Modesty Studios

Getting Ready for 2012

2011-12-30T14:03:00.000-08:00

Oh 2012, what new exciting things can I hope for in this year. Here's what's going down now.

1) Corvidology is working on a fashion app.
2) I'm still chipping away at my VN Line of Heroes. With only minor updates since the last one.
3) I'm also working on a few Dating Sims. I've finished scripting one. I'm so proud of me for figuring it out.
4) 7 Eldest is in book 2. I still don't give it all the love and attention it deserves.
5) Also kind of looking for a new job. ^^

Project Update: Line of Heroes

2011-08-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

Lots of progress has been made on this project actually.
I've finished most of the scripting so it is now playable. :D

Artwork is really going to pose a challenge I think. So far I think everyone has 1 sprite.

I still need to make:
Title screen - sketched
Sprites - need costume changes and various emotions.
Music - found some royalty free music and sound effects.
Backgrounds - ugh
CGI - meh
UI elements - might stick with default

Assume makes an...

2011-07-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

Assuming things about your audience can definitely make an ass out of you (and me). And sometimes, it feels like some games designs are built on this foundation of assumptions about its players that might be excluding a large market.

So what inspired this was something I noticed in my email. Several months ago, I had joined Lord of the Rings Online so I could keep in touch with my boyfriend who enjoyed WoW. It was a free MMO (since I was not quite willing to pay a subscription fee). And quite seriously a little gem in the MMO scene.

Today I had received notice that their game guides had been updated and the message was very new player friendly. It had a colorful list of new player and beginner MMO guides to the game.
When I had first heard about this MMO it was at GDC. A developer was explaining to me how LOTR Online was aimed for a more mature group of people and that it was not as 'immature' as WoW. Now my research on MMOs had pointed out that these games attract the most unlikely player types.

What this site full of tutorial guides said to me was: "We are friendly to new players and non-players and n00bs." Anyone just starting out with this kind of gaming experience is going to feel intimidated because there are thousands of others all around playing the game effortlessly. It is like entering a new country where you only know a few words of the language.

My experience playing LOTR online was positive overall. The game cared about the fanbase which consisted mostly of fans of the franchise.

WoW also has a very good Beginner's Guide in addition to hundreds of supplemental guides about the details of the game. Both LOTRO and WoW have good hand holding in-game tutorials. Although, LOTRO allowed for the very, very beginning of the quest be in an area where the user was alone so they could adjust to the game controls. Personally I find this highly useful as a new player because there's less social pressure in performing well. After that first portion then it opens up to the new player area and I can meet other players starting on a new character. There are several more new player quests that help familiarize the player with the game before entering the "real world".

Easing the player into a MMO is a good method utilized by many games. However, the tutorial itself should be easy to understand. If your game is going to be aimed at general audiences, then you have to do some tailoring to the non-gamer. How the language is presented in the tutorial is important. To some new gamers, some lingo or glossary terms should be established. It may seem dumb to an RPG gamer to have a reminder of what HP stands for but it is intimidating to see all these terms and bars on a screen.

In one of my books on game design, (can't remember which) it stressed the importance of releasing new information to the player in chunks. Give them time to feel like they have mastered one element before introducing a new one.

In Conclusion, designing an accessible game is possible if time is taken to think of how a complete non-gamer might interact with it. What might frustrate them? What would confuse them? How can we alleviate some of the stress associated with learning a new skill? Likewise, you have to choose who you are excluding in your audience. If you make this an active choice then you consciously make a better effort to cater to your intended audience. If you subconsciously exclude an audience, you are losing by making general assumptions.

For more advice about ingame tutorials, please refer to Extra Credits.
Also about Sharing with Non-Players.

Angry Chicks

2011-07-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

Another bit of a rant about games, or really one game. Angry fucking Birds.
As an iPhone game developer, I can assure you that the easiest way to piss us off is to ask us about Angry Birds. In casual conversation when I bring up my profession, guaranteed 100% of the time the person will ask something along the lines of: Oh iPhone games, you mean like Angry Birds.
Or my personal favorite:
"Oh you know my son/daughter plays this one game alot...what was it?"
Me: Angry Birds. (There is no intonation of a question in this response. It's a factual response.)
"Yes that's the one."

What. The. Fuck. Seriously, has Angry Birds become the FACE of the App Store? It really feels like it has. Yay for that company...they have made it into infamy. And I get so pissed off seeing their fisking merchandise at the mall.

Jealous? Perhaps a bit, but on the other hand I'm REALLY glad that an iPhone game has gotten that huge. That makes the platform meaningful for a wide audience. A larger demographic accepts the iPhone and iPad as a gaming platform.
But it does the rest of us no good if all people are playing is Angry Birds.

The other thing that gets my goat is that this kind of sets a bar as to what the expectations of an iPhone game should be. It's a physics puzzle. Granted there are a lot of these types of games on the App Store but it really hampers creative expansion if the only games that sell well are the physics puzzlers. The company I previously worked for had a staff dedicated to creating full 3D game experiences with wonderful graphics and console like mentality. These games are just not doing as well as the little physics puzzlers.

So here's to hoping that iPhone developers make a game that will finally shake the birds from their throne. And here's to hoping that my company Corvidology is heading down that path with out games.

Speaking of which, we've released our first title: Hubbub.
I'd appreciate the support!

Opinion: Games for Me?

2011-06-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

So I spent some time catching up on all the buzz about E3. Well some of the buzz really. And while some may be excited, I've found nothing on the horizon that lifts my spirits. I'm starting to worry about the game development industry.

Nintendo Not Cool Anymore?
You know, I grew up with Nintendo. Its the company that got me back into gaming and was the only console we ever owned. I'm nervous about what this company is doing. The WiiU seems like a smart step as it is well...an iPad in disguise. Although I like the 3DS, I don't see any interesting or fun release titles. I bought a 3DS in part because of the new Zelda and Kid Icarus but mostly because I wanted a new DS that actually connects to my wireless and I can download games on. (Because its a platform my company is considering in the future).

Perhaps Nintendo is banking on their portable devices since their gimmick devices are not doing so great anymore. However, the series that got me back into gaming, Legend of Zelda, seems like its singing its swan song. I'm setting my bar low for this one.

Games for All Audiences?
Outside of Nintendo and a few art games (which are AWESOME) I'm seeing a flood gate of FPS games. With space marines or a sci-fi setting. Not to harp but I'm not a fan of the space genre. There wasn't really any games that I could get pumped about or even INTERESTED. I suppose because they all came out this year. :/

There really wasn't anything that seemed to have an intriguing or welcoming setting for my interests. Which I guess leaves ME time to finish some other games or replaying some of my old favorites.

I suppose I'm just really, really frustrated that the releases are basically focused on two audiences: Adult Male Gamers (dedicating several hours to gameplay) or Kids/Casual (basically "non-gamers").
OMG...really how loud do I have to effen shout here. There is a demographic of Adult FEMALE gamers that dedicate several hours per DAY to games. And chicks LOVE shopping so we'll be taking that DLC thank you.
And as much as I like EA games, they still SUCK at marketing it to BOTH males and females. Which is a SHAME because their games are REALLY well written to fantasy/sci-fi fans of both sexes. And yes their style of game play allows for that. I suppose I'm a floozy and I want MORE than one company to cling to.
Well, I do have Atlus but they've been disappointing of late. While part of me is very curious about Catherine...it's still a male perspective.

Where My Girls At?
Maybe I'm blind, but is Tomb Raider really the only title with a female lead I can look forward to? I mean, I'm proud of where Laura has come from and really what she represents in her GAME (not her marketing). She's a woman in a male-dominant profession, but still treated like an object by marketing. Even SHE is not for female gamers and SHE SHOULD BE.

Really, can't I even have one? What Commander Shepherd? No...no because it's still marketed as a MALE lead character despite the user being able to change that. And I love the company oodles and oodles but would it hurt to market at game with a female protagonist?

Do male gamers really feel SO EXCLUDED if the lead character is female? Does that make the game "not for you"? I understand if the main character is Princess Peach then yes, less appealing. That game is not for me either. I want more Lara Crofts...I want more Captain Chris (Suikoden 3)...I want more female Hawke/Shepherd,

And I really wish there was more I can do besides rant on a blog. It's whiny and stupid. I get emails every day from the Women in Games group and it is mostly letting off the steam we feel in the industry. So I've steamed off.
Speaking of Steam...I should re-download that and get Portal 2. That'll boost my spirits. :3
Or I can dream of the day when I'm ridiculously wealthy and have a game studio at my beck and call to make games tailored to ME. That would be bad ass.

Irreverence

2011-06-01T22:20:00.000-07:00

Controversy and gaming can almost be synonymous. Reasons why or subject matters will offend differ between parties. However, most of this thought bubble was actually inspired by an anime series I started watching and feel confused about my feelings towards it. I feel like I have accepted the 'offense' no longer or never really offended me.

Rooms with Elephants
The series that sparked these thought bubbles is called "Hetalia: Axis Powers" which is an anime series where the episodes are 5 minutes of loose history about the relations of countries during WW2 and other points in history. All countries are 'personified' as characters with certain stereotypical traits.
While the stereotypes are funny generalizations, they are generalizations made by a Japanese perspective. I've only gotten through season 2 but I keep waiting for that 'elephant in the room' to be acknowledged. The Axis powers did some pretty terrible things. Also America did something terrible to Japan. But because the show is a comedy they have continued to skirt the incident. But it looms. The fact they are poking fun at the Great Wars means something about this up and coming generation. And perhaps about the audience that enjoys the series.

I'm actually slightly ashamed that I find aspects of the series hilarious. It reminds me of stand up comedy, which can be very irreverent and that's why it's funny.

Reverence
Outside of comedy, irreverent generalizations or stereotypes are not acceptable to general audiences. With the reveal of the Duke Nukem: Forever 'Capture the Babe' mini-game, had an irreverent stereotype and behavior towards women. Fans of gaming and the series, have already accepted Duke's irreverence as part of his character traits. They see it as comedy. Outside that circle, the laughs fall short. That comedy is not for them and instead it comes off as insulting, degrading and offensive.
This is the same in stand-up comedy. Personally, I can laugh at jokes and skits that poke fun at my own faith Catholicism. However, the line gets crossed when they go for the molesting priest joke. Then they stop being funny to me. And everyone has a different line. Sometimes people can be convinced to 'move this line'.

Drawing the Line
Every person has a line that when crossed upsets them. However a person can change the line and move it. What it takes is treating the subject and the audience with respect. It's important that the potential audience not feel belittled or "abused" if they don't quite like the joke or situation. If set up right, they will give it a chance and possibly change their mind.
For example, I finally did a play through of Dragon Age: Origins with a romance option. This is something that when I first played the game I had no intention of doing. But since that time, I had played other mature titled games with sex scenes (RDR caught me off guard!) and well, I told myself that I'd played Sims2 often enough that I shouldn't be surprised. And I was no longer working in an environment where sex was talked about irreverently all the time.
And when Dragon Age 2 came along, I knew right away I would have to do the romance options at some point. And I'm glad I did because I was surprised that most of the romance scenes I had seen were kind of PG and done in a way I LIKE romance scenes...and how I've written them.

So that said, I have become more lenient to sex in games since they are not really pornographic. Not worse than I've seen (or covered my eyes at) in theaters.

Conclusion
Basically, it really takes a mature person to ease someone's mind about an irreverent topic or addressing social taboos. There are things that I feel everyone should hold sacred and not make fun of...such as victims of domestic violence, abuse, or sexual exploitation of children. The worst move would be to accuse the offended party as over-sensitive (even if they are) or belittle them. As a creator, you have to gain the audience's trust. Once you have it, it's maintenance but losing it will cause major damage.

Meta Stories and Games

2011-05-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

Another thought bubble about narrative and games. I've touched on the topic of meta-game elements several times but now we meet it head on. (apply directly to the forehead.)
First what do I mean by meta-game elements and stories? Where will this post go?

Meta-Game
I remember when I first ran into the term "meta-game" while studying table-top RPG games. For example, rolling the dice and points were meta-game elements. It could also mean elements that pertain to the game world but not the main focus of game play. In table top role play, the dice rolls and charts are necessary for the game but that is not the main focus of the game. That is to say that a person doesn't play D&D to roll dice...that's what Yahtzee is for. The goals of the game are to explore, complete tasks, and refine your character.

For a digital translation, this would be interface or the repeated actions in a game. In a game with random encounters (like a J-RPG), the main focus of the game is not these random encounters, those are just a necessity. Likewise, navigating through menus and managing stats are not part of the game proper. It's something you have to pause the game for to manage.

Meta-Stories
This is the concept of a story within a story. The purpose of a meta-story is to immerse the viewer into the fabricated world. Particularly in narrative driven games, there are myriads of little details that add to the story world. Anything from the art of the environment, to NPC dialogue and side-quests build the world making it more accessible to the player.

However, there is another aspect of meta-story that is beyond the control of the game developer. This would be the story that the player projects or perceives. This is the stuff that gamer web-comics THRIVE from.

Meta-Meta-Story
The player's experience with a game often allows them to project a part of themselves into the story. The illusion of control allows for this. It is possible in any game, even ones that do not come with pre-written narratives. These are the jokes, the silly things player's notice, or the moments the suspension of disbelief fail. This is what makes gamer comics what they are.
There are also elements of the meta-story that will just click with players and it becomes their favorite element of the game.

As a developer/designer you can help promote these instances in your game. However they are rather unpredictable. Easter eggs, glitches, or allusions to pop-culture are all ways that help hook a player deeper into the experience or pop them out of the experience for a laugh. These things are also very shareable so it gets people talking about the game with friends.

Conclusion
The devil's in the details they say. And details help flesh out a game that's easy to talk about and share with friends. Thus promoting the title. Granted its not something to rely on and like any spice should be applied in the right amount.

Dishonesty, Lies, and Comedy

2011-05-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

Straight up opinion this round, but I have recently started watching Glee after the encouragement from my sister. I've been making my way through the first season somehow but it's becoming harder and harder to continue to like the show. It brought up for me a couple of other things people have mentioned about romantic comedies and high school dramas.

Now for me, the only thing that keeps me interested in Glee is the music. I love musicals and having a TV show that is essentially a musical has some appeal to me. And it should come as no surprise that I was actually part of my school's "Glee Club" although we called it "Swing Choir", but it was basically the same thing. Wear a costume, choreograph a dance and sing at the same time. It was a mixed-bag experience for me because I love to sing and dance but felt bad that there was a lot of rivalry and politics between the teacher and students.

Let's talk about romantic comedies. One of my fellow podcast hosts explained to us once the reason he hated romantic comedies was that the joke or plot was contrived by the couples lying to each other or basing a relationship off a lie. And the big climax is when the truth is revealed. And I have to agree with him. The tension is contrived and lying is a horrible thing to do in a real relationship. I've had friends hurt very badly because of lies in a relationship.
Glee unfortunately has some elements of the relationship built on lies that I think are meant to be played as comedic ploys but everyone knows will have tragic results. It's actually painful to watch as it is so truly tragic.

The romantic tensions are just as bad...if not the same...in the students. Adding more tragedy. The main romantic tensions in Finn, Rachel and Quinn mirrors the tension between Mr. Shue, his wife, and the counselor chick. (I am bad with names.) They are almost point for point the same problem. Perhaps that's a statement about adults who never out-grow high school relationships, but it's nails on the chalkboard to me.

Then there's the weirdness that is "entertainment" high school which is built on contrived stereotypes about high school as set down by Hollywood. Perhaps because I've never went to a public high school so I don't know any better. However, I can't see the students as characters to care about, only their stereotype. There's nothing interesting even remotely about the students, who should be the stars of the show. Maybe it's because I'm not longer in high school and tend to find high school age teenagers annoying that I dislike them. Or maybe they're just bland characters. There are high school dramas that I do like...unfortunately most of them are animated and very silly. Because high school is very silly and so are teenagers. My favorite American high school comedy is "Mean Girls" that had some funny insight about groups in high school.

I can see why my sister would like it as she is still in high school and the other people I know like it never really left high school. I for one, remember high school as a rather miserable experience that was alleviated upon going to college and then moving over a thousand miles from my hometown. Immature relationships, I've seen too many of my friends hurt very badly and effectively crippling them as adults to find humor in immature high school relationships. The highschool I remember was not divided in the clear cut cliques based on activities, it was based on personality types and previous school and who your parents were and your wealth. The Debate Team did not get picked on by the football team. Our cheer squad was not made up of skinny, blondes that picked on the goths.

But there is the music and dancing. This is fun to watch. Having it set the mood of a particular problem or situation reminds me of stage musicals like Chicago, Wicked, or any Disney animated feature. But playing off lies and dishonesty as funny ruins the magic.

LOH: Backgrounds

2011-04-18T17:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a friend, I'm getting some 3D models for buildings for my backgrounds.
I will probably paint them myself otherwise.

Characters are pretty much designed, except for the main character. I still can't seem to draw her right. :P

Modding

2011-04-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

One of my not-so-secret pleasures about some games is the ability to MOD them aka modify. It takes a lot of time, talent and a workhorse of a computer but the results are amazing. Unfortunately I haven't been able to create my own mod for years thanks to work.

Mods
Mod communities are a proverbial cesspit of creative and talented folks sharing game content for FREE...usually. Utilizing the limits of the game to add something new and provide MORE playtime with that game. If I find a mod community for a game I usually download a thing or two. (Or a million in the case with the Sims).

What makes a good Mod
Mods can vary in type from program fixes, hacks and cosmetic changes to full blown extra stories, missions or DLC.
One of my university courses was to create a Mod using the Neverwinter Nights 2 Toolset for game writing. The whole experience taught me what really goes into creating a good mod.
Pre-planning has a lot to do with it and learning is the other half. Planning and experience really are what make a Mod good.

Getting into Mods
Some games come with a developer like software to help you mod your game! Usually the PC version, I'm not all that familiar with console modding although I'm sure it's been done. Other games have level builders, such as Little Big Planet.
However, some games have communities surrounding them that use freeware or purchased software to create mods, such as the Sims.
Getting into Modding is helpful if you are interested in getting into game development. It can be a nice addition to a portfolio. Mods showcase your talent in game art, writing, programming and design.

Conclusion
Even being mostly a casual user of mods, I really enjoy and appreciate the effort. And I'm always glad to find someone has the same interest I had when playing the game and thinking "so-and-so would look better as a red-head" or "that ending sucked, I wish I could change it" or "I want to play the whole game naked". <---Probably most common mod ever. :D
Meh...just another fluff post.

Interactive Storytelling

2011-03-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

Narrative has become a packaged deal with video games. The need for well-written games is becoming a selling point and a norm. And this is a good thing. Narratives have had a good long history in video games and where it is heading is an interesting journey.

Text Adventures/Point and Click Adventures

When games appeared on computers they took the form of text adventures. Programmatic inputs were necessary to interact with the world. And for the most part, players had a very strong connection with the narrative and story. Even to the point where they cried.

However, once these types of games became graphical like the Sierra Adventure games, a level of connection was severed slightly. While the input was the same, the output wasn't fuel for the players imagination. What could have been an epic was reduced to cartoon or comic style graphics.

It's similar to the experience of watching Lord of the Rings animated and reading the novels. The iconic almost comical style of the animation somewhat lessens the experience of the story. However, with more realism and cinematic styling as the live action films, the connection is restored and perhaps even enhanced by the visuals and audio.

Games have not yet achieved this realism nor do they always employ cinematic communication that has become so effective in film.

Role Play Game/Platformers

Moving on, one of the most story driven genres of games is RPGs and Action Adventure games. Role Play Games generally have the same game mechanics with minor variations here and there. So the draw of the game is not usually the mechanics of random battles and such. Characters and a plot to engage the player allows for that extra draw. It is what gives the game purpose. Platformers are like this too.

Especially for single player games a reason as to "why" the player is playing becomes tied with their involvement with it.

The Consoles

With the current generation of games available, narratives are everywhere although many retread tired ground. Nearly ever game genre has a story-mode to go through. Things are slowly becoming as diverse as films. There are horror stories, fantasy, sci-fi, war, melodrama, westerns, mythology, folklore (not the game the stories) and even historical.

Visual Novels

So have games become like literature in a sense? A visual means to tell a story?

There is a genre of "games" called visual novels that are just that. On screen characters and dialog that can be clicked through. Some of which are full of branching dialog. They are slowly becoming more prevalent in games but not in a Japanese Dating Game style...well...actually they sort of are. Currently, Western Visual Novels are broken up by exploration and battle systems between story cinematics. Games like Neverwinter Nights 2, Mass Effect and their ilk have a massive branching story that both validates player's actions and shapes the environment.

But then there are games like Heavy Rain which are like interactive movies.

Sandboxes, Legos, and Roads

It's all about how much control you put into the player's hands as far as the story goes.

In a sandbox game, the player defines the world however they like and tells their own story. (By sandbox games I do not mean games like GTA4 or Red Dead Redemption. I'm talking about games that can be full modded like the Sims or NWN2 toolset).

Other games give players tools to customize their story playing experience such as character customizing, choice systems and other world changing options. (This is what I think of with GTA4 and their ilk.)

And there are games that limit the player to one character and one storyline.

In other words, in sandboxes the player is the author, Lego games the player is co-author, and on road games the game developer is the author.

Appealing to a Wider Audience

The greatest difference between movies and games is their general appeal and accessibility.

Most people can handle sitting down and watching a movie. Not everyone can pick up a controller as easily.

Then there is the appeal of game stories vs film. In general, a war story only appeals to a limited audience. While I personally enjoy films like Gettysburg, I'm not particularly interested in films like the Hunt for Red October or Patton.

There are many well made and well loved war films and stories, but not so for games. They appeal to a niche.

Same with things like high fantasy, comic super heroes, and sci-fi. These are all niche audiences. Sure you CAN make stories from these genres appeal to a general audience. That is what film has been doing very well in the last decade or so. They have rebooted high fantasy tolerance with films like The Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, and their ilk. Comics with X-men, Iron Man, and Batman. And even sci-fi with the new Star Trek movie and Avatar.

Part of the appeal is that the audience doesn't control the story. It's told to them. But also elements like using specific actors, highlighting elements that appeal to many audiences (humor, romance, action) and balancing them accordingly.

Conclusion

I think video games stories should take a hint from Hollywood. They know how to make a story fit with a general audience. However, at the same time there are many very under appreciated games that tell wonderful stories that are either only small releases that no one hears about or advertising shot in the foot or they're just old.

With the multiple ways a narrative can be presented, I think games have untapped potential for delivering a truly emotional experience.

Script Done

2011-02-23T19:26:00.000-08:00

I finished the script a couple of weeks ago. Finally. Wow it took far too long to write that. Now I need to design and draw characters. >_< And backgrounds.

I'm periodically collecting music and sound effects.

Role Play

2011-02-09T14:03:00.000-08:00

When I was young, I role played all the time. When it was snowy out, I'd pretend I was a dinosaur and build a nest out of snow and pine needles. Sometimes I was an arctic fox or a squirrel or a unicorn. Sometimes I'd be my favorite Ninja Turtle or a Time Traveling Scientist. And there's some part of us that never really out grows this love of role playing...being someone we are not.

RPG
You could argue that ALL video games are in a certain sense a role playing game. (Just not in the genre). In a first person shooter, you are playing the role of a soldier, in a flight simulator you play the role of a pilot, in a real time strategy you play the role of a god. Yes you can be whoever you want to be in a game. You can disregard the rules of proper society and set things on fire without remorse or guilt.

However, the concept of Role Play as in the RolePlaying Game is vastly different than my child-like concept of playing pretend. I don't get to immerse myself in a role playing game. In fact I find RPG to be a huge misnomer. It borrows from table top role playing sure but what makes a table top experience immersive is that you still have to use your imagination.

I think the current scope of RPG games is frightfully limiting. I can be some breed of warrior knight, some kind of thief that does a really terrible job of sneaking around, or some sort of magic user that can also resort to fighting. Suddenly the only conflict presented to me is a combative one. Even in Japanese RPG games which usually have more colorful characters paints me into a fighter character somehow.

Limitations
Obviously a game can not hope to please everyone. However, I'm starting to like the concept of 'sandbox' gaming. Or Mod gaming. The development team of the game give me a storyline to follow but I'm also in a sand box. I can flit my time away not doing the main story mission of kill baddie x in doom fortress 25 and instead picking space flowers for my collection. The character may have a preset personality and look but when he's not in the main mission he's my performing monkey.

Granted, Red Dead Redemption is really my first taste of what a sandbox game is. I had played a moddable game before and loved it. But this was a new kind of fun. Sure, most games have elements of side quests and exploratory elements, but in a game like Zelda, I might get punished for it by means of a nagging NPC reminding me that there's another leg of mission to complete. It still has a linear structure to it.

Too Much Sand
On the other end of the spectrum, a game that is just a sandbox becomes The Sims. There is no objective unless you make one. Any game that has a large modding community usually lets a less than stellar programmer/3D artist create their own world, their own persona and act out nearly any fantasy.

This allows for what I would call "True Role Play" in the sense of playing pretend. I can be whoever I want to be in The Sims. I can be an anime character, a furry, a robot or if I pop in Spore I can be a dinosaur.
I can create my ideal friends and play dollhouse. However, the Sims is largely a single player experience. And as everyone should know, it's no fun being a deinonychus without a poor sucker stuck being a defenseless Anatasaurus.

Role Playing Together
I'm sure some days there are people that wish that the internet and by default online gameplay wasn't full of immature dickheads ruining the overall experience.
This ease of communication makes it possible to Role Play as your fantasy with another person. Both or you (or more) are free to make up the story as you go and live an experience not offered by graphical places. The downside to Massive-Multplayer games is the crowded space which doesn't allow for those of us playing 'pretend' to play in peace.

In that case...thank goodness for LAN multiplayer games.

Conclusion
My ultimate dream then would be a sandbox game that I could mod so that I can play with a small group of friends over a LAN connection. This brings out the best environment for child-like, narrative roleplay. Which at my age...I actually better play out by myself or only through text.

Wild Horses

2011-01-28T11:08:00.000-08:00

For the past year or so, I've been playing with the design of a horse riding RPG type game and I find recently that it's pretty much been made to an extent.
Yes, I finally got Red Dead Redemption and my lord it is a FUN game. I never was a fan of Westerns...not after reading Shane. *shudder* it haunts me so. However, I'm changing my mind on the genre ever since the movie, "Australia" and I got the idea for a story about a rough 'n' tough unicorn herder. (It's badass...I just need to draw it properly.)

But RDR has gone ahead and done it for me pretty much with their Undead pack (which I will totally get just because I can rope and tame a unicorn.) I'm actually a bit sad someone beat me to the punch.

Well, it's certainly been inspiring for me and it kind of works like a demo in a way for what I was planning. It also shows me the scope I can take it if I go the 3D route.

Some things I might improve upon:
Horse Stamina Meter - needs more of an identifier, that mini-map circle seriously lacks clear symbols. I mean I get it after awhile but I had NO idea that a horse had stamina.

Speed differences - these are not terribly obvious.

What did I just catch? - There are horse breeds with specific stats but it's not obvious just by looking or even by catching one what kind of horse I caught. Except for the donkey or the sickly horse, all other horses have the same basic build. There's nothing wrong with this but a notification about what I've caught informs me the player if the horse I've caught is any better or worse than my current steed or one of the horses necessary for an in game achievement/quest.

Breaking Meter - I could go both ways on this one. Part of me likes not knowing how much longer I have to stay on and part of me wants some indication because it might tell me something about the stats of the horse. (Since I think that the best horse in the game should be the hardest to break.) This ties in more with the previous point.

Custom Paint Job - You know, get some local Indians to war paint the horse or something. >_> The game was called Grand Theft Horse in some review, I thought it'd be cute. ^^

Still, any game where horse riding plays a central role is awesome. I especially appreciate it when it's useful and not just horse showing. I mean seriously, I feel kinda bad that horses are obsolete and now only serve as recreational fun. Then again, as a kid I never wanted to own or drive a car because I wanted a horse to take me everywhere. ^^

Let's Plays

2011-01-10T11:34:00.000-08:00

Recently, I've discovered fun Let's Play videos of people playing some of their favorite old games and giving commentary. Much mirth is to be found in these. I might try my own hand at a few.

So far here are some of my favorites:

Paw from That Guy with the Glasses
Let's Play Quickly: Kikoskia

Wow that's really not a lot. I'll add to this list as I discover more. In anycase, while I love watching game reviews that play snippets, I really love these because I can experience the game without playing. It's especially helpful when I'm at work because I can not play games at work (I just make them. :P). Sometimes they play obscure titles I know I won't ever have access to.

Enjoy!

Role of Character

2010-12-30T13:33:00.000-08:00

I read an article on the Escapist about How Game Stories Suck because the protagonist doesn't change. It got me thinking about the role of characters in a game and narrative. Why don't game characters change?

Dual Role
In my narrative heavy games, I sometimes feel there is a disconnect between the narrative character and my avatar. The narrative has set up this character to seem like a certain kind of person. However, as I begin playing, the character is no longer like that. For example, when playing a game like Legend of Zelda, Link is set up to be heroic, courageous, and trusted. However the actions the player performs as Link are hardly heroic. The cover up of course is that the game narrative ignores certain player actions. Particularly in Role Play Games (RPGs).

A game character has two roles in a narrative style game. The story character and the game character. Most games play these off as separate entities. This disconnect reduces the effect of change or perceived change in a character.

Story Structure
Narratives are truly linear in their presentation. That is the way narration works. A game narrative is not linear. Sure we may play "linear games". But they are only linear in level design or connected by cutscenes. However the narrative is mostly handled by cutscenes or dialog, character actions rarely make an impact on the story. Think about time within a game. In dialog, a character will tell the player to please hurry there's not much time to complete this task. The player may choose not to complete that task until later and suffer no penalty. The character requesting the action recites dialog as if the player completed the task on time instead of taking an in-game week. Time is a funny thing in games. Unless there is a timer on screen there's no rush. The narrative is 'in-charge' of real time, so you can stay several nights at an inn if you so desire.

This time anomaly removes the sense of danger or urgency, unless said timer is present. Danger and urgency connects the audience to the character in a narrative. Having that same urgency or time limit in a game does not add to the narrative or player-character relations. In most timed situations it can be a detractor as the player must now focus on completing the task instead of taking in the world and narrative.

The narrative however is not told through dialog alone but the whole world. Anything the player can look at or interact with tells part of the story. So much can be missed if the player is not looking. This is meta-data that a narrative story would portray only if it is necessary but this allows the story to be enriched in a way the player can care about if s/he so chooses. A player that stops to smell the roses gets to take in more of the game narrative.

Elements of Change
As I've pointed out before player action seems to have very little impact in terms of story and character behavior. Any impact that the player could have is predetermined by the game writer/designer. Narratively, if the writers lend us the control of a story character then through dialog and cutscenes the character develops. Gameplay does not develop the character per se.
However, open world games or sandbox games DO let game play affect character. In the game Red Dead Redemption, if you run over a dog there are in game consequences as townsfolk are enraged at your cruelty to animals. The character's reputation and ability to explore are affected by these actions. This makes moving through the story different based on player action. The changes occur in both game and narrative. Similarly in 'choose your own adventure' style games in game action affects the narrative but not the character necessarily.

Player Change
If the player is immersed in the game they become the character. Changing a person is a more difficult feat than changing a character as it turns out. Not all players get immersed in a game fully either. For example, when I play a 'choose your own adventure' style game like Dragon Age or Knights of the Old Republic I have multiple desires. One, I like being immersed in the story and playing as a character with specific traits so I try to choose dialog options that would pertain to that character's beliefs. Secondly, I want to achieve a certain ending for this character so I want to select dialog choices that will net that ending. Thirdly, I want to make sure that my character has the right abilities to complete the game and fight the next boss.

Often times, I find myself at a self-imposed struggle when it comes to options and choices. I have to choose which desire I will give into. Will I stay "in character" and select the choice I know will not give me the ending I'm aiming for? Or do I make an out of character choice to get the best game advantage? But not everyone plays like this. Where every dialog choice is a moral dilemma.

Player motive and play style changes how they play and how a character develops.

Conclusion
There are all sorts of pleasure in a narrative experience that stem from dynamic characters and points of change. Likewise there are pleasures in the visual-interactive that allow a player to see things engulfed in flames and explore fantastical places. When these work together it's heaven, however, it's difficult to write a story for a game and have it be meaningful if our hero can break into a house, break their pots to steal rupees but still be considered our savior.

Your Princess is in another Castle

2010-11-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

How many stories do you know where there is a male protagonist out to save his kidnapped girl? There are quite a lot and I think it's a tale as old as time. Men are expected to defend their women. However, why does the story feel so alienating in a video game?

The Analogy
As I said the "save the princess" story is very old and deeply rooted in our culture/instincts. In animal terms, it is the story of winning females away from a rival and gaining exclusive mating rights. It speaks to our basic nature of males proving themselves to a female by show of strength. And there is something in us that accepts this. Women want strong men who can defend them. Men feel the need to show off their strength to impress said woman.

Where the analogy falls apart is that in a story, the attention is always split to focus on one party or the other. If the focus is the captured princess (a la Sleeping Beauty/Snow White), then the Prince is not given much of a personality. He's just the muscle or the symbol of sex that shows up to win the day. All the while the story focused on the princess' assets that she could give him: her nurturing, good looks, singing talents (in the case of Disney) or anything else "special" she could offer.

If the focus is on the prince, then the story is an adventure and the Princess is not given much personality other that "prize to be won" (thinking of Aladdin/Hercules). She represents the reward of pleasure after performing successfully a mating dance. The story highlights the actions of the hero, his achievements, and his strength of course.

That's the gist of it. But I'm sure deep down everyone KNOWS this.

The Modern Woman and the Princess
So in recent history, there has been a DRAMATIC change in how women are viewed and where they fit in society. For the first time, women are considered equal to men for the most part. (Equal but not the same...just to clarify). Women work, fend for themselves, and prove that they can be physically competent just like men. How did this happen? Well, contraception finally became successful. Now sex is not as high risk for pregnancy as before.
In the female "need" to assert herself as capable, most female audiences shun the old stereotype of NEEDING to be rescued. Or being passive and waiting for a man to save them. Women want to save themselves. Women do NOT want to be a victim and hate being portrayed as such. Women are survivors.

So the "princess" stereotype is something attractive to the male ego. She's sexually primed, submissive, and only for him. But modern woman is at odds with this old tradition. To a modern woman the princess represent what we fear most: objectification and victimizing. Being a victim of violence is a reality for many women. Victims are wounded more than physically. Internally they are weakened and a negative self image is put in place. Think of the victimized nerds in high school comedies. Are they confident, happy individuals? Not usually.

Objectification is something all humans dislike. We do not like to be used.

The Dragons (why women don't really like this)
Outside of the objectification and victimizing of women, there are other things that alienate women as an audience in these kinds of stories. Looking at video games at this point. Okay, video game stories about saving the princess/girlfriend/wife are extremely common. Aside from the princess being practically useless as a character, the satisfaction with the story end is primarily for men.

For example, what would motivate a woman to play a game like Dante's Inferno?
This is a game where you play a male crusader battling through the levels of Hell to win your wife back from the Devil. Or something like that. It is implied in the opening that the wife was taken by force (victim of violence) and during the game the wife does not seem very prevalent until the end. And the reward (because it's a medieval setting so a wife has "duties") is suggested to be sex with wife. Which I guess would be restoring the status quo.
As a female player, this story does not win me over because I receive NO satisfaction. It seems she is just trading one sex partner for another. She is not an object that holds interest for me.
More on this later.

The Knights (The men who save)
Men in modern times have definitely become more feminine which seems to be the proper reaction for women becoming more masculine. The other reaction is to become MORE masculine. But let's look at characters for a moment here.

Let's think of the hyper-masculine Duke Nukem and his valiant escapades on Planet Babe.
Is it understandable that women do NOT find him appealing, but men do?
He's obviously strong, virile, and well...not handsome in any stretch of the word but it is 'suggested' that women find him attractive. What he does not have is a friendly attitude or a sympathetic one. He gets his fast-food burger, eats and leaves with nary a backward glance.
In any lifetime movie for women, he's that big, abusive brute that the woman is trying to shake off. Not appealing.

But there are GOOD knights too. Unfortunately, it's usually a younger hero. The key is that this hero is not just interested in the prize of mating rights but interested in the relationship or in the princess as a person.
In the original myth of Hercules, the hero just wants the girl as his wife so he takes her. In the Disney adaptation, the hero meets with our own cultural standard of respecting women as people. So his interest in Megara was in part sexual but because it's a family film, he was interested in her as a person.

I think this is in part why Link from Legend of Zelda is popular with both male and female audiences. It is not obvious that his motives are purely libido (although because he's a silent protagonist we can project that).

The Other Castle (fixing the plot to gain more appeal)
So what might "fix" this classic tale to fit a more modern standard? Especially in games.
A direct role reversal does not work...for obvious reasons. If it's not obvious, what need does a STRONG woman have for a WEAK man?

I'd take a cue from some Japanese RPGs. (I know...I'm sorry). But the fact is that these games have wide appeal for both male and female players. Even IF there is a 'save the princess' story or theme. They achieve this in part by DEVELOPING the princess character. And usually in a game that means she is INVOLVED somehow with gameplay. She can be a partner (similar to Prince of Persia, Midna from Legend of Zelda) or one of the group (Aeriss from FF7/Colette in Tales of Symphonia).

If she is a partner/group member, she is an active character for at least a portion of the game. The player gets to know her a bit better than if she was just in the opening cut scene.

Another method is having the princess be the Initiator. Meaning, she requests to be rescued or commands the hero. Something like Zelda in Legend of Zelda. She often requests Link to do something and then waits for him to do it. Even though she's still a passive character, it's at least by consent. It is not ideal but having chosen the hero makes it a little less offensive...just a bit.

Finally, having less "sexualized" prizes as princesses. Say that that princess is actually the hero's sister/daughter, so she is rescued out of a sense of duty to family. If the character is young enough, saving a female friend as a friend. (I kind of feel like Kingdom Hearts is like this and Zelda games where Link is a child).

If you do have two consenting adults, then the princess has to SOMEHOW be portrayed as an appealing person. Show them together prior to the capture being happy. Similar to Silent Hill: Shattered Memories where the father is shown playing happily with his daughter. (I know these are not consenting adults but showing the happy status quo immediately instills us with the sense that the story/game is about returning to that status quo.)
But as for consenting adults think of Twilight Princess's Illia. She is portrayed as one of the villagers and the status quo of her relationship with Link is established. They have interests in common, namely the horse. Similar things are done in the early game to establish relationships with the children characters too so that the story impact of them getting kidnapped is stronger.

Dante's Inferno does NOT show the status quo in the early cutscenes. We can only GUESS that they were happy together judging by his reaction. Or who knows, maybe he was the only one that was happy and she was not.

Conclusion
The best way to exclude a female audience is to objectify women within the game as a prize to be won or the whole goal of the game. Even when playing or reading from the viewpoint of a male protagonist, I need more of a reason to care about the princess. The promise that the character gets mating rights holds little interest to me. As a female I'm drawn to relationships. There needs to be some emotional attachment from the audience to the couple, not just sympathy for the poor man who lost his wife.

A tale as old as time does not need to be discarded, but to be appealing to a wider audience then it is important to humanize BOTH princess and prince. Not just one or the other.

What I've been Playing

2010-10-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

Wow, several months without a post. So bad!
But things have been busy at work so I can't really complain. Plus I picked up a couple extra hobbies. :P

In that time, I've also FINALLY gotten on the bandwagon and connected my PS3 to online play. Yay right? Currently only playing with co-workers as I hate playing with strangers. A co-work also gave me his old wide-screen HD TV. So now I can actually see what I'm playing!

For PS3:
I'm playing 2 games on and off: Sacred 2 and Valkyria Chronicles. (Not to be confused with Valkyrie Chronicles...which I screw up all the time. XD).
Sacred 2 is a basic MMO - plot game where you collect quests, complete them and get stuff. I find the gameplay uninspiring and a little awkward since this is apparently a port from PC to console. :P
Valkyria Chronicles is fun...when I get to actually PLAY. Sweet sister there's a lotta cinematics. (Thankfully they're all skippable...but there was a line I'm glad I didn't miss: "YOU MADE ME HOLD POO???")

For Gamecube: Yes I still buy games for this system...I like it okay!
I recently acquired Skies of Arcadia Legends. I started playing and the art style reminded me SO MUCH of my N64 days that I had to stop and finish Ocarina of Time. Which I did.
The game play is a kind of Final Fantasy style turn base which is all right.

For PC: WAGH currently dealing with a virus problem. But before I was having this problem, I was playing:
KOTOR 2, which I've put down for awhile because other things hold my interest.
Sims 2 and 3...still. ;)

For Laptop PC:
Various independently made Flash games and Visual Novels. (Heileen 2 has been my fave so far.)
Age of Empires 2...because I can.

DS: Has seen so much neglect. :(
I was playing Pokemon Soul Silver before I put it down for a couple of MONTHS.

PS2: Actually started playing Odin Sphere AGAIN for the hundredth time.
Still trying to finish Disgaea 2 and the other ten titles I've started but not finished on that system. ^^;

What's Been Standing Out

Valkyria Chronicles has been holding my attention pretty well. I really enjoy the battle strategy system. Although I still don't know why I get such poor grades when I finish. :( And I LOVE the detail they put into NPC soldiers and their personalities. This provides (at least for me) an actual interest in random soldiers in the field. Sure I still mostly mock their silly battle cries, but I'll NEVER get tired of my tired, manic-depressed Engineer's cry of: Mmm...yeah I'll try.

Heileen 2 is a Visual Novel distributed by Tycoon games and developed by Winter Wolves Studio. The story is kinda lame but at least slightly engaging. It's really the art that sparkles in my eyes more than the writing. ^^

What I'm Waiting For
The New Nintendo 3DS. :D :D :D Skyward Sword and Kid Icarus.

Civ 4 or 5...I've heard bad things about the newest Civ game. My last one was Civ 3: Call to Power. So I'll probably go with 4.

Cross Edge - Just looked interesting.

Final Fantasy 13 - Late to the bandwagon because I have too many games right now.

Disgaea 3 - Because I like series to be complete.

I'm also considering the Persona series. Looks pretty cool.

Girly Games: Horse Games

2010-07-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

Recently I finished playing two titles that I would consider very "girly". Meaning that the theme is something that would appeal to a female crowd between 9 - 12. The two games are Bella Sara Horse Adventure and Champion Dreams: Born to Ride. Horse games basically.

Part of the purpose of buying these games was to do a bit of unofficial market research on games with horses. The other reason was guilty pleasure, I love horses.

There were a few things I "learned" about these games since they are games marketed for girls.

Girl Marketing
In both games the main character was a female. One was an adult(Champion) and one was a pre-teen (Bella). Horse care or "caring" seems to be a common theme in a girl-themed game. (Baby sitting games, vet games, Sims, wow...isn't that just like handing us a baby? Er...baby doll. XD) Both games also has a collection element and a dress up element. (Both again guilty pleasures).

I'll discuss the two games separately for a moment.

Bella Sara
This game is based on a card collecting franchise: Bella Sara. The cards features fantasy images of horses and some characters. There's apparently some peaceful ranch village that takes care of these horses but I'm not familiar with the lore. I just wanted to raise fantasy horses.

The start of the game had a limited customization for the game character. So girls of multiple ethnicities could make their character. You start with a "non-fantasy" type horse. The point of the game is to do quests and collect the right cards to unlock new horses and explore more of the world. Parts of the world are locked by gates that only certain horses can open. (fair enough at least there's a purpose!)

The quests are usually collection quests of objects around a particular area of the world (for example: collect x number of apples from the orchard. And non of the apples are in the apple trees oddly enough). Or timed races.

The levels have horse shoes (currency) and Bella Sara cards scattered throughout. Collecting these cards helps unlock new horses and new parts of the world. Horse shoes allow you to buy costumes for yourself or tack/snacks for the horse.

The control scheme is basic. The horses can run and jump...that's it really.

Riding the horse makes it tired and hungry. While riding you don't see the horse's affection/hunger/cleanliness meters. Returning to the ranch these meters are apparent. Restoring these meters is pretty easy but time consuming. Feed, brush and pet the horse until all are full. Some snacks make the meters refill faster.

There were 5 horses in all. The normal horse, a "fire" horse, a "water" horse, a "thunder" horse and Bella Sara herself. I could not find anything particularly "special" about the new horses. They might have been a bit faster but I couldn't tell. I was hoping that one would be a flying horse like Pegasus. That's what I think of when I hear "fantasy horse".

Champion Dreams

This game was set in the "real" world at a dressage horse academy. There was an over-arching story and the characters were all stock characters. The game had two aspects: the human character's social life and the horse part.

Part of the game made you make a schedule of things to train for (show jumping, cross country and dressage), horse care, relax time, study time, etc.

The annoying part was that sometimes story elements would interrupt your schedule without warning.

Controls were stiff and there were lots of visual bugs. Basic horse commands like go and jump were simple enough but dressage is more than that! Pirouettes, shoulder-in, flying lead changes, extending or controlling different gaits all had different commands. (Tough to remember too).

These moves were unlocked by reading about them in the library.

There were a lot of nuances in the game that I don't really have the energy to delve into but the important thing was your academy report card. It was graded based on your training performance, your horse's happiness, and your popularity. @_@ Popularity? Really? Ugh! Anyway, at the end of your training week you'll have a score and you need a certain score to be able to compete or do the week over or get kicked out. (I don't know if this really happens or not.) After the competition you're whisked away to a new place to train.

The story was a weak melodrama where someone is trying to sabotage your horse and your performance. *sigh* Anyway, the game is quite challenging in a fun way but there are a couple of really annoying quirks. Talking to the horse and trying to decipher if he's tossing his head or "nodding" is pretty much impossible. It's hit or miss in that case. (Not to mention remembering if that means he wants a hug or needs vitamins.)

What I learned

We have two ends of the spectrum here: Light fluff and Realistic-ish.

Now, I used to have a horse of my own as well. One time I went to camp (not band camp) and had to take care of him all on my own for a week. It wasn't that hard really.

Horses need feed, water, hay/grazing, clean bedding (if a stable horse), clean hooves/coats and exercise.

Champions overdid the cleaning aspect in that you had to brush the horse, bathe it, pick the hooves, and clean the stall every time you selected "horse care". Bathing the horse is not something you have to do very often really. (Or perhaps just the awful controls made it harder than it needed to be. ^^)

Bella, because the point of the game was the completion of quests and not "leveling" a horse and rider, the "horse care" aspect took a back seat and was more simplistic. (Feed, clean, affection)

And a funny thought crossed my mind while playing these games...I wanted an option for a male character! Bizarre right? But Bella Sara wouldn't feel so annoyingly sweet if I could play a boy. Champions, because it had a story element, probably would have more trouble pulling off the "boy" element.

Elements for My Game

Since the player will be responsible for a "herd" of horses, care will be incredibly simplified or merely an optional feature. Leveling the horse will be done via training (similar to Champions) and experience. (The rider will also need training).

Fun Elements: Collecting (collecting horses), competition, completing a story, exploration, strategy, relationship sim (rider-rider and rider-horse), multi-player elements, character progression.

Conclusion

I would prefer if even "girly" games could be made appealing to a general audience instead of a mostly female audience between the age 4-12. But they have their place too.

Game Design: Game Making Engines

2010-06-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

Dang, two months and no posts? Well what can I blog about now?

Well how about I write about various game makers eh?

Thanks to the internet and programmers with energy for side-projects (or in some cases main projects) there are a plethora of game making programs for people who can't program but want to make a game anyway.

Now there' s no way I could know or list them all but I'll make an effort to list what I do know, have used and like.

Things Beginners Should Know

You know that the favorite advertisement ploy for free engines is that "no programming is necessary". That's only HALF true or not really true at all. No programming is necessary but SCRIPTING is. And while some engines will provide you with shells to work within you still have to learn the script language to make things work.

And heaven forbid you design a game that relies on the ADVANCED stuff. Not really a complaint but a heads up for any n00b who finds a programming-free engine and starts planning something too complicated.

Speaking of N00bs...It's almost guaranteed that THIS should be the stuff you know before making a game on ANY engine.

Learn the Engine first - if the site has a practice game or tutorial go through that.
Start SMALL - As exciting as it is to share stuff online, start by making crappy 10 minute games. JUST so you can be familiar with the way the engine works.
Join the Community - nearly all engines have a forum to join. This is where you can get individual help for your specific problem.
Play Other People's Games - So you know what's been done, what can be done, possibly reverse engineer and make friends.
Games Require Code - Don't be fooled...even if you don't write the code, the game still runs on one. (Or scripting). If you don't know it, then it's just that black box that works in the background and magically makes your game work. If you understand a little bit about how programming/scripting works then you're able to manipulate it a bit more easily. If you don't then you're limited to very simplistic games.
Copyright Laws - This is something to be aware of when using things like sprite sheets or music in your game. I don't have the space to go DEEP into this now, but in general use creative commons or free ware stuff. Or ask permission.
It's Mostly Work - Even with an engine to help you making a game is HARD WORK. It takes a lot of time. Don't be fooled.
Be Creative - have fun. Because there are aspects to be enjoyed about making your own game.

Genres

Nearly every major genre of game has a game maker engine if you know where to look. Google is valuable in finding FPS makers and such. I've found makers of the following genres:

RPG (Role Play Game)

FPS (First Person Shooter)

Point and Click Adventure

Platformer

Visual Novel

Dating Sim

Simulation

Arcade Fighter

General.

I'll now list the engines I know of and what genres they can make.

Game Maker - http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker

Script Language: Game Maker Language (GML), an Object Oriented Script

Games it Can Make: platform games, first-person shooters, third-person shooters, massively multiplayer online games and construction and management simulation games.

Learning Curve: Unknown

Opinion: To be honest I just know of this engine and have never tried it myself. It seems very flexible and there's a great deal of free resources available to use. I may consider using this for a couple of ideas I have in the back burners.

$RPG Maker - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RPG_Maker ($60 for a full license copy/30 days free demo)

Script Language: Ruby RGSS, RGSS2

Games it Can Make: RPGs, and others if you're clever

Learning Curve: Medium

Opinion: This was one of the first I was introduced to. If you like Final Fantasy style games or RPGs this is the go to engine. I've utilized it and it took me awhile to wrap my head around the event based system. But it is very point and click and making games is pretty easy. It's just keeping organized that's hard.

Adventure Game Studio - http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/ (free)

Script Language: Java/C# based

Games it Can Make: Adventure, Point and Click, Visual Novels, Puzzles (think Monkey Island).

Learning Curve: Medium

Opinion: I've looked at this and most of the work is handled by the engine nicely. The hard part is making the images and writing. These are a very old fashion style of games but they have their place.

Ren'Py - http://www.renpy.org/wiki/renpy/Home_Page (Free)

Script Language: Python

Games it Can Make: Visual Novels, Dating Sims, RPGs, Management Games

Learning Curve: Medium/Steep

Opinion: This is a Python based maker for Visual Novels. However, the script is very flexible so I have seen basic RPGs, Dating Sims and other Simulations made with it. My own experience has been nothing but frustration. If you want to make the simple novel then you can reverse engineer your way through using the sample games. However, I'm a little over achiever and wanted to make a dating sim but it was more than I could handle. The interface is pretty much non-existent. It's just the code.

Novelty - http://www.visualnovelty.com/ (Free)

Script Language: WYSIWYG/Java/C++ based script

Games it Can Make: Visual Novels, ???

Learning Curve: Low/Medium

Opinion: I've been futzing around with this one and I really like how visual it is. What you see is what you get indeed. I'm not sure how fancy you can get with the script. I'd eventually like to test if a Dating sim is possible on this engine.

$Torque 2D - $100 http://www.torquepowered.com/

Script Language:Uses an Object Oriented C-based code.

Games it Can Make: Anything

Learning Curve: Steep-ish

Opinion: I was trained to use this in school and it's easy in some ways but coding knowledge is required. It's not quite one of those pick-up and run type of engines. But it's very powerful.

$Torque 3D - $100 http://www.torquepowered.com/

Script Language: Uses an Object Oriented C-based code.

Games it Can Make: Anything in 3D!

Learning Curve: Steep-ish

Opinion: We used this one too and we made a cool game. I couldn't code it but it's very powerful.

$Adobe Flash - Over $200

Script Language: Action Script

Games it Can Make: Anything

Learning Curve: Steep.

Opinion: I've only made one game in flash and I could sloppily code it. Sorry...sloppily script it.

MUD Maker - Free http://www.mudmaker.com/

Script Language: C++

Games it Can Make: Text Adventures, Multiplayer Text Adventure

Learning Curve: Steep-ish

Opinion: A great way to learn programming is to make a text-based game. MUD maker is something I just found so I can't say I have an opinion of it. I intended to just build one up from scratch.

Conclusion

So there are some choices to try. Not everything is free but even working with no budget it is possible to make a game to share with friends or to improve your own skills and build a portfolio.

Value of My Dollar

2010-04-16T15:27:00.000-07:00

Just a light hearted thought bubble for now. I was just browsing some game blogs and saw something mentioning World of Warcraft. And I was just thinking back to this time last year when I was actively playing. I want to go back to it. But I have one problem...

...actually there's more than one problem...it's more like 20...

I have too many unplayed games! Somehow I managed to buy a ton of games this year thanks to peer pressure (in a sense) and actual titles that interested me and nostalgia. OMG did nostalgia bite in the bum this year. I BOUGHT Oregon Trail 4 and was this close to buying Super Solvers Treasure Trove.

On top of that I now have co-workers who want to play MMOs with me and I just don't have the time thanks to hobbies. Plus I have a long list of games that I still need to finish.

The List of Game Titles (if I can remember them all)
~~Age of Wonders 2 (PC - my coworker gave this to me. D: Why do they keep feeding me!?)~~
~~Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic (PC - why!?)~~
~~Knights of the Old Republic (PC - half way through)~~
~~KOTOR: 2 (PC - most of the way through...not finishing)~~
~~Dragon Age (PC - finished one playthrough. I want to play again.)~~ Replayed 3 times.
~~Dragon Age 2 (PC - Making good progress with my first character).~~ Reyplaying
Sims 3 (PC - I keep making characters and not playing.)
Champions Dream (PC - a dumb girly horse game.)
Bella Sara (PC - and even dumber, girlier horse game. I like them both okay!)
~~Oregon Trail 4 (PC - I don't think I'll really finish this one.)~~
~~Jak and Daxter (PS2 - half way through not going to finish.)~~
Jak and Daxter 2 (PS2 - not started)
Jak and Daxter 3 (Ps2 - not started)
Disgaea 2 (PS2 - Most of the way through)
~~Guilty Gear AA etc (PS2 - Probably not going to bother playing more.)~~
DDR Party - (PS2 - My exercise routine?)
~~Folklore - (PS3 - fin)~~
Valkeria Chronicles (PS3 - started.)
~~Ocarina of Time (GC - I stopped at the water temple...AS USUAL!)~~
Majora's Mask (GC - Well...I'm replaying it.)
Harvest Moon Sunshine Islands (DS - this game will never end.)
~~Avalon Code (DS - I made progress. My opinion is still the same though. I made my hat MORE awesome though).~~
LOZ: Spirit Tracks (DS - at the water temple...why do I always stop there?)
Rune Factory 2 (DS - barely started)
Pokemon Soul Silver (DS - Up to the League)
Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar (DS)

And this doesn't count my iPod game apps or the Big Fish games I love to download and play.

And I want to play these before buying or playing more games so I can get the full value of the dollars spent. :(

A Higher Level: Games and Religion

2010-04-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

There's this trend I notice in media that tries to obviously incorporate a religion's teaching into something popular. Be it comics or games, it always feels forced to me. I would know I've tried making a comic like that. Serious Games are often met with the challenge of teaching something. Some methods work better than others. And since I've now studied the theory behind it...I've learned which ones don't really work as well.

As expected Christianity (Puritan-Protestant Christianity) usually is the subject being preached in the game. So let's do a short bit of history and then figure out if its really possible to make a FUN game with religion as its theme...or just a good one.

Old Testament Style
The few examples of Christian games I know of are from the Angry Video Game Nerd's Review of Bible games. These were basically reskinned games based on popular or unpopular Nintendo games. They took well known bible stories like Noah and the Ark and made a platformer game of some kind. These games were not well balanced or designed.

Beyond these examples I know of very few video games with Christian based themes. Many of them are "Bible" games that help kids learn the stories or somehow make them interactive. I don't seem to recall any GOOD or well-known Christian Games or Bible Games.

Can I hear an AMEN?
Why does Christian media have such a hard time? Is it because video games are so widely accepted to be evil? Or because religion, like sex, is something people hold too near and dear? You can't please everyone. And I really don't think there's a lot of money in the production of such games. Why would there be at this point? There haven't been any commercially successful Christian games to my knowledge. And this is a market society. But this is also true for lots of other Christian Media like books, comics and cartoons. Many are just very poorly done.

But you do get gems in other forms of Christian media like Veggie Tales. Big Idea had a GREAT idea with their quirky veggie characters retelling stories of the bible, parodying popular series (like Indiana Jones and Lord of the Rings) and super hero stories. And while there's always a moral to the story and they are serious about promoting good, they do something right. They have fun. They don't tell the bible story word for word or accurately, but they add in silly or absurd humor. And it doesn't get into the way of the story or the lesson learned. In fact it might make me want to re-read the actual story.

So can games also be like Veggie Tales? Something fun? I believe so, but I haven't seen or heard of it yet.

Are you Listening to What I say?
I think sometimes people take things too seriously. When I was trying to make a Christian-Catholic comic, I was SO focused on making sure my message got across that I ignored details like well the story. That's the beauty of art and storytelling is that they can offer representations of truth in a way we can process. Like a spoonful of sugar and medicine. But I feel like the medicine approach is taken by the creators of Christian media. Preach, Preach, Preach.
I mean...holy cow, even Jesus used parables! No one, especially an audience that wants to be entertained, likes to be told what to do.

Games can be a pulpit, but like any media it's delivery should not force the medicine.

In many way though, Christian games estrange a large audience, despite a majority of Western Culture proclaims to be Christian. So what are some of the methods games can use to talk about faith?

Tell us a Tale! A Tale!
Chronicles of Narnia is about Jesus and Christian life you know. But it can still be enjoyed as a fantasy. The same thing can be said about Jesus' parables. They can be enjoyed as little stories that tell a life lesson, but they can also be dissected to something much deeper. And many games do tell stories. In my opinion, Christian games should aim more at being parables instead of blatant Sunday School lessons. This would also widen the audience to non-Christians.

They Will Know We Are Christians by our Love
I've played a few games where there was one very religious character. This can continue to happen because it's part of a believable character.
However this is usually twisted into something else. The religious character is seen as narrow-minded, preachy, arrogant, stubborn or naive. This seems to be a popular view of people with faith. Oddly enough the opposite is true of people with real faith. People who truly believe and follow their faith are accepting of other beliefs and lovingly try to resolve differences.

But that's not popular belief. Game stories like to assert that logic and science explains religious superstition. It makes a fool out of our naive priestess and eventually she either remains "blinded", is betrayed by her deity or "sees the light". (And dutifully follows the religion of science.)

A better solution is to not victimize any one religion or really make it obvious. It should be feasible to make a diverse group of faith work together. It happens every day. There's a wide range of faiths in the office I work in and even in my circle of friends. We don't see eye to eye on faith but we can work together and we don't spend time forcing our believes on others.

Personally St. Francis of Assisi's philosophy works for me and should work for stories: Preach the Gospel and if necessary use words. A character or story's action should highlight or show off an ideal or lesson or belief. Instead of a narrow-minded, sheltered, naive priestess make her kind-hearted, generous and honest about her faith life. She shouldn't live to preach her faith but live her faith. If she doesn't agree with another character's faith or moral, have her be honest that it makes her uneasy or inquisitive. "I'm sorry I don't understand why you do this." Even people with strong faith can question their faith...and in fact they should. For doing so makes faith stronger.

Conclusion, Amen
So there is potential to have Christian values or stories in Games. It just needs the right kind of execution. Like serious games, fun should still be a priority. Because learning made fun is better remembered. There is a place for blatant preaching but its a turn-off for games. And there is definitely a call for games that have a "positive message" in the market.

Visuals: Sylized vs Realistic

2010-03-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

The look of a game is its selling point. In our market society, we judge a book by its cover so we judge a game by its looks. I've often complained about the looks of characters in some genres.
So let's talk about graphics and realism.

History Lessons
When looking back on some of the earliest computer games, graphics were always the added bonus. For the most part the graphics were iconic. This means they were symbols or like hieroglyphs. The icons represented something else that we can translate in the context of the game situation.

As the graphic abilities of computers advanced the less iconic graphics needed to be. They did not need to be abstract shapes to represent a player or an enemy. It could vaguely resemble what it was suppose to be.

The semblance of what the game environment is and what we recognize as real are slowly becoming closer. The uncanny valley is all we have to watch out for.

On the Trail
Perception is what graphic style or visual style changes most in a game. Let's bring up an example: Oregon Trail.

The first/original version of the game used somewhat iconic graphics. The text log sat under some single color pixel animations of a oxen pulling a cart. The user gets some visual feed back but text was needed to clarify.

A few years later they upgrade the graphics. While it's still a text heavy game. There is now color and images made with pixel art.

Then the game changed a bit and the player is more likely to talk to people and a very visual GUI was introduced.
In one version that I recall vividly was Oregon Trail 3. Photos and live video of people in costume were used.

Most recently, I got the iPhone/iPod Touch version of Oregon Trail. The graphics are cartoons.

Between the 4 versions of the game I brought up we get very distinct perceptions for each.

Iconic
Iconic graphics rely on imagination and need text to support the visuals. (or in some cases clarify).

While this isn't the perfect example, it's enough to prove a point. The player recognizes a wagon with an ox.
A game like this is taken "seriously". It's educational.

Stylized Art
Then we see the upgrade.

While not realistic, it represents semi-accurately what you were doing.
This would be perceived again as something to take seriously and as educational. At the same time it's more enjoyable to look at.

Realistic

This is a photoshoped looking setting. But the images are realistic. Again this makes the game seem serious but could be considered more immersive.

Cartoon

The most recent Oregon Trail has cartoonish graphics. Which gives it a tone vastly different from its predecessors. It seems goofy and less serious and perhaps more fun.

1000 Words in a Picture
As the saying goes. What do you want your game to "say" when players read the images?
The visual style will say a lot about what your audience can expect. The challenge will be to meet the expectation or to throw your audience in for a loop.

As seen above, a cartoon style graphic can be perceived as "easy fun", "casual", or "childish".
In now times, the iconic style can be perceived as "nostalgic".
The platform you work with limits the range of visual style to apply. PC has the widest range.

Conclusion
The more "serious" your graphics the more critique your game may get for visual and game design flaws. In some ways a stylized graphic game may be forgiven because it's a "cartoon".
However, there are always going to be truly heinous design flaws that can never be forgiven.

LOH: Status Report

2010-01-31T14:34:00.000-08:00

I've written nearly all of the script. I'm at least in the third act.
http://lineofheroes.wikispaces.com/

The next step will be all the artwork. Backgrounds will be the most difficult.

DESERT AREA
-Open Desert
-Pasture
-Village Exterior
-Village Interior
-Sacred Ruins/Trial Grounds
-Sacred Realm
-Oasis

CAPITAL CITY
-City Streets
-Back Streets
-School Exterior
-School Foyer
-Bed Room
-Kitchen
-Throne Room
-Temple Interior
-Temple Secret Chamber
-City Gate

MOUNTAIN KINGDOM
-Mountains Exterior
-Mountain Hall Interior
-Temple Entrance
-Temple: 1 tunnel; 1 Corner; 1 Sacred Door; 1 Locked Door Room; 3 tunnels
-Temple Djinn Room

SEA KINGDOM
-Beach Exterior
-Castle Interior
-Temple Entrance
-Temple: 1 tunnel, 1 corner, 1 Sacred Door; 1 Locked Door; Djinn Room

FOREST KINGDOM
-Forest Exterior
-Village Gate
-Hidden Village
-Temple Entrance
-Temple: 1 tunnel, 2 tunnels, 1 corner, 1 Sacred Door; 1 Locked Door; Djinn Room

AIR KINGDOM
-Air Temple Gardens
-Melek's Home Interior
-Temple Entrance
-Temple: 1 tunnel, 1 corner, 1 Sacred Door; 1 Locked Door; Djinn Room, 3 tunnels

CHARACTERS
Mara - 4 Costumes (normal, Travel, School, Dancer); (Expressions: Neutral, Happy, Laughing, Sad, Worried, Ashamed, Surprised, Grief(crying), tensed/determined, irritated, angry, Reflective/Reverant, Shy, Flirty)
Shamir - 2 Costumes (Travel/Formal); 5 Forms; Expressions: Neutral, Pleased, Smug/Arrogant, Surprised, Embarrassed, Grumpy, Angry, Rage, Worried, Sad, Happy)
Rama - expressions: Annoyed, Neutral, Devious, Angry, Worried, In Love
Lucios - 2 Costumes (Village/Royal) Expressions: Neutral, Happy, Laughing, Very Happy, Flirty, Surprise, Irritated, Sad/Worried, Cryptic, Secret Silly)
Melek - 1 Costume (uniform); Expressions: Neutral, Happy, Pleased, Laughing, Awe/Wonder, Surprise, Sad, Determined, Shy, Embarrassed)
Shakil - 1 Costume (shepherd) Expressions: Neutral, Happy, Worried, Laughing, Irritated, Embarrassed, Shy, Sad/disappointed, Loving)
Opal - 3 Costumes (village/travel/fight); Expressions: Neutral, Smug, Devious, Irritated, Sarcastic, Angry, Happy, Very pleased.
Young Opal - Expressions: Shy, Sad, Happy, Embarrassed
Young Mara - Expressions: Happy, Laughing, Shock, Embarrased
Rosalia - 3 costumes (School, Dancer, Royal); Expressions: Neutral, Happy, Very Happy, Laughing, Worried, Angry, Embarrassed, Surprise, Sad, Wistful, Crying.)
Daire - 3 costumes (School, Dancer, Royal); Expressions: Neutral, Smirking, Happy, Laughing, Flirty, Surprised, Embarrassed, Sad, Angry, Rage, Crying, Arrogant)
Lady Miret - 3 costumes (School, Formal, Noble); Expressions: Neutral, Happy, Arrogant, Crazed, Surprise, Laughing, Crying, Angry, Shouting)
Mother - 1 costume; Expressions: Neutral, Knowing Smile, Happy, Sad
Aurens - 1 costume; Expressions: Neutral, Angry, Happy, Embarrassed, Sad
Mistress Maple - 1 Costume; Expression: Haughty (neutral), Smiling, Disappointed, Angry/Scolding
Queen - 1 Costume; Expressions: Neutral, Smile, Serene, Disappointed, Angry
Lord Tianal - 1 Costume; Expressions: Neutral, Arrogant, Happy, Sad, Angry, Upset
Opal's Father - 1 Costume; Expressions: Neutral
King Folin - 1 Costume; Expressions: Neutral, Happy
King Dynx - 1 Costume; Expressions: Neutral, Happy
Village Elder -1 Costume; Expressions: Neutral, Happy
4 Djinn
Triune Goddess
Neir - Expressions: Neutral, Angry, In Love, Surprise

Branching Dialog and in Game Choices

2009-12-28T08:25:00.000-08:00

Intro
Today I'm going to reflect on in-game dialog choices. In some games they're just thrown in to give the user an illusion of choice. If done poorly they can take out the immersible quality of the game. This is mostly inspired by me playing lots of Bioware games and thinking back on dialog choices in other games. So I'll start with those.

-Sample Games-
Neverwinter Nights 2 (Obsidian)
Knights of the Old Republic (Bioware)
Harvest Moon Island of Happiness (Natsume)
Harvest Moon Sunshine Islands (Natsume)
Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess (Nintendo)

Okay here are the five games I'm going to look at for this post. We're going to start from the bottom and take a look at Zelda (from here on LOZ).
LOZ is notorious for having false choices in the game dialogs. One of the more famed examples is in Ocarina of Time (N64) when Zelda first asks Link for help. You have the choice of saying "no" but what happens is you go through this endless loop of Zelda asking for help until you say "yes".

They still do this a little in LOZ, except they hide it a little better. If you say 'no', you get some dialog and are allowed to roam free again.
In any sense, LOZ is a good example of BAD choice handling in games.

Next the newer Harvest Moon games for the Nintendo DS. (HM from now on.)
There are sequences where you can make choices in conversation with the villager you are "dating". In HM: Island of Happiness, a single sequence could have up to 3 choices.
In the newer HM: Sunshine Islands a single sequence only has 2. One is obviously positive and the other obviously negative.

The older version (HM:IoH) was more fun because not all the choices were black and white. There was more mystery and excitement associated with choices made. Not to mention that even some negative choices could open up opportunities to see "hidden" sequences.

NWN2 and KOTOR are both examples of mostly the same clothe. There are some subtle differences. Both games have in game choice dialog that affects multiple factors. Both games usually give multiple choices to a question. How the effects of the choices are presented are what differ in these two games. KOTOR has a pop-up screen announcing that you made a "Light Side" or "Dark Side" choice. NWN2 keeps it in a "live feed" that is always on screen. The player is not alerted to the choice's consequences as it were.

-Choice Styles-
So these game examples illustrate some of the various styles or methods used to give player's an element of choice in the game.
LOZ uses a yes/no approach and really gives an illusion of choice. There is only one path for the story to follow.

HM is different in that there is no story only a premise and some goals. It follows the lines of a dating sim when it comes to conversation choices. One of them falls into the LOZ trap of a black and white choice for an answer. The other has Black, Grey and White. (Or Good Bad Neutral). It was also sneaky in that sometimes giving a "bad" or neutral answer was more interesting than giving a "good" one.

NWN2 and such are very immersive. The choices are not always clear cut. It does affect the direction and flow of the story (Branching paths). This in a sense makes the player feel like an author. However, it is still limited by the choices it offers.

Now, I'm going to go over the Pros and Cons of using this style of choice in games.

-Black/White Style-
Pros -

Easy to program/script
Keeps on one track
Easy to Write
Obvious affect

The beauty of this one is the ease of use for both player and developer. It is usually a clear cut choice and the overall affect is obvious to the player. It's not necessarily always "yes" or "no". For instance, it could affect which ending you get for for the game.

Cons-

Boring in terms of choice
Not helpful for immersion
Risk the Forced Choice (e.g. You must answer yes or the question keeps looping).
Keeps on one track

The drawbacks all relate to the fact that the choice is just not very interesting to a player. And my academic nerd classes taught me that "games are a series of interesting choices". The more variance the choice seems to have the more fun it seems.

-Dating Sim Style-
If your game as an aspect that does not affect the game story or your game does not have a one track story then this style may be used. I call it Dating Sim because of the "style" of gameplay that has. The story does not matter. All that matters is that you end up with the girl/boy you choose.

Pros-

Player reward is obvious
Usually more than 2 choices
Usually the affect is obvious
Does not have to affect a one track story

This is usually a bit more interesting than just yes or no answers. Granted some may be obviously black and white choices. But the effect is usually instant. Many RPGs use this if they have any "friendship" systems in the game. For example, Summon Night use this to affect character responses in certain cut-scenes. It does not change the story's ending but it does give the player their "own ending" with the character they had the highest friendship with.

Cons-

Too Black and White
Simplistic Choices
Can be tricky to track

This still can run the risk of being a boring choice. Do you compliment the girl or insult her? The outcome just seems so obvious.

-Branching Dialog/Choose your own Adventure-
Pros -

Immersion
Interesting choices
Can be subtle
player feels like they can affect the story's flow

Cons -

Difficult to plan and write
Outcome of choice not always readily obvious
Can still be cut and dry
Choice really does NOT affect story flow

I look at these a bit like those choose-your-own adventure books where you turn to the page of the choice you made. To some the unclear nature of what is affecting the game or not can bother people. For example, I'll get four responses to a character. One of them I know will illicit a hilarious response and be more of what I WOULD say in that situation. However, I also want to attain a certain goal in the game and I'm concerned that the sassy remark would ruin that outcome.

At the same time there are cases where it seems like a choice but really the author's intended story gets told anyway. If done well this is a true illusion of choice. If not done well, the player feels cheated and resentful of the game.

On top of that the planning and organizing of the writing can be a pain. There is a crap-ton of dialog in Bioware games. A couple novels worth you know.

Designing your Own
The choices you give players in the game need to be accounted for. And each style can appear in one game. What you want to consider is this: How much of an illusion is choice?
If the player really has no control over the ending sequence that should be reflected in the choices.
LOZ only has one ending in mind thus there really is not much in dialog choices.
A Dating Sim has several endings to choose from.
Branching Dialog can either all lead to one or two endings or have many.

-Software to Help-
There are a few software options to help organize branches in branching dialog. It's good to have a flow chart or timeline.

storYbook - a novel organizer.
Diagram Designer - Flowchart program
Open Office - Writer Program similar to Microsoft Office...but free.

Hero Character: Design

2009-11-30T11:23:00.001-08:00

-Introduction -
Heroes are a fascinating topic. There are many stories and adventures especially interested in exploring the anti-hero. I intend to explore the topic of a hero character with particular interest to adventure stories in various visual medias with a focus on comics and video games.
For another discussion on the topic of heroes, check out this episode of The Dish.

This thought bubble was inspired in part by an opinion blog on Gamasutra about the New Prince of Persia characters with focus on the general opposition to the new "prince" character.

So we shall start with what is appealing about a hero.

-Universal Appeal-
There is something about a hero that is appealing to the audience. In general, people like to see a happy conclusion where the character over comes a conflict of some sort. So the act of the hero vanquishing evil is a very clean-cut representation of this ingrained (perhaps even cultural) pleasure of seeing "the good guy" win. So there's probably a good deal of historical and sociological stuff I could delve into but I really won't for now. Let's talk about character and appeal.

For me personally when playing a game or reading a comic, there are some types of heroes that appeal more to my tastes. Things such as the hero being an average Joe or slightly Athletic, having an open/friendly face, and generally someone in their 20s or older. I prefer my heroes to be smaller and skinny because it is less likely they can rely on brute strength to solve their problem. For example, Frodo Baggins. :)

Now that's my personal taste in what is appealing in a hero. However, there are some common things in my list that have universal appeal.
- The underdog: In general, it seems audiences prefer an average person against above average challenges. I think it is because the story is more interesting in that way. Spiderman can fit into this although he's a super hero.

-Ideal Age: Someone in their prime is more appealing as it turns out. This is perhaps also related to Attraction.

-Inner Strength: Not all their power comes from strength of arm but of will, heart, spirit, mind etc. It's easier for most people to related to that.

-Unlikely Heroes - (Children, Animals, Women, Elderly)
There has also been lots of exploration with unlikely heroes. One of the more untapped of these is the Elderly. (Think of the Pixar movie "Up".) Children are usually more common as heroes in children's adventures (such as Chronicles of Narnia). There is lots of appeal to that too.
Animals are sometimes used instead of humans. (Like several Disney films).
And finally, Heroines. They're just not as common as a male hero protagonist when looking at adventure tales or video games.

Now, comics and movies cover all these. Video games...only some. I could pull out some numbers but I'm sure it's obvious that a majority of game heroes are male humanoids. You are actually more likely to play as an animal character than a female heroine.
Just some trivia for thought as you may try to design your next adventure.

- StereoTypes: Video Games-
In the wide range of titles in games, there is a big stereotype that I see.
White, hyper-masculine, (bald), mean-looking, dudes. Along with that I also see White, Androgynous, Cartoon males from Japanese RPG.
It's so white...it's transparent.

Now the interesting thing to remember while designing a video game hero is that the player wants to associate with the character they control. They either want to "be" that character (roleplay) or "care for" the character (empathy). It is only my assumption that the big, muscle man is something that the player wants to "be". Powerful, dominating, and "attractive". (I have never bought a western video game because I thought a main character was attractive. They're all the most fugly sons of b*tches I've ever seen. The exception is the Prince of Persia series.) It's really bland.

On the flipside, white Japanese heroes are generally more the type you want to "care for" or empathize with.

There's lots of articles picking apart why this may be but if looking for universal appeal for your hero, you want to design the type that is easy to "empathize" with and not just "roleplay" as. And there is definitely ROOM for change and different types of heroes or heroines (if I may ask) to be explored. There are secondary characters that are ethnically different than the main character. But rarely is an adventured carried out by a darker-skinned character (of any ethnicity Indian, Native American, Ethiopian, Etc.) This is even true in Fantasy Novels!

-Conclusion-
It really is the market and culture of the creators that drives hero design for visual media. The hero encompasses an ideal or represents a cause.
When designing your hero look at examples from many cultures. You may find some surprising inspiration from another country's legends. Don't look to other video games for your inspiration.

Also take a look at how superheroes have changed over time. Also look at Disney Animation for a good visual design of heroes. And look at the variety. Hercules looks different than Aladdin or Prince Phillip (Sleeping Beauty...yes I know his name) or Quasimodo (Hunchback of Notre Dame).
Disney is actually a very good source to look at when looking for "universal appeal". They have heros you can admire, empathize with and desire to be like...or not.

Or do take a look at books about the subject of heroes. There are plenty.

Good Luck!

LOH: ReSkinned

2009-11-11T10:56:00.001-08:00

I had another idea for this game using a visual novel style instead.
Basically the fun part for me is writing the story and having the user pick their favorite love interest for the end. However, it would not be a LOZ fangame but an original set of characters.

Currently I'm writing the script.

Game Idea: Horse Game

2009-10-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

Another idea for a horse game I had. I know I have a few of them. But I think I finally solved what I wanted to do for this game. My subconscious is awesome because it totally came up with this. Yep. DREAM inspired. Combining elements from Legend of Zelda and horses.

For the concept stage, the point of the game will be to obtain each type of horse for your herd and that will help do something.

Might be a good MMO? May single player. Still figuring it out.

TBD

Opinion: Visual Novels

2009-09-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

So since I started my project on Ren'Py, I've been introduced to another facet of the game creating community. Visual Novels.

My intention for the engine was something different than what it's usually used for...I think. I have seen a life sim created on this engine so I know it's possible. Visual Novels are a genre not very popular in the Western World. I used to wonder why...and now I get it.

Originally when I heard "visual novel" I imagined something a bit like "Hotel Dusk" where it was very interactive. Or even a choose your own adventure. However, I downloaded someone's free visual novel to check it out. I kept clicking (and not reading) wondering WTF I would get to make a choice. It was then that it dawned on me that perhaps I don't get to really MAKE a choice. OR it took a LOT longer before the player could make one.

And it was boring as hell. I could NOT believe how this was popular. Something on a computer or game system is interactive...there's no argument. The Visual Novel (VN) has an INTERFACE which suggests HUMAN INTERACTION. The only interaction I got was clicking to "turn the page" in a sense. Boring. SO BORING.

Now the community surrounding this engine are mostly making anime based games. Which is fine. And also why I'm going to use NOT anime art in my games. (I think it'd be hilarious if I threw in some 8-bit characters. XD) And there are a few things about anime the style that I like but many things that turn me off.

1) Everyone thinks it's easy to draw anime style - And there's very NICE looking anime style and very amateur looking anime style.

2) People write using anime/fanfic logic - which is bullshit. I call it. Anime has a tendency to not follow a pattern of sense.

3) The "weird Japan themes" - I wrote about this before in another blog post. Japan has some very...unusual fetishes. These are of course echoed in the themes of visual novels.

Sounds like I'm really talking down VN. It's true I think it could have lots of potential but I get frustrated when people call it a "game". Either that or the really "long" VNs really need to work on "pacing" that is giving the user a chance for input fairly early on so they know that there IS interaction. Many of the VNs I also played did have a LOT of choices to pick from making it feel more interactive and not having a lot of down time between choices. Or keeping the images interesting otherwise.

And that's really all I can say on the subject for now. I am le tired. :P

First Impressions: Avalon Code

2009-09-02T18:35:00.000-07:00

You know it's actually pretty hard to find a decent DS RPG title. And even harder to find a DS game with controls that make sense. Recently, I got a game by Atlus (one of my fave companies) called Avalon Code. I had read reviews on Amazon.com about it and decided I liked the idea behind the game. It was worth checking out. Here is what I think so far...

-Graphics-
Shoot me please. Why do DS titles insist on 3D graphics? They look TERRIBLE! The anti-aliasing is so HUGE it's like I'm looking at pixel sprites blown up to 4 times their actual size. It's one of those things where at a distance, yeah the sprites look okay. But they keep showing CLOSE UP shots of the character! And for me how graphics looks adds a whole lot to how I perceive a game. I would have been much happier if they went the same route as Disgaea where you had cut scenes where still shots of the character speaking (with different expressions) overlay the small sprite animations. Actually if I remember correctly, that is exactly what they did in Rune Factory. That was more acceptable.

It really is a shame because the illustration work of the characters (which made me want to buy the game) are beautiful. I was looking forward to seeing them play out in my game. No...blocky 3D graphics with really awful texturing...when you at them up close.

The cool thing though is that some "accessories" you get can be worn and SEEN on the character. So my character has this awesome hat right now. (It looks like one of MY hats.)

-Controls-
Actually I can't complain about the games controls too much. They work pretty well. It utilizes buttons for moving and basic fighting and the touch screen to manipulate things in the "Book of Prophecy". Now that I think about it...it works and I can't fault it. Darn. :D

-Sound-
DS just sucks at sound...can't really fault the game too much for that when the hardware sucks ass. There is some limited voice acting but lord I wish I could turn it off.

-Design-
Here is where I CAN get picky. The whole idea is that you are using a book interface to record things about the world. So you run around hitting things with this book. You get information about it and can manipulate it and therefore change the world around you. Like I said...cool concept. I still think they pull it off okay but the problem is this...

THE GAME DOESN'T TELL YOU HOW TO DO ANYTHING!!!

I've actually even opened up the manual to figure out things. And they're in there. :/ I KNOW right? Using the user manual? How absurd! Thank goodness I bought the game new! Sure it tells you where to go but the in game tutorials SUCK. For example, I stumble into a mini-game somehow and usually you get an in game explanation of what to do. Nope. They just threw me in the game. Somehow it kept score and I had no idea how! I had to read the manual (after losing and not wanting to play again) to learn how to score in the mini-game.

That's just a small example, but there is also an element where you can change the "code" of an item or person. There is a mini-tutorial how you do this to save an injured cat but no hints or clues on combination for other things. Even the recoding you do for the cat made NO sense and could not be deduced. I figured out how to make my weapons stronger and inherit a certain element just fine. And some monsters can be weakened.

It's just very lax on giving enough information to really learn the game. I'm just stumbling about blindly. Although on the plus side, it DOES tell you where to go next. So that part is all right.

-Story-
I'm not really feeling very attached to the story. Partly because it's another END OF THE WORLD story and you are the CHOSEN ONE! Please. I've played this shtick before. Boring.

-Conclusion-
Like I said, I'm not quite sold on the game because it's not helping me understand its own mechanics. And that makes me frustrated. But Some things are easy enough to figure out so I'll keep playing. I haven't had to crack any online walkthroughs yet!

Game Design: Force Feedback

2009-08-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

So I've officially given up (for now) on Kingdom Hearts and moved on to KH2. I know...I'm such a glutton for punishment...but to be fair...they DID clean up some things in KH2 like being able to skip cutscenes (bless you) and some way cooler fighting animations and stuff. And the gummi ship crap isn't as crappy anymore AND...

Right analog stick controls the camera. *tears of joy* Thank you!

But that's not what I wanted to write about today. While playing the game and watching cutscenes I began to notice how much that darn controller buzzed or "rumbled". I thought...when did this become cool?

Looking Back
I want to say arcade games were the ones that provided more of the "force feedback". That made them cool. You're sitting in a driving chair for a car racing game where it shakes when you bump something. Or the gun has some realistic throw back in a shooting game. Bringing this same subtle rumble into the home systems may have started pretty early, but the first one I really remember is the N64 Rumble pack.

It was an optional accessory. And it would vibrate the controller in certain games. Since then, it had become standard and built into game controllers. In games there are options to turn it on or off.

What's the deal?
I ask myself while watching my controller do a little dance on my couch while the it had its little seizure: Why is this appealing? I feel dirty holding it like it's some vibrator. Is THAT what makes it so popular?
Actually holding on the back of your neck feels pretty good...but it depends on the intensity of the rumble.

I mean comparing this vibrator to the shaking of arcade feedback, it feels cheap. If my controller were a gun or a driving wheel, then the rumble/vibrations feel like a part of the product. But the hand held controllers are hardly appropriate. It doesn't feel good. It actually bugs me more than add to my play. And it makes a stupid buzzing sound.

Game Play
So what does the vibrating/rumble do for game play. Well, I imagine it's suppose to add a level of immersion. In a fight if your character gets knocked to the side, you get a short buzz. So I suppose it could ALSO be punishment. The weird thing is that I notice the vibrations mostly happening during unplayable portions of the game...like the cinematics. Why? Why would I need force feedback now?

While I haven't played many games that do this, I'm sure that the buzz/vibrations can work with game play. It can be an indicator like a sound effect, there's a level of immersion, player punishment, or a warning.
These are examples I vaguely remember seeing in games. But it's been awhile since I've noticed the rumble.

Most games it's an option you can turn off...but what I don't understand is why the default is to have it on! Well, I think I do understand. How else would you know that the game had rumble capabilities.

Conclusion
Not much of a rant really, just a thought bubble. There's nothing really wrong with the vibrations. I just feel like it's a cheap imitation of what arcades offer. Or it's a dirty toy. :/ Ew.

Game Design: Combat Themes

2009-07-23T13:22:00.001-07:00

99% of all games made seem to have some sort of combat theme. Okay, that's so not an accurate percentage, but that's how much it FEELS like. There are obviously several very awesome games not based on combat. One of which I'm currently playing now, Harvest Moon. But enough of that pacifist style storylines, let's talk battles.
OH, and I'm totally zeroing in on Fantasy stories too. Two birds with one stone and all. :)

Dealing with Conflict
Every story needs conflict. That is what a story is after all: a series of conflicts and resolutions. In story writing books or classes, there are 3 very basic forms of conflict.
They were:
Man vs. Man
Man vs. Nature
Man vs. Self

Many stories have these conflicts and when they do, it boils down that the only way to resolve the conflict is physical force. Fighting. Violence. Etc. At the very least in games and fantasy it does.

The reason for this is that it's simply the easiest and most exciting method of solving the conflict. An epic battle. When playing a game, you get to control a fighting character. Yes. There are countless versions of battling monsters and armies and aliens and ninjas and zombies.

Stories can often still be interesting and deal with the problem without resorting to just fighting. Because writing action is difficult. Playing action is fun.

Messing with the Formula
Not that there's anything wrong with combat based games, it's just that it's so...over done. But people never tire of it so onwards we march. Still, it makes me think about what OTHER ways can a game be fun and interesting and not be centered around fighting. Particularly an RPG.

There are a few examples, but most of them are "sims" or simulation style games.
Unless you count, SRS Games...I mean...Serious Games. Most of the games I've made in my program have been non-violent and non-combative style games. We created a non-violent RTS game.

Anyway, a bit of a sidetrack, what other methods can there be? Is this something just so ingrained in games in general? (Chess is military strategy and so is GO).

One of the games I have been working on tries to "mess" with the a-typical battle system. Most RPG games you just charge straight through battles with slimes, monsters and people without regard...or remorse. My game takes advantage of that mindset and turns it by making some battles (even random ones) unacceptable to kill to win. Your party will lose experience if you kill these enemies. I chose to do it this way so that the player would think about battles and the group the player controls isn't necessarily "evil" or "tainted".

Just an example of an idea. I actually haven't tested it yet so hold the thought until I do.

Novels...now it's your turn
It is actually impressive if you take the time to write out a descriptive fight scene. However, is facing a villain or his/her army in a fight really the only way to resolve it? No. I think you can do better. In fact I know it's true. These are novels and only limited by human imagination.
Again, resolving conflict with battle is not always a bad thing. Sometimes it really is the only way it can work in a novel.

The Point
I really felt like this blog post was going somewhere. And it ended up not where I wanted sadly. I suppose then I'll just issue my challenge to fantasy in general to stop fighting so much. Put down the swords and sorcery and let's resolve this in a different maybe more creative way.
If you can't, then at least make the battles worthwhile and meaningful.

Good luck.

Game Design: Controllers

2009-07-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

Back to games. Sorry for the odd detour. This time I'm going to talk about INPUT methods for games.

Intro
Granted I'm just over two decades old, but I have seen my share of unusual controllers. Although I've not used them all.
They ranged from keyboards to joysticks and buttons. There are some things that I like and dislike about some of the more recent controllers. But being the nostalgic git that I am I'm going to look back before looking forward.

Joysticks/Keyboards
Early games on computer systems used a keyboard. (Yay for text based games). And there's not much to expound on that. The keyboard remains a staple example of a game input device. Although now it's often combined with a mouse.
In the past, I remember that it was ONLY the keyboard that controlled everything or only the mouse. (Or you could switch between the options.) Now very often I have to combine them. Now on the surface there's nothing particularly wrong about this method of input. However, I do feel it can discriminate. YES. Discriminate.

Back in the day (she whines from her rocking chair), There was only a handful of buttons needed to play a game. Arrow keys for movement and enter or space bar or sometimes even esc. Mostly RPGs fall prey to this but now you can assign ANY key to a short-cut to perform a command. While using a mouse at the same time! For example, World of Warcraft you can assign menu items to keys. Although I've played regularly for a couple of months I still have a hard time remembering which key opens which menu. Some I have memorized due to use.
I don't like my controlls or commands to be overly complicated.

Joysticks now...well...they've certainly evolved. I didn't mind them as long as they ACTUALLY WORKED. They were really best for those flight simulator games. Some of my favorites were those WWI bi-plane flight games which really made the joystick as a input make sense. And I think it was just the sort of joystick we had. It was one of those with a trigger button.

For other games like arcade games they were okay. It still remains a solid method of input.

Keypad Controllers
Like the ones for the SNES and such. You had the cross pad (D-pad if you will) and a certain number of other buttons. A number of buttons that steadily grew as the consoles progressed. I want to say that the NES only had the D-pad and two buttons besides start and select. Adding up to a total of 8 buttons. SNES adds four new buttons to this increasing the button number to 12. (These numbers DO count the 4 directions on the D-Pad).

Hand held systems also had these traits. So they totally count in this category too.
The point is that the input was very limited. You had input to control movement and actions. Which why games were pretty simple as far as performable actions could go. (This doesn't mean that combinations of buttons or controlls were simple. You got creative.)

I actually don't count N64 onwards "keypad" controllers. Those are joystick/Keypad hybrids which I'll talk about next.

Joy-Pad Controllers
Okay from N64 on (I'm sure there was an earlier system that had these I just don't know it.) controllers mix a joystick system with the keypad. Granted most joysticks ALSO had buttons. It was just a very limited number. I think the most we had on one was 4 (2 triggers and 2 buttons on the base). But these take the layout of the keypad and add small joysticks.

But boy oh BOY do these suckers have a LOT of button inputs. The N64 controller on top of the joystick had 14 buttons. (It also had a d-pad).
Game cube has 2 joysticks (the dual stick system is popular now.) along with 12 buttons. (It also still has the d-pad)
PS2 has 2 analog sticks and 14 buttons.
Xbox also has 14 buttons.

Okay 14 buttons!! (Granted a D-pad adds 4 buttons per controller). Wow that's a lot to fit on a small space. That's also a lot of buttons to keep track of. Well it IS. 14 seems to be the standard.
The shapes of the controllers are what really get me.
PS2/3 and Gamecube have good sized controllers...for MY hands. This is a personal pet peeve, but I have TINY HANDS. They're very petite, delicate and ladylike which is perfect for an artist like me. However, getting a grip on a controller and being able to reach all the buttons properly gives me some challenge when I get a standard Xbox controller. It was made for fat hands...which granted aims for the majority of the demographic. (I mean big hands. :))

Alternative Inputs
This is a growing field in entertainment. Nintendo started it long ago. It wasw the running pad that I first remember seeing commercials for. There was also the glove and balance balls and other what not. In the end they were not all that successful. :/ They didn't work well at all. Except the guns...they could be pretty reliable.

Now we're seeing this reborn...except the controllers DO work. (yay progress). We have Motion cameras, dance pads, guitars, drums, microphones, wiimotes, balance boards and probably more fun stuff in the future.

The quality of an alternative input depends on a couple of things. 1) Does it even WORK?
2) Is it easy to adapt to?
All the newer inputs do work. Things like the guitar and dance pad were relatively easy to adapt to. HOWEVER, to me at least, the Wii-mote is not as easy to adapt to.
Granted it's great for sport games and carnival games but if I were to play one of my action-adventure titles, I'd be scrambling for my comfort zone of joysticks and buttons. (No...nunchuck doesn't count. I still play Smash brother Brawl with my GC controller.)
Speaking of Wii-mote despite being so revolutionary it's still COVERED in buttons!! and you can ADD more buttons to it with the nunchuck.
Total you can have...well...the standard 14 buttons. On top of having a joystick.
...
.....
Okay tell me how this is revolutionizing gameplay again? Shouldn't motion censoring REPLACE the need for a joystick? Whatever.

Conclusion
In the end I feel that controllers are trying to become more like keyboards! I mean on the one end of the spectrum you have your standard computer keyboard. (Over 80 keys...or so. I'm just using a laptop right now. There's more on standard keyboards.) That's a possiblity of over 80 input commands. Let's not forget combining keys!
On the other end of the spectrum you have the simplest joystick with maybe 2 buttons.
The more buttons you have the more choices the player has to deal with. This can open more possibilites for input commands but can also lead to excluding new players. It's a lot to learn. Now for most people, growing up WITH the technology we grasp how to handle it and can adapt to the number of buttons currently before us.

As long as assigned commands aren't ridiculous then I'm fine. But to me, it feels like the high number of buttons increases the pressure on the player and the entry way into games.

I like games that don't utilize ALL the buttons on a controller. It's nice to have an easy to control game.

Game Design: Lights, Camera, Action!

2009-07-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

So inspired by something I noticed in my previous rant, I'm going to write about cameras in games. Which is strange because there's actually (usually) NO cameras using in game production. But it comes from 3D animation which uses "virtual cameras" to shoot scenes. Well you could argue it came from 2D animation too but you actually do use cameras for that. :)

3D Space and Camera
I got a degree in film and video...which I only say to validate the amount of money I spent getting said degree in hopes that it validates what I type. VALIDITY!
Now that most console games and many casual games have gone 3D camera position and angles are important. But the camera (from film) has a language! A cinematic language. And there are also rules of thumb or rather things like rules of thirds (which photographers should also be familiar with. It's about framing a shot for those unfamiliar). However, only in-game cinematics (out of the player's control) use this language. A low angle shot to make someone look more intimidating. That sort of thing.

But such is not the role for the camera in all parts of the game. No, the camera has a more functional role and a less "artistic" one. Although some games do try to mix them (mostly Indie ones.) But "views" (such as third person) are often made using some forms of classic cinematic language.

In first person shooters, you may have choices to use a first person view (which is used in film at times) or an "over the shoulder shot". This technique in film is often used to show one character engaged with another. (Conversation or fighting).

The Camera's "Job"
Outside the cinematics, the camera is something the player uses functionally as part of the game. It needs to show an optimal angle of the character (in 3rd person views) and a certain range of sight for the player to interact with the environment. In first person views there is some control of angle but it's always framed the same. By that I mean that the camera does not need to include your character in the frame it'll always be from their point of view.

What is expected though is that the camera shows US the character the information we need to best act within the game. Which is why some 3rd person view games allow you to switch to a first person view because that is the BEST way to view the lay of the land with out that darn character being in the way. But other games do an over the shoulder shot instead...which is fine.

Camera Control
For interactive parts of the game, the player is usually allowed control of the camera to suit their needs. If you need to see a platform better to make a jump you can rotate the camera around. Generally the camera follows you and you can not change that but you can change the angle, rotation point and closeness which it follows you. (Pitch, Pan, and Zoom...I went to school. )

Camera controls are one of the stickiest parts of 3D games, expecially on a console. There are a limited number of buttons (although they keep adding MORE) that can be assigned to the control of the camera. Yahtzee of Zero Punctuation puts it best, left analog stick for movement, right analog stick for camera. It's a great system...don't mess with something that works! Although before we had 2 analog sticks, N64 days there was at least a directional pad that worked the camera which was in the area where the right analog stick would be in the future.

In my last post I complained about Kingdom Hearts which has only rotational control of the camera which is done by L2 and R2 buttons. I still wiggle my right analog stick in denial sometimes thinking I can change the camera angle. But I only get mocked by Sora as he does nothing.

Ideally, it'd be great if you the player did NOT have to keep worrying about the camera and controlling it for optimal view. What I like is a game where the camera (on an automatic mode) will adjust itself accordingly and only need tweaks from me the player.

2D Games?
I know this may come off as a bit weird but camera views in 2D games are something to take into consideration. Just as 2D animation considers what angle to draw the character from so must a 2D artist. There are 3 commonly used views in 2D games.

Top-Down - like in the older Legend of Zelda games. (Except for Link's Adventure). Actually it's a very high angle and not a bird's eye view (true top down like in Galaga).

Side-View - Camera is level with the character. Any side-scrolling game known to man or woman. We'll say Link's Adventure for this one.

Isometric - or a 3/4 view is top-down and to the side to create a faux-3D look. Paper boy does this and the first Sonic 3D.

Other views include first person such as Wolfenstien or Hunting games. There were a few third person view behind the characters in Race car games, some special levels in Sonic games. It can be done but it's mostly based on the "look" of the art. There are 2D "tricks" to make something look 3D.

Conclusion
So most of this little article was stating the obvious now. But it is important to consider the type of framing or views that your game will have. Does it suit what the player needs to do? Do you want to convey some emotion at the same time? (In artsy games.)
And if you have camera control, make sure it makes sense. I didn't touch on PC games but they can have some strange commands too. Holding down a key and moving the mouse works for me.
Camera is one of those under appreciated artforms much like sound design. It's subtle until it ruins your game play.

Game Whining: Kingdom Hearts

2009-07-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

So I'm not great at "gaming" although I spend many hours in the activity. I'm not trying to be awesome or really think too much about the game play or strategy until I get stuck.
I've started playing Kingdom Hearts which I got for Christmas a couple years back. I started it and had to put it down for school and other games. I have been meaning to play it and now I am.

But there is so much I HATE about this game that I must complain about here. We're going into rant mode.

Controls
This is a classic example of a game where there are too many control options for battles. I've played the game for several hours and usually after the first couple of hours things become second nature. I fear it may take more like 10 hours or more before I get used to these blasted controls.

First off they don't make much sense. It's as if they were trying to combine action based combat with menu-based JRPG battle. Which CAN work, in certain cases but usually there's a problem with that but I'll get into that later. Controls are which buttons you press.

Left analog moves you. Fine. Direction pad changes menu options. Okay. X is excuting an action. Acceptable. L1 changes a menu to a magic menu. R1 turns on the Lock On enemy option. L2 and R2 control camera.
Okay now you're getting into some WTF schemes.
This is the WORST camera control system EVER. I've gotten trained in the fact that Right analog stick controls camera or holding down an "R" button and Right analog stick. The camera is NEVER where it needs to be to be optimal which is sucky in a 3D game. Camera is SO important. (Ooh I feel an idea for a blog topic on that. :3)

Battle System
Okay this is the REAL booger in the works. Menus are great if you can pause your battle and switch equipment or grab a potion. But there are so many nested menus in the battle system, it's ridiculous and you can't access them when the game is paused!!
So here I am mashing my X button to swing the keyblade at shit. Suddenly I need potion quick. I have to use the directional pad instead of moving my character to select "Item" and then select potion (IF I remembered to equip Sora before battle...which doesn't always happen. My bad) and went I select potion, I have to select who to give it to...JUST MAKE IT SIMPLE!! That's 3 menus to go through before I can sucessfully heal myself and continue fighting if I'm not already dead cuz the camera was in such a position for me NOT to see an enemy punk me from behind.
BALLS!

You can't combine action and menu systems LIKE THAT. Menu systems of JRPGs suggest strategy or quick access. Another game I've played that combines some menu and action is the Tales of Symphonia. But the battle was at a mostly fixed camera angle. You had pretty good visuals. The battle PAUSES while you access an item menu. You can select the item and who to use it on and then battle starts up. Granted your item doesn't take effect until battle restarts where your character pauses and throws the item. THAT is how you combine menu systems with action battle.

Another thing that pisses me off is the magic menu. Okay the INSTRUCTIONS in the game say you can attach magic to a button for quick access. Guess I misread somewhere that you need to hold down L1 at the same time and then you can fire magic. No, BAD. But not terrible.
Most other games I've played allow you to equip spells to buttons and then all you have to do is push the button and voila. It fires. This game not so much. You assign some skills to the buttons for one effect (actions like rolling) and magic to them for others. (Thus pressing L1).

Like I said, it's not "terrible" but it's not great. And when your in battle trying to fire off magic, it doesn't help that there's a tiny extra action that is needed before you fire. Because timing is everything.

Menus
Speaking of menus jeez the cheese there are TONS. And okay I think its something from Final Fantasy that has come through. It just feels superfilous. Some menus I understand.
Items, Save, Options/Config, Equipment.
Those are expected in an action rpg game. Customization...okay this is perhaps just a bad "naming flaw". And now I'm just being picky right? Customization doesn't tell me much...I could confuse that with Config. But it's not that it's assigning your spells to buttons. "Magic/Skills" would have been a better name. PICKY.

It's the Gummi ship crap. I really DON'T care about building my own ships even if I can make a flying dick. (Everyone has I'm sure). That's something cool for like a PC game. Where you have more control. Sort of. It's just I don't like it and it needs to go. I want to collect parts of ships and then just select new ones or have the upgrades added on automatically when I choose them. I don't care WHERE they go on the ship just put it on.

I think it's really the layout and format that bothers me. It doesn't feel "neat" or friendly.
I'm also pissed you can really only access these menues at a SAVE point. This is a little tedious. I understand that to SAVE my game I have to be at the save points.
Actually I think I can access the item menu anywhere. I forget.

I prefer "save anywhere" options and then just starting me at some save point.

Story
Part of the draw of this game is playing with Disney characters. That's WHY I got this game. But the cinematics...sweet lord. I know they're trying to go for this lucid dream sort of feel...but they over achieved. The opening sequence tells me NOTHING about my character or makes me sympathize with him. It's all this bizarre dream sequence and they ask me weird questions that might affect my game play but I don't know. Then we have these kids on an island building a raft to sail to another world. Fine. I still know nothing about the main character except that he lives here and has friends and has a pre-teen crush on the girl and competitive relationship with the guy.

I don't know it's presented all in a very bizarre way and not storytelling methods. It looks cool. but it's not.

Oh and not to mention cinematics are LONG as FECK! You can't skip them and if you die during a boss battle...you get to see them again and again. (This makes me NOT want to finish the game because I KNOW this will happen a lot).
Your dialog is stupid. Makes no sense. And some of the imitation voices suck. (Which is to be expected.) Do not want.
(I hear in KH2 that there are skipping options. Yay they learned!)

Summary
I know this could have been done better. And several people I know have finished the game so I know it's possible. But I'm concerned how long it'll take me to get there. Especially since the leveling up is NOT obvious. No you only do that if levels don't really matter like in Legend of Zelda. They DO matter in KH. But because they're downplayed, I don't notice.

Anyway, I forsee many frustrating hours ahead and I'm kind of sad because this is supposedly a "classic" for the PS2. I liked Chain of Memories. That's fun. This...this is just worrisome. And full of nonsense. I really hope I can finish this game. :(

Game Design: Level of Difficulty

2009-06-29T12:07:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite online video feeds is the Angry Video Game Nerd and Zero Punctution. The former goes the nostalgic route and looks at early games to point out and mock all their flaws. Of which there are many. Zero Punctuation criticizes newer games on some of the same fronts.
Some of the complaints are about the difficulty of the game. Old games are Harder in that they're more unforgiving, the programming is buggier, and poor design decisions were made. (Such as the "trial and error" method). I was just reading an article outlining how the Zelda games have gotten "easier". It got me thinking about level of difficulty in games.

Audiences
This I think is one of the more important factors of designing the difficulty of a game. I mentioned in an earlier blog post, that there are certain preferences and styles of game players. Some that are obsessed with their skills, some looking just to relax and some to play socially.

Audiences of mainstream games are changing. Some gamers are getting older and some are younger. I think what is happening is that games are trying to be more accepting to a wider range of markets thus increasing the distribution of said game.

Too Easy?
Some have complained that today's games are "too easy". There are lots of in-game aides that almost hold your hand through the whole thing. Really, you only have yourself to blame. This is because no one read the instruction manuals that came with the game. You know the one that tells you the basic controls and what not. Those are now IN the game. Which I guess is helpful if you bought the game used and it didn't come with the original instruction manual. I like those. I read 'em.

I had a classmate that thought games were too "forgiving" in that if you fail at something usually you can easily pick up where you left off without back tracking too much. In older games that's not the case. You would have to start at the very beginning if you lost completely.

Tutorial/training levels, extra lives, and a more "fair" damage equation have helped make games more playable but at the same time less challenging for some gamers.

Or Too Hard?
Now for ME, I find newer games HARDER. There may be several factors to that too. One, like most female gamers I fell off the gaming wagon in high school, limited only to Pokemon and a few games on the N64. I got back into gaming in college when I got my own systems. So, I've missed some gems. When I was younger still we didn't have the popular systems so I'm not very good at the old games either. The games I did play were exploratory, easy paced, and thought provoking (games like MYST, Oregon Trail, Carmen Sandiego, and such). No time limits, fast reflexes or depth perception.

There are a lot of potential gamers like ME. Many of which are female. This may be a gender preference (again I have research to back this up) but games that are "intense" or fast-paced and require reflexes tend to fail females. Growing up, we are encouraged to take it easy whereas boys are encouraged to be more active. (Granted that's sort of changing due to obesity.) Point is, that timed games, pressure added, memorizing controls does not come as easily to many gamers.

General Difficulty
Now there are some things that are difficult for ANY human being interacting with a computer program. Precision is one thing. Humans are prone to error and estimation more than a computer. This was one of the failures of older game programming. Some games required exact commands or landing to recognize and accept a move. Such as jumping onto a platform.

Logic is something expected from games. The answer should be deducted from the information a player receives in the game. This however, is not a failure of the program but of the designer so it's human error. Illogical puzzles can make for a challenge but it is not the type of challenge that a player wants. It's not fun. Fun is recognizing patterns and successfully applying deduction skills.

As a game designer, if designing a puzzle based game, you have to make sure the puzzles make "sense" and can be solved with deduction. Some methods of trial and error are okay. Trial and Error is good if the player is not completely punished for it and the player can "learn" from their error.

Lastly, ratios. In an rpg, you "level" your character giving them more powerful statistics. The ratio between your character and an enemy character should stack so that the odds are in favor of the player without shorthanding the enemies. (I hope that makes sense). In other words, if the player character has 10 health and the enemy has 20 health, then either the player has to have some slight advantage to make the fight fair...not easy, but fair and doable. Granted the player may learn that, "Okay, that monster was pretty tough to beat, I better buff up my character's stats."

Special Difficulties
These range based on a player's age and background. Such as using certain "lingo" within the game. Someone who has played many rpg games is familiar with "stats" and what they do. Not so with a new player.

Remembering which buttons to push. This becomes a problem for newer and older gamers.

Readablility. I know this may sound strange, but okay I have a 13" TV screen and it's not plasma or LCD or anything. Images and words are not super crisp. I actually need my glasses if I'm to do reading from a distance. (I'm near sighted). However, many older gamers have this problem too. And when I say older gamers, yeah...I mean your grandparents. Sometimes it's the lack of contrast between the words and the background.

Speaking of contrast, sometimes distinguishing background from foreground becomes a pain. Zero punctuation often complains about the brown tones in most games.

3D vs 2D is another one that I still have trouble with. Clearly my in-game depth perception needs help. Aiming and accuracy falls under this too. This can be determined by the program's ability to accomedate for human error. But my aim sucks. Always has in games. I remember to this day that Super Mario Brothers gave me the business at that hole you have to jump over. The first one. I think it's because I was laughing so hard because I fell so often. I would literally forget it was there and just walk off. It was pretty funny.

Conclusion
It seems to me, difficulty is in the eye (and hand) of the beholder. It's true that games can feel like they're coddling but remember, that's because this game was not JUST for you. It was meant for a wider-audience.

Which is why unlike the author of this article, I actually like the newer Zelda games and their lack of letting me be lost. To me there is nothing more frustrating that being lost, in real life and in a game. It's just scarier in real life. I've tried to play the original Zelda, but because I was more familiar with the "new generation" of gaming I didn't like it. There was no direction. That's because now, there IS an order to do things in and I applied that to the old game thinking "if I don't do things in the right order...I'm screwed!" (Because one thing I know about older games is that they're very unforgiving.) Then again, I was challenged enough by that added third dimension to the game. There's now more aiming in those games and distances and I can still get lost despite the maps. BUT I am able to back track easier and find my way out. I have played most of the other Zelda games, but the newer ones remain my favorites.

And that's mostly thanks to Epona. :3

So remember, there are some things that make it difficult for any human being and somethings that make it difficult just for "certain" people. These are things to take into consideration when designing and building your game.

Game Design: Sound...of music

2009-06-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

Audio as a part of game design is an often "neglected" part. Usually because it's a low priority to what a game NEEDS to function. A game needs programming and visual interfaces which is why so much effort is put into a game. Audio was not a necessity in a game. For a long time they were just beeps and buzzes. Now that we are in a more sophisticated generation of games, audio plays a larger role or can. There are a few games that rely on audio as part of the game play.

What Audio Does
When I was working on my master's project, we were almost completely focused on getting graphics and programming in. In my evaluation, I was told that my game needed more audio to feel more complete. And you know what? There is a world of difference between my soundless game and my game with audio.
And it was nearly effortless. All we had were some bells and whistles for positive and negative feedback. A click noise for buttons. And some sound loops for background audio.

In short here are some things audio does for a game.
1) Adds Polish - while this a very simplistic sounding job, does make a game feel finished.
2) Provides Feedback - humans associate certain sounds with a good or bad feeling. An irritating noise for negative feedback is a quick indicator that an action was wrong.
3) Validates an action - that click noise is an indicator that YES you did click the button.
4) Creates an environment - sound effects can reaffirm a game location. Such as jungle noises for a jungle setting. It helps with immersion.
5) Creates an emotion in a player - In a study I read, players found a game more intense and more frightening with the sound on. Music can create different emotions and fire off different parts of the brain. And sudden loud noises are a sure way to at least make me jump.

Types of Audio in Games
Most of game audio is similar to film audio with a few exceptions.
The difference is reaction sounds such as the click of a button or a grunt after you command an action from the character. These act as indicators that the program recognized your command. This works with the visuals of course. A happy chirrup to me at least makes me feel confident that the program recognized my action. It's subconscious but it's there.

Similar to films, sound effects and music play a role similar to anything visible on the set. Like a stage there are background and foreground sounds. Background sounds are usually the musical score used to set a mood in the scene. It's fast-paced if the action is fast or slower for a more emotional scene. Sound effects play both in the background and mid-ground. Subtle sound effects such as trees rustling or just the expected sounds of the scene I consider background. That doesn't mean they're unimportant but it does mean that they are meant to be subtle and build the scene. Mid-ground or even Foreground sound effects are sounds that the characters are reacting to or causing. Hammering a nail, cutting food, breaking glass and so on. Lastly, voice overs. Are probably the most foreground sounds since they are what we are paying attention to. The words tell the story.

This leads to my next point.

Voice Acting
I'm coming to appreciate this art more and more as I listen to commentaries by voice actors and listen to my own voice online. Usually I'm a terrible voice actor. It could be that I have a really crappy microphone or that I'm currently living at home and would be embarrassed to go all out. On top of having a good sound environment and equipment, being a good actor with JUST your voice is a challenge.

Currently, I'm planning on making a commentary for a game with a lot of cutscenes so I'm listening more carefully to the voice actors/actresses and finding little nuances which I feel make a good voice versus a bad voice. There are voices that "fit" a character. Now you can play with this as a design decision but a character's voice should fit their visual look. Having a petite girl have a deep, gruff voice is great for parody because that's NOT what you'd expect. A petite girl needs a petite voice.

Then there's chemistry between two character voices. When you have a very talented voice actor with a not as talented one, you can hear a difference. One will just sound more bland than the other. It also can depend on if they record together or separately. If one recorded before the other, the second actor can play off the first performance. Which gives the second actor an edge over the first.

Sound Design
It's the sound designer's job to make sure all the audio is working together for a desired effect. Now, I'm no expert in this field. Sound has always been the weakest point in all of my productions. (Particularly my animations). Again, good equipment and recording environment helps create GOOD quality sound. That's why my sound is so weak. I also don't have a very good ear for nuances like some sound artists. I can not play an instrument by ear nor sing music just by looking at the notes on a page. Knowing a sound and where it fits takes some talent.

However, even a toneless ear like mine knows when something sounds "bad" and when something sounds "good". If working on Indie things there are resources to download good quality sound effects for free or a small fee.
http://www.soundsnap.com/ - Sound Snap is one of my favorites for high quality sound effects and music loops. You don't have to filter through as much crap as other sites. You get 5 free downloads a month and you can pay for a subscription for more OR wait another month for 5 free more. ;)
http://www.flashkit.com/ - This is another free-ish resource although the quality of these sounds are less awesome. Always free though.

Equipment
Believe it or not, I did take a sound design course in undergrad. There are lots of fancy microphones and things you can get to make pro quality sounds.
For the cheap Indie like me just making games for fun, you can find most of your needs online. But for audio, expecially voice acting head-set game or internet phone headsets are pretty decent. The foam boom mic captures voice well and most are pretty good at filtering out other outside noises. (Noise cancelling).

If you're more serious, then you'll want some multi-directional microphones, with a P-pop screen and a mixing board. Or if you want to record your insturments. Keyboards, I think can be directly plugged into a mix board/computer. Guitars: for acoustic you need a mic near the body of the guitar. For electric you need a mic by an amplifier. (I had to mic a rock band once. ONCE. I forget the exact TYPE of microphone we used, but hey...that's what google is for.)

The room you are recording in should have NO ECHOES. Ideally, a booth with soundproof material on the walls. But for an Indie, a carpeted room or making a tent booth should be possible. Or just hope that your noise cancelling mic is truely awesome.

Stories: What's Love Got to Do with it?

2009-06-06T18:32:00.000-07:00

In an earlier blog post I discussed various relationship types and how they are handled in stories. Well, I'm mostly taking that same subject but going on a deeper perhaps more philosophical method. And by philosophical method you know I'm going through the 3 loves. Knowing the three loves can help in the understanding of relationships between characters and people.

Introduction
Now the 3 loves are a very Western Philosophy rooted subject. Being as most of my education in philosophy is western based, I can not vouch for any Eastern or New Age Equivalent.
The three loves are: Eros, Philia, and Agape.
There are also other philosophic and sociology based love types or styles including: Stoge, Ludus, Pragma, and Mania.

In this I will first start with the classic three and make notes on the other styles. Because they're all important when considering love between two characters.

Eros
Plato was the one who wrote down the philosophy behind the 3 loves. (Based on Socrates teachings.) Eros was considered the initial love for beauty. It has since come to mean lust or erotic love. It is a sensual style of love and very focused on the physical aspect of things.

What sort of relationships come out of this? Well, it could be considered classic romance. Beautiful couples, physically attracted to one another. The sensuality of the relationship holds it together. Of course, eros does not always equate "a sex only" relationship, although that is common.

The basis of this love type is beauty ergo attraction. Whether it be chemistry or physical beauty, that is the draw for this type of love.

Philia
Brotherly love is what this Greek word translates to or more commonly "friendship". Philia is not considered a "love style" since it is rarely used to describe "lovers" in the same sense as eros. The point of "friendship love" is not really affection, attraction, or desire for that other person in a physically intimate way.

When a friendship love is felt between members of the opposite sex it is called "Platonic". However, a personal belief of mine, there is no fighting biology. Especially if they are attractive. On the other hand, now that I think about it, my friendships with the opposite sex were always based on a common interest or activity. (In my case making video games and comics.) The gentlemen I hang out with that I think are attractive, sure I get that notion of something beyond philia but then there are others that it is only the interest in a subject that keeps us friends.

This is important I think to comics. If you think about it, usually characters are designed to be attractive. It is a little jarring if two pre-teen - adults that are good-looking and they're just friends. It's a slight stretch of reality to believe that there are no "feelings" beyond friendship. There has to be a reason for one or the other to repress that attraction. Usually one party in a serious relationship with another, different sexual orientations (although, she could want to straighten him out. :D), fear/shyness, or something. Usually if characters are young there is no attraction like there would be in people past puberty.

My last point about philia is this that once a couple goes beyond that, it's really difficult to going back to being "philia". (aka "just friends"). I really respect people who can still be friends with ex-boyfriends. It IS possible, but it does take a certain personality type. For a hopeless romantic or someone very naive, it's not just going to go back so easily.

Agape
This was considered the highest form of love in the philosophy of things. It's also a very Christian virtue. That's because Agape is self-sacrificing love or unconditional love. Said to be the love that God has towards his children. Or to use more earthly examples the love of a mother/father for their children. (Well...good parents/ideal parents. I feel its what we all want our parents to love like.)

The main quality of this love is self-giving. It can be considered very intimate or very basic such as being generous. Usually in a story, agape is shown through a character ultimately sacrificing themself for their beloved. (Which can be children or a lover). Supposedly this is the ancient magic protecting Harry Potter.

If going with romantic relationships, agape lovers can be seen as the naive lover that can easily be taken advantage of. Because they are so willing to give up anything for their beloved, they can be manipulated by a selfish lover for their own means. Like very bratty children that take advantage of their doting parents. However, usally Agape love is idealized in the self-sacrifice way.

Other Love Styles
Storge is the classic best friends become lovers situation. Long time friends of the opposite gender (or the same gender if that's their preference) grow together over time to the point where it just makes sense to stay together and be a couple. The word storge means "natural love" and is often used to refer to family love or love between friends.

Ludic is Latin for "game" or "playing". And you know what..."Players" are ludic lovers. Love is a game and it's all about the fun in a relationship not about the commitment. It's all about the sex or the challenge of having many relations.

Pragma refers to "practical lovers". These are couples who measure how the relationship best values them. It's more like shopping and comparing items in a store. (Like internet dating!) Pragma can also refer to business partnering and not just romantic encounters. I like to think of them as the mercenaries of the romantic world.

Mania is teenage love...or that crazy possessive love that a person usually NEEDS to validate their existence. They just can't LIVE without their beloved. You could say it's "fangirl" or "fanboy" love. :)

Putting all together
People are complex and can relate or act on various love styles or types. They can be combined in various ways but should make sense for your character's personality. For example, a "Mania" type person is more likely to be a teenager or a very disturbed adult. It's often seen as unhealthy, BUT two people with SIMILAR love styles are most compatible together.

However, a relationship's situation also play important roles in the ways the love styles portray themself. In an arranged marriage, a pragma lover will see the advantages and be more likely to accept the situation. An agape lover will also probably accept the situation. Eros, Mania, and Ludic would not accept the situation. Stoge and Philia don't really apply unless the couple become friends after marriage.

Even if your character is a nymphomaniac, their love style can differ. An eros nympho is very different from a ludic nympho.

It's not necessary to think about "love styles" specifically but recognizing what they are and how they work helps build more realistic relationships or rather more believable relationships.

More Information
For further reading and better examples:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_styles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Loves (or you can read his book)
http://www.lifegoeson.net/MonkeyShines/4loves.htm
http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/symposium.html
http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/symposium (or the SparkNotes version.)

Comics: Mature Themes

2009-05-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

What are mature themes?
Have you ever heard of the "three subjects never to be discussed at the dinner table"?
They were: Religion, Politics, and Sex
(Which some say are actually good things to discuss with the family.)
Anyway, these three things are generally the subjects people feel very personal about and very passionately. It is sure to get a reaction when posted for public viewing. And usually that's what the artist/writer intends.

Mature Themes used in media
Including these topics in your story is guarantee to bring eyes to your work. Sex Sells is a phrase often thrown around, but it's true. Controversy also sells, particularly political or religious controversy. To me at least, it seems like Mature Themes are used as an advertising ploy to get the most attention. Because attention means money.

Similarly, the idea applies to Indie media too! Web-comics are the medium I'll focus on in this blog. Sex is certainly a seller if you want people to read your comic. Looking at the top comics on TWC, most of the top comics are rated PG-13 or R. (While self-rated comics should be taken with a grain of salt, some of the PG-13 I would actually rate as PG. Although the top comic is properly rated.) Point is that they're rated "R" because of sexual content.

Using them in Comics
As I've repeated the major on the surface reason for including mature content is to get more attention on your comic. Which is not bad. However, keeping those eyes requires you to fulfill expectations. And usually for "mature" comics, the only mature content is sex and usually not politics or religion. So since the biology states that sexual cues for men are visual, pleasing this target audience is as easy as drawing a naked woman...an attractive one at that. Hey scantily clad is all right too, but boobies guarantee more viewers.

I'd like to say I'm joking. But, I won't repeat myself. (sex sells...I lied.)
However, again looking at the top web comics list, the actual content of the mature comics are different.

In the top 10 (for today) there are 4 comics that are "fan-service" with their sexual content, Cru the Dwarf, TwoKinds, Once and Future (formerly Twisted Kaiju Theatre), and Flipside.
For Cru, the advertising is blatant in their animated banner and description. Once and Future when it was TKT had visual fanservice on the banner as well (now it only has reputation). Flipside adds it in the description and shows appealing art. Two Kinds has a fanservice image.
These all deliver what they promise for the most part, some better than others.

TKT and The Meek (which advertised a naked girl in the description) both used this mature content as a mere hook. While TKT does have galleries of explicit images, the comic itself is a photo manipulated comic that uses satire to poke fun at religion and politics as well as using the sex sells method.
The Meek on the other hand fools you. It used "sex sells" in a more base sense that even suggesting there will be nudity and having some nice quality art on the banner would attract attention. In reality, the nudity in the comic is probably not what is expected. The art is styled in such a way that makes the nudity not sexy. While proportions and such are exaggerated (very well), the character's assets are not given special attention such as enlarged size, small waist and wide hips. Nor are her facial features giving any sexual cues. (Big lips, heavy eye lids, blushing, etc.)

Be that as it may, I would hardly consider "The Meek" a work-safe comic. It goes over very mature topics in the course of the story.

-Religion and Politics
Well, I've pretty much covered how sex is used in "mature" comics, for the most part. Religion and Politics probably won't grab as much attention out of a crowd. But there are such things as Political Cartoons right?

There are a couple of ways these subjects are portrayed in comics (that I've commonly seen): Humor , Satire , and Pamphlet.

Humor usually just pokes fun at religion or politics in general. Sometimes it can be considered offensive. Usually if you agree with the view, it's funny but if you disagree it's not. If you are really good at humor, whether you agree or disagree doesn't matter. It's like when a famous political figure makes an appearance on Futurama. (Lame example).
On the flipside, humor comics can be at extreme ends and try to offend to get attention. Usually by singling out a specific denomination's beliefs. For example, the South Park's history of Mormon is probably offensive to Mormons.

Satire I'd like to think as a more sophisticate humor about a subject. Political Cartoons often do this type. Usually Satire is considered a non-offensive way to critique an aspect of culture or human life.

Pamphlet is when the subject of your comic tries to advocate or defend a belief or political view. It can be done subtly or overtly depending on the talent of the story teller. Online, there's lots of Christian themed comics defending an aspect of the faith.

Suggestions for Comic Artists/Authors
Handling a mature theme in your own work is something you have to figure out for yourself based on your moral upbringing and intention for the comic. In my day, I've come across some seriously weird stuff and ridiculous content that's been considered "mature".

Be Mature Yourself - What this means is be of proper age to view the content you intend to make. 18 up seems fair enough. I've seen "porn" comics that must have been drawn by a very disturbed 7 year old. (At least the art style suggested so. The characters looked like fetuses and they used "censor bars" for the male characters. Meaning clearly they didn't know their anatomy).
Shock-value vs. Meaningful Story-telling - I've seen some terrible comics that degrade women to pass it off as humor. (Which was really poor taste). Clearly it was done for shock value which is usually just a cry for attention. Meaningful story-telling means you validate having this content within the context of a story or setting.
Satire and Humor - I've gone over some of the differences. Try to make yourself seem educated though. Don't just copy South Park.
Prepare the Audience - Obviously, the comic, if displayed on the web should have the proper "warning labels". Depending on how explicit your content is should be balanced with how much of a warning you put on it. Again, mostly due to laws (I think) and as a general courtesy for those who connect to the internet in public places, school or work. (Although, It's bad to read comics at work. >=( LOL. I kid.)
Learn to draw and write well - if your writing is bad you lose credibility. If your art is bad, you lose viewers. Like I mentioned before I came to a "mature" comic that had a warning pop-up and everything only to find this crudely drawn abomination. It was not sexy or mature at ALL. Actually, this is probably true for ANY style of comic. If you draw and write well, your comic will do well. The top 10 webcomics all have good art OR use a photo/machinima style and have mostly good writing.

Conclusion
There are other themes that would be considered mature such as rape, death, violence and gore. But these follow most of the same generalizations. It could offend certain groups or be insensitive. (Then again, this is the internet...I say no excuse!) I have seen rape taken so lightly in comics and stories that I find it both disgusting and disturbing. Hate crimes, racism and other hot topics are themes that are expected to be handled with sensitivity (if to be shown to general public).

My Relations with the Elves

2009-05-31T19:29:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that one of my favorite fantasy creatures to draw and write (besides unicorns) is elves and fairies. Even when I was in middle school I enjoyed the fantasy of fairies being like the creatures in Disney's Fantasia or the cute little dolls I had. And as I matured and read more fiction and watched more fiction, I grew to like the idea more and more. Now I still like elves as a fantasy creature but it's a very shall I say "popular" version that I prefer over the "traditional".
Yep. This blog post is going to be similar to my post about unicorns I made awhile ago.

Traditions, Traditions
Most folktales about the fair folk come from the British Isles (although I'm well aware that the rest of Europe had these stories too!). But the ones most familiar I think are the ones from Ireland. In general, they're miserable little buggers. (Bugger is such a naughty British term. :)) Fairies would steal children, cause back luck, and make mischief. There are also courts, some good and some bad.

Elves...man I can't think of their traditional stories beyond the Elves and the Shoemaker and Santa Claus. Maybe they're the nice ones. Ah wells. Sometimes they're lumped together as the "Fair Folk".

It was when Tolkein and D&D became popular that newer notions of "elf" came about.

The Modern Day Elf/Fae
I'm sure the true origins of the modern day elf or fae can be completely traced to visual media like Hollywood and comics. (Thank you ElfQuest...I think).
The Elf is often beautiful and wise, fully of grace and somehow "better" than the human counterpart.
The Fae is more exotic, intoxicating, tricky but still somehow better than humans. (Not always prettier as it turns out).

The "Fair Folk" in the old tales were often described as cruel, but beautiful.

Of course then there are the children's version of the creatures which are always wholesome and cute. (Seriously though, I love the Disney Fairies.)

There is certainly nothing "wrong" about modern versions over the traditional. They do tell different stories now. And in ways have made the creatures very different things.

The Stories They Tell
When you read a fantasy about elves or fae, they're no longer a creature (usually) but a "race" of sentient beings. There are new expectations about what the elves are and how they act. It's quite normal now for an elf to be tall instead of short, arrogant instead of generous enough to make shoes, and often in some sort of conflict based on racism between another race in the world.

The origins of these creatures vary as either children of stars or trees or demi-gods or a cross between an angel and a human (my least favorite origin story).

In the folktales the stories were...well folky I suppose not a very drawn out engineered story about resolving conflicts or having superpowers. And that's another thing that's new. Sometimes elves have superpowers...thanks to anime and video games.

Point of this is that Fairytales have certainly changed into something else. Elves are now more visually interesting and exciting.

Getting to my Point
Old versus the new, I have to say that visually I prefer the new and think I like their role in stories better. Now that it's become a trope and general folktale of our age (I suppose), I feel it's just as acceptable. Granted most people would "blame" Tolkein for his establishments in fantasy the genre, I think that many would agree that the idea was there somehow but just not always called "elf" or "fae".

However, I do enjoy the old traditions of the fair folk for what they are. It is interesting that this is where the modern elf came from. But there are some things about the modern fair folk I don't care for. And I feel many agree with me. So here we go.
-Elves-

Constant descriptions of their beauty, perfection, or awesomeness.
Long hair
Arrogance and general aloofness as if they're SO much better
Half-Elves that are somehow better than elves
Immortality (immortal creatures are boring. Long-lived is fine.)
Forbidden romance between elf and human
Obsession with being tree hugging/worshipping hippies OR being used as an advocate for nature vs. technology
A general tension between elf and dwarves

-Fairies-

Very sexual creatures (which I guess is in their nature)
Again with the "I'm so pretty descriptions".
Basically being human but with bug wings
Actually I really don't have much to complain about Fairies. They're not nearly as over-used as elves...or I just haven't been reading the right books.

My own personal Elf/Fae Characters
So I have a few...it's no secret. My deal though is that they're really NOT elves. Nope, they're aliens from another planet. People just called them elves because that's what they looked like. The aliens just went with it. Their "powers" are just natural abilities and technology.
(And technically that IS my backstory for my elves, but it's never apparent in any of my stories so it can't be called cannon I guess.)

In general, I go with the anime stereotype, visually. But I try to write them differently and avoiding all the things I don't like about modern elves. In my current work, Song of the Brinds, Elves and Fae are a race. They don't have magic. They're not very nature based, in fact quite the opposite they're very into science and technology and rather un-religious. I guess you could say they're still arrogant but it's the type of arrogance that the Imperialists had about developing nations. That's different than say arrogance towards humans because humans are like little children incapable of learning in their short years of life.

In another story I'm doing about fairies, because it's more of a children's tale I take the Disney Fairy Tale route.

And I've taken up enough of your time. This was very much a fluff post.
But in short, movies and video games and comics have changed fantasy forever. Deal.

Game Review Magazines

2009-05-31T12:44:00.000-07:00

Last year for a research project, I did an analysis of the content of game review magazines. For the project the purpose was to provide a competitive analysis for our proposed project. My project was a family oriented game review magazine. There really aren't many. In fact, I could only find one online magazine.

The Big Players
For my analysis I chose what I considered the most popular game magazines in print. They were:
Game Informer
GamePro
Nintendo Power

By far, game informer had the most previews and reviews of all the magazines. Consequently it also had the most ads. Nintendo Power is the oldest of the three and was pretty exclusive to Nintendo brand games so naturally the list of reviews and previews were less.

For awhile I had a subscription to Game Informer and I got some free issues of Nintendo Power as a bonus for some pre-order. Personally I preferred NP because I really only had Nintendo systems so it made sense. When I signed up for a member's card at Gamestop they signed me up for a year's subscription. I thought, "Hey, why not. I'm sure this poor cashier has a quota to fill or something."

At first, it wasn't so bad. I must have gotten lucky on that first issue but as I looked at more games and read their reviews the angrier I got. Until I basically just stored the magazines to be used as fly swatters. (Which did come in handy as it turns out.)

When doing my analysis I already had my opinion about Game Informer as a clearly frat-boy style magazine. Just like all the others! GamePro I had expected to be maybe a little less so, but it had the same macho man talk and boob jokes as GI, if not as many. The fact that I could learn about new games coming out was just not enough to make me want to keep my subscription. Why would I read something I felt insulting?

The Online Reality
Most Game magazines also have their online counter-part or are solely based online. If you want to find some of the most hostile looking websites, try looking at a gamer's site. It's always grundgy with yellow and metal and yuck. Now I'm not asking for pink ponies and rainbows but a more pleasing aestetic. IGN and GameFAQ have some decent designs, but Gamasutra is my favorite. Mostly because it's not gamer-focused per se but developer focused.

What bugs me the most about online magazines is what annoys me most about the internet in general. It's a breeding ground for trolls and general idiocy. Communities around always felt hostile to me and I would be too intimidated to make any posts without being shot down. I know I would not really be taken all that seriously. There's just far too much immaturity.

It turns out that I'm not the only one bothered by these things. One bit of research I read on older gamers is their desire for mature conversation about their games.

Why Most Game Magazines SUCK
Why do people buy game magazines or go to these sites? To make plans for future purchases right? So the job of the magazine is to make the games seem appealing to their demographic. It also has the job of entertaining or informing the demographic about what's going on around the industry.

To me it feels like all game magazines only care about a narrow demographic: college frat boy and immature high school kid. So naturally the content is catered towards this. Why do the guys at gamestop think that a MOTHER would want this magazine for her 10 year old son? The images and humor and writing are not very age appropriate and very unfriendly towards the female demographic. In fact, GamePro and GI had special "sections" called Ask a Girl Gamer as if it was some kind of circus side-show.

However, I know they won't change anytime soon because these magazines have been in print for over a decade so they're doing all right. What I would ask for is some more diversity in their writing staff.

Conclusion
When I was a kid, it was so cool when a magazine came for me. (Like Highlights or American Girl). This was something meant for me. Now as a gamer, I want a magazine for me. There are a few online options like Women Gamers and Gamasutra, but I really don't have any options in print, except Nintendo Power.

Of the three major magazines, NP was the most gender neutral and generally children friendly. However, it was limited mostly to its own products. I have a Sony Playstation 2 and a PC.

In the end though, I actually get most of my product reviews off of Amazon.com where I can buy it once I read about it. :) Amazon is great at recommending me games that are coming out based on what I've bought before. Very handy and very friendly. The user reviews are super great and really help with purchasing decisions.

Japanese Games

2009-05-21T13:04:00.000-07:00

I had promised to speak a bit about this in another post. First, I should start with a disclaimer. In no way do I claim to be any sort of expert of Japanese culture. My resources are from friends who have visited the country, movies, anime, and some game research. Any claims I make is pure speculation and if I am making any blatantly incorrect statements I ask any readers to please point them out so I can correct them.

But luckily this should have very little to do on Japanese culture expertise and only reflected in their games. (An expression of culture like any art form.)

Some Literature
I have with me a very lovely book my friend, professor, adviser gave to me (that she help write) called "Beyond Barbie and Mortal Kombat". (Shameless plug?) In it there is a chapter written by Mizuko Ito called "Gender Dynamics of the Japanese Media Mix". It outlines the way Japanese media (including video games) have time and again created something that crossed gender boundaries. And more importantly how various forms of media are catered to female consumers in Japan and elsewhere. (Mentioning of course the diversity of the manga genre and appeal of yaoi. Which is boy on boy love for those who don't already know.)

It's plain to see that several of the games that have come over from Japan have been popular despite gender implications. What sorts of things and games? Well, this particular chapter highlights the Pokémon craze. I remember that time. We had gameboy color, the cards, the N64 game. It was the "thing" to have and play regardless if you were a boy or girl. Why? Well, the chapter attributes some of it to the "cute" factor. There are several designs of pokémon that are considered girly and cute while others are cool and boyish. And perhaps some of the media surrounding it (like the cartoon) showcased that both boys and girls competed.

Then there's also the factor of game play (of course). The idea of collecting is something very appealing to many people. (I think it may be evolution at work here.) The "battling"/competing may be more appealing to male players but there are other aspects to the game. There are also options to "trade" or share Pokémon with friends, making it a social game which again appeals to people in general.

Winning Ideas From Japan
I have to give kudos to Japanese game companies for producing a wide range of games and particularly Nintendo for taking risks and playing with the formula. I'm not going to expound much on the success of the "Wii" experiment. Most everyone is already aware of it and I don't feel like being redundant. However, I also like to look at their general game features.

-Going for Cute: More often than not, a game features "cute" characters. Often with disproportionate features, big heads, googly eyes and very simplistic. The Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh success point this out as well as Animal Crossing. A non-threatening character appeals to a wide audience including children (usually of both gender), females in general, and parents who feel that these characters are "safe".

-Story-mode: This can be a positive feature or a negative. But there is a lot of "reading" involved and story-moded games. RPGs, Interactive Novels, and Life Simulators are all samples of genres that rely heavily on story. And why is this important? Well, easily because stories are a very basic human pleasure. Everyone likes to tell and hear stories. Whether you like playing the story or prefer that stories stay in movies and books, in the end a story adds appeal.

-Beyond D&D: Settings and themes are important to games. Many Japanese games have a fantasy setting, but it's not the same as a D&D based or Lord of the Rings style fantasy. Dark, gritty and "realistic" seem to be very appealing which in contrast to the bright colors of many Japanese RPG games. Also many of the games have you take the role of a younger character.

-Experimenting: This can either be good or bad but some of the coolest game designs, accessories and so on came from Japanese games. For example, Okami's "drawing" battle system was a pretty neat trick. Or DDR was a pretty big hit.

And some of the Weird Stuff
There is a darker side to some of the stuff that comes over and some that have not.

-Failed Experiments: Well, you get good eggs and bad eggs. Not all accessories worked well or even practically.

-Too Weird?: While some games are just too hilarious to be taken seriously, some are just too alienating. Such as games that appeal more to Japanese pop culture which hasn't really reached a level of appeal here.

-Too illegal?: The laws on pornography I believe differ between the two countries. One game I know got a lot of heat was a supposed "Rape Simulator".

-Too Anime: The style does not appeal to everyone. The androygny, silly hair cuts, and simplistic cartoon shapes is not everyone's piece of pie. Also many of the themes seem to annoy people by being too simplistic or very "Buddist". Some of the philosophy can get a bit weird.

Closing Thoughts
Personally I find Japanese games much more appealing to my interest in games. The design of the characters, the themes of the stories and the brighter colors all appeal to me. (I have to admit something about me and colors...I need them BRIGHT...or at least CLEAR. That's why I LOVE 2D animation so much.)

Also I feel that Japanese companies are really PROGRESSING much more than Western companies who seem to be satisfied making Sport Games, WW2 games, FPS and gritty RPGs. I just find much more variety from Japanese companies. I really wonder if current companies will ever "get it". Sometimes graphics don't matter as much as gameplay. Stop blowing funds on epic cinematics. We get it. You created a monster console with tons of processing power.

Lots of Indie games are taking the hint and producing lots of awesome and interesting games. Like Diner Dash, World of Goo, and Winds of Orbis. When I was at the Indie showcase at GDC, there was a lot of innovation. And I feel it's the market system we have that is hindering larger companies from taking risks and making something innovative. Why fix something that's not broke right?

All things aside...Sims 3 is looking pretty cool. :3

Nostalgia Game Design: RPGs

2009-05-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

Today I'm going to type up my reflections on Role-Play Games (RPGs). There are many games that can sit under the umbrella term "Role Play Game", thus creating sub-genres of RPG.
Currently I'm part of a community called Rpg Rpg Revolution (RRR) which is dedicated to the creation of 16-bit style RPG games using the program RPG-Maker. What is considered a Pure-blood RPG is a topic of debate. So I'm going to go back and retrace what I know.

The Roots
RPGs evolved in a way from both text-based story games and table-top role play games such as Dungeons and Dragons. There are some basic elements associated with these games. These things are: Characters with statistics, items, and abilities.
A world map to explore.
A system of movement and battle.
Monsters to fight.

In most table top sessions, the goal of the session is to make it out of a dungeon alive. This requires a combat focused plot to validate player actions. The system of movement and battle are based on rolls of dice. Similarly, text-based computer systems used random numbers to reveal outcomes of actions. (Granted it's not Perfect Random numbers, it's weighted. Because perfect random numbers would make for an awful, unfair game.)

To this day, RPGs share all these traits with their fore-fathers. How they differ depends on the sub-genre. I'll briefly touch on some of the major sub-genres.

Classic RPG
This is literally a visual translation of the D&D system. The game has the same basic system as the D&D universe but the difference lies in the fact that the computer takes the role of the Dungeon Master (DM). It can not be argued with.

An example of a Classic RPG would be a game like Neverwinter Nights. While playing the game and fighting opponents, text comes up mentioning your "rolls" and therefor the success or failure of a given action.

Japanese RPG/J-RPG
To be honest this is one of my more favorite genre. Unlike the Classic example, the battle system is usually turn-based. Which means your character picks an attack and will take a turn then the enemy will take its turn. It is often very story based and chuck full of cut-scenes.

Examples of this are the Final Fantasy Series and the Pokemon series.

Tactical/Strategy RPG
This is something that is a blend of two genres: Real Time Strategy and Role Play Games. The battle system usually is played on a grid like board meaning that the player has to plan the movements and attacks of their characters. Again it is usually a turn based system.

A few examples of this would be Disgaea and Final Fantasy Tactics.

Action RPG
For this the battle system is not turn-based but real time. Victory depends on how you perform. You have to control your characters movement and attacks.

Games under this genre include the Tales Series (like Tales of Symphonia), Kingdom Hearts and more of the 3D action games.

Action/Adventure
This sub-genre is very loosely fitted under the RPG genre. The battle "system" is seamless with the normal movement in the game. For most RPG games, the game has explore mode and battle mode where battle mode takes you to a new screen. In Action Adventure there are no modes, it's all seamless. Because of this some don't consider them RPGs. However they still have dungeons, items and character stats.

Games in this sub-genre include Legend of Zelda and World of Warcraft.

Conclusion
There really isn't much to discuss. The current trend for RPGs seems to be heavily rooted in Action-based or Tactical based over the classic turn based model. Which only makes sense since for a 3D game it's more interesting to look at and utilizes the system more fully.

My personal gripes are the constant switching between modes, I prefer things to be more seamless. There's just a slight sense of frustration when you are exploring in an RPG and randomly you are forced to stop, enter battle mode, finish a battle before going back to what you are doing. It's just such a stop and go process even if you just run out of a battle you still have to wait to return to "map mode".

At the same time, I don't mind turn based battle systems. I don't like to feel pressured to rush in a game. Granted action games are more fun and interesting, but sometime I just don't feel like putting in the effort.

I really did not have too much to whine about this genre. It's one of my favorites. The genre always has some interesting games with fun stories.

Comics: Gamer Comics

2009-04-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

Since the podcast was canceled this week and I had a rant I wanted to get out, I'll vent here.

Today we were suppose to review a comic called "GG-Guys". Don't ask what "GG" stands for I couldn't find out. :(
I won't give my full review for this yet but here's what I first thought after reading through the archives: "Another one?"

Yes. Another clone of the ever popular formula of "gamer comics" as set forth by the Gamer Comic Gods of Penny Arcade.
The formula can be expressed in colorful/non-work-safe language here: Zero Punctuation.

In My words, which will be work safe here is what the formula is.
Two guys, usually roommates living out their gaming fantasies. Usually there is one angry girl character to represent the entire female demographic of gamers. (insert many frownie faces).
She will also be one of their girlfriends.

Two Male-Dominant Industries in One
Comics and the Game industry are two largely male-dominant industries now. So I guess that makes sense to have two male characters as the stars right? (I'm just noting something ironic in that).

And what I notice is that these two industries are falling into this vicious cycle of making more of the "same thing". More first person shooters and more two guys playing video games living out the dream.

*SNORE*
It's very rare you find a GEM in the mix. But you can find them.
My problem though is the "sameness" of the genre. (can it be called a genre if they're all the same?)
Stray from the path a bit. I haven't found a single comic where they change up the personalities of the characters even.
The girl is ALWAYS angry. She's either a gamer or completely inept OR a booth babe. (It's like feminism never happened.)

Maybe that's just the way we always come off when females encounter chauvinism found in video game related culture. I feel angry sometimes. Sometimes I play games when I'm angry to let off steam. Sometimes the game makes me angry. And sometimes reading research makes me angry. But mostly the difficulty I'm having trying to get a foot in the door in this industry makes me angry.

Some Changes
F@nboy$ is one of those rare webcomics where sometimes the comic gag is not about the games at all, but the relationships between all the characters. Granted it starts out a VERY cliche formula, but the artist has matured in both style and humor. The characters seemed like self insertion but end up being representations of the various console fans. What is unique is the female character is the Xbox fan. She is just as in-touch with the gaming culture as the boys and even lives out her own in-game fantasies. Then she started dating the Nintendo fanboy and the story tangents.

Gold stars for good character development, non-game related comics, and jokes about working at a game store.

My Idea
I was actually so put off by the comic we were reviewing that I was typing out my thoughts as to what I would do if I made a gamer comic.
I'm sure there are some girl-gamer comics out there in the web-comic world. I just haven't found them yet.

Going with the classic formula, the comic would be self-insertion. And instead of living out my gaming fantasies (although that may become a part of it) it'll be about the gender research I did, trying to break into the industry and all the demographics that the game industry is failing to reach.
I may also add my favorite mascots who happen to be guys but they're mostly non-gamers. And certainly outside the demographic...because one is an elf.

So even more of the classic formula would be the two guys and one girl syndrome but because that's a trope of the genre I'll use it.

And to top it all off I'd use sock puppets instead of drawings. :)

I get really sad when I don't get this out on podcast day.

Nostalgia Game Design: Surprise! You're a Girl!

2009-04-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

This entry is inspired by the research I was reviewing on InvestiGaming. This time I was filtering through the "avatars" tag and summarizing the research and finding highlights. Since all the research is specifically about gender studies and gaming you can be sure there was LOTS to be said about female avatars. The one that I reflected on the most was an article about Samus Aran from the Metroid Series. So on we go.

Back to the Past
Personally, I have never played the Metroid series, but I know it well enough from videos, research and reviews from other players. And mostly from a presentation someone gave in a college class about gender and minorities in film and television...but branched off into video games. (Which was a LANDMINE).

At that point in time, I had learned that Samus Aran was female through Super Smash Brothers where she is a fighter character. (I read her bio which described her as female.) But I had no clue about the series until this presentation. The gentleman said that (and research confirms) that when the series first came out it was a SHOCKER to all. The pixel rendition of a space suit is what the player was shown throughout the whole game. It was not until the end when the space helmet came off did the player come face to face with a pixel head with lucious 80s hair! WHAT!? I WAS A GIRL THE WHOLE TIME? (Correction...you were a woman the whole time.)

It was that shock that gave the Metroid game a spot in the Hallows of Gaming history. Was this a postive role model for female players? A hero who you assumed was male was actually female? Unheard of!? However, it becomes somewhat clear that Samus was not for women but for men. As the presenter told us that if you beat the game in an hour or less, you were rewarded with human Samus in a pixel bikini. Okay hardly anything to shreik about visually but conceptually it's kind of a bummer.

Samus and Me
As I mentioned before I too was surprised by Samus' female identity. Although it was through Smash Brothers. You did not get any reveals in that game, she remained in her suit the whole time. How was I to know? And then looking at the suit you would not guess that it was a female inside.

That changed of course with Smash Brother's Brawl for the Wii and the advent of Zero Suit Samus. The armor comes off again this time to reveal a blue cat-suit and a VERY shapely form. To say the least I was not sure if I was pleased or displeased with this. On one hand, it's clearly eye-candy for the male player and on the other, it IS the only female character in the game that is NOT wearing a dress. AND on the other hand, gender role inforcement in Japan is much stronger I think than here...however...Japan does make more gender friendly games that are equally enjoyed by boys and girls. (Another rant when I research the subject in greater detail.)

Playing a Female Character
Back in the early days of Metroid, it was revolutionary to play a female character in an action-shooter game. And the series continues to flourish with mostly male players. Weird right? Much of the research I show reaffirms that female players prefer to play female characters if such an option is given to them. (However, if game play depends on the gender of the avatar female players try to pick the avatar that is more adventageous.)

The vicious cycle continues as female protagonists are rare in console games of nearly ALL genres. I'm not kidding about this either. It's just NOT getting any better!
If you want numbers I've got some from 2001 - 2008. The balance remains, ALMOST consistantly with male only characters making up 80-some % and females only 12%.
You are more likely to be able to play a non-human or animal character than playing a female human character. WOW. Seriously WOW.

Statistics of course are just numbers. The interpretation is up to the writer. Which is why I always take statistics with a grain of salt. This is what the number IS but what it MEANS is influenced by the writer.
The Divinch Tapes
Video Game Content Analysis
Children Now!
(Just to prove I do my homework...sometimes).

The Action Genre and the Female Protagonist
Some of the articles I read were of course about Lara Croft. But surprisingly there wasn't too much literature on her. It's hard to place her. Because some studies show that when female players choose an avatar to represent them in a game they choose something that is hyper-sexualized or "attractive" to them. Which makes sense to me. I'd rather play an ideal in a fantasy game.
But the thing is that female players don't like to see that hyper-sexuality be objectified or obviously there to satisfy male-gaze. Lara Croft has this problem of not only being a hugely disproportionate design (which was different than the original design...which I got to see. And wow...they should have used it. She was very attractive and wore a cool yet sexy outfit. WHY? WHY DID WE GET BOOBZILLA?), but the cinematic male-gaze and improper outfits. Hot pants, wetsuits that glisten, erotic stretches, and camera angles that get the most beautiful shot of her figure.

At the same time though (so much happens at the same time) Lara is in a traditional male environment and conquering it like Indiana Jones. She needs no male companion to rescue her and her sexuality is never brought up. As far as I know. This is mostly literature review which I admit would be a stronger case if I had played the game for myself.

But there's MY problem. I'd never want to play that game. First of all the box art just have these giant chesticles in my face and a "come hither" expression. BUY ME I'M A SEX TOY!
That's the message I get. Not to mention a lot of negative reviews that surround poor Lara.

But quite recently...very recently...I mean at the past GDC, I found a "booth-babe" statue of the Lara for the newest installment for the series. I was walking around with a male friend and exclaimed, "WOW, she looks normal! I really appreciate that!"

But are there OTHER female protagonists besides Lara in this genre? Again, I only know of those I've read about because I clearly can't find these games at my local Gamestop or read about them in my Game Review Magazines...which I consider trash. (A rant for another day). Anyway, these games were "Primal" which I guess looked cool and Buffy the Vampire Slayer which I feel no connection to.

What Are You Getting At In This Post Anyway?
Ah the point probably would be good to get to. There's lots of literature about negative stereotypes of the female figure throughout ALL visual media. And no matter how much we roar about it, little has changed. Not to bash any guys out there but seriously, who are these chauvanists? Clearly they must be a minority because I haven't really met one! Have I really just been that lucky?

I look at the games I do play most often and a lot of them are actually action-adventure or RPG games. And for most of them, I don't mind the male avatar...as long as I find him attractive. And here is where I wish game developers would get some ideas.
We need more Prince of Persia and the pants of time. (AKA handsome male strippers!)
...
I kid...sorta. Really though, someone not super muscular, lean and athletic is WAY appealing for me as a female. I think real life athletics are smoking hot. That's part of the reason I enjoy watching sports. (It's partly why my mother watches too.)
Same with my female characters. Someone lean and athletic is very attractive to both male and female audiences. And for land's sake wearing something SENSIBLE!
Again my favorite bit of research: Gender Aspects on Computer Game Avatars.
Male and Female participants prefered avatars that were modestly dressed!!

Please, if someone you know and love works in character design for a game company, let them know that both men and women want a positive role model for their female protagonist. Like Samus Aran or Chris from Suikoden 3.

Lastly, womengamers.com reviews their top-ten favorite female characters. Check it out!

Nostalgia Game Design: Point and Click Adventures

2009-04-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

I went to a conference this past weekend for Michigan Women in Computing (MICWIC). And while I was the only sort of game related person there, I had great fun discussing games with some peers and many older women. (And I gave a presentation on gender and gaming).
One of the games that came up in our discussion was "Zork" which I have only read about. (If you think about that it's kind of a pun.) It was a text-based adventure game where you would type "Go North" and a new description of a dungeon room showed up. It was kind of like navigating a maze through text. Kind of like a choose your own adventure. So I'm going to reflect a bit about what these text-based adventures evolved into and what has become of them today.

Literacy Required to Play
Last blog I spoke a bit about MUDs which were online text-based worlds similar to the game Zork. Except there was no game...just socializing and roleplaying. A text-base game is good at a few things.
1) A sort of introduction to coding. Creating your own text based adventure is pretty simple! My father claims they used to do that on computers...which in his day were made of rocks.
2) A rich ground for narrative that the reader felt a part of.
3) The limitless power of the greatest "graphic engine" human imagination.

Really, I think it's good practice to think about a text based game. And if you are willing to learn a simple coding language, to make one! (After all, a good game is a good game regardless.) Consider it one of the simplest forms of digital gaming and a great art form for a writer.
Some times I feel that gamers get too wrapped up in graphics (or game creators). Which is sad coming from someone who considers themself an artist.

Much like my comparison of MUDs to MMOGs, text-based games have the same benefits and pitfalls. The game will require lots of reading and if you don't read you lose the full experience.

Remember that text-base games were not just about navigation or fighting monsters, but solving unseen puzzles and riddles. Definitely a game that engages the mind!

Text-Base...in Technicolor?
What came next? When text and coding were put into the background or in Word Bubbles we got, The Point and Click Adventure Games. Again these were games with a story to tell but had more visual appeal. Sort of like reading a comic as opposed to a book.
Usually done on a static 2D background with maybe some character animations, these were games where you move your charcter within a scene by clicking on "hotspots" on the screen.
Lots of times you would solve puzzles by collecting items or playing a mini-game (similar to the text based game).

I've only played a few of these. They were very popular in the early 90s. One that I recently downloaded was based on Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Being a fan of the books the game was...incredibly hard even for a fan who might get the "inside logic" of the Discworld. Anyway, there were 2 Discworld games. The first one used pixelized graphics which is what most of the adventure games I remember had. The second one (which apparently was on the PS1) use CEL ANIMATION and VOICE ACTING! :O I haven't heard the voice acting because I played the MS-DOS version. Yeah, so Point and Click adventures could get very artistic.

Most Point and Clicks that I remember were "edutainment" games, such as Eagle Eye Mysteries (that taught logic). And some "fluff" games like Scooter's Magic castle where all you did was interact with the castle's rooms and match colors. (For preschool it was probably educational).

There were some graphical translations of text-base games in the early Ultima Series. You would have all the same commands like "Go North" that you would have to type but you got some graphics along with it. Nice!

Point and Click Today?
You might think that consoles like the Nintendo DS with the "touch screen" or iPhone that there would still be some point and click adventures. And you know what...there ARE a few on THAT system. Just like before you point and "tap" to move to different rooms and interact with hotspots, collect items, solve puzzles and talk to people. "Hotel Dusk" is a good example. They call this genre "interactive novels" and they're not as popular in the U.S.A. Which is a shame because I really think that the "literary games" are a very rich experience. It's like playing a book. There's a predetermined ending, just like a book, but you play despite the ending. Because you're not going through the same challenging frustrations as a 3D shooter game or platformer. Where your skill in hand-eye coordination needs some sort of reward. The reward in an adventure game is getting to the end of the story. And if the story was good, you can replay it! It's like a book! Or rather it's like a COMIC and that's awesome.

Some final thoughts, if you're stuck in a rut and trying to figure out "how can I make a game if I don't have art?" or "I'm not very good at programming". A text-based game may be a way to get some game making/designing experience! If you're not good at writing than well...that's a very important skill and you will do well to learn it.

Nostalgia Game Design: MMO

2009-03-18T17:33:00.001-07:00

Whenever I read certain blogs, I just feel inspired to write. One such blog is the Game Design Review Blog. It makes me think critically about game design choices and the games I currently enjoy and why. The same thing happens whenever I read research articles too. Recently I've been analyzing research on MMOs so this flavor of Nostalgia Game Design will settle on that particular genre of games.

Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with MMOGs. Specifically MMORPGs. Most other MMOs I would not even consider playing because I do not like playing First Person Shooters and feel more competent playing Real Time Strategy by myself against the computer. (Set on easy). I've been exploring more of the range of MMORPG games by testing the waters. Currently, I've only settled with one for the past four months and that is World of Warcraft...which my thesis partner got me for Christmas. :)

When I was a much younger girl and first discovering the wonders of the internet, I learned of something called a MUCK...or in the more common tongue a MUD (Multi-User Dungeon). It was the reason my parents allowed me (at the tender age of 15!) to have my own email address. (Yo, this was BACK in the day when you had to pay for modem internet by hour). This was a big deal and a wonderful experience. I played on MUDs for about five years which is when they ultimately died out to give way to their graphical offspring: MMORPGs.

MUDS
Consequently, I did a research project in an Interactive Narrative course on MUDs specifically and related it to it's predecessor: Table Top RPG. In my paper I tried to discuss if methods used by a Dungeon Master were also present in MUD role plays. What I learned was this: MUDs that were true to the nature of D&D style dungeon crawls and leveling followed more closely to the style of role play in table top games. However, most MUDs had evolved into MUCKs, MUSHes or RP-MUDs where there were no game rules or present DM figure. It was more closely related to an improv acting than a game.

The latter type of Role Play was the kind I knew and grew to love for it's freedom and excitement. It was bound by social rules over game rules. It is what I think of when some one says "Role Play". However, such is not the case for the rule-bound nature of games.

Another strength to MUDs and MUCKs was that it was completely text-based. No one was really judged by how their character "looked", once you got a handle on the coding language you could customize your character's living space, items and so forth. This does mean there is a lot of reading to do. But if you think about it, human imagination is more powerful a graphic engine. And I believe this makes them more appealing to female players. Males are visually stimulated moreso than females who find stimulation through sensation, touch, and communication. It also eliminates most of the drawbacks women have about playing a graphical MMO: Control over their character's appearance, not solely based on battling, and has a wider variety of themes than MMOs.

MMOGs
Some of my issues with MMO is the MM part. MASSIVE multiplayer doesn't necessarily make it better or very personalized for the player. Everything has to be generalized. And usually you at least see hundreds of players in a single session. For a player like me, I prefer to play with a small group of friends and not feel disturbed. This is in part my personality for I do not like to socialize in huge groups but in smaller get togethers. In an MMO I have not yet had that personalized experience of going on a raid or coordinated dungeon run. Mostly because I've had little time to play so my character is still at a lower level. (Well...19 isn't too low but it feels low.)

Another issue I have and some other players I know is the limited choices of character visuals. WoW in particular has some very ugly models. Usually in Role Play I prefer a male avatar but WoW is one of the few games I decided that I would have a female elf as my main. WoW is pretty "safe" as far as starter garments go. It's not like the female characters start in a bikini and have to earn pants. (Which apparently happens in other MMO games like EverQuest.) This means you can pretty much choose what garments your character wears so it is player choice to look more or less slutty. Other 3D rpg games are not so kind. But I could rant for pages on female avatars. As I've mentioned this as a limit it is also a strength. It provides a new motive for a player to make their character look more like their vision by leveling to afford or wear a certain type of armor. Some MMOs even have micro-transactions of money for items to cutomize your character. My favorite was MapleStory which was a 2D MMO with lots of fun customizable options. I made my character a centaur. :)

Quality of Socializing
There are more ways to communicate in a graphical MMO. Characters can emote, chat and even voice chat with each other. Personally, I enjoy voice chatting with another person over type chatting. Being a writer, I like to use proper spelling, grammar and full sentences to communicate and it happens often when I "chat". I blame my exposure to MUDs for this because it taught me out to type fast and still have full sentences or even paragraphs!
Chat speak is a personal gripe I have with most MMOs. The interactions and order giving has to be quick.

In MMOs there is at least a remnant of MUDs. In WoWs Chat Feed in the corner, whenever you emote it says *character laughes*. I still remember the MUD command to make that statement appear on the screen! :laughes. But you don't get any fun animations. Which I do enjoy.

THE GAME
For most MMOs, the game is the grind. Which in single player RPGs is the most tedious and boring part of the game. That is mostly because there was little reward for your effort. In MMOs that are ever evolving there are new reasons almost every day to grind your soul into a fine snortable powder. And that is what keeps most players, well at least me, interested in playing. I want to get new stuff for my character. My biggest reason for leveling my current WoW characters is to someday earn a Riding Mount and not just any riding mount but a horse. Simply because I used to ride and own a horse and I miss the activity to this very day. However, that's not the normal mount for a Night Elf so I had to remember to perform many grind quests in human areas just to earn the right to ride a horse. (And I have achieved that reputation finally. Only 11 more levels until I can buy a mount!)

There are three major components to the game: Travel/Exploring, Battling, Quests.
Most quests range from fetch quests to kill x number of monsters. WoW, being a fairly well rounded MMO rewards experience points to ALL of these components.
All of these components appeal to different players which using the old MUD-based Bartle Model come in four types: Achievers, Explorers, Socializers and Killers. Achievers like to be completists, earn the highest goals, reach the highest levels, etc. Explorers like to learn about the world, see all there is to see, and know everything. (Travel, Quests) Socializers who rather just chat with people online and make friends. (Guilds, Coordinated Runs and Casual chatting). Killers are the assholes who enjoy making life negative for everyone or being naturally competitive (PvP and Duelists).

Role Playing?
This is where I feel that MMOs fail. They are too much like D&D with rules and combat storylines that I do not feel the freedom to "role play" like I used to in MUDs. Then again, my definition of Role Play is skewed and not what is normally considered a Role Play Game. When I joined World of Warcraft and entered an "RP Heavy Server" I was pretty sure that it was not going to be RP like I thought. No...I did not see anyone role playing at all. I heard calls for joining a Role Play Guild and secretly I would wonder if it was anything like the Role Play I knew. Only because I was (and still am) unfamiliar with the entire storyline of the Warcraft Series, I don't think I could fit in very well. I imagine though that there are some who role play and have character stories going along. It's just I don't see it.

In a MUD or more honestly in a MUCK you knew that was happening because that was the point of the MUCK. And that is what I think I miss the most about MUDs and something that MMOs really do not facilitate as well.

Currently, I don't really have a character story and feel very detached from my character. The only thing I have about her is a quirk. My druid night elf will never wield a blade because she feels detached from the forest otherwise. Maybe it's just me but I am a writer and I love being able to step into my characters shoes and act them out. I have plenty of opportunity to do that in WoW or any other MMO but I just don't feel comfortable doing it because I'm mostly focused on earning gold so I can eventually buy a mount when I reach level 30.

There in lies the biggest problem for me. For Role Play you don't really NEED leveling although it's a good idea. Your limit was your imagination and writing skills. What I originally wanted for my night elf was a someone similar I created in another medium and create for her a husband. BUT I was deterred first by the appearances available to me, she did not look like the character in my head and the male models looked too silly for me to want to play it. Then I didn't know where to look to find someone to role play with and act out a journey and had narrative meaning to our leveling up. That's something I do when I solo which I do more often than playing with people since I don't really like to play with strangers. (I'm a shy personality).

SETTINGS
My last issue with MMOs is the limits on themes. I have tried out a few MMOs that were free. Mabiogi when it was first released, Flyff, MapleStory, and Fiesta Online. To me these all had something in common...they all took place in the same world! They were all RPG fantasy classic worlds. Which naturally meant your character picked a class! This is another limitation I find frustrating. Class is something specific to Table Top that I really feel limiting and basically defines your character. Which in some ways is good. But I would prefer a game where you earned your class after awhile. MapleStory does this where you can not choose your class until level 8. The classes are almost always the same or some combination of Warrior, Range Fighter, Thief, and Mage.

The settings are expanding slowly into other domains such as other mythology, history and sub-cultures, but that doesn't mean they're very good. I like more choice in the genre I get to pick for my role play and MMO game. I haven't found any really good MMOs that are set in Ancient Egypt or Ancient Rome. I did find a couple of MUDs that do. (And if anyone knows any MMOs with those settings please tell me about it!)

Old School, Meet New School
If there was one thing I would change about MMORPGs would be for them to get real and call themselves MMOAG (Massive Multiplayer Online Adventure Games) because that is really what they are. Sure you can have the "party mode" found in classic single player RPGs but I wouldn't even consider THAT a role play game. The definition of RPG is a hazy line for me because I associate Role Play with the free-form improv story making I did online so long ago and still continue to do today in online message boards.

OR make it easier for us Narrative Souls who seek to play pretend and add our own layer to the game. The friend who I joined WoW on is a roleplayer and so far we haven't been role playing. I don't know why we don't, I suppose because it's too hard without a gamer mouse to chat and fight at the same time. Part of it may be that highly populated areas make it hard for a small group to role play without interruption or distraction.

There was one free MMO that I played where you had an option to turn off everyone else's avatar! (supposedly to save system memory). Wouldn't it be great if some of the more popular games would do that so you could only see your party members and any Non-Player Characters (NPCs). That would certainly help with role play.

I suppose another thing I would like but know I can't really change is to have smaller populations on each server. The nature of MUDs was that they were low population relatively with only 20 people on at a time. This allowed for people to really get to know each other well and become better role players. It felt like a safer environment.

The last thing I would change is to make the avatars prettier. :) Some of the free Japanese style MMOs have some cute characters...which probably wouldn't appeal to guys. But they don't need to look like gosh darn gorillas! And women don't need to have boyant bosoms and scant starter clothes. Let the player choose for themselves if they want that look.

In conclusion, some of the things about MUDs that I appreciate I wish could be somehow filtered into popular MMOGs. Low population, limitless worlds, and graphics made in imagination. Oh, and literacy.

(I still want to learn how to build a MUD. Summer project!)

Angels and Demons: a Rant

2009-03-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

This has been pent up for a bit and recently I had a chance to kind of speak about it on a Podcast (in which I sound like a robot). We only touched on the some of the obnoxious things that annoy me about angel character in comics or manga.

But first, I'll explain what I find acceptable when having angel characters. Things that are easier for me to accept despite me not believing it is true.

Dead Friend Angel - A common belief is that when someone dies and is good they become an angel. There was a sitcom with that theme where the teen angel haunted his friend and basically acted the same as he did on earth. I forget it's name...I'll look it up...Lol...it's called "Teen Angel" it ran from 1997-1998. I had a friend make a manga with the same theme. It's also the theme from "A Wonderful Life".
Guardian Angel - There was a web-manga called "Shelter of Wings" that was about her girl and her guardian angel. This person also did lots of research. However this theme or idea is part of my faith and can be used as a fun "buddy" theme for a story.
Messenger - The word "angel" means "messenger" and that's generally what their role is. Angel's as quest givers, guides or prophets works. It can even be silly but yeah.
Biblical Angels (neutral) - This I can go either way on. They can be good or bad. There are lists of Angels mentioned in the Bible (and a supposed gnostic type book of the Bible that lists more angels). There is one web-manga I've read that uses the "Pagan Book" and researched info to create some cute story that really act for humor. However, this can go the wrong way. "Constantine" villainizing the angel Gabriel (which in the Catholic faith is a Saint) bothered me, although I really actually liked that movie too. It has a good theme. There was a novel I was listening to on tape (it was written by a controversial Catholic priest) used the Angel Raphael. (Also a Saint). It was...awkward.
Fantasy Race (not called angels) - The pretty faces and feathered wings can make a fantasy race that is like any elf, human or dwarf out there. As long as they only have the classical "art" interpretation of angel and maybe even call them "Angels" but setting it up as if that they're a race of people, not religious angels.
Shoulder Angels - A conscience represented with an angel and devil. Anything symbolic like that I can accept.

Okay so I've given examples of what I feel is acceptable or can tolerate as far as angel characters go. I haven't really even touched on the Demons even. That's because usually they're the other side of the same coin. I'm much more lax about demons being monsters or whatever.

Now I'm going to give some examples of things I really can't stand when angels or demons are included.

Angels as Arrogant - If you can swap the angel with a Tolkien Elf or another "master race" then you got it wrong, very wrong. Angels would not be creatures that would try to prove or need to reaffirm their superiority.
Demons are Good - This is usually a problem with anime or Japanese games I've played. Demons in Eastern culture mean something different spiritually. Youma the term translates "demon" loosely but can refer to "animal spirits". Usually they're trying to apply a Western idea into their culture and usually from Western perspective it's wrong. So for example, the anime series "Inuyasha" talks about demons as a part of Japanese culture within Japanese culture they weren't trying to be Western. This I find acceptable. I don't mind the term "demon" used in the English dub because I know what they're referring to. However the series "Chrno Crusade" tries to overlap the Japanese idea of demon with Catholic idea of demons. This gives the idea that demons can be good or repent. This becomes a theme.
Love between Angel and Devils - I hate this theme. For whatever reason there's a demon who is really sweet and good and the lovely angel he's fallen for (or sometimes it's a human). A forbidden love affair. Beauty and the Beast. One it's usually a very LAME love story akin to every Romeo and Juliet clone out there. Two, it's unbelievable to me because in most cases they're drawn as pretty people...which I'll rant about later. Three, it's LAME. LAME. LAME!!!!
Angels/Demons are human - this is different from the "dead friend" example or the "fantasy race". Angels are supposedly perfect beings, they don't have flaws like arrogance and don't make mistakes like poor judgment. They also would not doubt their faith in God. Demons on the other hand are not capable of repenting and becoming good.
Half-Angel/Half-Demons - o_o If they're a fantasy race, fine. That's forgivable. But there are stories about demons in love with humans and mating or angels and whatever and they produce a child who then has identity problems. Please choke this. For one, in fantasy they fall into the trap of all "half creatures" that are somehow more powerful than the purebloods or have all the good qualities of both parents but none of the drawbacks.
Homosexual Angels? - This...is just an insult. I've already made it clear that I do not support the homosexual movement and gay pride and all that stuff. I prefer not to know about people's sex lives in general, whichever side of the fence you're on. I usually see this in art but because angels are so androgynous and "pretty" they easily fall into this. Because anything pretty and androgynous is simply flamboyant and clearly made for yaoi. :D I really despise this so much. I hate yaoi.

Now, even some of these things I don't like I can tolerate under certain conditions. Here they are:

The story does not take place on Earth
The story does not take place in Heaven or Hell
The story does not use "religion" based Angels or demons
The story's theme is very deep and still in tune with most of my beliefs except a detail or two about angels or demons.

Some examples:
Constantine - this story as I mentioned features Lucifer and the Angel Gabriel. Gabriel turns out to be evil or the antagonist. Lucifer was portrayed nicely and mostly in tune with what I would consider him to do. The story circled around things demons do to people and exorcising. It really touched on some very deep and important themes like "the devil is real", "saving grace", and "sacrificial love". Plus it has Keanu Reeves. :) The only thing that bothered me was Gabriel's role in the movie/comic. However, I could over look it because of the quality of the story's themes. I wouldn't believe this story but it was well told. (This one falls into the (Angel's are human/Angels are Arrogant/Angels as Evil).

Disgaea - A Japanese game series/manga that uses classic Japanese philosophy of demons. Demons can be good and can love and all that. The characters, partly because they're so cute and charming, tell a good tale and it doesn't take place in "heaven and hell". The Netherworld and Celestia were treated as countries therefore rendering these "demons" and "angels" to Fantasy races.

This rant may seem pretty pointless and probably very individualized considering the topic at hand. While it is a part of my faith that I accept and believe, I also think there are points here that anyone could accept as really obnoxious stereotypes or themes that need to be smothered to death.

So as you can see, this rant is based very much on personal beliefs and preferences. But I believe that understanding where a legend or truth comes from is important to developing stories and characters. For me I totally accept C.S. Lewis's "Screwtape Letters" as how Demons think and act. Also you see, that I believe angels are real. It's not like elves or fairies which "could be real" (I do believe in fairies! Don't die Tinkerbell!*claps*). That's why I feel I can accept various interpretations of elves or unicorns or fairies, but not angels. To me, Angels are not just another fantasy creature or New Age fad but a real actual being.

That's the gist of it. It's sleepy time.

Comic Dish How-To: Writing A Character

2009-02-25T19:02:00.000-08:00

Introduction
In this short how-to article, I'm going to go over some character development and writing tips for comic artists specifically. I hope to cover things like, building a character, writing dialog, and some exercises for you to try.

Beginnings of a Comic Character
Comics are a very visual medium so most people will care first about what your character looks like. However, I'm not going to cover visual design of a character but what we can do is get a basic idea of what this character looks like in words.

First, despite the style of comic you are going for, character development will pay off in the long run. Not every character needs to be super in-depth but it doesn't hurt to make them pop off the page a bit with development. Even gag comics can have endearing characters. So let's hop to it and work on building that character.

When I first create a character, I usually don't have a story in mind or only a vague idea. But I do know at least that I'm going to have a comic that is a fantasy, sort of graphic novel style comic. So I can start developing characters and hope that a story starts to come of it. Or alternatively, have a loose plot with roles to fill. Either way, characters and storylines all happen at the same time more or less. They compliment each other. (This is true for serial comics as well.)

Another way I get inspired is seeing someone else's character that I like...for example X-men's Wolverine. Or even a random doodle I make in the margins of a paper.

So for this tutorial, I am thinking of a vague fantasy story and I get inspired reading some of Wolverine's backstory. Suddenly I decide that I could use a rough around the edges, feral character. Who may or may not resemble Hugh Jackman.

Now we have our spark of inspiration. The sperm that fertilizes our character's egg and now we have to nourish it so it can hatch. We'll now go on to the next step. Get ready.

Character Development
Time to take responsibility for your creation. Knit some bones and grow flesh. There are many number of ways to do this. My favorite method is filling out a character chart. Other methods include simply writing a biography for the character, a short blurb explaining who they are. Or you could next to your character doodle just write a brainstorm about who you think they are or words you think describe them. Or Imagine having an interview with your character.

This can also double as your "Cast" page information should you make a web-comic. You should be able to answer some very basic questions about the character.

Find a method that suits you. For me it's the chart and sometimes the brainstorm. On the rare occasion sometimes great characters just appear fully made and you let them lead you around. However, it's important for consistency to keep track of some character basics.
Online you can find many character sheets to fill out. These can be both fun and helpful to the whole process. If you have lots of time to kill and want some characters so in-depth they rival Tolkien, try filling out this character sheet from Fantasy Art Resource Project.
Your character sheet does NOT need to be THAT long or in-depth.

At the very least your character needs the following:
Form (visual looks and features), a purpose (why they need to be in the story), and personality (a way to act in the world around them). Note that I did not include "name" or anything, that's because a good character will be very individual and identifiable by these other means. Although, it's usually a good idea to name your character.

So let's go deeper now and flesh out that character I was mentioning before.
Below I'm making a character chart because it's easy to display here and my favorite method.

Character Chart Example:
I'll post a blank character chart for you to fill out that's shorter than the other one. Making your own chart is encouraged because only you will know what information is important for your comic.

Just to remind you, this is a character for a fantasy genre comic with a bit of an Old West theme. I've decided that the comic will largely feature unicorns. (Because everyone knows that including a unicorn in your comic will immediately make it cool to me.) The world is full of elves, magic creatures, and humans. So onto the character.

Name: (I don't know yet)
Nickname: Rough Rider
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: going by Earth years probably about 30
Visuals: Rugged, very Cowboy western, sun-reddened skin, dark hair, blue eyes, hardly ever shaves. Beefy.
Occupation: Head Unicorn Driver/Trainer/Breeder

Personality Traits - has a hard time communicating with respectable folk, bit on the rude side, prone to take things personally, physical, very clueless about women
Likes - riding, breaking horses and other magical beasts, catching new animals, making money, the ranch, breeding hybrids, dancing and singing loud
Dislikes - elves, high society, staying clean, suits, cold meals, being accused
Hobbies - singing, managing the ranch animals, riding, sometimes cooking
Talents - singing, trick riding, hand to hand combat

Birthday - in the Fall
Homeland - near elf lands
Religion - he is religious but work prevents him from practicing faithfully
Education Level - equivalent of an Earth's high school education with some expertise in business.

-Relationships-
Immediate Family - Father
Other Family - Mother (not married to his father and not living with them), half-brother
Friends - Two fellow riders and their wives, a snake charmer
Romantic Interest - in development...a half-elf girl

-Details-
Nervous Ticks/Bad Habits - swears, picks fights, spits
Worst Memory - his mother taking him from his father to live with the elves
Biggest Achievement - unknown
Most Precious Possession - the ring his father wanted to give his mother
Greatest Fear - losing the ranch and having to adapt to elven society
Greatest Desire/Goals - Own the Ranch

Here's a couple of alternative character charts that I use.
(Example Chart) (Shorter Chart)

Now as I was filling it out, I started getting more ideas like his history and family matters. I knew at the beginning I wanted this to be a bit of a love story (because I'm a girl I do that). Further developing the character helps me to dream up story events and other characters such as this guy's parents and friends.

There are some weaknesses because this may not tell a reader very much about the character but what IS important is what it does for you. Now the next portion will cover dialog.

Putting words in their mouth
Writing dialog for a comic is a fickle thing. Unlike other visual mediums like games or animations, the dialog is read and not spoken. Similar to games, in comics readers do not want to be hit with a wall of text. Like the example below.

Let's avoid this travesty please. This can be done with clever writing and dialog.
First think about your everyday conversations. Usually it's a quick exchange probably only a few syllables. Some of the nice things about dialog is that you can ping-pong a conversation to break things up.
Give a character at most two sentences. Then the next character responds with their own few words. The dialog is paddled back and forth until the story is told.

There's also a risk of corny conversation or "out-of-character" pitfalls. The easiest trick (and the best as I'm told by dialog writers) is to read your dialog out loud. Your ear is your greatest tool in weeding out awkward or unreal sounding dialog.
Avoiding "out-of-character" can be solved by your character development.
Younger or less educated characters have a more limited dialog.
Females generally use more adjectives and have a wider vocabulary and talk more. (This is pretty generalized but for the most part true).
A character may talk with an accent or mispronounce words (which you can reflect in dialog by spelling the word incorrectly and more phonetically like Wersh instead of Wash).

When you're writing your dialog and after you've read it out loud, consider it's length. Can you say this in another way with less words and still not lose character? Can you break it up over several bubbles in one panel or over a couple panels. Is this dialog necessary at all?

It takes some practice, but eventually writing your character's dialog will become second nature.

Exercises
Now it's your turn. You are free to try these on your own work or take some of mine for practice.
For example, use the image below to write dialog of what could be going on in that scene.

Next, I've got some ideas for other characters in my story for this magic cowboy. Try your hand at character developing by picking one and writing a bio for them or filling out a character chart or whatever your favorite method is.
- His married Friends
- His Half Brother (a half-elf)
- His Romantic Interest (a female half-elf)
- His Father
- His favorite horse
- A pet companion
- Any other character you can think of.

Lastly, my favorite character development tool is to take a cliche or archetype and just add something that goes against preconceptions.
Like my cowboy who herds unicorns.
Or a fashion model who goes big game hunting.
I'm sure you can think of more examples but here are a few suggestions in case you're struggling.
- A Pirate
- A Super hero
- A Gamer
- A Dancer
- A Doctor
- A Gangster
- A Police Officer

The Summary
Hopefully this helps you start on your way to building better characters and avoid boring, flat cliche characters...or worse...Mary Sues!
My last bit of fun is the Mary Sue Test for Original Fiction. Please take note that the test was built specifically for Gargoyles fanfiction and not original comic characters.
Mary-Sue Litmus Test

Enjoy!

Writing Homosexuals in a Straight Way

2009-02-22T16:16:00.000-08:00

Recently, I've started writing a character that is completely unlike who I am. It worries me if I write a "gay" character in a convincing way or not. In general I write males in a fairly similar fashion. They're either family oriented (which a majority are) or very singularly focused. Part of this problem is that I don't like loose ends like "open relationships". But this isn't about relationships...I'll write that later, this is about sexual orientation.

I have had one character that I've written for online role play who is a gay character. At the time, I was just experimenting and ended up going on some very cliche routes. Most of it was for reaction purposes because I was role playing with many young, straight males. The character, Demonycus, was openly and flamboyantly gay. He'd be flirty with other males, cross-dress, wear "alternative" clothing and had an obsession with snakes. As the role play progressed other players were just annoyed by my "gay antics" so I stopped the act all together and just played along with no suggestions.

As I've matured and further developed Demonycus for other purposes, his sexuality became less of a spectacle and more a part of who he was. Demy is now not always trying to show off his homosexuality, but rather adopts the alternative life-style. He feels both pride and oppression for his sexuality and deals with it more rationally. In role plays, I usually do not bring up his sexuality unless it can be played into the story.

So there is my first example of a slightly failed attempt to write something I was totally unfamiliar with outside of what media portrayed. Now that I've gone through more material including scientific research and social experiences, I feel a bit more confident about what I am writing.

My first step for this character, because he was to be an antagonist was to design him in a way that made him unique and believable. I did my archetype exercise where I imagined an archetype or cliche role and added something unexpected.
So my conquering overlord was a powerful and well-respected general. He was ruthless, disciplined and strong. To add something that didn't fit I decided to play "what if" and asked myself, "What if he was also gay?" And it worked beautifully. Now one of the antagonists has other motives to betray his people and join the enemy, which I did not have before.

What I worry about however is that my story will come off as a bit preachy for either Pride supporters or anti-gays. While personally I am against the whole movement and I know that will show through my writing, I do not want to be unfair to my character because of it.

I have to keep reminding myself that bad things will happen to my gay character NOT BECAUSE OF HIS SEXUALITY...it's because he's a complete douche-bag. (Well...he IS). The character is immoral (according to the beliefs of the world) in other ways too. I keep checking myself to make sure I'm not villainizing him because of his sexuality, that's only a small part of it.

Recently I happened upon a live journal blog full of fantasy writing rants and was happy to find one specifically on my fears. Writing Homosexual characters. (See it here). So far I think I'm in the clear. Taking the bullet points from the rant here:

1) No hinting - It will be blatantly open that the general is homosexual and has a bi-sexual partner. There are also other lesser characters that fall into the homosexual category but the thing is that I don't plan to make sex too much of a deal in my stories. Except possibly in the third one but that one is more about unwanted pregnancy.

2) Angst - The homosexual characters are older men. Two of them have been married (on and off) for the equivalent of 20 years. (Although they're married mostly for political reasons now rather than any affection. They're tired of each other.) Point is that they've past the "angsty" age of teens and 20s.

3) Rape Lesbians - Hmmm...don't really have open lesbians in my story. Bit unfair really, but I'm not about to make a "point" with my story and add them. The story works with the homosexual general, the female character who is sort of raped (not really) certainly doesn't become a lesbian because of it.

4)Fashion Templates - Yeah not gonna touch that one. Definitely not about fashion...generals wear armor and uniforms. That's that.

5)Idealize the gay love - Definitely not. The homosexual couple have it tough and disagree plenty. Their relationship has grown cold and both know that the other is cheating. One with both men and women (has a bastard child) and the other who buys male slaves. Aren't they the CUTEST COUPLE?

6) Keep the characters consistent even "in love" - Well, the general is no longer "in love" with his married partner. And although he is attracted to another character there is a distinct difference between "love" and "lust" or "attraction". Although I'm sure occasionally the couple get it on. They were in love in the past.

7)No "Gay Message Fantasy" - Definitely NOT. The focus of the story is on other characters anyway. So yeah...the message is clearly different.

I think I'll rant about relationships next.
What you should get from this is:
1) Read the Rant and follow the tips it gives about including homosexuals in your fantasy
2) Research Behavior studies and different homosexual philosophies throughout history.
(For example, see about homosexuality in ancient Greece and Rome, the Bible, and beyond. It's very different).

Getting Into Webcomics

2009-02-22T15:59:00.000-08:00

So the first thing that usually happens is this: You get hooked on an anime series or video game. Then because you have a slight talent for art draw some short comics and decide to post them online. Voila! You're a webcomic artist. And now you're addicted. People like what you drew and you decide it's time to become serious and not just make random comics but make it a series.

In the beginning you make lots of mistakes and usually after awhile you get bored with your idea and abandon it. Such is the fate of many a beginner. I think it's how nearly everyone gets started.

It's certainly how I got into it. Although for me, I was unaware of this concept called web comics. I just liked posting my pictures online and some of them were short fan-comics. This was back at the new millennium when telnet MUDs were the MMOs and geocities the only real place to upload a free website. Around this same time I discovered my first few web-comics by veterans NeonDragon and Luka Delany. Inspired I tried it for myself with something original.

MSK was intended to be an online graphic novel like NeonDragon's comic Timescapes and she listed hosting. For awhile, I just posted on geocities before transfering to drowtales. Drowtales recently dropped the comic hosting and MSK now resides at Comic Dish (mirrored on Drunk Duck).

Before jumping into webcomics there were very few things I considered. Like how much time I would dedicate to it and how much school would interfere. Some things I wish I knew before I started, like better site design and how long it would take. I assumed that MSK would be finished by the time I graduated high school or at least a little bit into college. It ended up finishing about the time I graduated with my undergrad degree instead.

But I did do a few smart things like, prepare buffer, I could draw fast, and I met a lot of great people.

For me I recommend coming in easier before trying the graphic novel approach. It takes much longer. Now there are many many more resources for first time web comic artists/writers that I did not have at the time.

Comic Retrospect: My Shining Knight

2008-11-19T12:45:00.000-08:00

I'm going to take some time to be nostalgic and share some lessons learned from my first web comic venture, "My Shining Knight" (MSK).

This was not the first comic I started during that period of my life (age 16). There were many attempts at a comic. One of the first was trying to make an "A Bug's Life" manga based off one of my fanfictions. Please groan. I do. The art is actually pretty Dece. I took time to really ink in all the details. ...it was only ever 1 page long. :( *sigh*

The next comic was a blatant rip-off of Sailor Moon. (I intend to post that up some day. I just gotta be NOT lazy and scan it in). Again really good detail on backgrounds, inking and there's some color. It looks cool but oh lord the story...I only got like 16 pages in before I abandoned it.

There is a point to this really.

Most of the story or comics I dreamed up had a theme at that time. Boarding Schools (private schools), socially repressed female leads, French boyfriends. (I kid you not, I maybe had 2 or 3 comic ideas with one or more of these themes).
It was no accident that MSK found its origin in these themes because they all described me. I went to a private school, felt socially repressed, and wanted a boyfriend.

Cecilia and Brianna, the female leads for the story, are self-insertions of myself and my best friend. The school, it pretty much the school I went to in my first few years of high school. (I transferred out.) The uniforms...pretty much what we had to wear. No lie...those WERE the uniforms.

When I first wrote the story, it was actually pretty short. In the current state of the comic, chapter 4 would have been the last chapter. The original ending I had planned was this: After the boys returned home, Cecilia and Brianna travel to France and the rings they received transports them to the time where Sebastien and Antoine are originally from. They get a fairy tale ending (meaning get married almost immediately) and the bad guy Lucifer had become a priest. (Honestly, that last bit keeps me in stitches to this day because how he actually came out is HILARIOUSLY different.)

I don't quite remember WHAT inspired me to write more for the comic. Perhaps I was not satisfied with that ending or I thought it was too short or I felt influenced by comics that were writing so many chapters. But I did. I had to compromise that ending I had originally planned and make it a link into the "act 2" so to speak.

This second half is where it turns into the typical high fantasy, sword and sorcery type comic. I had to bullshit my way through so many plot holes that it became rediculous. I ended up drawing 12 chapters in all. As I aged with this comic, I was continually unsatisfied. I kept trying to rewrite the script of later chapters to some how save the story, but that did not work.

MSK I still consider an achievement in that I finished it to an ending that was slightly more satisfying than the fairy-tale I had before.
Improved art! Chapters 10-12 have some of my favorite artwork done.

Now that I'm more mature as a writer and artist, many flaws stand out. The characters are rather inconsistant, the villain is a weak excuse, the timing is weird, and off.

The biggest lesson learned of course is that TIME TRAVEL = FAIL!! Only one story has ever pulled it off and that's Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (and Back to the Future). Time travel as an element becomes a crutch and should never, never ever be used! No! Never. It is a perfect formula for failure! If you get anything out of this take this with you. Do not try to write a "serious" story with time travel.

Another thing I learned was to write out the WHOLE story, edit, and feel happy about it before drawing. These are more lessons I learned after producing a few films and animations and realizing "HEY...pre-production = awesome!"
I find is best to outline and bare-bones things before writing dialog scripts (which change constantly).

Now, writing down the comic does not guarantee success...obviously. I wrote down MSK before drawing it. But I did not finish writing it before I started drawing.

MSK, not a failure but not quite a success. :)
Hey at least I was able to use the universe to self-publish and produce Lucius.

Comic Discussion: Can I be serious?

2008-11-05T11:13:00.000-08:00

While preparing for yet another web-comic adventure I constantly keep an eye on others to see what they're doing, what works for them and if I could make it work for me.

My current comic work "7 Eldest" so far has taken a very "serious" tone, which is not like me at all. Well, perhaps not "serious" but more mature. And by mature I don't want you to jump right to the conclusion that I mean "porn". But you already did, didn't you? Ah wells.

The thing is that serious comics appeal to an audience that I don't think I know very well. I read serious/drama web-comics but there's always some sort of humor splashed in. Like the occasional EXTREME emotion or exaggeration. I suppose I best define what I think is expected of web-comics.

Web-comics are fast paced, funny, and kind of like newspaper comics...only better. Or they should be for the most part. Let's admit the more heavily trafficked web-comics are the ones that do the gag-a-day route...or video games. Yes.

Yet there are a couple of gems out there that are full out dramas that are very successful without resorting to the exaggeration.

My ideal that I think of is "The Dreamer" by Lora. It takes a style different than what I'm used to, a more "Western" style I would call it which doesn't use the animated or cartoony avenue at all with expressions. Yet, it appeals to its audience well enough.

Roza by Kelly Hamilton is another good example of something of a serious story but not resorting to "chibi" anime moments. She does somethings more along the lines of traditional animation.

So here I am about to embark into a genre that won't use "anime" moments, not intend to be humorous in any way, and still set out to be a good comic story.

RPG Plot Shop: Saving the World Again

2008-10-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

RPG plots usually center around the idea of saving something before it is lost. Generically somehow it's tied with saving the world before it is destroyed. You are that shining ray of hope for the entire world. And really, I don't think the RPG audience ever gets bored of it. How empowering it is to have the fate of the WORLD tied to YOU.

Yet as a storytelling device, it wants something more...something that makes it believable. Here are some tips to carry in your pocket.

1) It's a Small World After All
In an RPG you can travel the world in a matter of minutes. Making it a very small space. You may get to meet all the populated areas IN the world within the game. That way when you say you are saving the WHOLE world, it is accurate because you have traveled all of it and know almost everyone. Yet, this is unrealistic as far as the narrative is concerned. It takes 3 long novels for Frodo to reach Mount Doom and he didn't even travel the world and meet everyone.

However, it's all a matter of perspective. To a mouse living in a hole in the wall, the whole house may be their world. It is just as empowering to be a mouse trying to save their world (prevent a house from being destroyed) as it is to be a human trying to save a planet.

2) Save the World In chunks
Leveling right? Makes sense! The characters world can expand farther and farther as they save more and more bits of it. Maybe making friends along the way. :)

3) Make it Personal
The most important thing to do is to somehow invoke empathy from the player. They should WANT to save this world and this character. To do this you must give them human qualities.
Do NOT destroy their village, players are now not sympathetic to that idea at all.
Kidnapping is a good one, although also common.
Mystery is another one. Something out of the ordinary has appeared. This draws the players curiosity about "what happens next".

4) Are we really saving the world?
It is a challenge that can be posed to the player and/or the story - is this the right way to do things? Can we really save the world like this?
Usually this is a weak argument in RPG games because you fought all the way there, the system did not allow any other way for you to progress, so how DARE the STORY blame you for doing things that way. Really! How impertinent! *shakes fist*
Obviously this means creatively putting that choice within the game. Kind of like fable - save the world...or doom it yourself! Mwahahahaha!

5) Saving the world from non-destruction
Destroying the world or the end of the world is old sauce. Really making it work takes art and skill. It'd be great if I could think of a way but I really can't so here's what you can do alternatively. Not every villain is out for destruction...some just want to change the world for the worse. So free slaves, put an end to dictators, rob from the rich to feed the poor, or save the last Unicorn. :3

These are all suggestions for making your 'save the world' story for your RPG feel LESS like a 'save the world story'. It's not a bad plot line, it's just been used in many places and as a designer or writer, you should push yourself.

Unicorns: Modern and Classic renditions

2008-10-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

You know writing about unicorns or a unicorn people is not that uncommon. Even in my own time I've written at least 5 stories about unicorns specifically. (The first being a paragraph I wrote in 2nd grade.) I've also read various myths and stories relating the animal itself including "Into the Land of the Unicorns" by Bruce Coville, "The Unicorns of Balinor" series, "The Obsidian Trilogy" by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory and "The Last Unicorn" by Peter Beagle. (Yes, I read the book and have the movie.) I've also read a couple of short story collections about the beast and so on and so forth.

Lately on DeviantArt, where I find lots of visual inspiration, I find lots of Unicorn people as a race. Not just furry art either. I knew I wasn't alone in my imaginings of such things. (I mean one story I wrote was about a unicorn who turns into a girl. Completely unoriginal by the way). But the myths are very different.

At least in my mind, the Classic Myth, of the Unicorn was that is was a shy, fragile beast that could only be lured by a pure maid. The creature was a symbol of purity and sacredness. Something about that still holds charm for me. Many of the stories I read base the unicorn off of this notion. It is a beast of purity that loves pure things.

Some of the more modern takes make Unicorns prudish or stuck up. Arrogant unicorns are quite fun to read. "The Last Unicorn" is one of these since the unicorn is NOT human, she has no feelings of regret and places herself as something above and beyond human standing. (Until she's turned into one herself...but I won't spoil things). Actually, it's quite common for unicorns to be as arrogant as elves in LOTR.

Whenever I write a unicorn into my story, I take my influence from what I have read before of course. In one story I wrote (Angel Gate), the character of the Unicorn (named Unicorn) was a bit of an oddball. He was drawn by pure lads instead of pure maids which was going to be a plot device since the protagonist was looking for a new KING. I didn't give things a second thought because there was nothing sexual about the Unicorn seeking the pure lad over a pure maid. (I actually never distinguished the gender of the unicorn either in the writing). However, when I shared my story with a friend they pointed out that I had written a "gay unicorn" unintentionally.

This leads to the other modern view of the Unicorn being a symbol of homosexuality. (Phallic horn and all.) Obviously this clashes mightily with my preconception of the unicorn being a beast of purity. However, it's probably more common to find the "gay" strand in a unicorn character than not. And I've fallen into the trap time and time again. Because to me, the unicorn was never a symbol of anything sexual, until that fated day when I was told my unicorn was gay.

I recently decided to rewrite that story for NaNoWriMo last year and this time took into consideration what happened. Unicorn was a pivotal character in the story and this time give a male gender. I also changed the creature to something more carnivorous and dangerous because he was originally sent to kill the protagonist. In this version, the Unicorn can only speak into minds of virgins and anyone outside of that can not hear his voice. Thus he relies on the protagonist and some of the lesser characters to have himself heard, since he actually is a very wise and practical creature. His role was still the same. He was to "sense" pure hearted candidates for the new king, but in this case was more of an assistant since the protagonist had "signs" to follow. Still, despite my trying to put up that wall, I feel the hint of gayness in his character as he expresses true concern for the future king. I've actually abandoned this story (not because of poor unicorn) because I ran into a wall with the two main characters and the events to follow. I could not motivate myself to write more.

In a role play, I created a unicorn shape-shifter character for the sake of the story named Apollos. He was a young spoiled brat, which are fun characters to write and torment. He was obsessed with purity and cleanliness to the point of annoyance for almost all the characters except the stupid one (also played by me). Being the last of the white unicorns that were suppose to select a new high priestess if she should ever die (similar to the series 12 Kingdoms where the kirin (Chinese unicorn) chooses the next emperor. I really LOVE that myth). However, it turns out that the character he chooses is actually a new high priest because he likes him the best. There were even slight tones of affection towards him and distaste for the girl who liked him. (Although I ultimately intended those two to be together. :3) It was just SO easy to fall into that.

Browsing DeviantArt and finding others who have similar unicorn characters, I find that I'm not the only one who falls into this trap. In fact, it's more common to find a gay unicorn character than a straight one. And I find myself somewhat disappointed. It has become something of a novelty now. There are 2 artists that I found that had characters drawn exactly how I wanted to draw my own unicorn people (who actually I drew before creating fully). Except drawn in a much better art style than mine. They were charming in looks and supposed personality, but what caught me by surprise (I mean really I shouldn't have been surprised) was their sexual preference.

So why this thought bubble? Because I'm writing a novel series about a unicorn people. They shape-shift into their half-human form so they can relate to elves and fae. Yet also have animal forms to defend themselves and perform specific tasks. (Also called their "pure" form).
I've taken influence from every myth I enjoy: Unicorns of Balinor, the Last Unicorn, Classic Myth and 12 Kingdoms.
From Unicorns of Balinor I have various colors for my unicorns other than white.
12 Kingdoms I take the idea that the unicorn is a "heavenly beast". (Really, the kirin stuff in that series is SO fascinating and deep. I can't express its awesome sauce.)
The Last Unicorn takes the idea of arrogance, power and almost otherworldly quality.
Classic Myth is where the magic and desire for purity comes in for at least the white variety.

My Myth for Songs of the Brinds
Brinds (my unicorn people) take their root in religion and faith (heavenly beast). They believe they are a chosen people and that is why they are the ONLY creature in the world that can perform magic (in a loose sense of the term. Magic is more of a natural phenomenon.) And the thing is, they ARE the chosen people just like the Hebrews of ancient time where I also got lots of influence. And just like the ancient Hebrews, they are capture and exiled.

The various "clans" (or races actually) are defined by their powers and looks. Originally each "clan" was going to have specific duties. The White Unicorns where the center of religion and society that needed protection. Fire and Iron Unicorns were their army and protectors. Water Unicorns were their mouthpiece. But that went away after various iterations of the myth.

The White Unicorns in my tale are still incredibly special in their powers and there is a desire to protect them. They're kind of like the Tribe of Levi in the Old Testament you know. (The tribe of Priests fyi). They were the only tribe that was allowed to touch and carry the Ark of the Covenant. That's where that influence comes from.

The other tribes don't have specific jobs, but have special talents relating to various tasks.

I've gotten off topic haven't I? Yes. Well back to unicorns then.

I think the trouble with a Unicorn "people", giving them somewhat human appearances and everything is that they become less of the myth. Just like in the Last Unicorn, when the Unicorn became human she was dying and rotting and she could feel it. She started to lose her "unicorn-ness" the longer she was in the human body. Suddenly she had human emotions and could love and regret. There lies the problem of making unicorns too human. They lose a bit of their arrogance and immortalness.

The only unicorn "people" that somehow maintain their "heavenly" origin are the kirin in 12 Kingdoms. They're shape-shifting unicorns and are in-tune intimately with the "Way of Heaven". (Oriental Philosophy). Even the one character who had his empress fall in love with him was able to maintain his aloofness and fail to return the emotion. They could feel emotion and pain more deeply than humans perhaps that's why. Still their sensitivity to evil (represented by bloodshed) caused them pain and if their emperor sinned is caused illness and eventually death if the sinner did not repent. There was just something that remained stoic and pure about the creatures. And that may be because there was no use for sex in the world AT ALL because everything was born from egg-fruit on the trees. (That solves that problem!)

But the trend goes if a Unicorn becomes human, they lose their immortality and connection to holiness. I made my unicorn people very much human on purpose though. There are only loose ties to the myths where my inspiration came from. And I stick with my Western Philosophy (sex is good! ;D) and actually spent some time figuring out how "genetics" work and how the inability to bear a child through intimacy is seen as ungodly.

I feel I may be giving too much of my story away now. And I've drifted off on so many tangents that it's time to wrap up. So let me sum up the thoughts I've shared thus far.
-The Classic Myth as inspiration
-The modern common stereotype of homosexual unicorns
-My feelings about the mixing of human qualities with the immortal myth
-My many examples of unicorn myths that I like and find inspiring
-How I've used my myths and common myths to bring my story to life.

Magic Shop

2008-10-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

Magic in Games vs. Magic in Fantasy Novels

For a bit here, I'd like to discuss magic systems in fantasy media with a focus on games, novels and comics. The concept of magic is something that makes a person something greater than normal. It allows for the impossible to happen. But when it allows for the impossible, it becomes improbable and in some cases unbelievable. I mentioned this in my geography entry that I don't like cheesy magic in my fantasy novels. There are times when it can feel like an excuse or a plot hole ready to happen.

However, on the other hand, in visual stories such as video games and comics, I can be more forgiving about cheap magic. Because magic as well as being an empowerment to the character is a spectacle to be seen. Unless a book is illustrated you don't get that same awe (or at least I don't, since I'm visually stimulated) that you get from watching a fire ball consume something.

I'm especially, especially forgiving to games because magic IS A SYSTEM. And when something is systematic, it does not feel like an excuse, it feels like it's part of the world. It feels normal.

So let's get into some examples shall we?

Novel Magic: Harry Potter
Harry Potter novels sort of have a system, but not a very tangible one. There is something about magic being a natural talent like art or music, yet everyone who has the talent is taught. (Thus bloodlines etc). That makes magic seem more human.
There is also magic with certain limitations that are clear such as brewing a potion or handling a magic beast. That's because these things were considered a science really and supposedly even non-wizard types could do it if they could find hen's teeth. :)
Almost all other magic relies on the use of a wand and knowing the right incantations or motions.
However, if you have all these things, you were practically invincible.
(You know I'm suddenly reminded of that movie Merlin with Sam Niels and the three types of wizards: word, hand and thought. Being able to cast a spell by speaking, by hand motions and then by sheer will power. Never got beyond being a hand wizard.)

Enough side notes then. While the Harry Potter series is still an enjoyable read and delightful story because of the characters, the magic feels cheap. This may be in part because the setting is the modern world and the modern world follows a system of nature which this magic is not related to. The wands were an endless source of power (which was not used to stop global warming or our energy crisis...I mean seriously people.). There was no need to rely on a backup plan because the magic would ALWAYS work...wouldn't always work correctly but it worked.

Something about magic being the infinite power makes the story cheap, although in this case it was used tactfully enough.

Novel Magic: The Obsidian Trilogy

In the three novels by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory, we are introduced to a fantasy world of magic that is very different from the previous example. The difference was that magic was not very infinite and was not always successful. That was because magic was the realm of the gods that was imparted onto the people and that had limits. In fact, it would drain life away if you didn't do things right. Not everyone could do magic, so it was special in a way. There was a limited supply of magic which made moments when magic was used uncertain and exciting. The character was left wondering if the spell they cast would even work or if their exchange was acceptable to the gods. (Power was exchanged for doing something for the gods. The bigger the spell the higher the price).

Magic was a system in this case, but a very fluid and manipulative one that could easily fall into the trap of "convenient" magic tricks (and sometimes it did do that, but that's what writing is all about. Control!)

Visual Magic: Full Metal Alchemist
You can call it comic or anime series, both the same thing in regards to the "magic" or alchemy.
They bring in the idea of equivalent exchange similar to the previous example. It was also a science in a way where accuracy of material to be changed, symbols to write and so on had an effect on the result. It also was physically demanding on a person. Except for the main character for reasons of bloodline apparently. Like in Harry Potter, some genetics were just better at it than others. Or rather gave a predisposition to be better.

The series also takes interesting terms to make alchemy less of a science and more of a faith in certain points which makes the story better and calls into question things about alchemy.
I won't spoil storylines...plus I have a hard time keeping things straight in my head but how true equivalent exchange actually is comes into question. Then the whole system itself is called into question.
This is GOOD magic and entertaining, although, it is just as abused as most because the main character is special. (They have to be...they're a fugging main character. They're always special.) But his powers were not UNIQUE. There were other people who could clap their hands and not need a circle.

Game Magic: Tales of Symphonia

I could pick any game in the RPG genre, but this one I've at least played all the way through...although it's been awhile. The system of magic in games is never cheap. Really. I mean because it's not the author abusing it, it's the player using it. (Whether properly or not).
Magic in the world is usually stronger with one character over the other, but then special abilities of any kind are limited by the 'point system'. Every spell costs points (equivalent exchange B***!) the stronger the spell the more it costs. You have to recharge points in special ways if you want to continue to use magic in your fights.

The capacity to cast magic increases with practice (leveling). So in the beginning your "magic points" (MP) capacity is set to 10 points. Casting simple spells like a fire ball may cost 3 points. You can only cast 3 fire ball spells at full capacity and still have 1 point left over. That may work well for small monsters early in the game but later on things get harder and 3 won't be enough.
So as the character gains experience and so on the capacity grows say to 15. Then you can cast 5 fire ball spells at full capacity.

In the Tales example everyone uses "magic", it's just sometimes called a skill because really they don't cast anything. There are two specific magic casters in the group, Genis and his sister Raine. They both cast offensive spells like fire ball or healing or lighting. The more MP they have the more spells they can cast and stronger spells too. As they grow they learn new ones. The time it takes to cast lessens as they grow as well (which is important since this is a real time battle system).

There is also a summoner, which uses cards to summon monsters to fight for her.

Then there are 2 magic fighters, Zelos and Colette. They have mix of both "special moves" (which take MP) and magic spells to cast. Actually, everyone can cast one or two spells of some sort. (If I remember correctly).

Relating all this to Game Design

So this entry is both thoughts about magic as a system and magic as a story element. In some cases preference of the author is the deciding factor but I think it is good for authors to look to the magic used in games. Magic as a system works better (in my opinion) than magic as a plot device.

However, a game system that also considers things such as "talent" or "experience" like in stories makes it much richer. In some symbolic ways they already do this.
Mages are magic casters specifically. That is their talent and predisposition and experience. This is all reflected in their "statistics". (Although I prefer graphs to assigning numbers. It's more biological and less mechanical).

Game magic is my favorite because it can't abuse the system. It's a computer program. And having those parameters makes it feel more REAL. Because it has limits just like everything in life. How you limit it in your game system or story is important to how things play out in the long run.

Let me go over some of the systems pointed out in this entry:
Equivalent Exchange - the output is equal to input
Experience - the more you practice the better you get, especially if you are made for magic (mage)
Ambivalent Exchange - the output is greater than the supposed input or visa versa.
Physical Limits - the power is limited by a person's strength or a specific object or both.
Infinite Well of Power - wait...this system is broken
Rune Drawing - especially with those new-fangled touch screen games. Drawing runes and remembering shapes is a great system too! (The harry potter video games use this).

All of these are really useful systems to mix and match in your game's magic system. Remember that magic is defined by its limits not by it's ability. Take this consideration when you write too.

As I mentioned in my other entry about my feelings towards magic in storybooks, the less it's used the better. It can cheapen the experience if magic is just used common place. I prefer it to happen in the shadows and be a supernatural phenomenon. (Like in Chronicles of Narnia, only Aslan could do "magic" and that was because he was God. Okay...the White Witch too...but she was the Devil. Gods can do whatever they damn well please.)

What do You Believe - Religion

2008-10-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

Often times in games with stories attached to them there may be some hintings of a religious power or common faith. This can range from gods to mirrors of current religions.

As someone who believes and practices my own faith I find it interesting when religion is included in a game. For the most part it is usually a trivial part of the game or plays mostly in the background. I consider myself very ecumenical but there are times when I feel things were done "wrong" or "poorly".

This usually happens when a game uses a faith system that reflects a current one from Earth.
Two big offenders that I have played are Luminous Arc and Tales of Symphonia.
Both have a religious power that mirrors what happens to be my faith, Catholicism.
The games featured bishops, priests and even a pope in one of the games. And in both such games, the Church of the world was villainized. Which is fairly common in popular media anyway. Needless to say I felt a little sad playing the games. Luminous Arc I ended up trading in and not finishing because the story was frustrating me and the game was pretty boring.

I may be too sensitive about the whole thing but I think it's normal to feel upset if a game shows something or says something that goes against something you feel strongly about.

However, other games with religions don't bother me at all. I in fact really enjoy when developers go through the trouble of developing an original faith system for the world. It is okay to draw some inspiration from faiths of this world but mimicing it will just be insulting to people of that faith...unless of course that is your intention.

This blog writes an excellent rant on Religion in Fantasy Fiction: http://limyaael.livejournal.com/131681.html

Fantasy Novels: Prudence

2008-09-27T22:46:00.000-07:00

You know like any nerd I enjoy fantasy novels. I also enjoy writing them. And because this is my blog there are some things I'd like to complain about. I have some scars left by fantasy novels that I have read that really betrayed me. Most of them were recommended by friends who clearly do not know my tastes as well as they think they do.

The hero of the story is meant to represent an ideal that the reader relates to or disagrees with. There is something that the reader sympathizes with or else they don't enjoy the book. What's even worse is when the reader sympathizes and relates to the character and then the character makes a change for the worse and the reader is lost.

There are a few times this has happened when I was reading a book and unfortunately I remember those books better than the stories I truly enjoyed.
One book starred a girl who wanted to become a knight. This was something I related to. I admire women who enter male dominated spaces like the games industry or medical field. (Since that's what I have been trying to do!) However, at one point when she starts puberty, she receives a charm that prevents pregnancy which is almost immediately abused. The character lost my admiration and I never finished the books.

Another had a character that was a Catholic priest in the middle ages and an elf. He was intelligent and fought to remain faithful to Catholic teachings...until book two when he finally gives into the wiles of a woman. (By that time he had actually left the priesthood.) I was doubly betrayed and even a bit hurt by this because I am Catholic myself. He was so good and tried so hard, I hated that female character so much for what she did. (And this is just a book for gosh sake!) She had turned him into something terrible. In the end, Saint Francis of Assisi comes along to save the day...sort of.

There was another time when the character was not ruined until I read the second book which was not about him. In this case, it was the author who betrayed me and ruined a good character by revealing his past and revealing that his love interest in the first book and future wife...was his cousin. Not to mention that his mother was a terrible character and I simply could not relate to any of the protagonists. I was totally rooting for the bad guy. (I really, really sympathized with him. Poor guy. His wife cheats on him AND he had to kill his horses.)

Clearly, I was NOT in the demographic these books were intended to please. I'm too prudent and too Catholic. I want my priests to remain celibate just like ALL the priests I know and all the Saints I have read about (Edit: Yeah I know most saints weren't perfect but usually they were more risque BEFORE conversion and afterwards they manage to resist temptation). I like my female knights to prove their prowess outside the bedroom. I like my characters not to marry their cousins please. Thanks.
And I really like to avoid sex in novels unless it's just implied and really not a gimmick or self-satisfaction for an author. (Actually, I don't mind it if the characters are married...I'll still skip those pages but as long as they tied the knot first it's cool.)

So in short, don't betray your characters, especially female characters. And if the character is one of those goody-goody prudes that goes bad...DON'T RECOMMEND IT TO ME!! (Yeah I didn't like Grease either. What's SO bad about being GOOD?)

A few of my Favorite Games

2008-09-08T18:23:00.000-07:00

I'm stretching some of my memory here to try and remember some of my favorite all-time games. I will try to limit it to my top 8...there may be less. They are not ranked in order of MOST FAVORITE GAME EVAR to least. My most favorite game changes with the times and my mood. So let's get digging.

1. Designasaurus 2 - This one stretches back to hallowed antiquity. It ran on MS-DOS and was stored on 5 hard disks (which are floppy.) The premise of the game was you got to pick a dinosaur or make your own out of parts, go back in time, and survive. This was in some lab in the far future. 2601 ad or something. There were two modes. Practice Mode and Adventure mode. Adventure mode was basically teleporting your dinosaur hero to every level and finding "gene prints" to the ultimate dinosaur. It was a weak-ass story, but at age 7 I gobbled it up. I found it on an abandonware site and still enjoy the simple pleasures of pretending I'm a dinosaur, roaming around a pixelated jungle searching for pools of water.

2. Legend of Zelda Series - There are specific games in the series I like best, Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, and the Oracle Series. In short...all the Zelda games I was able to beat. I've played others but have yet to conquer them. And really I think it is the simplicity of the game that make it so wonderful. There is joy in recognizing a pattern and having it follow in every episode after. Some of the "stories" are more intriguing than others, thanks to the improvement of visuals and cinematics in games. And I can't help that I have an elf-ear fettish.

3. Harvest Moon Series - An honest simple farming game. For once it is a game that is not about setting off to DESTROY the evil in the world, but to build up from something considered dead or uncultivated. Through out the series there have been notable flaws and bugs with every game release which unfortunately has become a staple for the series. (Which is truly unfortunate). Again I have favorites, N64, Another Wonderful Life, Magic Melody and Island of Happiness. N64 I believe has wonderful game balance and simplicity. It's not "too hard" like some of the later additions to the series. Another Wonderful Life had a female heroine (and most of the bugs worked out from the boy version) and I loved the graphics. The animal farming was also more realistic in that cows needed to be bred every so often or they stop giving milk! Magic Melody actually balanced out the most exciting aspects of the game. There was much more to do and for the first time had multiplayer action (and the horse race!)
The most recent HM game I bought is Island of Happiness. For the portable series, so far I think it is the most well-balanced yet challenging game. The controls can get "sticky" but it's an improvement from DS: CUTE. Again...having a choice for the gender of the player character is a thumbs up.

4. Sims 2 - User custimazation for such a sandbox game. There's actually very little I could say about the Sims.

5. Summon Knight Series - I found this little gem through a recommendation through Amazon.com. It was the ability to choose the gender of my player character that attracted me at first. It turned out to be a delightful little RPG adventure game with a wonderfully done action combat system and a bit of romance added on. I've just finished the newest addition on the DS and can gladly say they've only been improving on the system.

6. Prince of Persia Trilogy - This was actually another gem I picked up based on the sudden urge to want to play it. I had seen my friends play it and watched some videos online. And hey, always enjoy playing a ruggedly handsome dude who strips as the game proceeds. (PANTS OF TIME!) Granted I've only played the first and last game of the trilogy based on the fact that most of the reviews on Warrior Within are harsh. The battle system was improved but the story, characters and music were all ruined. I am incredibly dubious about the new instalment since it does not involve the "original prince" (the original actually being a pixel dude). The female player and new prince do look like Final Fantasy wannabees. DISHONOR ON YOU! DISHONOR ON YOUR COW!! Anyway point is, that I enjoyed the graphics, story, and battle system for what it offered.

7. Odin Sphere - This game is actually what motivated me to buy a PS2. I was browsing the Atlus website because they made the Summon Night series and I've become a little fangirl. The ART on this is what completely sold me AND the interesting game mechanics. What I found upon actually playing the game that it will now forever hold the place as my favorite storyline and some of my favorite characters. I found something to like about the personality of each one. It was just so artistically amazing that there are no words.

8. The Lion King (Game Gear) - Another one pulled out of antiquity, the first game I got on my game gear was the Lion King. Not only do I adore the movie, but playing the characters was so fun. Nothing to me is more soothing than watching an animal run animation. That and I got to play as an animal.

My Favorite Trends in Games

There are a couple of themes in games that I like and usually cause me to buy the game.

1. Player plays as a non-human character. Twilight Princess, Okami, Lion King and Designasaurus all offered me the role of a non-human character to play. When I was little I was dead set on becoming a Vet up until 8th grade...after biology and discovering that I may need to do more math to become one.

2. There's a horse riding portion of the game. The Zelda Series, Harvest Moon, and a few other games I have offer horse riding as a portion of the game. I used to own a horse so that's where that love comes from.

3. A choice to be a female main character. Some days I like to gender swap, other days I want to play the role of the gender I actually am. Female. Doesn't mean the story or game is better, it's just something I look for in games.

4. Elves/Handsome men - Eye candy...that's what the biz is about isn't it? Appeal to my likes and I'll forgive some gameplay flaws.

5. Pattern repetition - DDR, Zelda Series, and most puzzle games require you to recognize a pattern to solve puzzles or beat the game. I feel so achieved once I recognize a pattern and it works in various situations.

6. Easy Pacing - I need to play games where I can have a easy place to stop and pick up again later. A game that is too intense wears me out.

7. NO QUICK TIME! - This was ONE flaw I found in the PoP games. The quick kill that required PRECISE timing that I just could NOT get. It was pure luck that I beat the first boss. Bosses after that were pretty easy...thanks to online guides. (Okay the last guy was a challenge I'll admit.)

8. Well Developed characters with some romantic spice. A story becomes a good story when the characters are real enough and there is romantic tension. I'm not a fanfic writer (or supporter really), but I am really drawn to games that let me choose a "romantic partner" or sets up romantic tension between characters. (Again, Prince of Persia was GREAT for this. Granted I sort of skipped the "bath scene" because it was making me uncomfortable.) Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time SORT OF do this with the teasing and ovious relationship that buds between Link and Midna or Link and Princess Ruto (which was comedic).

Retrospect: How I Play Games

2008-08-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

Last night I was having an interesting reflection about how I got into gaming and what sort of gamer I consider myself.

What Am I?
There really isn't a term or catch-phrase that encompasses what I am. On the one hand I consider myself a casual gamer, I enjoy many 'brain-dead' online games like Bejeweled, Diner Dash, Ponystars, the Sims and other games that don't require me to put in much of my time. I also play a lot of handheld games on my DS.

I'm not quite a hard-core player but I'm also a console gamer and enjoy several hours of fun playing RPG, Action/Adventure, and Platformer games. (And the occasional arcade fighter). However, I don't have the same dedication to a game that I see other players have. I know that I will never be the best so I don't even try. I'm just having a good time. But I do play for long hours when I do.

So I guess I would call myself an Active Gamer. A casual gamer seems to be the type who will play games on occasion, an active gamer would play games multiple days of the week if not a little every day. An Active Gamer would be the type of person to make time for games if they are busy (like myself. I'm earning my Master's degree and working.)

Where I came from.
It was a very long time before I actively got into console gaming, but I came from the generation where the SNES came out and was popular when I was six. I remember playing Duck Hunt and Super Mario Brothers at my neighbors house on occasion. We never got one. By the time I was seven I was in computer classes with Hard Disks that were actually floppy...which I think is a hilarious misnomer to this day. All I had then were computer games. That would be my experience for many years. So I got good at DOS, I used to know some BASIC and really enjoyed some classics like Oregon Trail, Treasure Mountain, and Designasaurus.

The next console to enter our home was a Sega GameGear, which we though superior to Nintendo's gameboy because it had a color screen. No comment on how bulky and huge the thing was and it sucked battery power hardcore. My brother got his for good grades, I got mine for good grades too so we each had our own console. Now, see this is unique apparently because most parents do NOT buy game systems for their daughters. (I've been researching women and gaming and it's true.) My sister even got a Nintendo GameBoy eventually. It must have been around 1995 then because she got the Toy Story game. Yes...I got my game gear in 1994 because I got the Lion King game. (I keep track of dates based on what Disney movie came out. )

I remember when the N64 came out. Our neighbors had it and it was so fun to play. We eventually got the N64 fairly close to the time when it would start losing popularity. That was an awesome Christmas. It was for my brother but we all knew it would be for the family. My parents would not buy another console for us for many, many years. The game cube came out and we couldn't care less. We rented a system once and literally got motion sickness. (I don't think eating oreos and whipped cream helped that any.)

We were completely satisfied with the system we had. Which honestly makes a lot of sense if you think about it. We also got some new game boys somewhere along the way but we got the systems when there were GOOD games for them out.

It would be my second year of university. And the sole reason I went out to buy a Game Cube was to play Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. And if you remember, that is when the GC started going out. I bought my cube (and oddly enough influenced my mother to buy my youngest sister a cube) just as the Wii came out. Go us. But by then all the good games on the Game Cube had already come out so I had plenty to play while waiting for Twilight Princess. Which was honestly the BEST game for me ever and I'll elaborate on that later. ;)

A year after the Wii came out, my family bought one. (I helped find one on Ebay during the holiday season.) Which is odd because our family has a running track record of buying a system right before the next gen comes out. However, for my family it's the system that's had the most success so far. My mom enjoys it. My siblings enjoy it. And I enjoy it when I go home.

I did not buy my DS or PS2 until Graduate School. DS I bought because I like Pink and wanted a hand held system. PS2 did have many games that I thought would be fun and I do love DDR, but it was not until Odin Sphere that I was pressed to buy a used one off of Amazon. Mind you the PS3 had been out for a couple years now.

My Philosophy
My parents taught me well about being smart about my buying habits. Today will be the first time in several months that I buy a NEW game instead of a USED game. I've bought a couple of used games in the past few months...and one new one. And really it's the smart thing to do. Because by then several people have gotten good play out of a game and write reviews on whether or not it was good. Plus the online guides will be refined so you don't have to buy a strategy book. You also don't have to camp out for three days to get it. I mean seriously.

I played Prince of Persia Sands of Time for the first time this summer. Okay, I knew it was a good game because I saw some of my friends playing it ages ago. But I just had no inclination to buy it at the time, nor did I have a system. I actually bought 2 thrones first just based on the reviews of the game and never bought Warrior Within based on the game reviews. They all said the same thing: GREAT game play and combat system - Story = suck and music = wtf happened to that nice Arab-techno we had going and Characters = went through shitville and got lost at the bottom of a bottle.
(Rephrased by myself of course.)

But the best part is both these Prince of Persia games cost me less than $20. Two thrones was a trade in game and Sands of Time was $10. Buy it new it would be probably close to $30 or so.

Yes that's definitely the BEST part of buying a game used. The price is low for a great game! Downside is you may not get the cover box or manual. I'm sad my Sands of Time has neither of these things. :( But that's what the interwebs are for.

I certainly plan on Buying a Wii eventually. There are some good games already, but not enough and there are very few used games. and new games are $50 a pop.

Now I was going to go on a Legend of Zelda tangent but I think I'll pass until next time. :D

Opinion: Fantasy Novel Geography

2008-08-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

This is purely an opinionated piece that I just felt I had to get out of my system.
Late last night I had this thought bubble while writing down the details of geography for the world in Brind Songs and trying to set up a wiki.

I've drawn maps of my "worlds" and looked at other maps. Middle Earth, wherever the funk Eragon took place, Narnia etc. And even lots of online fantasy that I've read...the world is always incomplete on the map. It's always just a coast like Europe. Just a jut of land or a coast line, that's all you get to see. I've been guilty of this myself when I finally mapped out Gauland for my MSK novel and a few RP maps.

It's not very annoying actually so much as it is a common trend I've noticed. Of course the map is only going to show what matters to the story. That's all you need really. The rest is no man's land and no one knows what happens out there. No one.
"What's over that nearly impassible mountain range?"
"More land probably. No one cares...not even the creator."

For my story I knew there would be no stretch of land that I at least didn't know something about. It may not pertain to the novels but that doesn't matter. I need to know the world better than my own backyard. So when you see a map, you see the whole world. There will be no stretch of land beyond the edges of the maps. I have 3 island continents and that's it. (I still have to place the polar ice caps, but all in good time.)

This is definitely the most detailed world I have ever spent time on. It's shaping up pretty nice too.

Influences
It's funny where I get my influences for this story. The word "brind" simply came from the word "hind" which is a deer. I don't exactly remember when I settled on the word itself, but there were always going to be types or breeds.
The first four were based completely off some random drawings I did of the creatures. Unicorn folk that I just thought looked pretty. White, Water, Fire and Iron were the first four and the only four for a long, long time. (Of course I just used the Latin terms for the word and stuck it onto the word brind to make the different breed names.)

Originally there were going to be four islands, one full of cat people because I was writing this with my sister and she was reading the "Warriors" series at the time.

The sheep people were also my sisters idea, instead of having traditional fauns. There was also going to be fox people and wolf people, but that got nixed.

Elves and Fae have always been a part of my stories somehow. I take a very strong Tolkien/every-generic-fantasy take to my elves and fae. I always have. I've read some traditional fairy stories and these are just more fun to write and draw.

The magic in the world is not very obvious and I always downplayed on magic in my stories. Generally, I find magic is used as a loophole for easy explanation. I tend to prefer fantasy novels without strong use of magic, because magic tends to be abused. There are no laws...except for that Mercedes Lackey/James Mallory series that I read. I liked that system...but it was still abused. Narnia, Tolkein, and so on have magic as an undertheme, it was always something supernatural that could only be performed by supernatural. It also made the magic seem more common place and not something special like in Harry Potter. Magic was special even though it was common place in the "wizard world".

In MSK the comic, magic was visually there because it made things pretty. That's the only reason that I really cared about magic for that comic. In the novel on the other hand, magic was explained to be a natural phenomenon in elves and their technology. And that is only because the elves were originally extraterrestrials. Yes...something I never explained in my novels but had in the back of my head. It's silly but I like my alien elves. Lucius is an alien. :D

Back on topic, my point is that magic feels like cheating. So for this I tried to keep the "magic" as believable as possible. The only stretch I made was with shape-shifting. There's just no way to trot around that and say it's NOT magic. (Unless you go with INSTA-EVOLUTION. Available at WalMary).
So I went with things that seemed "natural".
Miracles are natural...they are...okay so they're a bit supernatural but that felt more believable than magic. Why? Because they occur in the real world (whether you believe it or not). Blind can see, lame can walk and the raising of the dead. It happens.
Withstanding heat and so forth seem very natural things. Healing is a very natural process.
I've also limited it to one creature that can truly perform "magic".

Literary Process - Brind Song

2008-07-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

Another novel series I've begun developing based on some artwork I've been doing recently and the story I tried to co-author with my sister.
I've divided it up into Four Books so far.

Over the course of a few years I've been developing the world and culture of the planet...which needs a name still. The countries have names, but not the world.
I've got a good handle on the various cultures and creatures in the world including their government type, who their leaders are, the primary religion, the sort of religion that is, distinctive features, and various alliances.

This called for a huge long list of characters. Which I've got all in a document.
Some are more developed than others since they were a part of the "original" tale.

Book 1 I intend to be the story that my sister and I never finished. That's where it starts. It gives a narrow view of the world and situation from the eyes of a child.

Book 2 is set elsewhere and takes a more macro-view of the situation through the eyes of some adults. There is some overlap between Book 1 and Book 2.

Book 3 is another micro-view but from the eyes of an adult behind "enemy lines". There will be some overlap between book 2 and book 3.

Book 4 is the culmination of all three stories as they come together in a climax bringing resolution for all!

I've also written a Creation Myth for the world which stems from the major religion of the world. It's a good way to set the stage I think for all the books. :)

Awhile ago I wrote a bestiary describing all the fauna on the planet.

I've been continually writing out the abilities and culture of the brinds since it is growing more complex with every attempt at this story.

Literary Process - Eggworld

2008-07-21T16:19:00.000-07:00

Last night I spent more time brainstorming on my "Egg World" story and have sketched out three basic "Acts" or chapters to draw.

Act 1: is the Creation story and events leading up to the "hatching".
The 7 Eldest divide into factions over the sayings of the youngest who is a prophet.

Act 2: is the beginning of civilization that happens immediately after the hatching.
The faction still exists so there is the first war.

Act 3: is the beginning of domestic trouble.
There are no more factions but their is one Eldest who feels left out of the group.
We have our first affair! :D

So far I've only conceptualized the 7 eldest characters. (They're not even developed yet.)
I still need to flesh out a few new characters to add.

And I need a new title. Eggworld is stupid. That's just a working title.
Let's brainstorm some new titles based on themes in the story so far.
Themes: Birth, Origins, Eldest, Wonder, Hatching
Title Ideas: Seven (it was the name of an old, old comic concept I had with the 7 archangels.)
The Eldest
Hatchlings
Seven Elders
Wonders Origin
Origin Wonders

I like Seven so far...it's kind of cryptic.
the Eldest is the name of a terrible book.
Wonders Origin is okay.
Hatchlings is lame, yet descriptive.

Brainstorm: Egg

2008-04-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what I will do with this idea. It may become a game or it may become a comic or novel. Probably a comic. It'll be fun.

A world growing inside an egg that is almost ready to hatch. Such a process that will change the structure and peoples dwelling/growing on it.

Terra-Angels are human like beings with feathered wings. Within the embryo world of the egg, Terra-Angels can fly regardless of their wing-span. The size of wings denotes the greatness of heart which can grow or shrink throughout the course of life. Terra-Angels may look masculine or feminine, but they have no sex and can not reproduce. The egg world has merely been producing them. However, it has been a long time since the birth of a Terra-Angel...which means the world is about ready to hatch...which will change the appearance and everything they know to be true.

There are 7 eldest Terra-Angels. They were the first 7 to be born and as such were given authority. Their role is shepherd-like since the world is abundant there is no need to regulate. The youngest of the 7 is also a prophet. She has been hearing the birth pangs of the world. The 7 elders have to prepare the rest of the "children" for the birth of the new world. Change is never easy. Some of the Eldest are reluctant to accept the change. The Eldest are split into 2 factions...there is only one who sides with neither.

The seven eldest are named after the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Wisdom is the first born. She is robed in light. Her wings are white, hair is white and eyes are white. (Reason: What to believe)

Knowledge (Reason: How to Act) is the second born. He is robed with earth. His wings, hair and eyes are brown.

Counsel is the third born. (Right Judgment) She is robed with cloud. Her wings and hair are grey. Her eyes are clear blue.

Fortitude is the fourth born. (Courage). He is robed with flame. His wings and eyes are gold. His hair is blond.

Understanding is the fifth born. (Common Sense). She is robed with forest. Her wings are brown. Her hair is black. Her eyes are green.

Piety is the sixth born. (ability to worship God). He is robed in water. His wings are white. His hair is black. His eyes are blue.

Wonder is the youngest. The seventh born. (Fear of the Lord). She is robed in flowers and stars. Her hair is red. One wing is white and the other is gold. One eye is honey-brown and the other is blue. She is a prophet.

The Silent Hero

2008-04-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

In RPGs (and other genres too) there are two types of heroes: the silent type and Story Type.
Mind you these are only MY terms that I will use throughout this article.

Silence is Golden
The silent hero seems to always silently concede to whatever the story says or supposedly respond to any question addressed to him/her. Link and Mario are some of the more obvious silent heroes. Although Mario and Link make "noises", they do not respond verbally to any dialog aimed at them. (In recent 3D games they have started gesturing). Dialog with NPCs and cutscenes always feel one-sided.

Some of the benefits of using the Silent Hero is that you never put words into the players mouth. This is to say that the player IS the hero. The silent hero does not have a bold personality per se, because that portion is suppose to be filled in by the player. In a yes or no situation, it IS the player saying yes or no. In a way, a silent hero is easier to relate to because his dialog is not showing off any personality.

The disadvantage of course is the one sided conversations which can feel a bit off. It seems as if all the NPCs assumed your response and can talk for centuries while you just listen not saying anything.

Story Heroes
These are story characters that a game designer developed for a specific role in the story. The player may or may not relate to that character. It all depends on the personality of the character. Still, it puts the player in the position of playing a hero that is NOT them. If we use language of literature, the player plays from a 3rd person view instead of a 1st person view that a silent hero can allow.

The benefits of the story hero is that NPC conversations are not one sided. Players can grow to like and relate to a well-developed character. The character's growth throughout the game story is visible or more obvious. It also allows for voice acting.

The disadvantages are almost the opposite of what a silent hero provides. It puts words in the player's mouth. The player might feel left out of the game, as if their choices in the game did not matter. There is always a danger of the character estranging the player from the game.

Which is better?
It is up to the game designer, since neither is really better or worse over all. It all fixes on the purpose of the game. Stories can be portrayed through both a silent hero or a story hero. The experience that a player gets is what matters.
Story Heroes are very popular. Like a hero in a book or movie, the player chooses to relate or not based on the character's actions and behavior within the story.

NPCs
The relation and dialog between the hero and non-player characters (NPCs) is a key element in an RPG game. In the story hero case, the conversation is two-way. The NPC says something and the hero has a predetermine response. Sometimes input from the player can change the flow of conversation using branching dialog.

For the silent hero, the dialog is one sided. It is not a simulated conversation at all really. The NPC will rattle on and on, only pausing every so often for a yes or no response. (Usually the response HAS to be yes to continue with the game.) The NPC will continue to spout dialog to the simple "yes" response as if the hero had agreed to ALL the terms of their quest. The other thing that happens for a silent hero is having a talkative NPC partner. They might do some of your talking for you.

Final Thoughts
I normally have a preference for a story character. But this is because, as I mentioned before, that I have narrative motives when I play a game. I'm playing for the story. If the characters are obnoxious or a personality I don't like then I usually do put the game down.
I don't mind the silent hero because it has it's benefits.

Player-Centric Design

2008-04-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

Player centric design for games means keeping your audience in mind and designing for them.
While making a hobby game, it is perfectly acceptable to make a game that interests YOU.
This method is designer-centric. You make a game you like and hope others will like it.

MOTIVATION
Different player types are usually driven by what motivates them to play or continue playing.
Motives can be things like high score, beating level 1, playing the story, exploring the world, playing with friends, competition, stress relief, or combating boredom.

These motivations in turn affect what sort of games the player likes to play. A player motivated by story and exploring a world would probably enjoy an adventure game. Likewise, a player interested in stress relief or relieving boredom or trying to relax may want to play a puzzle game or arcade game. Something that does not require too much focus or hard concentration.

Here are some more samples of Motivation for playing a game:

Entertainment (relieving boredom)
Relaxation
Social Activity
Completing All Obstacles
Obtaining the Highest Score
Narrative (interest in story, characters and worlds)
Exploration (both physical and psychological)
Role Play (Part of the personal exploration.)
Competition
Cooperation
The Gaming Experience (entering the "flow" state/Immersion)
Social Status (reaching a high level in an MMO for example)

There are of course many more ways to describe motives for playing. This is just to get started.

PLAYER TYPES
There are several theorists that divide players into certain types based on their motivation. Bartle's model is wide-spread as a model for MMO games. However, this is not enough to aptly describe a player. It is better to think of various motives instead. Bartle's model is mostly related to MUDs (the old-fashioned MMO). Here are some samples of player types that I have come up with.

Hard-Core Gamer - plays for long periods of time, high hand-eye coordination, motivated by being highly skilled, looks for a challenge, plays many games.

Casual Gamer - plays for short periods of time, motivated by game experience, looks for quick satisfaction, has not played many games.

Narrative Player - motivated by game story and characters, looks for rich worlds and narrative, prefers an easy challenge to progress in story.

Active Player - motivated by immersion into the game, plays for long periods of time, looks for rich narrative elements and challenge.

Passive Player - motivated by the effects of game play (stress relief), looks for gameplay elements, sometimes motivated by narrative arcs, likes patterns

Social Player - motivated by social aspects of gaming such as showing off scores, playing with people, competition or cooperation.

Non-Gamer - motivated by quick completion of goals in a game, easy instruction, low hand-eye coordination, low pressure situations, positive feedback, has not played many video games.

New Gamer - quick understanding of rules and controls, exploration of possibilities, low pressure, positive feedback, low hand-eye coordination, easily recognized patterns.

TYPES OF FUN
Nicole Lazzaro, Founder of XEO design and an expert on player experience wrote a report about the four keys to fun. They are Hard Fun, Easy Fun, Serious Fun (oxymoron!), and People Fun (or social fun).

Hard fun refers to overcoming a challenge. This is exciting for a player to experience and satisfying.

Easy fun is about curiosity and exploring possibilities. This is more about the visuals, the story, and the environment.

Serious Fun is when a player uses a game to evoke a feeling, sometimes stress relief. It's a way to relax.

People fun means games are social. Whether it is multi-player in nature OR you are able to share your experiences with friends.

This is important to remember because games are suppose to be fun. There are aspects in a game that cater more to one than another. Also certain player types probably enjoy more of one type of fun than another. For example, a "hardcore" player probably enjoys Hard Fun more than Easy Fun.

GENRES
Certain types of players tend to be attracted to specific genres of games. Just as certain people have preferences for genres in books or movies.

Role-Playing (RPG) refers to any game in which you take on a role. Well, this could be any game you play a character in really. However, RPG is often associated or coupled with another genre: adventure. RPG/Adventure games are most likely what you will create with RPG maker. These are games that have strong narrative influences.

First Person Shooter (FPS) are games that often take a first person view. Usually these are war games. The camera is not giving the player a view of the character, only what the character sees.

Real-Time Strategy (RTS) are games like Starcraft, Age of Empires and Civilizations. It is all about managing resources and developing a strategy to win a war, thrive, or expand empires.

Arcade Style blankets many older 2D games such as Space Invaders, Frogger, and the like.

Simulation should remind you of Flight Simulator or the Sims series. Some theorists argue that these are not technically games, but we won't delve into that. Simulation reproduces an experience in a digital form, such a flying a plane or running your own Zoo or raising a pet dog.

Casual is a fairly newish genre consisting of online games, puzzle games and the like. They are quick to play, easy to learn and addicting. One of the more famous examples is Diner Dash.

Rhythm/Music is a relatively new genre as well. The advent of Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero. The only other game (that I remember) having special controllers was a Nintendo Track game where you had to stomp on a running pad.

Collector-style games are what I call the Pokemon series. It is an RPG/Adventure as well. You could also file the Yu-Gi-Oh series under this.

Racing games are pretty obvious. You're either behind the wheel of a car, on the back of a horse, or steering a Pod-racer.

Massive Multi-Player Online Game (MMO, MMOG, MMORPG) are online games that have thousands or millions of players connected to play a game. Often this is coupled with the RPG/Adventure genre, however FPS also have online play features. There are also casual. World of Warcraft is the obvious example of an MMO.

Game Research

2008-03-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

Researching For a Game

Most of the research done before making a game is thinking about other games you have played before. This is the easiest and most basic form of research...it's called experience. (:D)
This is actually very important in my experience trying to make a game or plan a game with a non-gamer. (Let me tell you, it was very frustrating. Mostly there was a language barrier.)

System Research
Diversity is important. Being familiar with many different types of game mechanics will help you in the creation of your own game. I'm not just talking about digital games, I do also mean card games, board games and social games. Think about the rules of some board games. Think about the rules of those games when they were translated to a computer game. Consider playing Monopoly with the physical board against a friend versus playing it on the computer against AI.

What this should do is make you think about aspects of the game you are making. When making an RPG, think of table top Dungeons & Dragons. After creating a character, things such as attacks and defense and various other actions are based on rolling dice. Similar things happen in an RPG game in some battle systems. However, it's usually not as random as rolling a die. The randomness should favor the player.

Game Balance
This is a term used by gamers to describe how the various mechanics work together throughout the game. If they work well together and the difficulty matches the player's skill, then the game is well-balanced. A sudden spike in level difficulty or a battle system that seems to work against the player's favor are considered unbalanced.

The term also covers various other aspects of the game design. Things like special features for instance can be balanced or unbalanced. If you have too many special features it can crowd the game and over-whelm the player.

A game that I've played that has this problem is "Okami" for the PlayStation 2. Many symbols show up on the screen that I don't know the meaning of. There are several sub-screens for various inventory. And several "modes" that I need to go into during battle. That's a lot to keep track of. I need the manual with me most of the time to reference what icons on the screen mean.

Giving your game lots of features doesn't make it more challenging, it makes it not fun...which is the primary goal of the game: to provide entertainment.

Story Research
This element may seem like fluff, but it really works when dreaming up different features. Authors, Comic Artists and Filmmakers all do research on the subject they are producing. For example for a story about horses it would be a good idea to learn various terms associated with the animal. If you call your male horse a mare, then chances are you need research before you are laughed at. (I've read an instance where an editor read such a thing by an author.)

If you have a world based off medieval fantasy, do some research about the time period.
If you have certain weapons in your game, check out specifics about that weapon, like how much it weighs.
If there is some mythological creatures in your game, read their original myths.

It will help your story in the long run if you learn a bit about the world you are trying to create. You may find out something interesting that you never knew before than can be added to the game.

Thoughts on Interactivity and Cutscenes

2008-03-12T16:51:00.000-07:00

A short dialog on balancing storytelling with gameplay.
Thoughts on Interactivity, Stories and Games

Often I find while playing a game, I am interested in learning what story it has to tell. I have narrative motives to my game play. But games are not really a story TELLING device, but a story PLAYING device. What I mean is that games are interactive. It should respond to player input, unlike a movie where no matter what you do the story will not change.

In the Game Design Review blog, it had a section that struck me as gold! It was comparing a remake of a game with the original. The original version of the game, you arrived with your female companion at a regular looking castle only to have your companion kidnapped during the night. It came as a surprise to a player that their companion was gone and provided motivation or guilt. In the remake, the inn was surrounded by an ominous gate and even had an NPC mention that sometimes guests go missing.

The remake used a film technique of setting the mood. What would happen to the characters was inevitable. Only in a game, a player is not passively watching their character march into a haunted inn. The player is actively moving that character. So now I will write a bit about player choice and linear stories.

LINEAR STORIES
The idea of a linear story is that there is a beginning and an end. Events lead the character from point A to point Z in a chronological or logical order. In this type of game story, the designer is leading the player along. The trap is to be like a film director that drags a viewer along. No amount of input from the audience will change the outcome of a film. It is a finite medium.
Games are not necessarily AS finite. You can replay a game differently than you did the first time.

So now the discussion is, how does a game designer LEAD or GUIDE a player down the linear path? Is there only ONE path to the end?

HOW STORIES WORK WITH GAMES
In RPG adventure games, a story makes the game different from any other in the genre. Most of them have the same style of gameplay, so it would seem that people do not buy the games for new and exciting systems, but for characters and stories.

The story or drama in the game provides another layer of entertainment value. Because although the designer may have a story to tell, the player can be co-author of their own adventure.

Let’s take for example Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. There is no pressure to get through the main story. There is nothing stopping the player from exploring various parts of the world, finding hidden holes, taking side quests or playing mini-games. It only tells the story during cut scenes before and after major dungeons. While the cut scenes are a drama to the story, it is also instruction for the player. It is presented in such a way that the player is entertained but they still have a choice to go forward or go fishing.

CUT SCENES STRATEGY

Cut scenes and dialog exchange are the only methods games have of presenting story elements to the player. In more recent games they are becoming more and more cinematic. Here are some methods, using game examples.

Chapter by Chapter method
This method is most like a book. Sometimes the game itself is divided up into Acts or Books to emphasize this point. Basically what happens is you get your opening cut scene, then you play for a bit, when you reach the end of the action you get another cutscene.
My example for this would be Odin Sphere. You are playing characters in a story that a girl is reading. A cutscene happens before the level, before the boss battle, after the boss battle, and sometimes again after that. There was very little time to actually be playing.

This is good if you want to lock your player into one linear path. However, it does not give the player much freedom. You have boxed their playtime between cutscenes.

Plot Point Method
This is only slightly different that chapter by chapter. It is a still a stop and go method. There are still cutscenes before major battles and dungeons. However, it allows more exploration. Unlike chapter by chapter, once you watch the cutscene you are free to explore the dungeon or go back to the overworld.
There are many examples for this method. My Legend of Zelda example is one.

This method is probably the most used. It is a good method if you are trying to portray a plot but still give the player freedom to act. You are only guiding the player towards an action.

Random
I’ve only seen this once where you found triggers and an optional cutscene would play giving more character interactions that had nothing to do with the story but COULD affect outcomes in the game due to relationships.

PLACES TO PUT CUT SCENES

It is important to keep in mind where you are placing cut scenes. Any situation that needs an introduction is a suitable reason for a cutscene. Some games, this happens before a boss fight. This is expected but it can become an annoyance if the player as to replay that cut scene every time he/she fails to defeat that boss. This can be forgivable if the cut scene is short, but in particular scenes before battles should be only viewed once. Having a save option right after the cut scene or having a skip feature can help with this.

Introductions is one reason for a cut scene, explanations is another. Aftermath seems to be pretty popular as well. Aftermath is something to be wary of since it only happens after a battle or completing a dungeon. Is it a restating of things the characters have already done or is it an explanation for the next step. Restating the obvious is a waste of the player’s time.
Hero: "We have defeated the Evil Lord".
(yes...we know...we were there. We actually did it ourselves you mindless dweeb!)

Remember cutscenes should be used for: Introductions, explanations, and results of actions that are not apparent.

STYLES OF CUTSCENES

Many commercial games have gone very cinematic in cutscene presentation. They are high-definition graphics meant to dazzle the player. Recently, the characters in the cinematic scenes are translated directly as the playable game character. Not too long ago, there was a visible different between the playable graphics and the cutscene graphics. (Make note on Tidus' hair, face, and chest.)

The trend is to use the playable graphics in cutscenes which makes sense especially for an indy game designer.

In commercial games, there are also instances of full-blown cutscenes and minor cutscenes. The major cutscenes are dramatized 3D animation spectacles with voice acting. Minor cutscenes may just be word bubbles or screens. NeverWinter Nights 2 ToolKit program offers such differences in how dialog is presented. One uses the NWN2 Engine which allows control of the camera angle, character animation and expression to be associated with certain lines of text. The other uses the NWN1 Engine which appears as a block of text with the characters avatar in the corner (optional). It did not really allow for a flexible camera control.

RPG Maker Cutscenes
Rpg Maker, regardless of the version, limits you to using 2D pixel graphics and one camera angle. This is one limitation of the program. But you can still make delightful cutscenes with it. Older 2D games provide good examples. One of my favorites is the Sailor Moon RPG . The sprites had various expressions and moved around the screen during a cutscene.

Another good example is Summon Knight Swordcraft Story. The sprites not only animate but the avatars of the character's change expressions. This makes up for limited sprite movement on the screen.

Here are some key things to remember about Cutscenes in RPG Makers.

Visually appealing - since you're using in game graphics this won't be hard, but make sure the scene as a whole is not "too busy".
Movement - make the sprites animate and move around a little. Make it interesting to look at.
Signify the Speaker - Using an avatar or the character's name in the text box clarifies who is speaking during a cutscene. It's hard to tell if there are no mouths moving.
Make Scenes Skipable - This makes sense if you have scenes before or after boss battles that you don't need to sit through.

CLOSING THOUGHTS
Cutscenes are not interactive. It stops the action of the game and takes control away from the player. However, it is the easiest way to tell a story in a game. It use to be that if you wanted back story, you read the manual. For example, the original Legend of Zelda, you receive a wooden sword and shield from an old man in a cave at the beginning and that was all the back story you got in-game. The player was give no direction on where to go or any motive to complete actions. The manual that came with the game told you where to go first and why.

Obviously, this method was not very appealing. Players do want a little direction, they do expect a bit of story. How much freedom you give them after the main introduction is up to you.

Having options within the cutscene that affect the storyline is very popular and a way to make cutscenes more interactive.

Short chart

2006-02-25T21:08:00.000-08:00

-Basic Information-
Name:
Meaning:
Nicknames:
Gender:
Age:
Race:
Occupation/Rank:
Hair:
Eyes:
Skin tone:
Usual Attire:
Homeland:

-Relationships-
Family:
Friends:
Romantic Interest:
Lovers/Spouse:
-Personality-
Personality:
Likes:
Dislikes:
Abilities:

-History-

Example chart

2006-02-24T21:08:00.000-08:00

Name:
Age:
Gender:
(Race):
Appearance: (hair, skin tone, eye color, clothes, height, body type, jewelry, birthmarks, scars, tattoos)

-Personality-
Disposition: (sunny, dismal, negative, positive)
Likes/Favorites:
Dislikes:
Hobbies:

-Social-
Social Class:
Level of Education:
Occupation:
Religious Affiliation: (include how faithful)
Clan affiliation: (if any)
Political views: (if any)

-Background-
Birthday:
Where they were born:
Where they currently live:

-Relationships-
Immediate Family:
Relationship with family members:
Extended Family:
Relationships with them:
Friends:
Relationship with them
Romantic Interest/Lovers/Spouses:
Relationship with them:

-Details/Story Specific-
Nervous Ticks:
Worst Memory:
Best Memory:
Greatest Regret:
Greatest Achievement:
Most Precious Possession:
Greatest Fear:
Greatest Desire: