exciting! So I'm keen to try and get back into the table top gaming spirit. There are a few other titles out there that are tickling my taste buds too, but I'll maybe mention those in a future post.
Right, so what will 2014 bring for me? A lot of uncertainty right now but hopefully by the end of the year my wonderful woman and I will find a little stability somewhere, I'll be over half way through my Open Uni degree and better able to program and start pissing around with Java and maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to get back into a little writing.
For now it's just job-work, Open Uni work and trying to squeeze little bouts of gaming with my mates on a Monday. I'll keep you posted! (and if my brothers are reading this, I will try and find time to do some painting but I just haven't the time right now).
Onwards into 20134!
Anyway, when I look back over my posts for last year it all started out with a lot of optimism, but then slowly dwindled as the year went on. To be honest there were a few reasons for this: my right knee was being rubbish and not working, Open Uni required a lot of time and I had to change jobs which cut out nearly all my free time. But that aside, I think things can only really get better at the moment. My GF and I have been ill for a fairly long time since xmas, but we're both nearly fully up and running and ready to tackle the new year!! (a few weeks late, granted).
So what were my favourite things from last year, I hear you cry! Well, I did have a good couple of weeks where I knocked out Wastelands v2.3 and I am still pretty chuffed with it because it was definitely the most successful version to date, although still in dire need of a lot more play testing. Also, I indulged in RAGE!!! a great amount and really enjoyed beating it on nightmare difficulty! I also chatted a lot to mates and my brothers about good old games, which I think we will be seeing a sort of revival this year. I should say, not so much of a revival, but a re-imagining. We tried to "revive" our 40k gaming a few years back to much stale boringness. But now my brothers have discovered Bolt Action and Flames of War and they look very exciting! So I'm keen to try and get back into the table top gaming spirit. There are a few other titles out there that are tickling my taste buds too, but I'll maybe mention those in a future post.
Right, so what will 2014 bring for me? A lot of uncertainty right now but hopefully by the end of the year my wonderful woman and I will find a little stability somewhere, I'll be over half way through my Open Uni degree and better able to program and start pissing around with Java and maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to get back into a little writing.
For now it's just job-work, Open Uni work and trying to squeeze little bouts of gaming with my mates on a Monday. I'll keep you posted! (and if my brothers are reading this, I will try and find time to do some painting but I just haven't the time right now).
Onwards into 201
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